Sugar Turned On Me

NOTE: I’m out of town for the next week, so I won’t be posting to my blog. The next  exciting update to Sugar Turned On Me will be on Wednesday, Sept. 3rd.

Experience, they say, is what you get when you don’t get what you want. While I don’t claim to be an expert on living as a diabetic, just someone who is learning as he goes along, there are one or two things I’ve noticed. Here are five of them:

1.  A slice of bread is a unit of measurement - When I looked in my little book that came with my monitor about living with diabetes, it pointed out that a slice of bread is usually around 10-15g of carbs. My target number is 45-60 for most meals, so that means I can have three slices of bread. I started seeing other foods as bread equivalent. When I look at a bag of chips that reads 30 carbs, in my head I immediately translate that as two slices of bread.
2. Most restaurant meals are really two meals - Quantity equals prosperity in the American mindset. As a result, restaurants try to make sure they provide generous helpings to make it look like you’re getting a lot of value. The problem is that most places up the things that have the most sugar, usually your drink and potato based side. This is especially apparent if you go to a fast food place and ask for another side besides fries. It usually confuses the cashier and the first time I tried it, I got fries given to me anyway.
3. Having a stash is not just for compulsive eaters - If you have dietary restrictions, it’s never a bad idea to keep a stash of food with you. It doesn’t have to be huge, but just enough to get you through if you end up hungry and there’s no good spots to acquire  lo/no sugar food. I personally keep stevia packets on me.
4. Nobody expect you to order anything besides Coke - Vending machines are prejudiced. Water or syrup, that’s your choice.
5. Sugar is everywhere - Ketchup. Hot dog buns. Hot dogs. Spaghetti sauce. Added to juice. Used to pack fruit. Some brands of toothpaste. Avoiding added, unnecessary sugar is a little like trying to avoid sunlight in the desert.

Anything interesting you’ve learned by being diabetic? Comment below.

See you next week