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Famous Diabetics & Their Eating Habits

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are more than 23 million people in the United States who have diabetes, and most of them are over the age of 20. There are two forms of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1---formerly called juvenile diabetes---occurs when the body does not produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is more common, and occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or ignores it. While both types are serious, the ADA says, people who are diagnosed with diabetes can still live long, fulfilling lives.

  1. Bret Michaels

    • Bret Michaels is famous for being the lead singer for the heavy metal band Poison. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 6, he told DiabetesHealth.com. Michaels gives himself three insulin injections per day---at breakfast, dinner and a small amount before going to bed. He eats a diet relatively low in carbohydrates, he says, to help maintain control of his blood sugar. For breakfast, he eats egg whites and wheat toast with a small amount of peanut butter and likes turkey sandwiches for lunch. Michaels also said that he takes a specially formulated packet of diabetes supplements to stay healthy.

    Halle Berry

    • Gorgeous movie star and mother Halle Berry was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 23, reports DiabetesHealth.com, after slipping into a coma during the filming of a television show. To keep her blood glucose in check, she has told reporters, she constantly checks her sugar levels to be sure they're in the safe zone. Berry has also been quoted as saying she is no longer using insulin, and there is some confusion among the media, Diabetes Health reports, as to whether she was misdiagnosed and is actually a Type 2 diabetic.

    Nick Jonas

    • Nick Jonas---one of the members of the Jonas Brothers, a 'tween favorite pop-rock band---was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Jonas, who tells DiabetesHealth.com that he was diagnosed at age 12, checks his blood sugar about a dozen times a day. He's won kudos from parents and diabetes experts, the website says, for his candor about his condition, the website says. To keep on top of his diabetes, he enters the number of carbohydrates he plans to eat into his OmniPod, a wireless, tubeless device that injects insulin when it detects the patient needs it. The waterproof, cell phone-size machine, worn on a patient's body, tells him exactly how much insulin he needs with a meal, to keep his blood sugar level.

    Mary Tyler Moore

    • Actress Mary Tyler Moore is best known for her involvement in the "Dick Van Dyke Show" show as well as the "Mary Tyler Moore Show." Moore was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the 1970s, at age 33, reports USA Today. She has learned to carry a loaded syringe with her whenever she goes out to eat, just in case she eats a bit more than expected. Moore also works out five to six days a week for 60 minutes, using a treadmill, elliptical machine, rowing machine or Pilates to keep her body healthy.

    Elliott Yamin

    • Elliott Yamin became famous after his appearance on the fifth season of the "American Idol" TV show, where he was a finalist. Elliott was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, reports DiabetesHealth.com; his mother is also diabetic. Instead of giving himself insulin shots several times a day, Yamin says, he uses an insulin pump that gives him a steady flow of insulin and can be controlled by the push of a button. He also makes it a habit to eat healthy, although he has admitted that caffeine and Little Debbie strawberry shortcake rolls are his guilty pleasures. Yamin stays active by playing football with his buddies, doing sit-ups, and push-ups, and performing on stage.

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