What to Eat?

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, so please consult with your healthcare provider before making any major changes to your diet or lifestyle—especially if you’re dealing with a significant health condition like diabetes.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve experimented with a variety of diets, including Paleo, High Protein, and Mediterranean, all with the goal of controlling my blood sugar and stabilizing my weight. My current approach focuses on a plant-based (vegan) or pescatarian diet, with an emphasis on low sugar and low-carb meals. My weight has fluctuated in the past, peaking at 178 pounds, but I’ve successfully maintained a stable 150 pounds for years. My A1C has also stabilized at 6.9 over the last seven years.

If you’re diabetic, aiming for better heart health, or looking to gradually lose weight, I strongly recommend incorporating a daily exercise routine and consider these dietary changes:

Key Principles:

1. Avoid processed and unhealthy foods.
   Stay away from white flour, sugar, foods high in saturated fats, and heavily processed items. When reading ingredient labels, if you see a bunch of unrecognizable words, the food is probably overly processed.
   Fruits can still be part of your diet, but some (like bananas or grapes) can spike blood sugar. I personally stick to low-glycemic fruits like blueberries, raspberries, and Korean apple pears.
2. Pay attention to the Glycemic Index (GI).
   The Glycemic Index is a useful tool for understanding how different foods impact your blood sugar levels. High-GI foods—like pizza, spaghetti (made with white flour), white rice, and white bread—are best avoided. Opt for whole wheat alternatives (unless you have an allergy).

Why Vegan or Pescatarian?

Dairy can have a significant impact on blood sugar, so I’ve cut out milk and ice cream in favor of unsweetened almond or coconut milk. Red meat and chicken, high in saturated fats, also contributed to my elevated blood sugar.
I follow a vegan/pescatarian diet, reserving meat for special occasions like holidays (and yes, I do love a slow-roasted prime rib or grilled rib-eye).
Vegan food options have improved a lot in the last decade, so I’ll share some of my favorite products below. While some are processed, I only consume them occasionally.

Healthy Alternatives for Your Current Diet:

1. Sugar Alternative: Stevia & Monkfruit are all natural and used for a very long time in asian countries. Keep in mind that some people who have very sensitive taste buds do get a funny after taste with stevia. I don’t think it affects a large number but some just don’t like stevia. Stevia is becoming more popular in USA over the past 5 years. I am not a fan of sugar substitutes like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and xylitol. Do your own research and check out the possible side effects. Check out my favorite Stevia here.
2. Spaghetti Squash:
   Instead of traditional pasta, I use spaghetti squash—it’s inexpensive and easy to prepare. Another good option is Banza pasta, made from chickpeas, which tastes and feels a lot like regular pasta. You can make so many dishes with this as the base. Add shrimp, read sauces, olive oil/garlic, lemon, etc and it makes a tasty meal.
   Check out Banza pasta here.
3. Vegan Chicken:
   My favorite vegan “chicken” is Gardein’s Ultimate Vegan Spicy Chick’n Fillets. They’re available at Target for about $8.50 for 3 patties, though I usually grab them when they’re on sale for $6-$7.
   Find Gardein fillets here.
4. Pizza:
   If you have to indulge in pizza, I recommend the thin crust from Safeway—it’s not gluten-free, but it satisfies the craving. You can pile on toppings like olives, tomatoes, extra sauce, vegan cheese, and onions. Ideal pizza would be thin whole wheat crusts. I can’t seem to find one so we settled on this one from safeway.
   Check out the Safeway pizza here.
5. Beef Alternatives:
   I don’t have a great substitute for beef, but I would steer clear of Beyond Beef and Impossible Burgers. Despite being marketed as plant-based, they contain nearly as much saturated fat as regular beef burgers.
6. Breads: My favorite bread is Inked Keto Bread, which I get at Costco for about $3 per loaf. It has only 1 net carb per slice, but a word of caution: despite the low net carbs, I’ve noticed that it can still raise my blood sugar. The body processes fiber differently for everyone, so even though it’s better than white bread, it’s not a perfect solution.
   Check out Inked Keto Bread here.
7. Accommodating High Carb meals: Look nobody can be 100% discipline on diet. Hell, several times a week I will eat the Costco Almond Croissants (best value @ $2 each). The way I accommodate this is I take 1 Tbl of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar during or right after the treat. This will help lower my blood sugar after eating something naughty.

My Favorite Meal: Lunch

Lunch is my favorite meal of the day, and I almost always stick to a vegan or pescatarian option. When I’m not traveling, my go-to meals are a fresh salad with grilled eggplant or a tuna salad sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and avocado.
Avocados are high in fat, but it’s the “good” kind of fat, so I try to have at least one whole avocado per day.

Seafood Favorites:

I love seafood—it’s a key part of my pescatarian diet and helps me manage my heart health, weight, and blood sugar levels. My go-to options are lobster, crab, shrimp, salmon, sea bass, and cod. I’ll share some of my favorite seafood recipes in a future blog post!