Lucia Starr’s initial reaction upon receiving a type 2 diabetes diagnosis was not fear but rather perplexity. She claims, “I thought I knew how to eat healthily, but all of a sudden all the rules changed.”
After receiving her diagnosis, the first grocery trip was extremely stressful. She no longer trusted foods like multigrain bread or granola. She recalls, “I remember just standing in the middle of the store and staring at labels.” “I had lost my sense of what was safe.”
Lucia had no desire to adhere to a convoluted or constrictive plan. She was looking for a manual that seemed realistic and achievable. So, based on balance rather than fear, she developed her own one-week grocery plan.
She concentrated on eating simple, whole foods that helped maintain stable blood sugar, such as fiber-rich legumes, lean proteins like eggs and tofu, whole grains like quinoa and oats, and vegetables she could roast or steam. She substituted white rice for brown rice, fresh citrous for fruit juice, and sugary snacks like raw almonds or a tiny piece of dark chocolate.
However, it was mindset that truly made the difference. Lucia explains, “I concentrated on what would nourish me rather than what I couldn’t have.”
Her energy level had increased by the end of the week, her blood sugar levels had stabilised, and she at last felt as though she was taking back control of her life, not just her plate. She now explains her approach to people with type 2 diabetes who are experiencing the same sense of confusion as she was.
“To shop well, you don’t need a nutrition degree,” she says. “All you need is a little forethought, patience, and self-confidence.”
