Misdiagnosed Diabetes

It's been a while since my last post, but I'm back with an interesting update on the diabetes front. Looks like I may not have Type 2 diabetes after all, but some version of Type 1, which was only discovered by questioning conventional diabetic advice and being proactive in my own research.

It's been almost 4 years since my prediabetes diagnosis and I'm still struggling to get my HbA1c down from 6.5%. In layman's terms, the HbA1c test measures the average of blood sugars over a 3-month period and ideal ranges are high 4s and low 5s. When my GP handed me the UK diabetes guidelines, I immediately doubted the dietary recommendations because I was already in the habit of avoiding processed foods, eating whole grains, reading nutrition labels and watching my fat intake. This prompted me to question my diet and lifestyle and dive into the diabetic literature. I thought I was a skinny-fat person and experimented with a vegan diet, inspired by Dr. Neal Barnard's program for reversing Type 2 diabetes. I started weight training to build more muscle to improve insulin sensitivity and lost a little bit of weight; however, none of this reduced my HbA1c sugar levels from 6.5%. The lowest I've been able to get my bloods down is 6.4%, which is when I wrote this post praising veganism, which in hindsight was not a significant improvement at all.

Last year my cousins put me in touch with Dr. Salzarulo and he gave me the best advice and changed my diet from low-fat, high-carb vegan to low-carb, paleo-esque carnivore. He also urged me to buy a glucose monitoring device to get a feel for how certain foods affected my blood sugar, which the NHS told me was not necessary. This was a total game changer for me and as I started measuring my morning fasting blood sugars and my postprandial sugars, I began to notice a few things:

• My blood sugars would go up after I ate, which is normal, but then they stayed elevated all day. In healthy non-diabetics, blood sugars will go up within a healthy range and then return to fasting baseline levels usually 2 hours after eating and with Type 2 diabetics, depending on the severity of insulin resistance, blood sugars should eventually come down at some point after eating. Mine did not and I could never get my blood sugar as low or close to my fasting blood sugar in the mornings. 

• My blood sugars would spike when I ate healthy carbs, like beans or sweet potato, even in the recommended portion sizes alongside fat and protein. I noticed the fewer carbs I ate, the better my sugar readings were.

• Sometimes I would eat a low-carb dinner like a large piece of salmon with lots of non-starchy veggies and I would have high blood sugar after wards and the following morning too.

• I can only hit near normal blood sugar readings by eating a very low-carb diet whilst keeping my portions small.

This past May I was introduced to Jessica Apple, founder of online diabetes magazine A Sweet Life. I started telling her my diabetes story and she asked me, "have you ever been tested for LADA?" In all my endless research about Type 2 diabetes, I never came across the phrase LADA or latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. LADA is similar to Type 1 in that the pancreas is losing it's ability to produce insulin and overtime will stop altogether, but it's more gradual. Insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar and is responsible for moving sugar from the blood into our cells for energy use or fat storage. We cannot live without insulin and we cannot maintain healthy blood sugar levels without it. LADAs are often misdiagnosed with Type 2 diabetes because of age, but LADAs are usually leaner, physically active adults. Hello light bulb!

I went to NYC in June and immediately paid for Type 1 diabetes testing, which was expensive. I had my C-peptide levels measured because this peptide generally matches insulin levels and can indicate how much insulin your body is producing. Low levels of C-peptide and insulin paired with high blood sugars usually points to Type 1 diabetes whereas in Type 2 diabetics, you find high blood sugars alongside high C-peptide levels which indicates high insulin levels due to insulin resistance. One exception is someone with advanced Type 2 diabetes and overtime has not managed their blood sugars, thus killing the pancreas's ability to make insulin. I also tested for GADA and ICA antibodies, which looks to see if the autoimmune system is attacking the pancreas thus killing it's ability to make insulin.

Out of a normal range of 1.1 to 5.0, my fasted C-peptide levels came in at 1.1 and on this day my fasting blood sugar was 104 mg/dl and my HbA1c was 6.5%. My doctor said that my C-peptide was very low, but my fasting blood sugar was in the prediabetic range and my HbA1c was in the diabetic range. After reviewing my low-carb food diary along with my lab results, my doctor said that my diabetes looked like an autoimmune issue as in Type 1. Surprisingly I tested negative for the antibodies, but according to several diabetic forums this is not uncommon. Dr. Salzarulo thinks I need insulin therapy, but advised me to start working with a diabetic doctor probably an endocrinologist. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until I get back to the US and get health insurance. In the meantime he suggested I go very-low carb, which is where I am today.

There's still more testing to be done and I don't have all the answers yet, but I finally feel like I have a better grasp on my diabetes. What I want you take away from this rather long technical post is that when faced with disease, it's important that you do your own homework and research. I would have never gotten to where I am today if I had solely taken my GP's advice. 

Skinny Diabetes: What is a carbohydrate?

daily lunch ritual includes canned tuna, lots of non-starchy veggies and avocado

The other day I was talking diet with a friend and she said "I don't really eat carbs, I hardly ever eat bread," then she proceeded to eat her usual breakfast of Activia fruit yogurt, light granola and a ripe banana. Unbeknownst to her, this breakfast was pretty much all carbohydrates and high in sugar. It dawned on me then that the definition of carbs can be a bit murky for some and sometimes limited to hamburger buns, pasta and cookies. Carbohydrates are so much more than this and today we are going to do a 101 on carbohydrates, which is really important for skinny diabetics and anyone wanting to reduce their overall glycemic load.

