All Day I Dream About Food

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Raising Awareness for Diabetes – and a KitchenAid Giveaway

Raise your hand if you knew that today is World Diabetes Day.  No?  How about the fact that November is Diabetes Awareness Month?  To be honest, if I didn’t have diabetes myself, I might not know it either.  And if I were REALLY honest, I might acknowledge that if I didn’t have it myself, I might not care much about today or November or raising awareness.  I don’t like to admit it, but it’s true.  And I daresay I am in good company.  Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in our society and it’s on the rise, so it should be on everyone’s radar.  But in some ways, it’s the very commonness of the disease that makes us less aware.  We all know someone living with diabetes, and oftentimes they seem to be doing just fine.  Sure, they have to watch their diet, and maybe they have to take a little insulin or other medication, but other than that, it’s no big deal, right?

Glucometer

Yep, that’s my blood glucose meter.

Wrong.  (You knew that was coming!).  Many people are indeed managing their diabetes well, but the vast majority are probably not.  Because in reality, watching your diet, getting enough exercise and taking insulin in the correct amounts at the correct times are NOT easy things to do. Let’s face it, we live in a world of sweet temptations and unhealthy options, and we’re so busy with life that getting moving is often low on the priority list.  If you are unused to healthy habits, it can be incredibly difficult to find a way to manage your blood glucose levels.  It’s difficult enough even when you are used to healthy eating and deeply committed to exercise, take it from me.  And diabetes is a progressive disease, meaning that it gets progressively harder and harder to manage as our bodies age.  So even those of us who, to all outward appearances, are managing well enough now, the future of our disease is uncertain.

Gee it’s fun to poke yourself!

So I decided it was time to take a little action and do some awareness raising.  Because diabetes awareness and education is the key to prevention.  This year, I enlisted the help of many other food bloggers.  I put out the call for a unified front on World Diabetes Day and I was thrilled and delighted that so many wonderful bloggers took up my challenge.  My requirements for their participation were simple or so I thought.  I only asked that they discussed diabetes awareness, talked about how diabetes has touched their lives, and created a diabetic-friendly recipe to highlight the subject of the day.  In return, I would link to all of them and post their recipes on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest throughout the rest of the month.

A most excellent reading!

The requirement for a diabetic friendly recipe appeared to be the most challenging part of the requirements.  Most of the participants are not low carb food writers, because really, that would be preaching to the choir.  Instead, I turned to the food blogging community at large, and I simply tasked them with  making a recipe that contained no added sugars, no flour and no starches.  I did not require that it specifically be low carb, so fruits and other healthy but higher carb things were acceptable.  I thought this would give everyone plenty of leeway, but I did receive a lot of questions and requests for guidance.  And really, who can blame them?  Learning to cook and bake without the flours and sugars you are used to…it’s like entering an alternate universe.  Still, I am touched at the wonderful response I received and I hope you will take the time to check out each and every one of their recipes.  Because they tried and that was all I was asking them to do.

World Diabetes Day Initiative

I also enlisted the help of a sponsor for this event, because I wanted it to be big and I wanted it to catch people’s attention.  My wonderful sponsor, Swerve Sweetener, was so enthused about contributing to World Diabetes Day, they wanted to host multiple giveaways.  I can’t think of a more suitable company to sponsor a World Diabetes Day event, because they take their dedication to the diabetes community very seriously.  They’ve done their homework and completed clinical trials, and shown that their product has little to no affect on blood glucose levels.  And I can attest that I’ve done my own mini trials at home with the treats I make with Swerve.  Additionally, they’ve reached out to the diabetes educators to spread the word:  People with diabetes deserve dessert too, and desserts made with Swerve are healthy for everyone.

Swerve Sweetener

Swerve Sweetener generously offered to give away Swerve Gift Packs on the blogs of any bloggers who wanted to participate.  But they also agreed to host a big giveaway here on All Day I Dream About Food.  A beautiful, big 5-quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer in a gorgeous shade of blue, because blue is the colour of diabetes awareness.  You are free to enter all of the giveaways, both here and on all the other blogs who chose to participate.  I hope you will do so, because I can say without any hesitation that in my humble opinion, Swerve is the best sugar alternative available on the market.  I know many who would agree with me, including one very skeptical blogger who shall remain nameless, who contacted me after trying it to say she was surprised at how good it was!

So please do me the honour take this time to check out all the amazing recipes created by my participating bloggers, because I am so touched that they all wanted to take part and to take a stab at creating a diabetic-friendly recipe for World Diabetes Day.  Enter their Swerve Giveaways, if they are hosting one.  Then hop on back here and enter my giveaway for a blue KitchenAid Stand Mixer, courtesy of Swerve Sweetener.

Also helping spread the word is Molly Kimball of Get the Skinny.  She kindly mentioned our little initiative on her show this morning.  http://www.abc26.com/health/gettheskinny/wgno-get-the-skinny-on-four-carbcutting-swaps-20121114,0,5549593.story

The CDC estimates that almost 26 million Americans have diabetes and another 79 million have pre-diabetes.  I likely fall into this second category, but as far as I am concerned, it’s all diabetes and needs to be treated as such.  It can happen to anyone, at any time.  Please do not consider yourself or your loved ones exempt – I have no risk factors for diabetes, no family history, and yet here I am.

If my story helps even one person recognize their risk for diabetes and take action now, then I have achieved my goals of raising awareness.  Help me spread the word.

The Bloggers and Their Recipes:

*please note, some links my not be live right away – different time zones, different posting requirements, etc.!

Yankee Beware Soup by Boulder Locavore

Flourless Chocolate Tart from In Katrina’s Kitchen (Swerve Giveaway)

Rosemary Roasted Carrots from Oh My Veggies!

Cranberry Cheesecake from Roxana’s Home Baking (Swerve Giveaway)

Date and Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts from Diabetic Foodie

Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Cranberry Chutney from Taking On Magazines

Healthy 4 Bean Chili from RavieNomNoms

Greek Tuna Salad from Bake Your Day

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps from The Spiffy Cookie (Swerve Giveaway)

Guilt Free Hot Cocoa from Thindulge Yourself (Swerve Giveaway)

Green Beans, Bacons and Mushrooms from Cookin’ Canuck

Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl from Maria’s Delicious and Nutritious Journal (Swerve Giveaway)

Low Carb German Chocolate Cake Bars from Living Low Carb One Day at a Time

Sweet Spiced Winter Squash Casserole from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Shredded Chicken Taco Meat form Ditch the Wheat

Spicy Chili Lime Yogurt Dip from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts (Swerve Giveaway)

Eggplant with Roasted Cashew Cream from Cara’s Cravings

A Lunch to Remember from the Food Poet

Cannellini and Turkey Meatball Soup from Simply Gourmet

Roasted Harvest Vegetables from A Spicy Perspective

Peanut Butter Cranberry Bites from Diethood (Swerve Giveaway)

Mango and Blackberry Cobbler from I Wash…You Dry (Swerve Giveaway)

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce from Liv Life (Swerve Giveaway)

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad from Eats Well with Others

Buckwheat Applesauce Muffins from GF Doctor

Gluten Free Quinoa Almond Coconut Cookie from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

Savory Roasted Tomato and Manchego Cheese Clafoutis from Cake Duchess (Swerve Giveaway)

Orange Chicken from Foodness Gracious

from The Healthy Voyager (Swerve Giveaway)

Pumpkin Bars from Kate’s Healthy Cupboard (Swerve Giveaway)

Foil-Baked Steamed Fish from Blog Appetit

Cherry Pistachio Cookies from Cravings of a Lunatic (Swerve Giveaway)

Rice Bowl with Pecans, Green Beans and Oranges from The Purple Oven Mitt (Swerve Giveaway)

Shrimp and Artichoke Frittata from Seasonal and Savory

from Zesty South Indian Kitchen (Swerve Giveaway)

The Giveaway:   Win this gorgeous 5 Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer in Cornflower Blue (the colour of diabetes awareness).

Contest will run until 11:59pm EST on Thursday November 29th, at which point a winner will be selected at random.

TO ENTER:

Step 1.  Leave a comment here telling me how diabetes has touched your life.

Step 2.  Click on this link and fill out the form  http://www.swervesweetener.com/world-diabetes-day/

That’s it!  That’s all you need to do.  I hope in some small way I have helped raise your and others awareness about this disease.

 

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

  1. Thank you for organizing these WDD awareness posts! I was happy to be a part of it. Diabetes is definitely overlooked in this day and age. I never really heard about it except for when my grandpa was diagnosed 15 years ago and when Nick Jonas told the world he had Diabetes. My mother had gestational diabetes and I was thankful to not have it when I was pregnant with Liam (however, I was prepared to have it because it’s hereditary). Thanks again and thank you for the giveaway Carolyn! P.S. The link to the Swerve form was ‘404: Page Not Found’. 🙁

    Reply

    • Thank you for your promotion of diabetes awareness, Carolyn. I was high risk for developing type 2 diabetes due to having gestational diabetes, and family members on both sides with diabetes. I developed diabetes a few years ago, even though eating a pretty low-carb diet. I have now found that by keeping my carb count under 30 grams/day, I can keep my blood glucose numbers in the normal range. I am grateful for the bloggers, like yourself, who provide a variety of great new recipes to try.

      Reply

  2. Carolyn, thank you for being such an advocate for this disease! I’m not entering this giveaway because I have zero space for the mixer right now. But I will still share how diabetes has touched my life: My uncle and grandfather developed Type 2 Diabetes as young, thin men in their 30’s. My aunt developed Type 2 diabetes as an overweight middle aged woman. I developed prediabetes after the birth of my 3rd child. There seems to be a genetic component involved, though doctors in Texas still have trouble understanding it, since I don’t fit “the profile” of a person with Type 2 Diabetes. Perhaps I’m one of the MODY types. But anyway, I want my kids to grow up knowing how to eat well and perhaps avoid or at least delay expression of any inherited factors! so THANK YOU for all your delicious food, and for shining the spotlight!

    Reply

    • I have had several family members on my dad’s side of the family suffer through diabetes. I have been borderline diabetic. However, I have seen significant improvement with diet change, grain-free, dairy-free, and mostly sugar-free.

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  5. I have an uncle who has diabetes and I was borderline diabetic until I stopped consuming sugar and grains. Thankfully I have turned my health around and will hopefully prevent it completely!

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  6. My sons friend growing up during high school was diabetic and wore a insulin pump. He was aware of the Davids need to monitor his food and activity levels. Thank you for raising awareness for diabetics everywhere and the great recipes featured

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  7. Thanks for this post and your efforts to “get the word out”. We knew it was coming because my husband’s family has great history of diabetes – so it was not a big surprise when he was diagnosed in May. The changes we are making have been not only a blessing and help for my husband to have more control of his blood sugars, but also a great blessing to me and our children’s health. I’m so grateful to all the creative food bloggers who share their low carb recipies with me that allows me to provide nourishing and tasty things for my family.

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  8. What a wonderful way to Celebrate World Diabetes Day and National Diabetes Month. Kudos to all who supplied such good recipes.

    You are so right, having Diabetes is hard, and all the diabetic-friendly recipes you post Carolyn are delicious. I pass many of them on to my readers.

    Reply

      • My mom died from complications of diabetes, and when I gained a lot of weight last year while awaiting knee surgery and my labs showed high glucose and triglyceride levels, I knew I had to do something. I dusted off my low-carb books, updated the information I had and have been successfully following a low-carb diet ever since. My knees are now “new”, I work out at the Y, and I have lost a significant amount of weight! Thank you so much for being her, offering your products and spurring us on to good health! God Bless!!

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  10. My Aunt has Diabetes, but doesn’t take it seriously. She still eats whatever she wants (Alot of JUNK) and when I talk to her about it, she shrugs me off. . . It’s aggravating. She has highs and lows from not taking care of herself. She sleeps alot from high sugar consumption and has emotional breakdowns, which is also due to not taking care of herself the way she should. She’s not good company, but doesn’t care a bit about herself or anyone else for that matter.

    Reply

  11. Diabetes has touched my life in many ways. My ex husband was diagnosed with Type 1 when we were 29 years old. We changed our eating and exercise to help him gain and keep control.
    I am also a midwife and I have counseled women for nearly 20 years on how to eat well to avoid Gestational Diabetes and helped hundreds of women who were diagnosed with it change their diets to grow a healthy baby and to lower the risk of being diabetic after the birth.
    And currently, my daughter is pregnant with a twin surrogate pregnancy. She was diagnosed 6 weeks ago with gestational diabetes and is at high risk for adult onset diabetes, given her dad’s history. She committed to doing everything she could to control her sugars and has done an amazing job! She is following a Paleo diet that I prescribed for her, exercising a minimum of 30 minutes a day and her sugar levels are perfect!
    If I were to win this mixer, it would be hers. She’s an amazing selfless young woman.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Good for your daughter! I wish I’d know about Paleo when pregnant with GD. The good thing is that I still controlled my glucose levels really well and gave birth to a baby that was 7lbs on the nose! When the link for the giveaway is live, I will email you! I thought it was going to be live already, but it seems that Swerve and I miscommunicated a little! 🙂

      Reply

  12. My mom was diabetic, didn’t control her diet at all and left this earth much too soon after struggling with MANY health issues related to her weight and diabetes. She was on dialysis three times a week and could barely see and had severe neuropathy in her feet so that pain made it difficult for her to walk! I lost 131 pounds after her death as I didn’t want to go down the same path she did and I feel and look wonderful (if I do say so myself!). Diabetes is an awful disease, but can be managed! Thank you for sharing your story and providing us with great recipes. I hope to win!

    Reply

    • I am so, so sorry about your mother. But good for you too! Management, education and awareness are the keys to good health. I will let you know the minute that link is live.

      Reply

  13. I was recently diagnosed with Type 1 – so this is the first time an “awareness” issue has been my issue. I think it’s a nice promotion you have put together and I’m excited to check out the recipes.

    Reply

  15. I used to work in health care, and I remember seeing first hand the effects of what could go wrong when diabetes wasn’t managed properly. So when my father told me he was pre-diabetic, i pushed to get him active and away from his sedentary lifestyle. Luckily, he took my advice to heart and followed a low-carb diet like I do. I’m happy to say today his blood sugar is under control, he is very active and walks and dances, and on top of it all has lost over 40 lbs!

    I, too, was pre-diabetic in my very early 20s, and diabetes runs in our family. Carolyn – thank you for spreading awareness about this day!

    Oh, and I noticed Swerve is available in Canada now through a few channels – woo!

    Reply

  16. My friend, it was such an honor to be able to join with you in raising awareness for diabetes. Thank you so much for allowing me to participate. I think you may have been the first one to touch my life with this blog. Reading about your diabetes and how you rose to the challenge of creating sweets that you were able to eat held me in awe every time I visited. Then, once my mother was diagnosed as diabetic, it all hit home and I realized how important what you’re doing is, especially every time I heard mom lament how much her sweet tooth was suffering. Thank you for your tireless commitment to enriching the lives of diabetics everywhere.

    Reply

  17. Thanks so much Carolyn, for not just letting this day slip by, but for taking the opportunity to involve others and highlight how rampant and important this disease has become. I was diagnosed with type 2 this past spring after becoming suddenly ill. My eating habits have changed drastically and I struggle for control every day. Have lost substantial weight and still going. Blogs like yours help dramatically to steer diabetics into healthy eating and I am very grateful not only for the recipes you post but also the non-recipe posts, those that help diabetics try to understand their disease and the wisdom of your experience. I’m very grateful for that as well as companies like Swerve who develop products to allow diabetics to live a ‘normal’ life.

