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• How to Manage your Diabetes with Nutrition – an Interview with Nicole Brent, RD.,LD,CDE

  I’ve been fortunate to have Nicole Brent as been my dietitian.  She has worked closely with me while training for my competitions to manage my diabetes through proper diet and exercise regimen.  Since I’ve known her, I’ve become much more knowledgeable and successful with regulating my blood sugars.  She has always been helpful with diabetic issues that have arisen.  It is such a treat that she has agreed to be interviewed on diabetes, her area of expertise. Alissa:     Please tell me a little bit about your credentials and how you got involved consulting diabetic clients? Nicole:   I'm a registered dietitian. I have a bachelor's degree then did an internship; Diabetes is very nutritional-related. Medication, exercise, and diabetes all go together and it's something that I was very interested in and felt that I could be helpful. You need 1000 hours working with patients to be able to become a certified diabetes educator. I attained that goal and became a Certified Diabetes Educator All of this education and experience has provided me with the skills needed to help my patients. Alissa:     What ...

• NASCAR, Dexcom, and Blood Sugars - a Racetrack Interview with Ryan Reed

  I was so excited to be with Ryan Reed at the Texas Motor Speedway, where he was getting ready to race in the XFinity NASCAR series in Fort Worth, Texas. He was kind enough to talk with me about the process of testing his blood sugar, what he eats before a race, how he monitors his blood sugar and what his protocol is. For National Diabetes Awareness month, please consider donating to Ryan Reed’s DriveToStopDiabetes. Ryan Reed preparing to race! From Ryan’s website: Reed began his first full NASCAR Xfinity Season at the start of 2014.  He finished 9th in overall standings, with 1 top 5 finish and 14 top 15 finishes.  His season best took place at Daytona International Speedway, where he finished 4th.  He will start his 2nd Season in the NASCAR XFinity Series with the No 16 team in 2015 Reed’s racing career began at a young age, capturing the Kid’s Kart Track Championship at the age of four.  The Bakersfield, California native followed that up by becoming the Junior 1 Comer and HPV Karting Track Champion at age eight. Read the ...

• Sugar Free Comedy - An interview with comedian Chelcie Rice

  (image courtesy www.chelcierice.com )  Chelcie:  My name's Chelcie Rice. I'm a stand-up comic, based out of Atlanta, and I am a type one diabetic. I've been wearing a CGM now for three or four months and I'm on an insulin pump. Alissa:  And what kind of insulin pump and CGM are you using currently? Chelcie:  I'm using the Dexcom CGM.  I've been on a Medtronic insulin pump] since 2005. Alissa:  How old were you when you were first diagnosed, and what were some of the challenges? Chelcie:  I was diagnosed at 25.  My symptoms were the usual – frequent urination and constant thirst. At the time, I was a musician in a local church along with my roommate.  It was my roommate who noticed the symptoms first – noting that I was going to the restroom multiple times during service. Upon his suggestion, I went to see a urologist who diagnosed the diabetes. I spent five days in the hospital re-hydrating and learning about diabetes as I confess that I didn’t know much. I knew my grandmother was diabetic but that was about ...

• Diabetes and Pageants: An interview with Miss New Hampshire 2016 and T1D, Caroline Carter

  Miss New Hampshire 2016 and T1D, Caroline Carter You can keep up with Caroline by visiting her official Facebook page, Miss New Hampshire Caroline Carter Alissa:   When were you diagnosed with diabetes? Caroline:  I was diagnosed on November 17th, 2008. I was just about 10 years old. Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had been dealing with Mononucleosis.  Then something changed. I lost 13 pounds in one week despite the fact that I was eating a lot. I was urinating frequently, and losing muscle alarmingly fast. Ironically, the day I finally went to the doctor I had eaten a bag of nacho chips and a pint of ice cream to keep my weight up. My blood sugar was 545. Alissa:   Does diabetes run in your family? Caroline:  No, an environmental factor eventually led to my diagnosis of diabetes. No one else in my family has diabetes before me, or after. Alissa:   Being diagnosed as a child must have been challenging. How did you learn to cope with your new norm? Caroline:  When I was diagnosed my mom told me that “Everyone has something.” She ...

• Does caffeine have an impact on blood sugar? An interview with endocrinologist Dr. Blevins

  Alissa interviewed Dr. Blevins, M.D., Endocrinologist, Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology on caffeine and blood sugar. Alissa:  Does caffeine affect blood sugar and what effect does it have on exercise? Dr. Blevins:  I’ve seen some studies that caffeine and coffee can be shown to prevent Type 2 diabetes.  It depends on the person, whether they have diabetes or not, whether it affects their blood sugar or not and also it’s very individual.   We’ve seen quite a number of people who have noticed that when they drink coffee by itself, with nothing in it, no creamer, no sugar, no carbohydrate added, coffee fundamentally doesn't have carbohydrates in it, especially people with type 1 diabetes, that their glucose sometimes briskly, not sky rockets, but rises after drinking coffee.  It’s complicated a bit because, in the morning when people drink the coffee typically, the hormones in the body that normally rise, for example cortisol growth hormone, can cause blood sugar to rise too.  So if a person has nothing to eat in the morning sometimes the blood sugar will rise whether they have coffee or not ...

• Do you struggle with your weight? An interview with my Diet Doctor, Joe Klemczewski, Ph D

  I’ve worked with Dr. Joe Klemczewski over the last year in preparation for my figure competitions.  He has helped me lose weight and regulate my diabetes.  Alissa: Can you tell me a little bit about your background, credentials and how you are able to help somebody diet in a healthy way to compete in a fitness competition like myself? Dr Joe Klemczewski:   I became interested in nutrition when I was about 12 years old. I changed schools in the fifth grade and new friends pulled me into sports, but I was a chubby inactive kid. I wanted to catch up to my peers—I was inspired by performance, athleticism, and the sheer fun of sport. That led to weight lifting and it was a very positive turn for me. By the time I graduated with a degree in physical therapy, I was on my way to becoming a professional bodybuilder. I pursued a masters in health and doctorate in nutrition to support my hobby, but it naturally pushed me into a career in the fitness industry. After owning a health club for 10 years, ...