They were the three letters that changed the course of a day and ones that I didn’t need to hear. I headed in to a follow up appointment with my ophthalmologist today. Over the past few years my eyes have been a diabetic experiment gone wrong. Proliferative retinopathy, leading to vitreous hemorrhaging , add a couple of turbo charged cataracts and a huge dose of apathy and you get the picture. Waiting for the call up I was engaged in the most amazing Twitter dialogue with some of my DOC friends. Random karaoke followed by conversation with people I really love had made my day. I was surrounded by the warmth of friends I had never met. I could almost feel their presence stirring me, accepting me and embracing me. How I longed at that moment to sit with them and share an embrace, a good dose of tears and a hearty handshake. And then came the call…. The doctor spoke slowly as he shared my amazement at the transformation in my vision. From almost blind to near full sight….and then came the three letters that formed a word…...BUT… I think it was somewhere between his outline of the first and fifth procedure required on my eyes that I tuned out and the waves rolled in.... All of the doubts, the unspoken fears, the insecurities, the self doubt, the “why me”, the “what ifs” all rose to the surface. There I was faced with the realization that despite my best efforts my sight once more hung on a tightrope. Having fallen to the lowest depths and risen, I knew that at any moment all could be lost….again To be honest there were no tears and now, several hours later there still aren’t. Just the knowledge that I stand on shaky ground. That all of the friends that I have come to love and need, lie so far away and my problems sit on my doorstep. For now I am just mad...I want to be mad. I hate the diabetes that brought this and I hate my apathy that let things fester for so long. I am confused and cut, battered and broken. Wounds that had healed again lay open and the emotional scars that lay dormant have quickly stirred. So I hang on again. I hang on to hope and the only people who have helped instill it in me. I hang on to my friends in the DOC. I hold on to their warmth having felt the coldness of reality once more. I hang on to the dreams that they have formed and the song that they have started. I hang on to treasured memories and precious moments, knowing that all may be taken in an instant. I am perhaps more resolute than ever. Resolved to make the most of what I have, to embrace each moment more fully, to express each feeling more concisely and to tell all of you I am coming to meet just how much you mean to me. It is your stories and your personalities that carry me when in myself, all strength is gone  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs2Q0SRWhCs In this video, we talk with Sharon Howard about how to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving with diabetes. Sharon is a Certified Diabetes Educator, Registered Nurse, and Charter Fellow of the American Dietetic Association. She has over 25 years of experience helping people manage diabetes, weight loss, celiac disease, and eating disorders. You can download <a href="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/edelman/files/2011/11/Holiday-Slides.pdf">all of the slides</a> (pdf). The event is brought to you by Diabetes Daily in conjunction with <a href="http://www.diabetescare.net">DiabetesCare.net</a>.

I recently interviewed Naomi Kingery, The Diabetic Diva and essential member of the diabetes online community, about her third book, <a href="http://www.livetolovediabetes.com/books.html">Sugar Free Support</a>. <strong>My wife has type 1 diabetes, and I took on the role of food police in the beginning. It didn't go over well. What's the key to talking about diabetes with a loved one effectively? </strong>Take the time to learn how your loved one with diabetes would like to be communicated with in regards to their health, especially with diet because that can be a very sensitive subject. If you knew someone was a visual learner, would you try and communicate with them through audio? The same principal is applied here. If you know your loved one with diabetes needs encouragement, support, or to be simply left alone at different times then this could change everything. You can support them all day, but if it isn’t in the way they need it or at the times they will truly take it all in, then it isn’t going to be as impactful as it can be. <strong><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1390" title="Check out the Sugar-Free Support eBook" src="http://cdn.diabetesdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sugar-Free-Support-Book-201x300.jpg" alt="Sugar-Free Support Book" width="201" height="300" />That makes a lot of sense. It's so easy to see something from your perspective, but much harder to switch and look through someone else's eyes. Do you see a big mistake that potential supporters tend to make? </strong> The biggest mistake made unknowingly by many loved ones is not accepting the fact that they truly don’t, and can’t, understand what we go through. You may see what we endure on a daily basis but there is so much more involved. So continue to strive to learn more, but more importantly communicate with us so you can try to understand what goes on beneath the surface. Accept that you won’t feel the symptoms or the needle pokes like we do, and tailor your support accordingly. <strong>If someone with diabetes just isn't taking care of themselves, what do you do? How do you handle it?