Tips for the JK diet

The most difficult thing for me on the diet, was the sugar part.  So this page will concentrate a lot on that.  Going on the diet really wasn't easy for me.  I used to be an absolute and total sugar junkie.   People used to talk about the amount of sweets I ate.  (I was never more that 5kg overweight though).  But I would easily push my food away, so that I could have more space for 2 bowl of pudding etc. 

Adjusting and accepting it emotionally was in a way even harder than being without sugar. I was so angry at the world and God for having to be on this diet. I even went to a support group for diabetes to try and accept the   emotional part of being without sugar. And I think that was what  changed my heart a lot. There was people to whom living without  sugar was the LEAST of their problems. They had to adjust their whole diet - be VERY stricts on many aspect - meat, fats, total  portions etc. But the worst was that diabetes could make them loose   their eyesight, and the worst for me was their blood circulation  problems. Most of them have to wear special socks (even the men), to  help with their blood circulation. Some has lost limbs (toes,  fingers etc) because of that. One lady has terrible pains in her  legs and cannot even handle her bedsheets touching her legs - so much  pain she has. She sleeps with her legs hanging off the bed because  her heels pains so much by just touching the bed. I know that other people's problems doesn't make our problems less, but to me it was  like an eye opener.  Then I started seeing myself as a diabetic (which helped with all the  questions on '' why don't you eat sugar"?) I just told them that I  was a diabetic. But somehow it helped me too. I could feel sorry  for myself for being a 'diabetic', but I wasn't as angry as I was  before. I realized that some people get born with the 'diabetic  gene', some with dormant cancer cells etc. I was born with a Trich  gene. Some diabetics get it at 50, some at 15. I got my 'cards' at 11. That was what I was dealt with. The diet helps me tremendously. That helped me in accepting to be without sugar etc. I realized that whether I was angry or not, it was in MY hands to have  urges or not. If I eat right, I don't have urges - if I eat wrong, I  have urges. So in the end, whether I am angry or not, it is in my  hands how I am going to feel the next day. I can eat a sweet, but  then I have to suffer the concequences. And up to now it has never   even been an option - the urges breaks me down completely  (emotionally), and no matter how much I want to eat that sweet, if I  compare that taste with crying the next day, it is no choice.

Oh yes, and just remember : Diabetics,  no matter how strong their faith is, don't all get miraculously  healed. Most of them (even if they love the Lord), still has to  control their diet, and even has to take insulin injections daily.  That doesn't make them weak Christians, does it?

But on a practical point, here is what helped me.

Originally, I made sure that I always had something to eat.  I took large amounts of food to work, so that I could nibble continuously.  Especially in the beginning, I made sure that I always had artificially sweetened yogurt in the fridge.  I was continually eating yogurt - when others ate cakes etc, I ate yogurt. 

Substitution - that was the answer for me as well.  Seeing myself as a diabetic, I realised how many sugar-free foods are available.  Here I have to mention that aspartame does not affect me, so I can use artificially sweetened foods,  Nutra-sweet in my coffee etc.  Here is a few things that I found very helpful:  Sucrose-free slabs of chocolate (I experimented first to see how much I could eat at a time, without being affected).  I always have some in the fridge.  You also get sugar free cookies, instant pudding, ice-cream, hot chocolate drink,  fizzy drinks etc.  Shop around!  I found that some sugar free chocolates did affect me because it is made from fructose.  Be careful of too much fructose.  The reason they use it, is because it is 10 time sweeter than sucrose, therefore they can use much less.  Be careful!  I bought a bit of fructose (it looks like normal sugar, get it in health stores), for times when I really need to put sugar over things (like pancakes etc).  I am still very careful on how much I use of that.

I started eating fruit - something I never ate!   I eat at least 2 - 3 fruits a day.  Usually a banana, apple and something else, or another banana.  (didn't know about potassium when I started the diet - I just like banana more than other fruit).  Eating this amount of fruit daily, definitely helped (over a period), to satisfy my body's need for sugar.  Be very careful of grapes and watermelon - it has a lot of fructose in it.

I bought caffeine free coffee.  Fortunately I'm not much of a coffee drinker. Be aware of tea - it contains more caffeine than coffee!!  Also don't drink Coke or diet Coke, rather TAB, which is caffeine free.   Check your medicine labels - lots of pills contain caffeine.  I had a huge problem once when I drank a 'wake-up' pill. I didn't know that it contained one ingredient only - 150mg of caffeine!  I had terrible urges without knowing why!

I had lots of dried fruit in the house, on which I nibbled.  Do be very careful though.  Raisins and dates are deadly, because of the amounts of fructose in it.  I had urges from eating it.

I was never much of an egg eater.  So when we eat something like chips, steak and eggs, I just eat more chips and leave the eggs.   Originally I didn't eat anything containing eggs.  Later I experimented and could eat pancakes, if the whole batch of dough contained one egg.   (I mix fructose and cinnamon to put on top). 

We get frozen mixed veggies here - I switched to another brand which doesn't have peas in it.

I checked the labels of EVERYTHING that I ate.   Tomato sause, porridge (like Poast Toasties),  sauses, packets of soup etc.    Literally everything.  One good thing to know is that the first ingredient specified on the label, is what is the most in the tin/box etc.  The last specified ingredient is the least of the ingredients.  (This tip I got from a diabetic support group).  If sugar is the 5th ingredient or less, it should be save for us to consume as well.  Usually the amount in the tin/box is then very small.

There are some good news for people on the JK diet, believe it or not.

That's it folks - if you need more specific info , please e-mail the team!