Life with Diabetes My body doesn't tolerate abuse.  It demands the right food and proper exercise.  I always knew this intellectually, but my body proved it to me in 1993   when I started experiencing dizzy spells and  general malaise. I suspected a blood sugar problem as my father died of complications of adult-onset diabetes.  A test strip confirmed my suspicions, instantly turning black under a stream of my urine.  I set up an appointment with a physician and immediately changed my eating and exercise habits -- low-starch, low fat foods coupled with a more active lifestyle.  For two weeks, my urine continued to show the presence of glucose.   But my changed eating and exercise habits were rewarded:  I was able to bring my blood sugar level back into normal range.

Diabetes has continued to discipline my health habits.  I now weigh 130 pounds compared to 180 pounds five years ago.  Cholesterol as well as blood sugar levels have fallen.   I take no medication.   My continuing therapy includes walking and a relatively low-fat diet.  I walk two to six miles a day when weather permits.  I adhere to a largely meatless diet emphasizing non-starchy vegetables, fish, and occasional poultry.   Rarely do I eat red meat.   My major nutritional vice is red wine (which, I confess, I sometimes consume to excess), but even that is supposed to have some health benefits, researchers say.

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