Monitoring your blood sugar is a great way to learn how your body responds to your meals, exercise, and medications and lets you know if your levels are safe. To ensure an accurate blood sugar reading, avoid this common mistake: Pricking your finger without washing it first. Wash your hands with soap and water before pricking your finger. No, licking your finger doesn't really clean it. Alcohol pads are not as effective as plain soap and water. The dirty stuff gets moved around but but not washed down the sink. Many people don't bother with this step. But studies have shown … [Read more...]
Calorie Counts for Cool Summertime Drinks
When you have diabetes, sugary summertime drinks quickly raise your blood sugar. Here are calorie counts for some of our favorite cool summer drinks to help you make healthier choices. After spending a long day out in the sweltering summer sun, it might be tempting to grab the nearest icy beverage to help cool off. However, some of the most popular summertime beverages have a surprising amount of sugar. In fact, from cocktails to snowballs, oftentimes these sweet and icy drinks can contain an entire meal’s worth of calories, but offer minimal nutritional value. For example, one … [Read more...]
The Secret to Long Term Change: 5 Small Changes that Equate to BIG Results
What if I told you the secret to long term change was not in the big goals, but instead is found in small consistent changes? Would you believe me? This month I am sharing five small changes for you to implement that will bring you closer to those big - lofty - goals...without compromising your current lifestyle or adding more time to your day. Start and end your day with a mindfulness practice. This could be a 10 minute morning meditation, a midday walk in nature and 5 minutes of writing a gratitude list at night. This simple practice, will help set the tone for your day, bringing … [Read more...]
Seven Critical Mistakes Made by People With Diabetes
Seven Critical Mistakes and How to Avoid Them if You Have Diabetes Like so many of you, I've learned many lessons the hard way. That was the case with James, my first husband who had diabetes for 10 years when I met him. I didn't know much about diabetes back then and it was not even on my radar screen to talk to him about it. Because James took insulin I assumed he knew about diabetes. Tragically, I was wrong. Over the next few years the devastating complications associated with diabetes emerged: blindness, nerve damage, kidney failure and ultimately, death. Fortunately for you, there is … [Read more...]
Healthy Snack Ideas When You Have Diabetes (and when you don’t)
People often ask me for healthy snack ideas when you have diabetes. I'll share a list of snack ideas and also how to decide if you need a snack. But first, what IS a snack? That may sound crazy but regular folk often think that a snack is something different than what a dietitian thinks. When I say snack, I simply mean anything that you eat that is not part of a meal. Healthy snacks are the well, the healthiest. Not everyone needs a snack. For some people with diabetes, getting everything in 3 balanced meals works well, especially if the meals are about 4-5 hours apart. Many people … [Read more...]
