Diabetes Superfoods

The night after my telling doctor visit, I spent  a good bit of time on the Internet, researching my new problem. First stop, the American Diabetes Association. Who should know better than all the experts of this organization? Their website is immense, of course, and there is enough information there to keep you reading and learning about this disease for a real long time. I'm still exploring on their site and will share the coolest stuff I find, so anyone that's interested can get there in a quick minute...sort of saving you some 'legwork'. 

With that in mind, I found this intriguing list of 'Diabetes Superfoods' on the site that I immediately printed, read, and put on my refrigerator.  I made a mental note that I was going to try, every single day, to have one of these foods included in my eating plans.  Now, the word plans is probably too formal a word. I don't make menus and eating plans, I haven't gotten that far in this process, and truth be told, I'm likely to never get that regimented.  But I am conscious of knowing what these foods are, trying to have some of them in my kitchen, and making sure that when I eat, that at least one of my meals, has one of these foods, perched on the plate.

On to the list...(and a little about how they made this prestigious top 10)
1. Beans-from kidney to pintos, the nutrition level is high, the fiber content is very high (fiber we'll be discussed in a future bloggy moment all its own), and the glycemic index is low (big medical term we'll talk about later, too)...suffice to say, LOW is great!

2. Dark Green Leafy Veggies-Okay, they are on every superfoods list. Green stuff is good for you, no way around it...just eat your spinach, ok!? The ADA calls these POWERHOUSE foods...that means really, really important.

3. Citrus Fruits-I was a bit surprised about their inclusion. I tend to think of fruit as sugary...and they aren't without sugar content, but portion and the form it takes, along with a whole bunch of other factors like fiber content make it a good choice.

4. Sweet Potatoes-I sure enough did a double take when I saw a POTATO on the list! Woohoo! I'm saved, I can eat potatoes, they are SUPER! Wait, not so fast there, tater tot...we're not talking Mickey D's french fries (yeah, I'm still gonna eat those sometimes). Turns out these little starchy darlings are full of Vitamin A and that fiber stuff. They have a lower glycemic index than their paler peers and therefore make the team.

5. Berries-Pick your favorite and get to noshing. Lots of antioxidants and FIBER make them a good choice.

6. Tomatoes-As the ADA puts it, no matter how you like your tomatoes, you get vital nutrients including iron (which I always seem to be low on), so eat up. Watch when you buy those canned tomatoes at the store. Just today I was label reading again for fun...yeah, my life is a rip snorting party in the making, don't remind me...and so so many canned tomatoes have added sugar! What buttheads, adding sugar to a diabetic superfood.

7. Fish-Not just any fish mind you. We're not talking British fish 'n chips fried goldeny delicious wrapped in newsprint...oh no. We're talking those high in Omega-3 fatty acids fishes. Lucky for me, salmon fits nicely in this category. Salmon grills or broils up all lovely like, and tastes good with almost any side dish.  If you don't like salmon, I'm just real sorry bout that. Treat it like spinach and eat some anyway. Because the good folks at the ADA have a 'goal' for you on this super food...6-9 ounces a week. Nope, it's not catfish...but it may be even better. There are other Omega-3 fishes, too.

8. Whole Grains-You want germs and brans in this category. So forgo that lily white bread (okay, 'cept for maybe the occasional perfect grilled cheese day) and pick up the brown stuff. Again, some label reading will do you good. The higher the fiber count in these whole grains, the better off you will be, the lower the glycemic index will be, and the happier your body will be. Not all whole grains are created equal. My first purchase after my diagnosis, I came home with 4g of fiber bread, which was higher than most of what I looked at on the shelf that day. But today I found some that was 6g of fiber! Oh yeah, now we're talking! That brand was Oroweat, and was listed as Double Fiber bread.

9. Nuts-Some nuts contain those Omega-3's we're looking for and are a good idea to stave off hunger. Don't reach for that HoHo! NoNo...get some nuts to have on hand. Eat just a little because they are high in fats and calories. Sugar, fat, it's always something between a food loving girl and her snacks!

10-Fat-free Milk and Yogurt-Confessional time...just picture a draped background and the mini-cam pointing at my morose expression as I share. I'm not a milk person to begin with and if you say fat free, I'm tuned out before you get to the 't' part of 'f a t' in fat-free. I did go down to 1% milk and it's acceptable. Drink, eat, and be dairy!

Now, please do not take all my words as gospel. I interpreted the ADA article in my own words and style. That's why I've included the link to that exact page for you on their site. Go forth and read and then throw all that stuff in your cart on your next shopping trip. We'll be SUPER together! http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/diabetes-superfoods.html

There's Knowing and Then There's KNOWING

Life is full of what one of my dear friends terms 'la la' moments.  The things in life you just don't want to face. I have spent the last few months having my own la la moment.  Usually, I'm the very grounded practical person, pointing out the stark facts to those in my life, that like to live in the land of make believe. But I suppose everyone has something they just don't want to deal with, that they'd rather forget, or that they can't seem to face.

For me, that something, was diabetes.  I grew up in a family that is plagued with this disease. Ugh...disease, disorder, discombobulation...can I just say, whatever you want to call it, it sucks big time. I have always been surrounded by loved ones that had diabetes, so I knew how it looked...all it's little symptoms, so when I started having them, I knew my time had come.

Doesn't that sound ominous!? My time had come, as if I was the damsel just waiting for the bad guy to swoop down on me. Oh, I was, but I had plenty a hand in it...a hand in the cookie jar, a hand on the fork. If you know me, you know my backside didn't get this wide by exercising restrain. Heredity gets to deal us a hand, but we all make decisions that improve upon what we're given, or we let it ride to see what happens.

So I waited, knowing, as long as I dared, before I went to the doctor to get the 'stark facts' for myself. Why did I wait? Because I didn't want to give up all the foods I love! I'm a foodie kind of person. I love recipe books, I love shopping, cooking, eating and feeding other people. It's a form of southern love. My grandma fed me, my moma fed me, my aunts fed me, and I have memories of wonderful times stored away in my brain...almost all of them connected to food. Events and food go together. Right? I waited because I knew, once I had a confirmation of what I knew, that I couldn't sit idly by and let this sweet disease take my health. That I would have to get off my considerable behind and do something about it. Changes would be required and you know how all us human folk love change.

Now here I am, 3 1/2 weeks after finding out I'm diabetic, working on how to make my life a little less sweet, if you know what I mean. Changes have occurred. I'm on medication...that's another blog, coming soon.  I'm checking my sugar every day...yet another blog for another day. And I'm dealing with my love of food, because my body is no longer going to let me just eat what I want without serious, scary consequences. 

And I'm sharing it all with whoever cares to read about it. Why? Lots of reasons. After my doctor visit, I had a little pity party, complete with tears, because I didn't want to have this disease. I was angry with the part I couldn't control (all those weird glands and things that quit working like they are supposed to) and I was angry with myself for living my life as if I could somehow just magically escape my fate without effort on my part. Then I gave myself the stern talking to I deserved...something along the lines of bucking up and dealing with it, after which I knew that it would benefit me and help me wrap my mind around what I now have to do if I chronicled my experience. The other reason, that I can verbalize, is that I want to share what I learn with others, in the hopes that one person can help another and so on. I suppose that's the librarian in me, wanting to research it all, get the facts, and then give them to people who look like they need information!

If you are here and have this disease, please know that I will do my best to share whatever I find, to improve our diabetic lives. If you are here and your glands are all in proper working order...well, just enjoy the ramblings and adventures of one diabetic girl.