Most people don't understand all the aspects of diabetes. It is important to have a basic understanding of what is happening in your body when you have diabetes. Let’s first look at what happens in a healthy body. When you eat, some of your food is broken down into sugar (also called glucose). Sugar travels in your bloodstream to all your body’s cells. Insulin helps sugar move from your blood into your cells. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. When you have diabetes: Your pancreas makes little or no insulin, or Your body prevents the insulin you do make from … [Read more...]
5 Tips to Fend off Holiday Weight Gain
The holidays are a time for family, friends, good food and creating great memories. Our schedules are filled with shopping, decorating, and holiday party hopping. The busy days can make it challenging to maintain healthy exercise and sleep habits, making it easy to turn to food for a quick energy rush or comfort when feeling sad or lonely. Here are 5 Tips to Fend off Holiday Weight Gain #1 Sip on soup. Soup is a low energy dense food, which means it provides fewer calories per gram - therefore you can eat a nice serving of soup, relatively low in calories. (This is not true for heavy … [Read more...]
The Quickest Way to Feel Better After a Low Blood Sugar
I hope you never have a low blood sugar, but if you do I want you to know the absolute best action steps to take. This information is not commonly known, so please read on. Not once in my 25 years of helping people with diabetes have I met a person who feels okay when their blood sugar drops too low. People hate that awful and scary feeling of losing control. Today I will share the fastest way to handle a low blood sugar. Better yet, I will show you how to prevent it from happening in the first place. First the FACTS: The Best Way to Treat a Low Blood Sugar and Other Hypoglycemia … [Read more...]
6 Diabetes Myths Debunked
Today I am setting the record straight on 6 common diabetes myths. There is so much misinformation about diabetes and nutrition. It's hard to tell fact from fiction. Here are 6 Diabetes Myths Debunked 1. When you have diabetes you have to be on a special diet. Eating healthy for diabetes is simply healthy eating. There are no special foods you have to eat and nothing you have to completely avoid. It is even okay to eat sweets occasionally. For healthy eating guidelines that are based on scientific evidence, go to Choosemyplate. When you have diabetes (and when you don't), it … [Read more...]
My Kidney Story — I Gave One Away! The Surgery (Part Five)
It FINALLY happened. I donated my kidney. Here are the details. The Wait I was finally approved for donation in September, 2017. I was informed that I would be contacted when Mayo's Transplant Program had found matches for both Liz and me. It could happen in a week or take up to a year. I was annoyed and frustrated. The process had already taken eight months, and I knew there were thousands of people needing a kidney. I wanted to get it done ASAP. Also, nobody wants to see a RDN, CDE around the holidays so it was a good time to be away from my business. To be fair, I was told it … [Read more...]