Book Review: 50 Diabetes Myths

Here's a book you should definitely get if you have diabetes: 50 Diabetes Myths That Can Ruin Your Life - And The 50 Diabetes Truths That Can Save It. This book really can save your life! (In the interest of full disclosure, I have been in contact with the author for about a year and received a complimentary advance copy from her publisher. I haven’t been and won’t be compensated in any other way for sharing my opinion of this book.) Riva Greenberg, who has lived with diabetes for 37 years, provides a first-class tour of the diabetes facts that matter most. You may think you know a lot about diabetes, but I guarantee this book will take your understanding to new heights.

The format is clever. Each of the 50 chapters opens with a myth like "I can't have diabetes because I have no symptoms", "People with diabetes can't eat sugar", or "When I feel symptoms of low blood sugar I should keep eating sweets until I feel better". And then, by the time you say to yourself "of course you can't eat unlimited sweets until you feel better" you're hooked, because you immediately recognize that the next 3 minutes of reading will make you an expert on exactly how to quickly, safely, and easily recognize and correct low blood sugar without the dreaded overcompensation that leads to drastic high blood sugar levels an hour or two later. By organizing the book into such highly digestable little bites, each of which is a tasty morsel of highly seasoned information, the reader is treated to a gourmet self-education experience.

Riva Greenberg's information-packed book is nicely written, factually up-to-date, and relevant. Myths about nutrition, weight loss, exercise, medication, complications, and others are debunked and replaced with the information you need to life your best life. Riva is an excellent communicator, and she knows exactly which topics to highlight. Thank you Riva for providing such an important contribution to patient education.

- Michael Dansinger, MD

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Personality of the Week: Taylor LeBaron, Teenage Role Model

"150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time"

Taylor LeBaron, an emerging leader in the fight against the obesity and diabetes epidemics, is a teenage role model worth knowing about. At age 14 he was nearly 300 pounds, and he took it upon himself to figure out what to do about it. By age 15 he lost about 150 pounds of excess body fat and has been maintaining that weight loss, and a healthy muscular body, for over 2 years. This is a rare occurrence! There are few teens around who have been able to achieve and maintain such a staggering transformation.

Happily, Taylor is also an inspiring story teller who has just published a book. He has been asked to speak on television, radio, and to live audiences about his clever and novel approach. The approach he has taken, and described so clearly in his book "Cutting Myself in Half" (co-authored by writers Jack and Mary Branson) is an approach with which teens can easily identify. He explains to other teens that mastering the art of healthy living is much like mastering a video game. "The Ultimate Fitness Game" (UFG) is a system, or set of rules, or a mindset, that Taylor devised to train himself how to eat right and exercise consistently. His clever system can work for anyone, teen or adult, because it takes sound nutrition and medical advice and frames it in a way that works in the real world. This may be the best book I've seen for teens who are just coming to grips with an obesity issue, and recognizing that they need help.

Taylor does not have type 2 diabetes, but he recognizes that a great way to prevent type 2 diabetes in adults is to focus on teenagers with obesity, since these kids are at high risk for diabetes in adulthood. He invited me to write the foreword for his book, and he is motivated to help me promote my Diabetes Reversal work. He has also asked me to help him co-sponsor National Kid-Teen Bailout Week from January 10-16, 2010, which he established to invite the 9 million overweight kids in America "to bail out of lifetimes of physical, emotional and career challenges into the fantastic lives they deserve". Watch Taylor on the Today Show on January 14th.

We adults who care about reversing the type 2 diabetes epidemic recognize that reversing childhood and teen obesity is a crucial part of the process. Let's congratulate Taylor LeBaron for his leadership in this arena, and I'll encourage you to check out his website and his blog for more information about his newly released book, and his national campaign for teen fitness.

Thanks, Taylor, for being the role model you are!

- Michael Dansinger, MD

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Mindset of the Week: "It Couldn't Be Done"

Many of us love a challenge, especially when they say "It can't be done - it's impossible!" but you know otherwise! As you know, one of life's great challenges is to do the best we can with what we've got. We want to fix what can and accept what we can't, and become wise enough not to mistake one category for the other.

Think about the challenges of "conquering diabetes" as you contemplate the poem below, and let me know what you think.

