I showed my parents my new book yesterday (we are visiting them in Florida). My mother read a few bits and pieces and happened to see the part about her taking me to an ice cream shop immediately after I was diagnosed with diabetes, and on our way to the hospital. She laughed and said she didn’t remember doing that.
Here’s my theory: Mom thinks she was not supposed to take me to an ice cream shop, so she’s embarrassed that I wrote that in my book. She doesn’t think that looks good for her. However, the point of my sharing that anecdote is that she did the right thing: she didn’t immediately cut out foods that were enjoyable to me. Of course, as I point out in the book, she may have thought she was getting me my very last “treat” and how much could it hurt at that point?
The thing is, when people are diagnosed with diabetes they often assume they have to “give up” everything they love – or even everything that is part of their culture. This is not so. As discussed in my book, there are ways to manage diabetes and work in our favorite foods.