Another type of Testament

     (Bear with me on this one.  This is actually written for one of my other blogs, but I felt the description of the journey I was forced to undertake would give my readers here a unique perspective into exactly how far I have come over the past few years with the help of God and all of the amazing people in my life.  Even though it is not my usual Testament, I hope that you find it inspiring and uplifting and maybe just a little bit funny.  Thank you all.)

 

For those who have just joined us, I am a Diabetic and have been for several years now. I became one out of a combination of genetic predisposition and outright stupidity. The genetic part comes from the fact that my Mother was a Diabetic and so were several people on both sides of my family so I was genetically predisposed towards contracting the disease to begin with. The stupid part comes in when I completely and utterly ignored this fact.

Before I got sick, I weighed 360 pounds (Maybe more, our scales didn't go any higher than 350.and ate pretty much everything I wanted to in insane amounts. My favorite snack was a two liter of Coca-Cola and one of those GIANT Hershey's with Almond Bars. Yeah, that was my snack. I drank at least 4 or more 16+ energy drinks a day and could easily snarf down a dozen donuts all by myself. Now all the experts will tell you that you cannot contract Diabetes from simply eating too much sugar and they are correct. (Of course they are correct, they are the experts after all.) However you sure can push your luck to the breaking point and that is what I did.

Now I am not doing this little piece to whinge about having to take pills and jab myself in the belly with a syringe every night. I am man enough to admit that I brought it on myself and strong enough to accept the consequences of my earlier choices. Truth be told, contracting Diabetes may have been the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, okay second best after meeting my amazing wife. Getting sick forced to me to make lifestyle choices that I would have never made if the threat of DYING hadn't been introduced.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007A53SC0

For those who haven't read it yet, this book describes my discovering I had the disease, my initial reactions to it and the journey I undertook to change my life. It talks about how my life has changed both physically and spiritually. All proceeds from the sales of this book go towards combating Juvenile Diabetes. Please buy and help us find a cure. (Reviews and star ratings would be great too.)

No, this little piece is talking about all of the amazing developments in science that have helped me live a somewhat healthy (Still backslide sometimes) life free of excessive carbs and loads of sugar. No, I am not talking about new advances in drug treatment even though those have been amazing. I am not talking about the astounding technological advances. (Artificial Pancreas anyone? Targeted Insulin Delivery Systems? How about growing brand new organs from stem cells? Geez Science Fiction 20 years ago anyone?) Nope, this talk is about sugar free food and drink products.

Now, when I was a kid, Diet Drinks might have just as well been Dying Drinks because only desperate people actually drank them. Early attempts at sugar free foods produced foods that might have been vaguely nutritious, but had the taste and texture of wood. Sugar free chocolates and other candies were still the pipe dreams of people everywhere and don't even get me started on cereals where even the Corn Flakes had added sugar. I always tell people, semi-jokingly, that if I had become a Diabetic twenty or thirty years ago, I would have either died of starvation or sugar overdose.

These days, I have found so many incredible foods, drinks and snacks that are not only Diabetic Friendly, but taste great. One of our favorite stops when we go back to see my In-laws is the Russel Stovers Factory Outlet where they have, literally, aisle after aisle of sugar free snacks. Diet Coke and Pepsi still taste pretty much the same way they did 20 years ago, but Coke Zero and Pepsi Maxx taste close enough to the original that it doesn't even matter. There is even a delicious Pasta that is Diabetic Friendly. Not to mention a bevy of Sugar-Free Energy Drinks.

I can credit many things with my not only surviving Diabetes, but actually thriving. My Amazing Wife who supported me and cared for me all of this time. My incredible friends who never gave up on me. Even my sometimes spotty Faith helped keep me going and now that I have rediscovered my Path, keeps me strong and uplifted. However, I acknowledge that I am only human and beset with the same temptations that plague everyone every day and I am certain that I would have succumbed to those temptations far more than I have if it hadn't been for the relatively new dietary options available today.

In closing, I want to acknowledge all of the scientific research that indicates that many of the artificial sweeteners used in these products can be bad for you. (Seriously though folks, Aspartame is not the evil substance that all of the Facebook Posts make it out to be. That is a hoax perpetrated by parties unknown and continued by people who don't bother to do their own research and believe what they read on the Internet. ( http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp) However, there are many natural Diabetes Friendly sweeteners out there now and many popular brands including Coca-Cola are starting to use them. In the end, I offer the same advice for non-sugar sweeteners as people off for sugar and high calorie foods. Everything is okay as long as you take it in moderation.

Amen and God Bless