You Think You Can't Afford to Eat Healthy

It's been a while since I wrote anything and I just saw a post of Facebook that inspired me.  Someone who has diabetes said they tried eating healthy but it was cheaper to eat junk food so they do.  Oh my goodness!  I don't believe that for one minute!  Perhaps junk food is the easier way but it's not expensive to eat healthy.  We have a limited budget for groceries, and from talking to people my grocery budget is less than most folks.  We don't eat junk at my house.  When the doctor told my husband he didn't have to continue taking medicine for his high blood sugar if he would keep doing what he was doing it inspired me to do the right thing and make sure that we eat healthy.  Not knocking anyone who has to take meds for diabetes but my husband is the type that does not want to take any type of medicine.  He won't even hardly take anything for a headache (which he rarely gets, lucky him).

So why do I say you can afford to eat healthy?  Recently I started receiving a produce box each week from a local farm.  It contains produce and fruit.  But even when I bought my produce at the grocery store I stayed within my budget and bought my produce.  We also recently started going to the butcher and buying a month's worth of meat but even when I went to the grocery store I stayed within my budget.  One of the key ways that helped me at the grocery store was to plan my week's meals, make a list, stick to my list and shop only the perimeter of the store (with the exception of picking up oats or something on my list that was in an aisle).  At the checkout my basket contained produce, meat and dairy products.

I also would go on-line to my grocery store's site and view the weekly ad and make my list based on the sale for the week.  Grocery stores tend to do cycles with their ads so if you learn their cycle and shop their sale its a win!  I would recommend if you have a local farm that delivers produce boxes to check them out and also if you have a butcher shop to check them out.  My produce box is $25 each week I buy one (right now I'm getting them weekly) and the mini freezer fill at our butcher shop was $160 (plenty for two) and the large freezer fill was $230 (for a family more than 2).  Basically I'm spending $260 for the main part of my groceries and then I purchase my dairy (butter, milk, eggs) at the grocery store. I also buy wild caught fish at the seafood counter of my grocery store but the butcher here also has fresh seafood on Thursdays so either place will get me my weekly serving of fish.  We also go to the farmer's market and purchase honey, locally made pimento cheese, goat cheese, etc.  Fresh is best.  The fewer ingredients the better.  Non GMO is better.  I also make my own tartar sauce, my own taco seasoning, my own mayonnaise and anything else I can to make sure the ingredients are simple and no additives.

Things I stopped buying:  white bread, white rice, white potatoes, potato chips, cereal (except Kashi or Great Grains are pretty good), french fries, anything white basically.  I still buy sugar because I have to make sweet tea for my kids when they visit LOL!  We now drink unsweet tea.  We use honey to sweeten our oats.  We do not use artificial sweeteners at all.  Below I'm going to post an example of a week's worth of meals at my house.

Breakfast each morning:  we have oats with walnuts or pecans, cinnamon and honey or we will have bacon and eggs or sausage and eggs or an omelette (I rotate so we don't eat the same thing every morning)

Lunch:  I use Dave's Killer Bread Super Power Seed and fix 1/2 sandwich with lunch meat (Boar's Head or Dietz & Watson are best) or with natural peanut butter and jelly sweetened with honey, cucumber slices or bell pepper slices, nuts, yogurt (be careful because some are high in sugar & carbs), cheese slices or string cheese, fruit such as an apple, peach, or strawberries.  Sounds like a lot but it's so we can snack throughout the day to keep blood sugar balanced out.

Dinner:

Monday:  Pork chops & baked sweet potatoes

Tuesday:  Baked chicken & roasted squash/zucchini/onion

Wednesday:  Wild Caught Cod baked (I've shared the recipe previously)  served over long grain brown rice

Thursday:  Meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes (made with honey, cinnamon and butter), green beans

Friday:  Steaks on the grill, baked sweet potato and possibly a tossed salad (spinach, strawberries, blue cheese crumbles and pecans)

Saturday:  Ribs on the grill, sweet potato fries, and a squash casserole

Sunday:  It's our day to eat out for lunch and we usually don't eat dinner but we will eat healthy snacks or any leftover lunch we had.  We also select items on the menu that are healthy and opt for a sweet potato and not a baked potato.  If they don't have sweet potato we get veggies or a salad.

We also will take leftover dinner for lunch the next day when there are leftovers.

