Healthy Habits: Living with Diabetes - Tips from Randy Jackson

November is National Diabetes Month, and November 14 was World Diabetes Day. To help drive awareness around the disease and important link to oral health, Colgate has teamed up with Randy Jackson and the American Diabetes Association.

Randy Jackson is best known as a Grammy award-winning producer, music industry expert and beloved television personality. But what many people don’t know is that Jackson has also been managing the everyday reality of living with diabetes for nearly two decades.

Jackson has since been a diabetes awareness crusader, striving to educate the public on the lifestyle changes he has adopted since his diagnosis. He is now sharing some of his tips and tricks on living his daily life with Diabetes:

• Make healthy choices: You don’t have to give up the foods you love, but pay attention to what you eat and how much of it hits your plate. Growing up in Louisiana, I ate a lot of rich Southern-fried food and I just didn’t pay attention to the portions. Today. I don’t think of food as "good" or "bad," but instead think about which foods provide nutrition and keep my blood sugar in check. Everything in moderation.
• Embrace movement: When I was first diagnosed, I weighed around 350 pounds and exercise just wasn’t part of my life. I slowly eased into an exercise plan that worked for me, starting with something as simple as walking.  Today, I go to the gym regularly, enjoy playing tennis, yoga and Pilates. Find fun ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine and when you find something that works, stick with it.
• Maintain good oral health. I’m a producer, but I also like to sing, so my mouth really matters and I pay extra attention to keeping it healthy. The reality is, gum disease could be a bigger issue for me than someone without diabetes. People living with diabetes are two times more likely to develop gum disease, according to the CDC^[1]. I make sure to pay extra attention to the products I use. That’s why I use Colgate Total toothpaste. Its unique formula is unsurpassed for its ability to prevent and reverse gingivitis, which is the most common form of gum disease.
• Listen to your doctor…and your dentist. It’s easy to be in denial or want to avoid pre-diabetic symptoms. According to the CDC, nearly 1 in 4 four adults living with diabetes does not know they have the condition. Don’t let diabetes sneak up on you. Your mouth is the window into your body, so your dentist can help catch some problems early on. Be sure to listen to your doctor or your dentist early and know your family health history. For some, early treatment of pre-diabetes can actually return blood glucose levels to the normal range.
• Create a personalized treatment plan. Everyone’s body and symptoms are different. Make sure to work hand-in-hand with your doctor and dentist to implement the necessary changes into your routine and educate yourself on the disease. It was not until I was diagnosed in 2000 that I learned there are a lot of other health issues linked to diabetes, like gum disease. This deep understanding of the disease motived me even more to ensure that I was managing it accordingly. And when it comes to my oral health, a simple swap of my toothpaste to Colgate Total® has had meaningful results.
• Build a strong support system. Remember, you don’t have to face the everyday realities of diabetes alone.  Surround yourself with positive people that will help motivate you, be it friends, family, even an online community like the American Diabetes Association’s Facebook page.

While Jackson admits that some of these changes may seem daunting, a small step like choosing the right toothpaste, such as Colgate Total, a toothpaste that is unsurpassed in its ability to prevent and reverse gingivitis, is an easy measure people living with diabetes can take to prevent gum disease, tissue damage and periodontitis.