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What A Diabetic Health Coach Eats In A Day

by Lauren Bongiorno

Over the past three years, my relationship with food has significantly improved. I am no longer afraid of carbs, I no longer binge eat at night, I no longer live to eat, but rather eat to live, and I no longer use food to feed my emotions. And the best part – my blood sugars have never been better.

I always struggled with what the “right diet” to manage my diabetes was until I adapted the “bio individuality” approach. This approach means that there is no one right diet that works for everyone and we all must move towards what makes us feel nutritionally supported, energized, and in control of our blood sugar numbers.

That being said, I do believe that regardless of whether you decide to eat high fat, high carb, animal products, or not, the bulk of all of our diets should be whole, unprocessed foods.

Through trial and error I’ve learned what works for my body. I do not eat meat or dairy and I eat a high carb, low fat diet. Last week I tracked everything I ate for one day and wanted to share it with you today!

Lauren’s Food Diary

7:15 am: I woke up with a fasted blood sugar of 100. Perfect start to the day! Before breakfast I drank 1 warm cup of water with lemon to kick start digestion and hydrate the body.

8:00 am: Breakfast time! Today I was in the mood for some Blueberry Pancakes. I blended up 1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup egg whites, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ mashed banana.
After that I folded 1/2 cup blueberries into the batter before cooking them on a heated skillet. This is a totally guilt free recipe.

8am_laurenbongiorno
10:15 am: My body works best when I eat small meals every 2-3 hours. Today my mid-morning snack was 1 pink lady apple + 4 celery stalks.

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1:00 pm: After one hour of cardio and weight training I ate a post workout lunch that had a balance of healthy carbs and protein. This included 1 green smoothie (1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 scoop Vega Protein Powder, 2 cups spinach, and ice) + 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with hummus and arugula.

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4:00 pm: By 4pm my energy levels are still up but I start craving sugar. Instead of feeding the sugar craving I drank 2 large cups of water followed by carrot sticks dipped in guacamole. It did the trick!

6:30 pm: For dinner I met my family at a café. I try my best to not use eating out as an excuse to “fall off the wagon”. I looked up the menu ahead of time and was thankful for the healthful choices! I ordered a plate with avocado toast, 1 cup of vegan three bean chili, and massaged kale with smoked salmon.

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Total carbs for the day: 206
Total insulin: 24 units

Eating healthy does not have to mean restriction. It’s all about intuitively finding what works for your body and making decisions based off that to feel empowered.

What is one step you can take today to move towards intuitive eating? Did anything surprise you about my food diary? If you have any questions or comments please click the “Leave a reply” link at the top of this post. Thanks.

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.

How to Enjoy Chocolate without Blood Sugar Spikes + 3 Recipes To Try

by Lauren Bongiorno

Lauren Bongiorno’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Last month’s Valentine’s Day had me thinking about how chocolate does not have a very good reputation in the Diabetic community. It is invariably put on the “bad food” list and often only eaten during cheat meals, holidays, or unplanned nighttime binges. From what I’ve observed, many diabetics are convinced that chocolate does not do KIND things to their blood sugar and so they try to stay away from it even though they love the taste and wish they could have it more often.

What if I told you though, that I’m a diabetic, and I not only eat chocolate almost every single day, but I do so without spiking my blood sugar?

Chocolate is not the enemy. In an article published on Mind Body Green, “3 Healthy Reasons To Eat Chocolate Every Day,” naturopathic physician Michael Murray explains the many great benefits of eating chocolate. According to Murray, chocolate is a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants that are important in protecting the heart, chocolate produces arginine that helps regulate blood flow and blood pressure, and chocolate helps to prevent excessive clumping together of blood platelets that can cause blood clots. Plus, it tastes DELICIOUS!

So why not learn how to incorporate it into your diet more without it affecting your blood sugar? From my experience and observation, I’ve learned that diabetics and chocolate do not mix well when the wrong type of chocolate is eaten, and in large amounts.

So what’s the right type of chocolate and how do you manage to not overeat it? Oh, I’m so glad you asked! The right type of chocolate is one that does not have both high carbs AND high fat. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. The high fat will block the insulin from treating the carbs, and you’ll be left with a spike. Most candy bars, milkshakes, and restaurant desserts are HIGH FAT and HIGH CARBS. You’ll want to select a chocolate that has either high fat/low carb or moderate carb/low fat ratio.

When we look at how to have self-control when eating chocolate, think of the “don’t touch the cookie jar” phenomenon. When someone says, “don’t touch the cookie jar” it’s equivalent to “don’t eat chocolate during the week” or “no chocolate this month during my diet”. Restriction just wants to make you have it more! I allow myself to have chocolate every day so my body doesn’t feel like the one time a week I allow myself to have it I need to stuff my face and go overboard. It’s about moderation.

Below are three recipes to make at home as a way to start sneaking chocolate into your diet more often without having the negative effects of high blood sugar!

