Balance

I'm not a subscriber to the notion of "everything in moderation". I'm talking about balance. Specifically nutritional balance, ideally getting all of your nutritional needs through the way you eat.

One of my favorite sayings has long been  "eat as if your life depended on it". Seems pretty obvious doesn't it? Many type 2 diabetics got "here" (or, at or least the journey was hastened) by poor eating habits. Many, if not most, type 2's recognized that and made major changes to how/what we eat. But are we eating healthy? Really? Or have we simply replaced one poor eating plan for another ... avoiding entire nutritionally beneficial food groups to save a few carbs, sometimes having to rely on supplements to try and "round out" our nutritional requirements.

Trust me when I say, "been there, done that" and I have the scars to prove it. When first diagnosed I went a bit overboard. I ate about 20 total carbs a day and less than 700 calories. Without a doubt, I was wasting away losing a large amount of muscle mass (and a lot of fat too) but hey, I quickly lowered my A1c from 10.0 to 5.8 so yay me, right? Although I can't prove it, I am convinced that my poor eating contributed to my stroke and perhaps to some of the complications that I have developed despite maintaining tight control for 8 1/2 years now.

My point, my concern, is that it seems that a lot of type 2 diabetics get so hung up on the carbohydrate reduction aspect that we lose sight of the importance of total nutrition. Entering into to the mindset that the lower the A1c the better, no matter the cost or food group we exclude.

All I am suggesting is that you keep "balance" in mind and that you "eat as if your life depends on it".