Episode 6 – Discussing Diets with Jayne Jones, “America’s No Sugar Baker”

Happy June, all!

Today’s podcast episode features Florida attorney, author, cook, and (relatively newly diagnosed) type 2 diabetic, Jayne Jones, “America’s No Sugar Baker.”

Ms. Jones recently released a cookbook entitled The No Sugar Baker’s Cookbook of Healthy Living & No Regrets (available now on Amazon).

In the episode, Ms. Jones and I discuss her type 2 diagnosis in 2019, her motivations behind starting her food blog, No Sugar Baker, and publishing a cookbook, and her hopes for the diabetic community.

I hope you enjoy the episode and stay tuned for new ones coming soon!

***DISCLAIMER: As Ms. Jones and I both mention during the episode, neither of us are medical professionals (we’re both attorneys) and we both recognize that diets and nutrition needs/limitations are highly individualized. Personally, I do not prescribe to or endorse a high fat, almost nonexistent carb diet, especially for type 1 diabetics, but again, I’m not a doctor or a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Ms. Jones created a diet that seems to be working for her in terms of weight loss and blood sugar control as a type 2 diabetic, but as she notes, she did not rely on any specific medical or nutritional resources before creating it.

For these reasons, while I did find the recipes I tried from the cookbook particularly tasty, I want to make absolutely clear that I am in no way endorsing or recommending that anyone abide by Ms. Jones’ dietary lifestyle. If you or anyone you love is considering prescribing to such a diet, I’d strongly suggest you first discuss the matter with a medical professional.  

Lastly, Ms. Jones makes a claim during the episode that the American Diabetes Association advises diabetics to eat fifty grams of carbohydrates per meal. I do not know where she’s getting that information from, but from what I found on the ADA website, their Nutrition Consensus Report recognizes that there are a variety of healthy eating patterns available to diabetics, including, but not limited to a lower-carb diet. According to the ADA’s “Diabetes Plate Method,” you’d be creating balanced, portioned meals of vegetables, protein, and carbs by trying to limit your intake of carbs to one quarter of a plate no larger than nine inches across.

Again, what’s most important is that you discuss your intended eating patterns with a medical professional (ideally, with a RDN) in order to determine what makes the most sense for your health, your treatment goals, and your body.

All my best,

Kate

Episode 6 of The Phunky Diabetic Podcast – Discussing Diets with Jayne Jones, “America’s No Sugar Baker”

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Episode 4 – Discussing Diabulimia with Melany Gray

Happy Holidays, everyone!

I think we can all agree it’s a good thing this year is finally winding down. But before we say goodbye to 2020, I wanted to share Episode 4 of the podcast!

Trigger Warning: This episode covers the topics of diabulimia, disordered eating, disordered thinking, eating disorders, addiction, diabetes burnout, and diabetes-related complications. While my guest and I tried to speak of these issues with the utmost respect for all those who’ve struggled with them in the past or is currently struggling with them now, please skip this episode if you believe it would be triggering for you.

I want to thank my guest, Melany Gray, for agreeing to be on the podcast and sharing her experiences with diabulimia and diabetes-related complications with me and my listeners.

As we discuss during the episode, a startling number of female diabetics engage in diabulimia (i.e., restricting/withholding one’s insulin intake for the purpose of weight loss) at some point during their years with type 1 diabetes.

And with one study finding that those who engaged in diabulimia died, on average, thirteen years younger than those who hadn’t engaged in such behavior, it’s vital that the diabetic community better understand why it’s happening and how to prevent it from happening in the future.

During the episode, Melany and I discuss what drove us to experimenting with disordered eating and insulin restriction, what (and who) helped us finally work toward recovery, how our health has suffered as a result of engaging in diabulimia, and on a positive note, the ways in which our mental and physical health has improved since recovering.

For anyone struggling with diabulimia or diabetes burnout, please reach out to your medical care team and/or a mental health professional. For those living in the United Kingdom or Ireland, you might also want to check out the T1ED UK & Ireland peer support group on Facebook.

While peer support groups should never be used as a substitute for seeking professional care and medical attention, especially if you’re suffering from diabulimia/diabetes burnout and/or experiencing diabetes-related complications, speaking with other type 1 diabetics who’ve gone through similar experiences can be a cathartic and healing experience.

If you want to reach out to me or to Melany about your own experience with diabulimia or diabetes burnout, please feel free to do so! Melany can be found on Instagram at @melanyjanegray and on Twitter at @melanyjg85, and I can be found on IG at @katherine.itacy, on Twitter at @katherine_itacy, on Facebook at @authorkatherineitacy, and through my website, http://katherineitacy.com/.

I hope you enjoy my discussion with Melany and stay tuned for future episodes in 2021!

The Phunky Diabetic Podcast – Episode 4 – Discussing Diabulimia with Melany Gray

In the meantime, have a happy and healthy rest of the holiday season.

All my best,

Kate