Type 1 Diabetes & The {Infamous} "Pill"

Alright, I know there's a lot of hate directed at the contraceptive pill, especially in the vegan/health movement, because it involves putting hormones into your body. Plus, a lot of versions of the pill contain lactose. So, it isn't exactly vegan friendly. Not to mention the increased risk of blood clots, and other undesirable side-effects such as weight gain.

That being said, as a type 1 diabetic, going on the pill has been one of the best decisions I have ever made for my health. As I became more conscientious of my blood glucose levels and gained better control of my levels through changing my diet, I realized that almost every week was different in terms of my blood sugar levels. One week, I'd have nearly perfect levels. The next, I'd constantly be low. The week after, I'd be high. The week of my period was the worst. The amount of insulin my body required would nearly double.

So, I came up with this hypothesis that taking the contraceptive pill might eliminate these fluctuations. Since the pill prevents you from getting pregnant by stablizing your hormones and hormones affect insulin requirements.

I went on the mini-pill and everything was hunky-dory. I stopped having the weekly changes in insulin requirements, and I didn't have any side effects. Since my blood sugar didn't randomly change, I was able to pretty much perfect my basal and bolus insulin. It seemed like I'd found the holy grail of diabetes management. For awhile...after a few months, I ended up with really bad spotting. So, I went off the pill. I didn't immediately go back to my GP and get a new prescription, because I wasn't so keen on the increased risk for blood clots and whatnot. I figured I'd just try going without it for awhile. I thought it might have been all in my head, and the pill wasn't making a difference.

Well, that wasn't the case. When I went off the pill, the glucose level fluctuations came back and they were even more noticeable than before. I don't think they were more severe, but I had gotten so used to the consistency. So, I was much more aware of the changes. It was so frustrating, going from having the best control I've ever had in my life to feeling completely powerless, constantly changing my basals. As soon as I figured out the right amount of insulin to take, my levels would change again.

So, I went back to my GP and got a prescription for the combination pill. I struggled a lot more when I first started taking the combination pill than when I took the mini-pill. When you google diabetes and the contraceptive pill, you'll find that diabetics will generally require more insulin when they're taking the pill. I didn't experience this when I was on the mini-pill, but I did have to significantly increase my insulin dosages when I went on the combination pill. It took awhile to figure out what the right levels were, but once I did, I was glad I stuck with it. Once again, the weekly fluctuations were eliminated, and I wasn't constantly trying to change basals. I also found that even though I significantly increased the amount of insulin I was taking, after a few weeks I was able to slowly start decreasing it until it was nearly back to what it was before I went on the combination pill.

This has nothing to do with sex. This has nothing to do with contraception. If I didn't have diabetes, I wouldn't take the pill for contraceptive reasons. I would, personally, just use condoms and chart my cycle. I don't look too favorably on the increased risk of blood clots and other side effects. But when it comes to type 1 diabetes, it's a bit of a dialectic. I can take the pill and have an increased risk of blood clots and put hormones into my body, or I can struggle to keep my glucose levels under control and be put at an increased risk for nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and constantly be nauseated/dizzy/eating junk food to bring up my blood sugar/repeatedly checking my blood sugar and changing insulin levels. Obviously, everyone's priorities, values, struggles with side effects from the pill, struggles with the effect of their cycle on their glucose levels is going to be different. But I wish that I had been exposed to stories/information about this sooner, rather than having to figure it out myself. So, I just wanted to put my experience out there in the hopes that if people with diabetes or other diseases share their stories and experiences, eventually there will be more information on different methods of management available.

Cashew Cheese {R, V, GF}

Cheese has always been my favorite food. Especially the cheese that comes on enchiladas. Oooofffttt. 

Therefore, it's only appropriate I make up a recipe for cashew cheese. While I never find faux-cheeses to be a real replacement. This is pretty dang delicious. It tastes very fancy and pretentious. I made this one up while I was trying out Raw Till 4, and was craving protein all day erryday. So, my body gave me a giant thank you card with glitter and a sound byte and everything for feeding it some of this. Plus, since it tasted very fancy schmancy, it worked really well with my figs and crackers. Which I was a bit suspicious of, to be honest. But now, I wish it was fig season again so I could get a massive tray of figs off the side of the road for fifteen bucks, and whip up this little snack.

