One of the most frustrating things about living with diabetes is seeing a high blood sugar reading when you've been trying so hard to do everything correctly. You've watched what you eat. You've taken your medication. You've avoided desserts. Yet the meter still flashes a number that leaves you wondering, "What did I do wrong?" The truth is, blood sugar is affected by much more than food alone. Sometimes the reason for a high reading has nothing to do with a lack of effort or

If you've spent any time reading about diabetes, healthy eating, or weight loss, you've probably heard the term glycemic index. It has been discussed for years as a way to predict how foods affect blood sugar. The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood sugar. Foods are ranked on a scale from low to high based on how rapidly they cause blood glucose to rise. At first glance, this sounds like a great tool. If a food has a low glycem

One of the most common concerns I hear from people with diabetes is this: "I have a husband and children to feed. I can't afford to cook separate meals." If you're feeding a family on a limited budget, that concern is very real. Many families rely on affordable foods such as rice, beans, potatoes, pasta, and tortillas because they are filling, familiar, and inexpensive. Unfortunately, these same foods can make blood sugar management more challenging for someone living with d

We have between 2000 and 4000 taste buds and they are not all on the tongue. We also have cells that detect taste in the back of the throat, epiglottis, and even the nasal cavity. These wonderful cells let our brain know what we are tasting. Be it sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or savory, our brain then decides whether it is pleasing or not to eat. Because of our sense of taste, cooking can be a delight. Especially if you are cooking something that is familiar to you and you alr

Do you eat to live or do you live to eat? The answer to this question could quite possibly define the type of health and happiness you are experiencing right now. I used to think that I ate to live because I was always hungry. It didn't matter where I was, what I was doing or when I last ate.... all I could think about was putting food in my mouth. I used to work with racehorses and instead of bringing my lunch I would always walk to the restaurant and have a large meal. By t

I love eating out if the opportunity arises. Unfortunately, there are always those menus that are not so "carb controlled" friendly. Here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, most of the menus come with lots of rice, potatoes, tortillas or chips. While these foods are essential to some, it can make a carb counter take a tailspin. There have been restaurants that absolutely will not change, add or omit any item included with a dish that looks appealing to me. This means that I e

A man walks into the emergency room around 2 in the morning and is in obvious distress. He is pale and in a cold sweat. He tells the triage nurse that he is having abdominal pain and that it started yesterday. His history is high blood pressure and obesity and admits that he started a low carb diet about one week ago. His primary nurse received the same story and on examination she notes that his abdomen is tender to touch. The emergency room doctor enters and the man gasps a

So, you have diabetes. Take a minute and think about whether or not you REALLY know what diabetes is. The true definition, not what someone has told you. Most people would say, “oh, that’s the sugar disease.” or “That’s when you have too much sugar in the blood.” These simple definitions are true but there is so much more to diabetes than that. There is a world of information out there about diabetes. Some of it is so technical that many have trouble understanding it. Much o