</strong> I have met many people who take care of themselves, and many that don’t. It makes me sad but immediately prompts me to encourage them because I believe the root of not taking care of yourself is typically tied to feeling like you are out there on your own. I usually begin to share my personal story with them, and it won’t be the same as theirs but it is always good to connect with other people who understand. I then ask for them to get involved in an online community if they aren’t already, like <a href="http://www.diabeticrockstar.com/">Diabetic Rockstar</a> or <a href="http://www.tudiabetes.org/">TuDiabetes</a> because these communities show you that the struggle is real, but that we can all unite and help each other each step of the way. <strong>Your book is packed with great advice. How will reading it change someone's life? </strong>When I first started writing it was an outlet for me to share the things that I feel I would have greatly benefited from along my path towards accepting and embracing diabetes. Along my journey I realized that people with diabetes have support, but what about those who support us? Because of that, Sugar Free Support is my third book and this was one I wanted to focus solely towards those who support people with diabetes. Their support is vital and I feel they do not receive the recognition they deserve so I wanted to make this clear. It was also very important for me to give them the descriptions and explanations they seek on what it feels like to live with diabetes so I put it all down on paper in hopes to transform individual and family relationships. And I believe it has the potential to do so because it has had that affect on my life! <strong>What's next on your agenda? </strong>I am currently working towards a bachelors degree in Kinesiology and am focused on continuing to build on my career at <a href="http://www.medtronicdiabetes.net/">Medtronic Diabetes</a>. I am also currently writing my fourth and final installment of The Sugar Free Series which will share about my decade journey with diabetes as I just celebrated my 10 year anniversary on September 2! <strong>We look forward to it! In the meantime, how can someone get a copy of this and your other books? </strong>Learn more about my books and the work I do in the community at <a href="http://www.livetolovediabetes.com/" target="_blank">www.livetolovediabetes.com</a> where you will get a direct link to purchase them. <em>Learn more about Naomi at </em><em><a href="http://www.livetolovediabetes.com/" target="_blank">www.livetolovediabetes.com</a> or connect with her on Twitter at  <a href="http://twitter.com/naomikingery">@naomikingery</a>.</em>

[caption id="attachment_11002" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Paula Deen&#39;s Famous 1800 Calorie Lady&#39;s Brunch Burger"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-11002" title="Lady's Brunch Burger" src="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/edelman/files/2012/01/article-2086500-0F73C99F00000578-802_468x351-300x225610262224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />[/caption] This week, Paula Deen announced she has type 2 diabetes and became a public spokesperson for Novo Nordisk. Famous for over-the-top recipes like the 1800 calorie <a href="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/simplycooking/2009/04/22/do-you-want-a-side-of-angioplasty-with-that/">Lady's Brunch Burger</a>, she has a unique opportunity to talk about the intersection of food and diabetes in our culture. Her announcement on the Today Show (<a href="http://bites.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/17/10173727-paula-deen-diabetes-diagnosis-wont-change-how-i-cook">video</a>) was not a good start. Rather than confronting the role of food in diabetes head on, she touched the edges. "My show is just entertainment. Everything in moderation." Deen will need to do much, much more to live up to her potential. <h3>Help Wanted: Seeking Good Role Models</h3> Almost one out of ten American adults have type 2 diabetes. There are another 300 million around the world. Sadly, few public figures choose to become public advocates. The record of those who do is mixed at best. Halle Berry "cured" herself. B.B. King sells test strips. Mike Huckabee, Larry King, Randy Jackson and others are "out", but rarely use their stature to address these issues. Diabetes is a big problem, it deserves a much bigger voice. Paula Deen can help. <h3>Open the "Diabetes Closet"</h3> If you followed the discussions about Deen on Diabetes Daily, then you saw a tinder box of emotions: guilt, shame, frustration, blame. Even our educated community has a hard time talking about how diet contributes to diabetes without poisoning the conversation with blame. Let's be upfront about this: Paula Deen does not deserve to be blamed for her diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is strongly genetic (far more so than type 1 diabetes). Although weight might be a trigger, genes and other unknown factors are the gun. Most importantly, no one deserves a disease. Period. By coming out, Paula Deen can confront the stigma of having diabetes head on. She can address the very personal feelings of guilt ("did I do this to myself?") and shame ("what will people think of me now?"). This will make it easier for others to talk about their diabetes. Her actions could encourage others who have been avoiding the doctor to get diagnosed and take action. As International Diabetes Federation President Jean Claude Mbanya once confided, the biggest reason we don't see political action on diabetes is that so few will admit that they have it. <h3>Improve Our Food Culture</h3> Paula Deen isn't making America unhealthy with her food. She's serving southern fried culture that millions know and love. (Although it was a little disingenuous to say that her cooking is merely entertainment in her announcement.) As a celebrity chef, she now has a unique opportunity to talk about our complex relationship with food from the inside. When people see an overweight, middle-aged woman cooking real food, they can think, she's like me. She gets me. And they will listen. Talking candidly about her relationship with her own food would be a big first step. How is she adapting her habits? How can she enjoy the foods she loves in a healthy way? How does she feel - both good and bad - about these changes? (And can the media please stop blaming it all on dietary fat!) Changing a culture is extraordinarily difficult. And Paula Deen can't do it alone. But she can trail blaze the way for the food celebrities who follow. <h3>Read More</h3> <ul> <li>Paula Deen's new Novo Nordisk website: <a href="http://www.diabetesinanewlight.com/">Diabetes In a New Light</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/01/paula-deens-diabetes-mistakes-and-opportunities.html">DiabetesMine</a> talks about blame, drugs, and hypocrisy</li> <li>Kelly Kunik says <a href="http://diabetesaliciousness.blogspot.com/2012/01/paula-deen-if-you-need-us-diabetes-on.html">the diabetes community is here to help</a>!</li> <li><a href="http://thegirlsguidetodiabetes.com/2012/01/18/paula-deen-type-2-diabetes">Mixed thoughts on Paula Deen</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/paula-deen-6-word-memoir_n_1211087.html?ref=email_share">"Might as well eat that cookie."</a></li> </ul> <div><em><strong>Update</strong>: </em>Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine <a href="http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/01/our-interview-with-paula-deen-sticky-sweet.html">interviewed Paula yesterday</a>.</div>

