7th Living Well With Diabetes – A RECAP!

On April 27^th, we hosted our 7^th annual Living Well with Diabetes event! Our speakers this year included Dr. Rochelle Naylor, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator Amy Hess Fischl, Chef Jennifer Bucko Lamplough, and award-winning actress Sherri Shepherd.

The Kovler Team, Sherri Shepherd, and Chef Lamplough come together to help raise diabetes awareness at the 7th Annual Living Well With Diabetes Event

While guests were served delicious low-carb muffins and fruit, Dr. Naylor explained that medications and insulin should be viewed as tools to help patients manage their diabetes, not punishments. She also stressed the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, and explained the findings of a study that demonstrated the astonishing effects of weight loss on diabetes risk reduction. This is especially important for patients with pre-diabetes, she stressed, since diabetes can be prevented! This message is relevant to all patients, though. “Complications like limb amputations and strokes do not come from diabetes,” she said, “they come from uncontrolled diabetes.”

Next, Amy Hess-Fischl took the stage to discuss healthy eating habits. “Our taste buds are programmed to like fat and sweets,” she told attendees. However, there are many small steps that can be taken to improve eating habits, such as reading labels, eating a healthy breakfast every day, and cooking meals at home. She explained that Americans consume 50% more calories when eating out, which means that cooking food at home and focusing on increasing the consumption of vegetables instead of carbohydrates can be a major aid to weight loss. Most of all, she told guests that they should focus on remaining positive and taking baby steps towards the achievement of large goals.

Chef Jennifer Lamplough smiles with her award-winning diabetes-friendly cookbook.

The next guess, Chef Jennifer Bucko Lamplough, has authored several cookbooks for The American Diabetes Association. While guests ate a delicious tomato and cucumber salad – one of her recipes – she demonstrated how easy it was to recreate at home. One huge piece of advice that she provided to guests was tat you can chop vegetables a few days in advance and store them in containers for use throughout the week. She also demonstrated how to make a delicious banana split cake from a recipe that she modified to make it healthier. “Two of my biggest secrets are sugar free pudding and fat-free cool whip,” she said. The two ingredients were both used as substitutes for the higher-calorie ingredients traditionally used in the recipe.

Finally, Sherri Shepherd, award-wining actress and co-host of The View, took the stage to share her personal experiences with diabetes. After growing up in a family where diabetes was very common and losing her mother to complications from the disease at a young age, Shepherd learned to channel her emotions into eating. Eventually, she was diagnosed with the disease, and did not take it seriously until she realized that she needed to improve her health to stay around to watch her son grow up. The crowd laughed as she shared anecdotes from her struggle to get healthy. “Sometimes I ask myself,” she said, “do you want that cheesecake, or do you want your foot?”

Special guest speaker, Sherri Shepherd, talks about her experiences with diabetes.

At the end of the event, the speakers returned to the stage for a panel in the style of The View (complete with Kovler Diabetes Center mugs) and answered questions from the audience. On the subject of mid-day snacking, Dr. Naylor revealed that she once purchased a bag of Cheetoes from a vending machine and was so appalled by their caloric content that she photographed the label and stores the image on her phone to remind her to stick to her otherwise healthy diet. Sherri revealed that she keeps healthy snacks in her purse to hold her over until meals.

When asked how patients can motivate their friends and family members to live well and make positive life changes, the speakers were unanimous: you have to make small changes, and set yourself up for success!

Meet Tiffany Grant, Kovler’s New Associate Director of Clinical Research!

Ms. Tiffany Grant!

Kovler is thrilled to announce that Tiffany Grant, RN, FNP has joined the University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center’s team as Associate Director of Clinical Research! At Kovler, more than 150 scientists work toward novel treatments, prevention and even potential cures for type 1 and 2 diabetes, obesity, and diabetic complications. Indeed, along with providing our patients with the best quality care, Kovler also constantly strives to remain at the forefront of diabetes research. Under Tiffany’s guidance in clinical research, Kovler is confident that we are well-headed that direction.

