That's good advice Brian I appreciate your post. I have gone to CA and done the raw foods diet, gone vegan, paleo and low-carb. My goal was to reverse diabetes. I was determined to find a diet that worked the best for me. My current diet is my own, that which works best for me. I eat pretty healthy on a low-carb diet. This winter has been tough; it’s been a wicked winter, very cold and icy. I have noticed a pattern with my A1c, this time of year it goes up, mostly under 6.0. In the spring and summer months and especially the fall, it drops to 5.1 or 5.2. And, I have to think that for me, this is my normal.
Diabetes is a hard disease to manage; it’s always there in your face unless you have several fleeting Yoga moments when it’s gone. Meditation is good too. I teach both. Keeps me centered and balanced. During the spring and summer months, I landscape, I do what I love. For me, working in the yard is therapy with fringe benefits, the sun on your shoulders, a fresh breeze and sounds of nature.
My eating plan is not perfect and I still need to tweak it a bit as I have had to increase my meds to 2,000 mg metformin x 4 a day, prandin 1-2mg and 1-1.5 mg glimiperide. I don’t like taking medication. I’ve had diabetes since 2008 and was diagnosed Type 2 but my new endo believes I am a MODY.
This makes sense to me because when I was diagnosed I read Dr. Richard Bernstein’s book, tweaked it a bit to make it more healthy and went low-carb. In 6 months I went from a size 12 to a size 2 where I remain today. Now, you would think you’d be able to lower your meds but a MODY is a different type, genetic driven and acts a bit differently. I believe if I was a type 2 like several of my friends, I would have been able to take less medication. But, this is my type of Diabetes, and each of us needs to treat ourselves uniquely, experiment with food and exercise and do what works for you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the raw food diet but unless you live in a climate like CA, it’s much more difficult and quite expensive. I still make an awesome raw co-coconut crème pie sugar free! My biggest downfall hot wings, particularly haberno hot or garlic parmesan. Tempeh taco’s are great and my son and hubby love them.
Be creative and play with your food! Experiment with spices and herbs, grow your own.
Another way of looking at eating is through Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, a seasonal approach and light fasting in the Spring months which I plan to do this year. I eat fairly healthy on a low carb diet. I do all the diets and get recipes from raw or vegan and make a dish now and then and particularly seasonal eating. Seasonal eating is eating the freshest foods you can grow or buy. I limit my intake of fruit choosing mostly berries.
I have more energy and more active than many of my 60 year old counterparts. So, I guess these are the things I do to keep myself health. Oh yeah and I run (only) in the woods on soft paths, hike, walk and bike when the season permits. I do enjoy a glass or red wine with dinner and buy a nice bottle to savor.
So what is your food and exercise prescription? What works best for you? The end. Finally.