A Weekly Pile of Food

It's only Thursday today and I've already eaten 4 avocados this week. Entirely by myself.

I've also eaten 1 1/3 cups of All Bran buds.

4 cups of kefir and 3 cups of Greek yogurt.

5 bananas.

3 peaches.

At least 1 cup of Frank's Hot Sauce.

4 cups of steal cut oats.

6 shrimp. 2 whitefish.

Most of one container of almond milk.

At least a cup of pumpkin seeds. Probably more.

Probably two cups of cashews and the same amount again of almonds and walnuts.

One extra-large Dairy Milk bar (6 wee squares every night as a treat. Sometimes 9...)

1 red pepper. 1 English cucumber. 3 carrots. An entire container of grape tomatoes.

The juice of three lemons.

3 Larabars.

3 frozen yogurt bars (fudge-flavoured)

I was thinking about this as I mashed up avocado with our dinner last night. And I started picturing the volume of food that I consume in a week. And how much space it would take up if I had to pile it all on the table on a Sunday night. And whether I would eat differently if I saw all the food and knew I had to make it last one week.

Thank heavens we don't have to do that eh? Look at a pile of food at the beginning of the week and be told that this is how much we are going to put into our bodies in 7 days.

I don't know about you but my pile would look pretty daunting. Lots of fruits, veggies and grains mind you but still pretty daunting.

And yet, slowly but surely, I would make my way through that pile of avocados and bananas and steel cut oats and, at the end, probably look around wondering if there was anything else to eat.

D-Blog Week Day 5 - Foods on Friday

Today is all about food. Specifically the food I ate yesterday. So y'all are getting a glimpse into a day in the life of Céline's stomach.

5:30am
I'm up and ready to run. My blood sugar was 4.6 so I ate two dates. Two fresh, plump, delicious medjool dates.

7:00am
Run done and breakfast is warmed up and ready for eatin'. My favourite breakfast these days is steel cut oats (cooked ahead of time and then put in the fridge in one-serving batches for easy heating). I warm them up with some almond milk (plain, unsweetened and fortified). Once heated, I toss it all into a bowl that already has 1/3 of a cup of All Bran buds ready and waiting. I stir it all together and then top with 1/2  of a banana (sliced), 3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt, 6 walnut halves broken up into bits and, when we have them, some berries on top. Yesterday there were several blackberries and raspberries adding some zip and colour.

12:30pm
Lunch time! I didn't eat anything between breakfast and lunch because a) my blood sugar was well-behaved and b) I was in meetings and it wasn't easy to snack. Lunch was leftover greek chicken salad (chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, lemon juice and olive oil) topped with an avocado. I followed that up with 1 cup of kefir (delicious) and a small green apple.

3:00pm
Peanut butter chocolate chip Larabar (I was golfing at 4:30pm so this was my pre-golf snack)

6:45pm
9 holes of golf done and I was eating dinner at the golf course with the ladies I golf with on Thursdays. Dinner was the Urban Sombrero salad with flank steak on top. The salad is made up of quinoa, black beans, veggies and cilantro with a chipotle orange dressing. Topped with a few pieces of avocado. Oh, and a 9 oz. glass of red wine.

8:00pm
Home and settled in for another episode of Bloodline on Netflix. A frozen yogurt bar (chocolate fudge flavour) kept me company.

10:00pm
Rose buzzed. I was dropping. Two fig newtons later I was topped up and heading back to sleep.

And that, my friends, is what this T1osaur ate yesterday.

A Case of the Food Diary Guilts

Yesterday I wrote about going to the diabetes centre for my dietician/nurse check-in. I talked about printing out two weeks of food data from My Fitness Pal. It's a great way to share my food diary and makes my life much easier.

It also makes me second guess everything I've eaten in the last few days.

Since I'm diligent about putting everything I eat into My Fitness Pal (even on those really bad days), it means that they get to see it too.

So I've had all sorts of conversations in my head about what I should and should not eat this week.

Like the conversation about whether or not I should have that chocolate? If I do, they'll see it. What if they compare the time I ate the chocolate to my blood sugar graphs and see a spike? Maybe I should just save it until next week and then have the chocolate. That way no one will know but me.

No way. I'm totally allowed to have chocolate and, if there is nothing bad in my food diary for two weeks, they won't believe it anyway. Nobody is that good. Have the damn chocolate.

One hour later: bloody hell. My blood sugar is spiking. I'm so going to get in trouble.

Or my daily conversation about nuts.

I often have some nuts as a mid-morning snack. I have a container in my lunch bag with almonds, cashews and walnuts in it. Most days I have five of each which is a great. Add a clementine or two and it's a wonderful snack. Not too calorie-heavy but enough to keep me happily full until lunch.

This week I look at them and wonder if I should have a few more just to show the dietician how diligent I am about trying to get healthy fats into my diet and how much protein I try to pack into a day. Even though it means extra calories which, technically, means that I probably shouldn't have a post-dinner frozen yogurt bar.

