The renowned author of The Diabetes Solution, Dr. Richard Bernstein is now ready and waiting to answer your questions on The Bernstein Connection.

In 1946, at the age of 12, Richard Bernstein developed Type 1 Diabetes, and for more than two decades, he was what he calls, "an ordinary diabetic"-one who dutifully followed doctor's orders. Despite his diligence with maintaining the disease, the complications from his diabetes worsened over the years, and like many diabetics in similar circumstances, he faced death at a very early age. Though he was indeed still alive, the quality of his life wasn't good, and by the time he reached his twenties and thirties, many of his body's systems began to deteriorate. Now, beyond his best selling books, Dr. Bernstein is opening up the airwaves to those who wish to learn from his real world experiences and conquer the daily hurdles of diabetes. He's doing so through The Bernstein Solution, offering direct access to Dr. Bernstein's methods, latest advice on diabetes, best selling books, and regular live broadcasts where Dr. Bernstein answers your questions.

I was fortunate enough to listen to his last broadcast, from August 8th. I do own The Diabetes Solution but I'm strongly considering joining The Bernstein Connection. The broadcast I listened to was as informative, if not more so, than the book! For $80 a year - if it can help a diabetic reverse damage to their eyes and kidneys, I don't think it's unreasonable at all!

Valentine's Day. Sure is a tough day to be diabetic if you have to fight a yearning for sugary treats that are nutritional no-nos. Is is possible to have a sweet Valentine's Day without sugar? Well, maybe. For starters, check out the DLife website. The folks over there have posted some handy hints on how to get by on the big, red, heart-shaped day without giving in to a candy craving. Their advice includes trying low-carb candies and (for couples in lurve) focusing on romance, flowers and the like.

As for helping diabetic kids to deal with the sugar deluge associated with V-Day, here are a couple of good suggestions: have them distribute non-foodie gifts with Valentine cards at school. Think along the lines of little, inexpensive items like stickers. They also advise stashing any candy your diabetic child may receive as a gift and keeping it to be distributed a little at a time.

You have to wonder if parents with diabetic kids have a particularly difficult time on holidays like this, which are so tied up with sticky treats. Must be hard to talk the little ones into going without. Seems to me the best solution for kids and adults is to refocus onto "safe" foods that are still fun and Valentine's Day-themed. Okay, you'll have to use your imagination a little, but life is full of challenges! For example, I liked the website Pioneer Thinking's suggestion: whipping up a big hot potful of spicy Gazpacho soup. It's healthy, affordable, red-hot and can be enjoyed by all. There's just no candy in it. Nor is it heart-shaped. (As I said, you need to use your imagination for this to work...) But what a great idea! I can see it now: in a future, alternate-universe America, people spurning red boxes of candy in exchange for hot and spicy cuisine. A bowl of chili and a bunch of roses for your True Love? Stranger things have happened in this world...

Wouldn't it be cool if you could have a slice of pizza without the guilt? Find yourself a Blue Moon pizza box and you're halfway home.

With diabetes growing among the U.S. population and many more challenged with other dietary and health problems, Blue Moon Culinary Concepts fills a void for consumers and grocers alike. With the introduction of Blue Moon Carb Concepts Pizza, people could still indulge in their favorite food while maintaining a low-carb lifestyle.

The Turkey Pepperoni Pizza has a thin crispy crust topped with zesty tomato sauce, fat-free mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni. Okay, I have my suspicions with fat-free cheese and turkey products where we all know pork belongs. But at the end of your meal, if your arteries aren't shutting down - wouldn't the Blue Moon experience be worth a pie tasting? And another incentive (which is where I came across the Blue Moon site, in the first place) is the fact that the American Diabetes Association recognizes Blue Moon Culinary Concepts for helping to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

Blue Moon Culinary Concepts Pizza is available in Kroger Supermarkets Nationwide, King Soopers, Fry's, Smith's Food & Drug and Dillon's. They are tenaciously expanding into grocery chains all across the states. If you don't see Blue Moon Culinary Concepts in your local grocer, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

So the American Diabetes Association says a low-carb diet is not sustainable for most diabetics in the long-term. Tell that to Dr. Jay Wortman of Vancouver and he will say "HA!" - or something like that. First Nations people are developing Type 2 diabetes at three to five times the rate of non-aboriginal Canadians. Wortman is proposing that First Nations people respond to the Type 2 diabetes crisis by returning to a traditional aboriginal diet. Such a diet is naturally very low in carbohydrates and sugars.

The doctor is conducting a year-long study amongst the tribal community of Alert Bay to see if his theory actually works. He says he has had a strong response from locals. Included on the list of traditional foods that volunteers will be able to eat while they are participating in the study are ooligan grease (huh?) and local seafood. However, they cannot eat anything that is not on the list, which sounds like a tough call. Worth it, says Dr. Wortman, who has been eating this way himself for four years now. "Some people breeze through while others have a very hard time with the cravings," says Wortman about the difficulties people face giving up the carbohydrate-rich foods they enjoy.

Regina Wilshire has written a truly excellent article that you can read by following this link to the Common Voice or this link to Wilshire's own blog, Weight of the Evidence. The piece is all about low-carb diets, their benefits for diabetics, and the need for evidence-based guidelines for diabetics on how to apply the low-carb principle to their own diets. Although I don't have a particular view one way or the other on this subject, it's been on my mind a lot since my August 23 blog in which I mentioned criticisms of the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) refusal to endorse low-carbohydrate diets for diabetics. The ADA says their decision is based on the conviction that low-carb is not realistic for most diabetics and they don't want to recommend lifestyles that are not sustainable long-term.

The question Regina Wilshire and other proponents of low-carb eating are asking is this: since it is known that low-carb diets lower blood sugar levels, why not establish formal guidelines for those diabetics who want to give it a try? Why restrict access to that particular option? By not offering guidelines on this issue, Wilshire says, diabetics are left trying to figure out the low-carb thing all on their own, trying to differentiate between the myriad low-carb dietary options out there - you know, the Atkins Diet and its ilk. Some doctors may try to help, she says, but are also left trying to string together a workable diet for each patient in the absence of proper guidelines. She has a point, I think. Check it out!

The unstoppable Jimmy Moore of the Livin' La Vida Low-Carb blog is running an interview (actually posted back in June) with Dr. Richard D. Feinman. Feinman is a big-time advocate of the low-carb diet, in addition to being a professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and also the editor-in-chief of the journal Nutrition & Metabolism. What caught my eye about this interview was Feinman's comments about the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Basically, Feinman is polite enough in his remarks, but makes no bones about the fact that he thinks the ADA has not gone far enough to promote low-carb diets for diabetics. "Even the ADA is probably trying to back into carbohydrate restriction with a minimum of losing face," says Feinman. He objects, however, to the fact that an ADA spokesman told WebMD that his organization is not in favor of "very low-carb diets because patients find them too restrictive...People who go on very low carbohydrate diets generally aren't able to stick with them for long periods of time." Seems like a reasonable enough observation to me, but Feinman is critical. Check it out.