November 14th: National Diabetes Day AND National Pickle Day. Is this a coincidence? When I first heard about the idea of celebrating diabetes and pickles on the same day, I couldn’t help but laugh. But the more I thought about it, the more surprising similarities I noticed! So, as we celebrate National Diabetes Day, join me for a laugh as we dive into the unexpected ways diabetes and pickles have more in common than we think.
Diabetes and pickles both require extra attention. Managing blood sugar levels takes a lot of focus, planning, and discipline – whether it’s calculating carbohydrates, dosing insulin, or navigating exercise. Pickles also demand a surprising amount of care. Turning a cucumber into sour perfection requires the right amount of brine, the perfect blend of vinegar, salt, and spice, and lots of patience.
The word individuality explains diabetes and pickles well. No two pickles are alike. Dill, bread and butter, half-sour, full-sour, and spicy are just some of the varieties. People with diabetes also choose to manage their condition in various ways: pumps or MDI, different types of insulin, CGMs, or finger sticks. There isn’t a universal way to manage diabetes, just like there isn’t a one-size-fits-all pickle!
Both require a long-term commitment. Once diagnosed, diabetes is a lifelong condition that you carry through all the highs and lows (literally) of each day. Diabetes management is a full-time gig. Similarly, pickling is all about long-lasting preservation. Once cucumbers are pickled, they can’t go back to being cucumbers – there’s no turning back! Pickles are built to last, surviving basements, pantries, and the depths of your fridge.
Diabetes and pickles are both highly sensitive. Diabetes requires constant monitoring and management to keep blood sugars within a healthy range. It is a delicate dance between insulin, carbohydrates, exercise, and the occasional treat. Pickles are just as finicky. Get the brine ratio wrong, and you end up with a soggy mess – or worse, a cucumber that refuses to pickle! A single salty miscalculation and you will end up with a pickle that is unfit for human consumption. Both diabetes and pickles require balance and an eye for detail; if something is off-kilter, the results can be a little rough.
Lastly, both diabetes and pickles make you thirsty. One classic symptom of high blood sugar is thirst. Whether it is at diagnosis, due to a site failure or just not counting carbohydrates correctly; excess glucose in your bloodstream makes you feel parched, reaching for multiple glasses of water. Pickles pack a punch in the thirst department too. Thanks to their high salt content you’ll be reaching for a glass of water (or two) after a few bites. Whether it’s too much glucose or too much salt, both diabetes and pickles know how to make you thirsty!
In the end, while diabetes and pickles are worlds apart, they have just enough quirks in common to give us a laugh on November 14th. So next time you crunch into a dill spear, remember: it may just be the perfect diabetes-friendly companion – a little salty, a little sour and always there to help life feel a little more flavorful.
Enjoy some of the differences between pickles and diabetes outlined in this Venn Diagram:
Written and reviewed by Kristen O’Dell, MS, RD, CDCES
