Breakfast

Hello,

It has been 6 months since I became a vegan.  I must say I am feeling so much better.  Today os another day off due to the weather.  So I thought I would talk about what I can eat.  Basically this way of life is not as difficult as one would think.  Once you get your limits, your pretty much on your way.

Breakfast... This is the most important meal of the day.  I usually am eating by 7:30am because I have to take my diabetes meds.  I really like Kroger brand of Bran Flakes.  Then I get a bag of organic raisins.  I have a bowl with 2 Truvia packets and some rice milk.  I have tried the soy milk and find that the rice milk is not as thick and looks like real 2% milk.  It is also good to bake with.  Dr. Barnard suggests stevia or truvia as a sweetner.  I like truvia.  Stevia tends to have an aftertaste. He also suggests agave nectar.  It is good in tea.  I find it to be REALLY SWEET.  I guess I am not into sweet anymore.  So truvia is fine.

This morning I made vegan blueberry pancakes.  I used 2 cups of Bisquick (not milk,egg or animal fat in this), 3 tsp of Energn  x egg replacer and 4 tabl of water, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 truvia packets, 1 cup of rice milk and 1 cup of blueberries (I keep these in the freezer and measure a cup and them micro them for about a minute).  They make the best pancakes...add some earth balance soy butter and sugar free syrup..OMG.  They are so good that even my husband loves them.  They do not effect my blood sugar at all.

I also like the morning star links.  I toast 2 slices of rye bread.  Old Mill or your fav...put 4 links in the mocro for about 1-2 mins.  You have to watch them tho...too long and they get real hard.  Spread some earth balance on the bread and put 2 links on each piece...fold over and yum...the links and the rye go really well together.

Oatmeal is also great.  Dr. Barnard suggests long cooking oatmeal.  I use rice milk instead of water.  It tastes just like the oatmeal my mom use to make.  Add some bananas or strawberries yum...

I have been working on a banana bread but am having trouble getting it to cook all the way through,

That's it for breakfast.  I keep it simple.  Good luck!

How did this all start?

I became a diabetic in 1999.  My mother had died in 1998 and I guess I was so busy taking care of her following her stroke that I forgot to take care of myself.  So there I was in the medcheck with a severe yeast infection.  They took my blood sugar and it was 260.  I was overweight, had a slow thyroid, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Oh yeah and Type II Diabetic.

So I went to the diabetic classes, learned to test my blood and started walking 2 miles a day.  I did really well until I met my husband and my health just went to the back burner.  After a while you feel like all your life is nothing but diabetes.  You get tired of testing the blood and going to the doctor.  Tired of counting carbs and weighing everything.   I needed help.

Last summer I read a book called "Reversing Diabetes" by Dr. Neal Barnard.  It saved my life.  It talks about how a vegan lifestyle can put your diabetes in check.  So I started in July of 2010.  I stopped eating meat, chicken and fish.  I stopped eating Dairy and fat.  My A1C in July was 9.1.  In September it was 6.8 and in November it had dropped to 6.1.

Doctors are now saying that the A1C for a diabetic should be under 7.  I am there.

All I had to do was change what I eat.  I no longer have to measure or weigh my food.  I don't count carbs and I have lost 45 pounds.  Monday I start my exercise program...