Friday, October 16, 2009

What do you eat in Autumn?

BG: 69

Every season brings its own trials and delights for a diabetic.

Food. How do we deal with it. How do we manage it? How do we celebrate it?
I love fall for its food... Chili, stewes, apples, hot cocoa, cider, breads. The list goes on. Is it a matter of self control? Will power?

Well, yeah. Our tug of war with the disease is just that, isn't it? But I don't think food should limit our joy.

Perhaps you're thinking, that's easy for you to say. You can just pump some insulin and eat whatever you want. Well, maybe that's true to a certain extent. I am blessed to be T1. I have the flexibility of counting carbs. I don't have insulin resistance and I don't need pills.

But, my weakness still lies in food. Weight gain and simple sugars can not be succumbed by insulin alone. So... how can we enjoy the celebration of the season without ruining our therapeutic efforts?

The good: eat the foods you can harvest. Fruits, vegetables... high fiber foods that are delicious. Foods that take some time to prepare, squashes, carrots, potatoes, etc but are mostly overlooked.

The bad: allow yourself an indulgence every once in a while. Take a little extra insulin or a longer walk. Don't cut out all your favorites or you will burnout from this disease.

The obvious: sugar substitutes. They aren't a replacement for carbs, but I do find that they curb the spike when I want something like pie or cake. I realize that lots of people nay the substitutes...it's a chemical. I get that, but the trade off seems much worse: coffee, plain!

Three ways to help you make it, one day at a time, right? That's all we have to do...

1 comment:

Amy said...

Since Jada's diagnosis, my love of baking has been somewhat tarnished. I still do it, but we can no longer leave cookies sitting on the counter for everyone to just "graze" until they're gone. Really- it's not a bad thing- we are certainly eating healthier but this time of year does make it more difficult!