- Michael Dansinger, MD

It Couldn't Be Done
By Edgar A. Guest

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

This poem and others can be found at Motivational-Well-Being.com.

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Personality of the Week: Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne, "The Godfather of Fitness" turned 95 recently. I deeply admire his many accomplishments and he is an inspiration to all who want to learn from his example. Body builder, fitness expert, television personality, author, and entrepreneur-he's done it all and he's not done yet! Check out this video. You will see how great he looks for a man his age. He looks like he's 80 with many years of good health and vitality ahead.

Now check out his bio below and let me know what you think.

- Michael Dansinger, MD

Jack LaLanne is an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert, celebrity, lecturer, and motivational speaker who is widely referred to as "The Godfather of Fitness". LaLanne gained worldwide recognition for his success as a chiropractor and bodybuilder, and for his incredible and prodigious acts of strength and endurance. Through his career, LaLanne has won numerous awards including the Horatio Alger Award from the Association of Distinguished Americans, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Hall of Fame.

Early Life
Jack LaLanne was born September 26, 1914 in San Francisco, CA and admittedly, during his childhood days was addicted to sugar and junk foods. At age 15, young Jack heard Paul Bragg speak on health and nutrition which had such a powerful influence, it motivated Jack to focus on his diet and exercise habits.

Jack was truly a pioneer, as he studied Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body and concentrated on bodybuilding, chiropractic medicine, and weightlifting, something virtually unheard of in the 1930s.

Health Clubs
In 1936 LaLanne opened his own health spa in Oakland, CA, and dedicated his life to encouraging people to better themselves through exercise and fitness. LaLanne designed the world's first leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables, and weight selectors, now a standard in the fitness industry. LaLanne also invented the widely used Smith Machine. Breaking the gender barrier, LaLanne was the first fitness expert to encourage women to lift weights, contrary to the popular belief of the time, which was that weights made women masculine and unattractive. By the 1980s there were more than 200 Jack LaLanne health clubs that were eventually sold to the Bally Company, which later became Bally Total Fitness.

The Jack LaLanne Show
The Jack LaLanne Show is the longest running health and fitness show in history, airing from 1951 to 1985. The show began as a local program on San Francisco's ABC television station KGO-TV and was eventually syndicated on the ABC network throughout the U.S.A. and Canada, and worldwide on the Armed Forces Network. Critics said the show would be off the air in six weeks, but it lasted just a bit longer at 34 years.

In addition to the Jack LaLanne Show, Jack has published numerous books, created countless health and fitness videos, appeared in films, marketed health and exercise equipment and vitamin supplements, and even as a singer recorded songs with Connie Haines.

Later Life
At the young age of 95, Jack LaLanne continues to work out every morning for two hours, spending 1 ½ hours in the weight room and ½ hour swimming. Jack LaLanne lives with his wife Elaine in Morro Bay, CA.

Used with permission of Jack LaLanne, © 2009 Jack LaLanne. All Rights Reserved.

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Recipe of the Week: Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Eating for diabetes reversal is all about learning how to make the most of healthy ingredients. I love ethnic recipes, like this one below, because of the exciting flavors and the opportunity to gain familiarity with foreign ingredients.

Find this recipe and hundreds of healthy recipes here.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Photo Credit: Michelle Howard

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breast, or 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar, cider vinegar, or freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup very thinly sliced onion
2 cups finely shredded green, savoy, or Napa cabbage
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, cilantro, or basil leaves
1/2 cup rau ram leaves (available at Asian markets; optional)
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted and salted peanuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. Put chicken in a medium saucepan and add 2 to 3 cups of water, enough to cover chicken by about 1/2 inch. Bring to rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook until done, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar and mix everything well. Add sliced onion and toss to coat. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes, until you are ready to complete the dish.
3. Transfer the meat to a plate to cool, reserving the broth for another use, such as making soup or cooking rice. When the chicken is cool, tear it into long, thin shreds. Coarsely chop the mint and/or herbs. Add the shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots, mint, and herbs to the bowl of onions and seasonings, and toss to coat everything well. Mound the salad on a serving plate, and top with chopped peanuts, if using. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: (if 4 servings): 206 calories, 29 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 78 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 760 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 15%

Enjoy!

- Michael Dansinger, MD

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