The sugar thieves
Do you know any sugar thieves? Those well-meaning people who steal your real sugar and replace it with stevia, saccharin or other substitutes? I think about one holiday celebration a few years ago. There was a table filled with pies, cakes and bars straight out of Willy Wonka's dream. The smell alone made my mouth water. Next to that table was a smaller one with sugar-free apple pie and gummy bears, just for me. While it was extremely thoughtful and considerate of my diabetes, well, YUCK! I choked down a few forkfuls and watched the others enjoy their desserts....
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Keeping blood sugar in range
Why is staying in range for blood sugar important? Have you ever noticed the safety guardrails when you drive? Why are they there? You have some freedom to drive as you wish. But if you or I travel outside the guardrails, we are in dangerous territory. Knowing the range keeps us traveling safely. It is kind of like that with your blood sugar ranges. Knowing your blood sugar ranges helps keep you out of bad situations and on the road healthy and happy. Your doctor can help you know what your normal ranges (or guardrails) should be. For more information about that, see...
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Good reasons to open your home and heart to a pet
When you run across a pet adoption event, are you drawn in? Those cute little fur-babies are so tempting—perhaps it's time to give in. You already know that pets offer wonderful emotional benefits, but did you know that they can provide physical benefits as well? In addition to unconditional love and companionship, a pet can be just the motivation you need to take better care of yourself or get more exercise. They can also make a big difference in your stress levels and mood. And, if you're walking a dog every day, there may be social benefits as well1...
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Better Diabetes Care in a Single Step
The big secret to living a long and healthy life with diabetes is not really a big secret. There are certain phrases that seem to be played on a loop in every physician's office. "Check your blood sugar levels, administer medication appropriately, eat nutrient-dense foods and exercise," is common advice, but putting it into action can be a challenge. After all, when you're busy with work, school, family, social activities and other obligations, something has to be left along the way. Unfortunately, exercise is often the first thing to be dropped. Why is exercise important for...
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Travelling with diabetes: Create memories, not stress
Guest article by Phyllisa Deroze Travelling is my favorite hobby. As a kid, I treasured my family's summer trips, driving to visit relatives. I fell in love with travelling because it gave me opportunities to see new places, try different foods and create memorable moments. As a college student, I spent hours on the internet planning trips to places that I couldn't afford to visit in real life. Today, I'm fortunate to travel several times a year and I have visited more than ten countries since being diagnosed with diabetes. It was scary at first. When I was newly...
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Your most important back-to-school supply: Communication
There is nothing quite like the smell of pencils and the sight of new school shoes to bring memories of your school days flooding back. New teachers, a new routine and new friends can be exciting and scary all at once. If your child has diabetes, going back to school can come with an extra dose of complexity. A few tricks and a lot of open communication can make it easier. The early years Sending a child with diabetes to primary or grade school can be an exercise in faith. If your child depends on insulin injections, mealtimes, class parties, outings and excursions, and just the...
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Chocolate, peanut, whipped-cream cake
Call it a cake, cream pie or layered dessert, your friends and family will call it delicious. Easy enough for a family dinner or impressive on a holiday table, this recipe calls for coconut sugar in place of refined white sugar for a more complex flavor and a lower glycemic index (35 compared to 60), so it may not spike your blood sugar quite as high as table sugar1. Ingredients (Serves 8) Peanut base 1 ¼ cups of salted peanuts 3 egg whites (save the yolks for the chocolate cream) 1 ¼ cups of...
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5 ways to manage type 2 diabetes while working from home
Making the shift from being an in-office employee to one who works remotely can certainly be an adjustment. You may need to learn how to balance your own conference calls, create boundaries between your family time and late-night requests from colleagues when there’s no commute separating the spheres of your life and focus on that quarterly report when there are piles of laundry staring you in the face. But if you’re one of the nearly 4 million Canadians living with diabetes, working from home presents a whole different set of challenges. Let’s face it; it’s easier to give into stress...
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6 things to know when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
If you’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you’ll probably never forget the moment your doctor shared the news--and the rollercoaster of emotions that followed. Maybe you saw it coming; your doctor told you sometime within the last few years that you were living with prediabetes, and you always assumed diabetes was inevitable. Or maybe it came out of left field. I’m not even overweight, you thought. First, know this: All your feelings are valid and completely normal. It’s overwhelming to find out that you live with a chronic disease such as Type 2 diabetes. And it can make...
