Part 4—A Daily Food Journal…

My Mother’s Journey of Healing From Diabetes

From time to time mom would visit my brothers in Indiana. At first she would go and enjoy herself. Then news came to me from my brother’s wives that she would eat all the sweets in sight at family gatherings. The following day she would be in a stupor as her body dealt with the aftermath of a sugar over-load and a body which could no longer handle this abundance.

That is when I discovered diabetics CRAVE sugar. It is unnatural how even one teaspoon can curb the edge of that craving. But then the body begins to ask for more.

So in 2001, for when my mom visited the kids and grandkids in Indiana, I created a menu. I found the following meal suggestions in my computer files.

Breakfast:

Cereal

Milk replacement (Silk is a good tasty brand)

Mid Morning Snack:

Yogurt or Apple or Banana

Lunch:

Boca Burger (or other kind of veggie burger)

Sprouted Wheat Bread – Ezekiel (no regular bread)

Mustard

Pickles (She loves pickles, but dill not ones with sugar)

Mid Afternoon Snack:

Yogurt or Apple or Banana

Dinner: 

Chicken or Turkey or Fish – (3-4 oz cooked) – no pork and not much beef.

No lunch meat of any kind due to salt and preservatives

Rice – less than one cup

Raw Carrots and Broccoli or another vegetable, green beans, tomatoes, onions

(it’s all right if the vegetables are cooked)

Before Bedtime Snack (about 10 PM to last her the night):

Yogurt or Apple or Banana (½) or Dates (3)

Mom eats two fruits per day.

Buy regular yogurt. The fat free has Nutrasweet and it is not good for her. She likes vanilla and strawberry flavors. You can get the large tubs to save money. She needs the small travel size if she goes out as she will need to take a snack.

She drinks water and hot tea with no sugar.

She takes her blood sugar readings twice a day, first morning fasting and then another time of day which can be varied. The doctor wants these recorded both time and blood sugar value.

NOTE: If her blood sugar is low give her an orange juice right away.

Recipe (she loves this meal):

• 1 pound of ground turkey from Whole Foods
• 1 jar of Classic brand tomato Basil pasta sauce
• 1 large onion
• Italian seasoning

Brown the turkey with the onion and when done add the tomato sauce and seasoning. Serve over white or brown rice. No pasta!!!

With this in hand, my brothers could keep her from the diabetic stress she lived with if she overindulged. The menu also kept her blood sugars level and out of a diabetic coma.

The hard part was learning how to parent your mother. None of us liked that part!