Leighann, you’re so right to call me out on my failure to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. I sincerely regret my sloppiness.

An upstate New York farmer friend of ours has a young daughter who– like yours–suffers from type 1 diabetes. Her father grows all kinds of wonderful herbs and vegetables, and like any kid who lives on a farm, Sorrel (yes, she’s even named after a salad green) spends plenty of time playing outside. No shortage of healthy foods and exercise, there, but our friend gets the same reaction as you when folks hear about Sorrel’s condition.

I appreciate your bringing this error to my attention and we’ll amend the post to correct my mistake as well. In future, I’ll be more precise when referring to the epidemic of the disease formerly known as “adult onset diabetes”. Perhaps this will help nip some of those misguided questions in the bud.

And here’s hoping that someday, your daughter–and Sorrel, and all the other type 1 diabetes sufferers who must currently receive multiple daily injections–will no longer need to do so.

Thanks for giving me the chance to clarify things–

Kerry

As the parent of a Type 1 diabetic, you wouldn’t believe how many times I am asked if I could have prevented it with diet and exercise. The media lumps both types together (or fails to differentiate between the two). This does a great disservice in that is disseminates inaccuracies.

I always assure people that our vegetarian lifestyle, low in processed food and high in “real food,” in no way made her diabetic. In fact, we had to make almost no changes to her diet after diagnosis because she was already eating so well.

And diabetes *is* a healthcare crisis. Ask my four-year-old who gets four injections a day. It’s very easy for someone not affected to make the statement you did.

These new farmers need ready access to an entire supply chain, from inputs like technology manufacturers that facilitate composting and vermiculture to distributors who market and sell their products. To get there, this new sustainable food system needs to be organized and well-capitalized. This means encouraging lenders to look at smaller companies with less of an operating history, recruiting talented business people away from other industries, and encouraging investors who are sympathetic to the cause, who can see the tremendous growth potential because these changes are imperative.