Melissa and Steve are joined by Dr. Samuel Thulin—artist, composer, sound designer, educator, and researcher—to wrestle with the question: what role can art play in helping us understand life with Diabetes? And is it possible to think about the MASSIVE amounts of data created by CGMs and BG meters in creative ways, or even... outside of biomedicine? Sam details some of his works that transform blood sugar numbers into audio-visual-material art, and challenges us to think about how relationships are central to those understandings.

And, we’re talking about fougasse! It’s pretty, it’s easy, and it’s basically a big leaf-shaped breadstick... what’s not to love? We used our basic white bread recipe (one batch will make 3 fougasse—recipe available over on the blog), and topped one with flaky salt, another with parmesan and black pepper, and the last with Syrian za’atar. You can shake it up and top them with whatever you happen to have on hand.

Find out more about some of Dr. Samuel Thulin’s projects at his website samuelthulin.com

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, visit us at diabreadic.com, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! While you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review.

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On this episode of our limited series Highs & Lows, Melissa talks with her mom Loree about Diabetes in school, understanding diagnosis when it’s your child, negotiating responsibility for care and treatment—all interrupted by an untimely (and classic...) low blood sugar while they were recording.

And since it’s her favorite, it is all too appropriate that we are talking about focaccia on Loree’s episode! This olive oil-rich sheet-pan baked bread is delicious, easy (and forgiving), and can be topped with pretty much anything you feel like throwing at it.

Bryan Ford, who we mention briefly in the episode, is the author of New World Sourdough and host of the Magnolia Network show The Artisan’s Kitchen. You can find him on Instagram @artisanbryan and you can find his blog and cook book at the links below:

https://www.artisanbryan.com/

https://www.amazon.com/New-World-Sourdough-Techniques-Fermented/dp/1631598708

Highs & Lows is a limited series exploring what life with chronic illness means for those who live alongside diagnosis—not in it themselves. In each episode Melissa sits down with a member of her family to talk through their personal memories of shared experiences with Diabetes, treatments, and all the funny/difficult bits in-between.

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, visit us at diabreadic.com, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! While you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review.

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Why is Diabetes always the butt of the joke?

Dr. Bianca C. Frazer joins us to discuss Diabetic performance: on stage, on screen, and among society more broadly. Jokes about Diabetes usually follow the same uncreative (and stigmatizing) formulas, and they recreate a lot of damaging assumptions about Diabetic people in the process. But comedy, and performance in general, CAN be a valuable means for pushing back against those systems that shame and defame.

We are also talking about everyone’s favorite sticky buns: Cinnamon Rolls! Sticky, rich, sweet and salty, with a dollop of icing on top... this recipe takes it all to a whole other level. You can find this recipe in the Bread Illustrated from America’s Test Kitchen:

https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/bread-illustrated-new.html

Dr. Frazer is co-editor of (Un)Doing Diabetes: Representation, Disability, Culture with Dr. Heather Walker. More info and links to purchase can be found at undoing-diabetes.com

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, visit us at diabreadic.com, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! While you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review.

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Melissa and Steve are joined by Taylor Johnson (@taylorbetic on Instagram) for a conversation about Diabetes service animals.

Johnson has been active in work related to medical racism, insulin affordability, mental health and chronic illness—and especially over the past few years, her Diabetes Service Dog Claire. She talks about the intensive application process and years-long training regimes involved in establishing a working relationship with a service animal. But it’s about more than the work, as that human-canine relationship becomes one of mutual care and fulfillment.

We also made tortillas! I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: flatbread is bread, and tortillas are one of the best. We merged some aspects of both a community recipe from Serious Eats and a Food Network recipe from Rick Martinez (which can be found here):

https://www.seriouseats.com/soft-chewy-flour-tortillas-recipe

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fnk/recipes/flour-tortillas-7265712

But there’s more! We talk through a lot of important bits and bobs related to mental health and chronic illness, racism and Diabetes communities (online and IRL) and resources for those who are in crisis.

The Diabulimia Helpline is staffed by folks who have both the training and knowledge to help connect you with the resources that can help in moments of crisis and in long-term mental health treatment. Whether you are experiencing eating disorders, depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD, or otherwise, staff are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

diabulimiahelpline.org

(425) 985-3635

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In this episode of our limited series Highs & Lows, Melissa talks with her younger brother Marcus about Squeezits and school lunch, blood spurts, bedtime scrambled eggs, and how Diabetes has always been a “normal” part of life around him—until moments of crisis reveal those difficult bits.

And since we're months into the show and have never breached the topic: it's sandwich bread time! Old reliable doesn't get much love but it doesn't get much better (and easier) than a basic sandwich bread recipe. Ours here is one we've made A LOT over the past few years, and have played with endlessly.

You can find this recipe, along with some helpful tips and insights on the blog at https://www.diabreadic.com/blog/basic-sandwich-bread-recipe

We mentioned Modernist Bread Crumbs in the episode, and if you have any interest in bread do yourself a favor and go listen to all of it:

https://heritageradionetwork.org/series/modernist-breadcrumbs

Highs & Lows is a limited series exploring what life with chronic illness means for those who live alongside diagnosis—not in it themselves. In each episode Melissa sits down with a member of her family to talk through their personal memories of shared experiences with Diabetes, treatments, and all the funny/difficult bits in-between.

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, visit us at diabreadic.com, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! While you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review.

Music: September Rain by Yme Fresh https://bit.ly/yme-fresh

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Insulin Pumps and CGMs can be life-changing--miraculous even. But as always-connected medical devices, that influence can be... complicated.

