Part 3—Mom’s Daily Regime in Kansas…

My Mother’s Journey of Healing From Diabetes

Her Daily Health Regime:

1. Each morning, after her mid-morning snack, she would walk around the inside of my home. She used her cane for balance and walked at a pace she could maintain without huffing and puffing. She set the microwave timer and gladly sunk into a kitchen chair when her five minute ordeal was done.

2. Each day she would eat six times, three full meals and three snacks. Most of the food she ate was unprocessed or minimally processed. We used diabetic suggestions for portion sizes.

3. The list of DON’TS was long.

  • No coffee
  • No sugar of any kind, or honey
  • No artificial sweeteners
  • No preservatives
  • No unhealthy fats
  • No sodas
  • No tap water
  • No margarine
  • No Trans-fats
  • No Canola oil
  • No deep fried foods
  • Limited processed foods
  • Limited Salt intake
  • And probably more which I don’t remember

4. The list of DO’s

  • Six glasses a day, at least, of purified water from our Reverse Osmosis filter.
  • Only healthy fats in small quantities – extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressing), and maybe a tiny bit of unsalted butter.
  • Hot tea, green and other types of tea, plain, no honey
  • Fruit twice per day (suggested diabetic portions)
  • Vegetables with every meal
  • Small portions of meat (3-4 oz)

5. Regular checking of her blood sugar. We started out with four times a day. Initially, to get the blood to flow in her fingers, we put her hand into a bowl of warm water. Her circulation was diminished, probably from lack of exercise. Over time the need to warm her fingers went away.

6. Plenty of rest and sleep and lots of library books. She loved to read.

7. One “Fat Day” a week. This was a way to make the above restrictions tolerable. Both my mom and I feel special when we eat at a nice restaurant. I’m talking about places like Applebee’s, Chili’s, Panera, Ruby Tuesday’s, etc. So I made a deal with my Mom. If she was good during the week we’d have lunch, once a week, at a restaurant of her choice and she could order what she wanted. These lunches made us both feel special. We would take our time and enjoy a meal together, just mother and daughter. Reflecting back, we’d created enjoyable memories which I cherish today.

8. Post-Script: I’m sure there were a lot more Health Nazi restrictions not mentioned above. However, the ones listed above are very restrictive and indicate how much change my mother underwent when she came to live with me because of my fear and my need to have her live longer.

See the next post for a sample menu….

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *