Getting serious about my health…

When was the last time you had a full work-up of your blood…like, REALLY looked into what was causing some tiredness…checked to see if there was anything else going on besides just burning the candles at both ends?

With my extra weight, constantly being fatigued and various other complaints I was dealing with, I’ve been back and forth to the doctor over the last while and a few weeks back we ran some blood work to see if there was anything ominous going on. While we found a few things…and we’re running some more tests and waiting for a specialist appointment, I can say that I don’t have diabetes!

I gotta admit…I think it’s what I assumed. I come from a family of folks who deal with diabetes and based on the Man Behind the Curtains blog post I wrote in November, I’d poked around the My Heart Matters website learning about type 2 diabetes and heart disease and was checking off quite a number of boxes about my own health…which is what led to me wanting to find out what was causing all of this tiredness to begin with.

(Plus…that Man Behind the Curtains, my dad, had a mild stroke just before Christmas so our entire family is on high alert about our health at the moment. Research shows that while 93 percent of Canadians with type 2 diabetes feel they are knowledgeable about their disease management, one in two don’t know their diabetes alone significantly increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke…and I have to say, I had NO IDEA that Dad’s diabetes put him at higher risk of a stroke.)

At 50…I’m starting to worry about my heart. Studies show that people with diabetes may develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than people without diabetes…so it was time to get real and we started with running a full blood analysis to check where I was and what needed to be done.

While I don’t have diabetes and my blood work showed that a few of the things I was worried about are fine…I do have a few things going on and need to take better control of my health and I think that for me, it starts with eating better! I need to lose some weight in order to have more energy to enjoy each day.

Knowing I’m going through a few health issues that are getting sorted out, my friend dropped off a few healthy dishes for me to try and I was BLOWN AWAY by a soup she made that’s super easy, healthy and it tasted fantastic. I had it straight out of the bowl, but it could easily be served over rice or used as a veggie side dish with your main meal.

Delicious Bean and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
2 tbsp butter/margarine
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 can chick peas – not drained
1 small can kernel corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can Hunts diced Fire Roasted tomatoes
1 cup spinach
2 diced carrots
3-4 cups of broth
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp curry
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop 1 medium onion. In large pot, sauté chopped onion in butter/margarine. Once softened, add garlic. Sauté for a few mins.
2. Dump in chick peas, corn, black beans, tomatoes, carrots and broth. Add spices.
3. Bring to a boil and then simmer until carrots are soft, adding more broth until it’s the consistency you like!

It’s SUPER DELICIOUS and healthy no matter what ails ya!

With everything that’s been going on with Dad and the way I’ve been feeling these last several months, I need to focus on a few of the things I have control over in order to try my best to live a healthier life. I know hereditary factors have an impact…but there’s still a lot I can do, including eating healthier, moving more, reducing stress and getting a good night’s rest.

If you have type 2 diabetes and are wondering about your heart health, visit www.myheartmatters.ca to find out more. If you’re wondering about your health at all…head to the doctor and run the blood work to see if there’s anything going on that you need to start managing.

And…since I know you’re wondering about my dad…he’s doing well. He’s on the long road to recovery but is getting better daily. He spent the holidays in the hospital and then a few weeks in rehab to help with some of the side effects from his stroke, but he’s home now and continuing on his healthy journey., We recently celebrated his 75th birthday…and what an absolutely wonderful celebration it was! We are counting our blessings.

Disclaimer: This content was sponsored by the Boehringer Ingelheim-Lilly Canada Diabetes Alliance. As always, opinions are my own.