WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Ignoring Diabetes Gets Complicated

"I chalk up the fact that I got diabetes to my body saying, 'Dude, you have been doing wrong for way too long'." 

                                                                --Randy Jackson

Recently, a friend told me her husband had a problem with his vision. He needed two surgeries on the good eye before they could operate on his bad eye.  It was a tough lesson in taking ownership of one’s health.  

I asked my friend if her husband had his A1C level checked recently and she said he had not been to the doctor in a while and she had no idea what his A1C result was.  Having diabetes comes with a lot of decisions to make if you don’t want complications, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, or vision loss or blindness.  Diabetes affects the entire family, as my friend is learning right now.  When ignored, diabetes becomes a much more expensive disease with the price of physical complications plus lost wages and time away from work.  

Let's talk about how uncontrolled diabetes can affect the eyes.  High blood sugar slows down the circulation of the blood.  Blood flow to the tiny vessels in the eyes can be affected.  This is called diabetes retinopathy.  If not detected early, it can lead to loss of vision and blindness. Controlling diabetes - by taking medications as prescribed, staying physically active and eating a healthy diet - can prevent or delay vision loss.

Here is the list of questions I have created for anyone recently diagnosed with diabetes:

1. How often should I check my blood sugar?
2. What times of day are best for me to check by blood sugar? 
3. What are my daily blood sugar goals to prevent complications? 
4. What happens if my blood sugar is too high and what do I do about it?
5. What happens if my blood sugar goes too low and what do I do about it?
6. Can I keep eating pasta and drinking sodas whenever I want?  What about fruit juice, bread, and grains like wheat? 
7. What eating changes do I need to make?
8. What is the A1C test and how often should I have it done?
9. What should my A1C be?
10. What about my blood pressure?
11. What about my cholesterol levels? 
12. How does stress affect my blood sugar?
13. What tests do I need and at what frequency? 
14. Do I need to see any specialists?
15. Do I need to exercise?
16. How can my family help me?
17. What do I need to do besides check my blood sugar?
18. If I don’t check my daily blood sugars, don’t monitor my A1C levels, don’t get an annual dilated eye exam, don’t check my feet regularly and don’t see a doctor regularly, I’ll still be OK, right? 

Sadly, the last question is the only one my friend’s husband ever asked since being diagnosed.  Having diabetes means getting educated by one’s doctor or by others on your team so that the plan for preventing complications is crystal clear to you.  Having diabetes means taking deliberate actions to maintain control and manage diabetes so that it does not control you.  In my experience working with patients, not all doctors are good teachers.  They often say to a patient, “Go to the bookstore and pick up a book about diabetes.”  Books can help to educate us but they often don't give us all the answers we need.

The reason I started Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. was because of people like my friend’s husband. Since successfully working with adults with diabetes and knowing that diabetes is controllable, preventable, and reversible, I focused on educating parents about preventing diabetes.   Obesity in children is a primary risk factor for type 2 diabetes in children.  Obesity, like diabetes, can be reversed and prevented.  

Mothers and fathers who have diabetes can educate their own families so that their children can learn healthy eating habits, the importance of being physically active and staying at a healthy weight.  The younger kids are when they learn good habits, the longer they will enjoy the benefits of good health. Ignoring diabetes gets complicated because diabetes has complications.  We can replace ignorance with awareness. 

Speaking of controlling diabetes with healthy eating, here’s one of my favorite new recipes.  It is even more special because of the delicious mangoes my neighbor gave me last week from her tree!

BLACK RICE SALAD WITH MANGO AND PEANUTS

Black rice has more antioxidants than blueberries, according to a study by Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.  Known as “forbidden rice”, this delicious, nutty rice has a black bran coating has outrageously high levels of protein, fiber, and antioxidants, including vitamin E and anthocyanin (which gives the rice its black hue).

INGREDIENTS:

• ¾ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons liquid coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos (or use Bragg Liquid Aminos)
• Salt, to taste
• 3-1/2 cups water
• 2 cups black rice
• ½ red, orange, or yellow pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• ½ cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 small firm ripe mango or avocado, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, whisk together orange juice, lime juice, coconut oil, coconut aminos, and a pinch of salt.  Whisk to blend.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat water to boiling.  Season lightly with salt and add black rice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 25 minutes. 

Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. 

As rice stands, add red pepper, celery, cilantro, red onion, peanuts, scallions, mango or avocado, and jalapeno to the large bowl containing dressing.  Stir to coat ingredients.

Add black rice, stirring gently until coated.

Allow to sit for 30 or more minutes for flavors to blend.

SOURCE:  Coconut: The Complete Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Superfood by Stephanie Pedersen, 2015

If you or a loved one has diabetes, get help now.  Start at nih.gov or click here.

In gratitude,

Nancy L. Heinrich, MPH

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Saving Our Children

"My diabetes is such a central part of my life...it did teach me discipline...it also taught me about moderation...I've trained myself to be super-vigilant...because I feel better when I am in control."

                                                                         --Sonia Sotomayor

Today, diabetes reared its ugly head when I least expected it.  While shopping for fresh vegetables, I saw a man suddenly slump over the bananas.  I rushed to his side, assisted him to a chair, and got a manager’s attention.  

When asked if he had diabetes; he replied yes.  An employee was immediately dispatched to get orange juice for the customer.  Was it a low blood sugar event?  It very well might have been.  Only the doctors in the emergency room will know.  I am saying a prayer that he receives the help he needs.  

The threat of low blood sugar - plus other complications such as high blood pressure, peripheral neuropathy, kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy, and gastroparesis - is a very real scare for millions of Americans living with diabetes.  Managing diabetes is not spectator sport.  Successfully managing diabetes takes work, vigilance, and education.  It requires knowledge about healthy eating habits and importance of daily fitness routines.   Can diabetes be managed?  Yes. 

The question for parents is, can diabetes be prevented?  Yes.  What does it take to do that?  The same as managing diabetes:  work, vigilance, education, and knowledge about healthy eating habits and the importance of daily movement.  Making decisions to ensure that our kids stay at a healthy weight. Choosing foods and drinks without added sugars.  

ALL kids deserve access to healthy foods.  ALL kids deserve parents who are informed and health literate.  ALL kids deserve the opportunity to erase their nature deficits to ensure their mental health is balanced with their physical health. 

Without informed and health literate parents, our children’s risk of developing diabetes is greatly increased.   Diabetes is a preventable disease, only if we dare to become embarrassed and do whatever it takes to ensure our children’s health – and lives. 

In gratitude,

Nancy L. Heinrich, MPH

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Foods for Happy, Healthy Kids

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."  

                                                                        -Walt Disney

Dark chocolate is one of my favorite foods.   A simple daily pleasure is enjoying several small pieces every afternoon.  Dark chocolate (look for chocolates with at least 70% and where cocoa, not sugar, is the first ingredient) promotes good moods, lowers blood pressures, and produces satiety.  

Dark chocolate

Recently I did a taste testing with some elementary age kids.  We compared several different kinds of dark chocolate, looking at the cocoa vs sugar contents.  The amazing thing was that almost all the kids preferred the dark chocolates where the first ingredient was cocoa, not sugar.  We did a “compare and contrast” between the dark chocolate and milk chocolate; when the kids left they had a solid understanding of why dark chocolate is a better food choice.

The fact is that besides being a delicious AND healthy treat, dark chocolate is one of the foods that promote good moods.  Here are more good mood-promoting foods for kids:

• Fruits and vegetables, especially dark-skinned berries such as blueberries and blackberries
• Oily fish such as wild salmon and tuna, which promote brain health
• Turmeric, the spice which makes curry yellow and contains some of the highest levels of anti-oxidants of any food on the planet

Ella Chabot (L) shopping for locally grown veggies at a farmers market in Johnson City, TN

Print the following list of ideas to bring healthy, good mood foods to your kitchen pantry, dinner table, and lunches for school or work:

1. Teach them about good foods such as dark chocolate, leafy green vegetables, and dark-skinned berries that promote good moods, increase focus, and prevent attention deficit disorder. 
2. Give them a day a week when they get to plan a dinner for the family. 
3. Shop together at your local farmers market (find one near you at www.localharvest.org).
4. Buy age-appropriate kitchen tools and invite your children to chop and cut vegetables and fruits with you (a favorite choice in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen is  always the lemon squeezer).
5. Give your kids choices ("Do you want to cut up red peppers or snow peas?")

