Category: type II diabetes

Was It Really Random?

Yesterday, forty-two people from our Hispanic community were screened for Diabetes. They had previously taken a risk assessment at a Faith Fighting Diabetes event, and the results showed that they were at high risk for either having the disease or were pre-diabetic.

It was very humbling for me to walk into the crowded waiting room and see all the people there. This was the first screening we had set up. Knowing that these people were there because of something that happened to me is what humbled me.

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Could This Be Us?

Since I started this blog last March, I’ve been writing about the great need to work on improving our overall health. I’ve brought up the shocking statistic that by the year 2050 one in three Americans will have Type II diabetes.

Those with ethnic backgrounds will have it even worse. Unless things improve quickly, a full fifty percent of Hispanic and African-American children born in the year 2010 will develop the disease.

If you doubt these numbers, I want to tell you about the tiny island of Nauru. It has the unfortunate designation as the fattest country on the planet. Only 8.1 sq. miles, it has a population of around 10,000. It’s the smallest independent republic on earth, but the waistlines of those who live in what should be an island paradise are anything but small.

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Living In Denial

I was talking to a friend yesterday at church about Faith Fighting Diabetes. I wanted him to know about last week’s outreach to the Hispanic members of our congregation and how many of them will be screened this upcoming Saturday. I thought he would be interested because he’s a diabetic himself.

Then he dropped a bombshell. I’m in total denial. I don’t do anything I’m supposed to do. What surprising statements from someone who is a public figure, well-educated, and loves life.

I knew my friend was in the advanced stages of diabetes, which I would have thought would be enough to force him to stay on top of this chronic and complicated disease. Not so.

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Faith Fighting Diabetes

Tomorrow, we’re having our second meeting of the Faith Fighting Diabetes Action Team. And I’m really excited, because I have some great news to share about an Information Session we had with a group of about 100 Hispanic people at my church this past Sunday.

If you’re new to this site, let me fill you in briefly about Faith Fighting Diabetes. This past summer, I met with some folks at my local hospital about forming a group that would target faith communities and provide them with information about diabetes.

I wanted to equip local faith leaders so that they could help their congregations either avoid this disease, or better care for themselves if they have been diagnosed. Statistics show that people trust their faith leaders more than they do their doctors.

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Oh My

Post author By seedthrower1
Post date 12/22/2010
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It’s always fun to visit a new place. I really enjoyed my time in Mississippi, although I only saw a small portion of the state. One thing struck me during my brief time there, however and it involves food. Mississippi has the highest obesity rate in the country, with over 33% of the population considered obese.

Those who read this blog on a regular basis know that where there’s obesity, Type II diabetes is right there too. So it should come as no surprise that 14.9% of the state’s population have been diagnosed with this illness. Only West Virginia has a higher incidence of diabetes, but not by much.

These sad numbers came to life for me by two incidents that took place while I was visiting.

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Lentils with Wine Glazed Vegetables

Post author By seedthrower1
Post date 12/18/2010
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This recipe is one of the first I posted on my blog, and it quickly became a favorite. I’m making some changes to the look and feel of my site, so I’m re-posting some older recipes in a single format, rather than all the recipes together in a running list. It will make it much easier to find recipes and other posts in the future.

So, why lentils? First off, they’ve become a great staple in my vegetarian diet. They are high in both fiber (8g) and protein (9g) per 1/2 cup serving, which satisfies hours after eating, which helps control appetite.

Inspiration Mind type II diabetes

Self-Discipline

It’s funny, today I was going to remind everyone about the importance of having some self-discipline during the holidays, and my friend Todd Burrier beat me to it 🙂 His blog posting is below, and it’s great. I know you’ll get as much out of it as I did.

The other day, I wrote about the importance of being intentional, especially those who are watching their weight and/or are diabetic, and how the holidays present a lot of potential problems for them. It seems like all the parties and events we attend involve foods we shouldn’t eat. “Well, just one won’t hurt,” or “I know I shouldn’t, but it is the holidays,” are common excuses.

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Be Cautious

As I was first beginning makingallthingsnew, I spent a lot of time checking out the blogs which focused on diabetes. There’s one blog that had been around a long time, and I went through all his old posts looking to see how we addressed the various aspects of this disease.

I liked most of what I read, but I was surprised at all the pharmaceutical ads on the site. Then, in one of his posts, I learned that there had been a big diabetes blogger convention (who would have thought the pool was large enough to have a convention?) down in Florida. The blogger mentioned how wonderful it had been to participate in this all expense paid gathering. If you’re wondering who paid the expenses, it was a major pharmaceutical company. Big surprise.

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Easy Chili

I raced home from the gym the other day and I was starving. I was craving a bowl of chili, and remembered that I had all the ingredients waiting in my kitchen.

Since the summer, I’ve been stocking my pantry with lots of canned goods, and I pick them up whenever they’re on sale. Be sure to get no salt added items whenever possible. I also have an assortment of dried beans, but they take an overnight soak before I can use them, so for this quick meal, I used canned.

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The Full Plate Diet

Looking for one more gift for someone special? Someone you really care about? Consider picking them up a copy of The Full Plate Diet.

This New York Times bestseller isn’t pushing some fad diet. Instead, it’s about getting back to basics. The whole premise is that we can lose weight and feel better by eating more fiber.

The authors cite several major studies which show those who eat a diet rich in fiber can reduce the risk of developing cancer by 30-40%, help diabetics keep their blood sugars under control, and lower the risk of heart attack and strokes by up to 40%.