If you’re like most people who keep an eye on the health news you’ve noticed a lot of talk in recent months about vitamin D. It used to be assumed that if you drank milk and got regular exposure to sunlight you were getting enough of this important vitamin. That assumption now seems to be wrong. In fact, a recent study conducted by researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center found that three-quarters of children with type 1 have insufficient levels of vitamin D.

The findings were even more alarming for teens. Eighty-five percent of teens in the study were found to be deficient in vitamin D, which is an essential nutrient that helps in the absorption of calcium. Working together, vitamin D and calcium build strong bones.

What does this mean for kids with type 1 diabetes? Previous studies have shown that having diabetes alone modestly decreases bone density with age and increases risk fracture by middle age. If a child with diabetes is significantly deficient in vitamin D by the time he is a young adult, it could potentially affect bone health later in life. But, adequate amounts of vitamin D now could help prevent brittle bones later in life.

Want to make sure your kids are getting enough vitamin D? You can start by having them drink vitamin D fortified milk, eat cereals fortified with vitamin D and perhaps take a vitamin D supplement. But, always check with your doctor first before you start with any supplementation.

Finally, make this the year you become a student of diabetes. The more you know, the more motivated you will be to practice healthy self-care. A good way to start is to sign up for my weekly newsletter that will introduce you to new topics to help you stay on track. Another avenue for knowledge and support is the type 1 diabetes forum where you can talk with and support others walking the same path.

Now is the perfect time to begin thinking about the changes you would like to make in your life in 2009. Chances are good that some of the changes near the top of your wish-list are related to your diabetes. Some of the most common resolutions include weight loss, more exercise, more frequent glucose testing and better food choices. For some people, this may sound like the same lineup you had in mind at the beginning of 2008. But, sometime between then and now your good intentions fizzled out. Make your first resolution for 2009 to not let that happen again. You can stick to your plan if you keep a few simple principles in mind:

1. Write out your goals. The act of putting them on paper helps you to be clearer about what you actually intend to do. To keep from being overwhelmed, start with the two or three most important goals and work hard at accomplishing these before you tackle others.

2. Make your goals concrete and measurable. A failure to do this is the number one reason good intentions fall short of becoming real change. Instead of stating your goal in a vague and non-specific way (I want to begin exercising), be very specific so that you can assess whether you’ve accomplished the task (I will walk for 20 minutes four times a week first thing in the morning).

3. Be accountable to someone. Tell or give someone a copy of your goals and ask them to check in with you weekly on your progress. Better yet, find a person who has similar goals and keep each other mutually accountable with weekly check-ins. You can use the type 1 diabetes forum for this accountability by posting your goals and interacting with other forum members on theirs.

4. Give yourself grace. Most people give up on their new year resolutions because they feel they have failed. You’ve only failed when you quit trying. If you veer off the path of your goals, look at each day as an opportunity to start over.

5. Learn as much as you can about diabetes. The more you are engaged in continual learning about diabetes, the more motivated you will be to practice healthy self-care. A good way to start is to sign up for my weekly newsletter that will introduce you to new topics to help you stay on track.

Almost daily a new report or study comes out touting the benefits of exercise. The current mountain of research repeatedly tells us that regular activity, such as walking, cycling or swimming improves everything from memory to heart health. As a result of this research, a number of people have taken their health more seriously and incorporated more activity into their routine.

What I find most interesting about this study is that there is an association between knowledge about diabetes and the level of fear in a significant number of participants. The study found that the majority of people with type 1 diabetes avoid physical activity because they are concerned that it will lead to low blood sugar and possibly unconsciousness. Out of 100 participants in the study, only 52 showed adequate knowledge of how insulin works in the body and how to prevent low blood sugar when exercising. Those who were better educated about insulin and managing their diabetes were also less fearful of physical activity and therefore better managed their diabetes.

I think there is a huge lesson here for adults with type 1 and parents of children with diabetes. Regular physical activity should be a regular part of your routine to help manage glucose levels and enhance your overall health. That part you probably know. But many people skip the first, essential step, which involves educating yourself about diabetes. Most learn just enough to get by. But, knowledge is power when managing your diabetes, because it enables you to be in control instead of letting diabetes control you.

If it is your child that needs more activity, learn how to keep them active without experiencing glucose lows.

One way you can begin to educate yourself on a regular basis is sign up for my free weekly newsletter.

You can also learn from and encourage others by posting your questions or comments in the type 1 discussion forum.

We know that children imitate the behavior of their parents. But when it comes to dietary habits, it seems many children are learning an unhealthy message. A recent study from Dartmouth Medical School showed that children, even as young as 2 years of age, begin to adopt the food choices of their parents. The researchers believe the kinds of foods children choose and eat regularly in those early years set a precedent for how they will eat as they grow older; some for a lifetime. If those choices include a balanced diet rich in fruits vegetables and whole grains, the outlook for their health is positive. But in a country where two-thirds of all American adults and one in five children are overweight, this trend implies a largely unhealthy diet. Americans are eating too much of the wrong foods. And with poor dietary habits come a host of potential health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

The good news is that you can change this trend for your children. But it has to start with your food choices. You must model the behavior you want your children to imitate. It is not only the person with diabetes who needs to be conscious of what they eat, how much and when. We could all benefit by being more conscious of our dietary habits. And what better time of the year to make some of these changes than during the holidays when so many activities revolve around food.

During the next few weeks, try some of these simple ways to jump start new food habits:

• Trade some of the sugar-laden sweets for fruit
• Put less food on your plate and make an effort to eat more slowly
• Talk to your kids about their food choices and encourage them toward the healthier fare

And don’t underestimate the power of example. It may take a while to change unhealthy food habits that are in place, but with time you will see the payoff in your health and your child’s.