If 12 years ago someone had given me a crystal ball and shown me a glimpse of my future,\u00a0 I don\u2019t think the biggest surprise would be that I have type 1 diabetes, or that I eat a vegan, gluten-free diet.\u00a0 The biggest surprise, I think, would be how much happier and healthier I am now, despite the challenges I have encountered.<\/p>\n
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 11 years ago, a few weeks before my 25th<\/sup> birthday.\u00a0 I was in the middle of graduate school and had felt unwell the entire school year.\u00a0 For a week before I was diagnosed, I was so dehydrated that I could barely speak without drinking.\u00a0 I was exhausted and desperately thirsty.\u00a0 I finally took myself to the Toronto General Hospital (the place where Banting and Best first injected patients with insulin). There I received my type 1 diabetes diagnosis and my first insulin in an I.V drip.\u00a0 And thus began the long process of adapting to my diabetes.<\/p>\n Initially, I focused on being \u201cthe perfect diabetic.” After about 6 months of carbohydrate counting, writing down all of my blood sugar levels, and battling the physical symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, I felt decades older than my peers.\u00a0 And as I approached the one year anniversary of my diagnosis and re-lived the trauma of the year before, I felt depressed and overwhelmed.<\/p>\n From the time I was diagnosed, I’d also suffered from gastrointestinal symptoms. But I did not have the energy to focus on anything other than my diabetes management and finishing my degree in psychology.\u00a0 I was then accepted into a Ph.D program, but a month before school started, I withdrew.\u00a0 I felt I could not take care of my health and continue with my studies.<\/p>\n Looking back, I realize that it was then, at the one-year mark, that I started grieving. Grieving is a process, and so is adaptation. They don’t happen all of a sudden. I had been so focused on my diabetes care regimen, I never stopped to feel sad about the difficult changes I’d had to work through.\u00a0 I also didn’t have the energy to attend to my digestive illness.\u00a0 Gradually, I began to accept the changes that came with diabetes, and I came to terms with the sacrifices needed in order to regain my health.<\/p>\n Traditional medical approaches and referrals did not help me to understand my digestive problems. After a few more years of living with uncomfortable gastrointestinal issues, and then a period of worsening symptoms, I decided it was time to give naturopathy a chance.<\/p>\n My naturopath quickly identified a number of food intolerances causing my digestive upset, mood instability and symptoms of fatigue.\u00a0 When I went through my list and saw I needed to eliminate wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs and some of my favorite vegetables and fruit, I wondered what I would eat.\u00a0\u00a0 But after so many years of feeling ill, I was willing to do anything to feel better.<\/p>\n One of my favorite quotes is \u201cevolution, not revolution\u201d.\u00a0 And if I had tried to go from my \u201cSAD\u201d (Standard American Diet) to today\u2019s plant-based diet overnight, I could not have sustained it.<\/p>\n My first step was to eliminate the allergens.\u00a0 I cut out wheat, gluten, dairy and eggs.\u00a0 Initially I experienced some headaches and lost 5 pounds as my body released old toxins. I began to let go of my emotional attachments to food and consequently, felt much more in control of my eating than I had in a long time. I experienced fewer cravings, and took fewer big boluses of insulin.<\/p>\n The worst of my GI symptoms resolved over the course of the first 6-12 months on my new diet. I no longer experienced acute pain, and the constant heartburn I had suffered from started to subside.\u00a0 My husband pointed out my improved energy. I could come home from work and make dinner without tears of exhaustion.\u00a0 There were other signs of improved health, too.\u00a0 For so long, my fingernails had peeled but they began to harden again.\u00a0 My color improved.\u00a0 Overall, I felt about 80% better.<\/p>\n The love and support of my husband, Ben, was crucial to my ability to make these changes.\u00a0 I’d started dating him during the time that my digestive symptoms were worsening.\u00a0\u00a0 For so long I had blamed my digestive upset on stress, but after leaving my demanding job and becoming self-employed, I was happy and relaxed.\u00a0 On top of it, I’d fallen in love with my husband.\u00a0\u00a0 So, it made no sense that stress was the reason I was sick all of the time.<\/p>\n As I followed the advice of my naturopath, Ben not only joined in making nearly all the same dietary changes, but he was always observing my health and trying to identify triggers for various symptoms.\u00a0 He would point out that I felt better when I didn\u2019t use certain supplements, or that my blood sugars were unstable when I ate certain foods.\u00a0 I felt understood and supported and it gave me the strength I needed to soldier on.<\/p>\n Over the years, my extended family has also played a vital role.\u00a0 My mother has learned to make \u201cMichelle-friendly\u201d foods, and no one blinks at family gatherings when I eat a different meal than everyone else.\u00a0 In fact, when we go on a family holiday, they joke about the opportunity to eat super-healthy food for a week.<\/p>\n Not everyone \u201cgets it\u201d but I focus on those who do.\u00a0 I have a wonderful group of women in my book club.\u00a0 Everyone brings food to our gatherings, and they enjoy my offerings.\u00a0 Usually someone makes a dish I can eat, specifically thinking of my requirements.\u00a0 If I can\u2019t eat something, no one makes a big deal out of it.<\/p>\n A major turning point in the evolution of my diet came when I started to use the wonderful family-friendly vegan cookbooks by Dreena Burton<\/a>.\u00a0 I found healthy meals that did not rely on dairy, eggs, or gluten.\u00a0 Instead of eating bland rice and fish, I made chickpea or lentil patties with ginger sauce drizzled over them. I created hearty soups, delicious casseroles and wonderful side dishes without animal products.\u00a0 We made fewer meals with meat at home and enjoyed having more variety.<\/p>\nEvolution, not revolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Support leads to success<\/strong><\/h2>\n
It helps to have some luck<\/strong><\/h2>\n