    Reply

  18. I am so sorry about your mom. It is great that you are raising awareness on this issue. My aunt is severe diabetic and on top of that she is deaf. I think that it is important to make the public aware. I feel like we all take our own health for granted. Thank you for this post!

    Reply

  19. My fiance’s father has diabetes, and that often influences what we share with them for dinner. I also have a diabetic coworker. I love to bring in baked goods to share with my coworkers, and it’s been a challenge for me to find recipes that are lower in carbs and sugar and yet still delicious so he can also enjoy the treats.

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  20. Before retiring, I taught elementary school for 30 years. From time to time I worked with students who were dealing with this condition. It’s not fun to be a child who must always monitor his reaction to food and exercise differently than classmates do.

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  22. Thanks for supporting the cause! Diabetes has not affected my family or any close friends. Other diseases were more prevalent in the family, and my grandparents were very active out in the WI country side. My goal is to keep active and eat well to also hopefully live a long and happy life.

    Reply

  23. I lost my dad when I was 21 and was blessed to have my father in law fill that spot. He is a wonderful guy and we all love him. He is a diabetic and has a total knee implant. Because of that, he had problems with it healing. I am trying to learn all I can to help him eat healthier.

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  24. Diabetes hasn’t directly affected my life (so incredibly fortunate for this with over 200 family members)! But my boyfriend’s step father has type two and it is really hard to see him struggle with everything involved.

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  26. My grandmother had diabetes and eventually all the complications that came with it before passing away. I’m praying that I can keep diabetes at bay by eating healthy and keeping fit.

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  27. I was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic…gestational diabetes with my third child and despite no family history and a healthy active lifestyle, here I am. Thanks for all you do.

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  29. Thank you for organizing these WDD awareness posts. I feel like everyday I’m meeting someone with diabetes, and it’s great to be able to spread some facts and figures so that everyone has a better understanding of the disease. You are truly an inspiration to many, Carolyn and your site is such a fantastic resource to those looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

    Reply

  30. With many around us suffering from hyper/ hypo glycemia, and pre-diabetic, changing your lifestyle and eating habits is key. It’s definately time to become more aware and spread the news on healthy living!

    Reply

  31. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 14 years ago. Then two of my uncles were diagnosed. Then my brother found out he has it. Now my parents have both been diagnosed with prediabetes. My sister-in-law AND her mother both have type 2 as well. Carolyn – thanks so much for what you are doing to raise awareness. I’m so happy to have “met” you and others who struggle with this disease.

    Reply

  32. Several people close to me have been affected by Diabetes and it eventually took their lives. I wish I had understood the importance of a low carb diet for managing Diabetes as I feel this could have made a great impact. It is unfortunate that most people and doctors take the wrong approach to managing this disease.

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  34. My mom has lived with diabetes since she was 12. Almost 4 years ago I donated a kidney to my mom as hers were starting to fail do to the tolls of diabetes. She has been living a very happy, normal and productive life ever since (me too for that matter). I could not imagine not having my mom around as my son grows and for the 2nd child we hope to adopt in the next couple weeks when he is born. Diabetes is a horrible disease and I pray they can find a cure someday soon!

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  35. I am a Type 2 and have been since 1997 (or at least that’s when I was diagnosed). A good deal of that time I was in denial and thought that if I just ate a healthy diet I could control it. Wrong. The healthy diet and exercise are critical parts of the process, but frequently not enough. But the available medications are fairly inadequate and possibly cause more damage than they prevent. Most of the good (more benign) ones are out of reach for me because my kidneys are well on the way to failing. And the “good” medications aren’t recommended for people like me.

    Diabetes is a very serious disease. Because it is “silent” (and for me there have been no obvious symptoms) it can easily be denied and/or ignored and can wreak havoc on the body. It’s a tough road, and all the tougher because it is so prevalent in our society that it is nearly invisible. And the high sugar/high grain food culture is not making in any better.

    Personally, I think that the modern medical/pharmaceutical complex is fairly misguided about treating diabetes. And the establishment dietary advice is mind-blowingly out of whack. I adhere to a strict low carb diet and daily exercise, and still, I can see the effects of the disease on several of my organ systems.

    Thank you, Carolyn, and all the other food bloggers who use their caring and ingenuity to open the food choice options for us diabetics. It makes a big difference.

    Reply

    • Marcia, I agree with you whole-heartedly! Not all of the participating bloggers’ recipes are low carb, because that was a lot to ask of them, but they all did their best and I am so touched they wanted to take part.

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  36. Carolyn, thanks for this great mega-post. Many of my relatives and friends have struggled with diabetes – mostly Type 2 — some with terrible outcomes. However, I particularly remember a family friend’s 4-year-old being diagnosed with Type 1, and the dramatic impact that had on the entire family. I distinctly recall hearing his mother tell him that he couldn’t have a treat with “bad sugar!” in it, and thinking how difficult it would be to control the diet of a child (and administer insulin), particularly when school age came around. It is a terrible disease.

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  37. Thank you do much for organizing such an important event. My mother has Type 1 diabetes and I was diagnosed with diabetes almost 20 years ago. I can tell you the struggles are continuous and at times overwhelming. Finding a balance of foods that maintains proper BG readings is difficult at best. I found your blog while searching for more appropriate foods to serve my family in the hopes that this will not affect my children as well. I have been using Swerve in more recipes lately and just in time for the holidays, I made some spiced Pecans that were absolutely delicious! Right now I’m trying to put together a gluten-free, low carb meal for Thanksgiving and your site is a great help.

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  38. My mother has diabetes. Since her diagnosis years ago, she has managed it very well including losing a lot of weight! So proud of her!

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  39. What a gorgeous turnout of recipes! I’ve been close to Diabetes because both my great grandma and my grandfather had/have it and it’s a constant struggle with them. As they got older, they started wanting to sneak in chocolate/ sweets just for the heck of it, so as our family noticed, we tried to explain to them that we wanted to have them with us for a while, so to knock it off! If I’m going on a trip, my grandpa will say “bring me back some candy” and I’d just laugh and say no way!

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  40. I am a nurse. I’ve cared for a lot of diabetic patients in my day and I am now pursuing my masters degree to become a nurse practitioner- in primary care. I see the role of primary care providers as so important in improving the quality of life for people with diabetes. I am learning so much about diabetes management and it is giving me such a respect for folks with the illness. It takes so much work, lots of sacrifices and a good memory! So I applaud the hard work of diabetics out there who are taking responsibility for their health and doing what they can to prevent complications. You are rock stars!

    Reply

  41. My husband’s father had diabetes and my husband is so afraid of getting it himself that he will barely touch sweets of any kind. I absolutely love to bake, so I live for holidays and birthdays so that I have someone else to make treats for! 🙂

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    • Tell your husband to try Swerve as a sugar alternative. It’s delicious AND it’s natural, and then you can bake for him too! 🙂

      Reply

  42. I did not know that there was a National Diabetes Day, so thank you for giving us so much information. A coworker of mine has Diabetes and a few of my cousins had Gestational Diabetes while pregnant. Again, thank you for raising awareness and for promoting healthy eating habits.

    Reply

  43. My grandmother had type 2 diabetes and many in my family are pre-diabetic. It is a disease that in some way touches everyone in this country, directly or indirectly. Blogs like yours show that is it possible to change the way we eat and make a dent in this growing epidemic.

    Reply

  44. Great post! My father is Type 2 diabetic….as well as my Uncle so I try to lead a low carb lifestyle to make sure I dont end up in their shoes.

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  47. My husband was diagnosed with Diabetes about 6 months ago. It runs in his family, and he had been ignoring the symptoms for quite some time. Since his diagnosis, he is eating better, has lost over 30 pounds and has been taken completely off his high cholesterol medicine!!! Even our 8 year old son is learning about taking better care of yourself. I have become MUCH more educated in reading food labels, and realizing just how many products are SO high in carbs. It’s been a super fast education for all of us.

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  48. Diabetes runs rampant in my family…grandparents, parents…it has opened my eyes, and made me very aware of what I put into my body, as well as my children.

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  50. Both my Grandmothers have diabetes, so it’s always been something to think about in my life. Last summer, my paternal Grandma went outside to pick up the morning paper, and because her blood sugar was so low got dizzy and fell down – smashing her head on the pavement. Long story short she ended up passing away, and all because of this disease. I hope we can work together to fight it! Great giveaway 🙂

    Reply

  51. I don’t have diabetes, but I have pcos which means I need to watch my sugars carefully as I could develop it very easily. I’ve been following a low carb diet along with my husband who is prediabetic. I really appreciate your recipes and the time you put into your blog. Swerve sweetener isn’t available here locally (Nova Scotia, Canada) but I’ve found a way to order it online. Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  52. Both my father and mother in law were/are diabetic. Unfortunately my father in law has passed and my MIL is not in good health. I fully believe that with some simple lifestyle changes she could regain some of her health and live a much fuller life, but she of course is not willing to make changes. I continue to make changes in my life to avoid becoming diabetic and am feeling great! Thanks to sites like yours that help with motivation and inspriation and understanding that you really can eat well and follow a low carb WOE.

    Reply

  53. My father-in-law has diabetes. He is not taking care if himself. It is hard to watch him get worse…and for my boys to see him this way. They try to encourage him to eat better…they are 9 & 12 and can tell the difference in how they feel when they eat healthy. They want that for their grandpa. 🙁

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  54. I never really had any idea what Diabetes was like until I started working at my old job. My manager (and current close friend) has type 1 and because we spent so much time together at work, I got to really understand what it means to live with the disease. While she was on the insulin pump, she still had very bad days. I’d have to run and get her candy bars when she felt sick and a couple of times I even had to run to get doctor to get her insulin because her pump stopped working. I worried that if she was alone and needed insulin or sugar, that she could get very sick. Many times I feared that she’d wind up in the hospital and she has. I love my friend and wish I could heal her diabetes (and everyone else’s too) because I understand now how systemic the disease is, effecting your entire body and your health.

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  55. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic 4 years ago. My sister was an uncontrolled diabetic despite her best efforts at nutritional management. I did NOT want to go down the path she had, so made changes! Since then started working out regularly, and I changed my eating patterns. I’ve lost 50 pounds, and am no longer in the pre-diabetic group! Thank you for posting about this serious health issue.

    Reply

  58. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 2003. I am taking metformin and Victoza and my blood sugars are not under the control I’d like to have. I find I do so well when I eat low-carb, but I struggle to do so consistently. I appreciate blogs like yours that provide motivation and excellent recipes. Thanks for all you do!

    Reply

  59. I really was not aware of how much diabetes affected someone’s life until my father was diagnosed with it a few years ago. We, as a family, decided to not only give him our support but to change our lifestyles to help him as well. It is truly a struggle to find recipes and even store items that are appropriate for someone living with diabetes but we have managed all these years now. For him, it’s a bigger battle because he has several medical conditions and his diabetes has made it more difficult. With all that said though, we now understand diabetes better and continually fight the battle with and for my father. If anything, this has brought our family closer together 🙂

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  60. I was diagnosed with diabetes a month after my husband died. His death was sudden and unexpected. I know there is no known connection between stress and diabetes, but I believe that his death is what triggered my diabetes. He died almost seven years ago, and I’ve had diabetes since then. Two summers ago, I was put on insulin because my blood sugar was so poorly managed on medication. Last March, I watched some videos by Dr. Joel Fuhrman who is an incredible doctor. I started following his way of eating. Three weeks after I began eating what Dr. Fuhrman suggested, I was told to stop taking my insulin. I haven’t had to take it since! I control my blood sugar by what I eat. I am currently going to school to become a nutritional consultant because I want people to understand that we are in control of our health. I speak with my family and friends all the time about eating right. Sometimes they listen, but most of the time they don’t. Anything I can do to raise awareness about diabetes and our health, I will certainly do. Bravo to you for the great job you do to raise this awareness!

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  61. Both my Mother and Grandmother had Type 2 diabetes. My Grandmother had to have a leg amputated. Complications of diabetes were one of the contributing factors in her passing.
    Thank you for raising the awareness of this disease and all you do for the cause.

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  62. To say diabetes has touched my life is kind if an understatement. As a Mexican-American I am at a higher risk for it. In my family 13 people have diabetes. I was diagnosed with type 2 borderline at age 20 age 23 I was full blown diabetic. I didn’t want to live my life on medication so I decided to change what I ate and through the help of Maria Emmerich I was able to control my blood sugar via a low carb, no sugar, grain free diet. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and the best part is I am completely healthy! I get my sugar checked every 3 months and my doctor is still amazed by the results.

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  63. My step-son, niece and sister all have Type 1 Diabetes…my dad has Type 2 Diabetes. We walk for a cure and I mentor families that are newly diagnosed. I also host a support monthly support group in my area. I believe in a cure!

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  64. My mom was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago. She changed her diet and lost a lot of weight (which made my dad lose too). Now we just need to find a good diabetic recipe for rice pudding.

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  65. My brother developed type 2 diabetes and did not really control it well…he is now down to his last remaining beta cell and the ability to keep his blood sugar stable is a constant battle. He already has some issues with his feet. I am insulin resistant, probably on my way to a full-blown diabetes diagnosis…I am terrified that I will someday be told I AM diabetic. I try to watch my carbs but am not always successful. I am so grateful for all the bloggers like you, Carolyn, who so selflessly develop, test, and post recipes that are low-carb and diabetic-friendly. I pray that in my lifetime, the mainstream medical community and media will acknowledge that it’s not the fat, it’s the sugar and carbs that are necessary to curtail the diabetes epidemic. Thank you Carolyn, and thanks to Swerve!

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  67. As someone who has Type II Diabetes running rampetedly in my family, I decided to get proactive when I was told I was PRE-diabetic a few years back. I now am 111 pounds lighter and live a low-carb lifestyle — no more PRE-diabetes, thankfully!!

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  68. My life has been touched by diabetes. My brother has it. I would love to win this mixer so I can make all these wonderful recipes.

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  70. I, personally, do not have diabetes – but it affects me daily when I evaluate each and every patient with diabetes for diabetic retinopathy. Vision loss CAN be avoided! Daily, we stress the importance of blood sugar control with diet in order to preserve a lifetime of great vision!

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  71. When my dad was diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago we where all afraid that he would not change his diet. So to help encourage him I started following a diabetic diet. Not only did it help him stick to his new way of life I discovered that I felt better eating this way. I had more energy, was sleeping better, and lost weight.

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  72. Carolyn, thanks for participating in Diabetes Awareness Day. One of my grandmothers and an aunt had diabetes, and one of my nephews was diagnosed when he was 7 (he’s now 28 and doing well). Sugar free and low carb options are so much more prevalent than they were even 10 years ago.

    Thanks, too, for all the recipes you share. I’ve been checking your site for a while now and am determined to try some of your recipes as soon as I’m off the very restricted diet I’m on right now.

    I do already follow Swerve on Facebook.

    Thanks for the opportunity to win!

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  73. Firstly, love the color of this mixer! I literally gasped when I saw it!

    As for how diabetes has touched my life- it’s been indirectly in that I volunteer at our local free clinic and have for 17+ years. A high percentage of our patients are diabetic, coming to us to take care of their medication, labs, testing supplies and counseling. I hope to never be diabetic myself and I stick to a low carb lifestyle for that reason (and other reasons, too).

    Thanks for the chance and for a cab blog!

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  74. My dad and my brother have type one diabetes so i had somewhat of an idea of how to control it not only with insulin but also with diet and later in my life when i got gestational diabetes, my doctor said that I diet controlled it better than anyone she had ever worked with 🙂 and if i can do it anyone can!