Twice this week I brought a big container of chopped veggies for lunch. I mashed up an avocado, poured a healthy amount of Frank's Hot Sauce over it and happily dipped fresh carrots, cucumber, red pepper and cherry tomatoes into it. Follow it up with a cup of Kefir with fruit and it's one of my favourite lunches. Since we didn't have any leftovers in the fridge for me to grab I was more than happy to have two days of this yummy feast for lunch.

Until I thought about how that would look to a dietician. The same breakfast and the same lunch two days in a row. No beans? No quinoa? Not a ton of protein. No variety in the veggies.

Tsk tsk.

Then I remind myself that they are also going to read about my five runs, four cycling workouts and 30k of walking on the golf course. And I decide not to worry one whit about what is or isn't in my food diary.

If they don't like it, well then bring it on!

Don't Tell Me What To Do!

I'm not a big fan of being told what to do.

I'm even less of a fan of being tricked or manipulated into doing something.

And I'm stubborn enough to cross my arms and refuse to budge when someone tries to push me to do something...even if it's something I secretly want to do.

It wasn't until this weekend that I realized how that particular quirk of mine could be put to good use.

Remember the book I wrote about last Friday? The book called The End of Overeating by David Kessler?

Well I had a bit of time on the weekend so I've made some good headway into it. And what I've learned so far has been fascinating and more than a little disturbing.

The first section of the book is completely dedicated to the science of food production. Specifically the science of producing food that people will anticipate, crave, and, in many cases be unable to resist eating large quantities of....even when they are not at all hungry.

Turns out that, when it comes to producing a lot of the food that graces our grocery store shelves and restaurant menus, it's not about producing food that is delicious, healthy or satisfying. It's about producing food that has the right combination of fats, sugars and salt to trigger a physical response. A response that leads people to come back for more. And more.

As I continued to read, I got more and more annoyed as I thought about all the products on the market that fit this description. Those bags of sweet and salty popcorn that people bring to meetings. Chips, chocolate, fries etc etc. None of these things are good for us and yet these are the things that we are constantly battling against when cravings rear their ugly heads.

Chocolate is one of my weaknesses and I do battle every day in my head against the little voices that try to convince me to buy some.

It's one thing to crave a chocolate bar.

It's another thing to know why I crave it. Turns out that I crave it because a bunch of people did some research and figured out how to make it taste and what ingredients to include so that I would crave it. Then they make commercials and posters that advertise their products in enticing ways that make me want it even more.

They are trying to manipulate me.

Assholes!

Funny thing is that, since I read about how this happens, it's been much easier to resist. In fact, when Doug and I were at the bulk food store buying Easter chocolates for next weekend's Easter egg hunt, we bought exactly the number of eggs we needed and I wasn't even tempted to add one more to the bag. When we were in the grocery store and my favourite chocolate was on sale, I wasn't even tempted to toss one in the cart.

Instead of feeling that familiar ache of a chocolate craving, I felt a twinge of annoyance. I wondered if the reason it was my favourite chocolate bar was because it really was a delicious piece of chocolate or because the manufacturer got the combination of fat, sugar and salt just right to trigger the pleasure receptors in my brain.

So I've learned a few things this weekend.

Turns out that the best way to beat back a craving is not to use self control or distraction techniques. The best way to beat back a craving is to learn why the craving exists, get pissed off about it, and refuse to play their little game.

Vitamania

One of the best things about road trips, in my opinion, is getting to listen to all sorts of interviews on the radio while we drive. Interviews that I would not normally have time for, often on topics that I wouldn't naturally gravitate towards. Whenever we hit the road, Doug and I switch back and forth between CBC Radio One and NPR depending on our moods and the topic of the hour.

Last year when we drove to Florida and back I heard several authors interviewed and came away with a list of books that I wanted to read. I downloaded them all and, over the year, have worked my way through them. This year, I had my notebook and fountain pen ready and was not disappointed. I now have 6 more books on my 'to read' list.

The one that I wanted to read first was a new book that just came out called Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection. It's written by Catherine Price. She was interviewed for almost an hour and we listened with fascination while she explained what vitamins actually are, what they do and how we have been convinced that we need megadoses of these things in order to be healthy. She talked about the history of vitamins and how devastating it can be if someone is deficient (scurvy anyone?). She talked about how dramatic vitamins could be and how having something as simple as a few oranges could miraculously bring someone back to robust health.

She also talked about how it's not yet clear how much of any of these vitamins we really do need to consume and what the long-term risks are of getting too much. She also talked about how unregulated the production of vitamins is and some of the risks associated with taking pills when we don't know for sure what they contain.

Oh, and she has type 1 diabetes too boot which upped the coolness factor by a few notches.

So I got the book and I've started reading it. We heard that interview last week. Since then I have read an article about her in the National Post and I have seen mention of her book on Diabetes Advocacy Facebook pages. It sounds like she's reached the 'tipping point' (which by the way is another interesting book) and I'm guessing you'll be hearing a lot about this book if you haven't already.

