Diabetes Management and Support

Both my aunt and cousin recently died of this dreaded disease, so when I found out I had type 2 diabetes, I literally became scared for my life because my cousin developed kidney problems to the point where she was having dialysis three times weekly, and just before she died, her leg was amputated - twice, because they didn't get all the clots.  My aunt fared no better - her blood clots were huge, and were the death of her, also.  And it wasn't just my aunt and cousin, but a large number of Whanau who have either suffered or are suffering still.

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I was born Amiria (Amelia is the english version) Te Whaiti of Maori descent.  My birth certificate says I'm of full blood, and I'd probably be the last generation to lay claim to that. 

 

The country where Maori finally settled in the early 1100's, was Aotearoa -  predominantly bush, with an abundance of birds.  Our diet back then was way different to the diet we have today, and our lifestyle also.  For today, our birds are not steamed in hot pools or cooked underground, with watercress or puha, no, they're covered in sodium and gluten, then deep-fried in oil filled with transfat.  Wild berries were in abundance back in the day, and were an awesome source of goodness - they're still in abundance today, but are usually baked in a pie sprinkled with sugar and accompanied with cream and a scoop or two of ice cream.

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No different to any other culture, Maori used the wilderness around them for sustenance and to cure ails.  But today, we go to the supermarket or doctor for rubbish food and synthetic cures (which more often than not, are the cause of another ailment). 

 

Although I have fallen into this 'food trap' many times, I have also experienced going out into my backyard and picking a vegetable or handful of herbs; of making my own everything - bread, milk, butter, pastry, pasta - it was very satisfying and I knew exactly what I was eating. 

 

My last 'food trap' journey lasted nearly 20 years and has left me with this dreaded type 2 diabetes and in this gloom and doom, I found a need to return to grass roots of natural goodness - of more protein and less carbs, more alkaline and less acid, more good fatty acids and less bad.

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And thank goodness for the internet, for I have spent the past four years busy researching all about this dreaded disease.  I've been on metformin, then took myself off it because it was creating severe side effects.  I then tried the natural method, where I became more conscious of what I ate and how long it would take to exercise that food off - I soon found out that if I were to exercise away all the food I ate in one day, then I'd need to exercise well into next week ... non-stop!  I totally realized that I was eating far too much! 

 

It's not so much about 'what' you eat (although that is very important), but more like 'how much' and 'how often'.  And in lieu of that, my dietician and I began searching for recipes that were not only diabetic-friendly, but wholesome, nutritious and satisfying.  And then I gathered them all together in a bundle and turned them into a 30-day menu that was easy for me to follow. 

 

I'm really happy with my choice of recipes.  They have delicious flavours and some of the ingredients that would normally make me pull a yuk face, actually tasted good (luckily), because they are healthy ingredients, and essential to our well being.

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So won't you join me, and try some recipes that my dietician friend and I designed just for us ... the diabetic!

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Let's 'Stamp Out Diabetes in your Life' together 

Amelia Robinson