The acknowledgment and legislative commitment shown by California puts it in league with only two other states, Minnesota and Montana, as states that provide diabetes prevention programs as a Medicaid benefit. Daniel Zingale, senior vice president at the California Endowment, said, “What’s revolutionary about this change is that it finally starts to recognize that by investing modest amounts on the front end on prevention, we can save enormous amounts in the long term”. This change helps Skinny Gene to continue doing what we have been doing, and will allow roughly 25,000 prediabetics to receive DPP care every year through their insurance. The only requirements to benefit from this bill is to be overweight and have high blood sugar levels, so that the ones who receive care are those who need it most.

Designs By: Courteney Lisowski

As a self-proclaimed “date driven person”, Dr. Ivanic uses marketing analytics, statistics and experimental research to come to a general understanding of what influences an individual’s nutritional choices. In her line of research, Dr. Ivanic wants to understand “through a marketing lens, what can firms do in order to help people make better food choices”, while understanding the nuances of race and ethnicity and how they affect those choices.

Her work undermines misconceptions about marketing as simply a creative and ad driven field, stressing the importance of data and numbers for successful marketing projects.

At the very heart of Dr. Ivanic’s research is the concept of empowerment. She says that “when people feel empowered, they tend to make good decisions”. Her aim is to understand how marketers can empower people to make better nutritional choices by instilling affirmation and confidence. In her experimental research she asks subjects to reflect on their race and ethnicity in order to come to an understanding of whether or not they feel empowered with the necessary tools to make these decisions or not. She also gauges “nutritional literacy” in these groups in order to understand where there is a lack of knowledge and information about nutrition which could ultimately empower or disempower specific subgroups of individuals.

Dr. Ivanic chose to become a board member at the Skinny Gene Project because her professional and personal goal of empowerment aligns with the organization’s. Both the Skinny Gene Project’s work and Dr. Ivanic’s research take into consideration how race and ethnicity are two imperative factors for making sweeping changes in nutrition, health and diabetes.

Dr. Ivanic was recently tenured at USD, and hopes that this opportunity will give her time to work even harder on her research and projects. In the near future she hopes to focus her research on epilepsy and stigma, ultimately hoping to understand how social issues and disease are intertwined.

Photography by: Samantha Combs

10 Diabetes Diet Myths

“Diabetes diet.” Simply hearing these words may be enough to make you feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

Perhaps you have said, or heard someone else express, one of these thoughts:

• Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
• There are too many rules about choosing foods that are OK in a diabetes diet.
• You have to give up all your favorite foods when you’re on a diabetes diet.

These three statements are all myths about diabetes diets. Take a closer look at these and other myths to find out the facts about diabetes and diet.

Myth 1: Eating Too Much Sugar Causes Diabetes.

How does diabetes happen? The causes are not totally understood. What is known is that simply eating too much sugar is unlikely to cause diabetes. Instead, diabetes begins when something disrupts your body’s ability to turn the food you eat into energy.

To understand what happens when you have diabetes, keep these things in mind: Your body breaks down much of the food you eat into glucose, a type of sugar needed to power your cells. A hormone called insulin is made in the pancreas. Insulin helps the cells in the body use glucose for fuel.

Here are the most common types of diabetes and what researchers know about their causes:

• Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot make insulin. Without insulin, sugar piles up in your blood vessels. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin to help get the sugar into the cells. Type 1 diabetes often starts in younger people or in children. Researchers say that it may occur when something goes wrong with the immune system.
• Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, the insulin does not work properly, or both. Being overweight makes type 2 diabetes more likely to occur. It can happen in a person of any age.
• Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in some women. Hormone changes during pregnancy prevent insulin from working properly. Women with gestational diabetes usually need to take insulin. The condition may resolve after birth of the child.

Myth 2: There Are Too Many Rules in a Diabetes Diet.

If you have diabetes, you will need to plan your meals. But the general principle is simple: Following a “diabetes diet” means choosing food that will work along with your activities and any medications to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible.

Will you need to make changes to what you now eat? Probably. But perhaps the changed you need to make will not be as many as you anticipate.

Myth 3: Carbohydrates Are Bad for Diabetes

In fact, carbohydrates — or “carbs” as most of us refer to them — are good for diabetes. They form the foundation of a healthy diabetes diet — or of any healthy diet.

Carbohydrates have the greatest effect on blood sugar levels, which is why you are asked to monitor how many carbohydrates you eat when following a diabetes diet.

However, carbohydrate foods contain many essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and fiber. So one diabetes diet tip is to choose those with the most nutrients, such as whole-grain breads and baked goods, and high-fiber fruits and vegetables. You may find it easier to select the best carbs if you meet with a dietitian.

Myth 4: Protein is Better than Carbohydrates for Diabetes.

Because carbs affect blood sugar levels so quickly, if you have diabetes, you may be tempted to eat less of them and substitute more protein. But too much protein may lead to problems for people with diabetes.

