Merry Christmas from Coach Beverly and family. Sending you warm winter wishes for peace, joy and love!

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.

Robin Williams

Read more about the kindness movement at Random Acts of Kindness.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

For Question of the Week, QoW, test takers usually choose the correct answer 70-80% of the time. However, for this question of the week, about 56% of respondents chose the correct answer.

This presents a perfect opportunity for another answer rationale. We’ll explore this question and the best answer in more detail and throw in some test-taking tips along the way. Before we start though, if you don’t want any spoilers and haven’t tried the question yet, you can answer below:

Question of the week:

Which of the following is an accurate recommendation according to the nutrition principles as outlined by the American Diabetes Association Standards of Care?

Answer Choices:

1. Maintain pleasure of eating by taking a non-judgmental approach
2. Limit added sugar intake to less than 6 teaspoons a day
3. Include cinnamon in meal plan to reduce glucose levels
4. Encourage people with diabetes to reach BMI goal of less than 25

As shown above, the most common choice was option 1, the second most common answer was option 2, then option 4. No one chose option 3.

Option 1 is the correct answer. “Maintain pleasure of eating by taking a non-judgmental approach” has been a mainstay of the ADA’s Medical Nutrition Therapy principles for years. This statement beautifully speaks to the importance of taking a person-centered approach with a clear vision of promoting a healthy relationship with food.

Option 2 is incorrect because although the ADA and AHA both recommend that added sugar intake should be limited to about 6 teaspoons a day, the American Diabetes Association has not taken a specific stance on sugar intake per day.

The most recent comprehensive document, the 2019 ADA Nutrition Therapy Consensus Report states on page 3 to “minimize sugar and refined grains” and on page 10 they state “replace sugar sweetened beverages with water as often as possible”.

Option 3 was not chosen. Good job! Based on the lack of scientific evidence, the ADA does not endorse any nutraceuticals or supplements to reduce glucose levels.

Option 4 is incorrect because it is not individualized or based on the standards. The ADA goal for people with diabetes is to strive for a long term goal of 5% weight loss to improve outcomes. To achieve this structured programs and ongoing support are critical.,

BMI of 25: Based on population studies, the risk of getting diabetes increases with a BMI of 25 or greater (for Asians a BMI of 23 or greater). See our Diabetes Risk and Diagnosis Cheat Sheet. As a community, this means we want to help our children move into adulthood with a sound knowledge of healthy eating and active lifestyles to empower them to prevent prediabetes and diabetes.

We hope you appreciate this week’s rationale and keep studying hard! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our Question of the Week and participate in this fun learning activity!

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

As we continue our kindness theme, enjoy this quote from the 1700’s that still resonates today. We wish you safe travels and joyful moments.

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.

Stephen Grellet

Read more about the kindness movement at Random Acts of Kindness.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

HumanLight is a Humanist celebration on December 23rd to focus on the “positive, secular human values of reason, compassion, humanity and hope”^. The use of candles to symbolize reason, hope, compassion, and humanity has become widespread among those celebrating. Groups today also observe the HumanLight holiday using charity work, gift exchanges, and other ideas associated with holidays and celebrations.

The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.

William Wordsworth

Read more about the kindness movement at Random Acts of Kindness.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

On this first night of Hanukkah, we celebrate the festival of lights and acts of kindness. A little light goes a long way.

The Hanukkah candles are lit when dusk is falling. Perched in the window, they serve as a beacon for the darkening streets. No matter how dark it is outside, a candle of goodness can transform the darkness itself into light.

Acts of kindness never die. They linger in the memory, giving life to other acts in return.

Jonathan Sacks, From Optimism to Hope

Read more about the kindness movement at Random Acts of Kindness.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

Coach Beverly, Taryn and Robert wish everyone Happy Holidays!
Since we will be spending time with our families and loved ones, the office will be closed from December 23 – December 27.
During this time of reflection and celebration, we will not be posting our usual blogs. Instead, we will post a daily message of kindness inspired by a host of holidays. This is a small gesture of gratitude for your service and dedication to the diabetes community.

With a heart full of thanks from all of us at Diabetes Education Services.

7 Ways to Make Kindness the Norm:

1. Send an uplifting text to a friend or family member.
2. Let that guy next to you merge into traffic with a wave and a smile.
3. Include intentional moments of kindness, laughter, and delight in your daily routine.
4. Go slightly out of your comfort zone at least once a day to make someone smile.
5. Share a compliment with a co-worker or friend.
6. Reach out to a family member you haven’t spoken to in a while.
7. Treat someone to a cup of coffee.

Read more about the kindness movement at Random Acts of Kindness.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

We created this Carb Counting Quick Reference sheet based on the ADA handbook. With the holidays and New Year around the corner, this cheat sheet of the most common carbs with serving size is a perfect reference for people counting carbs. Plus, it is perfect for exam prep for the health care professionals.

If you are studying for the diabetes certification exam, this reference provides the most common 15gm carb sources and their serving size. One exception is the milk serving – this list was created for people with diabetes and was simplified – we have modified it to reflect the actual carb count of a serving of milk (12 grams, not 15 grams of carbohydrates).

Learn more carb counting tips and tricks, and nutrition information in our Level 1 and 3 courses!

Start 2020 off right with Level 1 updates in January, Boot Camp (Level 3) updates in February and March, and a bundle to save on all the courses! We’re here to help make your New Year’s resolution a reality with great, on-demand videos, podcasts, handouts, extra resources, and practice tests to help you succeed at any diabetes certification exam.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]

Many may find they don’t want to exercise because they want to avoid sweating or what sweating may cause. For women it can be a hassle to have to shower off after a workout, but for many African American women it can be a larger hurdle. Health Day News reports on this difficulty and the fact that many providers are unaware of this particular issue as a barrier to exercise.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that 95% of doctors speak with African American, females about exercise, but 76% of them do not include hair in the discussion and only 34% were comfortable with the idea of discussing hair along with exercise.

Dr. Tolliver is a family medicine physician at Ohio State and was the lead researcher in this study. She explained:

It’s going to come down to increasing education about African-American hair, African-American females’ cultural practices when it comes to hair, and how you can counsel a patient in an office visit about decreasing that barrier.

Dr. Tolliver advised that for African American women wanting to become more physically active, but who consider hair a barrier:

• If you’re new to exercise, consider starting with low-impact exercise, such as walking, to minimize perspiration.
• Try a protective hairstyle, such as braids, twists, buns or extensions.
• Schedule more strenuous workouts on a day you plan to wash your hair.

Read more at Health Day News.

Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE!  Sign up below!

[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]