Who knew that changing the way I eat certain foods would bring me key insight into myself? In the last week I have discovered that I have very little patience for delayed gratification when it comes to the subject of my blood sugar. I have always known that if I wait too long to eat that I will start to feel shaky, light headed and get the cold sweats. (I call it a "Feed me NOW" episode.) It's a horrible feeling, but I also have programmmed myself to reach for processed carbs (cookies, soft breads, potatoes) to make that bad feeling go away quickly. That lovely high spike in my blood sugar definitely worked to make the shaky, sweaty feeling go away quickly, but then would leave me feeling as if I needed to take a nice long nap about an hour later.

The second day after making the switch to low GI eating, I discovered that waiting too long to eat is no longer going to be a good option for me. I waited until I got shaky before eating lunch, then ate my low GI meal of a spinach salad with vinagrette dressing, chicken breast, red peppers... it was SO yummy! But it didn't give me the sugar rush that immediately fixes my shakes. In fact, 30 minutes later I was still waiting for that rush. It took about an hour and a half to finally stop feeling light headed and shaky.

I have known for many years that every diet guru in the world recommends eating 6 small meals everyday instead of 3 large meals. This has always been difficult for me because when I work my 12 hour shifts I am lucky to get one lunch break... to get several breaks is pretty much out of the question.

So I am trying some new approaches to fix this problem. On my days off I make certain that I have good low GI snacks (almonds, dried mango, fruits) available to graze on throughout the day. I have also started taking snack size ziploc bags to work filled with the same snacks. I put them in my scrub coat pockets and nibble when I am sitting at the computer to chart. So far I have done OK until about 3:00 in the afternoon. It tends to be a busier part of the shift, and it's more difficult to remember to take a break. By 4:00 or 5:00 pm I (optimistically) start thinking "Why nibble now, I'll be eating dinner soon." So I get off of work between 6:30 and 7:00 pm, and by the time I get home and prepare dinner I am starving!

This whole first week has been trial and error, figuring out how this is all going to make me feel and how to respond. I really like the fact that as I am learning how to keep my blood sugar and insulin response on more of a steady level that I am no longer having to experience the shaky, sweaty feeling of having a very low blood sugar.

I still miss baked goods like cookies and cakes, but I have also rediscovered the joys of Nutella (a low GI food). This stuff is amazing with bananas, on toast made from sprouted grain bread... and by the spoonful! And I have also discovered that If I can keep my blood sugar on an even keel that I don't tend to crave those high GI carbs quite as much.

Last night my hubby took us to our local Olive Garden for dinner. I had the most amazing meal that I have had in months, and it was low GI! I started with salad with Italian dressing (and just said "No" to those yummy, fluffy, garlic breadsticks). Then I ordered the grilled skewers with chicken, and pasta instead of those tempting Tuscan potatoes. The roasted peppers and onions along with the yummy squash and zucchini were perfect with my chicken and pasta. Of course I added the perfect glass of red wine (but only to help lower the GI of my meal ;o) I actually found myself putting down my fork after each bite and simply enjoying the flavor of the food in my mouth as I chewed. By the time I finished I was way too full to even consider ordering dessert. The best part is that I saved half the meal to reheat for lunch today!

It's great to know that I can stick to this plan without having to completely give up all my favorite foods and eating at my favorite restaurants.