just thought i'd give an update on my husbands condition-- i've been preparing
zone friendly meals and snacks almost daily, and my husband has been trying his best to
adhere to the plan. he has had his difficulties as we went away to the maryland shore for
labor day weekend-- and boy was that difficult to stay in the zone-- EVERYTHING there is
either fried or in a cream based sauce.. we ate a lot of steamed seafood (and our pockets paid the
price) but it was worth the extra bucks for our health. veggies were non existent-again everything
was a potatoe or fried. and all the salads were smothered in ceasar dressing... but i had brought a lot
of fresh fruit to snack on.
in any case, his blood levels have been good-- mostly below 100- he's still taking his meds- but has a doctors appointment
this month- and we are hoping that the md gives him permission to stop his meds, to see if he can be maintained
on a healthy diet.

That's very good news, Suzanne. Thanks for the update. The longer he eats Zone balanced meals the more it will become second nature, even when trying to finding the good things to eat in the least likely places when you're on vacation. Sounds like he's doing a good job. Good luck to him for the upcoming doctor's appointment.

Great news! Hang in there, it is all worth it! (and I would rather eat the steamed seafood than the fried stuff, anyway)

@cranberry- i couldn't agree with you more- now that we have been in the zone-- fried foods aren't as appetizing.

i have 3 children- all boys (ages 10,8,6), and they have also been eating in the zone--but one day during the summer after a
day at the beach, they begged me for mc donalds-- i relented and bought them the meals of their choice-- funny enough
each one of them complained their was something wrong with the food- they each explained that it had this weird slimy
taste---HAHAHA!!! i explained to them, the difference between healthy burgers and chicken and unhealthy, they all
agreed- mcdonalds is unhealthy--and to this date (so far) have not wanted to return to the establishment.
it's amazing, how after just a few weeks of eating healthier, we can taste the difference.

i'm glad they are learning for themselves the difference in their eating habits at such a tender age.

That's wonderful that your children are learning to eat healthy and starting to understand and make those choices on their own!
Good for you!!!

Funny how things go! My kids tend to "complain" about the healthy meals that I serve them, until something happens and I get slack. Then all I hear is "is mom ok? What happened to all that healthy food?"

Suzanne,

Here's one of my recent stories that you might find helpful. http://www.zonediet.com/0/zonediet/...enting-101

Our daughter (21 last week and now mostly moved out, last of 4) used to complain, a little, about our healthy food, sometimes.
BUT, there are a few things now she won't eat or must have that are healthy.
One comes to mind is Organic milk, she will not drink anything else but organic, now.
And when we first went to 2% years ago, she fussed, now she will not drink anything else.
Although we get raw milk when we can.

Great article Sue, love it! :-)

Thanks, Sarah.

As you probably know heredity, plays a big roll.

For diet, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry, Stay away from the white stuff, white bread, potato's, sugar, white rice etc. Eat as little processed food as possible . All carbs are not created equal a white potato and a sweet potato have the same carbs but metabolize differently, check out the Glycemic Index on foods it will give you more info. Exercise, weight is a big part of it also. If it runs in your family, I don't know if you can prevent it, but maybe you can delay it. The closer to nature the food is the better. Read labels and don't go by net carbs unless your on Adkins. STAY AWAYYOUR HUSBAND FROM JUNK FOOD! I hope this helps.

One of the great things about following the Zone is that the basic amounts and the best carbohydrate foods to eat are already figured out for you. At the most, all a person might need to do is adjust amounts a little bit to fine-tune for their best hormonal response.

@ testicy--diabetes does NOT run in my husbands family. there are a few factors that could have contributed to his
illness. a few years ago, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer (a rare/fast growing kind), he received toxic cocktail
of chemo for several weeks. he has since been "healthy". we have been told that the chemo could have played a part
in weakening his organs. my husband (mark) also has obesity (over 100 lbs overweight) family history, which could
also have played a roll. and finally, marks favorite foods to eat were snacks, breads, fast food and fried foods.
so combining all of these, is most likely the culprit. but that is debateable.

since being diagnosed, i've prepared all his meals and snacks. when i put together each meal/snack with the correct
P,F,C his blood sugar usually tests below 100.
for the days, that i prepare the foods but don't put them together (mark grabs what he thinks is ok-keep in mind he
won't read any of the books), his blood sugars are elevated. although no where near his original number of 415.

Suzanne, if your husband was taking any steroids during his treatment, that might have played a role, as well.

Great job on managing his meals! I always have said that the true testimony of the effects of the Zone Diet is when a diabetic can control blood sugar by following it. In people without diabetes, there is so much subjective information to follow, but with diabetes, you have an objective measure.

Keep up the good work!

yes cat, he did receive steriods as part of his treatments.
but, again.. everything is agrumentative....depending on what study you read or which md you speak to..

but like you said... the proof is in his numbers...he is doing well. and doing his best...

Glad to hear!

Hypoglycemia has a connection, loosely, with diabetes (blood sugar) and most of the internet sites recommend a diet nearly identical to The Zone Diet for hypoglycemia...which I have had since age 20 or so. Many top US health agencies are slowly beginning to think Sears is correct in my areas. Have the whole family slowly eat your way, at least at home. AT least breakfast and dinner can be balanced in Zone proportions.

I re-read a book last night from 1988 from a mostly vegetarian publishing group who agreed with Sears on arachidonic acid. Many groups agree with many of his findings, because other scientists back up his concepts.

After the last few months, i have been mainly focusing on my husbands health..
although i have been following the zone guidelines, i haven't taken the time to check out my own health.
last week, i decided to get my bloodwork done. today was result day--

now in the past my chl was between 230's-258 (no meds given/taken)

but now it was 179
thyroid was great
hemoglobin great
sugar- 92
vitamin d- a tad low ( no surprise-- i wear sunblock religiously, with hats and coverups and rarely am in direct sunlight,
due to history of skin issues

i am so happy my chl is down!!!

and btw-- have i mentioned i am down 25 pounds!!!!

woo hooo!!!!!!

BIG congrats!