Our backyard garden is small. Two raised beds each about 8’ X 16’. We’ve got what we grow well down to a few favs: garlic, basil, rosemary, cucumbers, yellow squash and a wide variety of tomato plant, from cherries to beefsteak.

Finally the time has rolled around to again enjoy the fruits, rather vegetables and herbs, of our labor.

Confused about, as a client referred them: “those sugar alcohols”? If so, check out my cut to the chase answers below:

What are Sugar Alcohols?
Sugar alcohols, also called polyols, are neither sugar or alcohol. They’re called sugar alcohols because part of their structure resembles sugar and part alcohol. Keep in mind they do contain carbohydrate.

For years the way to diagnose diabetes has been to draw a blood sample and check the glucose count, either fasting or random (any time of day). Two high levels on two different days and the diagnosis of diabetes was made. Glucose tolerance tests went by the wayside years ago other than for diagnosing gestational diabetes.

Social networking is the rage. People are sharing personally and professionally. For people with diabetes there’s been a ground swell of social networking sites. They offer opportunities to keep up with the latest diabetes research, products and technology, connect with others in your shoes and share your challenges and triumphs. And you get to do this with people globally. As a diabetes educator who’s been around for many years I realize that having diabetes can be isolating and that support is critical to successful management – medically and emotionally.

I’m just back from the American Diabetes Association 2009 Scientific Sessions and feel compelled to shout out to all who will listen, especially parents of younger and older children and people on their way up the scale, that more and more research points to the many damaging impacts of excess pounds on long term health. Fat is not simply excess pounds of inactive tissue.

Warshaw dialogs with diabetesmine.com blogger Tenderich on her blog about research and recommendations about carbohydrate intake for type 1. Check it out, then read my rebuttal below. Thanks Amy for being open to dialog!

On 5/13 President Obama, in his effort to keep healthcare reform on the front burner, sent a few deputies on a mission: find the best private-sector employee wellness and prevention practices in an effort to help other companies and federal workplaces implement these. I bet one of best practice that will be an element of each success story will be programs utilizing technology-based solutions (telephonic, intranet, internet, hand-held device, etc.) to provide frequent and chronic support.

Two stories in today's (5/7/09) Washington Post helped me greet the day positively and reinforce my sense that, step-by-step, we're making strides to improve the health of our children and the prevent childhood obesity.

The 2010 Dietary Guideline committee is continuing their work on revising the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. The full committee held their third meeting on April 29 – 30, 2009. I attended the meeting via webinar, as did all observers. The meeting began with a series of talks by invited experts, such as Brian Wansink, PhD, Frank Sacks, MD, and more. The remainder of the meeting revolved around presentations of the subcommittee reports. Attending meeting #3 again proved to be enlightening and educational.