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  75. Thank you for including me in this important day to spread diabetes awareness. I always admire your posts for being creative and for you sharing your personal experience with diabetes. That’s a gorgeous mixer in blue! Thanks also to Swerve:)

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  76. Both my grandfathers had Diabetes. When my mother was diagnosed with it, she changed her eating habits right away and lost 35 lbs. Luckily for her (and both grandfathers) it was a matter of watching what they eat and checking their own blood sugar levels that kept them from ever having to take medication from it. On the other hand, my mother-in-law has it too. She is very aware of monitoring her blood and watching what she eats. I am no doctor, but I think she needs to be on some type of medication. Her eye doctor says her sight is getting worse due to diabetes and her circulatory doctor says she has terrible circulation in her legs (especially feet) due to the disease. Last year she stepped on a sewing needle and didn’t feel it (it went through two toes). “DAYS” later she happen to see it and and due to infection she lose the toes and may lose another one.
    Anyhow, I do make low sugar baked goods and give my child low sugar snacks. I am happy to say my son is not a fan of sugary snacks and not a big candy eater. He takes one or two bites and says “I had enough”.

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  77. Diabetes touches on my life frequently as I diagnose patients and assist them to change their diets. My husband’s family has several diabetic members, so I’m watching our daughters for any signs.

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  78. Until my diagnosis 7 months ago with type 2, my favorite meal was SNACK. Sweet, salty, fattening snacks. It’s not easy to change decades of poor eating habits. To make things worse, trying to find healthy food in todays grocery stores can be a nightmare. Thanks to support of family and websites such as Maria’s, I’ve have lost weight and kept my glucose levels under control.

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  79. I’m diabetic, my parents were diabetic, my sisters are diabetic, my aunts and uncles were diabetic, my cousins are diabetic. It seems my one and only niece doesn’t stand a chance but that won’t stop me from letting her know she can do something about it…NOW!

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  80. I have a friend and two cousins with Type 1 and a friend with Type 2, but I didn’t think about diabetes too much until my mom was diagnosed with Type 2 earlier this year. Now, I want to help her manage her diabetes and do what I can to prevent it for myself.

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  81. My brother and my dad have type one diabetes and later in life when i got gestational diabetes, i was able to control it with no meds from what i had learmed from them!

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  82. Excellent post!! My dad and my husband both have diabetes. So I’ve been baking and cooking low carb for them for a couple of years now. The internet has certainly helped make our food healthier and normal! Thanks to dedicated food geniuses like yourself 😀

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    • Wow, you make me have to think about this one Carolyn! I was diagnosed in 1993 with type 2, and when I look back on it, I figured that if I ate next to nothing my blood glucose would go down. Well, it did go down, and then it went back up when I ate things that I thought were supposed to be ‘good’ foods. Now, almost 20 years later I see the answer. Trying to live low-carb as best that I can and adding some walking 3 to 4 times a week, gets my numbers as close to normal than they’ve ever been. Along with my niece Gina, she introduced me to almond flour and coconut flour last year. We’ve both been evolving to tweak some of the recipes that we’ve found to be low-carb. I do sometimes fall off the wagon, and my numbers reflect that stumble. With the help of your blog, other low-carb blogs, and my niece Gina, I’m headed down the right path to better health and more controlled diabetes. Thank you for being here, for your insight, especially this blog post!
      ☺ Sandi

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  84. Wonderful day. “I do not have diabetes yet” I have hypoglycemia which is like the screen door to diabetes’ door. So I am loving all the recipes and trying my best to follow a low carb and low sugar food regimen. It is not always easy *sigh* but your website makes it so much nicer. I love the recipes – Thank you

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    • I had hypoglycemia all my life…then Boom! Diabetes. No warning signs and no one ever thought to check me until I was pregnant, because I am slim and fit.

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  85. This collection of recipes is awesome. I came here via Kim at Cravings of a Lunatic and I salute your efforts at awareness and support. Well done.

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  87. What a great post, I’m loving exploring the recipes! I’m high-risk for Diabetes and have just recently started eating low-carb/low-GI. Your website is such a great resource. Thank you for that, and for the giveaway!

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  88. Thank you so much for this post. I am Type 2 diabetic. It has changed my life in so many ways, too many to list. Thank you for this give away, and for all the blog links. Most of them I have never read before.

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  89. It is so sad when someone passes from diabetes. My grandmother passed from complications, my Dad has issues with it now, too. My family grows smaller beause of this disease.

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  91. My aunt is diabetic and it has been an uphill battle with her to get her to stop eating and drinking the conventionally recommended “foods” like margarine and diet coke. Slowly she is coming around, but I am hopeful that it will make a big difference in her overall health.

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  92. Thanks so much for everything you do Carolyn. It’s an honour to be involved. The thing that’s touched my life the most about diabetes is meeting someone like you. You are so passionate about the cause and I admire you for all you do. Keep up the amazing work lady. You should be so proud of yourself! xx

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  93. I have 3 good friends with type two diabetes, and a friend of my sons with type 1. None of them believes that it is necessary to avoid sugars…they think that taking more insulin is an acceptable way to treat high blood sugar. I am sending all of them links to this post so they can learn more delicious ways to eat healthier. Thank you!

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    • Thank you. Some people need insulin, like type 1 because they make no insulin themselves. But using it as a way to justify continued poor diet makes me so sad, and will only lead to serious health issues. And the worst part of it is that healthy food can be SO delicious! There’s no need to skip dessert…if it’s the right kind of dessert.

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  94. Carolyn, I’d first like to thank you for inviting me to participate – it was an absolute honor! Secondly, thank you for challenging me by asking me to create something outside of my comfort zone…gluten free is a foreign concept to me. 🙂
    My father is borderline diabetes and he ate 20 of the 30 cookies… I have to make another batch for next week. 🙂

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  95. My kids grandmother on their father’s side has diabetes so they’ve grown up seeing her take her blood tests and also giving herself shots. Although grandma doesn’t make a big deal about what kind of food she serves the kids have grown up eating foods that are built around being OK for her to eat. It may be why they eat a lot of fruit and veggies and not so much processed food when they go to visit every summer. Thank you for doing this. Awareness is always the first step.

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  96. thank you all the wonderful recipes and this give away, my grandmother has diabetes and while she was able to control it with food for a long time, she eventually succumbed to having to take insulin shots. I have a strong sweet tooth and I fear for myself over all this processed sugar. it’s rather scary as its pretty much pumped into everything. we all need to make better choices NOW! thanks to you and thanks to SWERVE!

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    • I am sorry about your son, but honestly, “FAIR” is a four letter F-word. There is just nothing fair about life. Thankfully your son has a great mom who will work with him to make life the best it can be!

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  98. I know several people who have diabetes and/or are prediabetic. It is becoming all the more common and all the more heart breaking – it is one of the reasons I have chosen to go into nutritional sciences for my graduate research.

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  99. While I have thankfully avoided diabetes so far, many friends and family have not. I have had to watch them struggle, to not only worry about their health but deal with the emotional battle of wanting what they can’t have! Thanks to sites like yours I have able to not only create dishes for them that they could eat – and were so thankful for – but that have helped me stay healthy as well. Thanks so much!!

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  100. My ex mother in law has diabetes and has had some sever other health issues including bone cancer and a stroke. I have shared the information I learn on how to eat healthier with her in hopes she will continue to provide my son the love and support from best grandma he ever could have. Additionally, my son’s father is also showing signs of diabetes and he has kept it from getting out of hand with the help from a healthier diet as well as exercise.

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  101. My grandmother was diabetic. I saw her struggle with it for years, dealing with the neuropathy and her blood sugar levels. My mother struggled to get her to alter her diet but never succeeded. My grandmother used artificial sweeteners in everything which I believe just added to her problems.

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  102. Thank you so very much for organizing this! I’m honored to share how diabetes has touched my life.
    My maternal grandmother lived with type two diabetes for nearly 30 years. But that did not stop her from doing the things she loved most; cultivating her kitchen garden every year and cooking for, and taking care of her family (she had 9 children and 26 grandchildren). Towards the end of her life she was quite blind, though ever a whiz around her kitchen! I remember most fondly the bread she baked fresh everyday, and the fried doughnuts and the sucre-à-la-creme fudge she would make on special occasions. She passed away suddenly in 2002 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. She was the matriarchal glue that held our large family together. She is very missed.

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  103. I was in denial for a long time about my Type 2 Diabetes….it’s a hard pill to swallow! Every day it’s a challenge to make good choices, but I just keep pluggin’ along! Thanks for your efforts!

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  105. Well, runs in my family in the type II, pre-diabetes and gestational way. Good balance and good food is the way to go with these genes!

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  106. Thank you for posting about WDD – I have a younger sister who was diagnosed with Juvenille diabetes when she was 11. It effected her entire childhood and the rest of my family as well since she has always battled with her sugar levels and was in and out of the hospital growing up. I didn’t even know WDD existed, that’s pretty crazy! Thanks for bringing awareness to the seriousness of this disease and encouraging people to make better choices in their diets!

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  107. I had developed gestational diabetes with my son’s pregnancy 13 years ago. Luckily it had resolved itself once I gave birth. Unfortunately, just 2.5 months ago, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Your blog, along with a few others, has opened my eyes to good nutrition. Since the end of August, my research has led me to a low carb grain free way of life. I have lost almost 40 lbs, and I feel fantastic! I test my blood 3-6 times a day and seem to have consistently great blood sugars. I have my 3 month A1C recheck coming up in a couple of weeks, and honestly…I can’t wait to see how much it has decreased! Thank you for sharing your blog and delicious recipes!

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  108. I was diagnosed in January of this year and it really answered a lot of questions for why I was feeling so bad all the time. Before being diagnosed, never gave diabetes a thought. Because I tested my family, we discovered that my mom was also diabetic. She is now being treated as well. We are both working on being lower carb,

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  109. Carolyn-Thank you so much for your amazing efforts to raise awareness of Diabetes. Diabetes has touched my family greatly as my mother-n-law, father-n-law and husband all have type 1 diabetes. My husbands grandfather died at age 56 from complications brought on by his type 1 diabetes. My mother-n-law had an insulin pump in planted 10 years ago which has reduced her diabetic seizures and trips to the ER to save her life. My husband who was an electric utility worker climbing 50-100ft utility poles to repair electric lines was diagnosed with type 1 about 5 years ago. He had to find a new career since the company he works for will not allow insulin dependent diabetics to work in this field. It was devastating for him and a huge kick to his ego not to mention a huge pay cut but as a family we have worked hard to educate ourselves and strive to eat right and get exercise every day so that there are not as many shots or as many units of insulin pumped in. Your blog has helped me so much in feeding my family. I have shown my mother-n-law through your blog that low carb can taste good and be fun to make and we spend a lot of time together making your recipes. THANK YOU SO MUCH

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  110. I am pre-diabetic and have struggled the last few years to keep from actually becoming diabetic. Eating LC has actually improved my life from not getting the lows from eating sugar. I am anxious to try Swerve as I am not completely happy with the substitutes I am now using. Thank you for doing this!

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  111. This is for my grandddaughter Jovie who was diagnosed with type 1 this year at 14 months old. It breaks our heart to see her go through this. Hoping for a cure one day.

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  112. Thank you for including me in your awareness campaign! Diabetes has affected a few of my family members. The real shock came when friends I grew up with became diabetic during pregnancy. I was shocked more that these same friends didn’t change their lifestyle. As I blog about how I love eating low carb they still resist and don’t see it as a lifestyle for themselves???

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  113. Wow! It is amazing to see from reading through these comments how diabetes has touched so many lives! So many people are either directly affected, are related to, or know someone affected by diabetes. As a cardiac nurse, I see the effects of diabetes on a daily basis, but I was not prepare for it to hit so close to home when my 16 yr old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 . It certainly turned our entire family’s life upside down. It was just around this time of the year when we got the diagnosis. All of a sudden Thanksgiving turned into blood glucose checks 4-6 or more times a day, some in the middle of the night, 4 insulin injections a day, food logs, carbohydrate counting, calls to the endocrinologist, and multiple episodes of trying to answer questions from relatives when we really didn’t have answers ourselves. Since those days things have gotten much better. My daughter has gotten an insulin pump and is studying to one day become a nurse. I am much more aware of the food I put into my body and continually try to find healthy but yummy recipes! Thanks for your great blog and for increasing awareness about diabetes!

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  114. I’ve only been recently diagnosed with Diabetes so there are still a lot of things that I don’t know. I take 2 Gliclazide tablets twice a day and just try to watch what I eat. I get abdominal cramps and a very ill feeling when I eat something with an artificial sweetener, so I avoid those. I keep the amount of carbs I eat down as low as possible and drink lots of water and Earl Grey (black with lemon). I’ve lost 60 lbs. and for some reason cannot seem to lose anymore weight even though I try. I basically eat lots of salads, fish and chicken, no red meat at all. I snack on fresh fruit and veggies and even make Kale chips. I’ve stopped buying processed foods and now make all of my own cereals, snacks and soups. My freezer is full but can always use more good recipes to fill it up. I try to make meals that not only please and fill me but also my husband as he’s not a Diabetic. We’ve both worked together on getting me healthy. “All Day I Dream About Food” is very much what I do. I don’t blog because I don’t know what it is and I don’t like cooking every single day, thankfully my husband steps in and helps. I am the only person in my whole family on both my mother’s side and father’s side that has this illness and it’s not because I’m obese the doctor said it was genetic. I don’t seem to trust him anyways. I live in a small village of 100 people during the winter and over 1000 in the summer, so keeping any type of secret in this village is never going to happen. I don’t know what else to say except that I’m still learning and it seems that thinking about food is now my life, not that I want it to be it just is.

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  115. Thank you so much for spreading the word about Diabetes and about World Diabetes Day which I didn’t even know existed, despite the fact that my younger sister was diagnosed with Type I when she was a preteen! It’s been a constant struggle for her to keep her sugars in check and there have been quite a few trips to the hospital along the way. Our whole family knows how serious this disease is and the more people know about it the better! Thanks also for getting other bloggers involved, especially in learning to come up with diabetic-friendly recipes – something we certainly need more of!! 🙂

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  116. I want to thank all the contributors who give so selflessly for the education of prevention of diabetes. I watched my father die from a very rare cancer with the complication of diabetes. He never thought the diabetes was a big deal and never took it seriously. I am determined to not allow it in my life and educate my three daughters to the extreme danger of the disease.

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  117. First thank you for promoting World Diabetes Day. And thank you for the giveaway and the recipes. As with everyone the diagnosis of diabetes was a life changer. It has been 18 yrs since the day I was told my lab work wasn’t good. I had no idea. I had none of the typical symptoms. But, since then my eating habits have changed and of course now I have to take pills-which I don’t like to do. Unfortunately, changing eating habits means spending more money. It seems the food industry people said hey, we can make more money off of these folks, because they have to buy these specialized products. Oh well, sorry for the rant. Thanks again.

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    • I don’t know if it’s because they want to charge us more, as because the demand for these specialty items are lower and therefore more costly to make. I think as more and more people start going low carb and making smart choices, the costs will come down. Swerve doesn’t like how much they have to charge, but the bigger they get, the less they can charge per pound.

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  118. Such a great idea!
    question though, if I fill out the form on the other site, is that going to put me on a mailing list?

