At many restaurants these days, you can almost always count on seeing mini hamburgers, also known as “sliders,” on the menu. Whether it’s an upscale restaurant in New York City serving the hippest of sliders with exotic toppings and fancy bread, or a local bar and grill in the suburbs – sliders have definitely caught the attention of the American foodie.

For those of you just joining us, welcome to Diabetes-Friendly Cookout Week! All week we’re featuring healthy, but tasty cookout dishes in preparation for the Labor Day weekend. Yesterday, we suggested a unique take on the popular appetizer, spinach dip in a pumpernickel loaf, and today we are moving on to the salad course.

For many, Labor Day is the sure sign that summer has come to a close and what better way to celebrate the transition from summer into fall than with one last barbeque. Labor Day is the perfect long weekend to enjoy with family and friends and one of the best times of the year to have a cookout.

At the American Diabetes Association’s 71st Scientific Sessions we were treated to an inspiring video from First Lady Michelle Obama about the Let’s Move and Choose My Plate campaigns. The First Lady is firmly behind the effort to make children healthier through activity and better food choices. With my daughter entering public school a year from now, I am very interested in how these initiatives will impact the exercise and nutrition she will receive at school. The Let’s Move program aims to get children more active, while Choose My Plate replaces the food pyramid and is designed to make nutritional guidelines easier. Today, let’s talk about the Let’s Move program specifically.

Rarely does a day pass when I’m not amazed and inspired by those in the DOC and your commitment to being active, in your communities and in your lives. I’ve heard members helping to organize Step Out walking events for the American Diabetes Association and the JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes in their communities. And I’ve met others who hike, bike, run, swim, climb, and pretty much pursue every other athletic challenge a person can imagine. But sports and intense physical activity aren’t for everyone. One person even joked that he’d rather go to the dentist than go to the gym – no offense to dentists intended. I’d say the majority fall somewhere in the middle – where you understand the importance of staying active for better blood sugars, but struggle to consistently work it into your busy lives. So how might you get more motivated to move?

There are so many articles on selecting healthy meal options, cooking with healthier recipes, and building a well-balanced diet. Reading article after article and tip after tip can be confusing. So, I decided to turn to Tammy Randall from the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland – you may recall I spoke with her earlier this summer. Tammy, always happy to help, connected me with Siri Zimmerman, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition Educator at the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland, to share more on how to read food labels and a few things to watch out for. Read what Siri had to say in our interview …

While in Cleveland, I had the opportunity to talk with certified diabetes educators (CDEs) about challenges facing their diabetes community. One topic that came up was that not all people with diabetes leverage a CDE. These conversations validated our Discuss Diabetes poll which net out at 37% of respondents having ever talked to a CDE.

Here’s a list of this month’s diabetes-related events. Know of any upcoming events? Feel free to submit them using the link at the bottom of the calendar widget, and we’ll review them and do our best to get them on the calendar.

Last month, I shared a conversation with the co-founder of Diabetes Daily – David Edelman. Since then, he and his wife, Elizabeth, have launched a new online resource for people living with diabetes – Diabetes Daily University. I talked with David about how they came up with this concept, how it works, and what his plans are for the future.

We all know technology is becoming more and more important in everything we do, and health care is no exception. A recent Pew Internet Research study revealed 80% of Internet users look online for health information. I recently met a woman who holds this topic near and dear to her heart — Sunnie Southern, MS, RD, LD.