The Science

Scientifically a carbohydrate is a compound made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and nutritionally it comes in two forms: simple form as in sugars and complex forms as in starches and fiber. All carbohydrates, with the exception of fiber, get broken down into a simple sugar called glucose in the body. Fiber is an indigestible carb which is why high-fiber foods are especially good for diabetics and moves things along in the large intestine. In essence all carbohydrates are sugars and if you need to reduce your sugar intake, then you must look at your overall carbohydrate intake.

Defining Carbs

As a skinny diabetic, I'm sensitive to all carbohydrates which I only discovered by measuring my blood sugars post meals. Not only do I have to be mindful of the quality of my carbohydrates, but the quantity plays an equally important part in keeping my blood sugars stable and in a healthy range. However, in my experience this advice isn't emphasized enough and what I find are Type 2 diabetics eating wholewheat bread and whole grain cereals with reckless abandon. 

In the beginning of my diabetic journey, my definition of carbs was limited to the usual suspects like cookies, desserts, french fries and anything bread-y. Now when I hear the word carbohydrates the following comes to mind:

• healthy whole grains including gluten-free grains, whole wheat bread & pasta, all breakfast cereals
• starchy beans including black beans, lentils and dips like hummus
• dairy which includes all milks, yogurts especially the non-Greek variety with fruit and anything creamy
• root vegetables especially when cooked like carrots
• all fruit
• any processed food claiming health or marketed as low-fat, fat-free, low-sugar or sugar-free

If you're a skinny diabetic or have blood sugar issues, then you've got to be careful with even the healthiest of carbohydrates as I've listed above. My doc told me to get a blood glucose meter and to learn how my body reacts to various carbs and portions and I recommend the same to you. Also as a rule of thumb always eat your carbs with healthy fats and/or protein and limit your servings. My doctor said a serving size of starchy carbs is 1/2 cup, but I find this challenging and tend to overeat. In general I swap out carbs for non-starchy vegetables which are low-carb and high in fiber.

It's now been three years since being diagnosed as pre-diabetic and it's taken this long to finally get where I am in terms of understanding it all and managing my blood sugars. Am I perfect? No. Have I reversed my diabetes? No, but I'm much better at being consistent and accepting what is. Next I'll talk about various ways you can approach a low-carb diet, but I'll wrap this up with some advice. One of the first things my doctor said to me was that if I focused on the foods I couldn't eat, I would lose. Instead focus on all the wonderful foods that you can enjoy and in recent months, this really has sunken in. 

Skinny Diabetes: Weight Loss

When I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 2013, one of the first things I did was look into books on preventing and reversing diabetes. One of Amazon's top sellers is Dr. Neal Barnard's 21-Day Kickstart which is a vegan whole foods diet plan that is low in fat and high in carbs. I devoured this book and it opened my eyes about the environmental impact and ethical issue related to consuming animals products. It also helped me understand the relationship between food and health, because up until this point I believed that I could exercise my way out of a bad diet and that being somewhat slim equated to being healthy. This book catapulted me into veganism and I loved the idea that I could eat all the carbs I wanted and reverse my diabetes, as long as it was low-fat whole foods and vegan. Needless to say this plan didn't work out for me for many reasons, one being that I wasn't overweight.

The majority of people who develop pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are overweight and it's this excess body fat that has lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. That is why when you research treatment for Type 2 diabetes, weight loss is key to reversing the disease. Here's how it works in layman's terms. When we consume any kind of carbohydrate, the sugars and starches get broken down into glucose and our pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to carry that glucose out of the blood and into our fat, muscle and liver cells for energy use or stored energy. If you have too many fat cells tucked into your muscle cells, then the muscle cells find it difficult to absorb the glucose and it starts to accumulate in the blood also known as high blood sugar. Eventually your pancreas will dump more insulin into the blood in order to bring down the elevated blood sugar and this leads to insulin resistance, where the cells are not responding to the effects of insulin. Left untreated and Type 2 diabetes begins, when blood sugar is elevated all the time. This is one way people develop Type 2 diabetes and weight management is a huge factor in this scenario. So if an overweight Type 2 diabetic adopts new healthy habits that result in weight loss, they should see improvement in their blood sugar readings. This is one of the reasons that people find success on Dr. Neal Barnard's plan because they swap processed, refined and highly fatty foods with healthy naturally low-fat whole foods which leads to weight loss. But what if you're a skinny diabetic and weight loss isn't an issue?

Information and treatment for skinny diabetics is hard to come by and I've had to dig deep and piece information together to understand why I developed diabetes and what's a healthy and sustainable path to reversing my Type 2. As a skinny diabetic I can tell you that learning how my body reacts to carbohydrates has been crucial to managing fasting blood sugar levels; as well as, learning about body composition and "skinny-fat" syndrome, having a balanced exercise regime with an emphasis on resistance training and understanding how an unhappy stressful mind can lead to diabetes. I'll address each of these points in future posts under Skinny Diabetes.

