I got an award

From Patricia at Subjective Soup we received the award.


I have to list 10 honest facts about myself.

1. I've battled with weight issues all my life. This is probably the most significant cause of my diabetes.
2. I used to drink heavily. This didn't help.
3. Through eating properly, I got off diabetic meds. But it was too little, too late.
4. I started to gain significant weight when I stopped exercising. I failed to see the correlation until much later.
5. I was told I would die at age 30.
6. The amputation of my toe was more devastating than the failure of my kidneys.
7. I was so afraid of doctors, I put myself at serious risk. I filled up with 12 gallons of fluid, at last measure. More to go.
8. While the root cause of my problems can be blamed on others, it really sits with me. There were opportunities to correct the past, they were ignored.
9. I should see a psychiatrist, but the fear of doctors.....
10. Years ago, I was put on valium. It increased my anxiety.

That's 10. I am supposed to nominate others, but I'll pass.

Diabetes is kicking ny butt

The diabetes is really doing a number on me. Although my sugar has been under control for some time, it has done its damage.

My kidneys have been compromised, and I had kidney insufficiency. It has now turned into renal failure and I'm on dialysis. While in the hospital, very high blood pressure was diagnosed, and while trying to lower it, I had a stroke.

All because of the damage done by diabetes. This disease works slowly, but is devastating.

Keep your sugar under control, not by using a bunch of substitutes and artificial junk, but by eating fresh foods. That 5 servings of fruits and vegetables is a good start. And that doesn't mean 5 servings of potatoes.

Substitutions

Diabetics know all about substitutes. Personally, I hate most of them. That "tastes like sugar" doesn't to me. I can detect any artificial sweetener immediately, and I don't like how any of them taste. I prefer to do without than to consume something that tastes like crap.

At least Snapple is doing something I like. They have added a few new items that are better for diabetics, although they don't advertise them as such.

But, one of these products, red tea peach pomegranate flavor is billed as an all natural, low calorie anti oxident drnk.

Sweetened with fructose and fruit juice, it is about half the calorie total and sugar of most drinks. It does not have a really sweet taste, but instead is nore like a sports drink, which are not really sweet to me.

It's not perfect for diabetics (that would be water) but it is better than regular sweetened drinks, and much better (taste wise) than artificial junk.

Some helpful herbs

I was looking at a recent Issue of Women's World, and found a nice article on diabetes. One of the things that is often overlooked is that things work together in our bodies. Rather than a "magic bullet" to target a specific problem treating the body as a whole produces better results.

And here is how these herbs help: they contain compounds which increase the effectiveness of one's liver to convert blood fat and sugar into fuel according to researchers at Stanford University Medical School.
As little as 1 tsp ata meal can increase metabolism for up to 3 hours. It is suggested to try this at only one meal per day.

What are these "magical spices?"

Cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, and cilantro. Simply incorporating these into a regular diet can be useful, and tasty. Add some cinnamon to your oatmeal, and work cayenne into different dishes like your pasta. Ginger can be added to vegetable dishes to create an Asian influenced specialty.

I've been slacking off

Haven't posted for a while, and have been a bit lax in following my food plan.

Well, the glucometer doesn't lie.

My sugar has been up, so tomorrow morning, I need to get back on the program.

Please explain this to me

Every commercial for diabetics seems to include several different cookbooks.

Since Type 2 Diabetics are the target market, why, oh why, do they offer slightly healthier versions of the same crap diet that caused the problem in the first place?

The pictures on TV are for desserts and meals like macaroni and cheese. There is no way in hell to make these foods safe for diabetics. Nope, can't be done.
The desserts are sweetened with chemicals like Nutrasweet or Splenda, which are poison. A safe dessert for a diabetic is a piece of fruit.
If one just absolutely has to have something like cake or pie, have some, but count the carbs. And obviously, it should be on the rarest of occasions. We, as diabetics, don't need cake with our coffee every night. It's a small price to pay to maintain our health.

And as far as mac and cheese--have you ever read the ingredients and nutritional content of either?

Get back to me when you do.

Food is always an issue for diabetics

Yeah, I know, it's an issue for so many of us, but it seems to be a bigger one for diabetics. After all, most of us, if we don't count carbs, at least have to be aware of them. And too much protein wreaks havoc for those of us with kidney issues. So, I have to count carbs, and protein. Which means, all I don't count is fats, and that doesn't lead to anything good. So, basically, I spend my day counting everything.
This disease sucks.