Living With Diabetes: What To Eat?

On November, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. While I am not in critical condition, my doctor advised that I follow a stricter diet in order to lower my blood sugar. Little did I know that actually doing that would be so infuriatingly restrictive and difficult. However, there is a silver lining as I learn more about my condition and balance practicality with health. I am a generally lazy person and, while I enjoy cooking, I do not enjoy cooking meals for myself.

Photo taken with SONY a6000 and converted through freeconvert.com

Starting at 10:59, I drink a serving of Naked Juice Blue Machine. Because it doesn’t have added sugar and only contains the juices of actual fruits, it’s an easy way for me to intake some essential vitamins.

After a meeting, I’m already starving. At 12:45 PM, I make myself a sandwich using Food for Life’s Ezekiel 4:9 bread. “Wait a second,” you say, “isn’t bread bad for diabetics?” Yes and no. This bread is specifically flourless and made from whole grains, making it an excellent alternative. In fact, the bag even has a label indicating a low glycemic index. As a side, I decided to go with some Mediterranean olives - a choice snack that is delicious and health-conscious.

One of the biggest problems I face is that I am ALWAYS hungry. By 3:30 PM, I was already starting to get peckish. Rather than reaching for a bag of chips, I made myself a plate of baby tomatoes and sliced mozzarella (which was on sale at Tops). After drizzling some blueberry balsamic vinegar on the mozzarella and finishing it all off with some salt and pepper, it was a decent snack to stave off the yearnings of my gaping maw.

The last meal of the day: dinner. The pièce de résistance. Tofu? Yes, tofu is one of the most beneficial foods for a diabetic. It is high in protein, does not have any of the setbacks of meat, and is honestly one of my favorite foods. Being a Korean American, tofu has always been something my mother made for me for dinner and I am grateful that Tops always has these blocks of soybean in stock.

Living with diabetes is not something that is easy, but it’s not a death sentence either. While it is something I was originally incredibly upset about, in a way, this was also a major wake-up call for me to improve my dietary habits. If you notice, none of these foods were difficult or time-consuming to make. Eating healthy doesn’t mean making a five-star meal every time and it definitely doesn’t mean ordering food all the time either. Balancing a busy schedule and a clean diet may seem daunting at first, but if I, a lazy college student, can do it then you can too.