I hope all of you had a great weekend, especially you readers in the US who had an extra long one for President’s Day. We had a wonderful time with our kids and grandson. It’s so delightful to have a grandchild, let me just say!
Over the weekend, I asked our two daughters about diet. As in what is a healthy diet, not as in a diet to lose weight, although hopefully I will shed a few pounds as well. But I have been feeling particularly crappy of late, and have known that my diet isn’t very healthy.
First, some background: I have always been hypoglycemic, which means blood sugar levels that are too low. It is the opposite of diabetes, in which blood sugar is too high. It is, however, all on the same spectrum: our bodies can’t regulate our insulin (and thus blood sugar levels) properly. They are both complicated conditions, but basically diabetics don’t produce enough insulin, and my insulin production doesn’t know when to shut off.
My diet, for the last 40 years has been to eat very little sugar, and high levels of protein. Also small, frequent meals. Over the last year, I’ve tried to compensate for feeling unwell by eating more protein. Not feeling better yet? More protein. And since my stomach has only so much room, as I’ve been adding protein, I’ve been cutting out a lot of even the small amount of grains and vegetables that I normally consume. Result: what any doctor would tell me is an unhealthy balance between the various food groups.
So in a blaze of resolve, I went to the market today and loaded my cart with vegetables and fruits. Stocking up on various grains will be another day. As one daughter told me, eating a healthy diet won’t make me a completely healthy person, but it’s bound to make me feel better.
And I had minestrone soup for lunch rather than processed deli meat, and later drank a green smoothie. It’s a start.
Have any of you found a balanced diet that works well for you? Please, please share.
Zebra's Child 
My husband and I are vegetarian fish eaters. I eat dairy and eggs but hubby does not…complicated? haha! Not really. We eat lots of fresh veggies, no boxed or processed stuff and do all our own cooking and don’t eat out. Even when we vacation. I think having a well balanced low fat diet would do wonders for you. I’m curious how this is working out for you, hopefully, for the better!
Yes, it is definitely working out for the better. The main problem was that my husband has always been the cook – and an excellent one. I have always been the one to do the plumbing, electrical, general fix-it repairs. As we both have aged and dealt with illnesses, we’ve gotten less and less able to do those things on our own. It’s far easier to hire a plumber for a needed repair than to hire someone to cook, and so even with some help with the cooking, our diet had gone from everything being cooked from scratch (including things like beef stock for soups and sauces), to a heavier reliance on packaged food and eating out. As I have slowly gotten a little healthier with slightly more energy, and my husband has retired and is able to cook again, out diet has improved. We are finally eating well again.
Well, that is wonderful that you are eating better, take care of yourself!
Thanks, I’m definitely trying to! 🙂