(***Picture up top was taken a few months post diagnosis)

Are you an Abstainer or a Moderator?

 

So in my last post about the gluten-free diet trend, I included a link to Gretchen Rubin's post on abstainers and moderators because I found it so fascinating. I thought I'd go into a little more detail and ask are you an abstainer or a moderator?

I first heard about Gretchen Rubin through one of my favorite podcasts, The Fat-Burning Man by Abel James, and she explained how abstainers and moderators deal with diet. I had this AHA moment! When it comes to my eating habits and especially with sugar, I have to avoid it all together. As I've mentioned many times I'm borderline Type 2 diabetic and sugar is my kryptonite. Whenever I have something deliciously sweet, I eat way too much and it stays on mind for weeks on end. I'll just keep craving it and feel a desperate need to satisfy that itch. So for me it's much easier to just not eat anything sweet because a little will send me over the edge and I can't stop. There's a part of me that feels guilt over the fact that I have no control when it comes to certain types of food. Now I feel like it's a coping strategy for certain types of people, it's either all or nothing. I am an abstainer! 

Then there's the moderator. Awhile back a friend posted a vlog about her weight struggles and I offered some advice that I found helpful in my own journey. It was something to the tune of "just let go of those foods that are holding you back" and switch to a clean diet cold turkey. She was not having any of it and said she could never give up her favorite junk foods. At the time I felt sad by her response, but maybe she's right. Perhaps the idea of abstaining from mac-n-cheese would drive her fucking nuts and she might just cut someone! I'm exaggerating, but you get me. She might just be a moderator and needs to have the occasional indulgence to keep her sane. Unlike me, moderators need a weekly cheat meal or a daily sweet fix in order to stay on track overall.

If you want to start making some healthy changes in your life, this might be worth figuring out early on in your journey. It can be useful with your efforts especially when you've fallen off the wagon (which will happen) and you feel hopeless.

Additional Reads

As an abstainer, I'm against the concept of moderation

A link to Gretchen Rubin and the podcast with Abel James

And if you haven't listened to the The Fat-Burning Man, your missing out!

(Pictured above is yours truly at my cousin's wedding during the Viennese hour. One small dessert would have been okay, but I just couldn't deal and loaded up. Then I went back for more... Oops)

Gluten-Free Diets: Foe or Friend?

Everyone is going gluten-free, but is it the latest fad diet or is it the path to thriving health? Unlike some cynics and possibly celiacs who are annoyed by the new wave of gluten phobics, I think going gluten-free can be a healthy move as long as it's done right. Let's explore how a gluten-free diet can improve overall health, how to do it properly and what's non-celiac gluten sensitivity. 

If you're like me addicted to refined carbs and feel that this is holding you back from reaching your health goals, then trying a gluten-free diet will be beneficial AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT REPLACE YOUR PROCESSED CARBS WITH GLUTEN-FREE VERSIONS. In the beginning of my gluten-free journey I made this mistake. So what do I mean? Do not replace your morning toast with gluten-free bread, do not replace your breakfast cereals with gluten-free cereal and the list goes on and on. This is super important because gluten-free PRODUCTS are made from rice, corn, oats and tapioca flours which all have a high glycemic load. Having analyzed the labels of many gluten-free foods they almost always contain less fiber and less protein then their gluten containing equivalents, which means these foods will act as pure sugar in your body and if you don't burn them off, it will be stored as fat. Also in order to mimic our favorite gluten filled foods like a fluffy bagel, by default gluten-free products are so highly processed that they can irritate your gut (hello leaky gut!) and cause systemic inflammation.

homemade gluten-free ramen with zoodles instead of noodles

Instead replace your gluten containing processed carbs with whole food carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, whole fruits and quinoa. If you want to take it a step further, replace them with non-starchy colorful vegetables, natural fats like avocado and rich proteins like lentils and organic eggs. The reason behind this is because it's easy and we do over consume carbs, but we are not eating enough of non-starch plant based foods which contain fiber for colon health and micronutrients (think vitamins and minerals) for overall health. GOOD fats and proteins, along with fiber, are also very satiating foods and they make us feel fuller and more satisfied. 

Also in defense of going gluten-free, I find that I make better choices in social settings by abstaining from breads and such. When I'm out to dinner I don't touch the bread basket and I always order vegetables with protein which is great. If I'm at a work event or a house party, I avoid puff pastry hors d'oeuvres and the brownies and focus on fruits, proteins and vegetables. 

Another reason to avoid gluten is if you suspect you are gluten intolerant because you are experiencing autoimmune issues, digestive issues and you don't know what the fuck is going on. For the longest time I felt I lead a healthy lifestyle because I exercised regularly and I ate "healthy" about 80% of the time, but in hindsight I didn't realized how much stress I was under emotionally, unhealthy lifestyle habits I developed and how unbalanced my diet really was. That was until I developed diabetes and just recently I learned that I AM GLUTEN INTOLERANT. I've been working with holistic practitioner Dr. Salzarulo and he suspected gluten sensitivity based on my food diary and symptoms. I had always eaten wheat and gluten; however, for the aforementioned reasons and eating a unhealthy vegan diet tipped me over the edge. So all my saying is you never know.

lab results from enterolab.com

Have you thought about going gluten-free or are trying it now? I'd love to hear from you.

