The One Week Miracle

I have been on my whole plant based vegan diet for seven days, one week that not only changed my body but also my attitude towards food. I committed to a three week trial and so far, I have no intention to jump off the vegan lifestyle. I learned a lot about the chemical digestive process and how different food works in my body - how complex this impact on my well-being is. Here is what I take with me to the next week adventure:

• I lost 2 pounds of weight last week (I only weigh myself once a week to not get obsessed with the scale). What amazes me more than the considerable weight loss is that I lost on the right places, around my tummy and my waist. My husband is particularly happy that I did not go down in my bra size like during previous diet attempts  LOL.
• I feel energized and not so exhausted anymore
• My glucose readings 4 times a day went down to a healthy 60 - 100 range while I was struggling to keep it under 200 before I changed to this new eating lifestyle - it is too serious to call it a diet. I am already dialing down the insulin units - it is a true miracle for which I am grateful.
• I now learned to read food labels. Not every vegan phony bologna is adequate to consume in a whole plant based food diet and if you are a diabetic like me, it is even more important to make the right choices. I avoid processed food with added oils and sugars and high sodium and eat organic farm to table. Somebody told me that if a label has to state its vegan, its probably not good for you. An  apple does not need a label nor does broccoli.
• After meal glucose spikes is something I have to learn to control because it affects my A1C level in my blood and my health. I changed my routine from exercising before a meal to exercising after a meal. I take a walk after dinner rather than watching TV. I control my portions and avoid eating too much of the food I know is spiking my glucose level. In my case it is any type of rice. I can only eat very moderate amounts of brown rice once a day.
• I have to be prepared to become hypoglycemic by carrying an emergency high glucose pill in my purse. This diet is serious and will cause dramatic changes to my body. I have to keep my physician informed and watch my glucose readings.
• B12 is a vitamin that does not occur much in plant food. I use nutritional yeast in my meals and also added a B12 supplement once a day. I also make sure that I get enough Vitamin D through sunlight every day - shouldn't be a problem if you live in sunny California. 

Everybody have a healthy and fun weekend! I will tell you all about my second week vegan adventure soon!