How Lorin transformed her health
From a celiac diagnosis to discovering she had Type 1 Diabetes last year, Lorin has had to make a series of changes to the way she eats to support her long-term health.
And boy has she risen to the challenge! A creature of habit, she’s put a series of great daily practices in motion to help her manage her health conditions – with inspiring results...
Can you tell us about your health history?
The last ten years have been full of ongoing changes to my health. From my Celiac diagnosis to discovering I had Type 1 Diabetes, I’ve been learning so much about the role of food and taking good care of my body.
The truth is I’m constantly learning and adapting. There are no hard and fast rules or magic solutions and that can be hard sometimes. Celiac is a disease that always requires me to be on my A-game and that can be exhausting!
There’s been a lot of researching, testing and reviewing what works and what doesn’t, but one thing I know helps me hugely is my diet.
What kinds of foods do you find helpful?
I always include a colourful variety of nutritious fruit and veggies, with whole grains and clean meats. And I keep handy low carb, clean alternatives in my pantry. Fullgreen has new and creative ways of getting your veggies in and I love that. There’s always room for more veggies in my day and I love the convenience of the pouches, especially on busier days.
And what have you found helps to manage your diabetes?
I’ve tried A LOT of things and have a few daily practices that I swear by to help keep my blood sugars under control. This includes:
- Eating my veggies first – it really eliminates my glucose spikes.
- Exercising – fortunately for me I love to move and I find time to exercise every day. Whether it’s intense cardio or a couple of walks – exercise is a great way to help bring my blood sugars down.
- Intermittent Fasting – this is something that I’ve been testing for a while now and it really works for me. I fast from the time I wake up until around 2pm in the afternoon and it’s proven really effective at helping to eliminate the amount of blood sugar spikes I have every day.
- Following a low carb diet – I prefer to eat a lower carb diet but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy some sugar and carbs on occasion. It just doesn’t occur every day…
How important is exercise to you as part of your wider self-care routine?
My phrase for 2022 has been WHO AM I?! And a big part of that has been exploring that question through exercise. I’ve completed a half marathon and am currently focused on setting myself fresh goals in the gym – including weightlifting. I love to explore all kinds of movement as it has such a positive impact on my physical and mental health.
Can you share some of your go-to meals?
Where do I start – there are so many! I am fond of a meal plan and am constantly trying new gluten-free dishes in my kitchen. I love healthy salads, conventional classics like avo on toast but I’m also a sucker for traditional carby foods like pizza and pasta (gluten-free versions obviously) which I like to put my own healthy spin on. I’m also a serial snacker. You can always find me with filling, high protein snacks in my bag.
How have the changes you’ve made impacted your lifestyle?
I’ve learnt that food is the key to healing and thriving. I believe that food can either kill you or heal. I chose the latter. I feel so much better when I make good food choices. Living with autoimmune diseases that revolve around food can be daunting but once you learn the power of healing through food, you’ll never go back!
Follow Lorin on Instagram at @goodglutenfreegrub