In this week's episode we continue February food month and I talk about my diabetic diet, I share a good sugar-free cake recipe, and we find out which foods Donna doesn't like.
Welcome to Blog Oklahoma
Going to talk about something a little more serious today, Diabetes. This is something I have first hand knowledge of. I am diabetic. It's a disease where our bodies do not process the sugars we intake properly and it builds up in our blood. And this can cause all sorts of health problems. Just a few of the symptoms are frequent urination, feeling very thirsty all the time, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, cuts and bruises heal very slowly, and pain or numbness in your hands and feet. All of which I've had the pleasure of having. In 2012 about 29 million Americans had diabetes. In the show notes I'll provide a link American Diabetes Association. There you can find out more information about diabetes and its treatment, but please above all seek the advice of your doctor.
I control my diabetes with medication and diet under a doctor's supervision. I don't have to do insulin injections, and I don't have to always monitor my glucose levels. You know the test where you prick your finger and put a drop of blood on a test strip. I still have a meter and will test occasionally, just not daily. I visit my doctor regularly, have blood drawn, tested, and my doctor will adjust my medication appropriately. I'm happy to say, if you can be happy about having diabetes, my last A1C number was 6.5. Anything below 7 is considered in control. That's good. Considering when I was first diagnosed I was around an A1C of 8 and hovered around 7 for years before we found the right combinations of things to get it lower.
Now this is food month so let's talk about a diabetic diet. Again I want to reiterate always seek the advice of your doctor, the diet I follow was suggested to me by a dietitian and approved by my doctor. Here's the surprising thing, a good diabetic diet is no different than a regular healthy diet for everyone. It's a diet of lean proteins, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and it's low in saturated and trans fats. It's all about portion control.
I haven't completely eliminated all forms of sugar from my diet, but I have cut any processed sugary foods. No candy bars, no marshmallows, no sugary sweetened anything, no - sigh - pop tarts. So basically anything made with white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, or honey is on the no list. But that's it more or less.
It's wise to lower the amount of carbohydrates you take in, but not eliminated them. If I want to have a baked potato with my meal, I can have one. I'm not denying myself any foods except the sugary things I've mentioned. And to be honest, with a few minor exceptions, I haven't missed them.
Again that doesn't mean I can go overboard and over indulge in high glycemic foods like fruits and some vegetables, portion control is important here. I can have an apple or some baby carrots, but I shouldn't eat a whole bag full in one sitting. I can enjoy a banana, but more than 2 would be pushing it.
Again this is my diabetic diet, your diet will be different. I have other diabetic friends who don't deny themselves anything. They eat the sugary foods. They're also on insulin and have to continually test their blood all day. I get to take a handful of pills twice a day. I can't stress enough that you should follow the advice of your doctor when it comes to this. If you would like to see the diet plan that was given to me by my dietitian many years ago I still have it up on my personal website listed as "Suggested Meal Plan for A Hypoglycemia Diet".
Oh I have one more thing I want to mention, and this is just some friendly advice. If you're new to this kind of diet the chance is you'll want to have as much sugar-free things as you can. Meaning stuff that is sweetened by artificial sweeteners. This includes things like sugar free candy and diet sodas. It's fine to have these sugar-free things every now and then in limited quantities. I keep some sugar-free candy in my desk drawer at work, and I'll have a Diet Pepsi or Coke every once in awhile when I eat out. Just don't eat too much of this sugar-free stuff. You will regret it when you cross that line. In fact on many of the packaged sugar-free things there is written underneath the ingredients list is a warning. Heed this warning. Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect.
This episode's writing suggestion
is to take part in Food Month and talk about your favorite food related topic.
Top 5
Here are the top 5 foods Donna dislikes.
- 5. Lima Beans
- 4. Squash
- 3. Black Eyed Peas
- 2. Fish
- 1. Squid
Links from this episode
- American Diabetes Association
- Suggested Meal Plan for A Hypoglycemia Diet
- Banana Caramel Cake
- My new Neewer mic stand
- Our CafePress Store
This episode's bonus interesting articles
- Beginner Tips: On Writing Emails - Rocket Jump Film School
- Can Free Pop-Up Clinics Save American Healthcare? - The Nib
This episode's bonus musical selection
You can listen To the Blog Oklahoma Bonus playlist on Spotify. Enjoy.
- New To The Playlist:
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