<p><em><a href="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2012/05/vote-for-your-favorite-diabetes-grant-proposals/screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-4-34-23-pm/" rel="attachment wp-att-24598"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24598" title="DHFseeds" src="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/files/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-21-at-4.34.23-PM-300x169.png" alt="" width="300" height="169" /></a>You</em> can be part of the first <a href="http://www.diabeteshandsfoundation.org/our-programs/dhf-seeds/" target="_blank">DHF Seeds micro-grant</a> by voting for your favorite project proposals in three different categories! These videos explain, in less than three minutes, projects focused on supporting people with diabetes.</p> <ol> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/channels/dhfseedsconnect" target="_blank">Connect</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/channels/dhfseedseducate" target="_blank">Educate</a></li> <li><a href="https://vimeo.com/channels/dhfseedsempower " target="_blank">Empower</a></li> </ol> <p>DHF&#8217;s judging panel will be choosing three proposals from each category, for a total of nine proposals, to receive $2,000 each. This is the DHF&#8217;s first round in micro-grant funding, so eligibility has been limited to 501(c)(3) non-profits and paid-members of the <a href="http://diabetesadvocates.org/">Diabetes Advocates</a>.</p> <p>Here is <a href="http://www.diabeteshandsfoundation.org/2012/05/announcing-dhf-seeds-grant-finalists/" target="_blank">the complete list of finalists</a> for each category and their project proposals.</p> <p>Voting is open until the end of the day on June 15, 2012. The recipients of the grants will be announced on July 30, 2012.</p> <p>The final decisions will be made by the judges as they take into account the number of likes, shares, tweets and comments on each proposal&#8217;s explanation video.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> <p><div style="float:left; text-align:left;><img alt='' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/vbsso/vbsso.php?do=avatar&id=b5f6995be3282da4742ad3c0535d1d0a' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><h3><a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='Ginger Vieira'>Ginger Vieira</a></h3><p>Ginger Vieira has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease since 1999. She is a writer, health coach, video blogger, speaker and diabetes advocate at <a href="http://www.living-in-progress.com">Living in Progress</a>. Ginger wrote and self-published the book: <a href="http://living-in-progress.com/2011/01/your-diabetes-science-experiment/">Your Diabetes Science Experiment</a>.</p><p><span class='authoricon'><a href='http://twitter.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Twitter'><img class='authoricon_twitter' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/twitter.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://plus.google.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Google Plus'><img class='authoricon_googleplus' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/google_.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://facebook.com/Ginger.Vieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Facebook'><img class='authoricon_facebook' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/facebook.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://youtube.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Youtube'><img class='authoricon_youtube' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/youtube.png'></a></span>- <a href='http://www.living-in-progress.com' title='Ginger Vieira'>Website</a> - <a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='More posts by Ginger Vieira'>More Posts</a> </p></p>

<p>How many times has someone told you that your diabetes is &#8220;okay&#8221; as long as you &#8220;manage it&#8221;? The conversation usually looks like this:</p> <div> <p><em><strong>Non-diabetic person:</strong> Oh, you have diabetes?</em></p> <p><em><strong>You, the diabetic:</strong> Yes.</em></p> <p><em><strong>Non-diabetic person:</strong> Well, you look fine. It&#8217;s pretty easy these days, &#8217;cause you have those pump things, right?&#8221;</em></p> <p><em><strong>You, the diabetic:</strong> Actually, it&#8217;s not quite that simple. And I don&#8217;t even use a p&#8211;</em></p> <p><em><strong>Non-diabetic person:</strong> &#8211;Yeah, but, so you just have to, like, manage it with that thing, and then you&#8217;re fine.</em></p> <p><em><strong>You, the diabetic:</strong> Not really. There&#8217;s more to it than&#8211;</em></p> <p><em><strong>Non-diabetic person:</strong> &#8211;and you can&#8217;t eat sugar.</em></p> <p>That&#8217;s usually when I smile, nod, and say, &#8220;Kind of&#8230;something like that.&#8221;</p> <h2><strong>The problem is:</strong></h2> <p><img class="alignright" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7005784335_541c4a5c76.jpg" alt="Easy!" width="400" height="400" /></p> <p>You&#8217;re doing such an awesome job of living your life while living with diabetes that the people around you don&#8217;t always see how hard you&#8217;re actually working.