Making Health a Priority

Hilton Head, 2009

2020 is going to be a year in which I prioritize my health. Let's face it, I am not getting any younger. Health issues seem to escalate after 60 if you don't pay attention, and just look how fast the past 10 years have gone!

The health issue I have been up and down about during the past 10 years has been my tendency to have high blood sugar. I kind of understood why it was happening and how to control it, but it wasn't until recently that bells went off and it became crystal clear.

During the past month, I have listened to many episodes of the podcast Dishing Up Nutrition. This is a show produced by licensed nutritionists at Nutritional Weight and Wellness in Minnesota. This organization has been around for over 25 years and they help people with many chronic health conditions lose weight and get their health under control so they can have more energy and avoid serious problems.

In pretty much every episode, whether they are discussing Pre-diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, Migraines, PCOS, ADHD, Alzheimer's, Arthritis, Chronic pain, sleep issues, etc., your diet is key to helping reduce symptoms and in some cases curing the problem.

Their eating plan for pre-diabetes (and pretty much everything else) is not for the faint of heart. It is for people who are serious about their health. But the good news is that it is very simple to follow. There are really only two rules: 1. Do not eat any processed carbohydrates and 2. At every meal and snack, eat some good fat (olive oil, butter, coconut oil, nuts, avocados), some protein (meat, fish, poultry, eggs), and some good carbohydrates (mostly vegetables or a little fruit). You can eat three meals and three snacks a day if you need to.

For example, breakfast could be a 2 or 3 egg omelet with veggies cooked in butter. Lunch could be a large salad with chicken and avocado with an olive oil & lemon dressing, dinner could be a steak, sweet potato and asparagus drizzled with olive oil. A snack could be half an apple with some peanut butter.

By avoiding processed carbohydrates and including fat in the meals, blood sugar does not spike. This was the bell that went off for me.

I've only been eating this way for four days, but I can testify that it works. I hate being on a blood sugar roller coaster, and I feel like even in this short period of time I've leveled out.

I know this is a commitment on my part, but I'm willing to do it for my health. I would encourage everyone to listen to a few of these podcast episodes that interest you. They are very motivating!

Hilton Head, 2009

This photo is not related at all, but aren't these two cute?