Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea

Coffee, Tea, and (Diabetic) Me

I promise not to make this blog all about diabetes, but you have to allow me a few posts to get it out of my system.

As I said before, I never EVER thought I would become diabetic. There is no diabetes in my family. Plenty of weight problems and other assorted issues. And we're all a little bit crazy, but there's not one diabetic in the bunch.

Hence, I barely noticed the research about coffee helping to prevent diabetes. Sadly, all the coffee I drink didn't help me. It's good news - hopefully others who love the java like I do will be heartened by it. But I'm on the other side of the percentages, the side that gets it anyway.

You now how it is when you have something on your mind and suddenly you see similar things everywhere? You're thinking of buying a new Honda and suddenly there are new Hondas all around you. Not really, but perception is funny that way.

Well all of a sudden information on diabetes seems to be everywhere. In my face.

I'll sure keep drinking lots of coffee, in hopes that it might help. But I'm also heartened by the research that shows tea is beneficial for diabetes. Yay!  A good reason to keep drinking one of my favorite beverages! 

Apparently tea, in addition to helping reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and maintaining healthy blood pressure, can improve insulin sensitivity.

"Teas such as black tea, green tea and oolong tea contain polyphenols which researchers believe may increase insulin activity." Tea & Diabetes

and

"It is believed that flavonoids may replenish the beta cells in the pancreas that Type 2 diabetes can wipe out." Best Healing Tea For Diabetes

 

Color me happy. 

Cafe & a Muff

It's a well-known fact that blueberry muffins increase your metabolism as well as endorphin levels, thereby counteracting any possible ill effect due to fat or sugar.  When eaten with coffee on a pretty plate, the effect is increased by 3.  Just so you know. :)

Chocolate Sprinkles

My nod to Chocolate Friday - low-fat sugar-free chocolate milk in my morning cuppa, and chocolate sprinkles on top!  I couldn't find the precise sugar content of a chocolate sprinkle, but sugar is the first ingredient on the bottle, so....  Well, says I to myself, go ahead, throw caution to the wind!  What harm can a few chocolate sprinkles do, fer cryin' out loud??

 

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Morning Ritual

Morning Ritual

ritual (ˈrɪtjʊəl)
the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony
stereotyped activity or behaviour
any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently: the ritual of the law

I guess my morning ritual can't be precisely defined as a ritual. It's not religious... quite. It's not formal, especially since it's usually done half-asleep. I need a better word.  What's the word that means ... something you do every day that gives you a huge amount of comfort.

My morning habit-custom-almost-ritual includes this:

Now, I don't put a LOT of sugar in my morning coffee, but I do enjoy my steamed milk sweetened. Correction -- used to.  Never did I think, not in my wildest dreams, that I would be diagnosed with diabetes and have to stop putting sugar in my coffee. 

Now that that little bit of sugar has become forbidden fruit, it begins to loom large like an obolisk, the shadow of which falls across my coffee cup darkly.

Typical.  You always want most what you can't have.  What you're not supposed to have.

 

I've had to start shopping for all things "sugar free".  I guess I'm going to have to learn to cook with splenda and Sweet'nLow.  I'm sure there are some good recipes I can try that don't taste like crap.  My dentist will be happy, I guess.  But man, how that forbidden fruit makes my mouth water now.

 

Sigh