Facing east

I've been on a new diet since October. I started going to a NRT specialist, and this is how my body responded to his vials. No dairy, no gluten, no corn. Added on top of my low carb/little-to-no sugar regime. His method of diet and supplements individually tailored to my body's response to his testing, definitely cleared me of Candida, a condition that makes you crave sugar (diabetic kryptonite), in just one month. So now I'm going for optimal health and seeing what happens. In addition I'm working on balancing my body energetically by taking a Reiki session every month or so. This has been an extremely rewarding experience, seeing positive changes each and every time I go. Both of these methods are outside of the normal Western medicine outlook, and thus out of my insurance coverage, but I'm finding myself compelled to find answers beyond "We don't know what caused your illness, and we don't know how to cure it, just rely on this insulin."
So far I've reduced some insulin, had the best A1c (3 month average of glucose readings), minimized concern about my thyroid, and lost 10lbs. That's a pretty good start for 4 months work.

The Green Juice

Although most smoothies and juices are off limits for the diabetic or anyone trying to limit their sugar intake, there is a healthy, yummy alternative; The Green Juice.
It's an excellent way to pack in some vitamins and have something fresh to wash down a meal with, or even have it on it's own for a mid-day energy boost. A lot of cafe's will have a veggie option with some fruit in there, or a more sugary vegetable like beet, or carrot. I tend to steer clear of any fruit or sugary veggies in the liquid form, because they are sure to spike glucose when stripped of their accompanying fiber. Thus I customize an all vegetable concoction.
My favorite ingredients are: kale, lemon, lime, cucumber, spinach, and some ginger for a kick!
Today's recipe was kale, lemon, cucumber, and ginger. I loved every sip and how it inspired the guy in line behind me to order the same for himself. He liked it, I hope you do too!
Bottoms up! Gina

Zucchini Pasta

This week's fresh, low carb recipe is a versatile one. I found it on We Like It Raw when cooking for a dinner party to which I invited someone on a raw food diet. What's magic about it though is slicing the zucchini into long thin pasta like strips is a delicious filling base onto which you can build with any of your favorite ingredients.
Pictured above is the following:

• 1 zucchini shredded with a hand peeler into long strips
• 1/2 cucumber chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 oz tanhini dressing
• cubed sharp cheddar to taste

Another variation:

• 1 zucchini shredded with a hand peeler into long strips
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup cooked spinach
• 1/2 cooked mushrooms
• salt to taste