Nutrition Effects on Diabetes

What a week this has been! Eating healthy while on vacation is difficult for a  “normal” person let alone a diabetic.  At least for this diabetic.  I’ve done fairly well but am so tempted at times, I feel myself losing the battle and just have to have that “no-no”, whatever that may be. Today it was a gooey, lucious brownie.
The key, I am finding, to steady blood sugar, is to space out the “no-nos”. For example, at breakfast the other day, I find I can eat a small serving of hash browns with my omlet if I forego the toast and fruit. For lunch, a sandwich on one slice of bread means no chips or macaroni salad, but lots of veggies and dip. Leave the bread off the sandwich (I use a romaine lettuce leaf and wrap the meat, onion, tomato, etc.), then I can have a helping of baked beans that were slow cooked and sweetened and oh so good!

Desserts have always been tempting, but starches are my greatest weakness. Potatoes of any kind, breads….oh how I love breads! And pizza….well, I won’t even go there. Just the thought ……….

Tired tonight but doing just fine in the numbers catagory. Went from 102 this morning to 125 and 115 throughout the day…including meals! So we go from here.

We are getting ready to take a week off and gel in the mountains! It will be wonderful! We’ll definately see how nutrition effects diabetes, won’t we? We are taking my husband’s parents (87 & 88) but will drop them off at his brother’s house 1 and 1/2 hours from where we’ll be staying. The terrain is impossible for them, but we will see them over the Memorial Day holiday and bring them back with us after a week.

I’m taking my computer on this trip and will keep up with my blog. Here’s to the absolute truth!

I had a great weekend! My son and 6 month old granddaughter were visiting 3 and a half hours from us. So grandma and papa went there! It was a quick visit for my son and friends were throwing a crawfish boil at their gorgeous home outside Orlando. They have done this every year for ten years so it’s becoming a tradition! Huge pots of crawfish, potatoes, corn on the cob, mushrooms and seasonings that make your mouth water just smelling it, are all dumped on the tables to eat. Served typical seafood style to dig right in with your hands. You crack open the body of the crawfish and eat that (very small) then suck the head. You’ve got to eat a lot of crawfish to get much meat!

There were lots of extras brought by the 60 people there…baked beans, desserts of every kind, keylime pies, chocolate fudge cake, and tons more too numerous to mention. Unfortunately for me, no vegetables I could knosh on.  Someone did throw some chicken on the grill, so I had a small chicken breast and a few baked beans. Had to try a couple bites of dessert…something with whipped cream and chocolate that was out of this world!  We happily took the baby back to our hotel room for the night and by the time I got her settled and took my blood sugar reading, it was still at 153. Guess it could have been worse. 

I haven’t had much time to post lately or research more on foods. I have, however, been adding some different carbs and documenting their effects on my blood sugar.  The carbs aren’t elevating my glucose all that much and they don’t stay in my system  unduly long. Of course, the insulin should take care of that. I’m maintaining the status quo.

The weather is beginning to get hotter (93 degrees today) so that means my days of walking outdoors are numbered! Well, unless I can go early in the mornings, I walk on the treadmill. Crank up the music! 

I am still struggling with weight loss. Certainly not because I’m eating too much! But I’m not going hungry and my blood sugar is well under control. I believe the insulin does prevent weight loss, perhaps, even encourages weight gain. I must admit, it’s discouraging as I know getting rid of extra pounds would aid in my goal to reduce the insulin. For now, I must continue adjusting the meals and exercise and want to begin meditation.

I am an admirer of Dr. Wayne Dyer and have several of his audio programs for personal development. He offers guidance on meditation that I’ll have to check out.

Yeast infection. It’s not the most pleasant subject to talk about, but, unfortunately, it is one that effects millions of people. It is also a disease that can be associated with diabetes. And, yeast infection is not only a woman’s problem. Men can have this too.