The main problem is that many foods rich in protein, such as meat, may also be filled with saturated fat. Eating too much of these fats increases your risk of heart disease. In a diabetes diet, protein should account for about 15% to 20% of the total calories you eat each day.

Myth 5: You Can Adjust Your Diabetes Drugs to “Cover” Whatever You Eat.

If you use insulin for your diabetes, you may learn how to adjust the amount and type you take to match the amount of food you eat. But this doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want, then just use more drugs to stabilize your blood sugar level.

If you use other types of diabetes drugs, don’t try to adjust your dose to match varying levels of carbohydrates in your meals unless instructed by your doctor. Most diabetes medications work best when they are taken consistently as directed by your doctor.

Myth 6: You’ll Need to Give Up Your Favorite Foods.

There is no reason to give up your favorite foods on a diabetes diet. Instead, try:

• Changing the way your favorite foods are prepared
• Changing the other foods you usually eat along with your favorite foods
• Reducing the serving sizes of your favorite foods
• Using your favorite foods as a reward for following your meal plans

A dietitian can help you find ways to include your favorites in your diabetes meal plans.

Myth 7: You Have to Give Up Desserts if You Have Diabetes.

Not true! You can develop many strategies for including desserts in a diabetes diet. Here are some examples:

• Use artificial sweeteners in desserts.
• Cut back on the amount of dessert. For example, instead of two scoops of ice cream, have one. Or share a dessert with a friend.
• Use desserts as an occasional reward for following your diabetes diet plan.
• Make desserts more nutritious. For example, use whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetable oil when preparing desserts. Many times, you can use less sugar than a recipe calls for without sacrificing taste or consistency.
• Expand your dessert horizons. Instead of ice cream, pie, or cake, try fruit, a whole-wheat oatmeal-raisin cookie, or yogurt.

Myth 8: Artificial Sweeteners Are Dangerous for People with Diabetes.

Artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than the equivalent amount of sugar, so it takes less of them to get the same sweetness found in sugar. This can result in eating fewer calories than when you do use sugar.

The American Diabetes Association approves the use of several artificial sweeteners in diabetes diets, including:

• Saccharin (Sweet’N Low)
• Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)
• Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)
• Sucralose (Splenda)

A dietitian can help you determine, which sweeteners are best for which uses, whether in coffee, baking, cooking, or other uses.

Artificial sweeteners have recently received much attention in both the media and research with conflicting data. Educate yourself and determine, which, if any, sweeteners are best for you. There are more ‘natural’ sweeteners coming on the market that may give better options.

Myth 9: You Need to Eat Special Diabetic Meals.

The truth is that there really is no such as thing as a “diabetic diet.” The foods that are healthy for people with diabetes are also good choices for the rest of your family. Usually, there is no need to prepare special diabetic meals.

The difference between a diabetes diet and your family’s “normal” diet is this: If you have diabetes, you need to monitor what you eat a little more closely. This includes the total amount of calories you consume and the amounts and types of carbohydrates, fats, and protein you eat. A diabetes educator or dietitian can help you learn how to do this.

Myth 10: Diet Foods Are the Best Choices for Diabetes.

Just because a food is labeled as a “diet” food does not mean it is a better choice for people with diabetes. In fact, “diet” foods can be expensive and be as healthy as foods found in the “regular” sections of the grocery store, or foods you prepare yourself.

As with any food you choose, read the labels carefully to find out if the ingredients and amount of calories are good choices for you. If you have doubts, ask your diabetes educator or a dietitian for advice.

Moving Beyond Diabetes Diet Myths

Now that you know the facts about diabetes diets, you can take steps to learn even more about making wise food choices. Together with exercise and medication, you can use what you eat as an effective tool for keeping your blood sugar levels within normal ranges. That is the best diabetes diet of all.

By Marlayna Bollinger, Excutive Director

-A mom on a mission to prevent type 2 diabetes and staunch believer that one person can make difference. 

“A little touch of sugar”, yeah right! I’m not sure how this term for diabetes ever came into existence, but I wish it would go away. The fact of the matter is that diabetes is anything but little. Misunderstood, yes!  I think that if we took the time to understand what diabetes really is and isn’t, we’d be better equipped to fight it. To begin, let’s look at the real “big picture” of what some are treating as a “little problem”.

SEEING THE BIG PICTURE 

As of 2012, 105 million people in the U.S  have or are at risk of developing diabetes. To put that in perspective, that is more than the population of  New York, California, Texas, Florida, and Arkansas combined.  It’s projected that in the near future, 600 million people worldwide will have diabetes.

So, I think it’s pretty safe to say that everyone knows somebody with diabetes, it’s just that you, or they for that matter, may not know it yet.

Diabetes is the disease that connects us all, but if we don’t do something about it, it can also cause our downfall.  