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  119. I am the only person in my extended family on the maternal side who has not been diagnosed as diabetic or pre-diabetic by age 40. (I’m 42 now) I attribute it to sensing something was going wrong physically a few years back and completely quitting sugar adn going low-carb by Jan. ’12. I have never felt more alive-and it shows. 🙂

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  120. My grandmother, aunt, and cousin are all diabetic. What worries me is that they don’t do a lot to change their eating habits. I use to be borderline Type 2, but thanks to low carb eating, my numbers are good now. I just recently ordered Swerve for the first time and I gave my family members some to try so they would toss the sugar bowl! I hope that one bag I gave them points them in the right direction. Thank you and everyone else helping raise diabetes awareness

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  122. I’m only a wannabe blogger (passionate about healthy and lovely food!) but may share this for my first blog today, a great way to get motivated and started. I’m a real estate agent and was able to find a perfect single level home for my friend and client who had diabetes. Shortly after the purchase he went through an amputation of his right foot and ankle. The home was a blessing to him and being able to help him was a blessing to me. He makes the most amazing cake for get togethers with friends.

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  123. Not only did my fil have diabetes, but my mil, my dear, dear friend, my uncle and my nephew all have diabetes. My dil had gestational diabetes. Thank you for raising awareness of this disease!

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  124. Carolyn,

    I am about half-way finished going through your friends’ blogs. I will keep looking later today. What amazingly good cooks and bakers they all are! It’s almost like Christmas day opening all these recipes!

    My grandparents were diabetic and suffered a lot from complications and because they were given a nutrition regimen which was not only totally backwards (small serving of fish and a roll and fruit for instance) but also told to keep all servings very small, then they were given a bunch of medicine to keep their sugars from being too high. My grandpa, who was a tall and large man, sneaked into the fridge every night and ate what what he could while my grandma was asleep. That doesn’t much help the old blood sugar. It was miserable for them and my grandma would eat as much cake or sweets as she wanted as long as they were, “sugar free”. Never mind the carb count, which I’m sure they had never learned anything about.

    I could not have helped them at the time ( 20 years ago or so) when they were alive but now that I have had my own journey with gestational diabetes and such a strong history of it in my family I can help myself, my family and my mom, who was also diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago. I admit that I have gone through roller coaster rides of on-again, off-again with low carb for years. I am pretty consistent now over the last couple of years and blogs like yours are a BIG motivator for staying on the right path food-wise. We have also gone gluten free as a family and you know how hard both of those are together, especially when you go out to eat or to a party. So your site is even more of a blessing…thankfully too, your recipes are amazingly yummy.

    I would love to win any Swerve prizes for my family to look forward to many more goodies from the oven. As for the Kitchen Aid, I think, if I won it, I would give it to my newly married sister-in-law who LOVES to bake but has pretty severe gluten sensitivities and is also on a very tight budget. I know how motivating this would be for her.

    Thanks for letting me write a book on your blog. LOL!

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  125. I think its amazing to have an awareness day about diabetes since it affects so many people’s lives. Ive had the opportunity to help people out nutritionally and therefore Ive spent alot of time learning about Diabetes and how to prevent it. The more information out there, the better.

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  126. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2004. I was 22, morbidly obese, and clueless. The docs who made the original diagnosis were basically like “Here is a pill. You have diabetes now.” I was intelligent and knew what diabetes was, but did very little until just a few years ago. I have gone from 348 pounds (my weight was likely higher but this is the last documented weight by a doctor.) to 228 pounds today. I would love to say my diabetes has improved but it hasn’t. I have tried every oral medication on the market to no avail. I am meeting with my doc later this month to discuss starting insulin.

    I admit I am afraid. My future having this disease is uncertain. However, I will not let it stop me. I will continue eating low carb. I will continue exercising. I will continue my meds and poking myself multiple times a day. I can’t stop my diabetes, but I won’t let it stop me. Educate yourselves and those you love. It’s our best defense against this life altering disease.

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    • Thank you for sharing, Pam. You may have to go on insulin but you can still do YOUR best to control your levels with diet and exercise. It’s worth it, I am absolutely certain!

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  127. My husband has type 2 diabetes and has had major heart surgery in the last six months. I am working hard at find low fat, low carb foods he can eat. His diabetes is pretty well under control with his diet…when I can watch what he eats!

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  128. I have a dear friend who is diabetic as the result of losing his pancreas. He struggles with it every day, and I worry about his health all the time! SO thankful that none in my family have it, and hoping for advances in research and education to make life better for those who do.

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  129. My 8 year old son’s best friend has Type I diabetes. I would say that it was in large part due to their friendship and wanting to learn more so that I could explain it better to my son, that I have taken a closer look at diabetes, our food choices, and how it all affects our bodies. We have made major changes to what we eat in our home and I couldn’t be more happy or proud of our children for taking an active interest in what they are putting into their bodies! Thank you for hosting this. So many good recipes!

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  130. My best friend since kindgergarten got Type 1 diabetes in the second grade. I have watched her struggle thru things her whole life. I always support diabetes things as much as i can! yay!

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  132. I am very, very lucky that I’ve only had one person (my maternal G-pa) with diabetes. I do however work in the healthcare profession and over the last 15 or so years have seen COUNTLESS people with multiple healthy problems due to diabetes. It is one of the reasons I am SO strict with myself and my family on limiting processed sugar in all of it’s forms.

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  133. Thanks for supporting the cause. Diabetes has touched my life in 2007. My husband was diagnosed and we have since then changed our lifestyle including our eating habits. I look forward to trying swerve once it hits the shelves in our rural area. I have been collecting recipes already;)

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  134. Carolyn, I follow you with my RSS feeds, and I look at your blog first everyday for new recipes. I am a midwife,and work with lots of gestational diabetics. I refer many to your blog to show them that it is possible to live very well on a low carb, sf way of eating. Thanks again for your work – diabetes is a horrible disease.

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    • Thank you, I am so glad you find that my blog helps those with GD. I wish I had known about my blog when I had GD!!! 😉

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  135. I’ve just found your blog and I LOVE it! My husband has had diabetes for 13 years and has only recently (18 months ago) gone on medication for it. He’s a pilot and has to be very careful with his diet and exercise and he is limited to what medications he can take and still be able to fly. We have just started a low glycemic load lifestyle and his blood sugars have been great! He even amazed his doctor by dropping his A1C 1 whole point in 30 days! I’ve made several recipes from your blog in the last month and really appreciate all the work you put into them. Thank you so much…and thank you for hosting the giveaway!

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  136. I am not personally affected by Diabetes but I am now dating a wonderful man that has diabetes but he does not take it seriously, what man takes his health seriously??? I have however been trying to reduce my carbs this past year, I have lost 30 lbs! So between the two of us, I am now trying to cook using fewer carbs. My man however does like his sweets so it is a challenge and have found these blogs so helpful!

    Thanks,
    Ann

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  137. A close friend was recently diagnosed as diabetic and has radically changed his diet (mostly eliminating sugar) and has lost 25 pounds already. Thank you for bringing awareness to this terrible disease.

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  138. I WAS DIAGNOISED WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES IN 2004. IT HAS BEEN A STRUGGLE. WOULD LOVE TO WIN THE BLUE MIXER!!!! THANKS!!

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  139. Carolyn, I found your blog via Lora at Cake Duchess and now i see that many of my friends read your blog as well. I am sorry I have not found you earlier, as my youngest daughter has been a Type 1 diabetic since 2006, when she was six. I don’t have to tell you how shocked everyone was, as I had no clue what diabetes was, even though my dad was an MD (as a matter of fact, we had her checked on his recommendation, when even her pediatrician was skeptical).
    She is doing great, but you know that diabetes is a daily struggle. Entering puberty has been challenging, but we are committed to keep tight control on her glucose levels as much as we can.
    Thanks for organizing this event! You have found a new loyal reader:)
    XOXO

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  140. I love what you’re doing to help raise awareness about diabetes Carolyn – both my father and brother are pre-diabetic so I’ve been paying more attention to low-carb recipes. Your site is such a great resource!

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  141. I had gestational diabetes during my first pregnancy and blissfully ‘forgot’ the effects for many years after the birth of my son…thinking that I had escaped the curse. I am overweight and have been for most of my life and recently realized that dodging an iceberg is only effective if you know how deep it is…sugar was, and still can be, my ‘drug’ of choice but after beating an addiction to alcohol and prescription pain meds, I realized I have the strength within me and with God to tackle the sugar monster too. I truly believe that choosing to learn how to eat differently, even at this ‘later stage’ of my life (LOL) will change my health in more ways than just keeping diabetes from knocking at my door – I have used Swerve and love the results…I can enjoy baking again without the ill effects I suffered after eating sugar (and flour). And thanks to blogs like yours, I have a myriad of choices that make choosing to eat healthier, much easier!!

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  143. I’m so glad you invited me to participate Carolyn. My Father in Law was Diabetic and I realize my knowledge about it was really so peripheral: pricked his finger, couldn’t eat candy, but I did not really fully understand his challenges. I see this similarly to Celiac which is the mainstay of my existence in that one really does not learn about it unless it’s in the life critical path. You’ve afforded me the chance to research the inter relationship between Celiac and Diabetes which is long overdue for me. Thank you.

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  144. My daughter’s best friend has diabetes. It’s been a real learning curve for our whole family, but it’s been a good thing.

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  145. My dad’s side of the family has a history of diabetes. One of my Aunt’s, once diagnosed with diabetes, couldn’t stick the new life style. She continue to endulge in her passion of baking and ultimately losing her life to the disease. I truely believe if she had the tools we have today to bake, she may still be with us.

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  148. I’ve been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last year at the age of 26. One of my passion is cooking and one of the first thing that made me cry was to look at my favorite cooking website. When I discovered Caroline’s blog, I was finally in peace because I saw hope that I could work around all these restrictions. Thank you again Caroline!

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  149. Diabetes has affected my life because my dad was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He already had significant health concerns, but diabetes made everything worse. He is quickly losing feeling in some of his extremities. It also is very sad that he can no longer eat some of his favorite foods. My dad was a huge fan of desserts and sweets! He used to tell me when I was little that I had a regular stomach and a dessert stomach. On his birthdays, all he would want to eat was desserts. However, he has had to entirely change his diet since being diagnosed with diabetes. My mom keep a secret stash of candy for him to help him regulate his intake (he would just eat them all if he knew where they were).
    Overall, I just know that one of the biggest sources of joy has been taken from my dad. Despite the many health issues associated with diabetes that he has already encountered and will encounter in the future, I know that one of the biggest disappointments associated with this disease for him is the foods he will never get to enjoy the same way again.

    Reply

    • Abby, there are many wonderful ways to enjoy desserts and sweets as a diabetic. Sugar isn’t the only sweetener out there. Please, try making some of my recipes for your dad and show him that food can be good again. Believe me, it makes a world of difference.

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  150. Thanks for hosting Carolyn ! Was a pleasure to participate ! You did a great job at bringing everyone together and creating an awareness. Love the kitchen aid ! I shared my post on my blog Fb page this morning, but will share yours with the giveaway this eve. Thanks again. Esp for the link !

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  151. What a wonderful way to celebrate the day! My father found out he had diabetes about 6 years ago. A quad-bypass surgery and 5 years after, I am proud to say he is doing much better and has made significant changes in his eating habits. It’s almost as if that wretched diabetes diagnosis saved his life. It has also made me aware of my own family’s health and eating habits. Super giddy you’re participating in Kitchen Aid’s give away…my machine is on its last breath….*crosses fingers and prepares the cookie bribe* Cheers! 🙂

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  152. Fortunately diabetes has not touched my life, but my dad is on a low sodium diet and I have learned so much about cooking AND baking healthier.

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  153. No one in my immediate or extended family has Diabetes, thank God. I know a young soccer player who wears a pump and my sister-in-law’s stepfather died of complications. Last week, my friend’s mom was diagnosed.

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  154. Thanks so much for your efforts to raise awareness about Diabetes. Both my grandparents had Diabetes and they had a really hard time with their diets. Both my husbands parents have Diabetes and its really difficult for them. I want to get all the information I can to try to stay healthy so my husband and I can maybe avoid Diabetes or at least be better informed about healthy food choices. Can’t wait to try some of the recipes!

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  156. My dear friend had type 1 diabetes in high school. Hopefully this will help others understand and offer support to those who need it.

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  158. My step-mom developed Diabetes later in life. At first it was scary but we realized with the proper support and monitoring, everything would be ok!

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  159. My grandparents both had diabetes for as long as I knew them. My parents do not have it, but I was told that I was close to being pre-diabetic because of my high blood sugar. Not sure what to do about it. Well, I do know that I need to lose weight and eat better, which I am trying to do.

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    • You can do it, Deanna…honestly, try going low carb, and you will be amazed at the weight coming off and how much better you feel. I’ve never done it for weightloss so I can’t give too much advice there, but there’s a ton of advice out there.

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  161. Diabetes came as a shock, but now 12 years later, I’ve learned that wheat and carbohydrates are something I need to keep a close reign on to keep my diabetes in check. I avoid them as much as possible, and am thrilled to see and try all the wonderful low carb recipes I’m seeing here! thank you for helping open more diabetic’s eyes to as much healthy info as possible! KUDOS!

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  162. Finally I can say I found a place online where someone besides me thinks of food all day LOL AND works to educate more about diabetes and healthy eating. It was a shock, but now 12 years later, I know eating low carb is the way to keep my sugars under tight control! Help spread the word- wheat belly is also a book I highly suggest to all diabetics! Now, can I win the mixer so I can COOK more of these great recipes I see here? LOL Keep up the great work!

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  163. Carolyn – thank you so much for putting this together today! What a wonderful list of links! Looking forward to reading all the recipes later today!

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  164. I want to enter the sweepstakes, but do not see how to do it. Am I entered for commenting here? Hope so! My kitchenaid is shot, she needs to be replaced. 🙂

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  165. I have had Type 2 Diabetes since 2000, and have successfully been freed from the use all Diabetes medication. I do this by avoiding all sugar products and all grains and have had perfect A1c readings ever since. If I eat something that is high in starch or sugar, I see it right away in my blood glucose readings. Low Carb eating is my way of living!

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  167. To get right to the point my husband has diabetes. He is a wonderful man and has done and continues to do everything he possibly can to make our blended family secure. We have 6 children between us. They are all grown now and have families of their own. The nasty diabetes has taken most of his eyesight and last year 2 of his toes on his good foot. The other foot has a collapsed bone so instead of an arch like most folks his foot sags in the middle. Even with all these problems he works as a handyman in our mobile home park. He just keeps going like the energizer bunny.
    My heart leaped when I saw the Kitchenaide mixer as a giveaway. I have only recently been making a wholehearted effort at cooking, eating, and living a healthier life. We both need this change. I hope you will consider for this fabulous mixer.

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      • Thank you Carolyn, I have been using Swerve since I first read your blog back in Sept. He loves the food I’ve made using your recipes! I really could use the mixer to continue this new way of life for both of us! Thanks for offering this giveaway.

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  168. As I live in Australia, I presume I am not eligible to enter this competition. I really want to try Swerve but it is not available here yet and there is nowhere in the States that will ship Swerve to Aus. I have written to the company to ask when it will be available here (twice, in fact) and have received precisely zero replies). I’m sure it’s a good product, but I am not at all impressed with their customer “service” (or more specifically, lack thereof). I know this is not really your problem and that you are not responsible, but I was hoping you could pass the message on and perhaps get me an answer as my attempts at direct contact have been futile.

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    • Thank you! If you wanted, I could work something out with you where you had it shipped to me here in Boston and I could send it your way… I don’t know how much international shipping would be, though.

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  170. Like so many others have already mentioned, thank you for bringing light to such an important matter! One way I’ve seen diabetes touch my life is through one of my husband’s close friends having Type 1. Seeing what he has to go through daily makes me so much more conscientious about eating healthy and exercising. My health isn’t something I ever want to take for granted!

