Vol. 14, No. 4, Summer 2001

E-interview with Deanna Espina

Jacquelyn Ross

Deanna Espina is a longtime educator and community leader in the Bay Area. She is originally from the Yakama Reservation in Washington State. She is a proud mother and grandmother. As director of the Title IX Indian Education program in the San Lorenzo Unified School District, she provides cultural guidance, personal and academic counseling, and community resources to Indian students in this district. She was diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago and has transformed her education about this condition into a learning experience for her students and their families. Her generosity continues with this interview.

Ross: Under what circumstances did you find out you had diabetes?
Espina: I found out that I had diabetes from my rheumatologist, who in turn alerted my general practitioner. I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), too.

R: What warning signs did your body give you? Were you caught by surprise?
E: Most of my friends have diabetes. I did not have the classic symptoms that they talked about, though, so I was really caught by surprise.

R: What did your doctor direct you to do to manage your diabetes?
E: I have type II diabetes (no medication required) and my general practitioner recommended that I do the glucose test every day and see a nutritionist as well. Getting used to all the bread, milk, and cheese that the nutritionist recommended was difficult. My diabetes menu is based on 1500 calories a day. I make myself take a break at work now and have a piece of cheese, fruit, or milk and graham crackers at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It really works. I can easily turn down the
cakes, doughnuts, and other goodies at work now.

R: If you had been lactose intolerant, what would your nutritionist have recommended instead of the cheese and milk? Also, I was under the impression that carbohydrates can actually raise your glucose level. Are you on a moderate amount of carbohydrates?
E: I try and go to as many diabetes workshops as I can. I am still learning more each day. I will ask my nutritionist about lactose intolerance. It was explained to me that I need to eat the starch and carbs to give me energy. I like to eat Cream of Wheat the first thing in the morning without sugar. I make two cups of Cream of Wheat and put the rest in the fridge for the next two days.

R: What additional steps did you take on your own? How well have they worked?
E: I do a lot of research on the internet and read all I can about diabetes, especially information pertaining to Native Americans. I am putting a binder of resources and information together. I am working on menus. Personally, I cut out Hershey’s chocolate, beef, and highly salted foods. Eating those foods in really small portions once in a while is okay, but if you are eating right you won’t need or crave them. My main staple is salmon and other fish and shellfish. I love salad and vegetables. I don’t eat Chinese or Italian food anymore unless it’s a vegetable dish. My biggest treat is a Caesar salad. I was a little taken aback by the nutritionist telling me that I could have wine with dinner. I said, emphatically, "No!" Of course, I realized she doesn’t know that I don’t drink.

R: Let's talk about your traditional foods. What are they for your people?
E: As a small child on the Yakama reservation I ate bear, elk, deer, quail, pheasant (which tastes like chicken), wild camus, bitter root, and, of course, huckleberries. My favorite was always salmon, especially prepared and dried by my grandparents. My mother made fry bread but I rarely ate it because it was really heavy, not like the fry bread today. When I found out that I had diabetes, I knew I needed to go back to our traditional tribal foods, like salmon. Huckleberries are much harder to get. My grandparents grew raspberries and vegetables on the reservation. My mother had a vegetable farm too. They have all passed on, and I still grow vegetables just like they did, before me.

R: Do you have easy access to these foods?
E: We are lucky to have access to salmon in the Bay Area. Of course it doesn't taste as good as the dried salmon and open-fire style salmon that my grandma and great-grandma prepared.

R: Was it hard to work these foods back into your lifestyle and diet?
E: My grandparents grew vegetables and raspberries in the rich Yakima valley; they also gathered traditional foods. Gathering wild roots and berries is impossible in our area of California because of pollution. I fished for salmon with my grandparents at the Columbia River, so I ate salmon, vegetables, and berries all my life. Mayonnaise and butter were unknown to me when I was very young. All our foods were eaten and cooked au natural.

R: I understand you told your doctors about your traditional foods. What was their reaction?
E: I told them that I went back to the traditional foods of my tribe, the main food being salmon. They were pleased.

R: Are there other people in your family with diabetes? If so, how did they handle it?
E: My first cousin had diabetes and he died from insulin shock. Blindness, amputations, and death due to diabetes are not uncommon on the reservation.

R: Has anything about diabetes surprised you?
E: I casually mentioned that I have been diagnosed with diabetes to my Indian Education parents and they told me that it runs in their family too. I was so surprised. I would not have known, I'm glad I mentioned it. Like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes can do an enormous amount of damage to other parts of your body. My ophthalmologist said to pay strict attention to my diet and recommended that I read "In the Zone," a book about nutrition. So far, I do not have any damage to my eyes.

R: You share your experience with other people in the community. How do you do this, and how do people react? Is there a particular age group that you are trying to reach?
E: I contacted the Indian Health Center in Oakland and they sent me Native American diabetes information. I am in touch with the American Indian Physicians in Oklahoma and they have sent us a wealth of information. Next year, a component of our Indian Education program will now include diabetes education for my parents, students, and the community. I had my parents and students make a list of nutritious snacks for the next school year and soda will be replaced with juices. One student requested white grape juice. Of that particular juice, I can only have a half cup. We have a small kitchen at our museum and we can cook nutritious meals and make salads next year or order prepared food from our school kitchen. My parents and students can plan our nutritious meals for our meetings and it will be a lot of fun.

R: Do you have any advice for people trying to avoid diabetes, or for those newly diagnosed with it?
E: Exercise and eat in moderation. Avoid salty foods. Drink iced tea or lemonade instead of soda. Cola has twelve teaspoons of sugar in it! Exercise (walk). About two years ago I stopped exercising and became this "couch potato." I believe this contributed to my being diagnosed with diabetes. Contact your tribe, they may have a list of tribal foods from your own area. Other contacts include the Indian Health Center (www.indianhealth.com), the Association of American Indian Physicians in Oklahoma (www.aaip.com), and the American Diabetes Association (1-800-DIABETES).