Indholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2019 i Diabetes Self-Management

Lowering A1C levels naturally Your A1C is a blood test that provides information about your average blood sugar levels over the past three months. There are a number of ways to lower your A1C. Explore our rundown of lifestyle measures that can work. What is a normal blood glucose? Blood glucose monitoring is one of the cornerstones of diabetes management, so you may wonder what’s considered a normal blood glucose level. In this new video, learn about normal blood glucose for people with and without diabetes. Diabetes at school School-age children spend about half their waking hours in the classroom. Since children can’t leave their diabetes at home, having a plan—preferably a written plan—is necessary for managing their diabetes while they’re at school. Supervisor’s guide to supporting employees with diabetes…

Diabetes can make working at a job harder. Maybe the answer is to have your work come to you. Might telecommuting or starting a home business meet your needs? On Sitepoint.com, Alyssa Gregory listed 27 advantages of working from home. She can take downtime when she wants, eat healthier food for less money, and wear comfortable clothes. She saves time, money and stress by not having to commute. And, she says, “I don’t have to worry about ‘big brother’ watching over my shoulder.” For people who have diabetes, there are other advantages. To stay healthy, people with diabetes need to eat on a regular schedule. They need breaks to rest and sometimes to check blood sugar or inject insulin. They might need to snack if blood sugar is getting low.…

We all complain about it. We never have enough of it. We lose control of it. And we never get it back once it is gone. So much has been written about the time it takes to manage diabetes that it is hard to know where to begin. We’ve got you covered! Here are 10 surefire tips to help you stay on time, on task and on track. 1. You need to SEE your time in order to MANAGE it. Just as there is no way to know your blood glucose level without monitoring, there’s no magic elixir when it comes to time management. It starts with you being able to see what it is you need to do and when you have time to do it. Being able to…

About Olivier Sanchez Olivier Sanchez is a Michelin-trained chef with over 25 years of experience, and for the past 15 years, he has worked for the rich and famous around the world as a top private chef. Besides being a chef, Sanchez is also a registered naturopath and nutritional therapist, melding the best of both worlds to create original and exquisite dishes that will “amaze your taste buds” with health at their core. Nutrition was always the backbone on which he built his career, but today it is his personal signature. He cooks for people and delivers exactly what they need according to their health and dietary requirements. A savvy blogger, Sanchez has shared hundreds of recipes with his followers, and during the last six years, he has been the…

About Rocco DiSpirito Chances are, you might be familiar with celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito—maybe you’ve seen him on QVC promoting his line of Rocco Cookware. Or perhaps you’ve perused one of his 13 books. He’s appeared on the hit show “The Biggest Loser,” and he runs a clinic, creating nutrition plans, preparing foods and having those foods delivered to his clients. Over the course of his career, DiSpirito worked as a host of a food-oriented talk show in New York and opened and ran restaurants, as well. DiSpirito is a James Beard award-winning chef and, in 2002, earned People Magazine’s “Sexiest Chef Alive” award. Influences DiSpirito’s love of food and cooking began when he was young, spending time cooking with his mother. He studied at the Culinary Institute of America…

Questions Back to routine (school and work) With the long, leisurely days of summer coming to a close, resuming your normal work or school routine may require a little adjustment. You already know that stress can be very harmful to your physical well-being, but take this quiz to see how it can affect your mental health. 1. Which of the following describes the condition in which people who have diabetes may feel stressed, overwhelmed and/or frustrated? ○ A. Diabetes psychosis ○ B. Diabetes-related depression ○ C. Diabetes distress ○ D. Diabetes-affective disorder 2. Having which of the following conditions increases the risk for diabetes? (More than one answer may be correct.) ○ A. Depression ○ B. Schizophrenia ○ C. Tourette syndrome ○ D. Delirium 3. In addition to making you…