On a personal note, I've been interested in nutrition as long as I can remember. I read everything I can get my hands on about it. Over the years, I've learned that the world of nutrition a slowly evolving one where things like fats, carbs, protein, vitamins, omega 3s and other things come in and out of favour as our knowledge increases. It can seem frustrating as the messages change (I've lost track of whether eggs are good for me or not) but I take comfort in the fact that the messages change because we are learning more.

So I will read Catherine's book with fascination and add what she says to my knowledge base. I may not clean out my vitamin cupboard but I expect I may pare it down a bit and spend a bit more energy trying to get what I need from my diet rather than my pharmacy.

I Was Never Told

I remember when I was first diagnosed with diabetes and trying to come to terms with what it all meant. Trying to figure things out. Trying to sort through the information that I was given by supportive, well-meaning diabetes educators who, more often than not, did not have diabetes themselves.

I learned a bit from the people who were there to teach me. But I learned the most from just living the experience. I learned. I adopted that knowledge into my new reality and then forgot that I didn't always know it.

Like learning what a low feels like.

I was told that low blood sugars feel like this:

I was not told a bunch of other stuff and ended up having to figure it out on my own:

• I was not told that low blood sugars can happen when you're full from dinner. And you will have to gag down food when you really don't want to. 
• I was not told that they often happen at the worst time. I was not told that I might have a dramatic low while in the shower and would have to get out with shampoo still in my hair, stumble to the bedroom for juice and then sit on the side of the bath dripping wet for ten minutes before I could stop shaking enough to rinse my hair. I was not told that lows can happen in the middle of presentations at work. While making love. In the middle of eating lunch (I'm already eating for heaven's sake! Piss off!)
• I was not told that those fast-acting carbs that you need during a low are rarely healthy and that, if you have too many lows you could actually put on weight because of all the empty calories you take in. I mean really, no weight maintenance program in the world says you should have 2-3 juice boxes per day.  
• I was not told that all the doctors and nurses I met would put the fear of having complications first and foremost in my mind. And that this new-found fear would make it seem like a good idea to have lots of lows if it meant avoiding highs. And that lows are really not good either.
• I was not told that lows can happen no matter how hard you try not to have them - and that you are not a bad person or an incompetent diabetic if you have them.  

 I was not told about the ignorance I would have to face. From people I work with, or golf with, or meet at the gym. I was not told that real life doctors and nurses would ask me questions like "is your diabetes well controlled" and that it would take me several years to go from feeling guilty when asked the question to becoming an advocate and explaining patiently why this question was not at all a question they should be asking patients. And that I would have to explain it again the following year when the same doctor asks me at my annual exam. And the year after that.

I was told how to count carbs and inject insulin and treat lows. I was not told that doing all of the stuff they told me to the absolute best of my ability would not produce results anywhere near what they actually wanted to see. That there is a difference between textbook diabetes and real life diabetes. 

I was not told that there were other people like me out there. And that it might be a good idea to find some. Because they will understand all of the above.

I learned all of this on my own. In hindsight, that is probably best. I do better when I learn from experience. And I've certainly done better with every year that has gone by as I add more and more to my real-life experience purse.

But I do know that there are many people out there who may not figure this stuff out for themselves. Who may do everything they are told to do and then not understand that it is not their fault when the wheels still fall off the cart on a regular basis. Who may feel personally responsible for every low. For every high. For every up and down.

Those are the things that make me feel like we really need to take a good look at how support is provided to people.

Because while there are times when I think I am doing well because of the support I have received, more often I think I am doing well in spite of it.

Our Little Restaurant

Céline and Doug are on a new recipe kick.

Saturday evening, we tried the latest recipe on the Oh She Glows blog. It's called Warm and Roasted Winter Salad Bowl (you can click on the recipe title for the link). We made a few small changes right off the bat. The green beans were substituted for asparagus and we did not add avocado because the salad was already calorie dense enough (which I discovered after adding all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal) AND I had already eaten an entire avocado with my lunch.

The salad was quite tasty. No surprise there as I have rarely tried an Oh She Glows recipe that wasn't full of flavour. We did add a bit more red wine vinegar than what was called for but, other than that, we enjoyed it as instructed. We have two servings left over for lunch this week that I am already craving.

On a fun side note, Oh She Glows is going to be putting out a second cookbook. She put a call out for recipe testers and I put my name in. Wouldn't it be fun if I got picked? 

I also have two recipes bookmarked for later this week and they are both from my latest cookbook (Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi). Yotam is an Israeli chef who lives and cooks in London, England (oh how I wish it was London Ontario). He has several restaurants, releases a gorgeous cookbook every year or so and also wrote a cooking column in the Guardian for several years (not sure if it's still up and running). Plenty is a vegetable cookbook (he is not vegetarian but seems to have a knack for creating delicious vegetable recipes). We also own Jerusalem, one of his earlier cookbooks, that is chock full of recipes that remind me of my trip to Israel.

Here is the cover photo with a delicious-looking roasted eggplant recipe that is on my list to try. 

Speaking of trying, I'm trying out two recipe from Plenty this week.

