Want to Improve your Heart Health? Switch Fats! I love to simplify healthy eating for a healthy heart. As this is Heart Month, I decided to share some easy “tweaks” to your diet that you can make to help protect your heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. What better time to learn how to alter your fat intake to improve your Heart Health. But first, here’s a mini lesson on cholesterol in your body. Cholesterol is manufactured in your liver. You also get it in animal foods such as meat, poultry and shellfish; as well as full-fat dairy products like cheese, … [Read more...]
Should People Living with Diabetes be Counting Carbohydrates?
Most people with diabetes have heard of “carb counting” and I’m sure some of you actually do count carbohydrates. However, I find there is a lot of confusion about it. After all, it’s not something that you automatically know how to do if you get diagnosed with diabetes. Sure, if there’s a label you can look at that. But there’s a little more to it, and there is not a label on everything you eat. Were you given any advice about carb from your health care provider? Sometimes people are told to have a specific number of carbs per meal, let’s say 45 grams. (There is no “right” number … [Read more...]
Gift Ideas for Health-Conscious People
As I was cooking this week, I thought you might like some Health-Conscious holiday gift ideas from your favorite dietitian (if I’m not your favorite dietitian, I sure want to be). An additional benefit to my search for living a better life is finding more ways to help my clients. Good news! I have found some real gems. You, or someone you know, might like these Health-Conscious gifts too. Kitchen Products My mother gave me kitchen items for Christmas when I was starting out on my own. I still have many of them and think of her with love when I pull them out. You can’t beat good products … [Read more...]
How to Take Care of Your Feet When you Have Diabetes
I’m sharing a “James story” with you today to demonstrate how important it is to take care of your feet when you have diabetes. A “James story” is something that happened when I was married to my first husband, James, who had diabetes. He made some catastrophic mistakes in managing his diabetes because he simply didn’t know what to do. (This was prior to and inspiration for my subsequent career in helping people manage and learn about their diabetes). Since working with people with diabetes for over twenty years, I’ve met many others who have made similar errors. I don’t want you to go down … [Read more...]
What You Need to Do Now That You Have Diabetes or Prediabetes
Are you confused about what you need to do now that you have diabetes or prediabetes? You may even feel overwhelmed that you have more to do in your day. Take a deep breath. You don't have to be perfect and do everything today. You can ease into it. But do pay attention and move forward. Here are a few things that can have a big impact and help you reach your goals. 1. Have a positive mindset. Did you know that getting diabetes or prediabetes is not your fault? It's not. Diabetes is genetic, even if you don't know anyone in your family with it. It runs in families and then something … [Read more...]