Sugar loves watermelon. Did you know? Watermelon is commonly considered a fruit but it is actually a vegetable and a member of the cucumber family.

While some are already experiencing winter weather, it still feels like Summer here in SoCal. Sugar and I have been enjoying the outdoors and running. We are getting ready for our Fit Foodie Run 5k. I previously shared that I was chosen to be 2015 Fit Foodie Ambassador for Cooking Light & Health, San Diego. The official charity partner of the event is the American Diabetes Association. 5% of the Fit Foodie 5k Race entries and merchandise sales benefit the American Diabetes Association. As an Act of Kindness, the American Diabetes Association provided us a special healthy and diabetes-friendly cookbook.

Did you know? In 2012, 29.1 million Americans had diabetes. Approximately 1.25 million American children and adults have type 1 diabetes. In 2010, Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death. Healthy eating is important especially to those who have diabetes.

Diabetes isn’t just a human disease; dogs (and cats) get it too. I was told that 1 out of 100 dogs around the age of 12 years of old has diabetes. Female dogs are more likely to develop diabetes than males dogs. Unfortunately, I found out that there’s no cure for a diabetic pet. However, it is treatable and with the proper care a diabetic pet can live a happy, healthy and active life.

There are many delicious easy to follow recipes I plan to try. I found a dog-friendly watermelon smoothie recipe and a pawfect drink after our morning run.

Watermelon Patch Smoothie for Dogs

4 cups watermelon chunks
2/3 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (omitted vanilla flavored yogurt from original recipe)
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 cup of ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serves 4, 1 cup per serving

A refreshing way to hydrate plus freshens dog’s breath!
Golden TongueOut DELISH!

Lots of Golden Thanks to American Diabetes Association