The first is a roasted vegetable soup that involves roasting three eggplants, two red peppers and some tomatoes. Toss them into a pot with a few red onions, some oregano and basil and broth. Blend well and then toss in some lima beans. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of greek yogurt There is no picture of this soup in the cookbook. I'm picturing a rather odd coloured mixture that looks even odder with lima beans floating in it. But I'm also imagining that what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in flavour.

The other recipe I'm trying is a pasta and zucchini salad recipe that involves grilled zucchini, bocconcini cheese, lots of basil and parsley, lemon, capers, edamame and red wine vinegar.

This one has a picture and it looks delicious.

In the next little while I hope to tackle the lentil salad topped with grilled eggplant recipe, a mushroom ragout topped with poached duck eggs (if I can get them. Otherwise, good ol' chicken eggs will have to do), the grilled eggplant recipe that is on the cookbook cover and a surprise tatin that is basically a potato pie served upside down. It looks quite stunning.

The tatin (aka tart) for your viewing pleasure)

Doug and Céline may be opening a restaurant if we keep this up for much longer.

My Fitness Pal - Observations

I've been using My Fitness Pal faithfully for almost three weeks.

In exchange for my diligence:

- I now use about 10 fewer units of insulin per day which means that I am getting an extra day before I have to refill my pump. No complaints there.

- I lost another pound for a total of 3. Slow and steady folks.

- I feel better. I know, that's a little vague. The best way I can explain it is that my body just feels happier because it's getting all the food it needs but isn't getting more than it needs. I'm running on full rather than on overfull.

- Doug and I have tried several new recipes. Tilapia tacos being the latest one. Some are ok. Some are good. Some are delicious. No matter the result, it's fun to play in the kitchen.

Also:

- I seem to be spending more on groceries than ever and am going through veggies at an alarming rate.

- leftovers last longer in the fridge because, when I package them into a healthy serving size rather than what I used to think was a serving size, we end up with more servings.

- because I feel like I'm just eating a slightly healthier version of my typical diet, I don't feel deprived in any way. Which means that everything I am doing will be easier to stick with in the long run.

Who knew that little app would turn out to be so useful?

Post-Run Lunch

Saturday morning I went for a very cold, tough, snowy but overall quite lovely run.

I got home around 10am, had a chocolate milk, two pieces of homemade Irish soda bread with almond butter and a banana, took a shower and then headed out again to pick up some groceries.

I had no plans for lunch so I figured I'd see what looked tempting in the veggie aisle.

I ended up putting a portobello mushroom in my cart. Plus a container of grape tomatoes (which are surprisingly tasty this time of year) and some spinach.

Add that to a few ingredients we had at home already and I was all set to make something warm, healthy, tasty and filling.

Step one: chop the mushroom and tomatoes, add some green onions and toss into a frying pan with a smidgen of canola oil. Grind some pepper on top. Stir fry until mushrooms and tomatoes start releasing their juices. 

Toss in several hands full of chopped spinach. Stir until wilted. 

Add in two eggs whisked with a bit of water and stir until cooked. 

Put on dramatic black plate. 

Slice an avocado. 

Enjoy!

P.S. A dash or two of Franks Hot Sauce would be a delicious addition. As would, I'm guessing, a wee bit of curry in the eggs. 

Plans for next weekend's post-run lunch are already forming in my head. 

Did I mention?

Did I mention...

...that I chopped my hair off before Christmas? That it's too short for a ponytail now? That I love it?

Did I mention...

...that I make a mean antipasti platter?

Did I mention...

...that I received a pair of slippers for Christmas and have been living in them ever since. Who knew slippers could be so nice to wear? How did I miss this? 

Did I mention...

...that I nearly finished this crossword puzzle over Christmas. 

(It's one of my favourite traditions and I have very strict rules about no looking things up. Using the collective knowledge stored in our heads, Doug and I ploughed through at least 4/5 of it before throwing in the towel.)

Did I mention...

...that I've been using My Fitness Pal religiously for almost two weeks now?

Did I mention...

...that I have lost two pounds?

...that I have discovered that I really really don't get enough protein or calcium in my diet? 

...that I pay much more attention to food labels now and have no trouble saying no to things that really aren't worth it?

...that I enjoy all the extra veggies that seem to have made their way into my day since I started paying attention?

And did I mention...

...that the small changes I have made to my diet continue to result in more stable blood sugar numbers and much lower daily insulin requirements? 

Easing My Way Back Into Reality

Today is my first day back to work after being off for just over two weeks.

It also happens to be the morning after the premiere of this season's Downton Abbey which means that I will have stayed up extra late the night before I have to get up extra early for the first time in two weeks.

It's going to be a bit of a shock to be sure but worth it to see what Mr. Carson and the gang have been up to.

Over the holidays I was able to maintain some pretty good habits, test out a few new recipes and come out feeling better than I felt on the way in.

In the time I was off I worked out 12 of 17 mornings. Running and cycling mostly with two swims thrown in late last week to see if my body remembered how to move in the water.

