Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Flawed yet Functional

Life free from autoimmune captivity

  • Meet Emily
    • About Me
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Health Journey
    • AVM Story
    • Diabetics Start Here!
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
  • Recipes
  • Habits
    • Goals
    • Productivity
    • Menu Plan
  • Home Decor
    • DIY
    • Sewing
    • Organization
    • House Tour
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Health / Type 1 Diabetes / Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants.

Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants.

July 14, 2017 by Emily 2 Comments

This is Michael Pollan’s summary of how to eat mentioned in his documentary, In Defense of Food. It’s on Netflix. I highly recommend it.

Those statements have been rolling around in my head. This is really how I’ve come to manage my diabetes without insulin:

  1. Eat Food. Real food. Pollan goes into more detail in his book and documentary but basically, if your food can rot, you should eat it. If it doesn’t rot (hello, processes/shelf-stable items!), don’t eat it. For me, this also means no gluten. This is specifically because gluten is causing my body to create antibodies that kill my pancreas.
  2. Not too much. I am still a Type 1 diabetic. My pancreas is still 80%-ish dead. I cannot go carb crazy and eat all the cake I like (even if it is gluten-free). I eat moderate meals and snacks, and I do not have trouble with my blood sugar.
  3. Mostly Plants. This is the biggest change for me. I’ve never eaten enough vegetables. It’s something we all know but rarely do: eat more veggies. Now I do. I try to cover more than half my plate each meal in vegetables. Guess what happens when I do? I am full. I return to normal body weight (bye-bye excess baby weight!). I have stable blood sugar (below 130 before a meal).

Here is my latest addition that has allowed me to stop taking the 1 unit of Toujeo and have a “normal” (again, for a Type 1 diabetic) fasting blood glucose (BG).

Go to bed on time and wake up on time.

Every. Single. Day.

This was hard for me, folks. I had been struggling with the 1 unit of insulin I was taking because it would send me low at lunch and dinner if I was even a little bit late for that meal. It really felt like my body didn’t need it if I could just figure out how to lower my BG overnight. I found the answer in two different places (so it is likely out there in more places!).

The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan

3 Ways to Regulate Insulin That Have Nothing to Do with Food

I have been going to bed at 10 pm (9:45 when possible!) and getting up at 6 am every day for almost 3 weeks, and my fasting BG has been in the 120s since the first morning I started going to bed/getting up on time.

A.MAZ.ING.

I’ve been completely off additional insulin for 3 weeks now, and I think I’m off it for good. If I can keep my pancreas from dying more, I’m done with injecting insulin, and I’m a Type 1 diabetic.

Type 1 diabetes can be managed by diet and lifestyle changes, if caught right away before the pancreas dies completely.

What in the world? This goes totally against everything I knew growing up in a family with a Type 1 diabetic (a family that now has 4 Type 1 diabetics!).

I meet with my endocrinologist next Wednesday for a quarterly check-up. I am excited to show them my findings, and also to get an A1C (a blood test that gives a 3 month average of past BG levels). I’m curious to see if my average is still good. It should be, but I only check 4 times a day without testing how quickly my BG returns to normal after a meal.

So here’s my modified mantra:

Eat real, gluten-free food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Go to bed/get up on time.

Share this!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Autoimmune Disease, Health, Type 1 Diabetes

[thrive_leads id=’6725′]

Previous Post: « Gluten Free Daily Menu #4
Next Post: A1C: 6.6 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Donna DeGraaf

    July 15, 2017 at 8:38 am

    Sounds so easy, and makes so much sense…but is still hard to make those decisions every day. Especially for someone like me who isn’t diabetic! Thanks for sharing all you are learning and for your perseverance!

    Reply
    • Emily

      July 15, 2017 at 9:09 am

      I know. So simple and yet so hard. It takes a lot of discipline that’s for sure!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

I'm Emily, and I am passionate about using food and healthy habits to transform lives with autoimmune disease. Here you will find healthy recipes that follow the Paleo or Autoimmune Protocol diets, strategies to create a life free from autoimmune symptoms, and encouragement to press on!

Do you want to live your best life? Then you are in the right place! Read More…




Top Posts

wilted bacon summer salad

Wilted Bacon Summer Salad | AIP and Paleo Recipe

Turmeric Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash

Turmeric and Garlic Roasted Butternut Squash | AIP, Paleo Recipe

egg-free butternut squash hash in white bowl

The Top 5 Tasty and Easy Egg Free Breakfasts




This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

gluten free blog network directory

Footer

About Us

Contact Us

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Disclosure

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Type 1 diabetic, AVM survivor, Autoimmune Protocol dieter, DIY-er, Mom, Wife, and Lover of Jesus. So glad you are here today, and I hope you leave encouraged! Learn more about me →

Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework