Simplify Eating

I used to be able to eat what I wanted without any worry. From all those delicious sweets, to those great tasting pasta dishes, I ate heartily. When we went for our country drives, it was always a treat on hot summer days to be able to stop along the way for that cool and refreshing ice-cream cone, or to slowly drink a malted milk shake.

All of this came to a screeching halt when I was diagnosed as a diabetic in my mid forties.

Was I ever angry - why me? I hadn't over indulged, just indulged. Denial was my first reaction.

But, the symptoms couldn't be ignored especially when I almost lost my vision. That was a scare I don't want to repeat. So, what has this got to do with simplify eating?

Well, over a few short years, diabetic pills (I'm a Type II diabetic) didn't seem to keep my blood sugar at the level it should be even though I had completely eliminated eating anything with sugar.

To my surprise, it's absolutely amazing how many foods, that is, processed foods have "sugar" in one form or another. And, to boot, what about that processed flour, pizza flour, pasta, white-bread etc. that also drives up sugar levels. It seemed all a little mystifying to me.

The mystery was easily solved, though, once I started to count carbohydrates thanks to my new family doctor who is also a diabetic. Once I started to count the carbohydrates in every food before I consumed it, my blood sugar levels were more easily controlled to a satisfactory level.

Simplify eating means that you begin to eat more wholesome foods, that you avoid foods that are high in carbohydrates, or that you limit your intake so that blood sugar levels are more easily controlled.

One thing that seems to drive up blood sugar levels is pizza. Pizza used to be one of my favourite weekend treats - in fact, I could eat a half medium sized pizza without batting an eye. But, when I took my blood sugar level, it was dangerously high.

The same applied to those juicy hamburgers at the fast food restaurants, along with the French fries. A good start for me was to avoid the fries all together, and an even better option was to have the hamburger, without the bun, and have a salad on the side.

Now, just a little over a year ago, I went on insulin full-time. Counting carbohydrates became even more important so I could properly match my intake of carbohydrates to the proper number of insulin units. Not only was I able to bring my blood sugar levels down to within normal, I also was able to lose weight without even thinking about it.

Proper diet, and counting carbohydrates seemed to be a healthier lifestyle.

Now, I wouldn't want anyone to be a diabetic. However, all I'm saying is that if you simplify your eating, that is, be carbohydrate conscious, you can potentially help yourself to lead a healthier lifestyle.