Q: Do you have any recommendations for coffee consumption? My morning coffee seems to make my blood sugar jump. Does coffee contain carbohydrates? A: Sounds like a case of your blood sugar “Jumping Due to Java.” Unless you’re dumping a great deal of milk or sugar into your coffee, what you’re seeing is most likely caused by the caffeine in the coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant—it causes the liver to release stored-up glucose into the bloodstream. The same thing can happen with other high-caffeine beverages such as regular (non-herbal) tea and some energy drinks. Foods that contain small amounts of caffeine but large amounts of sugar, such as cola and chocolate, tend to cause a spike in blood sugar. There are a number of ways to deal with this. Switching…

Having diabetes can cause stress. Think about the times you’ve experienced stress in relation to your diabetes. Between checking blood glucose levels, monitoring food intake, taking your medication, and making healthy choices, the sheer thought of all you have to do can become overwhelming. Stress affects the “fight or flight” hormones in your body. When you have diabetes, these stress hormones—adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine—can contribute to high blood glucose levels. Additionally, feeling this type of stress may make it harder for you to take care of yourself. Some stress is unavoidable, but the good news is that you can learn to handle stress so it doesn’t get the best of you (see sidebar, “The four As of stress relief”). Ongoing stress can also leave you more vulnerable to developing negative…

If you’re interested in an active autumn, hiking might be just the exercise for you. For those relatively new to hiking, don’t be intimidated by the image of backpackers climbing the Rocky Mountains. The reality is that hiking can be as mild or rigorous as you choose—depending on the trail and distance. Hiking is ideal exercise for individuals with diabetes of all ages, even if you haven’t exercised in a while. Benefits of hiking Besides helping to control blood glucose levels, hiking offers numerous other health benefits. Like many aerobic exercises, hiking improves your stamina, flexibility and muscular fitness. Hiking also stimulates bone strength and slows bone density loss. If you hike on a regular basis, the health benefits multiply by way of decreasing bad cholesterol (LDL) and increasing good…

About Leticia Schwartz Chef Leticia Schwartz is a cookbook author, a spokesperson and a television host who is passionate about food and cooking, health and fitness, and culture and travel. Born and raised in Brazil, Schwartz earned her BA in economics and worked in finance. In 1997, Schwartz moved to New York, where she studied at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center) and worked at Le Cirque and La Caravelle in New York City. She then studied journalism and wrote two cookbooks about Brazilian cuisine: “The Brazilian Kitchen,” which won an award for Best Latin Cookbook at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and “My Rio de Janiero: A Cookbook.” Influences Born in Rio de Janeiro, Schwartz developed her style of cooking naturally. It reflects her passion for…

About Gupta Gupta Punjabi Gupta is a Dallas-based registered dietitian nutritionist, Ayurvedic practitioner, nationally recognized culinary wellness expert and the founder of beSPICED: a company that empowers others with eastern wisdom, western science via speaking engagements, interactive cooking classes, YouTube videos, wellness workshops, heirloom spice products and articles published in several national and international publications. Gupta was born in India and came to the United States in the late 1990s. She completed her training as a dietitian in India and then completed a combined program at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio to earn a master’s degree in nutrition and a dietetic internship, which led to her becoming a registered dietitian in the United States. As a dietitian, Gupta spent a number of years working at Baylor University Medical Center…

Zesty Vegetarian Chili MAKES 4 SERVINGS SERVING SIZE: 1½ CUPS Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories 231, Total Fat 8g, Saturated Fat 1g, Protein 15g, Carbohydrates 28g, Cholesterol 0mg, Fiber 8g, Sodium 432mg Dietary Exchange: 2 Bread/Starch, 2 Vegetable, 2 Meat 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped2 medium zucchini or yellow squash (or 1 of each), cut into ½-inch chunks4 cloves garlic, minced1 can (about 14 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes¾ cup chunky salsa2 teaspoons chili powder1 teaspoon dried oregano1 can (about 15 ounces) no-salt-added red kidney beans, rinsed and drained10 ounces extra-firm tofu, well-drained and cut into ½-inch cubesChopped cilantro (optional) 1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper; cook and stir 4 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic; cook and stir…

