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You are not alone.
about 30% of teens have prediabetes
The CDC reports that 1 in 5 adolescents (aged 12-18) and 1 in 4 young adults (aged 19-34 years) are living with prediabetes. A recent study found that 30% of American adolescents and teens fall in line with the prediabetes criteria. If you’re living with prediabetes, please know that you are not alone. You may feel compelled to keep your diagnosis a secret to spare yourself from the stigma you witnessed others with prediabetes face. You might convince yourself to put your prediabetes on the back burner until you complete college. I encourage you to tackle your prediabetes while it’s reversible before it progresses into Type 2 Diabetes. The CDC predicts that people with unmanaged prediabetes are expected to progress to full-blown Diabetes within 5 years.
I can imagine why you may feel safer hiding your diagnosis from friends and family. You are unsure how to move forward with your young adult years. You may be afraid of what this diagnosis means for you, your family, and your friendships. You don’t know how to move forward, what to eat, and how others will treat you.
I have come to learn that what people think of you is none of your business. Releasing yourself from the chains of the stigma can be so empowering. I invite you to put yourself first. Let go of the paralyzing thoughts. Embrace your health. Open the path towards building the skillset you need to reverse prediabetes. Explore our blog to learn more on how to reshift your perspective of prediabetes.
I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE!
WHAT IS A HAPPY AONEC?
A Happy AOneC is a resource designed by a Registered Dietitian for people newly diagnosed with prediabetes. It is especially curated for teens, college students, and young adults to provide you with accessible and digestible nutrition content and motivate you build up the courage to discuss and destigmatize prediabetes. We aim to build your nutrition knowledge so that you may invest in your future health and prevent unwelcome health outcomes associated with prediabetes, such as Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and kidney disease.
The goal is to plant seeds of curiosity for nutrition knowledge that will empower you to reverse prediabetes, increase your food and body literacy, and inspire you to take advantage of your health. Explore our blog to learn more about how to manage and reverse prediabetes.
A Happy A one c
my mission
My mission is to guide my fellow Gen Z-ers and young adults on your journey of understanding your new prediabetes diagnosis in a compassionate, and non-judgmental environment. Since I personally witnessed the stigma young people with prediabetes face, I want to provide you with a safe atmosphere to discuss your nutrition-related concerns and feel empowered. When we take the stigma away, we open opportunities to seek help for the prevention of future conditions.
I aim to arm you with the nutrition information to reverse prediabetes for good without compromising your relationship with food. I want to help you feel more confident around carbs, remove the anxiety around food, and teach you how to eat in a way that makes you feel your best. My passion lies in empowering you to rediscover the intersection between physical health, mental health, and food satisfaction by promoting non-restrictive, balanced food choices. In a culture where food restriction is the go-to message around health and wellness, I want to be a voice of hope for you.
Prediabetes struggles as a student
brain fog
People with blood sugar disturbances often experience headaches, decreased concentration during classes, and difficulty retaining information
Hungry + angry = hangry
You may experience mood swings as your blood sugar spikes and drops. This may feel like a burst of energy followed by hunger, intense cravings, fatigue, and irritability.
Poor sleep
Imbalanced blood sugar levels can disturb your sleep duration and/or quality. Your body recognizes poor sleep as a stressor, which makes blood sugar control even more difficult.
Our philosophy
A Happy AOneC is committed to delivering gentle nutrition tips to teens and young adults in a compassionate, non-judgmental manner. I adopt a diet-free approach to health and wellness and promote Intuitive Eating principles. I strongly recommend measuring your health progress without weight or Body Mass Index (BMI). Instead, focus on more powerful progress measures of health, such as blood work, sleep quality, energy, hormonal health, digestion, mental state, performance at work and school, and overall quality of life.
take action now
3 Next Steps after a prediabetes diagnosis:
Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, prediabetes is a reversible condition. It’s the small changes that we apply earlier in life that become lifelong habits. Be gentle with yourself and start by setting small goals.
Take this fun quiz to understand where you stand with food groups. This gets you one step closer to applying the skillset you need to balance your blood sugar levels without cutting out any of your fav foods.
Practice carbohydrate pairing by adding a fiber, protein, and fat sources to every carbohydrate to achieve blood sugar balance and optimize energy levels throughout the day. Check out our blog to learn more.