by Lauren Bongiorno
If you are a Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetic, you’ll often here people say things like: “diabetics can’t have sweets,” and “diabetics can’t work out too hard,” and “diabetic’s can’t eat foods high in carbs” – a lot of restrictions that reflect Diabetes’ desire to control every aspect of your life. But being a diabetic doesn’t have to be about restriction, or deprivation, or living life unhappy as a victim to diabetes. Rather, it can, and should be about doing what is in your control to live the healthiest and happiest life possible. And living a healthy and happy life as a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic starts first with taking control of your blood sugar numbers.
As a diabetic holistic health coach, I understand that there are a number of factors that affect your blood sugar such as stress, exercise, sleep patterns, and even environmental factors. And while this is true, one factor that is at the utmost importance is your diet and what foods you choose to nourish your body with!
When we eat healthy foods that help keep our blood sugar levels under control, we have more energy, our hormones are more balanced, and we can enjoy life with less risk of additional complications later on. So does this mean we must eat salads for every meal? Eat low calorie? Fear all carbs? Fear all fats? Never eat dessert? Is this the key to healthy sugar numbers and feeling good? No! Restricting may work temporarily for certain individuals, but after a while it will create an unhealthy relationship with food and lead your body back to old unhealthy habits.
So what’s the secret to a diabetic diet that allows you the pleasure of enjoying foods you love AND allows you to have steady blood sugar numbers? It’s finding healthy alternatives to your favorite foods! This way, you can eat foods that taste good while avoiding extremely low blood sugars or high blood sugars hours later. Basically, you can “have your cake and eat it too”.
Here is a list of my top 10 favorite healthy food swaps to get you started:
- swap out white bread for sprouted grain breads and 100% whole wheat breads
- swap out artificial sweeteners and white sugar for coconut sugar, brown rice syrup and stevia
- swap out artificially sweetened yogurts for plain greek yogurt with your own fresh fruit added in
- swap out greasy packaged potato chips for sweet potato chips or kale chips
- swap out boxed cereal for whole grain oats or muesli
- swap out white pasta and meatballs for brown rice pasta and grilled shrimp
- swap out milk chocolate and movie theatre candy for 70% dark chocolate instead
- swap out white rice for quinoa, brown, and black rice
- swap out margarine and butter for ghee or coconut oil
- swap out a fruit juice smoothie base for an almond milk base instead
And just because I have a sweet tooth and love my desserts, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite summer time dessert recipes: Banana Ice Cream! Unlike traditional ice cream that is filled with artificial high glycemic sugar and unhealthy fat, banana ice cream is made with whole foods and 1 serving tops off at only 36 carbs! Creamy, delicious, and you won’t only eat it because it’s healthy, but because it tastes amazing! The recipe I use was inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s book, It’s All Good.
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation:
Slice bananas into coins and place in a single layer on a plate lined with parchment or wax paper; freeze at least 3 hours. In a food processor, pulse frozen banana slices, milk, vanilla, and maple syrup, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture is the texture of soft-serve ice cream. Spoon into 2 bowls and add optional toppings: pieces of dark chocolate, unsweetened coconut shavings, pieces of raw nuts, cacao powder, or peanut butter!
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Lauren Bongiorno is a Type 1 Diabetic, Diabetic holistic health coach, qualified yoga instructor, and motivational speaker. Lauren has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since 2000 and has proven that no matter what your challenge in life is, taking control of it starts from the inside out with a healthy mind and body. With a background in holistic health, personal training, division 1 collegiate soccer, and yoga, Lauren is the Brand Ambassador for Gluco Perfect. You can connect with Lauren on her website at laurenbongiorno.com and follow her Instagram and Facebook pages for daily inspiration.