Tiffany received her BSN and FNP degrees from Rush College of Nursing and have been in the medical profession since 2003. Over the last ten years, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings including Rush Medical Center , a private family practice clinic, Walgreens Take Care Clinics, and at Radiant Research in Chicago . Although she has had experience with various therapeutic areas, for Tiffany, diabetes has always been her personal passion, and she is delighted to bring her experiences and passion to Kovler as the newest member of the Kovler team! Here is what Tiffany has to say about her new role at Kovler:

Tiffany, what do you hope to gain out of this new experience with working for Kovler?
I am incredibly excited to be collaborating with Kovler’s world-renowned team and hope to bring energy and vision to the role clinical trials play in developing new tools for management and treatment of diabetes and other endocrine disorders.

We know that you have just started working this new position recently, but we would love to know what a typical work day for you would look like! What are some things that you are working on right now?
At the moment my days consist of further familiarizing myself with all the outstanding work being done by Kovler in clinical care, research, education and community engagement. In addition, I am collaborating with members of the Kovler staff and the Section of Adult and Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism as we collectively work towards creating a more streamlined and uniform program for the initiation, management and development of sponsored and investigator-initiated diabetes clinical research.

Current research underway at the Kovler Diabetes Center covers most aspects of pediatric and adult diabetes and obesity at both the clinical and basic laboratory levels. For more information about Kovler’s team of scientists and our areas of research, visit our page at http://kovlerdiabetescenter.org/home/about-us/our-scientists/ !

Fit Foodie Chef Jen to Demo Diabetes-Friendly Recipes at Kovler’s 7th Annual Living Well With Diabetes Event

Chef Jennifer Bucko Lamplough is a Chef Instructor for the Robert Morris University Institute of Culinary Arts in Chicago, Aurora and Orland Park, Illinois and is co-author with Lara Rondinelli-Hamilton, RD, LDN, CDE of three American Diabetes Association Cookbooks: the award-winning, best-selling, Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking, 1^st and 2^nd Editions and the Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook. She also contributes recipes regularly to the American Diabetes Association’s “Recipes for Healthy Living” web site and e-newsletter.

Chef Jen was featured on Food Network’s program, “Fat Chef” which chronicled the weight loss journeys of 12 chefs across the country. By participating in the program, she lost over 50 pounds and is still working toward an overall goal of 100 pounds lost. Her participation in the show has led her to launch FitFoodieChef, where she offers healthy cooking demonstrations and classes, online tips, recipes and advice on healthy eating and living.

We are so excited to have Chef Jen join us for the event! Attendees will learn how to make a couple of recipes from her new cookbook and will even have to opportunity to taste her food for themselves. You will be surprised how delicious Chef Jen can make diabetic-friendly food taste!

Living Well is a free, annual event hosted by Kovler to educate the local diabetic community and inspire them to live well with diabetes. To learn more or to register go to http://kovlerdiabetescenter.org/event-registration/?ee=10. Spots are limited, so make sure to register early!

Kovler’s 7th Annual Living Well With Diabetes — With Sherri Shepherd!

Kovler is pleased to announce that Sherri Shepherd will be the special guest speaker at our 7^th annual Living Well With Diabetes event on April 27^th!

Sherri is an actress, comedienne, television personality, and Chicago native. You may have seen her on Everybody Loves Raymond, 30 Rock, Dancing With the Stars, and on the daytime talk show The View, where she and her co-hosts won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2009.

Sherri is also a type two diabetic and the author of an exciting new book coming out April 30^th: Plan D How to Lose Weight and Beat Diabetes (Even If You Don’t Have It).

Sherri will be speaking about her personal struggle with weight loss and how she has learned how to live well while managing her diabetes. Sherri’s talk will also give attendees a sneak peak at her new book!

Living Well is a free, annual event hosted by Kovler to educate the local diabetic community and inspire them to live well with diabetes. This year’s event will be held at the University of Chicago Medicine’s Center for Care and Discovery on April 27th. To learn more or to register go to http://kovlerdiabetescenter.org/event-registration/?ee=10. Spots are limited, so make sure to register early!

Diabetes Alert Day: Take Time to Assess Your Risk and Help STOP Diabetes!

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), nearly 26 million Americans are living with diabetes and a quarter of them—that’s nearly 7 million people!—don’t even know they have it. A further 79 million Americans have prediabetes. Diabetes Alert Day is a one day wake up call to take a look at your own risk of developing type 2 diabetes and investigate ways in which you can lower it.

