Diabetes Forecast: Growing your own is catching on!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes 3 years ago.  For those of you who don't know this....well now you know!

Since my diagnosis, I have struggled to find natural alternatives for my favorite foods and I experiement often with natural sugar replacements and recipes to find foods that satisfy my sweet tooth and meals that help me maintain my diet.  I am an advocate of growing your own food, purchasing food locally, and in general being knowledgeable about what goes into my body, whether I purchase food at the store or pick it in my own backyard.  I read labels relentlessly....diabetes has taught me this.  When you are a label reading person like myself, you begin to realize that more often than not it is healthier and more cost effective to make your own, hence the start of my bread making and baking days!  As I type this I have an experiment baking in the oven (green bean chips using our surplus green beans!)

So you can imagine how excited I was Diabetes Forecast (a magazine geared toward education and information for diabetics and their families) devoted their entire June issue to growing your own food, making your own food products (ketchup, jams, etc) and canning fresh foods.  The magazines emphasizes something I have figured out for myself....for a diabetic (and anyone for that matter), growing and making your own food reaps mounds of benefits. 

For example...sometimes when my blood sugar is high I choose to work in the garden over correcting with insulin, an hour of weeding usually does the trick!  When we have fresh foods right on the back porch and in the back yard, I often choose to pick a tomato or two when I am hungry rather than break out a snack that may not be the best for me.  Making my own bread and canning sauces also lets me know what is in the food I consume and allows me to cut down on unnecessary ingredients (such as sugar).  But the most rewarding thing of all is knowing that I am doing the best I can to provide healthy foods for myself and my family.

I am so excited to see the diabetic community catching on to what I have considered a way of life.  Even if only one person grows a tomato plant as a result of Diabetes Forecast June articles, it will be a success and a step in the right direction.  I can only hope that more and more diabetics, and others, will learn the joys of growing your own.  Forecast for the future: growing your own brings health and happiness!