Working for better health with Diabetes 2 is a journey of what is good for you.
I may be going way out on a limb, going against the tide of the hundreds of people and companies that have the “answer” for you. One day, though, sitting outside my diabetes doctor’s office with a half-dozen other folks suffering from diabetes, I had a revelation.
What they were doing was not working for them. For some, that may have been nothing – yes, I know a couple of people who eat what they want, when they want and at the end of the day, either do not care where their glucose reading goes or they jab themselves with Insulin.
I have also seen what health problems these folks have, from losing parts of their body to going blind. They have now become sufficiently scared to drop the bravado and have my help to live a better life living with diabetes.
Might, Maybe, Could
Getting diabetes brought with it many frustrations about what I might be able to eat, what I could possibly eat, and, last but not least, maybe safe to eat. Not knowing much and not having much help except for support from my wife, I decided to take on the challenge of change on my own.
I began, finding out that any carbohydrates blew my glucose into the stratosphere. Eating anything with carbs, such as bread, rice, and potatoes, would easily see my glucose going to 15 (270). My A1C was about 7.8 (140), so a huge impact.
Who Doesn’t Like Eggs Benedict with Sausages?[1]
With continued experimenting, I found what I could and could not eat. Meat, eggs, vegetables, and salads formed the basis for my meals then, and I continue today.
The next question was, within this basic food list, how to create variety? I now make my own carb-free bread and have a host of outcomes for different vegetables and other dishes. For example, the other night, I made a baked spinach dish. It did not work out quite like I wanted it, but the taste was spot on. A few minor changes to the recipe will fix what ailed it, but no impact on my glucose, which is the most important.
What About Sweets?
My go-to dish is homemade yogurt with blueberries. I tried strawberries, but they are too sweet. As well, trying bit by bit, I discovered I can eat 6 x 70% chocolate pieces, and surprisingly, cheesecake.
[1] © <a href='https://www.123rf.com/profile_pondshutter'>pondshutter</a>, <a href='https://www.123rf.com/free-images/'>123RF Free Images</a>
The Bottom Line on the Food List
Forget the Might, Maybe, Could. It is carbs that turn into sugar and sugared food that cause the problems for us with Type 2 diabetes. I say this with the caveat that I am not a doctor or a dietician; I am a regular guy who has done a lot of investigation to find what works for me.
I began working from the bottom up; getting rid of all carbs from my diet and gradually experimenting to find what and how much I could and could not eat. It is my personal plan, which I recommend everyone to do.
Back to sitting outside my doctor’s office, I see people who struggle to lose weight and to eat in a way that will provide them with a quality of life living with diabetes. I know how tough it is, but I have now dropped 15 kg and dropped my A1C from 7.8 (140) to 7.0 (126).
The results are pretty good, and I no longer have to get frustrated about what I can or cannot eat.
If I can help you, contact me through our website.
Best wishes from all of us at:
Damndiabetes.ca is part of a boutique firm in Vancouver with the mission to help people have a better quality of life living with diabetes.
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