Some risk factors you can’t change. For example, the older you get the higher your risk for developing type 2 diabetes becomes. In addition, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and people who have a family history of diabetes also have an increased risk of developing the disease.

However, there are many risk factors you CAN change! Losing weight, eating right, and exercising regularly can all help to reduce your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Check out some of our recent blog posts for helpful hints from our Certified Diabetes Educators.

So what is YOUR risk? Go take the ADA’s Diabetes Risk Test to find out! There is power knowledge, and you have the power to change your risk of developing diabetes.

Best of all, Boar’s Head will donate $5 to the ADA (up to $50,000) for EACH Diabetes Risk Test taken between today, March 26^th and April 9^th. It’s a win-win! So go take the test, have your friends and family take the test, and help America beat diabetes!

For more information of Diabetes Alert Day, please visit the ADA’s webpage.

If you have any questions about your diabetes or specific ways in which you can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, please feel free to contact us at diabetes@uchospitals.edu or 773-702-2371.

InTransit: Rock-Climbing with Kovler!

Last Sunday, members of the Kovler Diabetes Center’s InTransit teen advisory panel gathered at the Evanston Athletic Club to go rock climbing and hear about the amazing adventures of rock climber, helicopter skier, and type 1 diabetic Miles Harkleroad.

Each teen had the opportunity to test out their climbing skills on the climbing wall. Many of the teens had previous indoor climbing experience but found the EAC’s wall to be a fun challenge! Some teens even made it all the way to the top.

During breaks from climbing, teens, parents, and Kovler professionals Julia Socke and Amy Hess-Fischl connected with each other to discuss issues affecting teens living with diabetes. It was a great opportunity for teens and parents to meet others facing similar obstacles and for Julia and Amy to get better ideas on how Kovler can provide teens with the best possible diabetes care.

Miles Harkleroad spoke about the challenges he has faced as a diabetic rock climber and helicopter skiier. He has found that there is always a creative solution to managing his diabetes while out on his adventures. For example, Miles stores his insulin in a pant pocket while skiing to keep it from freezing, and while rock climbing he stores his insulin near his water bottle to help keep it from heating up. Miles also showed tons of photos from his travels to the southwest and helmet-cam videos of the (terrifying) slopes he skied in Alaska. Miles experiences showed teens that having diabetes has never prevented him from doing the things he loves to do!

Kovler’s InTransit group meets quarterly to connect and share ideas about how to live well with diabetes as a teenager. The group is dedicated to figuring out ways for teens with diabetes to navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood while living healthy, active lives. Teens, parents, and Kovler professionals exchange in a fun and informal way and help Kovler deliver the best care possible!

Want to be a part of the InTransit teen advisory panel? Shoot Carla Henault an email at chenault@uchicago.edu, and we’ll make sure to send you an invite to upcoming events!

Meet Mary Beller!

Food Myths and Diabetes

As we continue to recognize National Nutrition Month, I wanted to draw some attention to a few of the more common food myths relating to diabetes and a patient’s nutrition requirements or limitations.

MYTH 1: Only focus on the sugar content on the food label
TRUTH: Total carbs are what will break down completely to sugar (and affect BGs). Sugar, as well as all the other items indented below total carbs, are all part of the total carbs.

MYTH 2: Sugar free = Carb free
With a few exceptions (diet drinks, sugar-free gelatin), sugar-free will still have carbs. Be sure to focus on the serving size and total carbs. To make a comparison to see if a sugar-free product is a better option, compare it to the regular version, but make sure you’re looking at serving size, calories, fat and total carbs. If the numbers are similar, the regular version may be the best option.

MYTH 3:  You need to eat differently than everyone else because of diabetes
There is no such thing as a “diabetic diet.” The recommendations are the same as for people who aren’t living with diabetes. However, it’s important for everyone to focus on HOW MUCH they eat, since serving size plays a big factor in the number of calories, fat and carbs we consume.

MYTH 4:  With diabetes, sweets are off limits
Like the rest of the U.S. population, it’s recommended to limit our sweets…but people living with diabetes don’t have to completely eliminate them. It’s important to focus on how much we consume, and know what the serving size is, as well as the total carbs.

