In case you haven't heard, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes four days before my 32nd birthday. Yikes! From time to time you may see some posts on this topic because, well, that's what's new in my life and occupying my mind.
Thus far I have met with my naturopath, who prescribed an extremely low carb and low glycemic diet as well as chromium supplements. I am trying for many reasons to avoid medications, the biggest being that I am breastfeeding. Jane has not taken well to the increase in legumes in my diet. Uh oh. I am hoping to meet with a nutritionist next week and fine tune my diet. I am refusing to eat processed foods or chemical food substitutes. I am determined to find a way to eat real, whole food in proportions and ratios that work for my body. I also have several appointments scheduled for acupuncture. Hopefully this will help my pancreas to do its job.
I am debating meeting with an MD. My fear is that he would put me on meds immediately and I would like to try to push that off as long as possible, since I will likely need them at some point and do not want to put a "band-aid" on my problem without really getting to the root. I am curious, however, if what I have is actually type 1.5 diabetes. It seems to better fit my profile and he may be able to work with me in finding out.
I am feeling frustrated at this point. Why me? I don't have a soda addiction or sweet tooth. I am very aware of sugar and do my best to limit it in my foods. I am not heavily overweight. Even with a strict diet my glucose levels are too high and my fasting rates are not in the normal range. What more can I do? Am I going to die from complications at such a young age?
So far, I have found these foods to be helpful in my quest:
*bean flour - substitute it for some wheat flour to make a complete protein. We've had it in pancakes (high fiber whole grain of course), brownies, and cookies
*vanilla stevia - almost as good as flavored coffee creamer :). Helps make plain yogurt tolerable too.
*unsweetened almond milk - makes a great latte
*powdered stevia - perfect for sweetening cereal, cocoa, iced tea etc.
*mudballs - peanut butter, flax seeds, wheat germ, cocoa, stevia, pumpkin seeds, and honey rolled into yummy little balls
*sucanat - sugar in its purest form. Substitutes equally for sugar or brown sugar
*Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Whole Grain Hot Cereal - the only cereal I can eat. Delicious with some stevia, raisins, and milk
Those are most of my thoughts for now. Don't worry, there will be more cute kiddo pictures soon, but I had to get that off my chest first. :)
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Diabetes and Me
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3 comments:
There is so much I could say on this topic. But first, good for you taking steps to avoid medication. Jenna and I went to a Maximized Living Seminar yesterday and my chiropractor shared a story about a patient whose blood sugar was 900 and through chiropractic and other natural treatments he now is off medication and traveling the US in an RV. He also gave us the road map for a quick and easy workout program that may really help you. Here's his website http://maximizedlivingdrkinch.com/ if you want to look around. You need to register to access the Maximized Living Resources, but it's free. I am praying that this is just some wacky side affect of having a baby and that it will all be over with by Jane's first Birthday. (I have a friend who almost died from allergies that came on with the birth of her third. He is a year and a half now and she has been able to beat almost all of the allergies, although she now keeps an epi pen nearby).
Erin I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I'm so glad you posted though and like Rach said, you are doing the right things! You might also want to read Dr Strand's book, Healthy For Life. He talks extensively about "syndrome X" (the metabolic syndrome) and diabetes. I think you'd likely get some good info from it. Keep us posted on how things are going and what you're doing!
I'm so sorry Erin. But I applaud you for wanting to cut out processed food! Sounds like you've made some great strides. Have you thought about amaranth or quinoa flour? Both are really high in protein. I'm also a hugh fan of chickpea flour, which makes an awesome thin-crust pizza when you combine it with water and then partially cook it on the stovetop, and bake it in the oven. Coconut (the fresh kind, not the sweetened flaked stuff) is also a fave of mine to add nutrients and flavor to noodle dishes or even oatmeal.
Good luck! I'm rooting for you.
The mud balls sound fantastic.
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