Type 1 Diabetes and Real Food

Colin is 15 years-old and enjoys drumming and writing. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 7.  In this essay Colin shares his perspective on his journey from fast food to real food.

Type 1 Diabetes and Real Food

I’ve had people ask me before: “Is it hard to eat the way you do?”  The answer is easy. No, it’s really not. Of course when I’m in Fry’s and there are mountains of signs, ads and candy calling my name, it may get a little tempting. But it’s never hard. I love the way I eat. And I can tell my body does too.

When I wake up, I will often look in the two fridges to find something to eat. I have a multitude of foods that I cannot imagine living without. And that’s approximately 5 years after believing I could NEVER even IMAGINE consuming even the smallest bites. I ENJOY having what I have.

Of course, it’s not an easy transition from consuming mountains and boatloads of fast and processed food to now looking forward to the day of the week when I can get my fermented almond butter and raw milk. Along with the two bags of Cherry Berry Blend with heavy whipping cream on the side – but I digress. It takes time. But with that time comes a healthier brain, body, and lifestyle. You just feel better all around. It was not too long ago that my closest friend had some unpleasant food at a restaurant and came to my house to sleep over, only to go back to his house from the streams of food emitting from his stomach. Apologies for the unpleasant picture.

But that certain scenario reminds me of me not too long ago – before moving out of our house, before Arizona, before the “diet”. It was very rare that I wasn’t in the bathroom, or next to my parents’ bed with a bucket at my side. Cold sweats, going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and calling from school on the rare days I was even there. Then we started GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), and it changed everything. I was feeling better, I was in a more positive mood during the day, and I could be outside and ENJOY it. I was feeling BETTER.

And yet all of these scenarios and stories and facts are what I USED to be. I am not what I used to be. I just recently started going to the gym. I am now able to exercise and go a long time without eating (which on occasions is not good to do- but still).

So is eating healthy easy? Yes and no. The process of doing it may not be the easiest, but the reward is worth it. You may still be wondering, “If the process is hard, then why is it worth it if all you’re going to get is some more energy and be able to do a little bit more?” This is a valid point, but I believe that life is not about the destination, but about the walking in between -which is all that is important.

Just in case you’re interested, here are 2 of my recipes:

• Cauliflower Stir Fry
• Avocado Ice Cream Cake

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