Nutrition Effects on Diabetes

Things are really starting to come together. The reading I’m doing and foods that I eat, are proving themselves to be just what I need to get my metabolism on track. I test at least three times a day, mostly more. I need to know how each food effects my body.

Can you imagine knowing how eating just one food can speed your metabolism ? What an impact this makes on weight loss!! The effects on diabetes are ENORMOUS!! So, you ask, what are the drawbacks? Everything HAS to have a drawback! I am ready to find out.

I’ve had a rather slow, lazy day. Most of my time was focused on family other than myself. For breakfast, I made french toast, sausage and for me, a vegetable omlet. Turkey sounded great for dinner so I roasted a whole turkey breast and made cauliflower with cheese sauce and zuchini /squash veggie patties.

Tomorrow I will be setting up a new business in Quickbooks for one of my clients. I hope to find time at the end of the day for a little more research on the web about acidity and alkaline foods.

I really should have started this blog on day one of being diagnosed diabetic. The fact is, I did think about it, but my mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that I was taking insulin for diabetes! You see, not six months ago my husband had been told by his doctor that he is prediabetic. My husband is not a big man, no weight to lose there. So I had been watching our diet better, cutting down on the sweets and carbs in general. He was testing his blood sugar every so often which was always in the safe parameters, and on his last trip back to the doctor was told “tell your wife to keep up the good work”. How’s that for ironic?

I’m the one who needed to lose weight and in spite of the healthy food I’m eating, it’s just not coming off. Do I owe that to the insulin? I’m walking at least 30 minutes a day and think I’ll kick that up to an hour. I can do the second 30 minutes on the treadmill if I have to. I love to get outdoors to walk if possible but sometimes it is just too darn hot so the treadmill will work.

I had done a lot of reading on the effects of food on diabetes when I wanted to cook differently for my husband and help him maintain his good health. Now I am my own guinea pig, so to speak. I am going much further toward a vegan diet. Not true vegan but several steps closer. I’ve also added some serious green drink to my daily consumption. I had used 1/2 to 1 liter of green drink a day for about a year now. But I’ve stepped that up to 3 liters a day and will get to 4 in a week or so. My glucose numbers are consistently in the acceptable range when I test, highest one time being 163 after a full meal. Most times after a meal is never higher than 115 or 120. Fasting rate is running from 80 to 90. Is this normal? The doctor started me on 40 units at bedtime. Is this the way diabetes goes?

I spent so much time online today looking at sites on diabetes. There must be thousands of them! I’ve always been interested in nutrition, but this isn’t the way I wanted to get more involved in it! Okay. That attitude has got to stop. I have diabetes. I take insulin. I have changed my diet, eliminating sugar and flour. The carbs in my food are largely from vegetables now. I take supplements to support the pancreas and adrenal glands as well as a vitamin for a healthy heart.

The doctor gave me a prescription for lisinopril for protecting my kidneys. Apparently, diabetes effects so many parts of the body and kidney damage is a common side effect. My goal is to get off all prescribed medications. I’ve got to keep reading and searching for ways to use food as my medicine. The glycemic index is interesting. I think I’ll go check it out.

Nineteen days ago, I got a real shocker. After going to the doctor for a health certificate to teach, (TB test…they want to be certain you have no communicable diseases for the children) I was informed I had diabetes. Full blown, insulin injecting diabetes. I know there are many people my age, yes, I’m a baby boomer, that have type 2 diabetes. But not me! How could this be happening to me???

I pleaded with the doctor to let me try diet and exercise or even pills, but was told my numbers were so high, it probably wouldn’t be effective. Well tough. Okay. I will shoot up with insulin!  THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME!!

Here I begin the online search for HELP. I am famous for telling people to go online. “You can find anything online”!