When we weren't partaking in holiday fare, Doug and I tried several new recipes that we enjoyed and have a few more printed out and ready for upcoming dinners. None of them are so good that they need to be included here but they were good enough that we kept them in our repertoire for future meals.

We also found a few recipes for homemade snacks (like bars, muffins and cookies) that have much less bad stuff and much more good stuff than the store-bought ones tend to. We tested the Glo Bars from the Oh She Glows cookbook and both of us agree that they are absolutely delicious. So good in fact that a) we made a second batch for the first week back to work and b) I'm adding the link to the recipe for your enjoyment.

Diabetes-wise, things went rather well actually. Fewer highs and lows than I usually have and, interestingly, much less insulin used. Typically, I use at least 40 units a day and average about 45. During the last two weeks I only hit 40 four times and never went above 45 once. The other days were mostly in the low to mid 30s.

What's up with that?

Since I didn't change my basal, the difference was entirely due to the amount of insulin I bolused for meals and snacks.

Perhaps a combination of moving around a bit more since I was not sitting at my desk + not snacking as much + stocking the house with healthy snack options and actually eating them.

Example: I entered the holidays with three chocolate bars in the cupboard and left the holidays with the same three chocolate bars in said cupboard (unopened).

Here is to a new year and a renewed effort to keep those healthy habits of the last two weeks and carry them with me into the craziness that is my working life.

Carrots and Hiccups

Anyone else out there get hiccups every time they eat raw carrots?

This has happened to me ever since I was a very young child. Carrot sticks = hiccups is just part of my routine. Celery sticks do not cause hiccups. Nor do any other fresh veggies. Grated carrots don't either. Nor do cooked ones. But one bite of a raw carrot has me reaching for the water for my get rid of hiccups quick trick that I mastered decades ago.

Most people think the whole carrot hiccup thing is odd.

My mother does not.

Because she has the exact same issue with them and has as long as she can remember too.

No one else in the family does. Just the two of us. So we laugh and take comfort in the fact that, if we're crazy, at least we're crazy together.

The other day I cut myself some carrot sticks and celery sticks for an afternoon snack. One bite of the carrot stick and the hiccups started. I got rid of them with my drinking water trick and then headed off to the couch with the rest of my snack. It occurred to me as I reached for my iPad to continue my magazine that perhaps I should do some internet research to see what's up with this whole carrot hiccup thing.

Guess what I learned?

1. I learned that there are a whole bunch of people out there who get hiccups from eating raw carrots. No other veggies. Just raw carrots. And by a bunch I mean like a whole bunch.

2. I learned that there is no obvious answer as to why this happens. It is not a carrot allergy - that much I concluded. A few websites said that we are eating the carrots too quickly but I know that, for myself anyway, even when I pay attention and chew slowly, I still get the hiccups on the first bite. I know I am only an n of one but there were others who seemed to think that this hypothesis was horsepoop too.

3. I also learned that one woman started a website as a support group for people who get hiccups from raw carrots so that they could feel less alone. I read through the comments and every single person wrote something along the lines of "Omigod I thought I was the only one".

So guess what I did?

I called my mom of course.

And told her that we were not crazy.

An Israeli Supper

Two years ago we were getting ready for my sister to come home for Christmas. While she was here, she and I planned my big adventure to go visit her in Israel the following March.

I visited, ran the Tel Aviv half, gorged on hummus, halva and baklava, drank my weight in pomegranate juice, travelled from one end of the country to the other and, in the process fell madly in love with Israel.

This past weekend I was flooded with memories of that wonderful adventure and decided that, if I can't go to Israel, I can bring Israel to me.

Or, more precisely, to my kitchen.

So I pulled out my beloved Jerusalem cookbook and set about making my first batch of from scratch traditional Israeli hummus.

I soaked the chickpeas overnight.

Sunday afternoon I boiled them and removed as many as their skins as possible.

I tossed the mushy mess into the food processor, added tahini, freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly crushed garlic and iced cold water.

I blended until absolutely smooth.

I put it in a bowl under plastic wrap to let it 'settle'.

A few hours later, pour souper, I spread the hummus on a plate and drizzled olive oil and lemon juice over it the way they did it for us in Jerusalem. Topped with pan heated pine nuts and fresh parsley = delicious!

Fresh pitas ripped by hand and crunchy veggies were used for dipping.

And, for dessert?

Pomegranates and baklava of course!

Just a little hummus teaser for you.

Bolusing for Baklava

"Need anything out of the kitchen?" Doug asked.

"I'm hoping I can have baklava but not yet" I replied after a glance at my pump.

I had bolused a little earlier but no sign that I was dropping yet so there was no way I was touching that high carb treat.

Evenings are a juggling act on my side of the couch.

I like a little post-dinner treat but I've learned a few important lessons over the years.

1. Bolus early and do not eat the snack until it's very clear that blood sugar is dropping as it should.

2. Eat early enough so that I know if I'm in a good spot before going to bed - otherwise Rose will wait until I'm sound asleep and then start alarming like a madwomen. I may be high. I may be low. But I'll be something. And no one wants to eat four fig newtons at midnight after already having a high calorie treat before bed.

