This season lends itself to what I believe to be the healthiest few months for eating and lifestyle. More and more farmers markets become available, pools open, there are outside activities galore (camping, beach trips, evening walks, local races); I am sure I am preaching to the choir.
Oh, hormones. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with our hormones because they seem to either be working in our favor or working against us. This relationship becomes even more complicated with diabetes when insulin levels can become unregulated, especially during times of pregnancy and menopause when our reproductive hormones change rapidly.
Hormones are messengers in the body and regulate everything from our body temperature to our fertility health. Rather than being annoyed when we experience symptoms of hormone imbalance such as blood sugar spikes, mood swings, or the dreaded weight gain (especially in the mid-section, arg!), I like to think of these symptoms as a message that our hormones are trying to send us. What a blessing it is that our bodies let us know when something is out of whack!
I've made it an initiative in the last 12 months plus to understand female hormones and hormone imbalances better than ever. As someone with type 1 diabetes, and coaching many with diabetes, we have to consider over 50 things that are non-food related that can affect our blood sugar control, and one of the most common moving variables include the female cycle.
You’ve probably heard the unfortunate truth before: women have a higher risk of heart disease. Women with diabetes have an even higher risk. As someone who has born with a congentital heart disease myself, (I had open heart surgery when I was just three years old!) I care about heart disease more than most. But as a dietitian and diabetes educator, I also know there are simple things we can do everyday to drastically lower our risk so that we beat those statistics. :)
Blood sugar control is tricky. What often works this month, won't work the next as there are a number of variables that play into the result. Unconventional variables include hydration, the weather, stress/workload, sleep (deprivation), hormones (my basal changes every week of the month), sunlight exposure, magnesium status, nutrient deficiencies, electrolyte status, activity, happiness, diet, etc.
I choose my meals based on 1) desire, 2) blood sugar control/moderating the carbohydrates in the meal, 3) foods I tolerate (use of an elimination diet and a food sensitivity test), 4) my activity level, and 5) satiety. I aim to allow a meal to keep me full from one meal to the next, or 4-6 hours. On this work day, I came up with a “sandwich” that was so awesome that I had to share the details. I’ll call it the Peach Gobbler.
This year, 2017, has been filled with gems. From our first family ski trip to seeing dear friends get married to finding my village in our new(ish) community and more. But this year has also involved a lot of loss. Loss of family members and people who seem like family.
Keto is trending and I am enjoying the ride. I've always been low carb, but in the last year I have been increasing my fat and moderating my carbohydrates and protein intake. Why? I want and deserve steady blood sugar control and this way of eating is proving to work for me, and as an added bonus I am leaning out. As someone with type 1 diabetes, I have to calculate everything that goes into my mouth and marry it with insulin.
Americans spend billions of dollars on the weight loss industry sussing the best diet to attain a lean figure when research is proving it's not only about WHAT we eat but also WHEN we eat.
I test my blood a lot. If I had to put money on it, I believe I average 8-10 finger pricks a day. Even with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), I double check my levels every time (okay most times) I eat, feel off and/or need to calibrate. However, I find it interesting when I test my glucose seconds apart, my meter doesn't always tell me the exact same readings.