November is American Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, “nearly 24 million children and adults(7.8% of the population) in the United States (are) living with
diabetes, and an additional 57 million Americans (are) at risk.”
There are two major types of diabetes. Type I, also known as insulin dependent diabetes, occurs when the body does not produce insulin.
This type only affects 5-10% of the American population and results
from an auto-immune destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type II diabetes, also known as insulin-independent diabetes or insulin-resistant diabetes, is a condition in which the body produces insulin but fails to use it properly. When the body becomes insensitive to the effects of insulin, a dangerous accumulation of sugar occurs in the blood leading to damage to small blood vessels and to organ dysfunction. Keeping a tighter lid on the
cookie jar may be a good start to reducing sugar consumption and the risk of developing diabetes.
What exactly is Diabetes?
When a person has diabetes it means that his or her body is not properly absorbing glucose, a type of simple sugar. Our cells need and utilize glucose for energy. Over time, however, too much glucose circulating in the blood can be toxic and lead to problems such as kidney failure, blindness, and loss of sensation. An easy way to understand the insulin-glucose connection is to think about the role of our mailman. The mailman carries and delivers our mail to our house every day, rain or shine. Insulin performs a role similar tothe mailman's because it carries and delivers glucose into our cells. When a person develops Type II diabetes, it is as if the mailman
is on strike and refuses to deliver the mail until more suitable conditions exist. When this happens, the mail just collects at the post office, we can't pay our bills, and we are left in a
financial crisis! If insulin doesn’t work, glucose accumulates in the blood and the body goes into a state of sugar turmoil. By maintaining a steady insulin-glucose balance, we can avoid these
insulin meltdowns and protect our body from experiencing toxic sugar overload. Choosing complex carbohydrates, eating smaller meals throughout the day, and watching proportion size are steps we can take to keep insulin and glucose in metabolic harmony.
Unfortunately, type II diabetes is not considered an adult disease anymore, and in fact, more and more older children and adolescents are being diagnosed. This is a very disturbing problem and reflects the obesity epidemic in our country. The good news is that eliminating excess weight, especially abdominal fat, decreases the risk of developing insulin resistance and the progression to Type II diabetes. Lifestyle therapies such as losing weight , engaging in
consistent moderate exercise and maintaining a healthy, low-fat diet filled with complex carbohydrates (whole grains and fiber rich foods) will set you on the right path toward good health. This Shabbos try snacking on sliced apples dipped in peanut butter, strawberries
drizzled with coconut flakes, or bananas sprinkled with ground flax seed. Make fruit snacks a fun dessert option by coming up with creative ways of dipping or adding toppings to them (minus chocolate and caramel sauces!). Also, this Shabbos take your children on a brisk
after-dinner/ after-lunch walk. This is a great time not only to lighten up after a full meal, but to provide an intimate time to engage in special parent-child moments. This can become a
unique Shabbos ritual shared and looked forward to each week. Play an active role in disease prevention and you will be providing one of the most important tools your child will carry throughout life – the recipe for good health.