Cashew Cheese:

• 1 cup of cashews (soaked in water for at least an hour)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (start with 1/2 and add more to taste)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Simply blend all the ingredients together in your food processor until you're satisfied with the texture, and store in a jar in the fridge.

Almond Joys {R, V, GF}

In the interest of full disclosure: I hate Almond Joys. Every Halloween, I'd sort through my plastic pumpkin full of delicious goodies, and give all those nasty, super-sweet coconutty bars to my mother. 

So, I made these fully expecting to hate them. I received some insanely delicious salted almonds from Blue Diamond Growers, and I was having trouble coming up with ways to use them (aside from shoveling them into my mouth, ten almonds at a time, because yummmmmm). But those nasty candy bars popped into my head, and I thought they'd be fun to make and my mom might enjoy them. 

Little did I know that I'd be obsessed with them. OBSESSED. I could barely muster the strength not to eat them all and share them with my mom. They're the best raw treat I've ever created, and possibly the best raw treat I've ever had (those are big words, I know). So, without further ado...

Raw Vegan Almond Joys:

• 3/4 cup coconut butter (roughly 3 1/2 cups shredded coconut blended in a food processor with 1 tbs coconut oil until it combines)
• 1/4 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons rice malt syrup
• 24 Blue Diamond salted almonds

For the chocolate coating:

• 1/4 cup cacao/cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Hot water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and form into rectangles. If it is really wet (because coconuts are really oily) and doesn't want to stick together, squeeze it in your hand until some of the excess oil drips out. Press two almonds on top of each bar. Pop in the freezer to harden.

After the bars have hardened up, mix the cacao powder, rice malt syrup and oil together and slowly add hot water until it reaches your desired consistency. Dip each almond joy into the chocolate to coat it, and stick them back in the freezer for a few hours (until the chocolate coating firms up).

Lamingtons {V, GF}

These lamingtons were the biggest pain in the butt. Seriously. I made them three times. THREE TIMES. And why? Basically because I'm a doofus. I didn't realize I was using a gluten-free bread mix instead of gluten-free flour.

They kept turning out hard and rock-like. And I just couldn't understand why. Until I suddenly read the ingredients on the bread mix packet and noticed it had things like leavening and oil. DOH. 

So, then I re-made them with actual gluten-free flour (probably a smart move, aye?) and I was quite happy with them. They aren't super sweet, because that's how I like 'em. Maybe add a bit more coconut sugar if you like them suuuppaahhh sweet. Also, I tested the texture of these gluten-free ones against a gluten-ridden one, and really they're pretty similar. These ones are slightly different, but I actually liked these ones better. They're earthier...in a good way. ;)

Lamingtons

For the sponge cake: 2 chia eggs

1 and 1/3 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tbs white vinegar

2 cups gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda (aka bi-carb soda)

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup coconut sugar

Mix 2 tbs chia seeds with 6 tbs water and let sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to make the chia eggs. Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced. Blend the chia eggs. Whisk the vinegar and almond milk together and set aside. Mix dry ingredients together. Mix coconut oil, vanilla essence and coconut sugar with the almond milk and vinegar. Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Pour into an oiled and floured baking pan and bake for 18-25 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Let cool. Remove from pan. Let cool completely before slicing.

For the chocolate coating: 3/4 cup cocoa/cacao powder

6 tbs coconut nectar

3 tbs coconut oil

apprx. 6 tbs hot water

Desiccated coconut

Mix cocoa powder, coconut nectar, and coconut oil together. Slowly add hot water until you reach your desired consistency. Dunk the sponge cake in the chocolate and sprinkle with desiccated coconut. Pop into the fridge for about an hour before enjoying. Continue to store in a sealed container in the fridge.