Towards the end of the summer, fresh peaches are at their peak.  I am lucky enough to live in the southeast, where some of the finest peaches in the US are grown.  Peaches came to America about the time of the American Revolution.  They are native of China where many both cultivated and wild varieties are grown. 

I had the unfortunate chance of working with a recent client with Gestational Diabetes.  The unfortunate part was that she was still smoking and she was due in a short 4 weeks.  Apparently her MD told her to ‘cut back’, instead of ‘quit’- at least that was her interpretation.  My response was to ask her if she would offer her new born a cigarette.  She looked at me in horror as I tried to explain that smoking during pregnancy is like giving the unborn child a cigarette.  It cuts off their oxygen as well, and also decreases their blood supply.  She seemed inclined to quit by the next visit.  It got me thinking about the affects of nicotine on the human body, and why smoking + diabetes = a smoking gun. 

One of the first things your doctor may have said when you were diagnosed with diabetes is to lose weight. Why is this so important?

Losing weight provides two benefits to people with type 2 diabetes. First of all, losing weight makes your cells more receptive to the insulin that is circulating in your blood.