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Part of a continuing series on the subject of diabetes mellitus

It was over four decades ago that I was diagnosed as a juvenile diabetic. I was only in my early teens, and the overwhelming complexity of my diagnosis had to be approached in a step-wise fashion.

After the introduction of insulin syringes, stainless steel needles, and the proper handling of the insulin vials, it was time to begin understanding the American Diabetes Association Exchange List and the diabetic diet I would be on for the rest of my life.

I can distinctly recall my doctor handing me a list of the foods and items a diabetic patient can not do; the diabetic “don’ts”. The list was quite extensive, and of course, the first and foremost item on the list was “Don’t eat anything with sugar in it, such as sugar sodas, ketchup, syrup, molasses, sugary fruit drinks, etc., etc.

Remember 40 years ago, the food and beverage industry had but just a few items that a diabetic patient could easily partake in. Sugar free sodas were rare, but did include Fresca and Tab. There were no sugar free sodas at the early fast food restaurants, and restaurants in general were not prepared to accommodate a diabetic patient on a strict diet.

It became very frustrating to constantly be told, “Don’t do this, and don’t do that”, and the life of a diabetic was severely restricted. This was done, to prepare the diabetic for a major life style change, to adjust to a life of discipline, and to be able to survive with this uncureable disease.

Today, the emphasis is not on what a newly diagnosed diabetic patient can not do, but all the things he or she can do. To the casual observer, this may appear as a minor point, but it is actually a tremendous step forward in the psychology of dealing with this disease on a daily basis.

Insulin dependent diabetics, as well as non-insulin dependent diabetics, run marathons, play professional sports, climb mountains, and do things unimaginable over forty years ago.

Although there has always been those revered institutions who teach and adhere to strict diabetic blood glucose control, other practitioners believed that a more lenient blood glucose and diet enabled the diabetic to enjoy a more normal and comfortable life style. The ten year study, the Diabetic Control and Complications Trial DCCT, proved that tight blood glucose control led to less long term diabetic complications, such as diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and other serious diabetic complications.

Fortunately, today we are not faced with so many of the “diabetic don’ts”, however, we must all, as diabetic patients, realize that our lives are best preserved by remaining vigilant to our health condition, eating the right foods and following a good diabetic diet, carefully managing our blood glucose, and getting enough exercise and activity appropriate for our individual case.