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Thursday, October 25, 2012

A Male Diabetic Goes Clean

Thank you to Sean McIntire for sharing his perspective on a diabetic approach to Eating Clean. Don't miss his yummy smoothie recipe below...
As a diabetic, my life sees highs and lows (pun intended). A low brings panic and a high brings frustration and a feeling of failure. A Clean lifestyle helps to minimize these issues because eating a balanced, healthy diet along with exercise assist in managing blood sugar. Attempting to eat healthy and exercise while working, being a father to two daughters, being actively involved in church, and being a husband can be challenging but creates rewards of its own.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes (type 1) my weight had dropped to 145 lbs. This was frustrating because I lost strength and size. By Eating Clean and exercising over the last three years I have added 20-23 lbs of muscle and have lower body fat than I did before (9-10%). I only use protein to reduce stress on my kidneys (no other chemicals). I understand high protein diets are hard on the kidneys so my kidney function is checked yearly.

My life has been made richer by cooking and exercising with my wife. We both enjoy developing a Clean menu for the week and then cooking the food we choose. The healthy food has helped me to build muscle and balance my blood sugar.

My favorite thing about the Eat-Clean lifestyle is smoothies. My favorite is a blueberry/strawberry smoothie. I mix 1-2 cups of kale, 2 cups of blue berries, 1 cup strawberries,
1 Tbsp chia seeds, 2 Tbsp flax seed, ¼ cup rolled oatmeal, 1 – 1 ½ cups milk (or yogurt and water), 1 scoop protein, and 1 tsp local honey into the blender. Let the blender go until smooth. The mix normally makes a whole blender which is great for breakfast. I then eat every two hours in the morning, which helps power me through tough lunch time workouts.

My lunch time workouts are either running three to six miles or Crossfit. The Crossfit workout is taken from WODs posted on either Crossfitendurance.com or Crossfit.com. These workouts can be dangerous if done incorrectly but are effective. I try to ignore the time and weight requirements because even without these I still see results. I like to add an ab workout every other day, too!  After work, my wife and I meet at the gym a few evenings a week for a workout.

The Eat-Clean lifestyle has helped me to manage my disease. The healthy menu and exercise regime have helped me to gain muscle, lose fat, and balance my blood sugar. Using the tools provided by Tosca and company I plan to actively manage my disease and health. I will not go quietly and will do everything in my power, and with God’s blessing, to live a healthy life so I can see my girls grow old!

Tosca and company, thank you for the tools and inspiration to be active and healthy.



Thank you Lauren, my wife, for your love and encouragement!

3 comments:

  1. You say you're type 1, are you being treated with insulin as well to manage your diabetes? I think it's important to note that although eating clean is important, it is not a replacement for conventional insulin treatment for type 1 diabetes.

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  2. Note from Sean...
    I tremble thinking about the consequences so insulin therapy is a must for me.
    I take Lantus for long acting and novolog for meal times. Because of my workouts I have decided not to use a pump at this point in time. Since I eat multiple meals a day it means taking my blood sugar more frequently than my doc says is necessary. It also means more shots... Regardless, Eating Clean does mesh well with a diabetic lifestyle, and it actually made the transition to a diabetic lifestyle much easier since I didn't eat junk food to begin with.

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  3. I've been a type 1 diabetic for 10 years and started eating clean three years ago. I'm on an insulin pump and have learned that eating clean has helped me with my diabetes so much! I'm so happy to see others discovering its power too!

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