Yeast and other microbes live in everyone’s bodies, usually coexisting in a healthy way. But when an overgrowth of yeast (fungus) occurs, so do health problems. One of the most common of these is a vaginal yeast infection in a woman. The symptoms can be really distressing (itching and odorous discharge), but what is more distressing is the fact that even when prescribed antibiotics by your doctor, most times, the problem isn’t gone. Perhaps, you just made it worse! Men may have infection in the genitalia, under the arms, or between the toes. This may be common, but it’s not normal.

Doctors will tell you that yeast infection can be related to other underlying conditions, such as diabetes, leukemia and AIDS. Yeast and fungi feed off sugar. Through the combination of a diabetic’s body not handling starches and sugars properly, and the body building up a resistance to antibiotics, you’ve possibly just set yourself up for one doozey of an infection! Or recurring infections!

There are natural and effective ways to rid yourself of yeast overgrowth. No, we don’t hear about them but a few actually exist! I believe the drug companies want to keep us popping pills and spending tons of money on treatments that are actually hurting us. For some of the best and most complete information on natural cures for yeast infection, click here and it will take you right to what YOU need to know for yourself or your family. Don’t suffer any longer.

Some of the good foods I’ve been eating are really giving me fits! Perhaps everyone doesn’t want to read about the digestion problems I’m having, (ie. gas & bloating) but it appears to be part of the pancreas not secreting the enzymes for digestion as usual. I will try eating smaller meals more often if I’m hungry. And remember to take the Digest Gold that really seems to help.

I read where cucumbers are supposed to be cleansing for the pancreas and liver. I’ve been eating a cucumber every day in a smoothie from a recipe I found in PH Miracle about alkaline foods. I’ve altered it a little to suit my tastes but basically, I combine raw spinach, english cucumber, fresh lime juice, fresh mint leaves, an avocado, stevia powder and almond milk in a blender. Blend, then crush some ice in it and there you have it! IT IS SOOO GOOD! Creamy and satisfying. It’s actually breakfast every morning. It’s a little of an acquired taste but even my kids said they could get used to it. I think I’m doing pretty good.

Today wasn’t a particularly good day, physically. I’ve been experiencing tenderness on the left side of my stomach and ribs. I’ve been checking out pancreatitis and it appears the symptoms are similar to what I have. But before I jump to conclusions, I’ll do more research. Next doctor’s appointment is in a month.
Why would these symptoms appear now when I’ve been on insulin for a little over a month and am diligently watching what I eat? I added enzymes for digestion to relieve some of the bloating and gas I was getting from the broccoli and cabbage. If I don’t eat a lot of vegetables, I’m good. I did have a little piece of cake after dinner last night (3 bites) for my mother’s 85th birthday. Even though my sugar measured 188 after that, it was back down to 124 by bedtime.

Before the diagnosis of diabetes was made, I had no symptoms that I payed much attention to. Looking back,  there were a few times I felt some twinges in the left side of my stomach area. Of course, I thought I had a muscle spasm since I’d had those in my back before and that’s what it felt like.You’d better believe I am paying better attention to my body and what it’s telling me!

I check my glucose level religiously, sometimes 5 times a day, but at least 3. Why is it when I get up later in the morning, my numbers are higher? Not in the HIGH range, but maybe 115 to 125. This morning (at 8:00 am) was 122, but nothing changed in my routine last night. I had a huge salad for dinner, the only carbs, with turkey chunks and cheese for protein. I generally test so much lower in the morning if I get up at 5:30 or 6:00 am  (90 to 100), which is the time I usually get up. Any words of wisdom?

I am relatively new to Wordpress. Most everyone I know is a Blogger.com. Who doesn’t know Google??? But I am getting familiar with Wordpress (not enough) and the plugins that are available to use that are phenomenal! Yes, I am a newbie to most everything internet with the exception of email and searches. There is so much to learn. And it is so exciting!

Would you believe I am actually thankful that I have been diagnosed with diabetes? I am. Because now, I have to do something about it. No more slacking off, no more ignoring my health. With the power of Wordpress and the sentiments from my heart, there must be thousands of other people just like me that I can reach. Now it is up to me.