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Additional Reads

Personal post on exploring veganism and where I went wrong

The toxic truth about gluten-free foods

3 Reasons Gluten Intolerance May Be More Serious Than Celiac Disease

Against the Grain

Is non-celiac gluten sensitivity a real thing?

Is going gluten-free good for me?

9 things to know before going gluten-free

The great gluten-fee fad

Are you an abstainer or a moderator?

Why we're wasting billions on gluten-free food

Devil Wears Diet Labels: Low-Fat Fig Newmans

My no. 2 tip for finding health in 2016 and basically FOREVER is to start familiarizing yourself with food labels. This is a biggie because there's a lot of junk foods out there disguised as health foods; they lure us with their deceptive low-fat, low-sugar or sugar-free, gluten-free, all natural and organic labels. They hide in the inner aisles or end caps of super markets like this guy: Newman's Own Low Fat Fig Newmans. Let's take a closer look at why this is not a health food and at best is a sugary treat!

Let's start with the ingredients.

• Organic Unbleached Wheat Flour 
• Organic Sugar
• Organic Figs
• Corn Syrup
• Organic Palm Fruit Oil
• Water
• Natural Flavors
• Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate)
• Non-Fat Dry Milk
• Salt
• Soy Lecithin (an emulsifier)

The main thing I want to point out is that the first four and main ingredients are just pure, refined, processed sugar and will be digested quickly in the body, thus sending insulin and blood sugar soaring. Unbleached wheat flour is refined white flour and the organic figs are refined too. They are not fresh whole intact figs, it's actually fig puree without it's fiber rich green skin and cooked down for concentrated sweetness. Sugar is sugar, as we know, and forth on the list is good old corn syrup. This is not high-fructose corn syrup, but the only difference is the molecular make-up. Both are refined, both are un-natural, both are not good for you. 

Palm fruit oil is a popular ingredient amongst processed foods because it's cheap. I haven't read much about palm fruit oil, but there are mixed feelings ranging from the health benefits of the red oil to the impact palm oil farming is having on the environment. According to this site there seems more bad than good associated with this type of oil.

Natural flavors are anything but natural and this basically means that there is a trace natural element in this man-made created flavor, but you can't find it in nature as is. Leavening is used in most baked goods and it's used for adding texture. Soy lecithin is complicated to explain, but it's processed from GMO soybean oil and is used as a substitute for eggs. The non-fat dry milk is an interesting one because it contains oxidized cholesterol, which is the dangerous kind that leads to plaque build up in our hearts. The process of turning fresh milk into dry milk is what causes the oxidization; however, I will say that there's probably only trace amounts (if any) in the cookies. It's still kind of nasty and worth making a mental note. 

A quick assessment of the nutrition facts tells us that two little Newmans has 110 calories and 23g of carbs, a combination of sugar and starch that will be digested and absorbed quickly in our bodies. With no fat, no fiber and no protein to slow down the digestion of these guys, who is going to be satisfied with just two Newmans? This is a terrible snack for anyone with blood sugar regulation, heart health and weight issues.

Although I'm enjoying vilifying these fig Newmans, the point of this post is to begin recognizing fake healthy snacks. This is a sugary cookie and if you're craving something sweet, I'd recommend fruit or treating yourself to ONE gourmet cookie from your local upmarket bakery. It's probably better because it was baked on the day, contains more whole food ingredients and is far better for you in the long run then 9 servings of processed Newman's Own. It will also be fucking delicious.

Sun-dried Tomato Cashew Cheese

Every year for Christmas Eve my family and I gather at my mom's house in Virginia and put on a big dinner. All the women (because we're pretty much all women) choose one thing to make whether that be a cocktail, starters, main meal or dessert. Inspired by this amazing cheese plate at Avo, a raw vegan restaurant in Nashville, I decided to make a cashew cheese with sun-dried tomato. It was bomb and everyone loved. Makes 2-3 cups 

Ingredients.

• 1 cup of roasted salted cashews
• 2-3 large sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 large raw garlic clove
• 1/4 cup of olive oil (I used the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar)
• sea salt & pepper to taste
• water

First you want to soak the cashews overnight in water. Not only does this soften and bloat your cashews for easy blending, but it also makes cashews easier to digest. Nuts and seeds have higher amounts of phytic acid, which prevent our body from absorbing minerals because of the way the acid binds to minerals in food and interferes with enzymes. By soaking the cashews, you can reduce or remove the phytic acid in the nuts.

Drain your soaked cashews and rinse with clean water. Place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a food processor or high-speed blender and start blitzing. Gradually add in the olive oil until you reach the desired consistency. At the time I was working with a small food processor with low horsepower so my cheese had lots of texture, but it could also be as smooth as soft goat cheese. 

And voila! Super easy to make and there's a whole lot of goodness here. The cashews offer a host of benefits including minerals copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and vitamin K as well as healthy essential fat along with the olive oil. Also cashews contain proanthocyanidins, which contain flavanols that help reduce colon cancer. Garlic is anti-inflammatory and it contains sulfur compounds, which is great for cardio health. And last, but certainly not least, the sun-dried tomatoes provide antioxidants vitamins A, C, E and lycopene. Add extra health by forgoing chips and serving with raw veggies like sliced cucumber and carrot knubs.