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  171. Several folks in my family are diabetic, unfortunately. I was very close – considered pre-diabetic up until a few years ago with PCOS. Once I went completely low-carb, I lost 40 pounds (first time I could ever lose weight) and am no longer diabetic! My endocrinologist is thrilled! Thank you Carolyn for all of your work – I cook great recipes thanks to you and some other low carb bloggers – every night!

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  172. My brother nearly died when he was first diagnosed with diabetes (probably as a result of medication he took for a lung transplant). Eventually through diet and changes in life style, he was able to get off insulin, except when some of the meds he was taking for another condition raised his blood sugar.

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  173. One of my dear friends was diagnosed and she knew what my normal ‘way of eating’ is. Her doctor advised to go towards a low carb/no sugar diet and my friend told about my success/progress story. Her doctor told her this – ‘Eat like Amy and you’ll be fine!’ We’re having a holiday baking party soon, 100% gluten free, sugar free AND low carb! Which reminds me, I need more Swerve!

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  174. My grandfather had it. My mother is getting it and my (gasp) sister as well… adult diabetes is the horrible consequence and fact of eating poorly. Thinking that gummy bears and lollipops are appropriate things to eat at any age is horrific, never mind the amount of soda, chips, etc. our country consumes.

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  176. I serve lunch to senior citizens and I see them in the restrooms or at the table testing themselves, so I know it’s not an easy thing. I am aware of the ones that have the disease so that I can always keep my eye on them.

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  178. my grandparents have diabetes and knowing that i have a genetic predisposition to the disease has made be more aware of the effect that my diet has on my health. as such i have decided to give up grains and sugar and feel the best i ever have 🙂

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  179. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance at 30. I lost over a 100 pounds and haven’t taken diabetes medication since. I eat low carb and have never felt better!

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  180. Thanks for creating this event! My sister is a Type I and I may have had gestational diabetes myself, so I am passionate about eating low-carb and high fat. The way people have been deceived by big food companies and the government into believing whole grains are healthy and saturated fats are evil is just sad. I’m very glad you’re arranging this.

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  181. Amazing response to this. So many of us have friends and family with diabetes. My aunt and mother-in-law as well as friends and husbands of friends are all diabetic. These recipes look wonderful and I definitely plan on making a few and passing them on to my friends. Thank you again!

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  182. Carolyn,
    Thank you for such a great post of Diabetes Awareness. I was diagnosed with Type 1 six years ago. Both my siblings also have Type 1. I look forward to reading your posts everyday and trying out your recipes. How wonderful of the sponsors to donate toward the cause. Thank you!

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  183. My mother, grandmother, and aunt all had/have diabetes. When I noticed my weight creeping up I decided I needed to do something about it. After lots of reading, ditching the sugar and simple carbs made the most sense… after all, if I developed diabetes this is the way I would need to eat anyway. Of course it works as long as you stick with it… so for life, I will eat much like a diabetic, while trying to help my mom do the same, and hope & pray I can avoid this disease while she manages hers.

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  184. Carolyn… thank you for such an informative post on a most important subject. With the rise of diabetes in children today, I really think now is the time to each them to make better choices and work on healthier habits. My Girl Scout troop girls worked hard to make healthy choices, and I was so proud of the attempts they also made to get the word out.
    Thanks also for including us in your project! It’s one near and dear to my heart….

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  185. It is in my family, my father died from it, my grandmother died from conplications related to diabetes. I test and watch what I eat!

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  186. My mother has been diabetic for as long as I can remember along with many of her brothers and sisters, I try to introduce them all to new recipes. I have been pre-diabetic for the past few years now and recently discovered the world of low carb. I have changed to a low carb lifestyle to help deal with sugar and carb overload that is common in the SAD (standard american diet).

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  188. My Grandma had diabetes and it led our family to learn more about this disease. I’m now making healthier choices and exercising too as that is a factor.

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  190. My grandmother’s diabetic stroke happened before I was born, it took away the woman she had been and my chance to ever really get to know her.

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  191. I found out about 3-1/2 years ago I had diabetes – with a blood sugar of 534! I have no insurance and low income and was terrified facing it alone without any medical care to speak of. But it has ultimately been a blessing as I have improved my diet more and more and gotten better and better not only in diabetes but in other areas of my life – asthma, reflux, arthritis, allergies. So many people are fed the wrong information when diagnosed with diabetes about what to eat – I am thankful I already knew and had experience with improvement from cutting the white carbs, but now I know even whole grains are not my friend and that I can improve my health drastically by avoiding them.

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    • Wow! 534…I realize I am so lucky, the highest reading I’ve ever seen was 214 and that was very early on, before I was low carb. Good for you for taking control!

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  192. I have had diabetes for 5 years now. It has made a big change in the way I see things now. Eating and working out has changed.

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  193. I am not effected by it but I have friends who are and am ALWAYS aware of what we are eating and drinking to make an effort NOT to get it myself. We have upped our fruit and veg intake, put in a garden, limiting sugar intake and getting as much exercise as my disability will allow. Kia Kaha to those of you effected by it. 🙂 <3

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  194. You are amazing. I love what you are doing, I really do. I have a few friends with diabetes and I can see their difficulty- but I can also see how some of them are hurting themselves by eating whatever they want and simply injecting themselves with insulin whenever they do. Things like this will not only help people become aware of diabetes but also help those who have the disease discover how to heal themselves. Thank you again!

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  195. Diabetes runs in my family, and my mom was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes and has to constantly check her blood sugar. I have had some diabetic symptoms myself, and try to eat low-carb and sugar-free so that I don’t get this terrible disease. Thank you for the KitchenAid giveaway!

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  196. Both my father and my father-in-law died from complications of Type 2 diabetes. I don’t want the same thing to happen to myself, my husband, or my children!

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  197. What a wonderful post! I love that you all are trying to raise awareness. Diabetes has touched my life because my best friend has adult onset diabetes. He’s had to make so many changes to how he eats and lives his life. It’s been difficult but he’s learning.

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  199. My Mom has diabetis type 2, my sister was diagnosed with type 2 diabetis last year and both my grandmothers had type 2 diabetis. My Mom is now controlling her diabetis with diet and has added 2000 mgs of cinnamon to her vitamin regime. I have changed my diet to avoid getting type 2. We love this site for recipes that are tasty and healthy.

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  200. I come from a long line of diabetics. Both maternal grandparents died from diabetes related illness, at present my mother, brother, sister and father in law are struggling with this disease. As a dental hygienist I see a list of patients everyday who are also suffering the ravages of this epidemic. I spend most of my work day not so much counseling patients on oral hygiene (as most people know the proper way to brush and floss), but rather nutritional counseling, and how to properly nourish their bodies and help fight and prevent systemic disease. Food blogs like this and a host of others are a great resource for those of us looking to improve our health, and the health of others. The word is spreading, the revolution is in full swing, and the shift (though small) is mighty. Please consider me for your contest. I am constantly researching and experimenting with new low carb, grain free, sugar free recipes to pass along to anyone who lends an ear, and an inquisitive mind. Please continue your great work, where there is one, there are many.

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  201. When I was in elementary school a little girl had diabetes. I remember she would have “episodes” where her sugar would drop and everyone would go running to get her supplies. It was very scary to young children. Both my father and step mother have diabetes now.

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  202. How has diabetes affected my life? My mother was diabetic & died aged 27 from it.
    My twin brothers both have it, as does my father. So far I’m the lucky one (if you class being motherless at aged 9 lucky, my brothers were 8).
    But I’m not complacent & dont assume that I WONT get it.

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  203. There have been two ways in which type2 diabetes has touched my life personally. First was my mother-in-law was diabetic and her death was due to her diabetes. My husband is also type 2 diabetic. I am so grateful for low carb bloggers as yourself.I can make wonderful recipes for him and our entire family to enjoy with no guilt.Even if I do not win “Thank You” for your healthy blog!

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  204. My Mom was diagnosed with diabetes… the very first in our family at age 50. In rapid succession MANY of my aunts, uncles and first cousins were diagnosed. I began eating SF, LC, and have now cut out grains, dairy, soy, and anything else I deem harmful to my body. So far, so good (I am 57). My aunt had blood work drawn and they told ehr she was ONE point away from diabetes, herself. She lost 30# eating LC, SF, etc. and is now in normal range. Thank God we KNOW the truth and do not have to depend on what the ADA tell us! Keep up your great work!

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  205. Diabetes is in my family. My grandmother and grandfather both had it and my Mom died an early death at 51 after suffering with Type 2 first getting it when she was pregnant with me. I first encountered diabetes myself when pregnant with my daughter 34 years ago. It went away when I gave birth only to return when I was in my 40’s. I now have been struggling with Type 2 for almost 20 years now. Struggling each day to eat healthy, get enough exercise and avoid as much stress as I can. Thank you for your great blog and recipes which have helped me so much with my diet. Good Luck to you! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  206. while i have been lucky to have not been touched by diabetes myself (as of yet) i do know several individuals who have the disease and i have seen how much it impacts their daily lifes. there struggles to cope with it on a daily basis are inspiring to witness.

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  207. I have been aware of Diabetes since childhood because 3 of my grandparents had it and we were subject to yearly glucose tolerance tests as children(ick) I always ate healthy and lots of vegetables but had gestational diabetes with my 3rd altho she was 7 lbs even at birth. Later I developed typeII when I had an extended illness involving Strep infection and surgeries etc. I ate lo carb for a long time but recently agreed to try an injection of levimir at bedtime. It has leveled out my sugars and how convenient the flex-pens are. However I don’t have insurance so they are pricey. A good incentive to work to keep my daily consumption of insulin low.

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  208. My vegan sister turned me on to I Dream About Food after she met my Bob, who has Type 2 diabetes. Bob has been using insulin, daily for 30 years. In February of 2012, we both decided to make a lifestyle change and stop eating processed foods, reading labels and eating more healthy. Our goal is to free Bob from his insulin dependence. We are making headway. Thanks to sites like yours, we will continue to have success and still remain “foodies” 🙂

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  209. I grew up aroud people who suffered with diabetes. My grandparents, my aunts and three of my cousins. I was a witness of their struggles with food because they didn’t have the education to know the proper way to eat when you have this disease. Sometimes they couldn’t even afford their medications and days passed by without them taking any meds at all!
    My grandfather died from complications with diabetes, years later my grandmother also passed away of the same reason. Thank God today my cousins have found a lot of different programs to help them learn how to live a healthy life even with diabetes.

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  210. As a teacher, I have had lots of diabetic students. But I really learned about how it affects lives when my daughter’s best friend was diagnosed with type 1 at age 6. They stayed friends throughout school (and at age 22, she will be one of my daughter’s bridesmaids next year 🙂 so we were always aware of warning signs of lows & highs, good foods/snacks to have around, and how NOT to make a big deal of it, but to keep everything very normal & regular when she was around.

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  214. My sister had gestational diabetes, and then Type 2 several years later. I developed Type 2 in my early 50s, and my doctor told me that if I had not been a regular exerciser I would have developed it 10 years before I actually did. Today I manage my diabetes with one oral medication, exercise, and diet.

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  215. My neighbour’s mother back 55 years ago was type 1 diabetic and she never managed her diabetes. Her daughter, my girlfriend used to come home and she would be in a diabetic coma. We did not know much about it back then. Thank you for promoting this for all who do have diabetes.

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  216. I know many people with diabetes. And, earlier this year I was labeled pre-diabetic by my doctor. I have since changed my lifestyle (diet and exercise) even more and am confident that my levels are back down. I have been high risk for many years due to weight and diet, but that is changing each day as I lose weight and exercise lots.

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  217. My father was first diagnosed with diabetes when I was a teenager. My family and I had to adapt drastically in our meals when that happened and our lives revolved around his food requirements every day. I think it taught me to cook and eat right and reinforced a healthy balanced lifestyle and I am hoping I won’t have become a diabetic later in life. Sadly, last year, my mother also was diagnosed with diabetes and it became harder for my family because she developed diabetes over the chronic years of stress in her life. Now, both my parents help each other out with their cooking and being sugar accountable to one another! All this has changed me and made me resolve to try hard everyday to eat and stay healthy. I know I have a chance of developing diabetes but I am going to try to beat it with God’s grace!

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  218. My daughter is a type 1 diabetic. She has been since she was 7 years old (5 years ago). It has been a struggle, but she’s begun to understand that us eating healthy and making smart decisions with her diet really benefits her and that she feels better when her blood suger is level.

    And my best friend thinks its a neat party trick that I know how many carbs are in foods off of the top of my head.

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  219. One of my best friends from college (who happens to be dating my best friend) is a type 1 diabetic. As someone with a chronic disease myself, he and I often bond over the frustrations that go along with having a disease with no cure. But in spite of his diabetes, he was an athlete all through college, and is making a point to go into a career where he can encourage and coach other athletes who may have diseases like diabetes. I am so glad you are doing this to raise awareness!

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  220. My “Bonus” Dad (stepdad) is having a hard time staying healthy with the many health issues he has, including Diabetes. It’s difficult to hear the stories from my Mom about how he has his good days and bad days, how his life is forever changed because he truly isn’t doing everything possible to stay on track and be healthier. Because of this, I was truly worried for my Dad when he was diagnosed as pre-Diabetic. He’s taking a slightly healthier path and has lost 28 lbs and is working towards a goal of not letting Diabetes over-take his life.
    Thank you for the chance to win!

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  222. I am Type 2 and lowered my A1c from 12.6 down to an amazing 5.1 by switching to the low carb lifestyle. Education about diabetes is so very important!

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  223. I am a public health student and have learned about diabetes and its management. Thank you for bringing attention to this disease that affects so many people.

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  224. My father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes over 30 years ago. I have a strong family history of diabetes, but I never thought myself at risk because I’m thin and I’ve always been very athletic and active. Apparently my doctors all thought the same too because it wasn’t until this year, my 38th year, that the doctor, upon my request tested my blood sugar and H1ac. It turns out that I’m pre-diabetic. I was totally shocked and could only think of my father who controls his diabetes through diet and avoids all sweets and goodies like baked treats. I couldn’t possibly exercise more or lose weight, so this all made me kind of depressed. Your’s was the first blog I came across that made me feel excited instead of depressed about changing my diet around. It’s inspired me to get out my food rut, change my diet to a low-carb diet, and start trying out all sorts of ingredients that I’d never used before, like almond meal, flax seed meal, and chia seeds. Thank you!

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    • Our stories are very similar, Linda, except that no one in my family has diabetes and the only reason they caught mine was because it they routinely check during pregnancy.

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  225. I have type 2 and because of wonderful blogs like yours, i have been able to not feel alone even in a house full of carb eaters! I make your wonderful recipes and never feel deprived! So far i have controlled my blood sugars with diet and hope to keep it that way!

    Thank You !!!!

    Della

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  226. Diabetes touched my life from an early age. Some of my earliest memories with my grandparents was due to health complications from their diabetes. My grandpa was the king of eating too much beef jerky and not thinking about the sugar! But it taught me a valuable lesson about my future eating habits and instilled in me that my future could be different.

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  227. I was diagnosed last February with type-2 diabetes at age 50. Thankfully, the only advice my doctor gave me when I asked him how many carbs I could eat was, “as few as possible.” So I started eating low carb, gave up baking my beloved sourdough bread, and totally confused all my friends when I started bringing different desserts to parties and refusing things I used to love. But I’ve lost over 60 pounds, and feel great. Is it easy? No, especially when away from home. Is it worth it? You bet, given the stories I’ve heard about what can happen with complications. Why all the mainstream “Diabetic Cookbooks” feature white flour, margarine, and perhaps turbinado sugar is beyond me. Learning a new way of cooking is frustrating at times, but thanks to sites like this one, I know that it is just that – learning a new way of cooking… not any less good, just different. So thanks for all you do, Carolyn, it is a huge help on this next leg of my journey.