The one thing we also have almost every night is we treat our self to one scoop of Turkey Hill All Natural butter pecan ice cream.  The Turkey HIll All Natural has the fewest ingredients and its low in carbs and sugars without artificial sweeteners.  I  use a small bowl too so that way it "feels" like a lot of ice cream. 

I challenge anyone who thinks they can't eat healthy to just try it.  Shopping the sale cycle of your local grocery store is beneficial.  I always knew when they had meats buy one get one free and would stock up on stew meat, chicken breasts, cube steak and tenderloin.  If pork shoulder was on sale I'd buy one as well because it would feed us for a couple of days.  I think the key is planning out your week's meals, making a list and sticking to it.

Another help is lemon water.  Drink it all throughout the day.  We only drink water, coffee or unsweet tea.  No soda, no diet soda, no sweet tea.  You can do it!

Natural Ways to Reduce Your Glucose Levels

One thing I will say about my husband is he does not want to take medication at all.  Because of his positive attitude and his stubbornness to take pills I investigated ways we could naturally reduce his glucose level and I thought I would share them since it seems to be working.


The obvious ways:

• Regular Exercise - Exercise helps your muscles use blood sugar for energy.  Increases insulin sensitivity and helps your muscles pick up sugars from the blood.  
• Control your Carb Intake - Carbs are broken down into glucose, which raises blood sugar levels.  Reducing carbs can help with blood sugar control.
• Increase Fiber Intake - Eating plenty of fiber can help blood sugar control, and soluble dietary fiber is the most effective.  Foods high in fiber include veggies, fruits, legumes and whole grains.
• Drink Water & Stay Hydrated - Staying hydrated can reduce blood sugar levels and water is the best thing you can drink.
• Portion Control - Controlling the portion sizes of what you eat can lead to weight loss and promote healthy blood sugar levels.  Measure and weigh portions, use smaller plates, avoid buffets, read food labels and check service size, eat slowly.
• Choose Foods with a Low Glycemic Index - Foods that have a low glycemic index include seafood, meat, eggs, oats, barley, beans, lentils, legumes, sweet potatoes, yams, most fruits and non starchy vegetables.
• Control Stress Levels - Stress releases hormones such as glucagon and cortisol causing your blood sugar to go up.
• Monitor Your Blood Sugar Levels - Checking and maintaining a log helps you adjust foods to decrease your blood sugar levels.
• Get Enough Quality Sleep - Good sleep helps maintain blood sugar control and promote healthy weight.  Poor sleep can disrupt important metabolic hormones.
• Eat Foods Rich in Chromium and Magnesium - Chromium rich foods include egg yolks, whole-grain products, high-bran cereals, coffee, nuts, green beans, broccoli, and meat.  Magnesium rich foods include dark leafy greens, whole grains, fish, dark chocolate, bananas, avocados and beans.
• Lose Some Weight - Maintaining a healthy weight improves your health and promotes healthy blood sugar levels.  A measurement of 35 inches or more for women and 40 inches or more for men can increase the chances of high blood sugar levels.

Foods that can lower your blood sugar include the following:

• Turmeric - considered a super spice.
• Legumes - are a source of protein which have low glycemic index (good supplement for red meat).
• Nuts - almonds, peanuts, walnuts and pistachios do not raise blood sugar levels and are high in fiber.
• Eggs - 2 eggs a day can help improve blood sugar levels and they are a good source of protein.
• Garlic - garlic can help in controlling blood sugar levels.
• Cinnamon - just 1 gram of cinnamon can be helpful in lowering A1C levels.
• Chia Seeds & Flax Seeds - low glycemic index and help keep you full.
• Brown rice - grounded grain and rich in fiber.
• Kale - high in vitamin C, high in fiber, low calorie, rich in A, K and E, high in iron and folate.
• EVOO - olive oil can slow down the process of conversion of starch to sugar.
• Apple Cider Vinegar - It is recommended that you consume apple cider vinegar before going to bed at night.  It can reduce response of blood sugar by 20%.
• Low-Fat Yogurt - Full fat dairy products can slow the digestion and make it harder for insulin to work which causes the blood sugar to spike.  Good source of vitamin D.
• Lemons - Lemon juice is acidic, and it slows how quickly your stomach empties food so your body takes longer to break apart sugar molecules causing a steadier rise in blood sugar levels. 