Veggies for happy, healthy kids 

Create healthy, lifelong memories with your children by ensuring they have access to good foods.  

In gratitude,

Nancy L. Heinrich, MPH

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Learning at the Library

"I wouldn't say that processed meals, ready meals and takeaways aren't relevant; it's just that over the past 40 years there have been 3 generations of people who have come out of school and and gone through their home life without ever being shown how to cook properly."  

                                              --Jamie Oliver

Summertime is a great time for kids. Three months of playtime!  Sometimes playtime comes with passive learning, when kids don’t even know they are learning. 

I recently taught a workshop for elementary age kids at a public library called, "Becoming a Nutrition Detective".   While everyone sampled gluten-free crackers with the sun-dried tomato hummus made in the Growing Healthy Kids Test Kitchen, the kids learned about reading food labels.  It was a powerful lesson for not just the kids but also for the parents who sat quietly around the perimeter of the room. 

Our message is clear:

• ALL kids need access to healthy foods.
• Eliminate added sugars (one clue: common sugars end in “-ose”.)
• Less ingredients is better than more.
• Identify foods and drinks with high fructose corn syrup and food dyes.  Make the commitment not to consume them.
• Can you pronounce the ingredients?  If not, don’t eat them.   
• Buy vegetables from the farmers near where you live.
• Teach your children to cook.  

Learning at the Library with Growing Healthy Kids

Make learning fun.  Every day is an opportunity to improve the life of a child.  Be the change you want to see in the world.  Eat healthy foods. 

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Sleep=Growing Healthy Kids

"Sleep is the golden chain that ties our health and our bodies together."  
                                                           --Thomas Dekker

Cell phones.  I always ask kids where they keep their cell phones at night.  The most common answer is, “on my bed” or “next to my bed”.  

All parents need to know that having a cell phone within 10 feet of a child’s brain can interfere with brain development and the ability to get a good night’s sleep.  It is frightening how many parents are not educated about the dangers associated with children’s brain and cell phones.

“Sleep hygiene” is the habit of preparing one’s body and mind for restful sleep: no caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime, no TV or video games at least an hour before bedtime, no vigorous exercise right before bedtime, and creating one’s bedtime as a peaceful sanctuary.  Add “cell phones charging in another room” to this list. 

Talk with your family.  Ensure that everyone with a cell phone is charging them someplace other than right next to their heads at night.  Start a new family habit and move all electronics out of the bedroom.   At least unplug any electronics in the bedroom at night so the blue and red lights do not interfere with sleep.

Make sure your kids are getting enough sleep (see “Wellness Wednesdays” published August 19, 2015:  “Sleeping for Good Grades and Good Health”).  Not getting enough sleep is associated with being overweight and with poor academic performance.  Make sleep a priority.  Your brain and your body will thank you!  

Everyone deserves to "sleep like a baby" and ALL kids deserve to be Growing Healthy Kids.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: The Recipe for Happy, Healthy Kids

"Most cooks try to learn by making dishes.  Doesn't mean you can cook.  It means you can make that dish.  When you can cook is when you can go to a farmers market, buy a bunch of stuff, then go home and make something without looking at a recipe. Now you're cooking." 

                                                                                       --Tom Colicchio

What are the essential ingredients that parents need to ensure their children are both happy AND healthy?  Keep the following ingredients on hand at all times:

• A house filled with love and respect
• A kitchen where kids can learn to cook
• A family dinner table to eat together as a family most nights of the week and to share gratitude
• Hugs and laughter (unlimited quantities)
• Fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits (more vegetables than fruits)
• Regular bedtimes so kids get enough sleep every night (key to helping kids AND adults stay at a healthy weight)
• The habit of turning off all computers and digital devices at least one hour before bedtime

By keeping your house and pantry well stocked with the above ingredients, you are well on your way to ensuring your children are healthy for their lifetime.

Wellness Wednesdays is celebrating its 300^th article for parents with this recipe.  As we approach our nation's Independence Day, celebrate your family and create your own recipes for healthy foods, healthy children, and healthy lives.  

Connect with local farmers at your local farmers markets.*  Teach your children about the benefits of eating locally grown foods from farmers who use non-GMO seeds and organic farming methods.  Celebrate health.  Celebrate life!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

*To find a farmers market near you, go to www.localharvest.org or click here.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Fun Summer Foods for Kids

"The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children."  

