If you're reading this, welcome to my new adventure - type foodie! I am excited to begin sharing more about life in my late twenties living with Type 1 Diabetes, some stories from the past, and a lot of delicious recipes and food that happens to have carb information easily available. You can read about me and the site here, but to start us off I wanted to share more about how we got here.
Diagnosis
In middle school, on Halloween of all days, my mom got a call from the doctor who confirmed my type one diagnosis. I remember my first thought being, "will I be able to eat candy this Halloween?". Clearly not understanding the gravity of the situation, I was so focused on the food aspect that I did not yet worry about the constant counting and needle pricking that was coming my way. I quickly learned that I would have to check my blood sugar five times a day at minimum, use a syringe to inject myself with insulin before eating and at bedtime, and count the carbs in everything I ate. Forever. Feeling overwhelmed, I was told to buy a book that contained carb information from popular chain restaurants and to eat at home when I could so that I would know what was in my food. I was lucky to have my dad (who had been diagnosed with type one years before) who understood what I was going through, but my diabetes community did not extend much beyond that.
Before the pandemic
If you're keeping up, there is obviously a lot that happened between my middle school years and COVID-19. For another day. Skipping forward a bit, in my pre global pandemic life, I was going out to eat quite often (maybe four times a week including takeout) and though I always had a love for baking, cooking was not something I explored much beyond chickpea pasta, the occasional scrambled egg, and some weekday lunch meal prep. I had started to dabble a bit more over the years since college, but relied mostly on my favorite local spots for exciting food. Contrary to the advice I was given early on in my diagnosis, I found that it was sometimes easier to just remember how much insulin to dose with a familiar takeout or restaurant meal, rather than going through the trouble of calculating each ingredient myself for something I cooked at home.
Where we are now
The pandemic has certainly taught a lot of lessons, and will continue to do so. One that I found quickly was my undiscovered love of cooking and a more intense love of baking than I realized I had in me. I began cooking almost every meal and baking once a week, only to feel frustrated with my inconsistent blood sugar. I felt confused, because I had always been told that "home cooking" is the best for your blood sugar. "You'll know what's in your food," they said. I soon realized that my concept of home cooking was likely quite different from what my original doctors had in mind.
When searching for recipes online or in cookbooks, it's easy to find recipes on two ends of the spectrum. One end being delicious with many flavors and incredible ingredients, and the other end being low carb and sugar free friendly with carb information in your face and available. I have much respect for both ends, but I needed something in between. I want to be able to cook the delicious food that I love, and have the carb information that I need. I'm excited to begin sharing some of my favorite recipes, some fun (and not so fun) things I've learned on this journey so far, and more. Diabetes care often feels like second nature now, and sometimes it feels like the most overwhelming and unfamiliar thing in the world. I hope that diabetic or not, you can learn something new, read something relatable, or at a minimum - walk away hungry and ready to eat.
There was no other way to end this post than with a picture of me as a kid holding a bagel the size of my head.
Until next time
Xx Hanna
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