These devices, and the many others used in treating Diabetes, leave physical traces behind that stay present for people as they go about their day-to-day life. Melissa and Steve talk through what it means that pumps and monitors have to be right there with you AT ALL TIMES (better have a bag ready). And what is more, they are attached to the skin and inserted into the body in ways that can leave marks, holes, and scars behind for days or even weeks/months.

We also made banana bread! (Or... is it cake? Anyone care to chime in?) This recipe comes from Aubry Bennion (@aubryeliz on Instagram), and is super rich and indulgent -- plus super simple and is a great one to make with little ones.

There's more! We also finally launched our website, diabreadic.com , where you can go to find more detailed information from our episodes along with more content related to Diabetes, chronic illness, bread and breadmaking, and much much more.

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe wherever you are listening, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! While you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review.

Music: September Rain by Yme Fresh https://bit.ly/yme-fresh

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In this episode of our limited series Highs & Lows, Melissa talks with her older brother Christopher about Diabetic camp, changes to their relationship in adulthood, and the family's infamous Diabetes emergency at Media Play.

And per Christopher's suggestion, we made Claire Saffitz's Sour Cream and Chive Rolls from her book Dessert Person. It's one of his family's favorites, and it is quickly becoming one of ours as well. You can find the book here (or at your local library!):

https://www.dessertperson.com/dessert-person-cookbook

A version of the recipe can be found here:

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pull-apart-sour-cream-and-chive-rolls

And do check out her YouTube channel, she has covered a lot of the recipes from her book:

https://www.youtube.com/c/clairesaffitzxdessertperson

Highs & Lows is a limited series exploring what life with chronic illness means for those who live alongside diagnosis—not in it themselves. In each episode Melissa sits down with a member of her family to talk through their personal memories of shared experiences with Diabetes, treatments, and all the funny/difficult bits in-between.

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! While you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave us a review.

Music: September Rain by Yme Fresh https://bit.ly/yme-fresh

Creative Commons Attribution licence

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3FfoBtA

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/kVCTa0-bDkQ

Highs & Lows is a limited series exploring what life with chronic illness means for those who live alongside diagnosis—not in it themselves. In each episode Melissa sits down with a member of her family to talk through their personal memories of shared experiences with Diabetes, treatments, and all the funny/difficult bits in-between.

In this first episode, Melissa interviews Steve, her spouse and partner, about new encounters as teenagers, mishaps with skittles and BLTs, and some (admittedly heavy) memories that shed new light on some particularly difficult shared moments with high and low blood sugar.

But don't worry! We're still talking bread in this limited series, and this episode features one of our VERY favorites: Black Pepper Cheddar Bread. This recipe is from Bread Illustrated, from America's Test Kitchen, and has remained a household favorite since the first time we made it several years ago. It is ridiculously soft and pillowy, and the pepper is a really nice touch. You can check out the book here: https://shop.americastestkitchen.com/bread-illustrated-new.html

And as promised: the poolside photoshoot of Steve sporting an infusion set from Melissa's broken insulin pump: https://www.instagram.com/p/BWWB6HeHAWS/?utm_medium=copy_link

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It's Pizza Night!

Dr. Josh Iddings, Assistant Professor of Writing and Communication at Siena College, joins us for a conversation about his Diabetes diagnosis, years of treatment & consistent frustrations... and then ANOTHER Diabetes diagnosis. Can a T1D diagnosis (usually a jarring and traumatic moment) actually be a relief? And what does misdiagnosis mean for people with chronic illness over the long term?

Melissa and Steve have been making a lot of pizza over the past couple of years -- so, from easy dough mixing to hot-hot oven temps, there's a lot to talk about. Though we mention using a Baking Steel (which you can see over at bakingsteel.com), a stone works really well. If you have neither: a cast iron skillet is the way to go!

For some VERY thorough testing, discussion, and examples of pizza-making practices, we highly recommend you search "pizza" on J. Kenji López-Alt's YouTube channel and/or Serious Eats

https://www.youtube.com/user/kenjialt

https://www.seriouseats.com/j-kenji-lopez-alt-5118720

Melissa ruminates on the way that family dynamics and relationships are always affected by a Diabetes diagnosis, and recalls her experience as a student. Steve briefly geeks out about cast iron, and opens-up some of the social and systemic contexts for misdiagnosis.

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! If the mood should strike you, write us a review while you’re at it.

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"This thing is keeping me alive, but it's also ruining my life"

Diabetic treatment devices, such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), make SO MANY things about life with Diabetes easier. They are also... built by people, and can make some everyday things more complicated. Dr. Laura Forlano, Associate Professor of Design and Director of the Critical Futures Lab at the Illinois Institute of Technology, talks about her complicated relationship with her devices and the ways that design-thinking can help us make sense of it--and imagine a more just future.

Dr. Forlano's article "Data Rituals in Intimate Infrastructures: Crip Time and the Disabled Cyborg Body as an Epistemic Site of Feminist Science" was referenced a few times during the interview, and can be found here: https://doi.org/10.28968/cftt.v3i2.28843

We are also talking about Anadama Bread! (suggested by previous guest Dr. Carrie Rentschler) It's corny, it's molasses-y, it's.. Yankee? This New England staple is unlike any bread we've made before, and it's well worth a bake. Our loaves were based on the recipe from King Arthur Baking (you can find it here: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/new-england-anadama-bread-recipe )

Melissa talks about some late-night frustrations (it's all PG around here, folks) and together she and Steve wrestle with the questions: How can framing Diabetes as a disability help us better understand life with it? And what do we do about the looming problem of treatment-related waste?

Be sure to follow and/or subscribe, and go find us on Instagram @diabreadic! If the mood should strike you, write us a review while you’re at it.

Music: September Rain by Yme Fresh https://bit.ly/yme-fresh

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Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/3FfoBtA

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/kVCTa0-bDkQ