The Sweet Diabetic

Diabetic Friendly Baked Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini can be made into many wonderful dishes.  Here I've found a tasty recipe for baked stuffed zucchini that is diabetic friendly.

Diabetic Friendly Recipe | Crock Pot Chicken Picante

Crock Pot Chicken Picante

Dinner doesn't get much easier than two ingredients.

No Sugar Barbecue Sauce Recipe

We diabetics don't have to skip the barbecue sauce at the fun summer gatherings.  We can make and bring our own with no sugar ... period.

Here's the recipe.

How Not To Bake An Easter Ham

I volunteered to make a ham for my side of the family's Easter dinner.  I had the bright idea to cook it ahead of time so I can just warm it up tomorrow morning. We have to travel a bit and I will need my time to primp before we leave in the morning.  ☺

What Are Sugar Alcohols - Blood Sugar and Sugar Alcohols

Sugar alcohols are like sugar in some ways, but they are not completely absorbed by the body. Because of this, the blood sugar impact of sugar alcohols is less and they provide fewer calories per gram. Additionally, sugar alcohols don't promote tooth decay as sugars do, so are often used to sweeten chewing gum. One, xylitol, actually inhibits bacterial growth in the mouth.

It's important to note, however, that the different types of sugar alcohols act very differently in the body

Easy Thai Coconut Curry Chicken

This is a simple skillet meal. You can use any Thai seasoning or curry you like. There are jars of Thai curry paste on the market of various types, or you can use a powdered mixture. My favorite powder for this dish are Penzeys* Sate Seasoning mix, which is really yummy.

Following My Intuition

I've been a little silent here over the past few months because I've been struggling with my diabetes.  It's been a battle of the mind.  I know what I should eat, when I should eat, and that I need to exercise.  Somewhere deep inside of me I got tired of fighting.

I gave up.

It's taken me some time to regain control.  It's not been an easy process, but I'm seeing better blood sugar numbers.  A large credit to this change is stumbling across the book, "Rule The World From Your Couch," by Laura Day.  It's about using your God given intuition to change your life.

So, I've been "listening" to my body and letting my intuition guide me.  I have stacks of books telling me how a good diabetic should behave.  I do a lot of those things and don't succeed.  If it were that simple, I believe that diabetes would have cookie cutter treatment, which it does not.

After convincing myself of that, I began to look at my diet.  It was filled with many low carb things that contained a lot of fat.  I find it utterly unsatisfying as a mainstay and go nibble on things I shouldn't.  So, as I've learned to follow my intuition a bit,  I've decided to follow my taste buds and not the books so much.

My simple theory is that if I like it, the meal will satisfy me and therefore I will eat less.

Now, this doesn't mean that I throw caution to the wind.  I am very mindful of the amounts of carbs I eat, but I'm looking at the KIND of carbs I eat.  If I try a food that doesn't agree with my system, I let it go. 

The point is my mind and my body need to be in agreement on this quest.  When they are at odds, that creates stress, and I fail all the way around.  I have had an awful inner struggle.

Following my intuition and listening for my body's cues seems to be my golden path.

I have not reached where I want to be.  However, I can see I'm getting there.

My next a1c will surely confirm that.

My Diabetic a1c Didn't Make Me Proud

My diabetic a1c was a whopping 7.5 this past quarter.  That’s up from 6.2. I’m not proud of it.  It’s left me discouraged and wondering if I’m human or just plain lazy.  In all honesty, I’m probably a little bit of both.

Fun Size Candy ... Is It A Diabetic Trick Or Treat?

Halloween brings out all of our favorite candy in fun size portions.  Diabetics should beware though.  It’s very easy to overdo it if you find yourself alone with your favorite bag of candy.  I happen to be in that category.

However, if you can control yourself, I have a list of the carb counts for your favorite fun size candy.

Enjoy them in moderation and add them into your daily carb count.  Don’t let that Halloween fun size candy be a trick instead of a treat.

Summer Diabetes Managment

Diabetic Care Services has partnered with Kent State University’s nutrition department to offer testing and nutrition tips for maintaining effective diabetes self-management during summer, when travel, picnics and parties make it more difficult to stick to testing regimens and healthy diets.  Feel free to share any of these tips with your readers.