We have incorporated most of these into our daily lifestyle.  My husband drinks lemon water all day, every day.  The foods that can naturally reduce blood sugar are consumed daily or weekly in our home.  Snacks consist of nuts, fruits & raw veggies.  We use cinnamon as much as possible.  I use fresh garlic in as many recipes as possible, I cook with EVOO, we eat eggs several mornings a week, we have brown rice and sweet potatoes several times each week.  We eat lots of leafy greens.  You can do it!  It's not hard.

More of Our Favorite Foods/Meals

I shared breakfast and lunch foods we enjoy so I thought I'd share some of our favorite dinner foods.  As I stated in my shopping blog, shopping the outer aisles of the grocery store is where I find all of my needs to fix a wonderful dinner.  In research I found it is healthy to include fish once a week in our diet so I have done so.  While I'm a salmon fan my husband prefers cod.  I only purchase wild caught cod or salmon (or any other fish) from the seafood department.  My favorite recipe for cod is cod with tomato and herb butter.  I usually fix long grain brown rice to go with it (the butter sauce is so good over the rice).  I will also fix home canned green beans with it as well.  Another way we like cod is baked with lemon butter.  This too I serve with long grain brown rice.  

Dinner is actually the easiest meal of the day because I have more time to prepare something.  We also do a lot of pork such as pork chops, tenderloin, and shoulder (BBQ).  We eat a lot of chicken.  I have fixed it several ways from oven fried, to tenders, to grilled, to shredded (BBQ) and casseroles.  We do eat beef but not usually ground beef.  We will grill a sirloin or ribeye on the grill or I will fix steak bites on the stove top in my cast iron skillet.  I usually will grill some onions to go with the steak bites.  We almost always pair our dinner meat with a baked sweet potato, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brown rice, salad, or spinach.  I like to make creamed spinach and greens are very good for you.

As far as night time snacks after dinner, we may have some peanuts or even some air popped pop corn.  We also like to buy the Turkey Hill All Natural ice cream and we will have one scoop (about 4 ounces) of that to satisfy our sweet tooth.  Can't do away with ice cream!

I don't know if anyone else ever eats a bowl of cereal before bed but we do that from time to time as well.  The best cereal option I have found is Kashi.  It tastes good and has good grains.  Post Great Grains is pretty good as well.  The key is portion size and use a low fat milk rather than whole milk.  We buy 2% organic milk, which is more expensive but has fewer additives in it.

This is not all the things we eat but it is some of our favorite things.  We have omitted any white foods such as potatoes, rice, bread, sugar, etc.  We do not put sugar in our tea or our coffee any longer.  We sweeten with honey 99% of the time.  I never dreamed we would be eating like this but I'm glad we are now enjoying a healthier lifestyle.  I can say we have not sacrificed good tasting food.  There are a ton of good recipes out there for food prepared healthy.  

As always if you have any recipes to share with me, please do so!

Lunch & Snack Options

We both work full-time so we are not at home for lunch.  Every day I get up and pack lunch and then fix our breakfast.  This post is just to share some things I have found to pack in our lunch each day, which includes snack items. 

Up until recently we did not eat any bread whatsoever BUT we found this bread at Target called Dave's Killer Bread  It is the lowest in carbs and sugar we have found.


Below is a list of items that I pack in our lunch.  I usually pack about five things so there are plenty of snack options throughout the day.  Also, lemons naturally reduce blood sugar so the beverage of choice is lemon water.  Part of my packing lunch is fixing Randy's want-to-be yeti cup with fresh lemons and water each morning.

• 1/2 peanut butter & jelly sandwich (I usa natural peanut butter that contains peanuts & salt and that's it and Smucker's jelly sweetened with honey)
• Ham slices with cream cheese (ham rolls is what we call them)
• Bell pepper strips
• Carrot sticks
• Cucumber slices
• Cheese (string, slices, cubes)
• Salad
• Fresh fruit (berries or apples - no bananas or grapes)
• Yogurt (have to be really careful because yogurt is high in carbs and sugar, Randy prefers Liberte brand)
• Triscuit crackers (I send the serving size on the box, which is 5)
• Sun Chips
• Olives
• Sesame Sticks
• Nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pecans - nuts are good for you)
• Homemade granola bars
• Tuna salad
• Of course, leftovers if there are any
• Boiled eggs (not in Randy's lunch though - not his thing)

Lunch is probably the hardest meal because I do have to pack it and figure out things that will stay good or reheat well.  One thing that we started doing long before we knew about his glucose level, was to make sure everything we eat is Non-GMO and doesn't contain ingredients we can't pronounce.  We also do not use artificial sweeteners to sweeten any of our food.  We use honey to sweeten almost everything.  On occasion we have used the yellow stuff in our tea or coffee.

