Sweet Surprises
People with diabetes often receive books, warnings and tips from healthcare professionals and dieticians about the importance of watching and counting carbohydrates (carbs). Carbs ARE important for people with diabetes—but they shouldn’t be the only factor in your food choices. What about sugar? Fat? Sodium? Cholesterol? Beneficial things like fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals? Limiting foods high in sugar and carbs is a great start, but it doesn’t guarantee the best food choice every time. Sometimes clever food packaging and “image specialists” can convince consumers a...
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Temptation Dead Ahead!
Yule log, chocolate cake, brown sugar fudge, gingerbread cookies… Resisting the holidays’ typical sweet treats can be quite a feat. But who said you have to forgo them entirely? Follow along! Plan for a healthy diet. Of course you are allowed to treat yourself. No need to hibernate until the holidays are over! It just means balancing the rest of your diet will be even more important; basically, make healthy choices most of the time. Pick your battles. It’s all about moderation. Decide which treats you want to indulge in ahead of time. Choose your favourites. For example...
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Hot Hot Hot!
As nice as it is to bask in the sun, you still have to remain vigilant. Your blood sugar could rise with the thermometer and prevent your body from properly regulating its temperature. Result: you risk hyperthermia. What are the symptoms? Fatigue, dizziness, nausea, clammy skin, excessive sweating, muscle cramps and headaches are all common symptoms. Who is at risk? The body’s ability to regulate its temperature in young children is not yet developed, and is reduced in the elderly, which increases their risk of suffering from...
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Give Some Sparkle To That Water
At the cottage, on the beach or during an evening with friends, it’s nice to keep a glass in hand without worrying about your blood sugar rising with your alcohol level. Drinking water is an excellent plan, but why not tickle your taste buds at the same time? Iced tea Commercial iced teas are often loaded with sugar, but homemade tea infusions, hot or cold, are simple, economical and low-calorie! Hot infusions You can infuse your tea as usual for a few minutes (in 65°C water for green tea, 80°C for oolong tea or 95°C for black tea), then leave it...
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Discussing Diabetes With Your Child
Just got your diagnosis? Or is your child growing up and starting to ask questions? In either case, you’ll eventually have to broach the topic with them. Here are a few tips to guide the discussion: Test the waters. Once the news is out, ask your child what they know about diabetes. Listen carefully, then set the record straight, correcting misconceptions if necessary (e.g., diabetics are contagious or can’t eat sugar). Be concise. Briefly explain what diabetes is, how your medication works and what you need to do to stay healthy. Choose simple words such as blood sugar instead of glucose....
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The Future of Diabetes Treatment
High-tech to zero-tech: The future of diabetes treatment Diabetes care has come a long way in just a few decades—after all, the first insulin pump was introduced in 1963, and fingerprick tests for personal blood glucose monitoring have only been around since the 1980s. So what's next? In development: Automating insulin delivery—the artificial pancreas Taking insulin pumping to the next level, an artificial pancreas is being...
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How to be more eco-friendly
Diabetes is by no means easy on the planet. It generates a lot of waste, e.g., used lancets, product packaging and unused medications. That said, why not limit the damage by adopting more responsible practices in your everyday life? Here are a few easy tips to get started! Give pill bottles a second life. Most are recyclable, but plastic number 6 sometimes isn’t (you’ll find this number on the bottom of the bottle, outlined by a recycling triangle). Another option: your empty containers are perfect for storing cotton swabs, loose change and other small items that may be lying around! ...
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How To Quit For Good
Smoking is extremely harmful to your health, and this is especially true for people living with diabetes. It increases the existing risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, eye problems and nerve damage, plus it increases insulin resistance. If you’re ready to stop smoking—you have to do it for your own sake, and willingly—we have a few tips to help you. First of all… Set a quit date within 30 days. Mark your calendar, tell your friends and family about it so you don’t back out when the day comes, and sign a symbolic quitting contract (it’s not...
