Work & Diabetes: How To Balance Your Diet With These Two Facts Of Life

Let's be real clear, anything I write about in regards to diabetes, will be based on my own failures and experiences. I am not a doctor or healthcare professional, but a patient who has the desire to share and advocate ways to navigate through the challenges of being a diabetic. That is why I am choosing today's topic...

Work & Diabetes: how to balance your diet with these two facts of life.

It is not easy. Do not fool yourself and think it is! I worked many years in healthcare advertising, which if you break down the two words, one should be about living a healthier lifestyle, then advertising...have you ever seen "Mad Men?" There are ways to work through this. 

Please note, my suggestions are general and do not specify type 1 or type 2. This condition is specific to you, your metabolism and your needs.

Here are some thoughts (and experiences) to help you out...

1. Have a plan...this is the most important thing to do. The night before your workday, look at your schedule, identify the best times to eat meals and snacks, as well as a few walks in the day. In advertising, my pitfalls have been primarily late nights (Seamless helped sometimes) and happy hours. Both situations lead to an unruly glycemic index before bed, based on the carbs in processed foods and alcohol. Both food and drink made the next morning no fun.

Here is a link to the USDA Dietary Guidelines. This is good information for baseline dietary recommendations. In addition, go to the American Diabetes Assocation's website and click on the "Food and Fitness" link to gain specific insight.

Most of all, work with your doctor, dietician or diabetes educator to set a plan that is right for you and your needs

2. Eat breakfast...even if it is light. This will help avoid glycemic lows and starts the metabolic system the right way. I have never enjoyed breakfast, but for me, a couple of pieces of whole grain bread usually works. When there is time, I will cook up egg whites with chipotle mustard on whole grain English muffins. No butter though...I need to avoid those saturated fats and cholesterol as well as unneeded sugars.

3. Add a salad before your lunch...the greens and fresh vegetables help me. This was suggested by a coworker who is has type 1 and it has worked great. The fiber helps keep down the glycemic index and helps me to reduce the amount of carbs that I eat. I really love my carbs.

4. Eat lunch and snacks over the course of the day...simply, this will keep your glycemic level lower and you hopefully feel better over the day.

5. MOVE...do not sit still all day. Do not wait till Saturday morning to pull out the kayak and say "I have exercised for this week." Move now, do not wait! This is needed not only to help the reduce the glucose level, but to move the saturated fats and cholesterol through the bloodstream. Trust me from my own experience, a surprise triple bypass is not very fun.

6. Eat a snack before leaving work...and test blood sugar if you tend to have lows. There were too many times I have been on my New Jersey Transit train and hit a deep low. Before I would leave work, if I realized I did not have a healthy snack with me, a handful of carbs from the company snack bins would help. Necessary, but not recommended. also, for me since I am not a fan of mints, I carry cinnamon hard candy in my work bag all the time just in case.

7. Eat a healthy dinner and a snack in the evening...this will close out your day well and hopefully provide you with a smile when you check your glucose in the morning.

8. Start all over again...

If you are an "experienced" diabetic, none of this should be a surprise. For me, I have a tendency to think I am in Fantasyland when I am at work and nothing could hurt me. Unfortunately, many times it has.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help.

Look for more "Work & Diabetes..." articles in the near future. Also, come visit my website A1CWellness.com, when we launch. The date is still to be determined.

Have a great day, stay balanced and keep moving!

#diabetes #glycemic #Diet #ADA #USDA #advocacy #glucose #A1C