Today, Tuesday, March 24th is American Diabetes Alert Day.  The American Diabetes Association has indicated this day as a “wake up call” to the seriousness of this disease. 

24 million adults and children in our country have diabetes.  About 25% of these do not even know that they have it.  However, early diagnosis is critical to treatment as uncontrolled blood sugars can lead to:

• Heart Disease
• Blindness
• Kidney Failure
• Stroke
• Lower limb amputations
• Death

Diabetes prevalence in the U.S. has more than tripled over the past 25 years.  Research has shown that obesity is the main reason for this increase.  Besides obesity, additional risk factors for diabetes include:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Age over 45 years
• Family history of diabetes
• African American, Latino, American Indian, Asian American or Pacific Island ethnicity
• Women who have delivered babies weighing 9 pounds or more at birth.

Could you be at risk?  Take the free Diabetes Risk Test at www.diabetes.org/alert or call 1.800.342.2383.  If you have diabetes or are at high risk of developing diabetes, working with your physician and a Certified Diabetes Educator will help you to be better able to control your blood sugars.  Doing so will prevent the complications that can occur when blood sugars are uncontrolled. 

Nutrition Pair, LLC is a married couple of Registered Dietitians and Certified Diabetes Educators who, along with the care of your physician, can help those who have diabetes, prediabetes or who are at high risk for developing diabetes.  We know diabetes on both a professional and personal level as John has had Type 1 Diabetes for the past 18 years.  Contact us at http://www.nutritionpair.com/index.php?link=contact .

It’s Your Health.  It’s Your Life.  Make That Change!

~ Angie

Happy Registered Dietitian Day!  Today marks the 2nd annual Registered Dietitian Day sponsored by the American Dietetic Association (ADA).  Look for the ADA to ring the Opening Bell for the NASDAQ stock exchange tomorrow morning, March 12^th in recognition of National Nutrition Month and Registered Dietitian Day. 

What makes you unique?  We all have our own distinctive traits that make us different from the person sitting next to us. This is what makes us special.  And, this is why personalized service is so important.  It gives us the freedom to choose what we want when we want it.  Our MP3’s are loaded with OUR favorite songs.  Our DVR’s tape our favorite sports or shows so that we can watch them at a time that is most convenient for us.  Even children are getting into personalization.  They can go to “Build a Bear Workshop” and fashion a bear that reflects their own special interests. 

You are unique.  You deserve individualized attention. 

When it comes to improving health, it should be no different.  Look for a program that can be customized for your lifestyle:   your schedule, your health goals, your medical history, your meds, your culinary skills, your own cultural foods and your financial situation.    Personalization can make the difference between success and failure.  This is why diets don’t work.  They don’t tell you what to do when you go to eat at a friend’s house and they are not serving Week 2’s Thursday Supper Meal.  Diet books don’t talk back to you and are not always written by Nutrition Experts, or Registered Dietitians.  You need the knowledge and skills to make your flexible choices on your own terms. 

An eating plan should fit your lifestyle, not the other way around.  This is where a Registered Dietitian (RD) comes in.  We get personal.  Find yourself a personal nutrition coach, a Registered Dietitian. We can create a customized plan that fits your own unique lifestyle and values. Working on-on-one with your own RD to develop a plan together, taking in your own wants and needs can be exciting.  RD’s help people who want customized plans because of our in-depth training and knowledge of nutrition, medical issues, and food.  We are uniquely qualified to assess and counsel an individual with any kind of medical history or lifestyle.

Nutrition Pair will work with you on your terms, on your time schedule with your own goals in mind.  No diets allowed.  Contact us to set up an individualized on-line, phone or face-to-face appointment!