Diabetics Rejoice!: Snickerdoodle Smoothie

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Snickerdoodle Smoothie

If I could choose only one food item that has had the biggest impact on my improved health, it would be my morning smoothie. For the past eight years, most of my days start with a smoothie. Some are green with a little low-glycemic fruit and others are made from a base of nut butter, but the thing they all have in common is that they're nutritious, delicious and keep me feeling satisfied for many hours, sometimes all the way to dinner! The trick about making smoothies for a diabetic is that they need to be very low carb, plus contain enough healthy fat and protein to keep the blood glucose steady. It's the blood sugar spike of a high carb breakfast and then rapid crash a couple of hours later that causes hunger and cravings by mid-morning, requiring an "elevenzees" snack just to make it to lunch! When you start your morning on a blood sugar roller coaster ride, it will effect your eating pattern for the rest of the day and may lead to the over-consumption of carbs. This delicious and creamy smoothie has the sweet vanilla and cinnamon flavor of the popular Snickerdoodle cookie. Cinnamon is well-known and documented as a blood sugar stabilizing spice and this is a great way to get more of it into my diet.

Snickerdoodle Smoothie

Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup plain, unsweetened kefir (or yogurt)

1/2 cup coconut milk (or almond milk)

1 tablespoon macadamia nut butter (or 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

A pinch of sea salt

1/4 teaspoon stevia powder, or to taste (I used Sweet Leaf brand)

1/2 tablespoon collagen hydrolysate powder (or your favorite protein powder)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee or flax oil

4 drops of Vanilla Creme stevia

1/2 cup water (or enough to create desired consistency)

4-5 ice cubes

1 scoop of prebiotic powder, optional (I used Prebio Plus)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust sweetening, if desired. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

Nutritional Information: 304 calories, 8 g carbohydrate (7.4 g dietary fiber, 4.4 g sugars), 24.7 g total fat (9 g saturated fat, o g trans fat), 12 mg cholesterol, 132 mg sodium, 379.9 mg calcium, 150 mg potassium, 9.4 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 0.6 grams

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More about my experience with Type 2 diabetes:

After experiencing gestational diabetes while pregnant in 1988, it wasn't long before a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes was made, and then, much later, I was correctly diagnosed with autoimmune Type 1.5 (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults, also known as LADA).

Like many people newly diagnosed, I had to read and learn what diabetes was all about. I did everything my doctor told me to do, took my medication exactly as prescribed, began to exercise more, I consulted with a diabetic nutritionist, I changed my carb-loving lifestyle to within the dietary guideline of my nutritionist and lost some weight. For many years, following the advice of the experts, I managed the disease fairly well. Yet, it concerned me that my need for medication continued to rise steadily, but I was told by my doctor that diabetes is a progressive disease and that what I was experiencing was normal. In a few years of trying diet change, exercise and oral medication alone, I was prescribed insulin to go along with the oral meds. My blood sugars stabilized, but my need for more and more insulin over time to manage good control continued to go slowly and steadily upward, along with my weight. With the larger and larger amounts of insulin (the fat storage hormone), it didn’t take long for me to become obese! I was not pleased because at the rate my need for meds was growing, it appeared that it wouldn't be long before my condition would be too difficult to control.

Finally, I said "enough!" Something had to change! I read The Diet Cure by Julia Ross and began a diet overhaul unlike anything ever suggested by my diabetic team. Two other books I highly recommend are The Blood Sugar Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman for a T2 diabetic and Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution by Dr. Richard Bernstein for a T1 or any diabetic on insulin. I cut out all white starches and grains from my diet and went 100% sugar free. (No expert had ever suggested I look at the sugar grams in the foods I ate before and I was shocked to discover large amounts hidden in most processed foods, even items not meant to be sweet!) I began to eat mainly fresh vegetables, very small amounts of fruit and only when it's in season (I love summer berries!), plenty of healthy fats and a moderate amount of high-quality protein. I now follow a Ketogenic diet which allows about 20-30 grams of good carbs per day, mainly in the form of non-starchy vegetables. I don't go out often but, when I do, I go to a restaurant where I know I can eat within my diet. By living this lifestyle, I lost over 65 pounds but, more than that, my need for medication grew less and less. I now need only very small amounts of insulin at meals and 4 units of long-acting insulin at bedtime (down from over 25 units when I was eating higher carb). The best part is that I’ve been able to stop all other oral prescription medications, as well! My blood glucose is always steady, in a normal range and hardly ever goes above 100 mg/dl. My A1c is consistently 4.9 or lower. These excellent health outcomes keep me motivated to stick with a keto lifestyle, plus I really enjoy the food!

I am now at my ideal weight and have kept it steady for over six years. My cravings for carbohydrates and my voracious "sweet tooth" are well controlled. I am motivated to cook and have made cooking healthy my #1 hobby. I'm excited about incorporating the alternative flours into my baking so I can occasionally still enjoy a dessert or bread product in my diet. The outlook of managing my diabetes and the future of my health is extremely positive.

If you're reading this and dealing with similar issues, take heart! You can make the necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle to share in this positive outlook, too. Just take it one day at a time, be good to yourself, and do not depend solely on medication. I had to face the fact: There is no "magic pill" out there! Instead, I needed to commit to eating well to heal myself from within. Remember, it's your future and your health; no one can do this for you! You owe it to yourself and your loved ones!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Snickerdoodle Smoothie

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Diabetics Rejoice!