Breakfast Ideas for Diabetes Type 2: A Personal Story

Diabetes has been in the news lately. But I want to assure you the diagnosis doesn’t doom you to a life of drudgery. In fact, many of my clients have found even more joy in eating and cooking after their diagnosis… Funny how, with a willingness to learn and a bit of support, you can make lemonade out of lemons (sugar-free, of course!). Here’s a story you might enjoy.

Today I had a lovely afternoon teaching my 84-year-old client, Richard, who has Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), how to fix healthier breakfasts. He came to me feeling “frustrated” because his blood sugars were “all over the place,” and at times he would feel dizzy, get blurred vision, and feel so awful it was hard to get out of bed. “I can’t go on like this!” he said. Richard was diagnosed with T2D four years ago. His condition worsened this past year, though, leading to a daily insulin shot in addition to several oral medications. His doctor sent him to me last week.

I quickly found out Richard, divorced, has never cooked, eats a very simple breakfast of cereal and milk, or a croissant and orange juice, and eats out at lunch and dinner. Also, a year ago, he had back surgery which severely curtailed any physical activity: Not good, if you’re trying to control blood sugar, and most probably the reason his diabetes worsened so dramatically this past year.

How to get Richard on the road to recovery? Well, many steps must be taken, but I don’t want to overwhelm him. He is 84 after all. But, if we do things right, he may have another twenty years in him!

Last week’s assignment was to start using a pedometer and record pedometer steps, blood sugar readings, and food intake. It would be particularly important to get a blood sugar reading whenever he experienced dizziness or blurred vision, if possible, to determine if his blood glucose level was the cause.

Richard also wanted to start taking cooking lessons from me because he said “I’m lazy” when it comes to eating, and grab whatever is easy. I assured him – quite the contrary – he was NOT “lazy” but perhaps just stuck in some old habits, as we all are!

Well, at today’s second session, we’re already seeing positive results. Richard kept an excellent record which revealed many things. For one, the record showed normal, and improved, blood sugar readings on days after he was more physically active. AHA! He scores a point there.

The record also showed he was eating breakfasts which were raising his blood sugar a little too much. In fact, we found – because of his diligent record-keeping, his awful feelings coincided with high blood sugar – he suspected it was caused by low blood sugar, but he was surprised to find  the opposite was true – demonstrating what you can learn by taking readings at different times. With physical activity so limited, Richard must be more careful than someone who can exercise, about the amount and type of carbohydrates he eats, unless he is willing to take more medication (which he said he is trying to avoid). We discussed some breakfasts he would enjoy and settled on scrambled eggs with chopped onion, garlic and kale (what I happened to have in my refrigerator) smothering a slice of 100% whole rye toast or WASA hard bread. A second breakfast I demonstrated is my favorite oatmeal breakfast using rolled oats cooked in milk with nuts, fruit – and splenda (Richard’s choice) as a sweetener. Both whole rye and oats, you see, while they are carbohydrate, result in lower blood glucose reactions, so they’re an excellent grain choice, in moderation, if you have diabetes.

Richard helped me chop the onion and garlic, and strip the kale from it’s stem. He whisked the eggs. He weighed one ounce of nuts for the oatmeal. None of which he ever did in his life (no, he has never chopped an onion!). He was thrilled with the results. As was I. Frankly, I’m amazed at his fortitude, his willingness to learn, and his positive attitude. I hope I can be like that when I’m 84!

Richard’s goals this week: 1) Grocery shop with a list, or better yet, visit the Sunday Farmers Market where he’ll find free range eggs and locally grown onions, garlic, kale, cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, mushrooms, and more. This way, the fruits and vegetables will be so delicious, they’ll be more enjoyable, and more likely to be eaten, 2) Make one of the new breakfasts at least once this week, 3) Increase steps by 1,000 per day, and 4) See his doctor about his back pain and possibly, physical therapy.

I’m concerned about Richard’s physical inactivity as I fear the diabetes can only worsen unless he can become more active. I suggested seeing his doctor and getting a prescription for physical therapy to understand why he still has this level of pain one year after surgery. His quality of life will improve quickly if he can walk more and his diabetes will improve dramatically, but I believe he’ll need PT, acupuncture, and/or further medical treatment to do it. My motto is: Do whatever it takes and never give up! I’m glad Richard agrees.

There will be more steps for Richard to take but he is well on his way, and I’m so happy to be part of the process!