For my 30 day challenge, I wanted to change my eating
habits. I have suffered several years with low energy and tiredness. I know
that low blood sugar runs in the family, so I thought if I ate more, I would be
okay. Although, what I did not realize that it matters what types of food I
ate, as some would spike my sugar levels then crash. I continually felt these
mood swings, and after not being able to diagnose the problem, I stopped
searching for an answer. Although, one
Saturday, I tried a new protein bar. It was gluten free and low glycemic (GI).
I was amazing how good I felt all day long and how much energy I had at work.
This popped the idea in my head that I needed to try changing my diet. I
researched online what low GI foods were, and which one to stay away from since
they would spike my blood sugar. I also looked into how to eat gluten free, as
I wanted to try each of the variables to find which one was truly affecting me
or both. I started out really excited, and had to purposefully change my mindset
to pick foods that were low GI. I also started out very strict, with no breads,
although this is one of my favorite foods. I decided to eat more proteins and
fats. Although, half way through, I totally caved in and for a couple of days
ate bread again. At that time, I was wrestling with myself if I was going to
finish the challenge or forget it. Seeing that the breads made me feel
horrible, I saw how much the challenge was helping improve my daily moods. I decided to stick to the diet, but to not be
as strict, allowing at max, one bread item per day. I did not want to torment
myself by excluding breads completely, but decided to watch carefully my intake
and to lower it significantly.
I love bread and sugar and potatoes, all of which have high
GI levels-making them break down faster into glucose and creating rollercoaster
moods. I usually eat my breakfast by myself, although lunch and dinner are with
others, either at work, three days a week or with family at home. When I eat
high GI foods, I feel horrible soon after. My blood sugar rises to normal then
crashes and I feel exhausted. Because I have been skinny all my life, I have
always eaten whatever I wanted and have gotten away from it. So I have never
been very selective in my diet. I usually eat carbohydrates and sweets when I
am exhausted and my blood sugar s crashing terribly, even perhaps giving me a
headache-around 5:30pm. I want to feel better, so I think that eating high GI
foods will give me immediate relief. My family and friends do not object at
all, as they see how little I am and think I just burn it off and can eat
whatever. My other sibling love bread like me, so we enjoy eating it together
often. I slightly feel better after eating high GI foods, but it never
satisfies me and my blood sugar still drops. The long-term consequences of
repeating this behavior is diabetes, as it runs in my family. Instead, by satisfying
my hunger with other foods that I love, such as nuts, and avocados, I can keep
my blood sugar steady throughout the day. I would not be forced then to find
relief. By understanding the consequences of my decisions to eat certain foods,
I plan on reducing my intake of high GI foods, and to always have a low GI
snack with me to eat through out the day to prevent those sudden cravings.
From this challenge, I learned how to change my eating
habits and reprogram my mind to choose healthy alternatives. When I think of a
snack, due to my strict discipline in the beginning, I automatically go towards
foods that will be low GI and not breads or carbohydrates. This challenges has
helped intrigue me to apply the concepts to other things in my life as well,
that I want to change, and has given me the attitude that I can change if I
want to.
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