Health Tips for 2016

There's an article making the rounds about chef Allen Campbell and the "cray cray" diet that Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady adhere to, but how crazy is it? In all honesty, if you're into health then it's far from lunacy. I totally understand how eating healthy seems difficult, but once you commit to your health, everything begins to fall into place. When I think of my own experience and from reading others, making changes towards health is a growing and evolving process. Yes we fuck up sometimes and are angry for smashing in that pistachio ice cream a few days ago, but everyday is an inch forward in the right direction.

When I was a teenager I used to roll with the cool kids in school, but I was deeply insecure. My girls called me babyface and on two occasions, the boys called me potbelly. It was painful, out loud and humiliating. I was tall and lanky with a little belly, which was a result from eating junk foods like pop tarts and growing up in a Salvadorian household. The more I ate the more hermosa I became. As I got older I started walking with mom before and after school. I slimmed out a little, but I hated my body.

me at 13 or 14

Fast forward to college and I lost weight my freshman year. I was financially responsible for my own food and although I still ate crap, I ate smaller portions so it lasted longer. Then I started dating an older man who wined and dined me. I plumped out and when I hit 160lbs, I thought fuck this shit. I started taking free dance classes at my university and started jogging outdoors. Post graduation I joined a gym and gradually increased my workouts from 2-3 times a week to everyday. A few years later I signed up for a free weight training session and my trainer talked about the health benefits of a vegan diet. A year later I went to Kenya and overwhelmed by all the meat and animals, I became pescatarian. As I developed healthier habits, the more weight I lost and the better I felt about me.

Only in the past few years have I become more mindful about my food choices. When I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a few years back, I ate whatever I wanted within the pescatarian realm. It was only then that I started researching different approaches to health and the relationship between diet and disease. It's taken over a decade to get to where I am today, but I've never felt more confident and stronger in mind and body. So it's a journey and it can be challenging at times, but it's so worth it. So for those who have made health resolutions in 2016, here are some helpful starting tips:

1. Move your diet towards whole, real foods. Whole foods are as close to their natural state as possible and have not been tinkered with and stuffed into a branded box. Processed foods even the ones that claim to be - healthy, gluten-free, low-fat, sugar-free, no trans fat - are loaded with refined carbs, artificial shit and they contribute to inflammation and fat storage. If your like me, you hate to throw out food so I say finish up the process foods in your house and start replacing them with natural whole foods. So instead of low-fat granola, buy plain (unsweetened, slow cook) steel cut oats. Instead of deli cold-cut meats or imitation vegan meats for sandwiches, buy chicken breast and canned salmon or stir fry a batch of veggies like zucchini, mushrooms and peppers. Instead of fig newtons or health bars, snack on fruits, carrot nubs or nuts.

homemade salad - arugula, apples, tomatoes, smoked salmon & EVOO

2. Start reading food labels and familiarizing yourself with garbage ingredients. Some packaged foods are okay like tomato pastes and nut butters, but I like Dr. Mark Hyman's rules of thumb that if you buy processed foods then it should contain less than 5 ingredients and all of those ingredients should be whole foods.

skinny pop: nothing good can come from this

3. Go at your own pace, but be committed. When it comes to changing diet habits, some people like to make sweeping changes while others tackle problem areas one at a time. In my experience I've been successful with a combination of both. I found it relatively easy to completely cut out meat and go pescatarian as well as vegan, but dairy and sugar have been a gradual process. In the beginning I stopped drinking milk and discovered that I prefer and love the taste of soy, nut and coconut milks. Eventually I started avoiding cream based foods, yogurts and cheese because they are inflammatory, spike sugar and insulin and trigger my eczema. Sugar and refined carbs have been by far the hardest, but I started focusing on bad habits. First I cut out eating desserts, then I stopped snacking on granola bars and honey cashews. From there I worked on changing breakfast because I started my days with a sugary hit. A big bowl of granola with coconut yogurt or sweetened nut milk was my jam. Since the summer I've cut out pizza, pasta, bread and rice because it spikes my blood sugars and is not good for me. Decide what you're willing to let go of now and let go.

lunch out: grilled calamari and seafood salad. was delicious

4. When it comes to gaining health and losing weight, your diet lifestyle makes up 80%. The remaining 20% is exercise and is important. Whether you're skinny as a rake or need to lose some timber, exercise is important for the MIND as well as the body. Here are 13 ways that exercise improves our mental health. When it comes to exercise find what makes you sing! Then make it an absolute priority in your schedule.

5. Allow yourself to make mistakes, evolve and change your mind. Expect to fall off the wagon and cheat, but just remember we all fucking do it! Just don't allow a cheat meal to turn into a cheat day. I personally struggle with this and only now do I feel okay with accepting that I ate something terrible for my diabetes, but stopping it there. My eating habits have changed so much over the past year and I've noticed that my friends constantly ask me what I'm eating now when they invite me over for dinner. Bless them for that and although I feel like that annoying guest who doesn't eat this or that, fuck it! It's my health we're talking about and I'm learning what works and doesn't work. It's okay!

me consuming way too much gelato in sept

And so do I think it's hard to eat like Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady? No, not really, not once you put your mind and heart into it. Do you have any helpful tips that you've learned along the way and want to share? I've set some goals for myself this year, but my number 1 is to get my blood sugar levels down consistently and in a healthy range. 

Healthy Holiday Eating

Come the 1st of January so many of us are going to make grand health declarations to ourselves. We're going to start working out every week, we're going to finally stop eating shit, we're going to obliterate those extra pounds (and then some) that we packed on in December. 2016 is going to be the year! Unfortunately, the majority of us will drop our promises as soon as we are snowed in mid-February in a house full of Oreos and delivery menus. I love making New Year's resolutions as much as the next person, but they are doomed from the start. So what are we waiting for, why not start now?

Well, it's because we want to have the last hurrah and stuff ourselves with warm pies and extra stuffing! We hesitate in making changes now because want to indulge in the upcoming holiday parties and go fucking nuts on New Years and THEN commit to better health. However, this type of logic never works and it hindering our health goals. One of the things I quickly realized in booze-free October is that there's always going to be a special event that is going to test our strength and we shouldn't treat Christmas any differently. As Rich Roll wrote in the Art of Living with Purpose, we have to learn to work through those uncomfortable moments and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. The other thing to keep in mind whilst navigating the holiday spread, is that we derail our goals and progress with every cheat meal. Believe me I know and was doing it up until a few days ago.

Yesterday I went to see my doctor and he gave me the tough-love pep talk that I needed to hear. He was disappointed that my sugar levels haven't improved. I send him an honest and thorough food diary with my glucose readings and my diabetes is not improving because of the choices I'm making. In September Hub and I went to Europe for two weeks and I indulged a little bit because I was on holiday. In my mind I was doing things moderately and as soon as I returned to Rio I'd eat right 100%. Prior to our trip I was reaching my fasting glucose targets a few times a week, which were 90s mg/dl, but this quickly changed as I started cheating on my diet. More than two months have passed and my morning fasting readings are 120s mg/dl and I haven't been able to get them down. My doctor reminded me that I am in control of my own happiness and I just need to dig deep.

So as soon I walked out of that office I felt empowered. We can improve upon whatever health issues we're battling with diet, but it's a conscious choice that we have to make day-in and day-out. Personally I'm feeling optimistically committed and there's no reason why I can't enjoy EATING at the holidays and still be healthy. Anybody want to join me?

I'll be sharing daily healthy eats as I travel about this season on Instagram (@thejordansdiary), so enough with the excuses and let's do this! 

[In London I had a wonderful meal with my buddies from my old job at 34 and we devoured that cheesecake. Ahh memories]

Booze-Free October

Remember that 30-day booze free challenge that Hub and I did? Well we completed it (yeah!) and I never got around to writing that follow-up post until NOW. 

Not drinking for an entire month was surprisingly less challenging than I initially thought. Once we got passed the hump, which for us was about two weeks in, we were at ease with the idea of not drinking. We really enjoyed the absence of our beloved wine, especially at the weekends, because we always woke up feeling bright-eyed and bushy tailed. We didn't notice any grand physical changes, as you can see from my not-so-exciting before and after pics, but we did feel the positive affects on our mental clarity, energy and sleep. 

We are not heavy drinkers, but we habitually knock back wine at the weekends and of course there's the occasional mid-week social gathering. A few glasses of wine doesn't feel like a lot, but I am genuinely surprised at how much that affects my mood. We loved waking up every Saturday with energy and without the mild grogginess, which on reflection is a mild hangover. We also slept much better throughout the night, a bit more soundly I guess. Although alcohol is wonderful at putting us to sleep, it disrupts later sleep stages in the night. In fact it's 4am right now and I'm battling insomnia because I had one too many red wines last night. Oops.  

Social gatherings were a bit awkward because you're battling temptation, but after awhile we got used to it. We felt great coming away from an event without the slightest urge to break our booze cleanse. Being in total control of choosing not to drink felt in some way like a small accomplishment and we realized that we don't need to drink to be social. With social drinking being the norm, it's so easy to forget that it's a choice. Often I'll find myself at Hub's events drinking because it's there, instead of drinking for the pure enjoyment of a good pinot. Do you ever feel that way? 

By the end of October I also noticed improvements with brain fog. Sometimes I'll walk into a room to grab something and then immediately forget what I'm looking for when I get there. Does this ever happen to you? Or sometimes I'll get distracted by something else and start a new task, forgetting the other. This is brain fog. There are lots of things that contribute to impaired brain function, like B-12 deficiency, but I find that any improvements in my diet clear out the fog and this includes booze. Although one glass of wine may be beneficial to improving brain fog, overdoing it will magnify the fogginess. My tendency towards forgetfulness got better in October and I found my memory was stronger. 

Oct 2

Oct 27

So would we recommend a booze-free month? Hells yeah and I'm looking forward to doing it again, probably after my birthday in January. We came away from this experience feeling strong and confident once we set our intention and focus. Now if only I can apply this to giving up sweets...

Just Begin

Today I was listening to Rich Roll's podcast Stop Asking for Permission and the mental challenge of bringing about change in our lives and he said just begin by taking one small action every day.  