If you have favorite lunch or snack ideas that are low in carbs and sugar please feel free to share.  I am always searching for new things to try and always trying to expand our options so we don't get burned out on the food that good for us.

Some of Our Favorite Meals

It's been a while since I shared anything but I finally decided what I wanted to share so here we go.  My plans are to do different posts about some of our favorite meals made at home.  I'll start with breakfast.

Let me start by saying we used to eat cereal and toast every work day morning or microwaved oatmeal and toast every work day morning.  Then on my day off I would make homemade biscuits, sausage, gravy and eggs.  We consumed lots of carbs and lots of sugar.  Honestly we love food.  Over these last few months we have learned to enjoy food minus the carbs and sugar.

One of our quick go to breakfasts is oatmeal.  I buy the largest container of old fashioned oats (the ones that cook in five not the one minute oats).  These offer a lot of variety.  In my research I found that cinnamon reduces blood sugar naturally so I add cinnamon to most of our oat recipes.  Some mornings we shake it up and have sausage links or bacon and scrambled eggs with cheese or we will have omelettes with sausage or bacon and we've even had pork chops and eggs for breakfast.  Here's a few variations of oats.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

1 granny smith apple diced (I leave skin on)
2 tablespoons real butter
1 teaspoon (or to taste) cinnamon
1 tablespoon of pure raw local honey
Optional:  add walnuts

I saute the apples in the butter & cinnamon & honey until they are tender (about 8 minutes).  I do cook the entire apple but I only use 1/2 of the cooked apple and save the rest for another morning.

1 Cup of old fashioned oats
2 cups of 2% organic milk
1 tablespoon of butter (we like butter)
Add 1/2 of the cooked apples

Bring oats to soft boil and cook stirring frequently for five minutes.  Divide between two bowls & two dog bowls (LOL, my dogs love oats).  We also add honey to our cooked oats as well.  Pure raw local honey has tons of great benefits for the body.

Cinnamon Pecan Oatmeal

1 Cup of old fashioned oats
2 cups of 2% organic milk
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup pecan pieces

Combine everything in your pot and bring oats to soft boil and cook stirring frequently for five minutes.  Divide between two bowls & two dog bowls (LOL, my dogs love oats).  We also add honey.

Fresh Fruit Oatmeal

1 Cup of old fashioned oats
2 cups of 2% organic milk
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup of fresh blueberries, blackberries or strawberries or a combination
Optional:  1/4 cup nuts (walnut, almond, pecan)

Combine everything in your pot and bring oats to soft boil and cook stirring frequently for five minutes.  Divide between two bowls & two dog bowls (LOL, my dogs love oats).  We also add honey.


I honestly don't think there is much you can do to ruin oatmeal except overcook it and I've done that!

Which Type of Diabetic Are You?

Everyone asks that question when they find out you've been diagnosed with diabetes.  Until we were faced with this diagnosis, I had never given thought that there were multiple types of Diabetes.  Of course my husband answers "I don't have diabetes".  Which according to his numbers these last few weeks he doesn't.  We've been blessed to have readings in the 90's.  With such great results we will not go back to our old way of eating for sure!

Anyway back to the topic at hand.  What are the types of diabetes?  

First what exactly is diabetes?  It is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body's ability to use the energy found in food.  There is Type 1, Type 2 and gestational and I found out there is a Type 3 as well.

All types have something in common, normally your body will break down the sugars and carbs you eat into glucose.  Glucose fuels the cells in your body.  But the cells need insulin (a hormone) in your bloodstream to take in the glucose and use it for energy.  Your body either doesn't make enough insulin, it can't use the insulin it makes, or a combination of both.  Since cells can't take in the glucose it builds up in your blood.  High levels of blood glucose can damage the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys, heart, eyes, or nervous system.  If diabetes is left untreated it can cause heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage in the feet.

Type 1

 This used to be known as juvenile-onset diabetes because it often begins in childhood.  It is also called insulin-dependent diabetes.

Type 1 is an autoimmune condition.  It's caused by the body attacking its own pancreas with antibodies.  The damaged pancreas doesn't make insulin.  There are a number of medial risks associated with Type 1.  They included diabetic retinopathy (damage to the tiny blood vessels in your eyes), diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic nephropathy (kidney nerve damage).  Type 1 diabetes takes insulin via injection or via an insulin pump.  