</p> <p>You&#8217;re working hard. Really hard. So hard, in fact, that the people around you don&#8217;t realize that if you &#8220;quit your diabetes job&#8221; one afternoon, and didn&#8217;t do all that hard work for the rest of the day, you could be in big trouble.</p> <p>The people around you can&#8217;t tell you&#8217;re counting carbohydrates at every meal, using your insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio at breakfast and a different one at lunch. They can&#8217;t tell that when you show up at the gym to jog on the treadmill, you actually did quite a lot of planning to make sure that you finish that jog still standing on two feet instead of passed out in the locker room.</p> <p>They can&#8217;t tell how much your head hurts during a low blood sugar, and how hard you&#8217;re trying to focus during that low blood sugar that happens to have occurred in the middle of the company meeting or your daughter&#8217;s piano recital or your yoga class. They can&#8217;t tell how thirsty and exhausted you feel when your blood sugar has been high all afternoon due to the stressed caused by having to move into your new house or the fight you got into with your husband or trying to take out a loan so you can go back to school.</p> <p>They can&#8217;t tell that all day, every day, you&#8217;re balancing your life around this disease. You make diabetes look easy. The harder you work, the easier it looks.</p> <p>To top it all off, they even think you don&#8217;t feel pain from pricking your fingers, inserting infusion sites, and taking injections, because you don&#8217;t wince and say &#8220;OUCH!&#8221; anymore. You&#8217;ve done it so many times that the pain of it doesn&#8217;t surprise you. It still hurts (it is, after all, a sharp object puncturing your human flesh), but you just don&#8217;t show how much it hurts.</p> <p>You make diabetes look easy.</p> </div> <p><div style="float:left; text-align:left;><img alt='' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/vbsso/vbsso.php?do=avatar&id=b5f6995be3282da4742ad3c0535d1d0a' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><h3><a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='Ginger Vieira'>Ginger Vieira</a></h3><p>Ginger Vieira has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease since 1999. She is a writer, health coach, video blogger, speaker and diabetes advocate at <a href="http://www.living-in-progress.com">Living in Progress</a>. Ginger wrote and self-published the book: <a href="http://living-in-progress.com/2011/01/your-diabetes-science-experiment/">Your Diabetes Science Experiment</a>.</p><p><span class='authoricon'><a href='http://twitter.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Twitter'><img class='authoricon_twitter' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/twitter.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://plus.google.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Google Plus'><img class='authoricon_googleplus' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/google_.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://facebook.com/Ginger.Vieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Facebook'><img class='authoricon_facebook' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/facebook.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://youtube.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Youtube'><img class='authoricon_youtube' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/youtube.png'></a></span>- <a href='http://www.living-in-progress.com' title='Ginger Vieira'>Website</a> - <a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='More posts by Ginger Vieira'>More Posts</a> </p></p>

<p>In addition to being a life-threatening human weapon, Bruce Lee also considered himself a poet and a philosopher. I&#8217;ve read five biographies about him and as much of his own writing as I can find, and one thing is clear: he believed in adapting to the circumstances in front of him.<br /> <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/46jO96bz_Fo" frameborder="0" width="420" height="315"></iframe><br /> <em>&#8220;Be formless, shapeless &#8211; like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.&#8221; </em><em>- Bruce Lee, on the Pierre Berton Show (1971)</em></p> <p>Whether we&#8217;re face-to-face with an opponent or thinking about the day-to-day challenges of life, Bruce Lee is suggesting we look at what is currently happening in our life and essentially, &#8220;go with the flow.&#8221;</p> <p>When thinking about life with diabetes, Bruce&#8217;s philosophy could apply in so many ways.</p> <p>Imagine: instead of becoming frustrated or angry when your blood sugar is high, take a deep breath and look at the situation from the perspective of what you can do. Getting angry doesn&#8217;t really accomplish anything; in fact, the added stress might actually continue to raise your blood sugar!</p> <p>Instead, imagine <strong>What Would Bruce Do?</strong> (<em>Oh, dear: WWBD. Now I&#8217;ve done it.</em>)</p> <p><img class="wp-image-24537 alignright" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;" title="BruceLee" src="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/files/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-16-at-6.11.40-PM-300x277.png" alt="" width="231" height="213" />Imagine: spending years and hours wishing you didn&#8217;t have diabetes, trying to pretend you didn&#8217;t have diabetes, denying that you do have diabetes by neglecting this high-maintanence disease. Basically, fighting against the reality of your diagnosis.</p> <p>Instead, Bruce suggests you &#8220;be like water&#8221; by accepting that diagnosis and doing what has to be done in order to live your life.</p> <p>How much energy could you save every day by accepting the reality of your life with diabetes instead of fighting against it? How much lighter would the weight on your shoulders be if you adjusted to what&#8217;s currently happening in your life, as opposed to wishing it were different?</p> <p>Sure, Michael Jordan is cool, but really: <em>I wanna be like Bruce.</em></p> <p><em><strong>&#8220;I try to live freely from moment to moment, letting things happen and adjusting to them.