When people start to contemplate a new path for their lives, whether it's a different career or perhaps entertaining an athletic goal or a creative goal or something like that, fear starts to creep in because it's an unknown and it's scary...and that keeps people stuck.

This really struck a cord with me because lately I've been struggling managing my diabetes and I just feel stagnant. In fact I feel like every week I'm cycling between falling off the wagon and beginning again and again. It gets me down and I feel like my commitment to overhauling my diet and my mindset has not truly yet begun and I want to get to the point where I can push through uncomfortable moments and come out the other side. Do you ever feel this way?

A couple weeks ago I checked my HbA1c, which measures your average blood sugar levels over a period of 2-3 months, and they were not exactly stellar. I improved a little, but not as much as I'd hoped. My bloods were 6.5 in June and now they are 6.4, but the goal is below 5.6. Arg. I wrote to the Doc and shared my frustrations with myself and he sent me this:

There is no one to blame here, especially not yourself. Remember the universal law of praise, what we praise increases. I want you to acknowledge yourself for all the great work you are doing and keep your intention on your desired outcome. 

So with that I'm trying to be positive and once again, beginning again. In the next few weeks there will be a new and positive shift in our lives and things will be on the up and up. I can't wait and look forward to focusing my time on getting this diabetes under control and writing. 

Lots of Love,

L

30 Days Booze-Free Challenge

That's right folks! Hub and I are going alcohol-free for 30-days and then some. Our end date is all hallows eve, when we welcome one of our favorite couples to Rio Dana & Joel.

Hub and I went to the London and Sardinia for a few weeks and it was fucking fabulous, but boy did we indulge! The week leading up to our holiday I was super stressed with work and I found myself craving a big glass of red to wind down. No biggie I know, but it was out of routine for me and I was using the wine to drown the stresses of the day and I don't think that's so healthy. 

We went back to Sardinia to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary and we drank a lot of Sardinian wines! At home we hold back and so it was nice to let go on holiday and have a tipple whenever our little hearts desired. Local brut was a lunch staple, rosé in the afternoon and Cannonau at dinner.

Initially my plan was to stick to my healthy eating plan. How hard could it be especially with all the wonderful fresh seafood and good Italian veg? That quickly went out the window the moment someone mentioned GELATO. Um, yes please! From there gelato time was a daily occurrence and I went on a mission to find the best yogurt/pistachio combo. I decided stressing about eating healthy on vaca was dumb and I was going indulge a little. 

Back in London the drinking festivities carried on as I caught up with my friends. By day 13 I could feel my liver asking for a break and after one champagne heavy afternoon with my buddies from my old job, I decided to go cold turkey for awhile. I also noticed I packed on quite a few pounds in two weeks, 5 kgs to be exact and now my mid-section looked marshmallow-y. So I actually stopped drinking on the 27th September and plan on going until 31st of this month. I've taken some rather unpleasant before photos of Hub and I for your viewing pleasure and maybe we'll see some transformations!

Body-comp selfie start of trip in Italy

Body-comp selfie end of trip London

Web Motivation

Yesterday Hub sent me this inspiring article about October being the month to go sober or Stopober, which I totally didn't know. In London this Ben Greenfield podcast came into my feed about one man's transformation when he quit drinking, which was pretty pos. It then lead me to this blogpost on a 30 Days No Alcohol Experiment and it pushed me to just do it. 

Leaving Veganism Behind

It's been 8 weeks since I transitioned from a high-carb vegan diet to a low-carb pescatarian diet and there's definitely been some changes. The biggest differences have been in my skin and hair. The eczema is still present but it has calmed down, however a lot of people have said that I have more color in my face. Hub and Mom said that I looked like a pale vegetarian and since changing my diet my face looks much healthier. I'm thinking this was down to my iron levels. First I should say that I'm a carrier of this genetic disorder called thalassemia, which makes me mildly anemic. So cutting out all animal products probably didn't do wonders for my iron coupled with the fact that I was shit about eating dark leafy greens like spinach, which are rich vegan iron sources. Hence my former blanched complexion. Who knew, hey?

march on a vegan diet

today on pescatarin diet (same room, same light)

My hair has really changed since I started eating fish and eggs daily. When I transitioned into eating more of a vegan diet, I didn't notice any of the changes in my hair. It seemed healthy to me if anything maybe a little dry. I could get away with not shampooing for a like a week, which I thought was convenient. Since July my hair has become much thicker and shinier and feels so different. Also after two days it becomes oily and needs a wash. Before my hair used to grow so slow, but now it's going through a growth spurt. This article explains the importance of dietary protein in healthy hair and how animal proteins are more easily absorbed by the body. As a wannabe vegan I was fully aware of how little protein I ate. I wasn't keen on the vegan sources available here in Rio and beans are one of most important sources of protein in a vegan diet, but I can't love them as a staple food.

