THROW IT OUT!

Some post-Christmas advice....

THROW IT OUT!

"It" is referring to all the unhealthy leftovers that your mom sent home with you, the cookies covered in sugar, and the candy.

Our culture has trained us to clean our plates and not be wasteful. The excuse of starving African children is old news. You not consuming all the empty calories and risking elevated blood sugars has nothing to do with starving children.

Just do it, as Nike says.

You enjoyed the holidays for what they were---fun, carefree, and wonderful. But now, just throw it out. Do it. Do it.

Did you do it yet?

Is it time?

Is it time...for me to become a vegetarian, officially?

The more I don't eat meat, the more I don't miss it. There's nothing appealing about it's texture, it's flavor, or it's appearance. Sure, occasionally I like an Italian beef sandwich or some really unhealthy salami or pepperoni on a massive slice of cheese-laden, white crust pizza.

But becoming a vegetarian doesn't come completely naturally to me (maybe it's innate or society or something else?) and for sure not without some concerns.

• Will I lack enough iron? Are there other nutrients I'll miss out on.
• Will I replace lean meats with too much cheese?
• Is being a vegetarian truly healthy?
• What will it do to my diabetes?
• Tofu---controversy. Estrogen/cancer link? Yes? No?
• How do I please my meat-loving husband, my one year old daughter who doesn't know what she does and doesn't like from day to day, and myself?
• If you eat eggs and salmon, are you really a vegetarian? A flexitarian? Or just a phony?
• How will I eat at other people's houses?
• Will I spend the next fifty years carting around cheese sticks and nuts?
• Is this really what I want?

I think I want to do this. I don't like meat. It's not really healthy unless it's organic and lean. And the cost of organic meat just isn't worth it to me considering I don't like meat to start with.

I need some information on how this will work. Maybe I'll ease into it...like try it for a whole week, and then two, and then three. Anyone want to enlighten me?

New Article: On Holiday Fun

Check out my latest article called Joy and Jolly on the Diabetes Health website.

Vegetarian Week

Baked potatoes

Brown rice and tofu pilaf

Brown rice and veggie pilaf

It's the week before Christmas, and all through our house.....

we are eating vegetarian!

I have long hated meat. In high school my best friend and I swore off meat and traded pork, hamburger, chicken nuggets, and more for healthier fare. Well, not really. We ate French fries, Little Debbies, and "fruit" drinks. Yum.

Then I learned I had hypoglyecmia in which I was told that my lack of protein consumption was screwing up my blood sugars, so I slowly and painfully re-introduced meat into my diet. Then, about six years later, on comes type I diabetes and a lot, I mean A LOT, of nutritional education.

So now I'm back to where I was in high school. Well, sort of. I'm not longer interested in Little Debbies (my homemade desserts are SO much healthier and tastier) and sugary fruit drinks (my beverages of choice: water, unsweetened tea, and the occasional glass of wine). But I am on track to becoming a vegetarian.

Right now, my family is considered flexitarian, a term that means we sometimes eat meat, and sometimes don't.

My husband doesn't share my love of vegetarian dishes, which are often packed with veggies, grains he's never heard of, and proteins like eggs and tofu. (By the way, I have yet to perfect making tofu. The stuff is so darn temperamental---as am I---so it's a bad combo).

I have tried to explain to him that we can eat healthier (more veggies, less saturated fat, extra fiber, etc.) and more cheaply (meat is very pricey, organic meat is even more, and eggs, even organic, cost only 33 cents each). He explained to me, well more like said in one sentence, that he likes meat. Period.

(Furthermore, Americans eat way too much meat (which means wayyyyy too much saturated fat which leads to weight gain and heart problems and diabetes...and, and, and). Check out who helps sponsor our government......yeah, those who rule the meat industries, and this is reflected in the "too much meat" section of our food pyramid. Tricky.)