                                                                   -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dear Parents,

Say “guacamole” 10 times real fast while jumping up and down on one foot.  Can you pronounce “jicama”?  Have you made starfruit (carambola), strawberry, and kiwi kebobs?

Making summertime memories and fun-filled adventures can be a challenge if you don’t plan.  Here are some ideas you can use to make this summer the best ever for your kids AND help them learn healthy eating habits on their terms:

• Every week between now and when school starts, ask your kids to pick out one new fruit or vegetable when you go shopping together. 
• Task the kids with researching what they choose, including its nutritional values, how to cut it up, and recipe ideas. 
• Let the kids decide how to eat each new vegetable or fruit.  Can it be eaten raw or does it need to be cooked?  Can you use it in a salad or as a snack? 
• Ask your kids to prepare a chart to track each week’s new treasure, what they made with it (if not eaten raw), and ask them to rate each item on a scale of “love it, it’s OK, or pass”.

Enjoy the summer.  Turn shopping trips into learning opportunities.  Go play! 

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Our Children's Mental Health

“The purpose of our existence is to seek happiness.” 

                                                           --Dalai Lama

“Love life.”  Those were the only words on a sign carried by a friend, Steve Fugate, on his 34,000 mile journeys around the United States.  Steve has lost both of his children.  His response to this horrible loss was to walk around the country-several times.  His precious children are both gone.  But this man fiercely loves life and by sharing his story, he teaches others how to love life.

In my work with people struggling from a lifetime of living with mental health issues, I often meet families who struggle because a child has a mental illness.  Some parents will do anything for their child and others decide that doing nothing and walking away is the best they can do.

Some conditions, such as bipolar, emerge in children when they are in their late teens and early twenties.  Learning disabilities are rampant among those I serve.  As someone who has always loved to read (I drove baby sitters crazy reading by flashlight under my covers late at night), it is heartbreaking to work with individuals with dyslexia who have never known what it is like to spend a Sunday lost in a good book. 

I want to introduce you to two people I have met in my journeys working with people with disabilities:

Alex, a wonderfully smart man who did not learn to read until he was 18. He is bipolar and has dyslexia.  No one noticed him struggling to read until he had lost his youth.  He shared that he tried to commit suicide several times because he knew he was different but did not know why.  He has spent a lifetime of regret wondering what would be different is someone had noticed his disability earlier and intervened sooner. 

Roger, a caring man who has never been able to keep a job more than a few months because of his disabilities until now because he is getting the supports he needs.  He has bipolar, learning disabilities, and barely reads, with no ability to understand numbers.  He struggles every day of his life with things most people take for granted.  He shared with me that when he was in public school, teachers knew he could not read or do math but they passed him from one grade to another anyway.  He said he felt ashamed to ask for help because he was the child and all the adults in his life just turned away and looked the other way.

Who are we as a country if we cannot recognize when a child is struggling with school work or missing school for unexplained reasons?  What kind of country are we that we allow children who through no fault of their own have dyslexia, learning disabilities, depression or attention deficit disorder to not be properly diagnosed and effectively treated? It takes a village to grow healthy children. 

Just as all children deserve access to healthy foods and time outside in nature, all children deserve access to mental health services and all children deserve happiness.  A young man called me this week to say that when he went to his first appointment for mental health care he was told that his copays were $40/visit, beyond his means.  Why should taking care of bipolar or social anxiety disorder cost more than a well child visit? 

We can do better.  Learn about the mental health resources in your community.  We are the village.  Help a child.  Listen.  As Steve Fugate knows too well, kids are really good at holding in their feelings.  Often we find out something is wrong when it is too late.  

Be the change you want to see in the world.  These are our children. Their mental health is directly related to the health of our communities.

For more information about mental health, please visit the National Institute of Mental Health website at www.nimh.nih.gov.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Tomatoes, Diabetes and Alzheimer's

“The idea that your risk for Alzheimer’s is tied to diabetes may seem inconceivable at first.  But it makes sense when you consider the relationships shared between these two ailments.  Diabetes is characterized by elevated blood sugar.  And elevated blood sugar is toxic to brain cells.”  