My weight hasn't really changed but I've become more lean, especially around my belly. I'm not sure if I've lost body fat, but I do think I've lost excess water weight. What I've discovered in my low-carb research is that you lose water weight when you cut out starches and sugars and it's kind of awesome. The only thing I need to work on is upping my water intake in lieu of this.

march on a vegan diet

july 13th two weeks in on low-carb

Has it been easy? No, especially when I'm at work and have easy access to french fries, fresh baked sourdough bread and butter chocolate cookies. So yes, there have been moments where I've strayed from my healthy eating plan and I hate it when that happens. I am, however, becoming more aware of just how insulin resistant I am. I'm working through those uncomfortable moments where I just have to keep telling myself "no, Lisa" and I'm checking my blood sugar after every meal, which is really helpful.

It's been interesting reading up on the literature that supports low-carb lifestyle for treating Type 2 diabetes and it's gotten me to question my brief dip into veganism. I've taken comfort in the fact that I'm not alone in the mistakes I've made with my health. And it's about the journey, not the destination right? I look forward to sharing my thoughts and confusion with you all.

Love,
L 

(Salad above is my current lunch favorite - 1/2 canned tuna in oil (dolphin-safe/friend of the sea), 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup celery leaves, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 cup of raw walnuts, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, balsamic vinegar. SEriously yum.)

In the Kitchen: Strawberry, Mint & Collard Greens

My new health plans says to have one green juice or green smoothie daily and I've been a bit shit about this one. The first two weeks I was all gung ho, downing semi-tasty smoothies in the morning and and then I got lazy. I'm now back on track and I WILL have green smoothies for breakfast moving forward. There's something positive and motivating in statements like "I will" as oppose to "I'll try." It yields better results and eventually I'll become one of those moody bitches if I don't get my green juice. That's my goal!

Dark leafy greens are at the top of the list of alkalizing foods, which is perhaps why they are the most potent superfood. However, we're terrible about eating volumes that pack a punch on a daily basis and this was definitely a weak area for me. Leafy greens are dull on their own, they require a good rinse plus pat dry, and they go off quickly! The great thing about green smoothies is the convenience, I like that I can just wash the leaves and whack them straight into my bullet blender. Plus the added fiber from the intact greens, as oppose to extracted juice, is great for colon health. 

I've been playing around with lots of different greens, herbs and fruit and finally found a low-sugar smoothie that I actually look forward to. Makes one meal serving or two snacks.

Ingredients

2 large raw collard green leaves • 500ml unsweetened natural coconut water • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves • 1/3 raw cucumber, chopped • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries • 2 tbsp flaxseeds • 1 tbsp organic coconut oil

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. The frozen strawberries with fresh mint are so refreshing and the coconut water is hydrating because it contains electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium. Since eating low-carb, I've been adding more fats into my diet like healthy coconut oil. Sometimes I'll eat a tablespoon straight or add it my smoothies like this one. It's absolutely delicious especially when you get a little chunk! The flaxseeds add a boost of omega-3 fats and fiber, which comes in handy with low-carb health plans. 

Strawberry, mint & collard greens is a bit high in natural sugars, but I like to have it as a breakfast/pre-workout meal because of the carbohydrates. With diabetes I have to be mindful not only of the quality of my carbs and the amount, but timing as well. When exercising it's good to have carbs before and after your workout, so the sugars from the coconut water and strawberries actually help me build muscle. Yes!

Nutritional Breakdown
Calories 376 • Carbs 45g • Dietary Fiber 9g • Protein 6g • Fat 21g 

Gettin' Over the Hump: Starvation Diets

The other day I was having lunch at work and a girl from another department sat across from me. She looked like she was in her 20s and was overweight. As she got up to get something to drink, her plate of food caught my eye. She had a couple spoonfuls of rice, 3 small fried chicken tenders each with big dollops of ketchup and a massive chunk of cream cheese. Initially what grabbed my attention was the unhealthiness of it all, but then I realized how little food there was. It was a meal for a 7-year old child, but not enough to satisfy an adult woman. It was sad. Not only did it lack the kind of nourishment required to power an eight-hour shift on your feet, but she was clearly limiting her calories and going about it the wrong way. 

Starvation diets are when you eat less calories than what your body requires to properly function. As women I feel we've all had those moments where we're desperate to shed a few pounds, especially if there's something important coming up like a holiday in Mexico or your wedding. That was the last time I severely restricted calories and it was because I wasn't happy with the way my dress fit and I knew shedding a few pounds would do the trick. Prior to that I occasionally got into terrible cycles where I yo-yoed. Are you familiar with this scenario (I know I am): 

You start drastically cutting down on calories, skipping meals here and there and bam! Weight comes off. You have this aha, yes moment! Then cravings kick in HARD because you're starving. You think you can manage sneaking in a few bad habits without putting the weight back on. Weight gained back (and then some), game over. You attack a pizza pie and the bag of Oreos because it doesn't matter now and we can always start again tomorrow.

Under-nourishing ourselves may deliver quick results, but it reeks havoc on our bodies ladies and here's why:

When you severely restrict your calories, you train your body to hold onto body fat.

Dieting or calorie restricting kills your metabolism, which is the rate at which your body burns calories.

You will probably gain more weight with diet restriction and here's why. 

For some, extreme calorie restriction can evolve into eating disorders like anorexia.

If you want to lose weight, you will find long-lasting success and better health by focusing on what you put in because a calorie is not just a calorie.

[photo taken back in 2011 and yes that was my "meal"]