Such support is especially important while COVID-19 remains prevalent. That’s because diabetes puts you at a higher risk of complications of the disease, as the American Diabetes Association has warned. Also, stress caused by the pandemic may affect your ability to manage your blood sugar. More than 400 people with relatively well controlled type 1 and type 2 diabetes participated in a Netherlands-based study published in January 2021 in BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, and those who reported having more difficulty controlling their blood sugar during the first two to three months of lockdown in spring 2020 also reported higher stress than the others. RELATED: 10 Diabetes Care Tips During the Coronavirus Pandemic Ready to jump in? We’ve rounded up some of the best type 2 diabetes blogs and accounts to check out in 2022. They’ll help you feel more educated and connected — during the current pandemic and beyond.
1. Reversing T2D
If you visit their blog, check out “The Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Blood Sugar & Type 2 Diabetes,” says Licalzi. “This post does a great job dissecting the latest research.” She also recommends “How Insulin Resistance Leads to Type 2 Diabetes.” “It explains the root cause of type 2 diabetes, and how insulin resistance develops and leads to the development of pre- and type 2 diabetes,” she explains. Their blog clearly favors a plant-based diet, which is incorporated into courses and programs that they sell elsewhere on their website. The American Diabetes Association says a plant-based diet is among several eating plans that can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes or help manage it, with others including low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets. RELATED: The Best and Worst Foods to Eat in a Type 2 Diabetes Diet
2. Type2Diabetes.com
Type2Diabetes.com also has an online community with free registration for people to share their concerns and experiences with the disease. Recent posts focused on sleep apnea and poorly controlled blood sugar. Wilson says the platform serves up to 900,000 visitors each year.
3. Diabetes EveryDay
Watch the videos on Diabetes EveryDay if you also want to see the transcripts, or go to her YouTube channel, which has nearly 4,000 subscribers, for a streamlined experience. She recommends checking out “Looking for Hidden Sugar” and “5 Basic Must-Do’s for Managing Your Diabetes” first. RELATED: The Best Diabetes Apps for Managing Blood Glucose, Food Intake, and More
4. Diabetes Team
Then when you are ready to jump in and share your experiences, advice, and emotional support, go to their homepage or download the app in the App Store or Google Play and sign up for free. (Just a heads-up: The site may keep you logged in after you have registered.) There, new articles are interspersed with member posts about everyday living, concerns about health, and messages of support. You can connect with others who have interests in common by adding them to your “team.” “More than 116,000 registered members rely on the Diabetes Team web and mobile apps for meaningful connection and trusted information,” says Michelle Cox, a spokesperson for the San Francisco parent company, My Health Teams.
5. DiaTribe Learn
RELATED: 5 Ways to Lower Your A1C
6. Diabetes Strong
7. Diabetic Foodie
Most of the meal recipes contain fewer than 400 calories per portion, with less than 45 grams of carbohydrates, and focus on providing lean proteins, nonstarchy vegetables, and healthy fats. There are special sections for paleo, vegan, and gluten-free eaters. Get inspired by the blog’s stunning pictures of popular dishes, such as Low-Carb Chicken Cacciatore, and tempting sweets like the gluten-free, keto-friendly brownies made with avocado. RELATED: 7 Low-Carb Diet Mistakes to Avoid When You Have Type 2 Diabetes
8. Diabetes Self-Management
9. Wildly Fluctuating
Wildly Fluctuating is on a mission to raise diabetes awareness and debunk every misleading headline you’ve read online. Managed by Gretchen Becker, a health writer in Halifax, Vermont, with type 2 diabetes and the coauthor of The Four Corners Diet, Wildly Fluctuating reviews new developments such as emerging research about the newly identified fabkin hormone, which may be involved in the development of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. She also places them in context (“a lot more research needs to be done before fabkin wipes out diabetes”). What is most refreshing about the blog is her willingness to grapple openly with the daily frustrations of life with diabetes. How many times have we all thought to ourselves: “Life Is Unfair”? RELATED: The Type 2 Diabetes Facts and Statistics You Need to Know
10. The Decadent Diabetic
