No Food at the Food Summit??

This past week I was scheduled to speak at an International Food Summit about plant based diets and diabetes.  My session was scheduled between breakfast and lunch.  So, with a breakfast meeting for speakers set up prior to the presentation and lunch provided after my talk I thought I was all set for food until dinner. Surprises are often the case with diabetes, and I was in for two.Our breakfast was a serve- yourself buffet which included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and sweet rolls…period. Hmm, sweet rolls as my first carbohydrate of the day? Thank goodness I brought a fiber granola type bar in my purse! Having a breakfast alternative stashed away gave me options for better blood glucose management, and a healthier choice for my first meal. Ironically, the breakfast was sponsored by the soybean board, and an hour later I was speaking on the benefits of a plant based diet!Lunch was not any better for me that day. That menu offered a choice of heavily sauced pork or chicken with a mountain of mashed potatoes and sprinkling of green beans as sides. As I thought about the limited options I scanned the table and noticed some mini glazed cakes on the table, obviously our dessert.  It was time to prioritize. Believe it or not, I said my goodbyes to the facilitators of the meeting and left to go eat at a restaurant where I could find the best food choices for my health (and a tasty lunch after a granola bar breakfast).Eating out definitely can be a challenging, but is often a part of our lives. And prioritizing our dietary choices in circumstances like this is one of the hardest things we face if we’re going to do effective diabetes management every day.  One defense is to plan ahead so we are prepared. In this scenario at the Food Summit breakfast I made sure I was carrying other food choices to fill in any gaps for healthy food choices and glycemic control.  It was a priority for me to eat a healthy meal and to keep my blood sugars in check, especially with an important public appearance just an hour away. I could not help but wonder how many attendees with diabetes (it’s one of every three of us remember) simply ate what was offered.The lunch was more tempting, and I could have made some educated guesses about sauces. But I was leaving anyway, so I chose to find better choices elsewhere. The hotel restaurant, it turns out, had the most fabulous tuna topped salad I have ever had.I truly love opportunities to enjoy great food someone else prepared, and never take the granola bar alternative without regrets for the meal that could-have-been. That’s what prioritizing often amounts to, however. We make the most important choice even when we regret having to do so. Sometimes, we get the granola bar, but sometimes we find exactly what we wanted in the first place. In either case, it’s our health that wins.This past week I was scheduled to speak at an International Food Summit about plant based diets and diabetes.  My session was scheduled between breakfast and lunch.  So, with a breakfast meeting for speakers set up prior to the presentation and lunch provided after my talk I thought I was all set for food until dinner. Surprises are often the case with diabetes, and I was in for two.Our breakfast was a serve- yourself buffet which included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and sweet rolls…period. Hmm, sweet rolls as my first carbohydrate of the day? Thank goodness I brought a fiber granola type bar in my purse! Having a breakfast alternative stashed away gave me options for better blood glucose management, and a healthier choice for my first meal. Ironically, the breakfast was sponsored by the soybean board, and an hour later I was speaking on the benefits of a plant based diet!Lunch was not any better for me that day. That menu offered a choice of heavily sauced pork or chicken with a mountain of mashed potatoes and sprinkling of green beans as sides. As I thought about the limited options I scanned the table and noticed some mini glazed cakes on the table, obviously our dessert.  It was time to prioritize. Believe it or not, I said my goodbyes to the facilitators of the meeting and left to go eat at a restaurant where I could find the best food choices for my health (and a tasty lunch after a granola bar breakfast).Eating out definitely can be a challenging, but is often a part of our lives. And prioritizing our dietary choices in circumstances like this is one of the hardest things we face if we’re going to do effective diabetes management every day.  One defense is to plan ahead so we are prepared. In this scenario at the Food Summit breakfast I made sure I was carrying other food choices to fill in any gaps for healthy food choices and glycemic control.  It was a priority for me to eat a healthy meal and to keep my blood sugars in check, especially with an important public appearance just an hour away. I could not help but wonder how many attendees with diabetes (it’s one of every three of us remember) simply ate what was offered.The lunch was more tempting, and I could have made some educated guesses about sauces. But I was leaving anyway, so I chose to find better choices elsewhere. The hotel restaurant, it turns out, had the most fabulous tuna topped salad I have ever had.I truly love opportunities to enjoy great food someone else prepared, and never take the granola bar alternative without regrets for the meal that could-have-been. That’s what prioritizing often amounts to, however. We make the most important choice even when we regret having to do so. Sometimes, we get the granola bar, but sometimes we find exactly what we wanted in the first place. In either case, it’s our health that wins.