At 31 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (adult onset). Until that time 15 years ago I never even knew what diabetes was. Now diabetes is a well known problem and it is very likely that you or someone you know has it. Over 20 million people in this country have diabetes and about 1/3 of them don't even know it.

That means that 1 out of every 14 people in this country have diabetes! Every day, everywhere you go we are there.

Some of the challenges I faced were more difficult than others but the main one was trying to maintain my “normal” life and not impact my family’s habits. After 15 years, I can say there is no way to maintain your health without impacting your families eating habits.

The very most important thing you can do is watch what you eat. When I say watch, I mean be religious about taking your sugar readings when you eat something that you do not know how your body will react with.

Reading the labels is not enough, and if you are suspicious about an ingredient than take your blood sugar reading more religiously if you eat it. I have found that the “net carb” counts are not accurate for me.

Sugar alcohol in my body acts just like sugar, so this trick is something that is probably fine for some people but when I test my sugar after treating myself to that “sugar free” chocolate I find my numbers raise well over 200 and that proves to me that this is not a safe treat.

Look to see if there are studies or Glycemic Index numbers for the foods you eat. And measure your blood sugar whenever you treat yourself. Diabetes is very manageable if you and your family are on top of it.