Having a disease that affects your entire body each time you put something in your mouth really “bites” - no pun intended. Having a disease that affects your body each time you get stressed out also bites. Being a person who is a stress eater bites even more.
When I get stressed, my blood sugars rise. When I get stressed, I want to eat (usually things that are not healthy for me - chocolate, junk food, etc). Combine the two and there are times when living with diabetes can be a struggle - even a constant BATTLE.
I’m a foodie. I love food. I love to see it, smell it, feel it, hear it cooking, and of course, I LOVE to TASTE it. I’m a person who lives to eat, not eats to live. My favorite channel on TV is #65 on Hays Cable - the Food Network.
As I enter this new period of life with this disease, I keep reminding myself that I shouldn’t feel guilty about a “treat” every once-in-a-while. This is 2008, not 1980, when doctors told diabetics they couldn’t have different things. Now, we should eat sensibly, but not deprive ourselves of things we like. We just need to be smart about our food choices, count carbs and cover the “special” foods with adequate amounts of insulin, so blood sugars are regulated.
Now if I could just remember that I need to eat to live, not live to eat!!!
