It breaks my heart, too.
I’m referring to the study that highlighted the major risk that diet sodas may pose. According to the study, those who drank diet soda on a daily basis became 48% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Diabetics are already at increased risk for these problems. We don’t need anything driving the risk upward.
Now the results of the study are preliminary and many in the medical field aren’t comfortable with telling people to quit drinking diet soda just yet. This study did have a small sample size and I could use that to tell myself it’s ok to drink diet soda. But I won’t. Small sample size or not, at the very least, this study, conducted through the good ol’e scientific method is cause for concern or attention. And they didn’t say 2%, they said 48%. That gets my attention.
So although it seems pushy and mean and I know I’ve already talked about diet soda on this site before, I’ll say it again, we all need to reconsider why we drink diet sodas (those of us that do).
Are they SO GOOD that we can’t stop drinking or cut back despite our desire to be healthy?
I love diet coke, too. I love it to the point of remembering stupid things about it, like: When I was 15 years old, I had gym class before history class, which was my last class of the day. There they were, my two favorite classes at school, side by side. Our history teacher was awesome. He let us talk about everything instead of just make us take notes. I had about six good friends in that class. We’d throw our trash from across the room to see who would make a “basket” and we would try to up one another’s answers to questions from the teacher just for some friendly competition. The teacher allowed us to make jokes and laugh. This was also the only teacher who let us have drinks in class. So after gym everyday, just that year, I’d go to the vending machine all sweaty and get me a diet coke (I so prefer it out of an aluminum can) and I’d enjoy the heck out of it in that laid back history class. Ahh the memories…
You see what I mean?
Anyway, I wouldn’t call it the devil. I’d just say that maybe it’s a good idea to drink less or think about doing so.
Related posts:
Monday, 3 September 2012
The truth about Diet Coke
Misconceptions about Diabetes
Over the weekend, I was watching a movie in which one of the lead characters claimed to have diabetes. As soon as he threw his syringes on the table and said that after eating all those lollies and junk food and being obese as a child, this has led him to develop diabetes, I put my face in my hands and cringed… Throughout the movie, he mentions he can’t have any fatty foods but then proceeds to have a massive alcoholic binge later on – evidently without any diabetes-related consequences.
Things like these that pop up in the media are increasingly frustrating for me and, no doubt, my fellow diabetes buddies. After a huge whinge about it with a close friend and fellow d-buddy of mine, she suggested we write to the production company of the movie to properly educate them on diabetes. Firstly, my respect for her went up (not that it was low before) because even though we whinged about it, she was set to do something about it.
A lack of education about diabetes per se generates the discriminatory stigmatisation of diabetes that we see today. And this, in turn, is unfair to people like me who don’t fit the stereotypes and really all people living with diabetes. People need to understand that diabetes is associated to a variety of things and is not always due to modifiable lifestyle choices. Diabetes may be due to an autoimmune condition and genetic predispositions may play a major role in the development of diabetes. Yet when the word ‘diabetes’ surfaces in everyday conversation, it’s automatically linked to obesity and poor lifestyle choices. The stigma then rises because if it’s a preventable disease, it must be your fault that you have diabetes. And having been on the receiving end of that accusation, I can tell you it hurts!
When I was diagnosed and told my then-manager, he asked if it was the ‘good kind’ or the ‘bad kind’. I stared at him dumbfounded wondering which form diabetes could possibly be the ‘good kind’?! I’ve had people trying to comfort me by saying, ‘Well all you have to do is watch what you eat then it’ll be fine’, simply because they know someone who controls their diabetes through lifestyle changes. Although, I don’t know if I prefer that over ’Does that mean you can’t eat a lot of foods?’ Diabetes management can come in many forms ranging from making appropriate lifestyle changes, to oral medications to insulin administering or a combination of all of the above.
Diabetes is a huge area of focus at the moment due to the rising obesity rates worldwide. I think it is also important to educate the public a bit more on diabetes in general. Things such as the differences between type 1 and type 2 as well as the management strategies of diabetes and particularly the dietary component of diabetes are all important basic educational steps to reduce the stigmatisation associated with diabetes.
Ashley Ng, of Caufield, is 22 years young and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (MODY) in 2009. She is currently halfway through her honours year at Deakin University looking at the effects of nutritional supplementation in the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. Ashley also works at the university as an academic support worker and student ambassador on the side. In her spare time (of which she has little) she enjoys driving out to national parks for walks and taking part in a variety of sports. She also plays clarinet in the Western Region Concert Band.