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    • I am also frustrated by conventional “diabetic” cookbooks, Eric. People still aren’t quite ready to accept low carb, so I am impressed your doctor did!

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  228. Diabetes has made me more aware of what goes in my mouth! I have type2 diabetes and have lost weight to help control my blood sugar levels. It’s working!

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  229. My niece was diagnosed when she was 7. Ever since she gets shots daily and has to watch everything she eats. Very hard on the entire family !

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  230. I have been diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) and I’m only 27! Working hard at the low-carb lifestyle to try to reverse both. Blogs like yours give support, make cooking fun, and provide delectable nourishment!

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  231. Great post Carolyn! I bet I know who the skeptical blogger was a mutual friend of ours! 🙂 My father-in-law was diagnosed with diabetes a couple of years ago. It was a big wake up call for the family and since it is now on both sides of my husband’s family, it changed the way I cook for him (and them), just to be on the safe side. Your recipes are always an inspiration and it’s awesome that you are using your powers for good! I hope this campaign will help a lot of people take a good look at their sugar consumption and make some major changes for the better. I’ll be sharing this for sure!

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  233. My sister-in-law is diabetic. Her father died fairly early from complications of the disease. She is a wonderful person and it is sad that she has suffered multiple heart attacks and now ill health because of her condition. I do think that diet can help. Keep up the good work

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  234. One of my friends was unexpectedly diagnosed with Type I diabetes last year. She was sick and then boom spent weeks in the hospital and her life changed. How she eats, what activities she participates in. It really taught me how quickly life can change.

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  235. Diabetes has impacted my family in a few members.
    My son-in-law is diabetic, and has to endure the issues involved with insulin.
    Others have had to monitor their blood sugar levels, and have not yet reached the point of needles, thankfully.
    My daughter has PCOS, and her doctor has said she’s at danger for developing diabetes, if she does not monitor her diet carefully

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  236. I was diagnosed with type 2 in 1997, went on one insulin in 2004 then added another insulin in 2006 and have been trying to cook low carb and sugar since then.

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  237. I have a family history of diabetes, and I’ve also seen what it can do to a body if not treated properly. I try to watch what I eat and exercise consistently to help lessen my chances of developing it. Thank you for helping raise awareness to diabetes.

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  238. What a wonderful cause to bring to light! I feel like not many are aware of how high risk this is. I have been affected by this not only because a large portion of my family members were diagnosed, but I myself have Celiac and PCOS, so i have insulin resistance which if i hadn’t started to change my diet i would’ve seen the same diagnoses as a lot of my family. (aunts, uncle, grandparents on my mothers side, and a few cousins) I have tried swerve to help replace sugar in my coffee and in peanut butter cookies. I don’t have a mixer to do alot of the fancy baking I’d love to. I hope my family and I are the lucky winners!

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  239. My brother had a really late onset of Diabetes, he was almost 40 and the first in our family. It really opens your eyes to this disease and that fact that noone is immune to it. When I was younger there was a family that about all the members had it, I thought that it was a family trait. I later found out that was false and now since my brother has Diabetes it really hit home.

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  240. I haven’t been diagnosed with Type 2, but I believe I was heading down that path. I have PCOS so very insulin resistant. Eating low carb and exercising regularly have changed my life.

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  241. such a good cause… my boyfriend’s stepdad has diabetes and hasn’t done a good job of taking care of himself. stressful when you hear about mom coming home and finding him unconscious. knowledge is all well and good unless he doesn’t use it :/

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  242. My co-worker is diabetic and she loves drinking soda, since being diagnosed, she made a switch from regular soda to diet. She’s slowly trying to get rid of the habit for good, which has inspired me to quit sodas cold turkey!

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  243. I’ve been crying all morning feeling I failed my son, My 11 yr old son Jaxon was diagnosed with Type 1-insulin dependent diabetes, less than 3 months ago, he came to me at 1:45am this morning with a blood sugar level of 60…terribly low…I gave him a banana and yogurt and held him in my arms without sleeping for the next 4 hours. Today I am on a mission to get him a Diabetic Alert Dog, the cost of $25,000…we need a cure….and I need my child to live a healthy, happy, “normal” life…although we know with 7-10 finger pricks and 6 shots a day that’s hard to call “NORMAL”…Type 1 has ROCKED OUR LIVES, but WE WILL WIN…WE NEED A CURE…thank you for doing this <3

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  244. Hi, gratefully I have dodged the bullet on diabetes but I am at risk and so I do all that I can do to fight it off. Thank you for bringing diabetes awareness to everyone! I use Swerve, cuz Maria Emmerich recommends it (love her blog and on FB), I grew, harvested, dried and made my own Stevia this year … more next year.

    Thank you for sharing your other fave blogs, most I have been unaware of, adding them to MY faves too.

    Oh AND would love a new KitchenAid mixer!

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  245. Diabetes is a disease that runs rampant in my family as well as my husbands. I also experienced first hand what insulin dependent diabetics are faced with on a daily basis when I was pregnant with my son. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and had to administer insulin and monitor my sugars 6 times per day….. so I can sympathize with the diabetic community.

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  246. Diabetes seems to run in my family. Both of my mom’s parents, and my dad’s mom had it. I remember when I was little on of my Grandma’s actually ended up in a diabetic coma and we thought we would lose her then. Scared me to death. Luckily, a smart home health nurse helped us figure out what was wrong…she was taking too much insulin after grandma had lost a lot of weight. Both of my parents are diabetic. My mom is suffering from some nasty side affects (kidney issues, no feeling in her feet, and sight issues). My sister and brother are also both diabetic. Based on this, I have totally changed my lifestyle and eating/exercise habits. I get tested all the time to make sure my blood sugar is where it is suppose to be. I am hoping that I can live without diabetes…as I see what it has done to my family and their health.

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  247. Thank you so much for raising awareness for diabetes. My grandmother had diabetes, my
    brother had Type 2 diabetes, really never gave it any thought to my getting diabetes, well
    God had some different ideas and in 2010, I was diagnosed with Type 2. I remember staying awake for many nights after that, thinking I would die before the next morning. I eventually started to educate myself from the internet and keeping my carbs under control. I am my doctors star diabetic, he wishes all his other patients were as controlled as I am, I tell him I think of all my grandchildren and the fact that I want to live to see them grow up and that keeps me exercising and watching what I eat and testing.

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  248. I plan and cook free Diabetic-Friendly meals with my student organization, the Community Health Alliance, for patients at the clinic we serve at for people without health insurance! We educate our patients and show them that managing their diabetes and eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive

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  249. Thank you for promoting diabetes awareness! Many members of my family and extended family have diabetes and I am trying to lead a healthy eating and exercise lifestyle so that I do not get this disease; I’ve seen how physically distructive it can be. These recipes are a great way to eat right. Thank you for the opportunity.

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  250. What a great giveaway and thanks for bringing an awareness to this! Diabetes runs in my family (both types) & I have always struggled with hypoglycemia (even though not diagnosed with diabetes)…in fact, I have to check my glucose levels often, because they continuously hover around 74. Thanks again for helping to raise awareness about this disease & I can’t wait to try these recipes! 🙂

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  252. My Aunt had diabetes and was not very good about taking care of it,she thought she could cheat and not have an issue.She developed a sore on her foot and let it go to the point she ended up losing the toe this still did not make her take care,she eventually lost the leg piece by piece.This so impacted all of us to learn more about taking care of diabetes.It does not mean you have to give up taste just learn a new way to eat.Blogs like this have helped find new ways to enjoy food.

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  253. I love your blog.
    Diabetes makes every day hell. The medications, the testing, the injections, more testing, not eating “regular” food, having to buy more expensive food; family birthday? make low-carb treats for yourself or no cupcake for you; we’re going to a restaurant — uh oh, nightmare time; oh, and nightmares — the waking up with hot sweats or cold chills, testing for nighttime lows. Life after diabetes diagnosis is not life as you used to know it.

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  254. My mother had diabetes for most of my life, and ultimately passed away from complications from Diabetes. My Husband was also now recently diagnosed with Diabetes, and I have an insulin resistance and have to watch for diabetes. We went low carb to try and control his diabetes, and hopefully get him healthy.

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    • A low carb diet should help immensely. At first, it will feel strange and hard to stick to, but it gets easier and you will soon feel much better healthier in more ways than just lower blood sugar.

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  255. I had no idea that it was Diabetes Awareness Day yesterday. My father was diagnosed a few years ago as well as a close family friend. It has been difficult to see them struggle with managing the disease and the lifestyle changes that goes along with it. Definitely a daily struggle. Thanks for all the awesome recipes, can’t wait to try them!

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  256. Working with diabetics has made me more conscious of how sweet I bake my treats and goodies that I often like to bring and share with the office. 🙂

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  257. Diabetes is something I encounter every day in my life as a Visiting Nurse. I see firsthand how difficult it is for people to change their diet and exercise habits and keep track of their blood sugars and medications. Luckily, we have wonderful people like Carolyn to help us tempt our diabetic friends with delicious treats, showing them that dessert can be healthy, too!

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  258. My aunt and uncle both had diabetes neither was willing to give up snacks and this caused serious problems for them .We tried to learn more about healthy alternatives for them.Both of them passed away with diabetes related complications.Even though I dont have diabetes i still try to be careful of what i eat.

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  259. my hubby’s grandfather and my stepgrandfather both had it (my gramps passed away after losing multiple limbs to it) and my hubby was pre-diabetic till he got a good scare and changed his diet. We’re trying to work sugar out too because i need to regulate and my niece is super allergic!

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  260. I work with the elderly, especially those with dementia. Recently I found some articles that consider Alzheimer’s basically diabetes type 3. It is extremely common for people with type two diabetes to have Alzheimer’s. Yet there are still so many who are unwilling or unable to change their eating habits.

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  261. I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes on Sept 6th. I sat in the office waiting for results of a thyroid biopsy anxious about it. Never suspecting diabetes was the diagnosis I was going to receive. The biopsy results came back negative, but then she said that we needed to talk about my blood sugar. My score was a 7.5 way to high and average was 174. I sat in tears as she explained things to me. I lost my grandfather to complications from diabetes. I didn’t want to be another case of suffering a grief. I weighed 250 lbs on Sept 6th, and now as of Nov 14th, I weigh 225. still big, but better. i will loose this weight and i will change my fate.

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    • You can do it. Low carb is a fantastic way to eat. It takes a little getting used to, but soon you will find you don’t miss any of the things you thought you would!

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  262. Hi! Thank you so much for the opportunity to enter this giveaway! Our lives were forever changed 2 1/2 years ago when our then 15 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Since that time we have been on an amazing journey of learning to cook all over again, and I’m happy to say that now, at 18, she is handling her diabetes amazingly! I would love to win this mixer for either her or myself to help us on our cooking journey.

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  263. One of my best friends had diabetes growing up. I was always aware of the many challenges she had to live with having it as a child.

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  264. We are monitoring my husband’s levels right now because of a recent stay in the hospital for pneumonia (he has lung cancer and COPD) after he had just finished his second round of chemo. The steroids and the chemo effects had pushed his blood sugars sky high and the hospital was very, very concerned, even though everyone was sure they would come back down after he stopped taking steroids for the pneumonia and recovered from the chemo. This morning it was 99! Yippee! but we are continuing to monitor it for another week or so. I’ve eaten low carb for years, but he has been harder to convince – he loves his potatoes and bread, and since diagnosed with lung cancer, he loves his giant bowl of ice cream every night. He has been eating low carb with me since he came home last Thursday and it seems to be working. So thanks for everything you do for all of us – he can his bread, and his ice cream, and I made the mocha hazelnut muffins, too!

    Reply

    • Hi Kathy Jo, I hope so much your husband finds a way to beat this cancer. My stepmother was diagnosed with lung cancer…it turned out to be metastasized breast cancer, but it was awful. I truly feel for your husband. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. Low carb ice cream is pretty great stuff, do you have an ice cream maker???

      Reply

  265. I LOVE the blue KitchenAid! What a great idea. My Mother-in-Law has diabetes as did my Grandmother. I am thankful each day for my health and pray that no more of my family is affected by diabetes.

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  266. eI’ve been hypoglycemic all of my life. Have to eat meals, not snacks, ever 4 hours. Simply sugar makes my blood sugar plummet. And now I am gluten free (2years) and dairy free (2months)–not by choice. Most packaged foods do not meet my requirements. A lot taste bad. All are very expensive.

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  267. I am a type 2 diabetic and had no idea it was diabetes awareness month/day..I have my sugar fairly well under control with my diet. Thanks in large part to the efforts of wonderful people who write low carb, low sugar cooking blogs. Thank you all! 🙂

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  268. My family history has lots of diabetics. I also know some that didn’t take care of themselves and lost feet due to this terrible disease 🙁 A fried of mine lost her husband to this disease – she went to the store and came home to him in a diabetic shock that he didn’t come out of.

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  269. I cannot even begin to explain how diabetes has touched my life… I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12. That year my parents divorced – I was left to fend for myself when it came to diabetes. I was so embarrassed about wearing a pump at school ( kids teased and stared) I began hiding it by tying it at the end of my ankle with a rubber band. I soon began just taking the pump off so I didn’t have to deal with it. I was sick all the time but no one seemed to notice. Finally when I was 17 my grandparents took me in- I was diagnosed with severe depression and put into the hospital. They got my blood sugars and depression under control. I struggled till I was 19 years old and finally decided to take care of myself. I hated living the life I lived. Now I am 26, married to a man in the Air Force and I do my best to manage my diabetes. It has never been something I am happy to have but I wouldn’t be who I am today without facing the challenges of diabetes. Also I now gladly wear my pink pump from mini med! Thank you for your blog!

    Reply

    • Wow, Ashley! Yes, there is such a stigma for young kids with Type 1 and it’s so hard for them to understand the consequences. I am just glad you got it under control in the end!

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  270. I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes with both pregnancies. It really brought awareness to what I was eating and how it impacted my health. I have been blessed to stay away from Type 2 but my Mother has not. So now I try to keep her eating healthy AND keep my self low carb and low glycemic index so that I don’t contract Type 2 as I grow older!

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  271. I was diagnosed diabetic 4/11 with an A1C of 13… My only symptom was incredible dry mouth and extreme fatigue. I have autoimmune arthritis(as well as Hoshimotes Thyroid disease) and the Rhuem. had me tested for diabetes as an after thought, a just in case, but we were both thinking my thyroid was really out of whack. I have never had a doctors office call me 2 days in a row to make sure I was seeing my GP. On the second call I asked what my A1C was… shocked is an understatement. Since then I have completely altered my diet. I eat mainly gluten free and always low carb. I eat without regret. I still have all the foods I love. I share all the recipes and information with as many will listen. My diabetes educator and nutritionist are intrigued with my success and I have them asking me questions and also allowing me to share food and recipes with the classed they teach.I have lost 100lbs, my A1C is 6.4 and I feel empowered to deal with this disease.Thanks for promoting Diabetes Awareness. I can honestly say I was on the fat track to death with my strange symptoms. It is a silent killer and we all need to be more aware.

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  272. Both of my parents are Type 1 diabetics; they actually both were under the impression that my father would die before or soon after they married, as his kidneys were failing when he proposed. He didn’t, however–when I was four he had his first transplant, and just this past year his second when the first kidney began to fail again. There is a stigma attached to diabetes in that people believe it is entirely a disease of choice and lifestyle: if you let yourself get overweight, eat junk, and don’t exercise, diabetes is your punishment. Unfortunately, you can be completely healthy your entire life and it just happens to you, suddenly and unfairly. It’s a shame people aren’t more aware of the nuances of this horrific illness.