Read MorePages
Keeping blood sugar in range
Why is staying in range for blood sugar important? Have you ever noticed the safety guardrails when you drive? Why are they there? You have some freedom to drive as you wish. But if you or I travel outside the guardrails, we are in dangerous territory. Knowing the range keeps us traveling safely. It is kind of like that with your blood sugar ranges. Knowing your blood sugar ranges helps keep you out of bad situations and on the road healthy and happy. Your doctor can help you know what your normal ranges (or guardrails) should be. For more information about that, see...
Read More Good reasons to open your home and heart to a pet
When you run across a pet adoption event, are you drawn in? Those cute little fur-babies are so tempting—perhaps it's time to give in. You already know that pets offer wonderful emotional benefits, but did you know that they can provide physical benefits as well? In addition to unconditional love and companionship, a pet can be just the motivation you need to take better care of yourself or get more exercise. They can also make a big difference in your stress levels and mood. And, if you're walking a dog every day, there may be social benefits as well1...
Read More Better Diabetes Care in a Single Step
The big secret to living a long and healthy life with diabetes is not really a big secret. There are certain phrases that seem to be played on a loop in every physician's office. "Check your blood sugar levels, administer medication appropriately, eat nutrient-dense foods and exercise," is common advice, but putting it into action can be a challenge. After all, when you're busy with work, school, family, social activities and other obligations, something has to be left along the way. Unfortunately, exercise is often the first thing to be dropped. Why is exercise important for...
Read More Travelling with diabetes: Create memories, not stress
Guest article by Phyllisa Deroze Travelling is my favorite hobby. As a kid, I treasured my family's summer trips, driving to visit relatives. I fell in love with travelling because it gave me opportunities to see new places, try different foods and create memorable moments. As a college student, I spent hours on the internet planning trips to places that I couldn't afford to visit in real life. Today, I'm fortunate to travel several times a year and I have visited more than ten countries since being diagnosed with diabetes. It was scary at first. When I was newly...
Read More Your most important back-to-school supply: Communication
There is nothing quite like the smell of pencils and the sight of new school shoes to bring memories of your school days flooding back. New teachers, a new routine and new friends can be exciting and scary all at once. If your child has diabetes, going back to school can come with an extra dose of complexity. A few tricks and a lot of open communication can make it easier. The early years Sending a child with diabetes to primary or grade school can be an exercise in faith. If your child depends on insulin injections, mealtimes, class parties, outings and excursions, and just the...
Read More Chocolate, peanut, whipped-cream cake
Call it a cake, cream pie or layered dessert, your friends and family will call it delicious. Easy enough for a family dinner or impressive on a holiday table, this recipe calls for coconut sugar in place of refined white sugar for a more complex flavor and a lower glycemic index (35 compared to 60), so it may not spike your blood sugar quite as high as table sugar1. Ingredients (Serves 8) Peanut base 1 ¼ cups of salted peanuts 3 egg whites (save the yolks for the chocolate cream) 1 ¼ cups of...
Read More 5 ways to manage type 2 diabetes while working from home
Making the shift from being an in-office employee to one who works remotely can certainly be an adjustment. You may need to learn how to balance your own conference calls, create boundaries between your family time and late-night requests from colleagues when there’s no commute separating the spheres of your life and focus on that quarterly report when there are piles of laundry staring you in the face. But if you’re one of the nearly 4 million Canadians living with diabetes, working from home presents a whole different set of challenges. Let’s face it; it’s easier to give into stress...
Read More 6 things to know when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
If you’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you’ll probably never forget the moment your doctor shared the news--and the rollercoaster of emotions that followed. Maybe you saw it coming; your doctor told you sometime within the last few years that you were living with prediabetes, and you always assumed diabetes was inevitable. Or maybe it came out of left field. I’m not even overweight, you thought. First, know this: All your feelings are valid and completely normal. It’s overwhelming to find out that you live with a chronic disease such as Type 2 diabetes. And it can make...
Read More