MYTH 5:  Since fruit is healthy, you can eat as much as you want
While fruit is healthy, it still contains carbohydrate. If we eat too much, it can cause the BG levels to rise too high. Based on USDA guidelines, we do want to try to include fruit at every meal, but it’s the serving size that’s important. One serving = 17 small grapes, 1 small orange or apple, ½ banana or ¾ cup of blueberries, to name a few.

National Nutrition Month continues throughout the month, so make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or visit eatright.org for additional tips and resources.

Here’s to healthy eating!

Amy Hess-Fischl
Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Program Coordinator of InTransit Program
The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center

Supporting Healthy Lifestyles is OUR Resolution

Note: The following guidelines* are presented for informational purposes only. Always consult your doctor before embarking on a new dietary plan.

We hope you and your family had a happy and healthy holiday season! As 2013 kicks into full gear, it is time to resolve to make healthy choices.

If you have diabetes (or are trying to prevent it), you’re in luck: Delicious foods and meals can still be part of your everyday life. A nutritionist or diabetes educator can point to resources that can help, including cookbooks for people with diabetes.

It’s best to start by knowing your target blood glucose levels. For most people with diabetes, they will range from 70 to 130 mg/DL before meals, and less than 180 mg/DL after meals. However, it is critical to discuss this with your doctor and ask about the blood glucose levels that are best for you. Remember to measure your blood sugar and take your medication(s) as often as your doctor recommends.

A healthy diet includes a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. When you have diabetes, you will especially need to watch your carbohydrate intake carefully. Your doctor is the best person to advise you on how many grams of carbohydrates to eat per day. Starches, dairy foods, fruits and vegetables carry more carbohydrates than most other foods, so it will be important to check the carbohydrate levels on those foods.

Learning serving sizes also will help. Here are some examples of “single serving” sizes, developed by the American Diabetes Association:

• Meat, fish, poultry — 3 oz. (about the size of the palm of your hand)
• Cheese — 1 oz. (about the size of your thumb)
• Milk, yogurt, fresh vegetables — 1 cup (about the size of a tennis ball)
• Bread — one slice
• Rice or cooked pasta — ⅓ cup
• Potato or corn — ½ cup
• Dry cereal — ¾ cup

When you first begin your new nutrition plan, you may want to invest in measuring spoons and cups (for both liquid and solid foods). With practice, you’ll develop an “eye” for the right serving size.

The ADA recommends using the “food pyramid” developed by nutritionists as a general guideline for how many servings to eat from each food group. Be careful not to eat too much protein, which can contribute to insulin resistance. Again, ask your doctor for guidance.

At each meal, the ADA recommends the following “Create Your Plate” approach to balance your nutrition:

Using your dinner (or breakfast) plate, draw an imaginary line down the middle of the plate.

1. On one side, “cut” the plate again so you will have three total sections on your plate.
2. Fill the largest section with non-starchy vegetables such as:

1. spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy
2. green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes
3. vegetable juice, salsa, onion, cucumber, beets, okra
4. mushrooms, peppers, turnip

3. In one of the small sections, place starchy foods such as:

1. whole-grain breads, such as whole wheat or rye
2. whole-grain, high-fiber cereal
3. cooked cereal such as oatmeal, grits, hominy or cream of wheat
4. rice, pasta, dal, tortillas
5. cooked beans and peas, such as pinto beans or black-eyed peas
6. potatoes, green peas, corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes, winter squash
7. low-fat crackers and snack chips, pretzels, and fat-free popcorn

4. On the other small section, place red meat, poultry, fish or meat substitutes. For example:

1. chicken or turkey without the skin
2. fish such as tuna, salmon, cod or catfish
3. other seafood such as shrimp, clams, oysters, crab or mussels
4. lean cuts of beef and pork such as sirloin or pork loin
5. tofu, eggs or low-fat cheese

5. Add an 8 ounce glass of nonfat or low-fat milk. If you don’t drink milk, add another small serving of carbohydrate such as a 6 ounce container of light yogurt or a small roll.
6. Add a piece of fruit or a 1/2 cup fruit salad. Examples are fruit that is fresh, frozen or canned in juice or frozen in light syrup.

If you use a plate or bowl for breakfast, keep your portions small. Use half the plate for starchy foods; add fruit in one small part and a meat or meat substitute in the other.

