Day 6: Tuesday and Session 2

Cereal and fruit for breakfast for me. We have delicious Satsuma Mandarin oranges in our yard. I peeled two for he and I for breakfast. Phil easily says he doesn't eat fruit for breakfast. "I eat oranges all day", he says, "but not for breakfast". I ate two oranges with some plain Greek yogurt.

I was beginning to realize that if we are going to make this change, it is going to need to be slow. The "one vegan meal per day" plan was already not working.

That evening I attended Session 2, where we were reminded to evaluate the purpose of our lives, determine how hard we want to live a long, healthy life, and work to make the necessary changes. It is well-known that a large majority of people with diabetes  die of heart disease, that can be stopped and even reversed by dedicating yourself to a vegan diet and healthy lifestyle.

I have heard the word epigenetics, but never have thought to apply it. Tonight I finally heard it. Epigenetics are the lifestyle issues that complicate or "wake up" our genetic tendencies to develop diseases, like diabetes. It made so much sense, and helped me think of how we can make these changes slowly, but in an easy way that will become a part of our lifestyle.

Exercise. What I really learned today was that exercise after eating helps to regulate your blood sugar and prevent it from rising fast after meals, then dropping as we get the sugar-low an hour later. I am going to try to move around after each meal, which is really not so hard for me, but very challenging for Phil. For a man who has never prescribed to an exercise routine, changes like these are like moving mountains. 

At class, we sampled Overnight Oatmeal and Cashew Date Waffles. Again, it reminded me of the value of having seeds and grains handy. It sure makes following through with recipes much easier. Fruit is my issue, though. We are so blessed to be able to eat fresh, home grown fruit and vegetables most of the year. I did have to go to the store and buy blueberries and raspberries that were a added to the oatmeal prior to serving.

Note about the Overnight Oatmeal. It makes a lot. Phil refused to try it and it only lasted a few days, so I had to toss out about half of it. Next time, I am making half the recipe. I have not made the waffles, yet. They require raw cashews and I have had trouble finding them in my local grocery store.