A half-price version of Eli Lilly’s rapid-acting Humalog insulin, used by roughly 700,000 people in the United States, is now available for order in pharmacies. The generic form of the drug, known as Insulin Lispro Injection, will cost $137.50 per vial, or $265.20 for a package of five KwikPens. According to the company, the biggest savings will be seen by those who are uninsured, have high-deductible health insurance, or have Medicare Part D plans. Because the product is identical to Humalog, pharmacists will be able to substitute the generic version. However, some patients may still pay less for Humalog, depending on their insurance. In March, Eli Lilly announced plans to introduce the lower-priced medicine. “The availability of Lilly’s Insulin Lispro Injection is important progress that helps more people afford their…

Parenting is difficult enough, but raising a child with diabetes has its own unique demands. In most cases, you’ll be raising a child with type 1 diabetes, but type 2 is becoming more common in kids. According to the CDC, more than 200,000 people younger than 20 have a form of diabetes. In either case, you’ll need a diabetes medical management plan to best manage your son or daughter’s health needs. Work with your family doctor or pediatric endocrinologist to develop a plan that outlines the special needs of your child so that day care providers, teachers and coaches are aware and can be supportive. The plan will spell out blood monitoring routines, treatment strategies, nutritional requirements and involvement in sports and activities. The National Diabetes Education Program developed a…

Mara Schwartz knows firsthand what it’s like living with diabetes and losing bone strength. Thirty-three years ago, during her senior year in high school, Schwartz was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Schwartz discovered the connection between diabetes and bone loss on her own as a nurse and later on as a certified diabetes educator (CDE). After a double mastectomy and hysterectomy, she was diagnosed with osteopenia, a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t make new bone as quickly as it reabsorbs old bone. Making new bone takes longer now for her – something she realized after she broke her toe last year. “I just tapped my toe with a dumbbell during a workout,” says 51-year-old Schwartz. “Instead of a few weeks, the toe took several months to heal and…

What self-management strategy costs nothing, doesn’t hurt and doesn’t make us give up things we like, and yet most people don’t do enough? We’re talking about sleep. Why is sleep important, and how can we get more? Research shows that inadequate sleep (insomnia) contributes to diabetes, its complications, and early death. A study at Penn State University found that people who slept less than six hours a night had 1.8 times higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and 2.3 times the risk of death by stroke. Many studies have found that even one night of poor sleep increases insulin resistance, and chronic poor sleep increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Short sleep duration can increase levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, stimulate production of the stress hormone cortisol,…

About Ming Ming Tsai is a well-revered chef, cookbook author, restaurateur and television personality. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, he attributes his love of cooking to spending many hours with his parents at their restaurant, Mandarin Kitchen. Tsai earned a degree in mechanical engineering at Yale University but continued to nourish his love of cooking, spending summers studying at Le Cordon Bleu and apprenticing at restaurants in Paris. He continued to study and train in Paris after graduation. Moving back to the United States, Tsai attended Cornell University to obtain a master’s degree in hotel administration and hospitality marketing. Tsai opened his first restaurant, Blue Ginger, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1988. Blue Ginger was named Best New Restaurant by Boston Magazine, and it was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as…

About Chef Lala For more than a decade, Laura Diaz (aka Chef LaLa) has been cooking up delicious, healthy recipes as a celebrity chef. Now she’s bringing her expertise straight to the doorsteps of her fans through her meal company, Chef Nourish. Diaz is a certified nutritionist, a busy mom and a business owner. She’s also a chef and a cookbook author. Her first book, “Latin Lover Lite,” was hugely popular and sold out its first printing. “Best-Loved Mexican Cooking,” her second book, was inspired by her father (who had diabetes) and emphasizes traditional ethnic cuisine—minus the fat. But she hasn’t stopped there – she’s been featured on the “Today” show, “Dr. Oz,” “Martha Stewart,” CNN en Espanol, ABC and Telemundo (to name a few). Diaz’s work as a nutritionist…