&#8221;<br /> </strong></em><em>- Bruce Lee, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Striking Thoughts</span> p.13</em></p> <p><div style="float:left; text-align:left;><img alt='' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/vbsso/vbsso.php?do=avatar&id=b5f6995be3282da4742ad3c0535d1d0a' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><h3><a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='Ginger Vieira'>Ginger Vieira</a></h3><p>Ginger Vieira has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease since 1999. She is a writer, health coach, video blogger, speaker and diabetes advocate at <a href="http://www.living-in-progress.com">Living in Progress</a>. Ginger wrote and self-published the book: <a href="http://living-in-progress.com/2011/01/your-diabetes-science-experiment/">Your Diabetes Science Experiment</a>.</p><p><span class='authoricon'><a href='http://twitter.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Twitter'><img class='authoricon_twitter' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/twitter.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://plus.google.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Google Plus'><img class='authoricon_googleplus' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/google_.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://facebook.com/Ginger.Vieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Facebook'><img class='authoricon_facebook' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/facebook.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://youtube.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Youtube'><img class='authoricon_youtube' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/youtube.png'></a></span>- <a href='http://www.living-in-progress.com' title='Ginger Vieira'>Website</a> - <a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='More posts by Ginger Vieira'>More Posts</a> </p></p>

<div> <p>There is a lot of controversy and difference of opinion surrounding Type 2 Diabetes. There are differing opinions on what we should be eating, what we shouldn’t be eating and what types of medications/supplements would be best for us to use. There is one area where I’ve yet to read any opposing ideas: the need for regular exercise.<a title="We Can Do It! Poster by DonkeyHotey, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/5521102662/"><img class="alignright" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5174/5521102662_30207bfffd.jpg" alt="We Can Do It! Poster" width="310" height="400" /></a></p> <p>It is widely thought that regular exercise is beneficial to people with Type 2 Diabetes (and everyone else, of course). Whether we are obese, overweight or thin, we can all benefit from regular exercise. Phew! Well that sounds easy, right? If only….</p> <p>If you’re like me, the idea of exercising is about as exciting as a trip to the dentist, without Novocain. What a pain! I was somewhat athletic in my teens but never enjoyed running. In my twenties I was a busy working mom and never took the time to exercise on a regular basis.</p> <p>Over the next 30 years the weight slowly snuck up on me and, voila!, I was overweight. I bet this sounds familiar to a lot of you. In my 50’s a diagnosis of diabetes put the idea of regular exercise in my face. That, along with the realization that I needed to change my eating habits, felt daunting and impossible.</p> <p>I’ve excelled over the years at taking a stab at exercising. There was that unfortunate green polyester running suit in the 70’s, a pact with friends that we’d walk together every day in the 80’s, the brilliant idea that I would ride that bike up and down the hills in the 90’s, you get the idea. The problem wasn’t with the activities I chose, (they were all excellent forms of exercise) it was a problem with my dedication and commitment. It was just too easy to quit.</p> <p>I’m here to tell you folks, we can’t quit. Somehow we have to find the drive and motivation to do this often. You can do it! You know the drill. You’ve all read those articles about how to fit exercise into your day. Walk the mall, park on the far end of the lot, take the stairs, walk the dog. I’m not here to tell you how to exercise; I’m here to tell you that you are worth the effort.</p> <p>It is a proven fact that regular exercise will help us to control our glucose. It will help us to lose weight. It will strengthen our hearts. It will improve neuropathy and hopefully keep it at bay. So you tell me; what about those things aren’t motivating? Find an exercise program that you can do and stick with, then find what motivates you to keep doing it.</p> <p>Make sure your goals are reasonable; don’t plan to run a marathon right off the bat. It doesn’t matter what you do or how you look while you do it, it just matters that you make the effort. Hey, if I can exercise regularly, so can you! You will feel great, I promise. So what’s stopping you?</p> </div> <p><div style="float:left; text-align:left;><img alt='' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/vbsso/vbsso.php?do=avatar&id=311e1a537e6d71d7ef3ead9e1d0174bd' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><h3><a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/SweetType2/' title='sweettype2'>sweettype2</a></h3><p>Kate lives a great life with type 2 diabetes and blogs about it at <a href="http://kates-sweet-success.blogspot.com/">Sweet Success: My Life with Type 2 Diabetes</a>.</p><p><span class='authoricon'><a href='http://twitter.com/SweetenedKate' title='sweettype2on Twitter'><img class='authoricon_twitter' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/twitter.png'></a></span>- <a href='http://kates-sweet-success.blogspot.com/' title='sweettype2'>Website</a> - <a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/SweetType2/' title='More posts by sweettype2'>More Posts</a> </p></p>