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Travel Smart
Due for a holiday? San Francisco, Moncton, Milan or Kelowna: wherever you choose to go, the golden rule is to plan your trip carefully—and this is especially true when you’re living with diabetes. Before leaving Do your research. Does the destination have good access to medical care? What should you pay special mind to at mealtimes? And what type of trip do you want to go on? Naturally, you won’t plan a week at the beach the same way as a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. ...
Read MorePages
Temptation Dead Ahead!
Yule log, chocolate cake, brown sugar fudge, gingerbread cookies… Resisting the holidays’ typical sweet treats can be quite a feat. But who said you have to forgo them entirely? Follow along! Plan for a healthy diet. Of course you are allowed to treat yourself. No need to hibernate until the holidays are over! It just means balancing the rest of your diet will be even more important; basically, make healthy choices most of the time. Pick your battles. It’s all about moderation. Decide which treats you want to indulge in ahead of time. Choose your favourites. For example...
Read More Hot Hot Hot!
As nice as it is to bask in the sun, you still have to remain vigilant. Your blood sugar could rise with the thermometer and prevent your body from properly regulating its temperature. Result: you risk hyperthermia. What are the symptoms? Fatigue, dizziness, nausea, clammy skin, excessive sweating, muscle cramps and headaches are all common symptoms. Who is at risk? The body’s ability to regulate its temperature in young children is not yet developed, and is reduced in the elderly, which increases their risk of suffering from...
Read More Give Some Sparkle To That Water
At the cottage, on the beach or during an evening with friends, it’s nice to keep a glass in hand without worrying about your blood sugar rising with your alcohol level. Drinking water is an excellent plan, but why not tickle your taste buds at the same time? Iced tea Commercial iced teas are often loaded with sugar, but homemade tea infusions, hot or cold, are simple, economical and low-calorie! Hot infusions You can infuse your tea as usual for a few minutes (in 65°C water for green tea, 80°C for oolong tea or 95°C for black tea), then leave it...
Read More Discussing Diabetes With Your Child
Just got your diagnosis? Or is your child growing up and starting to ask questions? In either case, you’ll eventually have to broach the topic with them. Here are a few tips to guide the discussion: Test the waters. Once the news is out, ask your child what they know about diabetes. Listen carefully, then set the record straight, correcting misconceptions if necessary (e.g., diabetics are contagious or can’t eat sugar). Be concise. Briefly explain what diabetes is, how your medication works and what you need to do to stay healthy. Choose simple words such as blood sugar instead of glucose....
Read More The Future of Diabetes Treatment
High-tech to zero-tech: The future of diabetes treatment Diabetes care has come a long way in just a few decades—after all, the first insulin pump was introduced in 1963, and fingerprick tests for personal blood glucose monitoring have only been around since the 1980s. So what's next? In development: Automating insulin delivery—the artificial pancreas Taking insulin pumping to the next level, an artificial pancreas is being...
Read More How to be more eco-friendly
Diabetes is by no means easy on the planet. It generates a lot of waste, e.g., used lancets, product packaging and unused medications. That said, why not limit the damage by adopting more responsible practices in your everyday life? Here are a few easy tips to get started! Give pill bottles a second life. Most are recyclable, but plastic number 6 sometimes isn’t (you’ll find this number on the bottom of the bottle, outlined by a recycling triangle). Another option: your empty containers are perfect for storing cotton swabs, loose change and other small items that may be lying around! ...
Read More How To Quit For Good
Smoking is extremely harmful to your health, and this is especially true for people living with diabetes. It increases the existing risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, eye problems and nerve damage, plus it increases insulin resistance. If you’re ready to stop smoking—you have to do it for your own sake, and willingly—we have a few tips to help you. First of all… Set a quit date within 30 days. Mark your calendar, tell your friends and family about it so you don’t back out when the day comes, and sign a symbolic quitting contract (it’s not...
Read More Travel Smart
Due for a holiday? San Francisco, Moncton, Milan or Kelowna: wherever you choose to go, the golden rule is to plan your trip carefully—and this is especially true when you’re living with diabetes. Before leaving Do your research. Does the destination have good access to medical care? What should you pay special mind to at mealtimes? And what type of trip do you want to go on? Naturally, you won’t plan a week at the beach the same way as a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. ...
Read More