As we near the end of the year, December’s DSMA Blog Carnival prompts a little soul searching, asking what we would do away with from our diabetes lives from 2013, and what we would like to bring to our D-lives in 2014. The subject:
Out with the old, in with the new – Diabetes Style
What would I give up from my diabetes life in 2013? What do I want to say goodbye to? Duh! How about getting rid of my diabetes entirely? I’d like a cure to welcome the new year, thankyouverymuch. Let’s do away with glucose checks and infusion sites and hypoglycemia treatments forever. I’d like to say adios to the cost of caring for a chronic condition too.
Okay, back to reality. Diabetes is here, and it’s not going away in the next couple of weeks. So what do I really want to change?
Well, it’s not so much a change as it is a continuation, or improvement this year. I want to continue eating healthier. Mostly, using fresher fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy sourced from places closer to home. I really made an effort in 2013 to cook more, with better ingredients. And while my waistline hasn’t changed much, how I feel certainly has changed for the better. I feel like I’m on the right track, and I want to continue eating better.
That’s more difficult in the winter. But even if I can’t get local fruits and vegetables right now (I live in Maryland), I can work on getting meats, dairy, and if I’m lucky, a few root vegetables or fresh herbs from local farmers. You know… places where I know what I’m getting, and where it’s coming from. Going local also allows me to find providers that don’t fill up their livestock with a bunch of steroids, or use a ton of pesticides on my fruits and veggies. In addition, getting foodstuffs from nearby farms means delivery of food when it’s ready, without delays of days or weeks while items are trucked from far away states or flown in from other countries. Believe me: eating something fresh off a local farm tastes waaaaay better than eating the same thing from the big-box grocery store.
I started this trend in the past year, and I hope to explore it more in the new year. Obviously, I won’t be able to avoid the grocery store completely. But just like with diabetes, doing better than yesterday is a victory in itself. Constant improvement, or trying for constant improvement, is what’s important. I wish you all the best as you toss out the old, and bring in the new greatness to your diabetes life in 2014.
This post is my December entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetescaf.org/2013/12/december-dsma-blog-carnival-3.
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