When you are diabetic, it is an underlying factor in your health. It’s a chronic disease. The thickness in the blood from extra sugar makes all your organs work even harder. When you get sick, it’s even more challenging.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a cold, sinus infection, or COVID-19. It is a challenge. That is why it is so important to take extra care of yourself when you are well. We set up routines as doorways to health that make life easier mentally and physically. So if you have these routines in place before you get ill, it can be a little easier to get through sickness.
These routines include but are not limited to:
A regular sleep pattern.
Plenty of hydration.
A positive mental attitude created by your surroundings and mental view towards life.
A good support system of friends and family.
Good nutrition including foods that are nutrient dense and have a low glycemic index.
Regular physical exercise.
Taking vitamins, minerals, and insulin that replenish what’s your body doesn't have or can’t processes from food.
Regular breathing exercises which can be found by doing guided meditation.
All of these factors play a part in your return to good health. It is amazing how they are intertwined….
Good nutrition gives your body the minerals, vitamins, and sugar to fuel and repair the body. You still need to go see the doctor regularly to get lab work done. As we age, our body isn’t able to process some food to get the minerals and vitamins we need. This is why taking vitamins, minerals, and insulin is important. The doctor can read your lab work and tell you when and what vitamins and minerals you need to add to your diet as you age.
When you sleep, your body does a lot of repair work. Just like bricks and mortar needed to build a home, the body needs the vitamins and minerals from the food you eat and supplements you take. Just having a regular sleep pattern makes you aware of when your body is truly exhausted and may be getting sick. Then you listen to your body, and you should get more rest to allow your body to heal.
Another pathway to better health is practicing meditation or mindful breathing. Deep breathing exercises the lungs. It assists with increasing overall lung capacity with the expansion of bronchi. This gives you a baseline of what your lungs can do. That way if you do become ill, you can recognize if it’s affecting your lungs. You may even start doing lung exercises out of habit to help fight off say a cold without much thought or effort because it’s already a part of your daily habits.
Hydration plays an critical role in your health. It also happens to be one thing that I struggled with on a regular basis. It is not only a building material for blood cells, but it is also the waste management system for the body illuminating toxins when you urinate. Sometimes extra hydration can aid in eliminating headaches. The tiny blood vessels in the brain get constricted if there isn’t enough water in the body.
Since this week is starting off rough with an illness, I'm sharing a feel good recipe that is from my personal stock. It is extremely similar to a Nutella spread without hazelnuts. It is pictured here on my pumpkin bread recipe which will be in my future book. Amazingly enough, the slice pictured with the spread only raised my blood sugar up 25 points without any outside insulin source for the day. The cocoa powder provides many health benefits listed previously in my recommendation last October 2020 for dark chocolate.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar free syrup
1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder
2 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Directions:
Mix in small food processor.
Remove and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
There is no magical pill. A magical doorways to a healthier you take time and effort. It just takes on change, a simple step, each week. Hopefully this week’s recipe will help you with a delicious step towards a healthier you. If this recipe finds its way into your home, please let me know. Please comment, like, share, and come back next week for more recipes, ideas, and tips. Subscribe to the website, if you would like weekly email reminders to add more recipes to your recipe book.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, but a compilation of research from medical sites. Make sure to see your doctor and have up to date lab work.
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