3. Do not have a post-dinner treat if dinner was a high carb meal. Otherwise there won't be enough time to know what the blood sugar dinner gods will do before I call in the blood sugar snacks gods. Usually they have a big ol' fight in the middle of the night. See number 2 for more details.

4. Do not rage bolus after 7pm unless absolutely necessary. Without fail I will be eating a snack that I do not want to eat at 3am. Guarantee.

There are nights when I have bolused for chocolate, put it on a plate, studiously ignored it for an hour and then put it back in the cupboard with a sigh because, by 9:00pm, I still wasn't low enough to eat it.

There are night when I have bolused for chocolate, enjoyed the chocolate without waiting for my dinner numbers to drop, gone to bed high, bolused extra and then had to eat two more snacks during the night because of lows.

"Need anything out of the kitchen?" is always tempting but I'm slowly learning to say yes when the stars align and to say no when they don't.

I value my sleep too much to jeopardize it unnecessarily for a piece of baklava - as delicious as it is.

Healthy Travels - Day Two

Day Two of my hectic week and so far so good.

I managed to get myself into bed by 9pm. Didn't sleep straight through but did well considering I was away from home in an unfamiliar bed. I was up by 5:15 and downstairs at the hotel front desk by 5:40 asking for the key to the Fitness Closet. No one else was in there at the time so I hopped on the treadmill for 45 minutes. It took me a while to figure out the pace I needed since I'm not much of a treadmill runner but, once I found that happy balance between not going too slowly and not flying off the back end, I was golden.

5.4 seems to be the magic number - whatever that means.

By the end of the run I had burned 485 calories and run 3.85. I'm assuming that is 3.85 miles because that would be a rather embarrassing number of kilometres to cover in that time. 

I hopped off, spent a few minutes stretching and doing ab work on the fitness ball and then headed upstairs. We were meeting for breakfast at 7:45am so, at 7:30am, I bolused for my 5-minute oatmeal and heated it up in the microwave. I added my pomegranate seeds, dried cherries and spices and headed downstairs to join the others.

We ate and chatted and, by 8:15 I was heading back to my room to get ready. Rose started buzzing and I figured I was going low because of my run and pre-meal bolus.

Nope

I was 10.5 and climbing with double arrows up. Bah! By 8:30am I was 15 and still climbing. 8:45am I was 14.8 and steady but not dropping.

No site issues that I could tell. No miscalculation of carbs since it's a breakfast I am familiar with. Plus I ran for 45 minutes right before. I should be low if anything.

Anyone ever see a spike in blood sugar from running on a treadmill rather than outside?

I took a few conservative boluses plus a few rage ones to get me down to 5.6 before lunch. I bolused extra for that and yet, within 20m minutes, was double arrows up again heading for 15. I managed to bolus it back down again before dinner but this is not something that is usually a problem on a day when I exercise first thing. Very annoying.

Dinner was at a local pub so I chose the healthiest of the options. I also went for low carb since I wasn't in the mood to chase my blood sugars all night. Lots of water and no bedtime snack should hopefully help those nighttime numbers.

Wednesday morning's plan involves another trip to the Fitness Closet. I may try the elliptical this time since I haven't done that in about a decade. I may also hop back on the treadmill and see if I can beat my numbers from yesterday.

The gang decided to go out for breakfast because they thought the hotel breakfast left something to be desired. So much for my 5-minute oatmeal plan.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry don't they?

How to Travel Healthy-style

Day one of work travel is complete.

On Monday I worked for a half a day and then headed home, loaded the car and drove 200+ kilometres to my new home for three days.

I did not exercise before work but I did eat a healthy breakfast (see 5-minute oatmeal for details)

Every two weeks we have a soup lunch at work that members of our soup lunch club take turns preparing. Yesterday was lobster bisque which was delicious although not entirely nutritious. I planned ahead and brought veggies (celery, carrots and peppers) for a mid-morning snack and limited myself to one reasonable-sized bowl of soup for lunch and two pieces of baguette bruschetta. Plus yogurt and pomegranate seeds.

Dinner was supposed to be at Swiss Chalet (sigh) but I knew that ahead of time so I googled their menu and made my decision before leaving my hotel room. I checked out their healthy menu options and compared their nutritional info with that of a quarter chicken dinner with veggies instead of fries, and no special dipping sauce. Quarter chicken dinner won hands down. Way less sodium and calories that the salads. (No wonder people get confused trying to figure out what healthy options are).

The good news was that we decided to head into town and try our hands at a local Italian restaurant instead of Swiss Chalet. My eyes headed straight to the pesce salade on the menu. Spinach, kale, roasted turnip and sweet potato, quinoa and two lovely pieces of grilled salmon on top. It was delicious!

I checked out the fitness closet after dinner. They managed to squeeze in a bike, treadmill and elliptical into a room the size of my bathroom. I double-checked to make sure that the treadmill worked, crossed my fingers that no one else will be venturing in at 5:30am and headed upstairs. I checked out the neighbourhood but there is no easy way to run outside unless I hop in my car and drive somewhere. All the roads within several kilometres are busy with no sidewalks or shoulders. I'll try the indoor treadmill and see if it drives me batty or not. I may end up running outside before this is over.