Here are some tips that can help you stay on track with your blood sugar goals. Make sure you have spoken with your doctor before trying any of these strategies. (Source: American Diabetes Association)

• Buy whole grain breads and cereals.
• Eat fewer fried or high-fat, starchy treats, such as potato chips or French fries. Opt for fat-free popcorn, baked potato chips or pretzels instead.
• Instead of regular sour cream, use low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt, or fat-free sour cream.
• If you’re eating a sandwich, use mustard instead of mayonnaise.
• Rather than using butter on bread, rolls or toast, try low-fat or fat-free substitutes, such as low-fat mayonnaise or light margarine.
• Eat cereal with fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Try low-fat or fat-free salad dressing.
• Use spices and herbs.
• Use oil in small amounts, and substitute canola oil, olive oil or soft margarines (liquid or tub types) for fat from meat, butter or shortening.
• Choose pieces of fruit more often than fruit juice. Whole fruit is more filling and has more fiber.
• Buy cuts of meat with little fat on them.
• Eat chicken or turkey without the skin.
• Cook meat and meat substitutes in low-fat ways:
  • broil
  • grill
  • stir-fry
  • roast
  • steam
  • microwave

• Cook eggs using cooking spray or a non-stick pan.
• Limit the amount of nuts, peanut butter, and fried foods you eat. They are high in fat.

If you like sweets, it’s important to talk with your doctor about how they may affect your blood sugar. If your doctor says you can eat sweets in moderation, these approaches may help (Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)) :

• Try sugar-free popsicles, diet soda, fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt, or sugar-free hot cocoa mix.
• Share desserts in restaurants.
• Order small or child-size servings of ice cream or frozen yogurt.
• Divide homemade desserts into small servings and wrap each individually. Freeze extra servings.
• Remember that fat-free and low-sugar foods still have calories.

For more tips, visit kovlerdiabetescenter.org, follow us on twitter @KovlerDiabetes, and join us on Facebook!

Reflecting on 2012, Looking Forward to 2013!

As we come to the end of the year, the Kovler Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago has much to celebrate.

In 2012, our doctors and nurses treated thousands of individuals with diabetes. Diabetes experts also established or strengthened clinical partnerships throughout the world and provided diabetes management and prevention education at events large and small across Chicagoland and the U.S. You can read more about the amazing work over the last fiscal year in our first-ever Kovler Annual Report.

Based in the heart of one of the world’s great academic institutions, Kovler scientists are doing innovative research informed by a century of scientific discoveries and breakthroughs at University of Chicago. Our genetics team recently identified new genes that cause diabetes. Their work could lead one day to a better understanding of the effects of gene mutations on insulin production and metabolism, and provide pathways to treatments that once seemed unimaginable.

Alongside research, this type of outstanding, personalized patient care is at the heart of Kovler’s mission. From infants through adulthood, we provide the nation’s only fully-integrated pediatric and adult diabetes programs. Our Family Behavioral Health and Wellness Program is forging a national model for family-centered diabetes care. And three doctors in the Kovler Diabetes Center, including director, Dr. Lou Philipson, were recognized by U.S. News & World Report in its ranking of the nation’s top physicians in the field.

This year, we launched critical initiatives including our volunteer initiative Kovler Krew, InTransit Teen Advisory Panel, Peer to Peer program in our Southside Community and held multiple Kovler for Kids events throughout the city. To learn more about the work we do and ways to get involved, visit the Kovler website. You may also contact Peggy Hasenauer, Executive Director, directly via email peggy.hasenauer@uchospitals.edu or by calling 773.834.4789.

This year, as you and your family choose charitable causes, we hope you will consider Kovler Diabetes Center.  Your charitable support is critical to expanding clinical research programs and telemedicine initiatives, as Kovler’s leadership embarks on an expanded model for virtual diabetes care and greater access to diabetes clinical trials – bringing new discoveries and possible cures directly to those with diabetes.  For more ways to learn how to give to Kovler, please visit this website and be sure to note Kovler in the memo section.

From the Kovler Diabetes Center Family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy New Year filled with health and happiness.

Peggy Hasenauer, MS, RN
Executive Director
The University of Chicago Kovler Diabetes Center