<div> <p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-24385" title="Coconut Butter and Diabetes" src="http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/files/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-10-at-1.47.52-PM-300x249.png" alt="" width="300" height="249" />Extra virgin coconut butter – it’s one of the trendier nutritional ingredients. Coconut oil is advanced for its ability deliver fast energy without affecting blood sugar. Its use is touted as a way to speed up the metabolism making weight loss easier. It is being sold as essential oil for addressing certain forms of cognitive decline and dementia.</p> <p>Coconut oil also is a saturated fat that does cause an increase in cholesterol levels. For 4-6 hours after a meal, it also has been shown to hinder our arteries’ ability to relax and dilate. It may contribute to insulin insensitivity, and – despite the antioxidant levels of extra virgin coconut oil &#8211; is likely somewhat inflammatory.</p> <p>Health aside, extra virgin coconut oil/butter is a great for baking! Flaky and crusty cakes, pies and other baked goods without out the animal products.</p> <h3><strong>The good, the bad, and the delicious.</strong></h3> <p>We have long known that some fats are healthier and some are harmful—with saturated fats (SFAs) generally falling into the harmful category. Coconut butter is substantially a saturated fat, but&#8230;&#8230;</p> <p>&#8230;.The saturated fat in coconut is different from that of most other fats and oils, not only saturated kinds, but also the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. While most dietary fats are composed of long-chain fatty acids, coconut butter is composed largely of lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid.</p> <p>Without going into the chemistry, the key point to understand is that lauric acid can be absorbed directly into the body and even directly into the cells, undigested. Other fats and oils must first be broken down. The lauric acid thus can serve as quick, no-sugar source of energy.</p> <p>For some time, coconut oil has been known to be a useful source of energy for selected groups. Coconut butter has been shown beneficial for infants, individuals with difficulty digesting fats, and possibly for athletes requiring a quick burst of energy.</p> <h3><strong>And Cholesterol</strong></h3> <p><img class="alignright" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: right; border-width: 0px;" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4102/5438922812_f3357d6bfc.jpg" alt="Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Giveaway" width="233" height="350" />Coconut oil, like other saturated fats and trans fats, does increase cholesterol levels.</p> <p>Adding 10 percent or 20 percent coconut oil in the diet for one to two weeks increased cholesterol levels, including LDL cholesterol levels, as well as total triglycerides in the blood.[i]</p> <p>In India, coconut butter has been used widely by much of the population. Heart disease in India is among the highest in the world. Indian researchers sought to determine the effects of blending a polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), like those found in vegetable oils, with the coconut butter. Cholesterol levels were reduced between 5 percent and 21 percent, when the amount of coconut oil was reduced by blending in PUFAs. The authors of the Indian study concluded that the atherogenic (the artery blocking build of plaque) potentials of a coconut oil can be significantly decreased by reducing this oils intake by blending it with the polyunsaturated vegetable oils.[ii]</p> </div> <div> <h3><strong>And Arterial Dilation</strong></h3> <p>Another study also found that coconut oil compromised how the arteries functioned for four to six hours after a meal when compared with polyunsaturated fats.[iii] The coconut oils adversely impacted the arteries ability to relax and dilate. These results are the similar to those found for any saturated fats</p> <h3><strong>And Blood Sugar Regulation</strong></h3> <p>High-fat diets, particularly those rich in SFAs, also have been shown to reduce the body’s ability to regulate blood sugars. These diets are associated with a decline in the body’s ability to use insulin effectively. One study compared three types of diets: a diet high in medium-chain fats like the lauric acid found in coconut oil, a diet high in long-chain fats, and a low-fat diet.[iv]</p> <p>Both high-fat diets led to the less effective use of insulin compared to the low-fat diet. The effect, however, was less significant with the high medium-chain fats.[v], [vi]</p> <p>In another study, however, only the long-chain SFAs affected insulin levels. The medium-chain fats did not.[vii]</p> <h3><strong>And Weight Loss</strong></h3> <p>What about increasing metabolic rate? There may be some science here &#8211; but here is the trick. Coconut oil is still high in calories. Whatever the increase metabolic rate, it will be overwhelmed by the additional calories. Cut back on another source of calories for any potential benefit. Figure a teaspoon of coconut oil is about 45 calories.</p> <h3><strong>Using Coconut Butter: Summary</strong></h3> <p>While the research continues, coconut butter falls somewhere between a healthful and a harmful fat. For some specific groups, though, notably infants and adults with difficulty digesting fats, coconut butter may have a very useful nutritional role. Some also suggest that coconut butter helps improve certain types of dementia, but the data again is far from conclusive.</p> <p>What about the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in extra-virgin coconut oil? Personally, I see no reason to seek out a high calories source of these compounds &#8211; and the lauric fatty acid may have some inflammatory effects itself. Look to high nutrient, higher fiber vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish for these compounds.</p> <p>Looking beyond the health benefits though, coconut butter has some great culinary benefits. For the baker, coconut butter offers a somewhat better alternative to the standard dairy butter. For the vegan baker, coconut butter may be an essential ingredient for making delicious desserts.</p> <p>For most of us, however, more research is needed before we take steps to add a lot more coconut butter to our diets. It may be healthier than other types of SFAs, but the evidence does not seem to suggest it would qualify as a healthy fat, and remember, even healthier fat should be used smartly.