I think this book is life changing for me. After maybe a week of doing some of the things she says, I am less bloated less inflamed than I was before. I have lipedema and can see that the puffiness in my legs is less because I can see the chunky lumps more. It's a good thing, sadly. I listened to the book, (twice) and it was an enjoyable audio book. Here are the things I particularly want to remember:
1. Order of eating: fiber first (any vegetables cooked or raw create a mesh-like layer in the stomach that slows down the processing of the food and in turn, the glucose which spikes the insulin, which is the problem), fat and proteins second, sugars and starches (desserts and breads) last.
2. Our cereal/grain/dessert-like breakfasts are just wrong! We need to go with savory breakfasts (even vegetables first/dinner from the night before (which oddly is my daughter's favorite already!)).
3. Don't eat sweet snacks throughout the day, save it for dessert.
4. When you begin with a "green starter" (or any vegetable), a good rule of thumb is equal parts vegetable at the beginning of your meal to however much carb/sugars (bread/desserts) you will eat later.
5. Acetic Acid/Vinegar will slow down your insulin response. Drink 1 T in a tall glass of water before your meal or something your eating that doesn't have a vegetable beforehand.
6. Exercise slows down your insulin spike after you eat. Walk for 10 minutes within 90 minutes of eating. The author found even doing 30 squats would lower her glucose response.
7. When reading nutrition labels, try to buy foods where sugar is not one of the top five ingredients.
8. When buying foods, try to buy foods with a 1:5 fiber to carb ratio (of course if you're eating a high carb food food, you can combine it with a high fiber one to balance it out).
Interestingly, growing up, my mom very regularly started our dinners with green salads. I thought it was so boring but we had to eat them. I love eating salads now days, but I really don't love making them because it takes so long to chop everything! So, I haven't been a big salad maker for probably 25 years! I am definitely incorporating salads back into my daily life. Another thing I've noticed my mom doing each morning is eating a raw carrot! She did it to stay regular, but I guess it could be helping her blood sugar too! Additionally, when reading a health article that was published in a magazine about one of my Mormon pioneer great-great grandmas, I noticed it said that she ate greens every day. I guess she knew the trick.
My sister is very active; she almost can't sit still. According to the book, exercising helps decrease your glucose peak if you do it before eating, but works even better after eating. I wonder how much my sister's nearly constant movement has helped her glucose levels? Probably very much. For the record, I'm not a huge person, but I am the biggest of my mom and sister. Ironically, I was the health major and maybe bought into the calories in calories out hypothesis and inadvertently sabotaged my own glucose & size?
It's also interesting that throughout time and tradition, dessert seems to be saved for last! I guess there's something to that, too!
My friend Amanda recently posted about her diabetes and PCOS, and she had a lot of good advice, some similar to this book:
This is for anyone I know that struggles with PCOS, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes...
I have learned all of this from research and personal experience over the past 11 years. My body has improved in many ways over that time (including becoming more fertile!!!). The medical conditions I have are permanent (pcos, diabetes, and nonalcoholic liver disease) but have improved so much that my doctors say keep doing what I'm doing, because on "paper" test results look like I don't have any of my medical conditions. The only one that bothers me daily is glucose. I also have arthritis and when I move daily it hurts less but if I move too much, I'm laid out in pain. All of this knowledge boils down to MODERATION IN EVERYTHING.
As with anything, consult with your doctor if you choose to follow any of this advice.....
STAY WELL HYDRATED EVERYDAY!!!
Apple cider vinager 1 tbsp with a cup of water and flavoring of your choice, helps lower glucose and keep liver and kidneys cleaner. Use first in the morning, before eating. Also good to take if you have a glucose spike.
Milk thistle for keeping liver healthier
Cinnamon, Chromium Picolanate, and Berberine are natural ways to help keep glucose more steady if you don't use metformin but not as powerful.
B complex, B 12, and a good Vitamin C help boost immunity and increase vitamin levels; having diabetes and using metformin destroys these vitamins in your body naturally so they must be supplemented.
Magnesium, just take it! You will feel better.
Diabetics and insulin resistance cause vitamin D to be very low; take with vitamin K for better absorption
Using fiber powders and increasing fiber based foods and prebiotic and probiotic is very important for improving digestion and gut health for diabetics.
Inositol helps with balancing hormones, also strengthens egg quality. (I never stopped taking it when I was pregnant. I just felt like I shouldn't. That was a personal choice.)
Prenatal vitamins have higher potency for pcos and diabetics that tend to be much lower with those vitamins than the average person. I use a cheap one but when pregnant I recommend a better quality one, like Good Earth brand.
Omega 3 is very important for brain and heart health, ESPECIALLY for diabetics.
Co-Q10 Boosts energy and if you end up taking a statin for cholesterol, statins destroy this vital part of our bodies CoQ10 so must be supplemented.
A brisk walk daily for 20 to 30 minutes helps keep glucose steady, especially after a heavier meal.
Weight lifting and stretching helps too.
Muscles burn glucose!
If you exercise to feel the burn and end up very sore the next day, you've done too much. It can cause an opposite effect and raise, rather than help lower glucose.
Exercise 5 to 6 days a week. If you start to feel a burning in muscles, you can do about a minute more, then start on a different set of muscles or do a cool down.
Think: Fiber, low carb, high protein, and healthy fats.
Meats
Eggs
Green veggies
Tomatoes, avocados
Berries
Walnuts, almonds, Pecans
Low carb bread, no more than 2 slices a day (if using wheat bread, only one slice a day)
Low carb tortillas, no more than one in a day
Oils- olive, avocado, walnut, coconut
Sweeteners: stevia, ethritol, allulose
AVOID:
Processed foods, convenience foods, processed meats like deli or eat sparingly;
foods with fillers and heavy preservatives.
White flour
Pasta
Rice
Potatoes and other root veggies and other starchy, high carb veggies
Gray area: some people can tolerate dairy, for some it seriously raises glucose and same with beans. Just learn which you are and only eat in moderate amounts.
Some sweeteners can raise glucose for some people and not others, such as sucrolose.
Maltitol doesn't seem to raise glucose for me or anyone I know but if have too much it can cause severe intestinal pain and diarrhea.
Hard cheeses tend to be safest even if other dairy raises your glucose.
Keto recipes are safe but you don't have to follow a Keto diet. I enjoy Keto recipes for treats. I also indulge in sugar free store bought treats but not daily because they can cause weight gain and some even can raise glucose because of ingredients other than sweetener. My favorite store bought treats are Atkins chocolate.
Metformin: It causes the worst pain and sends you to the toilet when you aren't eating as you should. If you eat well and it's a new prescription for you, it may cause severe pain and diarrhea for the first few weeks but as you eat healthier, you body should settle and do better with it. If not, consult your doctor.
Hope this helps you as much as it does for me.
I loosen all restrictions on my birthday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