Lauren Bongiorno’s Chocolate Bliss Balls

1. Chocolate Bliss Balls
Carbs: 5g per ball
Fat: 4g per ball

Ingredients:

½ cup rolled oats
½ cup peanut, almond butter or sunflower seed butter
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp flour
Chocolate chips

Directions: Melt the nut butter in the microwave for a couple of seconds. Then, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. Roll into balls, place on a plate or tray, store in fridge and enjoy!

2. Chocolate Zucchini Waffles (Recipe adopted from Thriving Home), Makes 12 square waffles
Carbs: 17.3 per waffle
Fat: 6g per waffle

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 and ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cocoa powder sifted
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup zucchini, pureed in a food processor
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions: Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar and melted coconut oil. Whisk in beaten egg, milk, and pureed zucchini. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour about ¼ cup mix per waffle and cook according to waffle iron instructions.

3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, *Makes about 12 mini cups
Carbs: 4.5g per cup
Fat: 4g per cup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil
Drop of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons organic peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter (make sure the brand has no oils, or sugars added)
2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
*12, 1 1/2 inch baking liners

Directions: Melt chocolate and oil on stove top on low heat while continuously stirring (It’s really important not to let the chocolate burn!) Spray oil inside of baking liners (I used a coconut oil spray from Whole Foods^®). Add a tiny bit of chocolate to the bottom of the liner (this is your bottom layer) and place in freezer for 5 minutes until hardened. While bottom layer is setting in the freezer, combine nut butter, honey and vanilla extract in a separate bowl to prepare your filling. After the bottom layer has hardened, remove from freezer and add 1 teaspoon of your nut butter filling to each cup and smooth out with the back of a spoon. Add the rest of the chocolate to each cup until filling is covered. Place in freezer for 15 minutes or until cups harden and then you’re done! Store in fridge or freezer.

These are suggested recipes that work for me, but always remember to consult your physician first if you have concerns about integrating chocolate into your daily meals.

If you have any questions about the above, please let us know by clicking on “Leave a Reply” at the top of this post.

How to Tell Your Significant Other That You Have Diabetes

love heart

by Lauren Bongiorno

For the past five years my boyfriend Kris has been so supportive of my diabetes. He gets me coconut water or a bowl of fruit when I’m low. If I test my blood sugar, he always asks for my numbers and if I’m cranky, the first thing he says is, “test your blood sugar, you might be high”.

Even though for the majority of our relationship he has been more than caring and understanding of the challenges that come with living with this disease, he wasn’t always. And the reason for that is because for the first two months of our relationship, I didn’t give him the opportunity.

Let me explain.

Sharing with family and friends that you have Diabetes is one thing, but telling someone with whom you are just starting to date, that’s a whole other ball game.

Kris and I began dating our senior year of high school and for the first two months of our relationship, I did my best to hide my diabetes from him. I made sure my insulin pump was always hidden in my clothes and I always went to the bathroom to test my blood sugar. I was extremely fearful that he would reject me for having a disease.

One Saturday night after dinner we came back to my house and I decided to break the news to him. All throughout dinner I was playing out in my head how I thought the conversation would go. I believed it would end with him being embarrassed to be dating a girl who had something wrong with her.

When I finally mustered up the strength to tell him, he laughed a little, smiled, and said, “Oh I know already. My friend’s knew you had diabetes and told me months ago. It really doesn’t matter to me! I just figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”

It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I wasted months of freaking out for nothing!

Recently I came across an article in the Diabetes Forecast Magazine on this topic where Tracey Neithercott says, “We often project our own feelings about diabetes onto the person we’re dating. If you see diabetes as something to be ashamed of, or if you see yourself as somehow deficient simply because of your diabetes, you may expect others to treat you accordingly. The goal, then, is to work through those feelings until you accept your disease an understand that diabetes doesn’t make you less worthy of love.”

I think that this is a really strong point that Tracey makes. If we accept ourselves fully, we can then open up and allow our significant others to accept us fully as well. In the small chance that your partner thinks less of you because you have diabetes, that may be an opportunity for you to reevaluate whether this is someone with whom you want to share your time.

If you’ve ever felt nervous or fearful to tell your significant other you have diabetes, you are certainly not alone! But the lesson here is to give your partner the opportunity to be supportive and understanding. Chances are, telling them will go a lot smoother than you can imagine and it will even bring you two closer since you are sharing such a big part of your life with them.

How long do you think is enough time to wait before telling your significant other you have diabetes? Can you relate to these fears above? Let us know.

Healthy Alternative to Movie Theatre Popcorn

by Lauren Bongiorno

Healthy Popcorn Created By Lauren Bongiorno, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Yoga Instructor, Bootcamp Instructor, Blogger, Motivational Speaker, Gluco Perfect Brand Ambassador and Type 1 Diabetic

In light of National Popcorn Day that recently passed on January 19^th, I thought I would share one of my favorite snack recipes. A few years ago I read that popcorn is actually a really great snack for diabetics because of the high fiber content and low glycemic index. I always found however, that when I went to the movies and got the popcorn they sold there or made popular brands of microwave popcorn at home, my numbers would skyrocket to the 300’s hours later.

