I love the holidays. The decorations and lights are a feast for the eyes. An amazing example of this is the light show just outside of Atlanta, GA at Stone Mountain Christmas Park. The sheer volume and combination of regular, laser, projection lights is the definition of eye candy. Now imagine you can't see.
The first time I couldn't see was a spring day back in 2018. I was at a family portrait photo shoot staring through the photo lens. What I saw terrified me. It wasn’t what I could see. I couldn't see! It was just a blur. I cleaned the lens and tried looking again. Nope. I saw blurry blobs through the camera. I was terrified! I had no clue what was going on. At the time, I didn't even know I was diabetic, but it was enough for me to realize I had to do something about my health! That was my diabetic scared straight moment.
So what is a scared straight moment? It is the time when you realize you have a chronic health condition. It's the moment you realize if you don’t take care of it, you will become disabled. It doesn’t actually have to happen. It’s the realization that you’re a breathe away from it.
Next you really need to learn what is causing it. I remember one fall day at an H&R Block office working on continuing education, I looked up at the front window of the store and saw nothing but blurry light. My vision had been getting fuzzy. So I had plenty of time to sit and think about what might have caused my loss of vision. Upon reflection, I realized the two bananas for breakfast was probably a bit much, but it made me realize that food has a direct and immediate impact on our health. I started paying really close attention to what I eat. Needless to say bananas are no longer in my diet. I’ve added a lot more savory food into my diet over sweet items.
The holidays can be such a challenge with loads of sweets and simple carbohydrate breads creations. People gather around food that may not be the healthiest choice for healthy blood sugar. A life of abstinence is not only miserable but also unsustainable. Instead I choose to make my own safer foods to be able to enjoy with my family during this season. Here is a great tasting splurge...
Ingredients:
- 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 tomato, minced
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper flakes
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of ground cashews
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend on low until well mixed.
Place the mix in the refrigerator overnight.
Roll the mixture into a ball and roll in the cashews until thoroughly coated.
The health benefits and watch outs of cream cheese have been listed in the prior article "Grateful for Memories." So please enjoy in moderation. It is a wiser choice than spiking blood sugar and correcting by increasing an insulin bolus. The satiation and more dense nutrition will help your body heal versus having another scary diabetic event: hypoglycemia. This is when your blood sugar drops dangerously low, usually a blood sugar meter reading below 70. The symptoms include:
irregular heart beat
fatigue
pale skin
loss of balance/dizziness
anxiety
sweating
hunger
irritability
tingling/numb lips, tongue, or cheeks
and progress to worsening symptoms of:
confusion and inability to do even simple tasks
abnormal behavior
visual disturbances like blurred vision
seizures
loss of consciousness
Source: "Hypoglycemia" mayoclinic.org
Mayo Clinic 03/13/2020
Untreated hypoglycemia can lead to coma are even death. Many people are not insulin sensitive. Too much insulin can cause a hypoglycemic event while you sleep; and if you are insulin insensitive, you may not wake up. Rather than taking that chance I have some of my own tricks... starting with enjoying the things I can, The Starbucks Double Shot Espresso - light cream is a coffee splurge for added energy to keep me going during the holiday hustle and bustle. I like Dove Dark Chocolate when others are indulging in sweets. One serving is 4 pieces of chocolate. If I find I have overdone it, there is Effer C tea elderberry flavor with stevia and buffered vitamin C to assist in post holiday recovery and healing. I hope my personal tricks help keep you healthy this holiday season. 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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