Decoding Diabetes: How to Read Nutrition Labels
Have you ever thought about how diabetes can actually help your entire family get healthier? Managing diabetes well means being disciplined and thoughtful about every food you choose, which creates a real opportunity to think more carefully about what is in the food you and your family eat. Shopping for groceries for a family means thinking about the nutritional needs of everybody in the household—especially those with special dietary requirements. When you or someone you love lives with diabetes, you may find yourself checking labels more often to make sure your food choices are well-rounded and help with...
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Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs when pregnancy hormones and weight gain block a woman’s body's ability to use insulin properly. This type of diabetes can effect women who have never had diabetes. Gestational diabetes may affect as many as 7% of pregnant women.1 This type of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born. Gestational diabetes can lead to high blood pressure for the mother and high birth weight for the baby. There is also an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes for both you and your baby in the future. Your baby may also be at higher risk of childhood obesity.2 You can reduce these risks by...
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Alternative Site Testing (AST)
Some blood glucose meters allow you to use blood samples from other parts of the body, such as the palm, forearm, upper arm, thigh or calf. Testing from alternate sites is not always ideal. Blood from your fingertip shows changes in blood sugar quickly, but blood from alternate sites may not, and you may not get the most accurate result.1 Always consult with your healthcare professional before using sites other than your fingertip for blood sugar testing. Alternate site testing, or AST, may be recommended when blood sugar is stable, such as immediately before a meal or before bedtime. AST is not recommended when blood...
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Teenagers And Diabetes: Disease Doesn't Clip Your Wings
Teenagers are building their self-image, experiencing new things and seeking validation from their peers. It shouldn’t be surprising that diabetes weighs heavily on them. Becoming responsible Teenagers may feel like rebelling against the whole routine surrounding diabetes management. Blood glucose tests remind them that they’re different and give them the impression of being constantly monitored. They might want to avoid being confronted with the results of a test so as not to feel discouraged or guilty. Here are some suggestions for easing the tension: ...
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Does Your Family Know These Blood Sugar Facts?
This year, the focus of World Diabetes Day is all about family and diabetes, and we are celebrating by taking a close look at how families support each other in managing health. Can diabetes actually help families make health a priority? We think so—especially when families understand the demands of diabetes, and as a result their own individual health needs. When it comes to managing diabetes, it is all about blood sugar. If blood sugar (or “blood glucose”) levels get too high or too low, it can drastically alter your mood, your well-being, and even your long-term health. But as important as blood sugar...
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Chef Bilal Saleh
Fattoush Cold Soup & Halloumi Ingredients: 1 fresh tomato 1 cucumber ½ a cup of mint leaves 1 glove of garlic ½ a cup of parsley leaves ½ green pepper 1 stem of spring onion 1 red radish 1 whole lemon 15 ml of olive oil Salt to taste 1...
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Chef Nora El Sadat
Ingredients: - 1 bag of okra - 6 pieces of meat cubes with no fat - 2-3 Tbs of quinoa - 4 cups of fresh tomato juice - 2 minced onions - 1 tsp minced garlic - 1 tsp (teaspoon) tomato paste - 1 chilli pepper - A Pinch of brown sugar - 2 Tbs (Tablespoon...
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Diabetes Friendly Halloween is that Possible?
Living with diabetes can make Halloween a difficult time for people who love this particular holiday. What’s not to love, right? You get to dress up in costumes, decorate your home, and dish up delicious treats to hand out to friends, family, and trick or treaters. When you have diabetes, Halloween can be a mountain of temptation, making it easy to stray from the healthy plan you have worked so hard to create for yourself. It does not have to be. Especially if you consider healthy options that help you avoid blood sugar spikes. We will share with you some of the things we...
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Carbohydrate Counting and Exchanges
The myth: If you have diabetes, you can't eat sweets or sugar. The truth: A food doesn't have to be sweet or sugary to raise your blood sugar. Anything with carbohydrates will affect your blood glucose, whether it's from white potatoes, pasta, bread or (insert local sweets here…jelly babies / lollies / strawberry laces).1 Of course, different foods may affect you differently. Why? Eating protein, fat or fiber along with your carbohydrates may slow the absorption of the carbohydrates into your system. That's why the extra fiber in whole-grain foods can help you avoid a big spike in blood glucose....