When I started becoming more passionate about nutrition and looking deeper into what was really in our food, I learned that even though popcorn in it’s natural state is healthy for diabetics, the one sold at the movie theatre and most ones you pop in the microwave at home are extremely processed. They are filled with hydrogenated oils, artificial flavoring, sodium, TBQ (toxic chemical), and loaded with butter. It’s actually a diabetic nightmare (and really a nightmare for anyone)!

If you prefer pre-packaged popcorn, I recommend going with these healthier alternatives: Skinny Pop, LesserEvil Buddha Bowl Popcorn, or Tree of Life (yes, a healthy microwavable brand). And if you’re looking to take it a step higher, see one of my favorite recipes for popcorn below! Since popcorn and movies go together, like peanut butter and jelly, I recommend portioning out 3-6 cups of popcorn for yourself in a small bowl. That is equivalent to about 15-30 carbs, and that way the movie doesn’t distract you and lead you to overeat.

Recipe: Homemade Popcorn

Yields about 8 cups (1 large bowl)

What You Will Need:

½ cup organic popping corn kernels
2 tablespoons coconut oil
Celtic sea salt (unrefined)
Dark chocolate

Directions:

Heat a pot over medium heat.
Add coconut oil and let it completely melt. Once melted, put a few kernels into the pan and wait from them to pop.
Once kernels pop, place the rest of the popcorn kernels into the pan and cover.
After kernels begin popping, begin to shake every 10 seconds or until you hear popping slow down. When popping slows down, remove the pot from heat and continuously shake for 15 seconds.
Pour it into a bowl and top with sea salt and melted dark chocolate and enjoy!

I also wanted to share the brands of ingredients I use. Click the links below to find them easily and enjoy:

Popcorn kernels: Arrowhead Mills Organic Popcorn — 28 oz

Coconut oil: Spectrum Unrefined Organic Virgin Coconut Oil — 14 fl oz

Celtic sea salt: Selina Naturally Celtic Sea Salt Fine Ground — 1 lb

Dark chocolate: Pascha 85% Cacao Organic Bitter-Sweet Dark Chocolate Chips — 8.8 oz

Are you a diabetic who loves to eat popcorn? If so, try this recipe and let us know by clicking here how you like it!

No More Excuses: 3 Steps To Start an Exercise Routine That Will Stick!

Lauren Bongiorno in a Yoga Pose

by Lauren Bongiorno

Aside from the food you’re putting in your body, exercise is a KEY component to keeping your blood sugar numbers in a healthy range and in avoiding those high spikes us diabetics tend to get in the morning and after meals. One of the most beneficial effects exercise has on diabetics, along with everyone else as well, is that it helps the body increase its insulin sensitivity.

A higher insulin sensitivity is SO important because it allows the insulin to take the glucose out of the blood in a quick and effective manner. When the body has poor insulin sensitivity, there are an array of negative effects that may occur: inflammation in the body, reduced athletic performance, low energy, increased risk of heart disease, weight gain, and may result in eye and feet problems.

While everyone knows that exercising is healthy, sometimes we let our excuses get in the way. We know them all too well: I’m too tired; I had a long day; I have a headache; My blood sugars weren’t good today; the gym is too far of a drive; I have to cook dinner for my family tonight. The list is endless!

So how do we overcome these excuses and make exercise a top priority in our lives in order to stay healthy, increase insulin resistance, and prevent future complications? Well, we can start here with these 3 steps anyone can take to pushing their excuses aside and making time to get active:

1. Change your perspective
Instead of viewing working out as a job or something you have to do, change your perspective and look at it as something that you GET TO do. You might not be able to control the fact that you have diabetes but you do have the ability to take better control of your blood sugar numbers through moving your body! It’s also an added bonus that working out boosts our mood, increases our energy, and gives us a sense of accomplishment!

TIP: There are a million excuses we can make to not workout. Try writing down a list of reasons you want to work out and hang it somewhere you can see every day!

2. Make a plan
Step two is to make a plan. Just like you schedule in work meetings, allot time each day to get active. On Sunday night I like to write out in my planner what workouts I’ll be doing each day and when. Whether it’s riding your bike outside, going for a run, circuit training, a spin class, a zumba class, dancing, make it part of your weekly routine! Note, before starting any exercise routine, please consult your physician.

TIP: Try doing this quick, no equipment at home workout:

50 jumping jacks
40 bicycle crunches
30 mountain climbers
20 squats
10 jump switch lunges
Suggestion: Repeat circuit 3-4 times

3. Journal
Journaling is a great way to not only help you track your progress toward a particular fitness related goal, but writing can help improve your connection between the mind and body. At the end of the day, reflect on how you felt after your workout. Did you have more energy? Were you able to do more cardio than the week before and felt a sense of accomplishment? Did your cravings for junk food increase? Decrease? When we reflect on how the body is feeling, a connection is formed between our actions, and the result of those actions on our overall health.

TIP: Keep a notebook next to your bed and take 10 minutes before going to sleep to reflect.

What I love most about these 3 steps is that they’re simple, but completely manageable! They’ve made a great impact on my life and I hope that they will help you as well!

Share with us below how YOU stay motivated to workout! We’d love to hear!