Watty's Awakening

greenbee

Humdinger1 said:

2 dates contain the same sugar as a whole punnet of local strawberries according to my diabetic nurse....

Good luck to her getting a punnet of local strawberries at this season...

Humdinger1

Yes you're right @greenbee.  They'd be woolly and gruesome.  I don't want to be a  killjoy but for anyone worrying about blood sugar, it's a thing.  I'll look on enviously as people eat mince pies, Christmas pudding, fruit cake with marzipan icing and dried fruit.  The memory of Eat Me figs takes me back to my childhood - and now I come to think of it, my mother, grandma and aunt making brandy snaps by hand and filling them with hand whipped cream.   This seems to have jumped forward; happy Samhain to everyone celebrating.   Love Humdinger xx 

debtfreewannabe321

Morning Watty, I'm reading a book at the moment about a cleanse which I intend to do (not got to how to do it yet but it's a juice one) as it suggests a lot of symptoms in middle aged people are down to our liver struggling. We may have been lucky in our Twenties, thirties and some even into their forties and beyond but eventually the liver will become sluggish and will lead to disease in the body and also our mind and our energy levels will drop and we will all blame our symptoms on stress or menopause (women) or something else. It's making a lot of sense to me as I was fine right up until my mid thirties then I got diagnosed with all sorts! Including ME and fibro and CFS. I didn't listen as intuitively that didn't feel right so I went on my own cleanse, kind of guided by intuition rather than a fad. Bear in mind I was really quite poorly so this might sound extreme but I didn't want to pop pills and wanted to heal- for 30 days I gave up sugar, gluten, caffeine, sweetners, meat and dairy (I was omnivore at the time). I had the most horrendous headaches from detoxing. And I ended up extending the diet to another month or so because after the initial detox effects wore off I felt amazing! My skin cleared up, my energy was through the roof (and I had three demanding kids as well as three more I child minded for at the time so was busy busy). I slowly added things back in and paid attention to how my body and mind reacted and that's how I eventually settled on a plant based diet permanently for me because it suited my body. However over the years you let it slide...I've got far too much sugar and caffeine back in my diet. DP and I have recently added the odd dairy things out and about because of lack of plant based choices and I'm suffering again. Dizzy spells,, brain fog, lack of energy...so I'm also going on a cleanse. I want to go on the one I did before but it was so extreme and very difficult to do (esp now we're coming up to Xmas season 🙈) so will start with the cleanse in this book....hope yours works out well for you. Stress is a killer. It puts so much stress on your organs too when you're constantly being triggered or stressed, it's no wonder we suffer.
Soz will stop rambling now 🤣. 🤐 

Watty1

@debtfreewannabe321 that is fascinating.  I'm only a few days in and I have not been as strict as I could have been - I'm building up to that LOL  - but I do feel better although @Humdinger1 comment about 2 dates and the punnet of strawberries was fascinating as I did indeed have 2 dates with my coffee after dinner yesterday. How interesting.

I feel a little bit more focused but my anxiety has gone through the roof.  So much so that when Mrs Laurel Hedges next door messaged me to say that she was having fireworks this evening for her grandchildren I panicked and spent £166 at the vet on sedatives then drove for an hour to pick them up and an hour back again.  I also went round and said, as nicely as I could that horses do not stand quietly and shake like a dog might, instead they throw themselves around and at walls and try to jump out of stables and so next year I would prefer to buy them tickets to a display of their choice as it would be cheaper for me and save them money.   Mrs Laurel Hedges was out so i spoke to Mr Laurel Hedges. He said they would be quiet, but that is what they said last year and I explained last year the horses did not cope.  He was also visibly shocked at the price of my sedatives and was avoiding the VNM yesterday evening when they both parked at the same time. (Probably assuming we are expecting them to pay the sedative bill).

Both the parents of the grandchildren live on housing estates,  they would be less trouble there!  I refrained from inviting the grandchildren round to see what fireworks induced terror looks like for horses but I am dreading this weekend and the week ahead.   As I say, anxiety through the roof.

beanielou

So sorry about your anxiety. 

debtfreewannabe321

That's awful 😞 I hope the sedatives work well and you don't need to be stressed all weekend. My sister used to have a dog that was terrified of them and would actually cry and shake with fear. Didn't matter what she did to ease her fear it would have her in the same state every year. I was there once and saw the dog run upstairs and hide under a bed and cry and shake 😳. My little dog was the opposite didn't even flinch....so I fully empathise with anyone who has a pet that reacts like this. It puts just as much stress on the humans in the house...

greenbee

Here's hoping the fireworks are quiet, and the horses cope.

Re. the dates, have a look at some of the research - it shows that if you have fat before/with sugar it can reduce blood sugar response. So a bit of (sugar free) peanut butter or half a dozen almonds with your dates will counteract the sugar. And unless you are diabetic or have blood sugar control issues, the dates won't be an issue - and MUCH better than a couple of biscuits or milk chocolate The important thing about making changes is to make them gradually, as sudden changes can upset you - you may not have the right gut bacteria to deal with the new foods and the old ones will be sending signals for the old food as they starve to death  

Fermented foods are also something to consider to improve gut bacteria - yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, dark chocolate, red wine... but again, small changes. Add a teaspoonful of kefir to yogurt and build up etc. Make sure kraut/kimchi/kombucha are 'live' (i.e. come from the fridge and need to be kept in the fridge) rather than pasteurised. 

Interestingly, lots of people find oats spike blood sugar - again, the nut theory comes into play if this impacts you. Have a look at the Glucose Goddess for ideas on managing blood sugar. 

PennysIntoPounds

Sending hugs to you and the horses.

Why do you think your anxiety levels have gone high, even before the news from the Laurel Hedges?

Well done for getting the sedatives, and for nicely explaining the reality of what impact their choices make on others.

Good if he's avoiding VNM in case they're asked to pay for the sedatives, even if you wouldn't ask, hopefully helps concentrate their minds!

Humdinger1

@greenbee this chimes with my experience.  Fat with carbs does slow down their conversion to sugar so chips/roasties better than baked/boiled spuds for diabetics.  I agree, oats are terrible for my blood sugar levels but everyone is different and the best way to check what affects an individual is a blood sugar test about an hour after eating.  It's fascinating how different we all are.  One thing I've found is that exercise makes a massive difference physically and mentally.  I often dry up to the strains of ''Disco Inferno' or similar, bopping away.  Plus swimming  almost every day.  I know I'm lucky to be able to do this. Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

greenbee

@Humdinger1 - the exercise thing is well documented too. I've used a continuous blood sugar monitor a couple of times when i've been struggling with eating (actually I have good blood sugar control, and I'm not great at processing fats) and it's helped me understand how I need to combine food. Red wine keeps my blood sugar very stable