We’ve kept a delicious lifestyle, in sickness and in health - despite diabetes
At the time, Grace and I, like so many people, didn’t really understand the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, let alone know that you could be diagnosed with Type 1 as an adult. Here’s the quickest explanation I can offer: They’re totally different diseases, and you can be diagnosed with either at any age.
At first, Grace immersed herself into learning all about living with Type 1 and connecting with others who live with it. I dove headfirst into figuring out how I could be most supportive. I turned, as I do in just about every single situation, to the kitchen, land of comfort and healing and life and where I have always felt a sense of control. (I know it’s an illusion, but let a girl pretend!)
While Grace can, and often does, eat whatever she wants, she seems to feel her best when she eats meals that are lower in carbohydrates, high in protein and fiber, and, of course appealing to eat and easy to enjoy since living with Type 1 doesn’t mean you’re allergic to pleasure. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that I feel my best when I eat the same way.
As the resident worrier of our family, I figured that if something tempted both of us but didn’t make either of us feel amazing, it was easier to eliminate it than to resist it. So we said goodbye to a lot of things we used to keep in our kitchen (I’m talking empty carbohydrates and processed, sugary treats) and filled the space they left with things that we also enjoy but don’t compromise our well-being.
I kept cooking for her, for us, but traded things like mashed potatoes with bread-crumb-bound meatloaf for garlicky, creamy mashed cauliflower and what I have taken to calling “confetti meatloaf” because it’s fun to say and it’s also dotted with colorful pieces of sauteed peppers and onions, finely chopped herbs and sun-dried tomatoes. Big salads with good dressings keep our meals feeling abundant, and we’ve learned that a handful of perfect raspberries is as good of an excuse for whipped cream as pancakes.
These changes, the pantry revamp and the increased attention to what’s in our refrigerator and on our plates have made it easy to make choices that make us both feel good on a daily basis. All of that work upfront has meant that every decision that has followed has been a lot easier. And we’ll take all the help we can get. Life is hard enough, with or without a lifelong chronic illness.
Three years into Grace’s diagnosis, our habit of eating fun meals together, and treating each one like an opportunity to throw a little party to celebrate love, has not diminished. I’m more grateful than ever for the food in our kitchen, the space we have to prepare it, and most of all for my wife, who still is, wink wink, just my type.