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  273. I found your website through Toni’s (BoulderLocavore) blog. I spend my day dreaming about food also so I was really excited to see what you posted. When I stumbled across your recipes my dreams got bigger. So many of them sound absolutely phenomenal. I’m really excited to try them out.
    Diabetes is something I fortunately do not live with personally, but when I was dating my ex-boyfriend his mother had it. It was something that vicariously by being around her I could not avoid. I am privileged to be able to eat without measuring or estimating the exact weight of food and calories and carbohydrates, but she was not. I constantly witnessed how she had to adjust her diet to ensure that in addition to every other step she took, snack she packed, adjustment to menu items she ordered, workout routine she did, and food item she loved and craved she avoided, she did not have to add using insulin to her regimen. She was lucky that she was so determined and strict about maintaining her diet and dealing with her diabetes and she had a lot of support. Not everyone is so disciplined or lucky to have other people around them.

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  274. I’m a med tech and have worked with diabetics for years, educating them on checking their blood sugars, how to use their testing devices, etc… As you know, early diagnosis and vigilant management are the keys to controlling this disease.

    (Love the KitchenAid mixer! Someone will be very happy–hopefully me!!)

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  275. Glad to have more awareness on Diabetes, it is very dominate in my family. My grandparents, my dad and all his brothers and sisters all have it. My Grandpa lost his vision, had to have his feet amputated and eventually died from this disease. I am actively cooking low carb meals and deserts for my family and my dad to help prevent diabetes and am grateful for blogs like this that offer yummy recipes 🙂

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  276. My mom has diabetes, as did her mom. Two of my sisters also. Being aware of diabetes from a younger age has made me more aware of healthy food choices.

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  277. I have a few friends that have diabetes and so I try to accommodate them by baking delicious treats that are low sugar or, if we are out, by not eating sugar-y things in front of them. It is healthful for me and sensitive to them.

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  278. Wow, thanks for doing this and raising awareness! I wish I could have participated and hope to do something next year. I have type 1 diabetes, brought on by another autoimmunie disease (Graves Disease) that I tried to cure naturally but really needed to be nipped in the bud and went on so long that my darn pancreas shut down, never to be awakened. I’m lucky it’s the only thing I lost! I’m now healthy but have to take a thyroid pill and 5 insulin shots daily. I’m so thankful for modern medicine which allows me to live! I just wish I would have known what i was getting myself into by not treating my Graves Disease. I never put off going to the doctor any more!

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  279. We live with my ederly Dad who is diabetic. He finally quit drinking about 2 years ago after a few close calls and hospital stays. This past summer he quit smoking after 75 years of doing so. Now he is much more aware of proper nutrition, although he does cheat alot. I do my best to serve healthly meals which is overall best for the entire family!

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  280. I am a dietitian but diabetes became personal to me when my husband was diagnosed 3 years ago. I decided then that I would look at this diagnosis in a good light. He is now healthier and so am I. Love your blog and swerve!

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  281. Thank you so much for raising awareness about this incredibly heartbreaking illness. Diabetes seems to almost be becoming the next “silent killer” as it is so rampant today that it sneaks under the radar of our consideration! Personally I have seen the effects of diabetes firsthand, in the form of a beloved uncle who basically raised me. He was diagnosised right before retirement, a time when he should have been able to enjoy life. He was absolutely devastated. Gone were the summer gatherings, gone were the holiday parties. He could not even fly or drive, his two favorite activities! However, thankfully after three years of relearning he was able to claim diabetes under his control through diet and lifestyle changes. Now the parties are back; with some healthier fair! he can even drive and fly again! Managing his diabetes continues to a a task, but a manageable one. My uncle is able to live again! 🙂

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  283. I came to T2DM via some kind of gluten intolerance and a family history of autoimmune diseases. My last baby was over 9# too. Unfortunately, I must have caught it later in the process as I find I am not able to control blood sugar via diet alone, although diet helps tremendously.

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  284. Thank you for your promotion of diabetes awareness, Carolyn. I had gestational diabetes twice then developed type 2 and now type 1 diabetes. Thankfully, I have a very supportive group of family and friends and have managed to stick to a (relatively) low carb diet. Looking forward to trying out all the recipes from today’s post!

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  285. Diabetes runs in my family. My Grandmom and Great Aunt had it. My Grandmom died of heart problems caused by the diabetes. She had to use a needle to give herself insulin every day and was all bruised up from it. I think she was strong for being able to give herself a daily needle.

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  286. I have a friend with diabetes. Unfortunately he doesn’t recognize that eating sugar is much of a problem. I’ve talked to him about low carb diets but he’s not really interested.

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  287. I have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes and I am adopted, so I have no knowledge of my genetic pre-dispositions. I am working on losing weight while learning how to cook and bake without sugars and grains so that I do not progress into the disease itself. Love this project that you undertook with all the other great bloggers. You are making a difference in my life, so thank you for all that you give to this blog!!

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  288. Not sure why my first comment didn’t show up. I have a family history of diabetes on both my mother’s & father’s side. My Grandmom died of heart problems caused by diabetes. I believe I have blood sugar problems as well even though the doctors don’t recognize it as such, I guess until it gets too bad. So I avoid sugar now.

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  290. Diabetes has touched my life because I’ve lost family members that had it. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugliness of it.

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  291. Diabetes has touched my life in several ways — my mother has it, I have it, my husband has it, and my cousin died before he was 40 from diabetes. I worry that my son will develop it, despite my efforts to ensure that he eats a diet that should keep his blood sugar levels low enough to not have a problem.

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  292. I have visited all the sites you mentioned and got a bunch of new healthy recipes. I thank you Carolyn for introducing us to all these wonderful people who helped promote Diabetes Awareness Month. I subscribe to you and have enjoyed all of your recipes. You help keep me on track.

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  293. My grandmother has diabetes. I’ve watched her cope with this illness. Helping her watch her diet and exercise has influenced my own more healthy lifestyle. Thanks!

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  294. I need a mixer bad 🙂
    My Mom was Type I, my dad is Type 2. She passed in 2007, so many complications from her diabetes, and she was only 64 . My dad’s is controlled thanks to the folks at his assisted living. My FBG is in the prediabetic range since my son’s birth last year, but low-carbing has helped bring it and my weight down, so I will try to stave off the diabetes as long as I possibly can…and I know if I do get it, I can control it and hopefully not suffer the pain my mom and dad went/go through.
    LOVE your recipes, thinking of starting a blog myself as I love cooking/baking/learning about better nutrition.
    Thanks so much!

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  295. I am a diabetic and had no idea that November was diabetes awareness month, I thought everyday should be diabetes awareness! I was born with high blood sugar and even though I was not overweight and relatively healthy, I had problems with controlling my blood sugar. I was not diagnosed as a diabetic until my 20’s, I was put on medication and it really made me feel terrible even though it controlled my blood sugar. I had a lot of gastric problems and felt worse than with out it. So I decided to try alternate ways (against doctors orders), I looked for natural supplements and started really paying attention to when my sugars became high and when they were extremely low. I started taking gluccomannan and chromium picolnate and a supplement that uses white kidney bean extract with green tea. My A1c at my last check up was 5.5! I am still considered a diabetic though for when I have to have procedures such as surgery and dental work (they say it is to prevent complications) which is good for me, for the last time I had surgery my blood sugar was becoming dangerously low when they checked, so I had to have glucose. I try to teach my friends and family members on proper ways to eat, I tell them even if it is they replace one meal a day with something nutritous can make positive changes. I had a nutritionist, but felt she was given me the wrong advice and really I found the best education for me was really just investigating and keeping a journal. Thank you

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  296. Both diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus run in my family, so I’m trying to be proactive. I eat a low-carb diet and monitor my blood sugar every few months. I don’t want to go through what my grandparents and aunt have went through.

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  297. Diabetes runs on my husband’s side of the family. I have never thought about it before I got married and had kids. My husbands dad and sister’s have diabetes and I wonder if my daughter will some day. I’m grateful for all the education out their to help.

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  298. My Late Grandfather has diabetes and he was diagnosed for many years before he pass away. Everyone in our family has a sweet tooth and it’s not easy for him and us to be 100% straight on the diet. The Accu-Check was either not invented back then, or it wasn’t available to him. It will also make life much easier (and less tempting) if Swerve Sweetener is available. Diabetes runs in the family, so my father and I are really concern and we make sure to get our annual body check up on it.

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

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  299. Thank you for bringing awareness to the diabetes issue. I have Type 2 and struggle daily to accept that I cannot eat “normal” food. I so love carbs! But reading these great recipes gives me encouragement that it is possible to have delicious food that is actually okay for me to eat!

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  300. I live with diabetes, and all of my siblings, and some nieces and nephews have it. My dad died from complications of diabetes. We watched him lose toes, then a limb. We all try hard to control our diabetes to prevent that from happening to us. The low carb lifestyle is the best way I’ve found to control blood sugars. It’s my way of life now.

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  301. Thanks for all the great recipes! I had gestational diabetes with both my pregnancies, and it is so hard trying to watch your diet and deal with being pregnant too! But thinking about the health of the baby and how it can put them at risk later in life is a real motivator. Now I watch what I eat even while not pregnant because I don’t want to develop Type II later in life if I can help it.

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  302. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a year ago and have recently lost 80 pounds!! Sugar levels are in check 🙂 Thanks for raising awareness.

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  303. I found out in January 2012 that I have borderline diabetes. If I didn’t start reducing my carbs and sugars I could have diabetes. So that was the start of my journey to a healthy lifestyle. So far I have lost 50 pounds but still could afford to lose more. I’m not sure I would have been able to accomplish what I have without the help of many of the fabulous website with great recipes. Thanks for sharing your ideas with everyone!

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  304. You are amazing for organizing these posts! My grandmother had diabetes when I was younger. I don’t remember too many details because I was so young, and even now I don’t know as much as I should about it. I had a friend growing up that had it and my mom even had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with me(so I was worried about it during my pregnancies too, but thankfully never had it). It’s been around me my whole life, but I don’t pay enough attention to it!

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  305. This project is phenomenal! Thank you to you, Carolyn, and all the other wonderful food bloggers who participated. Excellent work by everyone!

    Fortunately diabetes hasn’t affected my family, but I do have some co-workers with it. I’m working hard to keep it away. I appreciate all the information and wonderful recipes shared.

    Thank you.
    Alice

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  307. Diabetes has affected both sides of my family greatly. Both of my grandfathers had diabetes. Both dealt with their diagnoses well but the remarkable story is that of my paternal grandfather for whom a diabetes diagnosis in the early 1950s was considered a death sentence, even for a healthy man in his 30s. He was an executive with US Steel at the time, living in Naperville, IL with my grandmother and 3 children. Due to his diagnosis, he refused a promotion to the head office in Pittsburgh, instead accepting what was seen as a considerable demotion and returning with his family to Northern Minnesota, where he and my grandmother were from and where they had family. He made this sacrifice to ensure comfort for his family, should his diagnosis take him from them early.

    Instead of allowing diabetes to diminish him, as was all too common at that time, he lived a full life – raising 4 children (1 born later in MN), working hard, exercising daily and inspiring his family in many ways. He even became a medical marvel at the Mayo Clinic and became one of the longest lived people they have seen with an early diagnosis such as his. His story is also that of my brave grandmother who made many sacrifices herself through the years but never failed to make healthy, diabetes-friendly recipes for her husband and family, long before there were the many resources available today. To date, no one else in our family has been diagnosed with diabetes but we are all ever vigilant and support diabetes research however we can. Thank you for highlighting this issue.

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  308. I had been so fortunate not knowing anyone with diabetes until recently a friends husband was diagnosed. thanks for all the info!

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  309. In May of this year our world was put on hold when we learned my husband had type 1 diabetes. We were shocked. But it has been a learning process and lucky for us, his diabetes is now under control. We have relearned how to eat, you can say we struggle but have accepted what we cannot change and thank God for our health. We basically measure our food and watch what we eat. It’s a change for the family, not just my husband.. So, thank you to all the wonderful blogs and recipes out there that help us! It’s truly appreciated.

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  310. I am very impressed with your food blog in promoting healthy eating for diabetics. One would think I would be so diligent in making delicious alternatives to sugar and carb laden foods. I think I’m just lazy and living in denial. I was diagnosed as diabetic at 25, about 30 years ago. Did I follow the nutritionists’ plans and follow up on medications and doctor visits–no. Did I change my diet, mindset, and focus to help myself—no. Did I really take this silent killer disease seriously—again no. This insidious disease is invisible but only for so long. Since, I didn’t have a bandaid on my arm or cast on my leg to constantly remind me that I have diabetes, I just thought I could ignore it and live like I always had. Now, after 30 +years of abusive indulgence in poor food choices, I suffer from dibilitating, painful leg and hand neuropathy, have had 20+ laser eye surgeries to save my precious eyesight, and suffer from endless mind fog and memory loss. There is no excuse in this day and age of healthy food blogs and cookbooks to feel so ‘deprived’ that eating correctly has to be boring, dry, tasteless, and ho-hum. Your recipes and dedication to eating healthfully, as soon as you were diagnosed, is an inspiration to me. I am now taking better care of myself, have incorporated and shared your tasty recipes into my eating plan and decided that I deserve to live a full, pain free life. Thank you for all you have done.

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    • Oh Shirley, I am so sorry. Back when you were diagnosed, that kind of awareness of just how debilitating it is was more acceptable, so I understand, I really do. Also, Type 2 has such a stigma, the sense that we somehow brought this on ourselves. I think that stigma makes it harder to accept and so much harder to take action. Hang in there, I am so glad you enjoy my recipe.

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  311. Not enough time goes by that I don’t hear of someone I know diagnosed with diabetes. The first person I knew with diabetes was my grandfather and all I will say is the diabetic food has sure come a long way. I remember the cookies he used to eat and I begged and begged for one and when he gave me one, on the first bite he and I both knew I’d never ask for another again. I just love that you are raising awareness for diabetes!

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  312. I have several friends with Diabetes, and also had several friends that have died from Diabetes complications – including my Dad. My goal is to learn how to cook in a more healthy fashion and to share what I learn through my FB page. I am in my 60’s so guess I am not a quick study – but better late than never.
    PS I have dreamed about owning one of these mixers for ages….

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  313. My dad has type 2 diabetes, and for years I was afraid I would develop it, too. (He still eats like crap unfortunately, seeming to believe his insulin is magic and allows him to eat highly refined sugary and carby breads, pastas, sweets and more).

    My poor relationship with sugar began when I was 7 and my mom was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin Lymphoma–I drowned my fear and sadness in sugar (she survived, oh happy day!). I literally ate a cup of sugar a day–I would sneak a cup full of sugar into my room and lick it off my finger as I read for hours and hours comforting myself. By the time I was 26, I weighed over 260 pounds and was barely squeezing into a size 26 and was deeply depressed. I started working on a farm and lost 20 pounds in a year without really changing my diet much. Then in 2007 I was hospitalized for aspiration pneumonia for 3 days and was told that I was at seriously risk of being diabetic based on blood work. I hit the ground running (literally!) when my health came back and began to really watch my carb intake. I still ate a lot of frankenfoods, but dropped 80 pounds that first year.