                                            --David Perlmutter, MD, author of The Grain Brain

Heirloom tomatoes from my local farmer's market

I love tomatoes in the summertime.  When tomatoes show up at the local farmers markets, it makes my heart sing!   There is nothing is better on a summer day than a sliced tomato with fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of fig-infused vinegar! 

If you read Wellness Wednesdays, then you know about the connection between high blood sugar and Alzheimer’s.  Starting with my first book, Healthy Living with Diabetes: One Small Step at a Time (www.ourlittlebooks.com), raising awareness about the connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s has been part of the mission of the Growing Healthy Kids organization.

With the growing incidence of diabetes and prediabetes in the U.S., it is surprising to me that more health care professionals are not actively involved in educating their patients with diabetes about this connection and doing everything in their power to teach their patients how to control and reverse diabetes.  Eat less sugar and wheat; they feed an inflammation that affects the health of our brains. Eat more tomatoes, squash, and broccoli.  Food matters!

Below is a recipe I adapted from The Grain Brain Cookbook by Dr. Perlmutter.  Enjoy!   

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS:  Our Recipe Collection

Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• ·        4 large ripe but firm tomatoes
• ·        8 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• ·        2 Tablespoons almond flour
• ·        1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• ·        2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ·        Pink Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut each tomato in half crosswise.
• Combine cheese and basil in small bowl.  
• Spoon equal portions of the mixture on the cut side of each tomato half.  
• Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. 
• Place tomatoes, cut-side up, on a baking sheet.  
• Bake about 10 minutes.  If desired, place under broiler until top is bubbling.

Serve immediately.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Favorite Cole Slaw Recipes

“If you can shred a vegetable, you can make slaw.” 

                                                                           --Chef Michael Glatz

Summertime is here and all kids deserve access to healthy foods.  Here is a simple food idea that kids love to help make.  Gather together the ingredients in this delicious Summer Slaw recipe.  Put the kids in the back yard* with a grater, a head of red or green cabbage, and a big bowl.  The key to most slaw recipes is to make them ahead of time, allowing the flavors marry in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. 

GROWING HEALTHY KIDS:  Our Recipe Collection

SUMMER SLAW

INGREDIENTS:

·        ¼ head red cabbage

·        ½ jimaca (or substitute rainbow carrots)

·        ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

·        1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

·        1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

·        3 Tablespoons local honey

DIRECTIONS: 

• SHRED cabbage and jimaca in food processor (or use a hand grater).
• WHISK together remaining ingredients. 
• MIX juice mixture with the vegetables, cover and place in fridge for at least 1 hour. 

SERVE with your favorite summertime dinner such as shrimp tacos or black bean burgers.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

*Kids and cabbage can get a little messy, so taking this preparation step outside will keep your kitchen neat.

NOTE TO PARENTS:  If using a mandoline for the cabbage, do this yourself.  This kitchen tool is not for kids.  

WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Health and Happiness

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”          

                                                              –Lewis Grizzard 

Do you laugh every day?  How often do you perform a random act of kindness?  Do you eat several  small meals every day?  Do you say "please" and "thank you"?  Do you eat dinner with your children most nights?  What makes you smile?   Do you get at least 6 hugs every day?  Who is your favorite comedian?  Is your bedroom a sanctuary where you sleep well every night?  Do you wake up every day excited about what might happen?

There is a strong correlation between how healthy you are and how happy you are.  Happiness is an attitude, a verb, a noun, a state of mind.  A passing thought, a favorite song, or watching a child play in the rain.  A memory from a family wedding, the smell of your favorite pizza, the anticipation of a summer vacation.  Being happy often means conscious action to create desired results.  Health is more than the absence of disease; it is the state of well-being.

Happiness is the dependent variable in the equation of lifestyle, nutrition, and fitness.  If you never get enough sleep, you will be too tired to see the beauty of life.  If you eat too much sugar, your body and mind will suffer like being on a bad roller coaster ride.  If you do not exercise daily, your body  will be sad and your mind will be depressed.  

As parents, we sometimes get too wrapped up in our work.  This habit can have disastrous consequences for our families.  This week, make it a priority to focus on what makes you happy.  Laugh, smile, and play.  Share good times with your children.  Cook together.  Being happy is key to being healthy. 

Smile.  Laugh.  Repeat.  It might be the difference between health and disease for you and your children.  Because your health may depend on your happiness.

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.