Eating Healthy with Diabetes in Prison

By Donna Ballard

From PHN Issue 41, Winter 2020

With me being diabetic and in prison, it’s hard to eat healthy. To eat healthy in prison, you really have to go hungry. They serve us a lot of bread, corn, tortillas, and potatoes. We eat a lot of starches and white food that turns to sugar. We have to learn to eat only half of what they serve. If you eat your
veggies, it’s a start. Some meats.

You get a lot of sodium from commissary food, and starches and fatty foods. There are ways to eat better, but it’s always small portions. Now, if you go to the store, you can get stuff for yourself that will help you. At the store, you get peanuts, energizer mix and M&M’s, mix it together to make a snack mix. You can snack on it all week. Jalapeño peppers, meats—some things are good. Check the labels for contents. I hope my sharing has helped.

Managing Diabetes in Prison

By Timothy Hinkhouse

From PHN Issue 41, Winter 2020

I conducted an interview with my neighbor, J. Parker, who is a man I have known for several years. He is a 51-year-old man who has been diagnosed with diabetes for the past 13 years of his life. He has had lots of things on his plate that he has had to face in his lifetime in addition to diabetes. He has been incarcerated for the past 25 years, and he has an out date of 2023. This makes him worried about how he will take care of his diabetes, eat healthy, and still keep his positive outlook on life. In prison, everything has been taken care of for you. Out in the free world, we have to take care of ourselves, which can be scary for someone getting out after spending over half their life in prison.

Living With Chronic Kidney Disease

By Seth Lamming

From PHN Issue 40, Summer/Fall 2019

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common health problem in the United States.
CKD happens when the kidneys do not work as well as they should. The health
of your kidneys is closely related to the health of your heart and the health of
your blood vessels. When you hear about foods and activities that are healthy
for your heart, they are also good for your kidneys. This article will provide
some basic information about the kidneys, CKD, and some ways you can look
out for your own kidney health.