the plate method

People always talk about eating healthy. I find that I will do okay with eating healthy for a few weeks, maybe a month, and then I'm done. It's not always a conscious "enough of this", but more of a "I just want one meal/one day/one weekend off." And once off that wagon, I never totally get back on.  Last month I was looking at various websites and trying to get some comprehensive understanding of the different views of "healthy eating" (and believe me, there are a LOT of VERY different ideas out there), when I found this on the American Diabetic Association's website:



This was the simplest method for managing sugar levels I have ever seen. They have a video to go along with it, as well as a print-out for foods that fit into the vegetable category (which includes many fruits), and foods that fit into the starch category (many southern peas, slaws, etc).

So we've been doing this for almost a month now. The craziness of the last week and a half has meant we've eaten out more than we planned, but we are both still trying to be cautious. Okay, my better half is being cautious. I'm at least considering what I order and it's health ratio before I order something now. :)

But I like this method because of it's simplicity. I can cook what I have on hand (yes, our hobby farming and purchasing means we don't buy a whole lot at the grocery store) and still know that we're being "healthy".  I've found I'm filling up faster, and I'm not as hungry between meals. My Dad's dr had suggested to him protein snacks between meals or when hungry, such as a quarter-size portion of peanuts or one half of a graham cracker with peanut butter on it.

So the biggest issues I have with dietary changes have so far been eliminated. Now if I can keep focused and make time to keep this up the next two months, then hopefully the next round of lab work will be much better. And who knows? Maybe by that time it will be a well-grounded habit for me.