Fresh diced vegetable salad and sharing my diabetes diagnosis story

Sharing more healthy recipes

When I first took a bite of this diced vegetable salad, my first thought was how delicious the salad and dressing tasted. I knew it was a healthy dish, but flavour was my main focus.

After doing a little research on each of the ingredients, I found out that this one dish contains vitamin B, C, E, K, calcium, minerals, folate, potassium, fibre and antioxidants. Now that’s icing on the cake… but a whole lot healthier than icing and cake 😂.

We’ve decided to add a new focus area on our food blog. We’ll continue to offer traditional Portuguese recipes, as well as general easy-to-make recipes for home cooks. However, from this point on, we’ll also start making a more conscious effort to develop and share healthy meal options.

Why the sudden shift to healthy recipes, you ask?

Finding out I have diabetes

About two and a half months ago, I visited my family physician for my yearly physical. When I returned to get my results after completing a series of tests, my doctor looked at my file and said, “I don’t have great news for you… you have type 2 diabetes”.

The news took a couple of minutes to sink in. Although a bit shocked, I can’t say it surprised me that much. I’ve spent the better part of the past 48 years eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I never worked too hard at taking care of myself. My body was bound to turn on me at some point.

When I told my parents, my mom reminded me, almost apologetically, that we have diabetes in the family. I told her that given my track record with food, I can’t put all the blame on my genes. No… I own this.

My decision while still sitting at the doctor’s office…

Everything I’d done over the years with food, portion sizes, and lack of exercise–these things were a choice I had. Suddenly, I realized that was no longer the case. I had one more decision to make, though, so then and there I decided to make a 180º lifestyle change.

What diet am I following? What’s my approach?

I’ve decided not to follow one specific diet. I’m a firm believer that people should do what works best for them and that there isn’t a one size fits all path to good health.

I’ve decided to take a common sense approach, using the resources and knowledge I’ve acquired in the kitchen over the years. This will, of course, be done with consultation from my family physician and a great team at our local diabetes clinic.

Here’s what I’ve done so far…

The food:

• I don’t let myself feel hungry
  
• I’m drinking 2 to 3 litres of water daily
• I’ve removed almost all processed sugars from my meals and beverages (and that’s a big one… it’s in so many things)
• I’m avoiding most boxed/packaged foods
• I’ve increased leafy greens and other vegetables, exponentially (grilled, roasted, steamed and boiled).
• I’ve reduced red meats and increased fish meals
• I’ve had a few vegetable-only meals
• I’m eating more beans, lentils and chickpeas
• Snacks are now nuts and veggies
  
• Breakfasts include eggs, plain oats, ground flax seed, unsweetened plain yogurt, blueberries, blackberries and sometimes half a banana
  
• I’ve had almost zero breads, pasta, white rice and other high carb starchy foods
• I haven’t replaced sugars with high fat, salty or chemically-produced products
• I’m starting to test dessert recipes with natural products that won’t spike my glycemic index

Physical activity:

• I’ve started walking more, everyday–I’ll purposely walk further or climb an extra set of stairs to get in that little extra activity
• I’ve started visiting our community centre pool
• I’ve gone on a couple of bike rides
  • As soon as the weather improves, my plan is to do a lot more cycling–it’s by far my favourite form of physical activity

My advice?

I’m really not qualified to give advice. I’ve been doing this wrong for 48 years. Personally, I feel like the right thing for me was doing my annual physical, getting guidance from professionals, eating healthy, drinking lots of water and getting rid of processed foods and sugars.

I think my approach is working so far. My doctor logged my weight at 300 lbs at the beginning of February. As of this morning, I weigh 263 lbs. Even though I’m still very over weight, I already feel better. I have more energy during the day and I’m sleeping better at night.

I’m excited to meet with the diabetes clinic team this coming week. They’re going to teach me how to use a glucometer. As much as I’m not loving the idea of pricking my finger to take readings, I’m anxious to know what foods affect my glycemic index, what I should avoid, and what I can have safely.

I’ve been tracking my weight, blood pressure, heart rate and physical activity on the Apple Health app. Seeing all the details in one place helps keep me on track and encourages me to keep going. Since the glucometer has bluetooth connectivity, I’ll be able to track my blood sugar readings on there as well.

One last recommendation, if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, don’t ask “Dr. Google” for advice. Make sure you’re speaking to healthcare professionals or reading from reliable medical sources.

Our friends at Breville are helping me with my new journey

I need all the resources and tools I can find, to help me keep enjoying food. I approached my good friends at Breville Canada and asked if they’d like to partner with us again for my diabetes-reveal post. I specifically asked them for the Breville Sous Chef® 16 Peel & Dice.

Our kitchen isn’t very large, but this new brilliant and innovative food processor has gained a permanent spot on our countertop. I see myself using it very often for chopping, dicing, making dressings, peeling and more. Since we received it, I’ve used it every day!

Breville described a few tasks that this unit could do, that I’d never before seen a food processor do. The one I was most excited about was the dicing feature. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it didn’t surprise me at all when I saw perfectly diced veggies falling into the food processor bowl.

We have quite a few Breville products, and not one has ever disappointed us. They’re built sturdy and smart, and with a lot of attention to detail. Breville products feel like they’re restaurant-grade. They’re fantastic.

So, will my meals be boring from now on?

Absolutely not! With all the access to information we have today, there are literally thousands of delicious healthy recipes at our fingertips. There’s no reason to get into a rut with our meals.

This is why I feel like I need to commit…

Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death in Canada and 7th in the world. Death feels a little too permanent for my liking. Eating well and exercising was a choice I could have made before. It’s not really a choice anymore.

I want to stick around to watch my kids grow up and start their own families, and I want to make sure I’m around to keep Liz company… I can be annoying sometimes, but I think she’d rather have me around. I am the cook after all 😂.

I’m grateful

Saying I’m grateful probably sounds like an odd thing to say, but of all the diseases my doctor could have surprised me with, this one’s actually quite manageable. I feel like if I behave and stay on course with this new lifestyle, I can actually do quite well… and who knows, maybe even improve other aspects of my health along the way. Maybe it’s the push I needed.

The most important lesson I learned

I’m so happy I did my physical! I wasn’t in pain and I didn’t have any obvious symptoms. Had I not done my physical, I might have continued to eat poorly and eventually run into some very serious problems.

I encourage you to visit your doctor occasionally just to make sure things are in check.

I also recommend that you try our diced vegetable salad recipe. It’s a perfect side to your favourite protein, and even delicious on its own. Stay healthy, and eat well, friends!