</p> <p><em>Learn more about how you can keep you arteries young and healthy, and beat back diabetes, dementia and heart disease &#8211; and still love food every day &#8211; in the <a href="http://www.kardeanutrition.com/kardea-gourmet-book/?a_aid=dd">Kardea Heart Smart Solution</a> (affiliate link).</em></p> <p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</p> <p>[i] M. Castillo, J. H. Hortal “García Coconut Oil Affects Lipoprotein Composition and Structure of Neonatal Chicks,” Biochemistry 119, no. 4 (1996).</p> <p>[ii] Preeti Chandrashekar, B. R. Lokesh, et al. “Hypolipidemic Effect of Blends of Coconut Oil with Soybean Oil or Sunflower Oil in Experimental Rats,” Food Chemistry Vol, 123, December 2010, pp. 728-733.</p> <p>[iii] Stephen J Nicholls, Pia Lundman, et al “Consumption of Saturated Fat Impairs the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of High Density Lipoproteins and Endothelial Function” Journal of the American College of Cardiology Vol 48, Issue 4, August 16, 2006, pp. 715-720.</p> <p>[iv] Johan De Vogel-van den Boscha, Sjoerd A. A. van den Berga, et al. “High-Fat Diets Rich in Medium- versus Long-Chain Fatty Acids Induce Distinct Patterns of Tissue-Specific Insulin Resistance,” The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 22, no. 4 (2011): 366–71.</p> <p>[v] Ibid.</p> <p>[vi] Joris Hoeks, Marco Mens ink, et al. “Long- and Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Induce Insulin Resistance to a Similar Extent in Humans Despite Marked Differences in Muscle Fat Accumulation,” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &amp; Metabolism Volume 7 No.2 January 2012: pp., 208-216.</p> <p>[vii]Silvia Wein, Siegfried Wolffram, et al. “Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Ameliorate Insulin Resistance Caused by High-Fat Diets in Rats,” Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews25, no. 2 (2009): 185–94.</p> </div> <p><div style="float:left; text-align:left;><img alt='' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/vbsso/vbsso.php?do=avatar&id=eaafda146dd54e889c4362b9bf6edab8' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><h3><a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/robl/' title='Rob Leighton'>Rob Leighton</a></h3><p>Rob Leighton is founder of <a href="http://www.kardeanutrition.com/?a_aid=dd">Kardea Nutrition</a>, a company focused on advancing cardiometabolic health with information, education and enabling products. With Dr. Richard Collins, The Cooking Cardiologist, and Susan Buckley, registered dietitian, Rob authored <em><a href="http://www.kardeanutrition.com/kardea-gourmet-book/?a_aid=dd">The Kardea Gourmet: Smart &amp; Delicious Eating for a Healthy Heart</a></em>.</p><p><span class='authoricon'><a href='http://twitter.com/kardeanutrition' title='Rob Leightonon Twitter'><img class='authoricon_twitter' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/twitter.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://facebook.com/kardeanutrition' title='Rob Leighton on Facebook'><img class='authoricon_facebook' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/facebook.png'></a></span>- <a href='http://www.kardeanutrition.com' title='Rob Leighton'>Website</a> - <a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/robl/' title='More posts by Rob Leighton'>More Posts</a> </p></p>

<p>Originally from Calgary Alberta, Canada,  Catherine Vancak started ballet when she was just 4 years old. Today, at 24, she’s been studying dancing for 20 years. She tried other sports and activities along the way, like gymnastics, soccer, figure skating, singing and acting, but ballet was the one that always stuck.In high school, Catherine worked her way up through the School of Alberta Ballet, later joining their university program that was in conjunction with the University of Calgary.</p> <p><img class="alignright" src="http://living-in-progress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-shot-2011-12-02-at-10.39.20-AM-200x300.png" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></p> <div>After her program was cancelled, she auditioned for the University of Alabama’s dance program and was accepted.  She spent two and a half very happy years there perfecting her art, gathering performance experience, and of course, learning about all the interesting American traditions like Alabama Football!</div> <div></div> <div>(As a side note, she says, “I absolutely adore Alabama football.  It’s something we don’t go crazy over in Canada so it’s something fun and novel to me, and yes, I have yelled at the television before.”)</div> <div></div> <div>After graduating, Catherine secured a trainee position at the Montgomery Ballet.  During her experience there, she realized that classical ballet wasn’t for her, and she was given the opportunity to move to Birmingham and dance with the Arova Contemporary Ballet company.  Today, Catherine is a soloist at Arova and she couldn’t be happier! But we need more details!<em><br /> </em></div> <div><strong><br /> GINGER: What’s your diabetes diagnosis story?</strong></div> <div><strong> CATHERINE: </strong>Diabetes started to show up right as I was about to graduate from university.  I was 23.  I was extremely thirsty and couldn’t figure out why my fellow dancers could get through an hour rehearsal and I was always stopping for bathroom breaks.  My drink of choice was gatorade and I think I may have increased their sales for December considering how much I was drinking.  I also was exhausted and all my strength and dance technique melted away.  It felt like the worst flu I had ever had and that’s what I thought it was at first. My Christmas vacation was a strange experience.  I visited Canada and my Canadian doctor gave me some supplies to start testing but didn’t have enough time to run me through the system to get properly diagnosed and fixed up.  It was terrifying reading the numbers and not having the insulin or education on how to fix it.  After all the Christmas eating I hadn’t gained an ounce.  