I had a pre-bed snack of pomegranate seeds, chia seeds and kefir. I prepped my 5-minute oatmeal and tossed it in the fridge and set my alarm for 5am for my pre-breakfast workout.

Ready!

Travel Plans

I'm leaving this afternoon and will be away for work until late Thursday afternoon. I do this probably twice every year. It's a great experience and one that I enjoy doing but these weeks tend to wreak havoc on my body and my blood sugar.

The days are long. As in 7am-11pm long.

The food is often not so healthy. As in we eat a hotel breakfast. Take out lunch. And restaurant dinner. For three days in a row. And finding a restaurant that suits all tastes usually means Swiss Chalet or Kelsey's-type food rather than the Korean, Thai or Sushi I often vote for.

I typicaly come home exhausted, with unhappy blood sugars and a rather crappy overall feeling due to lack of exercise.

Having done this several times now, I've learned a few tricks.

I called the hotel to find out what is in my room. I have a fridge and a microwave. Bonus. 

I asked what was in their fitness centre. They said an elliptical, a treadmill, a yoga mat and a fitness ball. Sounds more like a fitness closet to me but, whatever, it's something.

I have packed three changes of fitness clothes. One outdoor running outfit which I probably won't use because the hotel is on a highway-type road and the only time I can run is in the pitch black morning. Pitch black highway running on unfamiliar roads is not my idea of a safe and happy run but I'm bringing my stuff just in case. I'm planning to do something every morning before our 8am meetings and will probably end up doing it in the fitness closet. Treadmill run. Elliptical. Mock CoreFit class (oooh! maybe I should toss my weights in the car). Whatever. I'm moving my body every day.

I am bringing healthy food options. I have a container of pomegranate seeds, bananas and apples. I have a full container of kefir, some chia seeds, nuts (almonds, cashews and walnuts) as well as larabars. I plan to scout out the hotel breakfast and then bring my own stuff to the table to increase the health quotient a bit. I also packed some rolled oats and almond milk in the off chance that I can make my breakfast in my room and then meet up with the team afterwards for coffee.

I will still come home tired and worn out but I'm hoping I'll also come home feeling better than expected because I ate well and made time to move my body a bit.

Wish me luck!

(oh, and don't be surprised if I don't write much, if at all. It's gonna be one of those weeks).

5-Minute Oatmeal

As a gluten-eating, carb-loving, salt and sugar-craving carnivore, I sometimes find it a little odd how much I love the blog called Oh She Glows.

Oh She Glows tends to post recipes of the gluten-free, refined sugar free, sodium free, vegan kind. And yet I own her cookbook and have made more recipes from her blog than from most other online recipe sources.

She just has a way of creating ridiculously healthy dishes that look appealing, taste delicious and leave you completely satisfied. Plus, as an added bonus, she seems to gravitate towards one-dish meals you can eat from a bowl. The only utensil needed is a spoon.

My kinda cooking.

The other day she posted her latest recipe. It's called 5-minute oatmeal and it appears to have been inspired by the time-restricted routine of being a new mom and the fact that she no longer has time in the mornings to make a decent breakfast.

I am not a mom but I do know all about time constraints in the mornings.

I am also a huge fan of oatmeal.

So the other night I dutifully mashed a banana into a bowl. I measured out my rolled oats, my chia seeds, my almond milk and my cinnamon. I gave it a few stirs for luck, put plastic wrap on top and went to bed.

The following morning I woke up to a congealed version of the previous night's concoction. I poured it into a pot and heated it up. Took about three minutes to go from cold to hot.

I poured the mixture into a bowl. I tossed a little ground ginger, allspice and cinnamon on top. Added a few pumpkin seeds, some pomegranate seeds and raspberries.

Five minutes from fridge to table.

Super easy. Delicious. Nutritious. Guaranteed to keep you satisfied until lunch rolls around. And all sorts of other things like vegan and gluten free and whatnot.

Neither of these cell phone pictures do it justice but I was too busy eating to care about taking a better photo. 

Trust me. Click on her recipe (above) and go make yourself a bowl tonight to enjoy on Saturday morning.

Go! 

Autumn Harvest

I bring my lunch to work five days a week. I'm not a big fan of buying my lunch partly because of the expense but mostly because I prefer what I can whip up at home. It's tastier and healthier. So making my lunch every single day is part of my morning routine.

During the summer months, I am content to forage in the cupboard and the fridge. I'm happy to bring any combination of Rivita Crackers with almond butter, some cottage cheese, some veggies, perhaps kefir and granola, fruit or an avocado. I try to make sure I have carbs, protein, healthy fats, fruits, veggies and calcium options. But I don't worry too much about making a 'meal' out of it.

As soon as autumn hits, things change. The cooler temperatures combined with the farmers markets overflowing with the bountiful harvest kick start my domestic goddess genes into actions and all I want to do is make delicious, warm, healthy meals with tons of leftovers.