But, being the good sport my husband is, we have committed this week to eating vegetarian. Now, our specific form of chosen vegetarianism allows eggs (organic!), cheese, and fish. So on our menu:

Salmon patties, organic veggie mix, homemade whole wheat and oat bread

Rush-hour chili with homemade corn bread

A pilaf consisting of almonds, carrots, celery, whole grain brown rice, cranberries

Eggs with organic hash browns and organic spinach (an easy, great, inexpensive meal)

Taco dip (red beans, cream cheese, sour cream, organic salsa, taco seasoning) with organic tortilla chips

Thanksgiving leftover soup (mashed potatoes, broth, carrots, celery, and more)

Last week during our typical flexitarian time we had ...

organic baked potatoes topped with cheese, sour cream, organic broccoli, chives, and whatever else sounded good (ok and a FEW bacon bits....)

a whole grain brown rice pilaf with tofu, pineapple tidbits, and organic sweet peas (additionally with what I thought was leftover green onion but turned out to be jalapeno---oops!)

Why this week? Well, with the approaching holiday (plenty of food---most of which is not at all healthy) and an evaluation of our budget (actually, we don't have a budget....but we're working on that).

I hope this week is successful. I know the recipes are good, because we have had them many times before.

My motto, when it comes to meal planning and preparation, is easy, healthy, and quick. I teach two college composition courses part-time at a university, do freelance writing for health magazines, raise a baby, and take care of a house. I'm busy; however, I'm committed to making sure that our health doesn't suffer. It's easy for people to just let it go or think healthy eating is no big deal. They won't be saying that in the ER when they're having their first heart attack or when they learn that their blood sugar indicates they have type 2 diabetes. Then they'll think, if even only for a moment, maybe I should have done something. Maybe I should have paid attention. Maybe I should have respected this glorious body God gave me, which is a gift.

I hope that as this year draws to a close that you find the inspiration, motivation, and conviction to do the right thing for you and your family. You are worth the efforts, and so are those who love you and whom you care for! Just do it!

Diabetes Conference

My dietitian (right) and me (left) after both of our talks.

Speaking...

A packed house!

250+ people, plenty of diabetes education, free tests/checks, and hopefully some self-discovery and change.

Diabetes conferences are powerful forces. And I'm blessed beyond words to have had the honor of speaking from the patient's perspective at a local, recent conference.

I look forward to more opportunities in the future to share my experience and to learn from others. Diabetes may not be going away any time soon or ever...but we can fight it. We can learn. We can grow. We can be healthy.

And above all: we CAN inspire others!

Inteview & Book Release

Photo: Danielle and her family.

Dear Readers,

I am honored to share with you a new book about diabetes entiteld Diabetes: Overcome Your Fears, written by my friend Danielle Londrigan, whom I met on an online adoption message board. She recently granted me an interview and, lucky you, her contact information!

First, here's the book description taken from Amazon:
Being diagnosed with diabetes can be a frightening and lonely experience. Long-time diabetic and author Danielle Londrigan explains how you can overcome your fears and take control of the disease. Each motivational chapter describes crucial aspects of being diabetic. Written in clear and simplistic terms, it is a welcome relief to diabetics and their loved ones who are overwhelmed with medical terminology and grim statistics. She offers her personal story as a Type 1 diabetic for over 25 years and an active wife and mother of four children, which is sure to encourage and inspire any diabetic. Each section is full of proven advice and tips for managing the disease and preventing complications. She details what a diabetic should do to take control of the disease, find a good doctor, make necessary diet and lifestyle changes, prepare for pregnancy, communicate with others about diabetes, learn to cope, determine whether an insuling pump, continuous glucose monitor, or service dog can benefit you, and so much more.

And the interview:

1: What has encouraged or inspired you the most in your life with diabetes?
Two things have really been trivial to my inspiration to take control of and not fear my diabetes. First, I have become aware of several people over the years who have been long-time diabetics with either no complications or who formerly had complications that healed with tightened control of the disease. Secondly, When I got pregnant for the first time, the whole experience of preparing for the pregnancy, being pregnant, and then managing the disease after pregnancy taught me that I could do this! I didn't have to have a doctor holding my hand, or someone looking over my shoulder all the time. I was perfectly capable. Not only that, but I realized that tight control is not impossible to achieve. It is doable with enough dedication and effort.

