Aloha folks,

This is Christie Wilson, Advertiser staff writer and lead reporter for the "Living with Diabetes" series that concludes today in the paper. I hope you'll use this forum to discuss the series, share some of your own experiences and suggest diabetes-related story ideas for the Advertiser to follow up on. We do not plan to drop the subject once the series has ended — there certainly is much to report on the disease and its impacts in Hawai'i. I do not pretend to be an expert, so if I am unable to answer your questions here and now, I will try to get an answer for you from one of the innumerable health professionals we've worked with during the series, and provide that information in a future blog entry.

Here’s a tasty recipe for Lemon Herb Tilapia provided by the American
Diabetes Association:

Ingredients:
1/2 c. lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp dried thyme
Four 4-ounce tilapia fillets
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 Tbsp. margarine
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine lemon juice, garlic, and herbs in a
medium bowl. Add fish, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 15
minutes.
2. Remove fish from marinade (reserve the marinade). Spray a 12 x 12-inch
sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray.
3. Place 2 fillets of fish on the sheet of aluminum foil. Top with half of
zucchini. Repeat layering with another layer of fish, then remaining
zucchini.
4. Sprinkle chunks of margarine over the top of fish and drizzle 1/4 cup of
the marinade over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bring foil sides up on both sides and seal. Place on baking sheet and
bake in oven for 20 minutes. Serves four.

Nutrition Information: Calories, 155; calories from fat, 50; total fat, 6
grams; saturated fat, 2 grams; cholesterol, 76 mg; sodium, 217 mg; total
carbohydrate, 5 grams; dietary fiber, 1 gram; sugars, 2 grams; protein, 23
grams.

For more diabetic-friendly recipes, visit www.diabetes.org.

We ran out of space and time in The Advertiser’s extensive diabetes series
before we could explain the state Department of Health’s role in diabetes
prevention and control.

The agency’s Diabetes Prevention and Control Program receives $369,737
annually through a cooperative agreement between the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the Health Department.

There are no state funds allocated to the program, which designs, implements
and evaluates diabetes prevention and control strategies.

The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program keeps track of the burden of
diabetes, complication rates and hospitalizations, providing data to local,
state and federal agencies.

It also develops the Hawai'i Diabetes Plan that brings together partners
throughout the state to determine the health system priorities for diabetes.
The plan also serves as a road map for potential collaboration,
interventions to reduce health disparities and to improve the quality of
life for people with diabetes.

Coordinating the Hawai'i Diabetes Coalition is another task. Coalition
members are convened annually to discuss emerging issues, research findings
and data, and work in ad hoc groups to address different goals in the
Hawai'i Diabetes Plan.

The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program also has established
partnerships with Hawai'i’s federally qualified health centers that have
helped lower blood glucose levels, decrease cholesterol levels, increase
foot check rates, and increase blood glucose testing and microalbumin
testing. As a result, Hawai'i was recognized by the CDC as the state with
the highest proportion of adults with diabetes who have multiple preventive
care services.

For information on the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program and to
download copies of the Hawai'i Diabetes Plan and related documents, visit
the Health Department Web site.

Advertiser reporter Christie Wilson, lead writer on our five-day series on “Diabetes: Hawai’i’s Hidden Epidemic,” will be taking questions from readers on Thursday, Sept. 11, from noon to 1 p.m.

Join us here at that hour to talk about the series, suggest follow-up articles and share your  stories.

Aloha, folks.

I have spent the last several months immersed in The Advertiser’s diabetes
project and it has been a real learning experience. I have to admit I’m one
of those people the esteemed Dr. Wilfred Fujimoto talks about — you know,
those people who say, “Well, there’s a chance I won’t get diabetes.”

As I hunched over my keyboard madly typing away on my stories, all the while
chain-snacking Triscuits and chocolate-covered raisins from Costco, I
realized it was imperative to my health and my family that I get my act
together. (Did I mention they were whole-wheat Triscuits? And raisins are
good for you, right?)

It was a wake-up call to learn about all the diabetes risk factors and how
many I could check off. And let’s not even mention that nasty BMI chart.
Even if I don’t get diabetes, there are plenty of other reasons to lose
weight and get active. Like taking some of the load off my aching knees.
Even though recommendations call for a brisk 30-minute walk, five days a
week, public education coordinator Alice Silbanuz with the state Department
of Health said it’s OK for people just starting out to break the routine
into 10-minute chunks during the day.

“Every minute of walking extends your life by two minutes,” Alice said.
And by walking just 10 minutes a day, she said you can drop 5 to 10 pounds
in a year, as long as you don’t up your intake of Triscuits and
chocolate-covered raisins.

Surely, that’s doable.

So, as a starter, I walked to my dentist’s office the other day instead of
taking my car. It’s took about 10 minutes to get there and another 10 to
return to work. Hey, that was easy.

As depressing as all the statistics about diabetes are, it was encouraging
to talk with so many health professionals who are so passionate about
researching the disease, helping those with diabetes live better lives, and
educating others about diabetes.

I will be calling on some of those folks to answer your questions in future
entries and provide additional info on this critical health topic.