Day 17

Hi,

The book is moving its focus now. It started off with the most important part, what to eat, because that is basic to either causing or reversing diabetes. We cause it by eating the standard American diet, and can reverse it by eating whole and healthy foods in the form that God gave them to us. At least that is the premise of the book, and I am in whole hearted agreement with that philosophy.

I mean, it only makes sense that if continually having too much sugar in your blood causes the chronic symptoms and effects of insulin resistance and diabetes with all its horrifying eventual complications if left unchecked, then it would make sense not to put the sugar in your blood any more. I think that there are people who still do not realize how much of the foods we commonly eat in America actually turn, almost instantly, into sugar in the blood. I see it at any church function where there is food. The one thing I have noticed over and over in Georgia is that if there is a buffet or pot luck supper at church, then the only vegetables are green beans -- the rest of the food is starchy casseroles covered in cheese or meats that are covered with sugary sweet barbecue sauces. And a whole table full of sugary desserts. They do sometimes have a pot of beans which I now feel more free to indulge in, so that is good -- but, in Georgia, at least, they seem to put sugar in everything, including the cole slaw and the deviled eggs.

And if you mention the fact that there are no vegetables, then the next time there is green beans and corn, which is a grain and not a vegetable. Once in a while someone who is more health conscious will bring a nice big green leafy salad and end up taking most of it home because no one eats it. And the salad is usually boring, to me anyway. I want more than iceburg lettuce and tomatoes. I want romaine, and avocados, and tomatoes and green pepper, and alfalfa sprouts, a hard boiled egg and a few herbs and spices sprinkled on the leaves for flavor.  No one seems to sprinkle Italian herbs or even garlic or anything on their salad so there is not much flavor to the salad, unless, of course, you use the accompanying soy oil-based dressing -- which is also not meant for human consumption.

Not too long ago, I went to a holiday party at a church friend's house and one of the ladies had brought a bowl of mashed potatoes. She was very insistent in telling me that I would love them. I don't usually eat mashed potatoes any more so did not really want to try them. But she kept insisting that these were the best mashed potatoes that anyone could ever taste. As she kept talking, I began to be tempted to try them, so I agreed to taste them. I put a spoonful in my mouth expecting the warm creamy buttery flavor that I remembered from my Mom's mashed potatoes, and began thinking that I might even have a serving with dinner, but immediately recognized that she had put sugar in them. I nearly gagged, they tasted so bad. They really sat on the wrong spot in my mouth. My immediate reaction was to say, "You put sugar in the mashed potatoes! They taste awful!" I wish I had not been so rude and apologized for that later. She was a little sheepish and said that I should get a job as a food taster because I was so accurate. I still wish I had found a kinder way to say it, but, you know, she is not doing her husband, a diabetic, any favors by cooking that way. I hope she discontinues the practice.

I also agree that if the medications that people take which are prescribed by perfectly normal American doctors are not curing the disease, then what real good are they? From what I can see, and I am no clinician, just an interested party, I do not hear diabetics claiming that they have improved to the point that they are no longer on the medication. I only hear them complain about the cost of continually taking the medication, or that their doctor had to change their medication because the old one stopped working. I hear them complain about the constant pain in their bodies and about how hard it is to stay off of sugar when their bodies are craving it. I don't hear about diabetics actually improving unless they change what they eat and how much they move. The medication only seems to lull them into a false sense of security as they continue eating the wrong foods (as prescribed by physicians and nutritionists who work in the same system).

Based on the above beliefs I am trying out "the diet" -- I call it that because the word "diet" simply means what you eat. So far, the blogging has helped me, even if it has not helped anyone else. I feel the responsibility to continue to report on what I said I would do and it has kept me very focused and more honest with myself. It is easy to be dishonest with yourself about what and how much you are really eating. At least that is what I found out about me. I am sneaky when it comes to food. But who could I possibly be fooling? And what does it cost me in the long run?

I must say again that I am disappointed with my body's response to the addition of whole grains into the program, because they do "hit the spot," but starting this morning I returned to making sure I am eating lots of salad and protein. That "spot" that whole grains hit is part of the reason I am in the predicament I am in.