2: What is your advice to someone like me who has only had diabetes for a few years?
First, I would recommend that you educate yourself as much as possible! Read everything you can get your hands on that is related to diabetes. Ask your doctor questions. Talk to other diabetics about their experience. Don't limit your education to just diabetes though. Also educate yourself on the inner-workings of basic physiology of the body. You have to learn how to put these concepts together in order to achieve tighter control. You can't do it until you have an understanding regarding how the body works as a whole. My book is an excellent starting point for that information.

3: What is your advice to diabetes veterans, people who have had diabetes for as long as you have or longer?
My advice to veteran diabetics is almost the same, actually. Never stop learning. Once you have mastered understanding the basics of diabetes and your body, then began learning the more detailed aspects. When you are comfortable with how your blood sugars are affected by different circumstances, don't be afraid to experiment (within safe reason) to learn more about maintaining control in all situations. You can always improve your level of control!

4: Why did you write and publish the book?
As I wrote in the introduction of the book, several things contributed. Most of all, though, I was frustrated with the grim and depressing statistics out there that made complications sound inevitable. That is just not true! Additionally, my experiences with doctors, as well as learning what other new diabetics were experiencing, made me realize that many doctors were not educating diabetic patients properly. They were often times simply signing a prescription and sending them on their way. It was almost overwhelming how many newly diagnosed diabetics I encountered who didn't know where to start. I desired to change that. I wanted to provide an easy resource that would fill in the gaps left my the limited education a diabetic received, give them a direction, offer tips and advice that had made my life much easier, and help them develop a plan of action. I also wanted to give them hope and encouragement that they had not been given a death sentence, rather, diabetes could be simply viewed as an inconvience.

5: How/where can my readers obtain a copy of your book?
My book just went to print last month, so sales outlets are still growing. At this point, it is available on Amazon.com and at a few diabetes supply, pharmacy, and other outlets around the nation. They can also get a signed copy directly from me for $10, plus tax and shipping. They would just have to contact me through the book's blog.

You may read more about Danielle and contact her via her blog: Red Gate Farm.

Simple Cookies

A few months ago, I discovered a baking treasure: whole wheat pastry flour. It's lighter than regular whole wheat flour, and the few recipes I have tried (off the packaging) have never failed me. (The Flaky Whole Wheat Pie Crust is FAB!!!)

Since you'll surely be attending many parties and celebrations over the month, why not make up a big batch of these, keep them in the freezer until needed, and then wow your audience?

I appreciate these cookies because they offer protein, carbs, and healthy fat---a perfect snack for someone trying to keep his or her sugars stable while also enjoying a sweet (but not too sweet) treat.

WOW Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Rachel's version. Originally published on the Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Bag)

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter (I use organic)



• 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce



• 1 1/2 cups of sugar (I use raw organic)



• 2/3 cup of soymilk (or regular milk)



• 2 t vanilla



• 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour



• 1 1/4 cups of oats (I use old fashioned)



• 1 t baking powder



• 1 t baking soda



• 1/2 cup walnuts (or more---I just dump them in)



• plenty of chocolate chips---I use a mix of semi-sweet, dark, and milk

Directions:

1. Using a mixture, combine the (softened) butter, applesauce, sugar, milk, vanilla, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until it's well combined and creamy.



2. Hand stir in the flour and oats. After these are well combined, stir in the nuts and chocolate.



3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes per batch. This recipe makes 2 dozen cookies (not too many), so I usually double it.

I think these cookies taste best fresh out of the freezer. If you plan to take them places, you can bake and freeze in advance. I suggest freezing 1 dozen cookies on a red, (thick) paper plate and store in a gallon baggie. GRAB AND GO!

For more recipes and products, please visit Bob's Red Mill.