The Experiment Began...

For several years now, after being diagnosed as being diabetic, I've had blood tests to measure my fasting blood glucose and A1c every three months. In October 2009 my doctor said that if my A1c didn't improve by the next blood test in January, she was going to increase my medications for diabetes. I decided I didn't want that.

After reading Going Against the Grain I decided to do an experiment on myself. For three months I wouldn't eat any grains or legumes, AND I wouldn't take any iron pills--even though my doctor had told me to increase the amount of iron I was taking from one tablet a day to additional 2-3 pills a week in order to increase my hemoglobin and hematocrits. I didn't ask or tell my doctor about my experiment. I decided that if it worked, that would be great, but if it didn't make a difference I'd be taking more meds.

Starting in November the experiment began. At first it was rather daunting because like so many people, I was used to eating oatmeal, toast, pastries, and so many other foods that were made from wheat flour. I'd been indoctrinated with the philosophy that eating whole grains in breads, cookies, etc. was good for me and my health, and I was careful to be sure to do so. Brown rice, barley, organic whole oats were all part of my daily regular diet. Figuring out how to eat without all those staples in my diet gave me pause.

The good news is I love eggs, fish, meats of most kinds, fruits and vegetables. I also love potatoes in all their forms: hash browns, baked, mashed, French fries, scalloped etc. However, I know that as a diabetic I need to avoid potatoes. I confess that I did a "test" and ate potatoes several times during November and then measured my blood sugar. Sure enough, the results showed that potatoes created a spike in my blood sugar that I did not want. No more potatoes...

One day during this time frame I had a hankering for one of my favorite breakfasts: chicken fried steak with gravy. I went to my favorite restaurant for breakfast and enjoyed it for about 15 minutes! Suddenly I got a stomach ache, and that stomach ache lasted for a couple days. Wow! It was a wake up call that something is going on with my body when I eat gluten.

So, what did I eat during my experiment??? Meats, vegetables, fruits--fresh and dried apricots--fish, nuts (no peanuts since they're legumes), and dairy. I made one of my old favorite desserts for the first time as an adult, Danish almond cookies which are made of almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. They are sweet and go great with a cup of coffee. They didn't raise my blood sugar! I also found a great recipe for cheesecake that had no flour in the cheesecake itself, and I didn't make any kind of crust for it so it was totally gluten free. I totally enjoyed these treats and shared them with others. In addition, I dug out an old recipe for an almond tart that I'd made many times, but it contained a little flour. I decided to make it and substitute almond flour for the wheat flour and see how it turned out. It was great!

After three months of eating this way: meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy, I went for another blood test and the subsequent doctor's visit. My first question was about my A1c: it was within the normal range for the first time in years!
I then asked about my iron levels (remember I wasn't taking any iron supplements), and it, too, was within the normal range!

The only thing the doctor was concerned about was my calcium level. It was 0.1 higher than it should have been. I then realized that what I had learned about phytates hindering the absorption of iron, calcium, zinc, and magnesium, was really, REALLY true. I've been taking calcium supplements for years as per my doctor's recommendation, and I hadn't cut back on the amount I was taking. She asked me how much I was taking, and I told her that I was taking as much as she'd told me to take: 2 tablets a day. She said to not take any for one week, and then just take one tablet a day after that.That's what I've done.

I was ecstatic when I left the doctor's office that day. I resolved to continue to eat grain and legume free. It is working for me, and my experiment seemed to prove that what the writers of the books I read said is true.

More about this journey later...