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Mrs. Pudding hands out diabetes tips with spunk

Mrs. Pudding adds humour and flair to diabetes education, posing as a spunky granny sharing stories and tips on treatment and prevention.
72469houstonMrs.Pudding
Diabetes nurse educator Mrs. Pudding

Mrs. Pudding’s humour and spunky, granny-style drew lots of laughs as she taught memorable tips on diabetes.

Acting as a feisty granny who’s been fighting diabetes for ten years, Mrs. Pudding shared her stories and what she learned along the way.

The key for people with or without diabetes is HEAL - Healthy Eating, Active Living - she told the 20 people gathered at the Seniors Centre last Tuesday.

“You’ve got to become a member of the HEAL team. You’ve got to embrace that ya? For your family, your kiddies, your grand kiddies, and for your community,” she said.

For healthy eating, Mrs. Pudding said the trick is “the hand jive.”

“No, no! Not dancing!” she joked. “It’s with your hands. Those are your measuring tools. Mine are the right size for me, and yours are the right size for you. So if you want to know how much to eat at one time, this is how it goes,” she said.

Make a fist and cut it off at the wrist, that’s how much carbohydrates you should have in one sitting, she said.

Take the palm of your hand and chop the fingers off. The fingers is how much meat or protein you should have.

“Here’s the kicker,” she said holding up one thumb. “That’s for the fat.”

For the veggies, Mrs. Pudding cupped two hands together.

“Now, I know what a lot of you want to do with those vegetables: You want to chuck those out the window,” she said, throwing her cupped hands up to her shoulder.

“Don’t get rid of those! Those have got the vitamins and minerals, and those are going to fight off the cold and flu and infection,” she said, adding that they also have fibre.

Lastly, one cupped hand is for fruit and sweeter foods, she said.

The other aspect of being healthy is active living, and being busy doesn’t count as active, Mrs. Pudding said.

“You’ve got to put your activity back into your living,” she said, adding that a good place to start is walking, swimming or even making kayaking movements with your arms while sitting.

Her next quick tip was Sweetheart.

“You’ve got to pamper your sweet heart. Put your energy towards your heart and you manage everything else,” she said, adding that it helps fight and prevent other chronic diseases as well.

Heathy eating and active living is the foundation, and with regular blood sugar testing and no smoking, diabetes is manageable, Mrs. Pudding said.

Concluding her talk, Mrs. Pudding welcomed everyone to a healthy luncheon cooked by volunteer nurses and diabetes specialists.

She sent people on their way with full stomachs, a pocketful of tips and a good dose of laughter.

“Good luck, good health and many blessings,” she said.