Oh, and did we mention her rocking blog?The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are Ashley’s own.
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Diabetes and The Plate Method - Diabetes Article by Marianne Tetlow
Auremar/PhotoSpin
One of the treats of managing life with diabetes is the new methodology to controlling blood glucose levels (BG). Diabetics now have the ability to eat anything they choose, as long as they administer enough insulin or medication to take care of the carbohydrate count.
I have enjoyed this option, but find it doesn’t always benefit my health.
When I was initially diagnosed, I was told to eat in balance. I was ordered to eat a balanced amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, milk and vegetables.
This has worked at times, but I have other eating strategies that have been more beneficial to both my BG control as well as my overall health.
Part of the trick in managing tight BG control is to keep it from fluctuating. The fewer fast-acting carbohydrates or simple carbohydrates I consume, the less my BG peaks.
Therefore, the less insulin I have to administer to correct it and the risk of over compensating and then dropping to a hypoglycemic level BG is less. I am not an advocate of not eating any carbohydrates.
I like use the “plate method”. I recommend dividing up your plate into fourths.
I recommend 2/4 of your plate be filled with non-starchy vegetables. These provide you with many of the vitamins, nutrients and fiber that your body needs.
These do not raise your BG level as fast and require less insulin. I also recommend making 1/4 of your plate a lean protein source. This also limits the impact on BG.
I recommend that the last 1/4 be made up of complex carbohydrates. These will raise BG levels, but provide some balance and usually some fiber.
As a Type One diabetic, I also usually consume milk and fruits, but in limited quantities. Eating with the “plate method” has lowered my overall BG and improved other areas of health such as weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.
However, as a T1, it is impossible to get my BG to a stable number and permanently keep it there.
I exercise and I occasionally get low BG or hypoglycemic. If I do inject more insulin than needed I might get low BG. I would then eat a piece of fruit or a yogurt.
I manage to incorporate these foods in on an “as needed” basis.
Saturday, 1 September 2012
DSMA: Interview with a Pancreas
WANTED: Self-starting leader who isn’t afraid to call the shots, and can bring a creative style to a challenging body of work.
Do Your Parents Nag About Diabetes?
“What is your blood sugar? Are you sure that you don’t need me to talk to Jimmy’s parents about your diabetes? You might like summer camp. Are you sure you don’t want to go? Steve has a pump and really likes it, are you sure don’t want to give it a try?”
How many times has one of your parents asked you a question like these? Too many times to count? If my mother had a penny for each time I responded to one of her questions with, “Mom, stop worrying! I’m fine,” while I was growing up with diabetes, she would have…well, a lot more money in her pocket!
Looking in from the outside, parenting a child with diabetes looks incredibly stressful, and the most stressful moment might be simply going to sleep and hoping your child is going to be safe during the night.
The lack of control they have can be frustrating, simply because: this is your diabetes! You are the one who ultimately decides if you are going to embrace your diabetes by turning each negative into a positive. Or if you are going to deny your diabetes by pretending that it does not affect your life. The decision is yours.
Diabetes is not easy even if “You Make Diabetes Look Easy” as Ginger Vieira explains in her recent article. In my experience I have found the following to be helpful in managing my diabetes:
- Commitment to improve
- Positive attitude to help you cope with the rough days
- Loving support system to help you along the way
The first two, commitment and a positive attitude are intrinsic and can be turned on like a light switch. But having a loving support system is something that people who have diabetes search for every day. It may be what brings you to Diabetes Daily?
Your support system often starts with your parents and over time evolves to include friends and (hopefully) the diabetes community. Extending your support system to include friends and the diabetes community by sharing your diabetes with them, may be the most important thing that you ever do because it can increase your confidence in managing your diabetes. As you become more confident in managing your diabetes, your parents might have less anxiety about watching you assert your independence with diabetes. Easy.
So the next time one of your parents asks you, “Have you checked your blood sugar?” keep in mind that they are reminding you that they are still there for support. I will never say that diabetes is an easy thing to manage, but in comparison to how stressful life can be for parents who have a child with diabetes, actually living with it can be easier!
Instead, explain to your parents what support looks like to you. What can they do to support your diabetes management? Explain it to them clearly, and kindly.
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