The addition of beans is a welcome one, though, because they are very filling even if they do not produce the same level  or specific kind of satisfaction that whole grains do. You know, there is that "certain feeling" which I can describe in no other way than to say it makes me feel good. I guess that is why they call them "comfort" foods. They really do produce a feeling of comfort -- but perhaps I have been addicted to that feeling. I know that when the eating machine is on, I am trying to hit that spot, but it just never happens no matter what I eat.

I am finding a similar response to Stevia as I have with beans. It is sweet, but it does not affect my tongue in the same way that sugar does. The sweetness of Stevia seems to be all around the outside edge of the tongue, but does nothing for the center part, which is where I really want the sweet to be. Adding more Stevia only increases the first sensation, so I learned in the past that adding more does not help because it eventually becomes an almost disgusting taste if you add too much. It does take the edge off of the flavor of tea for me in small amounts making it more palatable -- and the amount is very tiny. I dip the back of the spoon into my cup to wet it and then very very lightly dip it into the Stevia getting as few grains as possible, which I stir into my tea cup. So it is useful and I shall continue with it for this go round. (I had used it in the past and rejected it.) It helps with the hot chocolate too. Making a cup of hot chocolate with Stevia means I do not run the risk of having dark chocolate candy in the house and overeating that -- which I am prone to do -- and I still get to have the flavor of chocolate which is good for both diabetes and high blood pressure. As I mentioned before I tried mixing tea and cocoa powder and I actually like it, so I have a tastebud treat to look forward to.

I am impressed with the data Dr. Rip has included in "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" program about beans, and was glad to have it confirmed by my personal physician, who's business card says "Internal Medicine and Holistic Medicine." I think I have the best of both worlds with her. She is an MD and also belongs to the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. And she listens and acts. I have had doctors in the past who have listened and ignored, which leaves me wondering if something is wrong with me -- oddly enough.

This morning I took the first of a new HBP drug my doctor gave me to replace the ones that were not doing anything for me because they were too weak. You have no idea how frightened I was to try another new one -- but I prayed and asked God to make it safe for me, and He has blessed me. I took it at about 6 a.m. and it is now 10:33 a.m. and I feel no different than normal. If I notice something else later, I shall record it. I only have to take one of these per day, instead of three of my old ones. That makes it a little easier to remember to take them. And I am hoping that the new diet, when done correctly, will reduce my BP and I'll get off of that medication, too.

On to Day 17:  The link between diabetes and depression.  Wow. I never knew there was a link between the two, but it makes sense to me. My father suffered from both of these, my sister is a diabetic who suffers from depression and I have had depression in the past and now have pre-diabetes. I never connected those two together before. Wow, again. Dr Rip explains how simply changing the diet to heal diabetes will also balance the rest of the body and help to reduce or eliminate depression, too.

When things are out of balance in one part of the system we call a body -- then things are likely to be out of balance in other areas too. Picture a plate of sand balanced on a spindle, if the plate begins to sag or lean to one side, all the sand goes to that side, and, if not corrected, the sand will spill over the edge. In this scenario, everything is clearly out of balance. The first part of Dr Rip's solution is to get the diet back into natural whole balance by eating a really healthy diet, and exercising the body which reverses diabetes and also relieves depression.

He explains the function of Serotonin which is a brain chemical that makes us feel better or worse by how much our brains have or don't have available for functioning. He points out firmly that the diet should correct this, but also has a list of supplements that will help, if you need them, starting on page 254. I am already taking two of the supplements he lists and another one he does not list that my doctor told me about called L-theanine for anxiety and depression. She told me to take 1000mg, 3 times a day. I shared this with my sister who has even worse reactions to new substances in her body than I do, so, since she did not react well to it, she does not take it. But her husband started taking it twice a day (the label instructions) and says he can feel the difference and has continued the regimen. My doctor suggested that I take 2 fish oil tabs 3 times a day with the L-theanine (yes, that is six 1000 units per day) and it works for me. Read the book to find the rest of the supplements Dr. Rip recommends.

I can feel the difference the diet is making, too. I just feel better when I eat salad and protein. It will make me feel better for a while but if I don't get some kind of whole grain in there once or twice a week, I get out of balance. I know this from past experience. So I think I know how to balance my diet now to suit this technicality and will follow through on that plan. It seems that every day the plan changes, but I don't mind, I know I am still learning and adjusting -- and am glad I am actually doing it.

Be back soon

--Marcia