    Now with over 110 pounds of fat gone and a size 6, I am a certified personal trainer specializing in kettlebells, and follow a Paleo lifestyle–grain, sugar, dairy and starch free–and I’m strong as heck and my mood has been improving! Recent bloodwork showed that I am no longer pre-diabetic, but tracking my glucose for a few days showed that I am still insulin resistant. I have a wonderful nutritionist that is helping me regulate my hormones and adrenal system through foods. I am hoping to lose that pesky last 10, and am super pumped that there are growing numbers of advocates for healthy low carb lifestyles that give me inspiration for cooking (and baking!) up some delicious delicious foods that give me great inspiration–I especially find myself following blogs like yours and Maria Emmerich. Thanks for spreading the word about diabetes awareness! I wish more people would get “scared straight” like me.

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  314. First I want to say thank you for supporting diabetes awareness. I have been touched by my many family memebers affected by diabetes and having to live my life in constant awarness of what I eat because I too have had my scares. It’s hard to look around at all people eating and living without the constraints and limitations of diabetes and realize that they have absolutly no clue how much it can change someones life.

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  315. I was diagnosed with “pre-diabetes” about eight years ago — what I have learned about food choices and diabetes has been amazing. The health of my family has all changed for the better.

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  317. Most of my family has diabetes…my husband is borderline and to be honest I don’t feel all that wonderful after I eat too much sugar….I have been trying to cut down using it and eating it also but it is a hard addiction to break

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  318. What a great way to promote awareness of diabetes. My grandfather passed away after years of complications from this disease. My dad is borderline, so I know that based on my family history I could be at risk if I don’t watch what I eat. Thankfully I’ve got great resources like your website for delicious recipes!! 🙂

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  319. I love that you have put this collection of recipes together and hope you will make it an annual event! I have had type 2 diabetes for about 12 years now, and also had gestational diabetes. Almost everyone on my mother’s side of the family was touched by this disease. It has made me healthier because I exercise more and cook healthier meals. I love looking online for recipes and experimenting with re-writing old ones.

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  320. Thank you so much for this. My father was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes & we have learned a lot over the years. It’s a struggle to find a balance between the foods we love (sugar, sugar, sugar!), the foods we should be eating, and remembering to exercise daily.

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  321. my sister has diabetes and I see how hard it is for her to live with everyday!! it is a problem people need to know more about

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  322. A lot of my family members have had diabetes, and I, at still a fairly young age, and pre-d. It’s a lot of work struggling to balance eating well and exercising, along with fighting crappy genes.

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  323. My brother and my step mother had diabetes. She didn’t take it seriously and has passed away. I’m always make sure my family eats healthy so we don’t develop diseases like this. I will help spread the word 🙂

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  324. Hi Carolyn, while I don’t personally have diabetes I started on a journey to better health at the beginning of 2012. I’ve read SO much (from Gary Taubes’ Why We Get Fat to Dr. William Davis’ Wheat Belly). I think the picture of how many people become sick is pretty clear and I now realize being over weight is just another symptom of metabolic syndrome (not the cause). So many things can be linked to a diet too high in carbohydrate (ie. diabetes, PCOS, obesity, etc). When my FIL was diagnosed as prediabetic a few months ago he called me. I shared with him my knowledge and he lost 25 pounds and his fasting glucose went from 7.3 to 5.3 (all in a few short weeks). I love Swerve – it has become my go to sweetener of choice. I REALLY appreciate blogs like yours that have made adopting this new eating style one that is enjoyable. I feel no deprivation whatsoever on this new path. I’ve lost 44 pounds and a host of other issues have disappeared – most of which can probably be blamed on wheat – but that’s another post 😉

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    • Thanks for sharing, Trina. Although I never seemed to have issues with wheat, I agree…wheat and sugar are causing epidemics in our society. I am doing my best to cut them out in our diet (I struggle finding enough snacks and foods for the kids sometimes, but we are working on it). I was never overweight, not even close, but I do think that consumption of wheat and sugar probably triggered my glucose tolerance issues.

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  325. I have seen the effects of T2DM my entire life; I have several family members, including my own parents, who have been diagnosed and are combating these issues every day. I worry, however, that conventional nutrition wisdom about how to cope with diabetes is woefully inaccurate, and as a budding nutritionist, I would love to help more people see that diet can and should be a part of their treatment of T2DM.

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  326. I have diabetics on both sides of my family (including my mother). I proactively choose to eat low-carb foods so that I can stay healthy and hopefully prevent getting myself =)

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  327. Diabetes (both Type I and Type II) are prevalent among the men in my family, and two years ago I lost my uncle to complications from his diabetes. By the end of his life, he had dialysis four times a week and was ill constantly. What I remember most though was the agonizing wait for him to get a new kidney (which never came), and since high blood pressure runs in the family as well none of my relatives could donate one. We all did our best to take of him, but I still wish we could have done more. He was a great man, and the world is diminished by his absence.

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  328. My mom has type 2 diabetes and because of it she had a stroke at the age of 52 and now at age 65 she has liver and kidney disease. I also have type 2 diabetes. In 2010 the doctors wanted to control my badly uncontrolled diabetes with insulin. I refused to be on insulin. I did not want to go down the road my mom had so I started researching ways to reverse diabetes and came up with a plan to go on a low carb lifestyle. I lost 60 lbs in doing so and my blood sugars came down and two years later I am maintaining with no medications.

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  329. What a great collection of recipes. Thank you. My father has diabetes as did his mother. I don’t have diabetes but I do have fibromyalgia and I feel so much worse when I eat sugar and refined carbs. I’d love to have the mixer! I’m trying to cook more from scratch and avoid packaged foods to improve my health, and lose some weight. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  330. What a great way to ask more attention to diabetes.
    I don’t have it myself, but my sister’s boyfriend does. She still lives at home, so he comes around a lot too. And stays for dinner (and breakfast and lunch) ofcourse.
    Suddenly I had to adjust my cooking, so he could enjoy everything too together with the rest of us. I really have to be carefull with ingredients I pick. There is so much sugar in almost everything! I’m also trying to create some amazing sweets/cookies/desserts that are not only sugarfree but also dairyfree, since he can’t have that either.. It’s quite time-consuming… (Maybe a kitchenaid can speed up the proces ;P, I’m doing it all by hand now.) Though, the experimenting is a fun experience to do. And the guy is also really greatful :).

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  332. A friend of mine was diagnosed with diabetes a few years back. She has changed her eating habits so drastically, making me motivated to eat healthier too!

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  333. I love your blog. I’ve recently been diagnosed with PCOS and have a strong family history of diabetes, so I’m considered at risk. The prospect of developing diabetes scares me. As a result, I’ve switched to a lifetime of low-carbing, and am working to educate those around me, including my mother who is a newly diagnosed diabetic. Education and awareness are key, so thank you for everything you’re doing!

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  335. I’ve watched a couple of family members deal with diabetes – some treat it seriously and a couple others (too) casually.

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  336. As a woman with PCOS, I’m pre-diabetic and working every day (meal by meal, snack by snack) to lose the extra weight (no small feat) and try to avoid it. I also have several friends whose young children have Type 1 diabetes, and I see the struggle they go through watching their child in pain and frustration, learning to do things (injections, wearing insulin pumps, passing on sugary-sweet classroom snacks) that no kid should have to do. I’m always looking for ways to cut sugar from my diet– I will be checking out Swerve now!

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  337. My Grandfather had diabetes and so do others in my family. He sure loved his sweets! He passed away about 7 years ago. I love that your recipes still allow those with diabetes to indulge in sweets in a healthy way. I wish I would have known more about it when my grandfather was around. Thank you for raising awareness!

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    • my now 19 yr old son was diagnosed with type 1 when he was 11. He used to cry asking why he had to get this aweful disease. It broke my heart….

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  342. I was diagnosed several years ago with type II diabetes and it has been a struggle since day 1. I love to cook which has only made it harder thusfar. Lately i have been following as many blogs as I can to spark my interest in tweaking recipes to a more diabetes-friendly status.

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  345. I have a strong family history of diabetes and have taken firm steps in the last year to take off some excess weight. I’m well aware of the perils of diabetes, so I need to try to prevent it in myself now. Your dibetic friendly recipes are great! Thanks for sharing!

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  346. I beat type 2 and my PCOS is in check! I continue to educate others about the risks. Love my new lifestle of being healthy.

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  347. Thank you for sharing all of your recipes. My parents both have type 2 diabetes and I have PCOS which puts me at an even greater risk of developing it as well. I discovered Maria Emmerich’s blog which also lead me to yours and my health has done nothing but improve since. My whole family enjoys everything I make and usually fight over the left over baked goods made with Swerve.

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  348. What a lovely mixer, and a wonderful way to raise diabetes awareness. After discovering a lengthy family history of diabetes, high blood pressure and various forms of cancer (including maternal breast cancer) – my husband and I made the commitment to eat and cook as healthily as we could. Like many, our budget didn’t allow us to buy the best of the best food, so five years ago, we decided, if we couldn’t afford to buy it, we would have to grow it! Its been the most amazing adventure for all of us. Now, as I listen to my friends who have children who have been dealing with diabetic children since young ages, I can impart them with the knowledge that we now have as it relates to our bodies, how we metabolize foods, including carbs and sugars and the other necessary vitamins to unlocking the nutrients in our food.

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  349. I have been blessed to know several people whom I call friends, who have been diagnosed with Diabetes. I say blessed, because they were part of my life before it showed up to them. Being diagnosed gave us a chance to express our closeness through many new avenues; finding cheap meter supplies, recipes for those who were “bad eaters”, and generally giving support in the bad times of their thinking…WHY ME? I have always been very healthy, so it is a challenge for me to try and help them and also practice “good” habits as I get older.

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  350. After being diagnosed with gestational diabetes during both of my pregnancies, I am now being treated for pre-diabetes. I know that I must live a low carb lifestyle for the rest of my life. I really appreciate bloggers like yourself who provide so much information and recipes that can help all of us out. Thank you.

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  351. My grandma, grandpa, and uncle all have diabetes. We all love to eat, and especially sugary desserts. I discovered CrossFit earlier this year and that led me to the paleo lifestyle. I love finding food/recipe blogs which is how I found Maria Mind Body Health who really loves Swerve. I then bought Swerve and I love it. Here’s to helping those who have it and avoiding it for those who don’t!

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  352. Diabetes has been in my family my whole life. My late brother had it, as well as most of my mothers family. I was insulin resistant, until a long round of steroids changed my blood sugars, and now I am type 2. I do low carb and look for healthy altrernatives for foods I love. Its a lifestyle, not a diet. I have had injuries that make exercise difficult, so controlling what I eat is the best way to stay healthy!

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  353. I had a good friend in high school that found out he had diabetes, he took it really hard. My moms afraid my dad has it… I pray for all those sweet children who have to go through that and hope there is a cure soon!

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  354. I know many people with diabetes and understand how difficult it can be. Thank you for being a part of raising awareness so people who don’t currently care (like you mentioned in your opening paragraph) start to realize how prevalent it is so we can work together to start making meaningful changes.

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  355. My Dad has diabetes and had to have his right leg amputated below the knee after getting an infection. His left foot has many issues and it looks like it will be a short time before he will have to have that foot amputated as well:(. I try to help motivate him with his nutrition and particularly sugar substitutes…I have just recently come across Swerve and it is in his next “products to try package” that I am mailing down to him this month:-)

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  356. I have several friends with diabetes, and it has opened my eyes to the disease as well as the world of low carb. I am about to get tested for pre diabetes myself. I researched things I could cook for my friends, and fell in love with the cooking. Now that I’m getting tested, I think it’s even more important to make eating this way a lifestyle, not a “diet”. I’m getting myself healthier, and setting a good example for my children.

    This is a great contest! Thanks for offering this 🙂

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  357. I’m late on this due to computer issues… darn! But I’ll share anyway. I am not a diabetic; however, I am a nurse who has a very large population. I’m a young nurse… almost 24 and have only been practicing for 3 years, but I have seen countless tragic cases of people losing their sight and limbs from uncontrolled sugars. I have personally cared for many patients after amputations of their legs, a couple of which who were younger than me (one 21, the other 19). I believe we are setting our diabetics up for failure by telling them that whole grains are “healthy” and have a role in their diets. By simply telling them to go “sugar-free” instead of teaching them how to read labels and ingredients, and that labels are often deceiving or flat out false (Thanks FDA). What we put in our bodies can change our lives and has changed these people’s lives forever. It’s heartbreaking to watch. I am so thankful that this blog and blogs like it (Maria Emmerich, for example) exist. Thank you for the work you put out here, often for free. You could save someone’s life one day. The knowledge I have gained has given me the tools to better educate my diabetics and to give them more resources.

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  358. About 10 years ago I weighed 60 lbs. more than I do now and was on 2 meds for Type 2 Diabetes. I had been diabetic for 3 years. I lost 80 lbs. and got off both meds. It took a month for my feet to stop tingling. I put back on 40 lbs., lost 20 on Atkins, and I’m working to lose more as my numbers are too close to being diabetic than I’d like. It’s the weight. I’m smaller than I’ve been because of added exercise, but the weight puts a strain on everything. I’m grateful for sites like yours and the many listed here, so I can eat yummy foods, along with my loving and supportive man, and stay healthy.

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  359. I am a type 1 diabetic (since 2000)- It has always impacted my life in everything I do. It is not like you take a pill and go on with your day. Stress, exercise, food- everything affects my blood sugar. It has affected my marriage, my pregnancy, my friendships- every area because depending on how I am feeling, how I am healing and eating impacts all those I am around. It has been a curse and a blessing. I have come to realize it’s not going away and I have to control it. I love your blog- as it has opened up lower carb recipes that helps me control and manage my diabetes better.

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  361. As a teenager, I visited an elderly lady who could no longer come to church after part of her leg was amputated due to complications from poorly managed diabetes. As an adult, I was diagnosed with pcos, and have been working to adopt a low carb lifestyle to avoid a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Limiting carbs makes my body work better, keeps my face clearer, and reduces the intensity of my emotional responses to something approaching normal. Still, I find it challenging to avoid sugar in the myriad social situations that are part of life. Every time I turn around, there’s a birthday cake, or a catered business meeting, or a vacation that feels like an excuse to splurge. Yet, I know that I am setting an example for my 19 month old son, so I resolve to do better.

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  362. My mother, my uncle and a cousin have all been diagnosed with diabetes. They are all dead. Two of the three from diabetic complications. That is why I choose to go low carb. My thanks to the many people who are sharing great ideas and recipes.

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  363. I found out in 1996 that I was a diabetic, it runs in both sides of my family my parents both had it plus all their parents had it and 4 out of five of us kids have it so I know a lot about it I have my A1C down to 5.7 but it is a daily challenge.

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  364. I knew that I would end up with diabetes, due to having 2 large babies (9.11, and 12.3) but once it hit, I was dumbstruck. Having your sight helps me with my menus. Having the mixer would make it a tad bit faster!! ?

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  365. Although I don’t have any of the other markers for metabolic syndrome, I’ve had elevated blood glucose and HgA1c off and on for several years, and have only managed to keep from flipping into full blown diabetes by tracking blood glucose, following a strict keto diet, and keeping exercise levels up. I wonder how many people are wandering around with borderline diabetes who don’t know it (and the docs use tend to use a much higher HgA1c than they probably ought to).

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Trackbacks

  9. […] Today is World Diabetes Day! Diabetes is one of the most prevalent disorders in our society and is often one of the most misunderstood. Carolyn Ketchum blogs on her site: All Day I Dream About Food and has joined forces with Swerve Sweetener and more than 40 other food bloggers to present diabetes friendly recipes. Oh and there are lots of fun giveaways including a 5 Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer courtesy of Swerve! Find it all at Carolyn’s site! […]

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