Read MorePages
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs when pregnancy hormones and weight gain block a woman’s body's ability to use insulin properly. This type of diabetes can effect women who have never had diabetes. Gestational diabetes may affect as many as 7% of pregnant women.1 This type of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born. Gestational diabetes can lead to high blood pressure for the mother and high birth weight for the baby. There is also an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes for both you and your baby in the future. Your baby may also be at higher risk of childhood obesity.2 You can reduce these risks by...
Read More Alternative Site Testing (AST)
Some blood glucose meters allow you to use blood samples from other parts of the body, such as the palm, forearm, upper arm, thigh or calf. Testing from alternate sites is not always ideal. Blood from your fingertip shows changes in blood sugar quickly, but blood from alternate sites may not, and you may not get the most accurate result.1 Always consult with your healthcare professional before using sites other than your fingertip for blood sugar testing. Alternate site testing, or AST, may be recommended when blood sugar is stable, such as immediately before a meal or before bedtime. AST is not recommended when blood...
Read More Teenagers And Diabetes: Disease Doesn't Clip Your Wings
Teenagers are building their self-image, experiencing new things and seeking validation from their peers. It shouldn’t be surprising that diabetes weighs heavily on them. Becoming responsible Teenagers may feel like rebelling against the whole routine surrounding diabetes management. Blood glucose tests remind them that they’re different and give them the impression of being constantly monitored. They might want to avoid being confronted with the results of a test so as not to feel discouraged or guilty. Here are some suggestions for easing the tension: ...
Read More Does Your Family Know These Blood Sugar Facts?
This year, the focus of World Diabetes Day is all about family and diabetes, and we are celebrating by taking a close look at how families support each other in managing health. Can diabetes actually help families make health a priority? We think so—especially when families understand the demands of diabetes, and as a result their own individual health needs. When it comes to managing diabetes, it is all about blood sugar. If blood sugar (or “blood glucose”) levels get too high or too low, it can drastically alter your mood, your well-being, and even your long-term health. But as important as blood sugar...
Read More Chef Bilal Saleh
Fattoush Cold Soup & Halloumi Ingredients: 1 fresh tomato 1 cucumber ½ a cup of mint leaves 1 glove of garlic ½ a cup of parsley leaves ½ green pepper 1 stem of spring onion 1 red radish 1 whole lemon 15 ml of olive oil Salt to taste 1...
Read More Chef Nora El Sadat
Ingredients: - 1 bag of okra - 6 pieces of meat cubes with no fat - 2-3 Tbs of quinoa - 4 cups of fresh tomato juice - 2 minced onions - 1 tsp minced garlic - 1 tsp (teaspoon) tomato paste - 1 chilli pepper - A Pinch of brown sugar - 2 Tbs (Tablespoon...
Read More Diabetes Friendly Halloween is that Possible?
Living with diabetes can make Halloween a difficult time for people who love this particular holiday. What’s not to love, right? You get to dress up in costumes, decorate your home, and dish up delicious treats to hand out to friends, family, and trick or treaters. When you have diabetes, Halloween can be a mountain of temptation, making it easy to stray from the healthy plan you have worked so hard to create for yourself. It does not have to be. Especially if you consider healthy options that help you avoid blood sugar spikes. We will share with you some of the things we...
Read More Carbohydrate Counting and Exchanges
The myth: If you have diabetes, you can't eat sweets or sugar. The truth: A food doesn't have to be sweet or sugary to raise your blood sugar. Anything with carbohydrates will affect your blood glucose, whether it's from white potatoes, pasta, bread or (insert local sweets here…jelly babies / lollies / strawberry laces).1 Of course, different foods may affect you differently. Why? Eating protein, fat or fiber along with your carbohydrates may slow the absorption of the carbohydrates into your system. That's why the extra fiber in whole-grain foods can help you avoid a big spike in blood glucose....
Read More