My Top Five Diabetic Pet Peeves

Everyone has pet peeves. It is human nature to be irritated by things. And, it is different for everyone. Here are my top five pet peeves concerning diabetes and how it is perceived.

First and foremost, my biggest pet peeve has to be food labels. Something new and low in sugar will come out. On the label it will say something similar to "only 4 grams of sugar". In my excitement, I will forget to look at the label and will take this at face value. Only to be terribly disappointed when I get it home and take the time to do what I should have done before I made the purchase. The label will tell me it has 4 grams of sugar, but also 11 other carbohydrates. Which brings the grand total of carbohydrates to 15. Carbohydrates are what diabetics have to count. Sugar is part of this total, but not all there is to it. Misleading food labels are irritating, at best.

People who think they know more than the person who has diabetes can also be very difficult. Usually, a person who has diabetes knows that cookies (or any other sweet treats) have sugar in them. Diabetics are allowed to have sugar. It can be a part of their diet. As long as the carbohydrates contained in the cookie are counted in the daily intake, it will not kill the person with diabetes to eat it. It will not even make them sick, as long as it is counted. It can be quite difficult to get people who do not deal with the disease every day to understand this concept.

Diabetes is not a death sentence. Mamy people with this condition can live long, happy, satisfying lives. It is all about controlling the disease and making smart choices, which is how all of the areas of life are. It can be a challenge to stay the course and do what is necessary to stay healthy. However, most of life is difficult, having a disease is no different.

Another difficult aspect of diabetes to understand is carbohydrates versus sugars. All sugars are carbohydrates, but not all carbohydrates are not sugars. Fiber is a type of carb, so is starch. This means that any starchy food will raise blood glucose levels just as much as a candy bar. Potatoes, green peas, squash, and corn are all vegetables. But, they contain a high quantity of starch. It is very difficult to avoid these foods when uninformed people are trying to get a diabetic to eat them because they are vegetables.

People who feel sorry for me are another pet peeve. Having diabetes does not make me pitiful. I can eat anything I want, just like anyone else. I choose to eat or not eat certain foods because I am trying to control my disease. That is not a reason to feel sorry for me. That really only makes it worse.

Diabetes can be a difficult disease to control. This is especially true when the person is initially diagnosed. To stay healthy, a diabetic has to consider many things, not just sugar intake. Even if you mean well, advice that is incorrect can be devastating at worst and annoying at best. Please take the time to know what you are talking about before you give someone advice about their medical condition.