On Saturday I met up with my sisters and we headed to one of the many markets in their area. We spent almost two hours exploring all the booths and, between us, we slowly made our way back to my car, weighted down with 8 large bags overflowing with local produce.

Once we had divvied up our purchases, I headed home with four sweet potatoes, a huge bunch of kale, some yellow beets and a butternut squash. Doug had already stocked the fridge with local apples or I would have bought a bunch of those too.

Sunday, after I ran outside in single digit temperatures for the first time in months, I headed into the kitchen and started pulling out pots and roasting pans. I cut two of the sweet potatoes into thick slices (leaving the peel on of course), drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper and set them in the toaster oven to roast. I put on a pot of quinoa to boil and I steamed 2/3 of the kale. Add a can of black beans and some goat cheese and I have tasty, nutrient-dense lunches for the week.

Next on the menu will be a pot of squash soup which I'll make partway through the week once my lunch stash gets a little low. I'm also thinking I'll try roasting beets for a salad. I'll toss in the remaining kale into that, add some pumpkin seeds and be good for another day or so.

Next weekend, I'll head to our local market and grab some of those colourful bunches of carrots. I've been meaning to try my hand at homemade hummus (like the kind I feasted on in Israel) and I have a bag of dried chickpeas ready to go. Some carrot sticks, naan bread and a few other local veggies should make for a tasty appetizer on Thanksgiving weekend non?

My biggest challenge this time is year is pacing myself. Most often than not I end up making too much food and can't get through it all before it goes bad. So this year I'm going to try to space things out a bit so things stay fresh and delicious and I get through one batch before moving on to the next one.

That's one of the benefits of cooking with autumn produce like squash and sweet potatoes. They last a wee bit longer than the spring asparagus and baby spinach leaves do.

Green Curry

I adore Thai food. Years ago my family and I went on a two-week adventure in Thailand and, ever since then, I am a huge fan of Thai food of any kind. The flavours. The freshness. The fact that the minute I smell good Thai food I am brought back to Bangkok, Ko Samui, Chaing Mai and all the other places we explored. It's like a portal to another country.

One of my favourite Thai dishes is green curry. The veggies combined with the grapes and pineapple pieces mixed in that delicious green curry sauce and then poured over jasmine rice is one of my preferred ways to spend a meal.

I don't have it often. In fact, there is just enough time between green curries for me to forget what happens before I have it again.

This, my friends is what happens when I eat green curry. 

I met a friend for lunch at our favourite Thai restaurant. I ordered my green curry and bolused 3.5 units 15 minutes before I ate it. I started eating and a small voice in my head told me that I had not taken enough insulin. So I took two more units. Before I was even finished eating, Rose was alarming that I was climbing too quickly. 

Within an hour I was 20. Between 2pm, when I got home, and 3:30pm, I bolused six more units of insulin in increments of 2. I'd wait 30 minutes, see that I was not moving, and bolus two more. At 3:30pm I was 22 and holding and had been there for almost two hours. I had guzzled about 2 litres of water in an attempt to dilute things. Nothing seemed to work and I was feeling about as bad as it is possible to feel when it comes to diabetes. 

Did I mention that we were meeting friends at 4pm for 9 holes of golf followed by dinner?

I put on my best 'suck it up princess' look, changed, and we headed over. My body felt stiff. Almost like my blood was so thick that my joints were not moving properly. I was dehydrated despite all the water, my mouth was desperately dry and I had a pounding headache. At 4:15pm, we teed off. The walking seemed to help a bit and I was feeling marginally better even though my numbers still weren't budging. 

By the third hole I had dropped from 22 to 18 and was much happier than I should ever be to see that number. I then climbed back to 20 by the fourth hole. Bloody hell! Despite the fact that I was in the middle of a 2-hour walk, I bolused another two units. That last bolus, plus the low level of activity finally seemed to do it. 

As we played, I filled my water bottle every second hole and drained it again. I slowly dropped to 18, 17, 16, 15. By the time we started the last hole I was down to 9. Single digits!! By the time we finished it, I was down to 6. By the time I got to the locker room, I was 4.6. I double checked on my glucometer and it confirmed 4.6. I had a pack of fruit chews and headed in to dinner. 

I went below 4 for a few minutes but nothing scary and it righted itself as soon as I started each my dinner. 

I felt 100% better than I had two hours earlier. 

I went from 7.5 to 22 and back down to 4 within 6 hours. Four of those hours were spent between 20-22. I took 13 units of insulin which is more than half the amount of insulin I usually take for breakfast, lunch AND dinner combined. All because I had a lunch-sized portion of green curry and a cup worth of jasmine rice. 

Some people have a hard time eating pizza. Others it's sushi. My diabetes nemesis seems to be green curry. 

I would like to say that I will never have green curry again. I really would. But I love it so much that I can't make any promises. 

Funnily enough, despite the physical challenges my body was going though, I got a personal best on my golf game that night. 

Go figure.