Recently, I read about a new concept that uses a contrast in the plate color and the food served on it.  The contrast of the plate and food can affect how we view portion sizes. 

You can perform your own experiment to see how this works.

• Place cream colored pasta on a white plate
• Serve pasta with red sauce on a white plate.

You will notice that you have a larger portion of creamed colored pasta compared to the pasta with red sauce. This shows that the less contrast between the color of food and the plate, the more you will eat.  Two-hundred people participated in a study and this is exactly what happened. It was also noted during the same study, when a white plate on a black tablecloth is used, the servings were 10% larger than a white plate on a white tablecloth. So, the opposite occurs; The higher the contrast the larger the food portions.

Try this and see if it makes a difference in controlling your food portions.  Let us know how it goes!

^{http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204753404577066253349009674.html?KEYWORDS=heaping+plates , accessed 11/29/2011.}

I recently read an article titled, “Strategies for Insulin Injection Therapy in Diabetes Self- Management,” by the American Association of Diabetes Educators.  It stated that there is a lot of evidence showing the benefits of insulin therapy.  However, insulin continues to be under used in the United States compared to other countries.  Only 29% of adults with diabetes in the U.S. use insulin.  The results of two surveys recently completed showed that one-third of patients fail to take their insulin as ordered by the doctor and 29% skip their doses¹.  This tells us that there are many barriers to insulin use, resulting in poor blood sugar control and an increase in complications.

In spite of the importance of insulin therapy both doctors and patients try to avoid it.  Doctors tend to prescribe it as a last resort.  The Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN) study showed that, in the U.S, insulin therapy is started later than in other countries².  The reasons were based on physician beliefs that insulin should be delayed and patient’s lack of education on insulin.

Patient barriers include:                                            

• False information on insulin

• They no longer have control

• Fear of needles and pain

• Weight gain

• Fear of hypoglycemia

• Too complicated to learn

Physician barriers include:

• Patient will not continue taking the insulin

• Patient will gain weight

• Patient resistance

• Patient lack of education

As an educator, I believe that insulin therapy should be started earlier in the treatment of newly diagnosed diabetes whether type 1 or type 2, control can be achieved sooner.  Patients can delay the onset of complications that occur too early and too frequently.   

Do you think adding insulin to your medication regimen would help you? 

^{1 Supplement to The Diabetes Educator Vol. 37. NO 6 American Association of Diabetes Educators  pg.2-7.}

^{2 Supplement to The Diabetes Educator Vol. 37. NO 6 American Association of Diabetes Educators  pg.2-7.}

Have You Made Your New Year’s Resolution?  Now is the time to start.  Look back over the past year and think about what you may want to change, fine-tune or learn. Here are some suggestions.

I will:

• test my blood glucose daily and know my target range
• keep my doctor appointments
• eat three portion controlled meals per day, no skipping or delaying
• drink more water
• check feet daily and use moisturizing lotion daily
• eat small amounts of protein with each snack
• make better choices when eating away from home
• go for a walk sometime during the day
• always take my diabetes medications
• relax and treat each day as a new day
• make an appointment with a dietitian to review meal plan (Medicare covers 2 hours of medical nutrition therapy with a physician order every calendar year following initial training)
• set one new goal every three months
• call a CDE at CCS Medical with questions regarding diabetes

I have made my diabetes New Year’s resolutions. Have you?

I found out some exciting news about a “gastric pacemaker”.  It will help obese people lose weight.  You would be a good candidate for this if you have a BMI between 35-55.  There has been much talk among researchers to create a device that can be implanted with less invasive surgery than the gastric by-pass.  This device is the size of a pocket watch.  After you eat, the implant stimulates the stomach so it feels full.  This helps obese people learn to eat smaller portions and lose weight.

I know many people with type 2 diabetes are having gastric by-pass surgery to help them with weight loss as a 5-10 pound weight loss can result in better control of their diabetes.  Imagine what a 100 pound loss would do!  I am so excited over what could happen in a couple of years.  

How do you feel about this innovation?

Have you or a loved one ever found yourself in this scenario? 

You were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes recently and now you have lost interest in things. The holidays are the happiest time of the year but you are sad.  You don’t understand what is going on. You may also be struggling with managing blood sugar levels and you have stopped testing altogether.

You talk with your doctor about your feelings and she performs a mental health screening. She tells you that there is a link between diabetes and depression. A 10 year study at the Harvard School of Public Health found a relationship between diabetes and depression, called a “two-way street”.  This means that diabetes puts people at risk for depression, and people with depression are at risk for type 2 diabetes.  The doctor says she will pay close attention to your mental health and the psycho-social aspect of diabetes care.  It is comforting to know that you are not alone and there is help for this problem.

Help yourself, if you have experienced any symptoms of depression, ask your doctor for a screening.  Remember, treating depression in people with diabetes can improve diabetes care. Also, people with depression can decrease their risk for type 2 diabetes. Both of these conditions can be treated and managed.

^{References: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/feat}