This week I received the following question from http://foodpicker.org :
I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. During the day at work I eat very little, but in the evenings and weekends, I can’t seem to stay out of the kitchen. Do you have any suggestions to control my snacking in the evenings and weekends?
You come home from a long day at work, and you are tired, hungry, and want to grab whatever is in reach. You head for the kitchen and before you know it, you may have eaten more than you originally intended to. You later check your blood sugar, and it’s high. This process can continue until the weekend, when you want to crash and relax at home, and where you may again hang around the kitchen a little more than intended. This cycle of events can lead to feelings of guilt, and to feeling the side effects of your blood sugar spiking and falling.
What your body is really craving is a routine. When you have diabetes and your body is not fed on a regular basis, such as 3 meals a day, its almost like it throws a temper-tantrum. Your blood sugar climbs after eating an on-the-go convenience food that may be high in fat and carbohydrates, then plummets after going too many hours without eating during a busy work day. These constant, drastic fluctuations will make you exhausted, irritable, unable to focus, and causes you to crave snacks when you get home. These factors do not help you be productive at work, and will make you feel lousy in general. It can also eventually contribute to severe health complications, such as heart and kidney disease, poor circulation, and further weight gain.
Stayyy away...
Making time during your work week to eat a balanced breakfast, lunch and supper everyday, with 2-3 servings of carbohydrate for women and 3-4 for men, will provide for more stable blood sugar levels. You will find that you feel more energetic and productive, and those hunger spells when you get home won’t send you ravaging your defenseless kitchen. You will instead be able to wait until dinner time. If your body can expect a routine, it is more likely to behave itself. You might even find that eating the 3 larger meals per day instead of frequent snacking will help you drop some weight.
So eat more during the day. Easy right? I can understand that’s not always the case. Work, school, being a parent, juggling day-to-day activities can make it challenging to take care of your own health needs. This can be alleviated by a little planning. Try setting a menu for yourself before an upcoming work week. Prepare a pot of stew, sandwiches, or a healthy casserole at home, and take the leftovers to work for lunch. Use your imagination! Just keep those carbohydrates in mind, and incorporate fruits and veggies. When you get a lunch break, sit down and eat, rather than rushing to pick up a snack bar or a bag of chips. Doing this will greatly improve your stress levels, and make you feel much more satisfied.
For ideas on easy, diabetic- friendly recipes for the on-the go lifestyle, here are a few websites you can try:
http://foodpicker.org
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/diabetic
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/diabetic_diet
http://www.20minutesupperclub.com/recipe/browse_by/recipe/content.specialdiet/diabetic-friendly/
Until next time!!…