From generation to generation, the hope is that we can leave a better and brighter future for our children than we had.  Now, normally that vision includes a great job, family, and an enhanced quality of life. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that my vision needs to include something that I’d normally take for granted- a health care system.

Our health is truly our greatest possession, so it is essential to have a system in place to preserve it. Right now, diabetes and prediabetes cost our country more than $214 billion a year. Yep, a year! That is more than we spend on AIDS and all forms of cancer combined.  This price tag is now threatening to bankrupt our entire healthcare system.

 Dr. Oz said it best when he said, ” I don’t care what system you happen to prefer. I don’t care what party you are.  If we don’t fix the problem of diabetes in the country, we will bankrupt our future ability to pay for healthcare in the nation. Period. “

One of the questions I most commonly receive is, “Why does diabetes cost so much? I mean, we’re just talking some blood sugar strips, meters, and insulin. Right?”  Ummm, not so much. For some, that is just the beginning. If diabetes is not controlled, it can wreck havoc in the body.

PEEK INSIDE

The picture below links to a video that Dr. Oz did, back in 2010, to explain diabetes and how it affects the body. Although a few of the stats are outdated, the video  does a wonderful job of showing the connection between food, insulin, diabetes, and heart attacks. It’s one of the best videos I’ve seen that really gives you inside look at diabetes.

Click to watch the video

MISUNDERSTOOD

I think if diabetes were to have any label, it should be –  misunderstood.

Countless myths about diabetes spread like vicious rumors in our society. These inaccuracies just perpetuate the problem, by instilling shame and embarrassment among those at-risk and living with diabetes. Somehow diabetes has been mislabeled as being a disease for fat, lazy, sugarholics.

Sadly, these negative stereotypes have caused a rift in the diabetes community, mainly because nobody wants to be labeled as having deserved their disease. First of all, nobody deserves diabetes. Secondly, ostracizing a person for something that scientists still don’t completely understand, is not only counterproductive, it’s also hurtful.

Somehow, the fact that diabetes is 90% preventable, has been twisted from being great news, which instills hope among those ready to fend off diabetes, to becoming justification for wagging a finger and pointing blame for a person’s lifestyle choices.

If we want to make a difference, and create a better future for our children, we should stop pointing fingers and start extending a helping hand.

I believe, that when it comes to preventing diabetes, pills are like temporary band aids for a problem that really needs a PERSONal solution. Yes, diabetes is BIG problem, but we can all be a part of the solution by being compassionate, providing encouragement and support to those trying to make positive changes, and creating a community that supports living a healthy lifestyle.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

There are a few things I wish everybody knew about diabetes and diabetes prevention.

1) Type 2 diabetes is preventable, but that doesn’t mean you did something wrong if you ended up getting diabetes. In fact, 90% of the 79 million people with  prediabetes don’t even know they are at-risk.  It’s hard to fight something you don’t know you have. Even if a person did know they were at-risk, they may not have the resources needed to help them prevent diabetes.

2)  Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Yet two factors are important in both. You inherit a predisposition to the disease then something in your environment triggers it. Genes alone are not enough.

The environmental triggers for type 1 may include weather, a virus, and early diet.  Type 1 diabetes is less common in people who were breastfed and in those who first ate solid foods at later ages.

We usually hear a lot about genetics in reference to type 1 diabetes, but believe it or not, type 2 diabetes has a stronger link to family history and lineage than type 1.

If a type 2 diabetic  has a family history of type 2 diabetes, it may be difficult to figure out whether their diabetes is due to lifestyle factors or genetic susceptibility.  Just like with type 1, genes are not enough.  Type 2 diabetes is triggered by lifestyle choices. {Learn more about diabetes and genetics.}

Please keep in mind that these lifestyle choices can also be triggered by a person’s environment. Consider this, stress, grief, depression, some medical conditions, and homelessness are just some of the things that can lead to weight gain and increase a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes.  Weight is often just a symptom of a much greater problem, so we should show less judgement and more compassion for those struggling to maintain their health.

3) There are a lot of differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but there are also quite a few similarities. You can get both types of diabetes as a child, or as an adult. Some  people with type 2, and all with type 1, will use insulin. Not only can people with type 1 and type 2 eat sugar, but their recommended “diet” is the same healthy plan that is recommended for all people.

I could go on and on about the myths about type 1 and type 2 diabetes,  but I’d rather hear from you. What other myths would you like to see dispelled? Please tell us in the comments below!

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Our non-profit organization is dedicated to helping others prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, or feel that you may be at-risk, we’d like to help. Whether you have specific questions, are looking for a little guidance, or are in need of ongoing nutrition counseling and support,  we can provide you with what you need to fend off diabetes.  

Just submit a comment below (it will NOT be visible to the public) and somebody will contact you shortly to schedule  your appointment to speak with a nutrition counselor (free).