A Diabetic Talk: The American Diet

The American diet sucks. 

Everywhere temptation crawls through the minds of Americans. Fast food on every street corner, processed food flooding grocery stores and liquid sugar in cans and bottles take space in every vending machine, fridge and pantry.

It has become a problem. 

We have all taken advantage of convenience and forgotten what moderation and natural foods do to the body. 

Living in a society that throws these tempting items at us left and right — not to mention at such cheap costs — can be a struggle for diabetics. Especially college-aged diabetics who have left the comfort of mom and dad’s house and who now live on harsh budgets. 

Going to the store takes discipline.

It is so easy to buy McDonald’s forgetting the processed foods they use. Getting to the store and walking past the Cosmic Brownies and frozen dinners to the vegetables, fruits and meats can be tough. Buying the $2.68 premade brownies is such a tasty, easy thing to do, but buying the $12 package of chicken can be menacing due to our budgets and the work that goes into making it.

It feels like throughout all of life we are taught to eat a balanced diet with all the necessary food groups but surrounding us almost all the time is the opposite. In no way do I have any judgment toward people who eat unhealthy foods, I am guilty of it myself. I just wish that society put more emphasis on the importance of eating whole foods, and that it was more accessible to everyone. 

Eating cleaner can help mental health, reduce risk of disease, keep you energized and increase quality of life. But it is easier said than done. 

Now, “What does this matter to diabetics?” you may ask. 

Nutrition is everything to a diabetic’s body. Type 1 diabetics can technically eat whatever they want but it is a hard thing to do well. Processed foods go through the body very fast which leads to dramatic spikes in blood glucose levels. These are very hard to manage and can bring a lot of consequences to the body. 

While people with T1D still eat doughnuts, chips and whatever else you can think of, but it should be done in moderation and carefully. As it should by non-diabetics as well. This can be very difficult though as these sugary, processed, addicting desires are always nearby. 

Being a diabetic is a blessing and a curse. Diabetics need to grow up and mature quicker. Learning to cook and meet our food groups on a daily basis is hard in our busy lives. Having to constantly monitor what we intake takes a lot of mental control but can be good in the long run. 

We are forced to create healthy habits and be in tune with what is happening in our bodies. It is a forever hardship of passing up on sweet treats and cheap foods that us Americans are so brainwashed over.

Courtesy Luke Jackson

Write to Luke Jackson at Luke.jackson.2@mnsu.edu