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Diabetes and a Happy Valentine's Day? YES!!

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Contributed by: Diabetes Care Center on 2/4/2008

When I was 13, I was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. What did that mean to me? NO MORE SUGAR! That was 28 years ago, and back then the education from my doctor about what to eat and not eat was very minimal. "Don't eat sugar" he said. So I didn't! My mother found some hard candies that were "sugar-free," but they were not very appealing, so I chose not to eat them. There were a few sugar-free gums available, but not much else.

My first memory of Valentine's Day after being diagnosed with diabetes was not an exciting one. I had a friend who lived across the street who decided to bring my two sisters and me some Valentine's treats! Even though I knew I couldn't eat sugar, I was still excited to see what I would receive. As my sisters opened their bags of chocolate candies and red-hearts, I peered into my bag, and almost gasped in disbelief. Carrots...a bag of carrots. I thanked my friend wholeheartedly and went inside and cried. She meant well, and I appreciated her attempt to include me in the holiday. But, carrots were not my idea of a good Valentine's Day treat.

Wow, have things changed since then! As a diabetes educator, RN, and co-owner of the Diabetes Care Center, I have learned many tidbits of information that I wish my family and I had known almost 30 years ago: sugar is not off-limits for people with diabetes! In fact, we know that any carbohydrate source breaks down into glucose in the body and affects blood glucose levels.

Pure, "unsweetened" orange juice actually breaks down faster (and causes more of a glucose rise) than a candy bar!

Teaching how to carbohydrate count is one of the main components to diabetes self-management. Teaching healthy versus unhealthy carb choices is also an important aspect of diabetes education and we stress eating healthy carbohydrae choices for the majority of the meals. However, sweets, including Valentine candy, can be incorporated into a healthy diabetic diet!

So, what are the options out there for people with Type I or Type 2 Diabetes? How about a candy store that lists the carbohydrate count on most of the candy! The Fandies Candy Company in Canon City is just that kind of a store! Owned and operated by Debi Moore, Fandies Candy Company is an old-fashioned, one-of-a-kind candy store for the whole family, including those families with members who have diabetes.

And, for those who would rather stick to "sugar free" candies, she has an entire back section devoted to you!! Sugar-free gummie bears and taffy are two of my favorites! Mrs. Moore also makes home-made fudges daily, including a sucrose-free (sucrose is table sugar), gluten-free chocolate/chocolate walnut, and now peanut butter/chocolate fudge. (They taste like yummy brownies to me).

During the week of Valentine's Day (February 11 through 15) Deanne Vialpando and Andrea Houk, the owners of the Diabetes Care Center, will be partnering with Fandies Candy Company to offer our community sucrose-free fudge hearts, a variety of sugar-free candies, and regular Valentine's candies for purchase (some can even be personalized).

You can order ahead of time by calling the Diabetes Care Center at 473-7808 (deadline is Friday the 8th at noon). If you want items to be shipped, please contact Debi directly at 719-275-4447.

For more information about the Diabetes Care Center please visit our Web site at www.diabetescareco.com.

For more information about Fandies Candy Company you can visit the www.fandiescandy.com Web site.

For all of us in the Colorado Springs area with diabetes, it is time to have a Very Happy Valentine's Day!

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CONTRIBUTOR INFO

Diabetes Care Center

ColoSpgs , CO

Diabetes Care Center has posted 3 stories and 0 comments since joining on 8/30/2007. Diabetes Care Center's average story rating is 0.

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