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Cynthia and a bean noodle  |
Cynthia is jumping up and down like a … well … like a jumping bean.
Marcy: Stop it. You’re making me dizzy.
Cynthia (jubilantly): I did it, Marcy!
Marcy: Did what?
Cynthia performs a kind of jig.
Cynthia: I got my blood sugar levels down. Significantly.
Cynthia does “jazz hands” and “do si do”.
Marcy: What’s “significantly” mean in this instance?
Cynthia: Down four whole points and only one point above the “normal” range. Take that (Cynthia performs a karate kick) pre-diabetes. Ha.
Marcy: Yeah!
Marcy does her own karate kick in the air.
Cynthia: Thank you, Marcy. And I owe it all to changing my diet – reducing sugar and those baaaad carbs (but keeping the good carbs) and exercising. Did you know I’ve taken up ballet?
Cynthia does a pirouette and face plants onto the floor.
Marcy: So I guess we won’t mention the time you “stress ate” half a box of ginger snaps.
Cynthia (philosophically from the floor): That was unfortunate. But, it’s okay. We all fall off the wagon at some point. The point is to get back on and keep forging ahead.
Marcy: You know, if you ate meat you might not have this problem in the first place. I suggest Friskies Mixed Grill.
Cynthia pops up off the floor with a purpose.
Cynthia (dramatically): If one more person in my life equates pre-diabetes with vegetarianism I’m going to scream.
Marcy (hurt): I’m not a person. I’m a cat.
Cynthia (vehemently): Studies have shown that one does not necessarily need to get protein from animals AND that vegetable and legume protein is much healthier.
Marcy: Whatever. I’ll never give up my Friskies. (proudly) I’m an obligate carnivore.
Cynthia (enthusiastically): FYI – one of the best foods I’ve found to get a huge punch of protein are noodles made from beans!
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Modern Table Meals Italian Red Lentil Penne |
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Tolerant – Organic Red Lentil Rotini |
Cynthia (solemnly): Bean noodles have saved my life.
Cynthia joyfully resumes her jumping bean dance.
Cynthia: My goal for the next six months is to go down another four points so I’m smack dab in the “normal” aka “healthy” range.
Cynthia: You bet, baby! (she waves her hands in the air) Woot Woot!
Marcy: I think you mean Toot Toot. I’ll go invest in a match company.
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*You Might Also Like: The ‘My Life As …’ Series
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10 Comments
Congratulations! This is wonderful news! Have you found a way to buy bean pasta without going broke? It is crazy expensive.
Thank you! We get our bean pasta at Costco so it's not as expensive.
xo,cynthia
Wonderful news on your numbers.
Where do you buy the noodles? I haven't seen them in Texas. Maybe they're banned here. Seems like something lefties would eat.
If you click on the highlighted text in my post – just under the photos – it will take you to Amazon to buy the pasta.
I'm not sure Texas is ready fro bean noodles yet. Although y'all do eat a lot of beans over there. Once the righties start eating it the price will go way down! 😉
xo,cynthia
Cynthia that is FABULOUS! Congratulations! It takes a lot of dedication to make lifestyle changes. I had never heard of the Tolerant pasta and went to the website and emailed, begging them to come to our Costco! Was excited about the vegan aspect and certified gluten free aspect and the dedicated gluten-free facilities (celiac disease, here). And I agree with you, I too get kinda screamy about the anti-vegetarian thing. Marcy, you are just bitter because Friskies doesn't come in bunny flavor. (I was going to suggest to Penelope that she lie and say there was such a thing, for 2016 April Fools Day).
Thank you, Vik! I have cousins and a friend who have Celiac. That's so serious and takes so much effort to be sure that you are not ingesting the wrong thing.
I wonder – do you think the new gluten-free craze amongst non-celiacs is helping or hurting those with celiacs?
Btw, I am going to use your April Fools Day joke for next year or sooner – giving you full inspirational credit of course! Love it!
xo,cynthia
The GF craze…both helps and hurts. Hurts, in that sometimes people act stooopid around /about being gluten-free (like comedians who joke about it, or people who tell restaurant servers they need to be GF and then don't follow through) so that it isn't taken seriously, and it does need to be taken seriously for some of us. Most people don't understand that ingesting gluten is one of the triggers for celiac, which is an autoimmune disease, or that some people are gluten sensitive but not celiac. Even most doctors are clueless about celiac! Helps, in that it draws attention to the fact that for many, being GF is a medical necessity. And some progress IS being made. I could rant on but will spare you any more rantys, plus I'm sure your cousins and friend can also give you a few million words on the subject! 🙂
It is such a mixed bag, isn't it?! Jon Stewart just gave a speech about his son's Celiac disease that was interesting. Thank you so much for such a detailed reply!! xoxo
LOL Toot toot! Congratulations – that's excellent news! I love that you've taken up ballet as part of evolving your lifestyle to lower your numbers. That's great! Even better that you're seeing results. I'm happy for you!
With regards to your frustration about the "link" between pre-diabetes and vegetarianism, Kyle and I are talking a lot about diet. We've been binge watching all of the foodie and nutrition documentaries on Netflix, and the amount of conflicting information is just crazy. We eat meat, but we cook mostly vegetarian at home. I've recently acquired several food allergies, including milk products, so now we're looking into dairy-free foods as well. Balancing this with all of the messages of, "Do paleo! Eat more meat!", "Vegetarianism isn't natural!", and "Whole vegetables and juicing is the only way to go!" is a frustrating struggle. I'm now allergic to fish and many forms of shellfish, and that was a major part of our diet. I don't want to replace that with more red meat and poultry, so I'm having to find other sources for iron and protein (that still feel meaty!) that meet my changing needs but that don't totally inconvenience Kyle, as he doesn't share these issues. Ugh!
<3 Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
Oh dear – I have found it to be so difficult as allergies become involved too. Why do we develop these allergies as we get older – so strange. Also, Freddy is a total carnivore too. And there is sooooo much crazy conflicting info out there. The thing is – you can't go wrong with veggies and beans. I know I talked in this post about noodles made of beans but any beans are really a wonderful source of protein and fiber. As women we need at least 30 grams of fiber and 40 grams of protein and it's not that difficult to get with beans, grains, and vegetables. Same with iron. Just add those up for a few days and you'll be great!
I've always been inclined to not eat meat since I have a 5 year old mentality regarding it.
I really really really recommend reading Rachel Beller's book Eat To Lose Eat To Win. She really breaks down what you need in a way that is interesting and informative. She has lots of vegetarian options and lots of meat options as well.
Sigh … I just can't get behind the paleo diet or juicing. Out here in Los Angeles, people are always doing these crazy juice diets and they all get bonkers. They should just eat beans and salad with olive oil and avocado. The avocado and olive oil soak up the toxins in the body and the fiber in the beans acts as a scrub brush. Voila – there's your cleanse!
Anyway – I think I'm ranting. LOL Food is such a controversial and confusing subject lately.
I think the main thing is to have fun with it! Because really – food it soooo fun!
xo,cynthia