Diabetic Diet: A Learning Process

Adjusting to a new diet due to my diabetes is and has been a challenge.  I've had to eat or try things I don't like or normally eat.  I've also been making sure not to eat certain things.  So formed last few weeks it has been limiting.  I know diabetics that can eat certain things that I can't.  Or they can only eat a little bit of it.  I am not at that point yet.  I don't know if I'll ever be there.  Or I might just stay way from those things for good.

Eating less is good, but especially at breakfast and lunch, I feel like I never ate anything.  I feel empty.  Eating something like instant gratification oatmeal for breakfast doesn't leave me feeling satisfied.  I don't need to feel overly full or stuffed.  But I'd like to feel satisfied.  By the time lunch rolls around, I'm hungry.  Or I try not think I'm hungry.  But I eat a small lunch because supper might be bigger than the other meals.  Most times supper is.

Looking at the nutritional content of food has been frustrating because what a person that thinks is good for a diabetic is not.  It gets discouraging because I need some diversity in what I can eat as I need an evening snack so I can take my pills.  For example, I eat certain fruit, cottage cheese, certain crackers, and humus for my evening snack.  The nutritional content also limits the other meals.

Besides nutritional content, things like starch, natural sugar, protein, and wheat based foods I have to monitor and moderate.  Some of my favourite foods like potatoes I can have in moderation.  Something like corn, which is a favourite vegetable of mine, I been staying away from because of the sugar content.  With fruit, I've been having a lot less oranges than when it first started on this diabetic diet.  It might have something to do with the higher natural sugar content.

When it comes to sugar, I only have sugar if my sugar is low.  I can have stuff such as sugar water, juice, a little bit honey straight, a certain amount of pop (haven't drank any pop since becoming
diabetic), or tea with sugar in it.  But for the most part when I have been in range, I have used sweetner like Splenda in my tea.  I have to use it because it is my only option to have some sweetness in my tea.  You may or may not know how I feel about artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose.  One thing I'll always stay away from is Stevia.  If you don't know about Stevia, than you need to know about it.

Even though Stevia is natural as it comes from a plant, it tricks your body into thinking you are getting sugar.  Your body needs sugar.  Health side effects are damage to your heart and kidneys.  For me as a diabetic, Stevia may cause bloods sugar control problems.  That would be a big problem for me.

My aunt said that since she has cut out sugar she has felt better.  I haven't felt any difference.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

I snack in the evening so I can take my pills. What I stated above is what I have been eating in the evening for a snack.  I have cut out junk food and beverages like chips, pop, slush, chocolate bars, candies, and other such items.  But those were just an example.  But how fair is it when I have to be in the presence of people who are eating and drinking such things?  Sure my mom has said sorry for eating chips while I am in the room.  That's all fine, but my mom and step dad still eat chips, candies, and chocolate in my presence.  I have just learned to deal with it.

So far up to this point, it has been a learning process.  I will continue to learn because you will never be able to know everything about there is too know about diabetes in terms of what I can and can't eat.  Hopefully I'll be able to get some good information when I go to my appointment with Live Well program at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.