SUGAR
Sugar weakens white blood cells' ability to destroy bacteria. (Zero teaspoons, 14 bacteria destroyed; 6 tsps, 10; 12, 5.5, 18, 2.0!)
Sugar digests too fast, as does unrefined flour, which converts rapidly to glucose, causing an overdosing of insulin, which impairs functioning for 4 hours thereafter. It impairs the functioning of the frontal lobes (and thinking!).
And it wreaks havoc on energy and how you feel. Watch this brief video (4:44): Spiking Your Blood Sugar (and its effects, including weight).
THE STORY
Barbara is working with a doctor who says he has the same problem as she does and this is the beginning of the strategies for her to be "complete" (i.e. functioning at a higher level, cutting down the number of days of feeling bad, but having good strategies and a plan in place). The doctor says he has to be superdisciplined in what he eats. He recommends, as she already knew, that she not eat more than 5 grams of carbs at any one time, as her blood sugar will react poorly. That will, at times, "wipe her out" and at other times just have her not feel so good - and she will be largely unproductive in that lower state of resourcefulness. (Read about the importance of maintaining a High State Of Resourcefulness and also The Costs Of Destabilization.)
A "WHAT HAPPENED"
This has been a problem for years - and there is another side to the story. When she has been on a low carb diet things seem to stabilize so much that she feels powerful and capable, in a higher state of being and confidence. So, she knows that it works for her. And she knows that this is a vital area to control, as we could identify it as one of her highest priority problems.
(Beware that low carb diets are dangerous and can restrict serotonin production and the feeling of well-being, plus one might miss the benefits of fruits and vegetables. It is the refined carbs that are the enemy, but one should add as much as possible of the the low glycemic vegetables, for sure, plus as many low glycemic fruits and small amounts of nuts and seeds. See Nutrition, Foods Checklist.)
THE DESIRE
She wants to have stable blood sugar so that she can gain the confidence of having regular energy and capability. She has stated her commitment orally, though she has not written it yet (using the vital practice that has been proven effective over and over and over, of increasing effectiveness by writing things down - especially using them for review and, for many people, using them as an affirmative statement of intention to repeat until it is installed.)
THE COMMITMENT
Accordingly, she has committed to, as well as she can (i.e. imperfectly, as that is what we humans do):
1. Get several books for easier reference than using the internet, for low carb eating.
2. To access low carb stores/sites to get a good supply on hand. (She likes "Questbars" - google to find out about them.) She will make sure that she does not have any "temptations" available at home.
3. Once a month on Sundays to plan meals and for contingencies, asking what are all the things that could go wrong - and then building a strategy in. She will include a strategy for when she is out and about for hours, such as always having a "Questbar" or something like that. Hopefully, she will share her strategies for others - and then we'll addend them to this piece.
4. She will buy a blood sugar monitor and actually test it, noting down how she feels and what the level is at the time, plus anything that might have influenced the results - so that she becomes highly knowledgeable and more able to manage and discriminate (differentiate, distinguish) as to what is going on.
Further, she states that she has had enough of having too many days of "being out of it"!!!!!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, REALITY
She acknowledges that this will take effort and study. (This is, of course, one of the necessary items on the guaranteed Path For A Successful Life. Using a partner who supports her and compassionately holds her accountable is also a vital piece.)
She acknowledges that she will have to organize "just the way a diabetic has to organize her life" around this reality.
