November is Diabetes Awareness Month
We want to take the opportunity to raise awareness around the overlap between diabetes and eating disorders. Disordered eating and eating disorders are common experiences for people with diabetes, however this issue is frequently overlooked and misunderstood in both diabetes and eating disorder spaces. Whether you’re a person with diabetes or a clinician, we invite you to learn with us this month! We’ll be offering a variety of FREE events, resources, and educational content to spread awareness around the overlap between diabetes and eating disorders.
Note: throughout this page you’ll notice the use of the word “diabetes” without referring to a specific diagnosis. This is intentional, as our practice serves clients with all forms of diabetes and all content outlined below will address the overlap between all forms of diabetes with all forms of disordered eating/eating disorders.
Here’s what’s going on:
We’ve got lots of FREE events, workshops, and community meetings happening this month! Click through the calendar, or scroll down for more details and sign up links.
All the details:
Join us for a free weekly meeting for individuals with diabetes looking for support around weight inclusive care. This community is an open space to discuss topics related to disordered eating, weight inclusive care, and Intuitive Eating principles, and learn about how they relate to diabetes. We have been holding this community space twice per month for many years, and are excited to expand this offering to weekly for the month of November!
Meetings will occur on the following dates/times:
Thursday 11/6 at 7pm EST
Wednesday 11/12 at 7pm EST
Tuesday 11/18 at 7pm EST
Monday 11/24 at 7pm EST
Weight Inclusive Diabetes Community Meetings
Diabetes Education Workshops
Join us for a series of free engaging 30-minute diabetes education workshops! These workshops are designed to help you build confidence with diabetes self-management while supporting your participation in the activities that matter most to you. Each session combines practical information with realistic, everyday strategies to support you in balancing diabetes with daily life. You’re welcome to attend any or all of the webinars, recordings will be emailed out later if you’re unable to attend live.
See the schedule and workshop descriptions below:
The Basics of Diabetes Management
Monday, Nov 3rd at 8 PM ET
In this workshop, you'll learn and review key aspects of diabetes management including factors that affect blood sugar, using blood sugar information effectively, and making the most of your healthcare team. This workshop is designed to help you feel more confident in your diabetes self-management by providing practical strategies to make daily life easier, improve your quality of life, and lower the risk of long-term complications. The content is designed for people managing any kind of diabetes.
Balanced Eating and Meal Prep for Diabetes and Eating Disorders
Wednesday, Nov 5th at 8 PM ET
This session on balanced eating and meal prep will cover the basics of nutrition, including the roles of different essential nutrients and food groups in supporting your body. You’ll also learn practical strategies for incorporating this information, including meal tracking, simple meal planning, and easy cooking techniques you can use in your day-to-day life.
Social Support For Diabetes
Monday, Nov 10th at 8 PM ET
Social settings, including mealtime with others, can be a common source of stress for individuals with diabetes. It may also feel difficult to find supportive friends and community who understand what it’s like to live with diabetes. This workshop on social support will help you build confidence in self-advocacy, eating around others, and maintaining strong social connections.
The Role of Rest and Sleep in Diabetes Management
Thursday, Nov 13th at 8 PM ET
Quality sleep is essential for both physical and mental health, yet many people find it difficult to maintain a consistent sleep routine. Living with diabetes can add to these challenges. This workshop on rest and sleep will highlight the connection between quality sleep and diabetes care, as well as provide practical strategies to help you get better rest.
Stress Management for Diabetes
Monday, Nov 17th at 8 PM ET
Living with diabetes can take up a lot of physical and mental energy. It’s completely normal to feel stressed, overwhelmed, or even burned out by the constant demands of daily management. In this workshop, we’ll explore how stress impacts blood sugar levels and overall well-being, and discuss practical ways to respond to these challenges in a healthy, sustainable way. You’ll learn strategies to reduce stress and build positive coping techniques that support both your emotional health and your diabetes care.
The Importance of Leisure in Diabetes Management
Thursday, Nov 20th at 8 PM ET
Managing diabetes takes a lot of time and energy, so it can feel challenging to make room for activities that bring joy and meaning to your life. However, engaging in hobbies and interests you love isn’t just fun, it also supports your overall health and happiness! This session on leisure will support you in finding ways to fully participate in the activities that matter most to you.
Diabetes Resources
We’ll be sending out resources and educational information every Monday! Join our email list to learn about topics related to the overlap of diabetes and eating disorders. For people with diabetes, we’ll be sharing information and resources to support your recovery and your understanding of diabetes. For clinicians, we’ll be sharing information and resources to support your practice and clinical skills in this area.
Looking for more individualized support?
Here’s how we can help:
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We’re a team of Registered Dietitians, Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, and Eating Disorders Specialists committed to helping people with diabetes feel confident and comfortable around food!
We take an individualized, weight-inclusive, trauma informed approach to supporting you in your recovery from diet culture and disordered eating. We help our clients learn to care for their bodies, manage their diabetes, and discover a more peaceful relationship with food.
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Our team is unique: we can provide eating disorder informed diabetes specialized support to clients at all stages of their diabetes journey, with any kind of diabetes. We will help you learn about your diabetes, teach skills you need for diabetes related self care, assist in crafting a personalized and sustainable care plan, support you in coping with the challenges of diabetes, and coordinate care with your doctors/advocate on your behalf.
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We believe strongly that community support and connection is an essential part of healing. Too frequently, we hear from our clients that they lack connection with others who have similar experiences in their relationship with food, body, and diabetes.
We are committed to holding space for the nuances of eating disorder recovery for people with diabetes, and creating safe community that fosters healing.
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Clinical supervision and case consultation is available for diabetes and/or mental health clinicians who are looking to build confidence in providing care to those with co-occuring diabetes and disordered eating. This can be a one-off consult to discuss a particular case, or an ongoing partnership to build your knowledge and skillset in this area of practice.
For more information, contact Lauren directly at Lauren@LaurenNewmanRD.com
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Lauren Newman, RD, LD, CDCES, CEDS offers a range of speaking, education, and media services designed to engage audiences in a nuanced understanding of the overlap between diabetes and eating disorders.
For more information, please reach out to Lauren directly at Lauren@LaurenNewmanRD.com
Not sure what’s right for you? Not a problem, we’re happy to talk it through! Use the link below to schedule a call with any of the clinicians on our team. We’re happy to answer any questions, provide more information, or talk through any concerns you may have.