So you're gonna swap out "drunk" with "alcoholic" are ya. Fair point, and I knew you were going to go there. 😉 Hypertension is a better analogy. By the way, I'm one of those former drunks/alcoholics. I haven't had a drop in about 2 years. Don't miss is at all. So am I still an alcoholic? AA would say I am. I don't see it that way, as I don't have any symptoms that would suggest it. Regardless, what got me worked up is when I heard that a doctor told a patient, "Once a diabetic, always a diabetic." This was then shared with a person who was just diagnosed with pre-diabetes. It implies there's nothing you can do to potentially reverse it. Not the case at all.

My rudimentary understanding of diabetes is that, initially, it's not a matter of the pancreas making insulin. It's likely pumping out what it should, but our body becomes insulin resistant. Insulin's ability to do its job of storing excess glucose is diminished, resulting higher blood glucose. To improve insulin sensitivity, diet, exercise and sleep appear to be the Rx.

With regard to diet, one thing I've learned is the different way that our body metabolizes fructose vs. glucose. In general, gram for gram, fructose is 7 times harder on our body (liver) than glucose. Fructose is an undisputed devil. And where does it come from? Certainly fruit and, to a lesser extent, veggies, but it's mitigated for the most part by the fiber in those food. The primary evil is sugar and all of its derivatives. And we can't forget about fruit juice, where we get blasted with all of the fructose and none of the fiber. You probably already know all this stuff, as you've been on this path longer than me. Sorry to be so long-winded.

I do eat a fair bit of carb (132 today). But included in that is a bunch of fiber (48 grams), and no added sugar. The only sugar I eat is a little fruit, some veggies and a gram or 2 inherent in whole oats and nuts. And, no, it was not apple pie/cinnamon strudel oatmeal or chocolate covered nuts. Today, my body tolerates the carbs just fine. Probably won't be that way forever. When the time comes that my body is struggling, my diet will change.

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