by Marilyn Helton
Greetings and welcome to 2005! As we start our journey through another year,
I can't help but wonder how many of you are newly diagnosed with diabetes and
have postponed any lifestyle changes you need until "after the holidays."
It's a perfectly normal reaction, so don't feel too guilty about it. My job
is to help you find the resources to better cope with the many changes you'll
be experiencing in finding a new and healthier lifestyle.
A commitment to change begins with a dedicated, positive mindset, so the first
book on my January list of recommendations is 365 DAILY MEDITATIONS FOR PEOPLE
WITH DIABETES, by Catherine Feste, published by the American Diabetes Association.
Catherine speaks from her own experience of over 30 years as a health educator,
who has also lived with diabetes for 47 years. Author of THE PHYSICIAN WITHIN
and a co-author of 101 COPING TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES, Catherine Feste
is one of my favorite inspirational authors.
Special features of 365 DAILY MEDITATIONS include:
One meditation for every day of the year, to help you to reflect on what really matters in your life.
Inspirational quotes from famous people, as well as quotes from the Bible, the Koran, Buddha and Rumi to help you find understanding, inner strength and spiritual peace with your life in order to better cope with your illness.
Practical diabetes tips, and healthy ways of coping with stress and strong emotions.
A guide to your inner resources and strengths, i.e., being able to see yourself as a hero, not as a victim
This is a book you can use as a practical guide to help you move beyond day
to day obstacles, and gain a deeper understanding of your life and the challenges
living with diabetes presents. I've long believed that the mind and body are
inseparable in coping with a chronic disease.
The introduction to 365 DAILY MEDITATIONS is written by Rachel Naomi Remen,
MD (another favorite author on my bookshelf), bestselling author of KITCHEN
TABLE WISDOM and MY GRANDFATHER'S BLESSINGS. Dr. Remen succinctly sums up the
whole of this book in stating, "Through illness, people may come to know
themselves for the first time, to recognize not only who they really are, but
what really matters. Illness shuffles the hierarchy of our values like a deck
of cards. Often a value that has been on the bottom of the deck for years turns
out to be the top card. In illness, people abandon values they have never questioned
before, and uncover ways of living far more genuine and unique. Often these
ways are also more soul-infused." Dr. Remen further states, "In all
the years I have listened to people with cancer, no one has ever said to me
that if they died, they would miss their Mercedes, even though such a car and
all that it represents has been the focus of their lives for many years. This
shift may represent a kind of healing."
365 DAILY MEDITATIONS, by Catherine Feste, is a wonderful book which will help
you find your way whether you are newly diagnosed or have many years of experience
with diabetes. I highly recommended this book as a must-have for anyone searching
for inner strength to cope with a chronic disease.
An estimated 17 million Americans already have type 2 diabetes and another estimated
16 million Americans have what is now called "prediabetes." In THE
COMPLETE DIABETES PREVENTION PLAN, A Guide to Understanding the Emerging Epidemic
of Prediabetes and Halting Its Progression to Diabetes (Avery/Penguin Group
USA), two of the country's leading authorities on nutrition and diabetes --
Sandra Woodruff, MS, RD, author of several books on healthy cooking (all of
which are already on my personal bookshelf), and Christopher Saudek, MD, director
of the Johns Hopkins Diabetes Center and former president of the American Diabetes
Association -- have combined their expertise to present a total life plan addressing
the emerging epidemic of prediabetes.
Full of information on preventing or even reversing the development of diabetes
by a total nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle program, THE COMPLETE DIABETES
PREVENTION PLAN contains a checklist of diabetes risk factors, thoughts on drugs
versus diet and lifestyle changes, strategies for weight-loss success, foods
that help fight diabetes (and belong in your pantry), eating out, and the power
of physical activity (the big-E word). Completing the package, THE COMPLETE
DIABETES PREVENTION PLAN features 150 easy and appealing recipes that emphasize
good carbs, healthful fats, and controlled calories -- all crucial elements
in a diabetes-fighting meal plan.
THE COMPLETE DIABETES PREVENTION PLAN gets two thumbs-up for its simplicity
of language, completeness of subject matter, ample recipe and meal-planning
sections and easy-to-read format. This book is well worth your investment and
highly recommended.
Last November, the American Diabetes Association focused on the link between
diabetes and heart disease for American Diabetes Month. People with diabetes
are at high risk for heart attack or stroke, and their heart attacks tend to
be more serious, and can happen early in life. In fact, two out of three people
with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Both women and men are at risk.
CHARTING A COURSE TO WELLNESS, by Treena and Graham Kerr (the former "Galloping
Gourmet"), have teamed up to share their inspiring journey of partnership
in love, food, and life with the story of Treena's stroke, heart attack and
diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. With a focus on using food to make you well, the
Kerrs have learned it helps tremendously to have a partner for getting well.
From my perspective, one of the best sections of CHARTING A COURSE TO WELLNESS
is found in the chapter titled The Nine Stages of Change, which the authors
have broken down as follows: Stage One: Aware Yet Disinterested; Stage Two:
Relative Impact; Stage Three: Concern Leads to Enquiry; Stage Four: Denial;
Stage Five: Acceptance; Stage Six: Possibility of Success; Stage Seven: Engagement;
Stage Eight: All Things Can Work Together for Good; and Stage Nine: Taking Action.
The Kerrs have devoted over 20 pages in the book to this formula for success.
CHARTING A COURSE TO WELLNESS also provides you with more than 430 ways to learn
how to eat right, in recipes for breakfast, brunch, main dishes, side dishes,
desserts and sauces. Each recipe is low in fat and carbs, and is accompanied
by a complete nutritional analysis, and diabetic exchanges. In addition, the
book introduces The Food Preference Sheet, a really innovative food inventory
tool you can use to design your food choices according to Tastes, Aromas, Color,
Textures and Ambience (in serving style). There are also other food choice considerations,
such as Appearance, Preparation, and Cultural Styles of Cooking, i.e., French,
Italian, Mexican, North African, Caribbean, Mediterranean, etc. Change isn't
so hard when you like the way it tastes, and, in this book, there's a plethora
of creative and innovative ways of looking at food preparation, from kitchen
to table, to keep your mouth satisfied and your body on track.
In summarizing the content of this book, Graham and Treena Kerr say it best:
"Food can make you sick, and food can make you well. Getting well is a
challenge, and it helps tremendously to have a partner. We have learned there
is no better gift you can give to yourself, to each other, and to your family.
With the epidemic of obesity and diseases caused by poor diet in our country,
all of us are learning (or re-learning) the value of coming home, cooking dinner,
and gathering around the table together."
Reviewer's Footnote: Having reviewed and published many food articles from the
American Institute for Cancer Research, I was extremely pleased to see the number
of recipes in this book recommending foods healthy in phytochemicals and antioxidants,
natural cancer-fighting properties. CHARTING A COURSE TO WELLNESS (published
by the American Diabetes Association) is well worth your time and investment,
and gets a super-star rating.
That's a wrap for this issue, folks. Stay focused and in the moment because
your future is now!
Marilyn Helton, diabetic since 1993, is the publisher of CINNAMON HEARTS: THE
ART OF LIVING A WINNING DIABETIC LIFESTYLE, a positive-power E-zine for diabetics
and their families. Visit the CINNAMON HEARTS website: www.cinnamonhearts.com