As soon as I returned to the states,</div> <div><a href="http://living-in-progress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-shot-2011-12-02-at-10.42.36-AM.png"><img class="alignleft" src="http://living-in-progress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-shot-2011-12-02-at-10.42.36-AM-300x228.png" alt="" width="300" height="228" /></a><br /> I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes started using insulin and I began feeling better, really better.</div> <div>The diagnosis was very frightening but at least I had a way to stop feeling sick.  I was given the power to make myself healthy again as opposed to free floating, feeling sicker and not knowing what to do about it.After a few months I started on the Omnipod and this fall I started using a Dexcom as well.  I didn’t mind the shots but I happen to be a bit of a “Diabetes Squirrel”.  Someone who absolutely loves shiny new diabetes technology that is supposed to make my life easier.  Sometimes it’s not always easier.  I get cannula kinks 80% of the time with my Omnipod among other difficulties so I am a weeks away from switching to an Animas pump.  You know what the say, breaking up is hard to do. </div> <div></div> <div></div> <div><strong> GINGER: Did you think diabetes was going to end your dancing career?</strong></div> <div><strong>CATHERINE:</strong>  After my diagnosis every nurse and doctor who I came across immediately told me that diabetes should never get in the way of anything I wanted to do.  So I thought that I had nothing to fear and besides a few needles and blood sugar checks things would return to normal, but my normal had forever been changed.  It wasn’t as easy as I originally thought and once that hit me I wondered if this was the right career for me.  I had lost most of my strength prior to being diagnosed and starting up a new job in a tough classical ballet company gave me injuries immediately.  I overcame a few small ones but after a bad low one day I fell and sprained my ankle badly.  This sprain never healed and after 6 months of pain I had surgery while I was visiting New York to dance. Obviously I didn’t get much dancing in but a new ankle was well worth it.During those frustrating times when my dancing had been taken away from me I cursed diabetes for it.  I would go through phases when I thought that if I just didn’t think about it, it’ll disappear.  The diabetes had destroyed so much of me that I didn’t know if I was able to return to performance shape, but I had to try.  Once I had healed from my surgery and after undergoing months of rigorous therapy, I returned to ballet stronger than I ever had been.  I couldn’t believe that I could do it but I did.  I was 100% confident that diabetes would not take ballet away from me.  I proved to myself that I could come back after it all. </div> <div></div> <div> <div> <p><strong>GINGER: The training for ballet is rigorous! What is your training like?<br /> </strong><strong>CATHERINE:</strong> Each ballet dancer will have a different training regimen because no two people are alike.  We try to focus on what challenges us so that we can present ourselves to choreographers as the whole package and be able to perform many different types of movement.  I always have been a big fan of Pilates and Zena Rommett’s floor barre technique for correcting alignment and improving posture.  It always helps put “everything in the right place” so that when I am in ballet class I can work on expression.</p> <p>Cardio training is very important too.  Running is my favorite as I can listen to music and release any stress I had built up over the day.  I don’t run very fast but it’s a goal of mine not to be the slowest runner on the track.  Of course ballet class is the gold standard as well as other types of dance like modern or arial dance.  A dance class is a combination of progressive exercises that include balance, strength, turns and jumps.  I try to get in an equal amount of each type of exercise as if you do too much of one type then you can get injured in another.  Cross training is very important.</p> </div> </div> <div><em><strong>Continue reading the rest of this interview at <a href="http://living-in-progress.com/2011/12/dancing-ballerina-with-type-1-diabetes/" target="_blank">Living-in-Progress.com.</a></strong></em></div> <p><div style="float:left; text-align:left;><img alt='' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/vbsso/vbsso.php?do=avatar&id=b5f6995be3282da4742ad3c0535d1d0a' class='avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><h3><a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='Ginger Vieira'>Ginger Vieira</a></h3><p>Ginger Vieira has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease since 1999. She is a writer, health coach, video blogger, speaker and diabetes advocate at <a href="http://www.living-in-progress.com">Living in Progress</a>. Ginger wrote and self-published the book: <a href="http://living-in-progress.com/2011/01/your-diabetes-science-experiment/">Your Diabetes Science Experiment</a>.</p><p><span class='authoricon'><a href='http://twitter.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Twitter'><img class='authoricon_twitter' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/twitter.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://plus.google.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieiraon Google Plus'><img class='authoricon_googleplus' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/google_.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://facebook.com/Ginger.Vieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Facebook'><img class='authoricon_facebook' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/facebook.png'></a></span>- <span class='authoricon'><a href='http://youtube.com/GingerVieira' title='Ginger Vieira on Youtube'><img class='authoricon_youtube' src='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/wp-content/plugins/diabetesdaily/widget/about-author//images/youtube.png'></a></span>- <a href='http://www.living-in-progress.com' title='Ginger Vieira'>Website</a> - <a href='http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/author/GingerVieira/' title='More posts by Ginger Vieira'>More Posts</a> </p></p>