Posted: 11/7/2022
World Diabetes Day is Monday, Nov. 14
World Diabetes Day is right around the corner. To draw awareness to this important day and focus attention on a serious disease that afflicts millions of Americans, Parkland Health will host a Diabetes Awareness Day event to educate Dallas County residents on how to live a healthy life with diabetes or how to support loved ones throughout their diabetes journey.
With diabetes affecting one in seven adults in the U.S., and the number one cause of chronic kidney disease, according to the American Diabetes Association, access to education and resources is one of many ways individuals can learn how to prevent or manage the disease.
Parkland’s free community event will take place on Monday, Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bluitt-Flowers Health Center, 303. E. Overton Road, Dallas, 75216. Parkland staff including Community Health Workers (CHWs) will provide glucose screenings and cooking demonstrations, healthy snacks, fun games and prizes.
“We try to convey important health information in an inspiring way to stimulate the interest of our patients living with diabetes,” said Sharon Cox, a registered dietitian with Parkland Health.
Cox, who has been employed with Parkland for 28 years, teaches weekly classes in nutrition and diabetes education, devoting special attention this time of year to helping patients prepare for holiday eating. “Making a game plan is imperative,” she said. “You need to decide before the gathering what and how much you are going to eat.”
Parkland’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) diabetes and behavioral health programs have partnered with local organizations such as libraries, community centers and churches to offer diabetes education classes in the community at no cost. Currently, there are 15 trained Community Health Workers who focus on diabetes education, hypoglycemia protocols, screening tool documentation and navigation, and teach patients how to use a glucometer. Parkland has established partnerships with 25 organizations within targeted ZIP Codes in Dallas County to conduct diabetes education. To date, classes are held at 11 community-based organizations with more than 150 individuals attending.
“Each person living with diabetes can take charge of their health. These courses aim to prevent some of the problems poor diabetes management can present,” said Cox.
With Thanksgiving only a few weeks away, Cox gives the following meal-planning advice:
- Start the day off with breakfast; avoid skipping a meal to save up for the holiday dinner.
- Drink more water to stay hydrated. Avoid sugary drinks.
- Snack on raw vegetables with hummus or low-fat dip before the meal.
- Look at all the food on the table before you start filling your plate.
- Fill half your plate with green leafy vegetables, Brussels sprouts, broccoli or green beans. Start with vegetables to help curb your appetite.
- Avoid vegetables in creams, gravies and butter to reduce fat calories.
- Choose white meat over dark meat to consume less fat.
- Cut back on high-fat, high-carbohydrate appetizers before the holiday meal.
- Make fat-free gravy to drizzle over food; skim the fat off the top after the broth has cooled to reduce fat but keep the flavor.
- If you are planning to have dessert, skip the dinner rolls, cornbread and other starchy foods to control carbohydrate intake.
- Make cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries to avoid the added sugar in the canned sauce.
- Eat slowly, talk to family and friends between bites of food, put the fork down and take time to enjoy the meal and company.
For more information about the Diabetes Awareness Day event with Parkland, please call 214-266-4257 or email Sharon.cox@phhs.org.
For more information about Parkland services, visit www.parklanddiabetes.com and www.parklandhealth.org.