Each year the American Diabetic Association sponsors an informational campaign to promote healthy eating by providing practical nutrition guidance that focuses on the importance of developing sound eating and exercise habits. The theme for this year is 100 percent "Fad Free." The campaign features learning how to identify a food fad which is a food or diet fad that claims unreasonable or exaggerated benefits. If a diet or product advertises eating only specific foods, nutrient supplements or combinations of foods that may cure disease or offer quick weight loss, it is a fad. Diet fads come and go.

A balanced diet and physical activity are essential to a healthy lifestyle over the long term of your life. Develop an eating plan for the lifelong health. Choose foods sensibly by looking at the big picture because a single food or meal will not make or break a healthy diet. Find your balance between food and physical activity. Exercise does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial.

Allow me to explain my choice of photographs. I choose to spot the picturesque sunset over the Ventura Beach horizon, where I will NOT be attending the upcoming Gordon Research Conference on Oxidative Stress and Disease. For those who will be there, do me a favor and drop me a line on Section 3: Oxidative Stress and Diabetes. Here's what I've got so far...

Alpha-lipoic acid is approved in Germany as a drug for the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathies. Alpha lipoic acid shows evidence of being effective in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy and may be useful in treating some other aspects of diabetes. It may help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and may be protective against oxidative stress. As much as I wish I could jump forward in time, I'll make a forward-looking statement about an upcoming event and come back to update it, after March 11th. Here's my forecast: the Gordon Research Conferences is holding a conference on Oxidative Stress and Disease and it just so happens that section 3 of the Monday night speakers will address topics such as: A radical explanation for diabetic complications, A role for ROS in the etiopathogenesis of insulin resistance, and Mitochondrial dysfunction and type 2 Diabetes. If you need me to drop names to lift your scientific credence in this convention - the speakers come from Harvard Medical Scool, Yale University School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

These people don't mess around! I close with a big thank you to the creator of Miracle Muffins, for taking an interest in his mother and sharing it with the rest of us battling frustrating complications of diabetes. I'll be actively checking to see how the experts diagnostically address the role of oxidative stress and what they perceive as the best resolution. Until we hear better in days to come, let's keep betting on the benefits of a little ALA in our day.

Do you ever wonder if there's a trick to getting this diabetes thing down? Well I did. Like many fellow surfers, I asked Google for diabetic tricks. Not surprisingly, Google had a litany of answers. You may have heard about them before and most of us dismiss supplements as nothing more than snake oil. However, supplements are gaining credence when it comes to cutting risk and alleviating symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Take a look...

Chromium picolinate. Taking 200 to 1,000 micrograms daily can lower blood glucose, improve insulin function and lessen diabetic symptoms such as thirst and fatigue, says expert Richard Anderson, Ph.D., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In recent Israeli research, taking 200mcg twice a day for three weeks reduced diabetics' blood glucose by 26% and cholesterol by 9%. Anderson advises all adults to take 200mcg chromium picolinate daily to help prevent diabetes. New studies have put old safety questions to rest.

Cinnamon. The spice boosts insulin's efficiency in processing sugar, Anderson says. In one test, diabetics who ate 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon twice a day for 40 days reduced their fasting blood sugar 18% to 29%, triglycerides 23% to 30% and cholesterol 12% to 26%. Sprinkle cinnamon on foods such as cereal or fruit, or take it in capsules, Anderson says.

Alpha-lipoic acid. This potent antioxidant can improve blood sugar and help prevent and treat diabetic complications such as cataracts and neuropathy, says Lester Packer, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California. In German research, 600 milligrams daily significantly increased insulin sensitivity and lowered blood sugar in type 2 diabetics after four weeks.

Salacia oblonga. This herb, used in India to treat diabetes and sold on the Internet, lowered insulin 29% and blood glucose 23% in healthy adults, reports Steve Hertzler, Ph.D., of Ohio State University. But don't try it without telling your doctor, he says. Effective daily doses range from 100mg to 1,000mg, with gastrointestinal distress occurring at higher levels.

A study from U.S. researchers has found that daily supplementation with a cinnamon extract may boost the body's antioxidants, which can lessen the complications associated with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by obesity -- especially around the midsection -- hypertension and reduced metabolism of both glucose and insulin. The syndrome is associated with an increased risk in the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The study recruited 24 participants with impaired fasting glucose levels for a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The patients were split into two randomly assigned groups: the first received a daily dose of 500 mg of cinnamon extract and the second received a placebo. After 12 weeks, the researchers found that in the cinnamon extract group, antioxidant levels were significantly increased compared to the placebo group. Plasma levels of a reactive compound related to oxidative stress were also lower in the cinnamon group, but remained unchanged in the placebo patients. Oxidative stress is responsible for many of the microvascular changed responsible for diabetes complications: blindness, numbness, kidney damage, and amputations.

Beyond the resounding proof of cinnamon being helpful in diabetes management, other health-related benefits include: improved digestion, toning of tissues, relief from congestion, muscle and joint pain relief, relief from menstrual cramping, thinning of the blood and better circulation, relief from arthritis pain, prevention of urinary tract infections, prevention of tooth decay, and killing of harmful bacteria. I think a sprinkle of cinnamon is worth the pound of prevention this little spice is punching. How much is 500 mg of cinnamon anyway?

Baltimore researchers from Johns Hopkins University have concluded a study indicating that being short -- specifically having short legs and a low leg length-to-height ratio -- is linked to an increased type 2 diabetes and obesity risk in middle age. It all goes back to childhood nutrition, as short leg length translates into the lack of proper nutrition during the formative years of physical growth.

According to the researchers, "Insofar as adult stature is an indicator of development and growth during early life, the risk of obesity and diabetes in adulthood might begin to accrue before puberty." They recommend early intervention to improve childhood nutrition in diabetes prevention.

This is observational on my part, and not the result of any study, but I do not believe this will apply to type 1 diabetes. My father-in-law was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and he reached an adult height of 6-foot 4-inches. My sister-in-law was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and she reached an adult height of 6-foot.