Today let's talk about changes, in one of two ways.
Either tell us what you'd most like to see change about diabetes, in any
way. This can be management tools, devices, medications, people's
perceptions, your own feelings – anything at all that you feel could use
changing. OR reflect back on some changes you or your loved one has seen
or been through since being diagnosed with diabetes. Were they expected
or did they surprise you?
I’m feeling like an overachiever
today, so I’m going to touch on both options: What I’d like to see change and
what changes I have made.
Let’s change diabetes.
There are so many things that
need to change about diabetes, like it should just freakin go away and take
that damn stigma with it! However, that probably isn’t going to happen in
the near future so let’s work on something else. I’d like to see education for
T2s improve…drastically. I was involved in a conversation recently where the
discussion revolved around what’s missing for people with T2 who have been at
this for awhile. In my opinion, there is a lack of continuing education for
T2s. (When I was diagnosed, there was a distinct lack of education for newly
diagnosed folks but that has improved.) Most people are told to make changes to
their diet, lose some weight, take their meds and basically go out there and
kick ass. If their numbers don’t improve, the patient is often blamed. Rarely
is it said that there might be something wrong with the plan.
There seems to be a lack of
acknowledgement that type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. We can do what
we can, but eventually our bodies are going to perform differently as time goes
on. Ain’t our fault. That means that our care plan needs to progress as well.
We’re often told to take more or different medications but I don’t think people
are encouraged to make more intense changes to their food plan. People need to
learn that, as their disease progresses, they should consider making more changes
to their diet…and I don’t see that happening.
It has been shown time and time
again, that lowering carb intake is very beneficial to people with diabetes,
especially those of us who don’t use added insulin. So why then are diabetes
websites and organizations continuing to “push” carbs? I think it’s awesome for
newly diagnosed folks to be shown recipes that use whole grains or less sugar
but where are the instructions on how to step that down even further? I can’t
find them unless you’re looking at personal blogs etc. Not everyone does their
own research. Lots and lots of T2s would benefit from further education that
would help wean them from highly processed carbs.
The new me.
Boy have I changed since I was
first diagnosed! Let’s go back to the early days of my blog: March 2011 (which
was 5 ½ years after my dx.) I posted some recipes and nearly all of them were
low-fat with a healthy dose of “better” carbs. They were definite improvements
over the way I used to eat, but would I eat most of them now? Hell no! I can’t!
I can’t eat processed carbs any longer without seeing uncomfortable spikes in
my blood glucose. I now follow a low carb, high fat diet. In our house, we
aren’t afraid of fat any longer but we are avoiding processed carbs.
I’m not pushing anything on you.
I’m not saying that you must eat as I do. Everyone is different and needs to
find the plan that works best for them. My point is that WOW, I’ve changed and
I never thought I could! Dinner now might be a burger on a flax meal bun with
zucchini fries coated with almond flour and parmesan cheese and water to drink.
Compare that to a Big Mac with fries and a soda which is something I would have
eaten in the past.
I’ve changed. I’ve made
significant changes to my food plan and that has done loads to help me control
my blood glucose. I have maintained a quite acceptable A1c because I was
willing to change along with my diabetes. Change is difficult, but not
impossible.
Go here to read more about change. You'll be glad you did!
I applaud you and how you have taken care of yourself. It's wonderful. And I agree very much with your point about people with type 2 getting more education. I mostly talk to people with type 2 when I do my diabetes talks. They are so thirsty for information! They want to know and learn. It's a tragedy it's so lacking because we know how a lack of information really hurts people's health. It's devastating :( So anyway, great post, lady :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kate!
ReplyDeleteThanks for talking about how your diet has changed. I continue to feel anger over not even being offered the option of a low carb diet during my "education." It was only through the online community that I learned about low carb diets and avoided years of poor control and failure. Keep up the good work!!! ...brian
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Kate. As we've discussed before, you and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to carbs and diabetes. With insulin I have more flexibility than you when it comes to diet, but with high carb meals it is almost impossible to match the timing of carbs hitting my system with the peaking of my insulin. Zucchini fries sound delicious! Recipe please someday:-)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. My brother is a T2 and his education was limited to how to inject insulin, nothing else.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kate. Lots of love!
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeleteBravo for addressing both of the topics today. I look forward to reading more of your blog and learning more of the type 2 perspective. I agree with both you and Laddie that lower carb intake helps with blood sugar management. As Laddie describes, there seems to be this sort of overwhelming of the body with a big carb intake no matter how much insulin is involved. We need carbs for energy, but we do not need 5 servings of pasta from the local restaurant menu! It is not healthy for anyone- diabetes or no diabetes. And it speaks to a societal serving size problem, for starters. I visited Rome while in college and was shocked at how different the portion sizes were. Pasta was a side dish, and it was not found in mountain form, rather, in small bowls. Also, we walked everywhere. Now I'm going off on a tangent, but my point is: Great post that got many of us thinking! And thank you for your enlightening perspective!
You nailed it, Kate. Change can be difficult, for all of us in our own ways. Good job on all that you've changed and made happen, and thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDelete