{"id":33358,"date":"2013-06-29T11:12:20","date_gmt":"2013-06-29T15:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33358"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:43:09","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:43:09","slug":"have-a-donut-with-your-donation-to-the-american-diabetes-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=33358","title":{"rendered":"Have a Donut with Your Donation to the American Diabetes Association"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just before I turned 14, in the middle of my eighth grade school year, my father, brother, and I left Houston and moved to NYC.\u00a0 We moved into a sublet on 108th<\/sup> Street and Riverside Drive.\u00a0 In contrast to sunny Houston, NYC was gray.\u00a0 Our building was dreary, and the wind off the river was so bitter it stung my face.\u00a0 But that was all tolerable because it was above ground.\u00a0\u00a0 The most shocking hardship I faced in NYC was the subway ride to my school, Friends Seminary, on East 16th<\/sup> Street.\u00a0 The underground world was different \u2013 especially when we changed trains in Times Square.\u00a0 The stench of urine was so overpowering I had to hold my breath.\u00a0 And there was no escape from the devotees of L. Ron Hubbard, and their aggressive attempts to sell me copies of Dianetics<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every ride to and from school felt like the journey in The Way Back<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 The one respite after a crowded subway ride home from school with my face stuck in the armpits of the passengers around me was a little shop called Happy Donuts down the street from my building. \u00a0After we exited the subway station, my brother and I made a daily stop at Happy Donuts, and carried our treats home in a little white paper bag so we could eat them while we played Nintendo.\u00a0 (Looking back with the eyes of a mother, I can\u2019t imagine allowing my sons to eat donuts every day nor can I imagine letting them eat them on the couch while playing a video game: crumbs and sticky fingers! \u00a0My father, though, never told us not to buy donuts.\u00a0 I suppose he was just relieved we made it home.\u00a0 And, hey, the donuts were Happy and I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Maybe he thought some of the donuts\u2019 joy would rub off on me.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The point of this story, I suppose, is to tell you that I am a big fan of donuts. \u00a0But I have diabetes, so I don\u2019t eat them. \u00a0Now, I\u2019d like to ask you to refrain from telling me that people with diabetes can eat anything they want.\u00a0 Sure, we can.\u00a0 But the consequences of donut-eating in a diabetic are harsh.\u00a0 It\u2019s an almost guaranteed blood sugar disaster.\u00a0 Everyone with diabetes knows how difficult it is to bolus for a combination of sugar, wheat flour, and fat.\u00a0 But apparently the organizations and companies that represent people with diabetes and produce products for us, haven\u2019t yet wrapped their brains around a very simple concept: junk food screws us over. Every. Single. Time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m really not the type to throw out conspiracy theories. \u00a0Really not. \u00a0But when I attended a Dexcom party in Chicago a few days ago (which I was told by unofficial sources was a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association (ADA)) and saw the biggest donut spread in the history of the world, my first thought was: Are they fucking kidding me?\u00a0 My second thought was: these guys are making sure they profit off our diabetes.\u00a0 How many blood glucose test strips will I use while I try to cover my donut?\u00a0 How badly will I wish I had a continuous glucose monitor while I\u2019m pricking my finger every ten minutes to see the donut damage?\u00a0<\/p>\n

I wish I\u2019d taken a picture of the make-your-own-donut spread.\u00a0 There was a long, long table with naked glazed donuts and beside them all sorts of add-ons, like chocolate syrup, sprinkles, etc.\u00a0 It was tortuous to be so close to those drool-worthy donuts.\u00a0\u00a0 But never mind that it was insensitive to put a donut spread in front of diabetics.\u00a0 Where are your PR people, Dexcom?\u00a0 All you smart people taking care of diabetics \u2013 don\u2019t you realize that serving donuts at a party to raise money for the American Diabetes Association – or any other diabetes-related organization – is like having a smoking party to raise money for lung cancer patients? \u00a0It\u2019s begging for ridicule. \u00a0You\u2019re giving the Onion<\/a> free headlines.<\/p>\n

So, at the party I had a little chat with an ADA person.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s with the donuts?\u201d I asked. He shrugged, looked a bit embarrassed and told me it was an \u201cafter party\u201d and \u201c a dessert party.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quick facts for the party planners: Diabetes doesn\u2019t go away after dinner.\u00a0 And while the ADA suggests 45-60 grams of carb per meal is about right for most people (I disagree), a donut with toppings would likely run \u00a0somewhere between 50-80 grams of carb.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s really at stake here is not one party, one carb count, or one day of highs and lows, but rather, it’s the message you\u2019re sending.\u00a0 In a country with soaring levels of diabetes and obesity, when you serve donuts, you\u2019re saying, \u201cWe don\u2019t care.\u201d \u00a0When you set piles of donuts out to tempt those of us who can’t secrete insulin, you’re not cool, you’re cruel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can’t work in diabetes and ignore the food issue. \u00a0It’s true that having diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t have dessert. \u00a0But dessert can be dark chocolate covered almonds, small truffles, cherries, berries with cream, bite-sized sweets. \u00a0There are many options that aren’t over-the-top. \u00a0And it\u2019s also okay to tell people \u2013 loudly and clearly – that one of the best ways to keep blood glucose levels in range is to avoid eating things like donuts.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019d argue that it\u2019s part of your job. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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