Angela ...... You are what you eat!!!

I haven't been feeling all that great over the past few months. Extremely tired, bitchy, uninspired, headaches continaully, dragging my feet, thirsty beyond belief, always peeing ( probably because I was so thirsty) I thought.
Anyway, it was time to go to the doctor and find out what was going on.

I couldn't even remember when the last time was that I went to the Dr, as it turns out it was 2009. Oops...

So off I went, and had my WOF done ( Warrant of Fitness). Blood pressure  - perfect
Heart - perfect   lungs - still there and working well   weight - I had put on 1kg in three years, but the Doc gave me a bit of a frown and a finger wag at my BMI.
Yeah, yeah yeah, I'm sorry but the last time I lost weight and got down to my BMI I looked like one of those poor people from those 3rd world countries. So I am not convinced about the BMI.

I walk at least 5 days out of 7 for at least 50 mins, and I thought that I ate healthily.

Anyway, one blood test later I get a call from the nurse to tell me that I am Glucose Intolerant, or in her words borderline Diabetic.   Me!!! I asked her if she had the right person and then she said to me:

  "Angela you are what you eat"   Man did that piss me off, I'm the one in my family who is always making sure that we eat correctly, or so I thought.

Anyway the nurse sent me a booklet on Diabetes and eating healthy.

This is the sort of food I love to eat, all year around.. so where was I going wrong?

When I got the booklet, I checked out the food plate, and realised that perhaps we were eating a bit too much pasta and rice and not enough of the other vegetables.
So , we have started a big rethink on what we eat, more fresh seasonal vegetables, ( half the plate) a 1/4 of the plate of protein and a 1/4 of carbs.

The results over the past two weeks have been amazing. Within the first three days the headache went, as did the thirst. After 5 days my energy levels are so high I feel 10 years younger.

We have cut out the health bars, muesli bars and replaced them with unsalted nuts such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts. But only in very small amounts.

Free range eggs ( which I get from a lady at work), free range chicken, and more fish.

A lot less rice and pasta, potatoes and kumara ( sweet potato)  only in small amounts.

So, where was I going wrong?

 I am a huge fruit eater, especially bananas and apples. Some fruit is high in carbohydrate and of course sugar.
Flavoured yoghurts, and of course those Muesli bars, a few too many gingernut biscuits and perhaps the 3 o'clock chocolate craving was wrong on so many levels.

I have realised that this is a life style choice I have to make now,  and hopefully I will keep on to the plan, although I am sure that it will be ok to have a few treats every now and then as long as it is in small amounts.

Everything in moderation is the way to go.

As a closing statement, I would also like to add that I still think that they have the wrong person. Another check up in 3 months will tell me how I am doing, although just my extra energy and lack of other symptoms is a sure sign that I am on the right track.

Angela xx