Type 2

The most common form of diabetes is Type 2.  It used to be called adult-onset diabetes.  Type 2 is also called non-insulin-dependent.  Type 2 is often a milder form but van still cause major health complications in the smallest blood vessels in the body that nourish the kidneys, nerves and eyes.  It also increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

With Type 2, the pancreas produces some insulin but it is either not enough for the body's needs or the body's cells are resistant to it.  Insulin resistance or lack of sensitivity to insulin happens primarily in fat, liver, and muscle cells.  People who are obese are at a high risk of developing Type 2 and its related medical problems.  The pancreas has to work overly hard to produce more insulin but there is not enough to keep sugars normal.

There is no cure, however Type 2 can be controlled with weight management, nutrition and exercise.

Gestational Diabetes

Diabetes that triggered by pregnancy is called gestational diabetes.  It is often diagnosed in the middle to late pregnancy.  Because high blood sugar levels in a mother are circulated through the placenta to the baby, gestational diabetes must be controlled to protect the baby's growth and development.

With gestational diabetes, risks to the unborn baby are even greater than risks to the mother. Risks to the baby include abnormal weight gain before birth, breathing problems at birth, and higher obesity and diabetes risk later in life. Risks to the mother include needing a cesarean section due to an overly large baby, as well as damage to heart, kidney, nerves, and eye.

Type 3 

During a study conducted at the Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School, researchers made a discovery; the hormone insulin was not just produced by the pancreas as previously thought.  Researches discovered that the brain was also responsible to producing small amounts of insulin.  One of the revelations was the discovery of insulin's effect on the brain.  Type 3 is a condition where the brain does not produce enough insulin.  In the absence of insulin, the brain is affected much the way the body is in Type 1 or Type 2.  It often occurs in people who have either type already.

Type 3 is know as brain diabetes.  In Type 3 the brain either doesn't produce enough insulin for new memory formation or is resistant to the insulin it produces.  Without insulin, those insulin receptors die.  Without those insulin receptors, the brain can't for new memories.  This inability to form new memories is what produces the Type 3 symptoms, signs and difficulties that mimic those of Alzheimer's and dementia.  Sufferers experience the memory loss and confusion that is typical of both diseases.  Because of the similarity of these diseases, doctors often have trouble diagnosing Type 3 unless they are specifically looking for it using MRI technology.

Diabetes Types 3 was only officially recognized as an illness in 2005. But doctors already know quite a bit about how to treat the disease. Much of that head start is thanks to the fact that the treatment for type 3 diabetes symptoms is very similar to the treatment for diabetes Type 2.

One of the keys to treating and preventing the onset of diabetes Type 3 is to exercise. Regular exercise three to five times a week combined with a healthy diet helps to maintain the healthy weight that wards off the disease. Obesity — especially in women — is a key factor in the onset of both type 2 and type 3 diabetes.

Doctors also treat diabetes Type 3 with the same drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes like regular doses of insulin and insulin-sensitizing rosiglitazone. These drugs actually slow and even prevent further memory loss. They do this by protecting the brain’s neurons from the damaging ADDLs.

Cholesterol build up is another similarity between diabetes of all types and Alzheimer's. Certain preliminary trials have found that lipid lowering drugs used to fight high cholesterol are effective in treating diabetes Type 3. Today, many type 3 diabetes sufferers are turning to this drug for relief.

So now you may know more than you ever wanted to about Diabetes!  The key is to eat healthy and exercise (manage your weight).

Proud Wife

This is a short and sweet post today.  I just wanted to let anyone who reads my blog know how proud I am of my amazing husband.  He said from the first day that we were told he was a diabetic that he refuses to accept that fact.  This past week seems to be proving he is correct.  All his readings have been in the 90s.  Yes we are still eating right and will continue to do but it just amazes me how we were able to get this under control in just about three months time.  He has lost down one pant size, he feels great and is making great decisions on what he puts in his body.  I will confess that last night in honor of our son's birthday we did eat a cupcake (no icing) and this morning his blood sugar reading was only 112, not bad at all.

Things we aren't doing, using artificial sweeteners, drinking diet drinks, eating bread, consuming sugar (except natural sugar). 

I am proud of his determination to be healthy.  Keep up the great work honey!