This is Food.

Last Monday, Karen at the Bitter-Sweet Diabetes Blog proposed that this week be Diabetes Blog Week.  She assigned topics for each day and, at last check, almost 100 diabetes bloggers are participating (how cool is that?!).  You can find the full list of participants here.  I’m hopping on the Diabetes Blog Week bandwagon a bit late.  I blame getting my wisdom teeth extracted and being in a Tylenol 3/Amoxicillin induced haze for the past few days (everything went fine, by the way).  Today’s prompt is about food and, in Karen’s words, is described as follows:

To carb or not to carb. Today let’s blog about what we eat. And perhaps what we don’t eat. Some believe a low carb diet is important in diabetes management, while others believe carbs are fine as long as they are counted and bolused for. Which side of the fence do you fall on? What kind of things do you eat for meals and snacks? What foods do you deem bolus-worthy? What other foodie wisdom would you like to share?

Food.  Where do I even begin with this one?  In some respects, food is what I am.  Who I am.  It isn’t the only element that shapes me but it certainly plays a significant role.  And not just because diabetes and celiac force me to analyze and double check every single bit of sustenance I consume.  No, it’s much bigger than that.

Rinsing the dirt from a freshly pulled carrot, removing a caterpillar from a vibrantly green leaf of lettuce, rubbing my hands in my thyme plant and breathing in that heady, flavourful aroma.

This is food.

I like to savour.  I like to slow.  I like to support local, ethical and sustainable food choices.  I like to experiment.  And I love groaning with gustatory pleasure.

Homemade vanilla bean pudding.  Minted mushy pea and braised leek risotto.  Red quinoa and chickpea salad.  My very own, homemade, multi-grain, gluten-free bread (the result of a dozen tweakings, reworkings and slight variations of flour combinations).  Broccoli and white cheddar frittata with sautéed chard.

This is food.

In my kitchen, I have a shelf of cookbooks and culinary reference texts.  My three most-read guides are 1) Calorie King.  The go-to reference for all things carbohydrate content. 2) The Flavor Bible.  I just can’t get enough of this book.  It’s like a grown-up, foodie version of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.  3) The Food Lover’s Companion.  Where else can you learn the subtle differences between hominy, cornmeal, corn flour and masa; that “the firm fleshed rockfish is suitable for virtually any cooking method”; or that celery seed comes from a wild celery, mostly found in India, called lovage?

Growing up on the old exchange system, carbs were the controlling factor in my diet.  The meal plan I followed throughout most of my grade school and high school years is ingrained into my memory.  All food was referred to in terms of “starches,” “milks,” “fruits,” “proteins,” “fats,” or “extras” and each of these monikers had its associated, coloured symbol (brown square, blue diamond, etc., etc.).  Like clockwork, my meals would follow the same basic outline every single day.  For breakfast, two starches, one fruit, two milks.  For lunch, the same.  For dinner, three starches, two fruits, two milks.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.

At the time, I didn’t mind.  It was just how things were done (and, as a bonus, it forced me to eat a balanced diet).  However, when carb counting came into fashion in the late nineties, freedom came with it.  Carbohydrates are still a critically important factor in my diet, but they are no longer a controlling one.  The food I consume is so much more than a diabetic requirement.

Oh, I count my carbs with (as much) precision (as possible) and there are times when I’ll skip dessert because I’m running high or chug back a warm juice box because my sugar is dropping.  There are foods that I avoid at certain times of the day (I’m a lot more carb sensitive in the morning) and foods that I avoid at all times of the day (see: anything containing gluten).  I have a list of indulgences that require a “bolus-and-a-half” (including, ironically enough, my sugar-free syrup) and I save certain foods for “sometimes” treats (my homemade, sugar-filled strawberry jam, for example).

Despite all this, the incessant numbers and measuring and counting are secondary to the fact that food brings me pleasure.  Food fills me with love.  Cooking and sharing meals with the people I care for is one of my favourite things.  I guess that explains why, on my birthday, my husband and I were mad enough to fill our living room with multiple tables, placed end-to-end, and cook a three course dinner for ten of our friends in our teeny, tiny, pint-sized kitchen…without a dishwasher.

While knowledge of food is central to the good management of my diabetes and celiac, to me food is so much more.  It sustains me and inspires me, and one of the ways I show my love for those around me is through food.  When it comes to diabetes, this online community plays a key role in helping me stay sane (well, most of the time).  For that, I thank you.  If I could, I’d cook the whole D-OC a beautiful, healthful, delicious meal…and I wouldn’t even ask for help with the dishes.

The From Scratch Era

I am excited to announce that, this Friday, I am launching a new feature at My Favourite Number, a weekly posting that will explore and celebrate the joys of buying seasonal, fresh and local food, of trying new things and of cooking and baking gluten-free.  “The From Scratch Era” will be, in one simple word, a celebration.  A celebration of healthful eating. A celebration of creating and experimenting.  A celebration of being active and involved with food and of making a mess in the kitchen.

The From Scratch Era is a collaborative project between my husband, Daniel, and myself.  The inspiration for this new endeavour comes from how we spend many of our free moments (and how we spend much of our pocket money).  As a family, we love to be in the kitchen.  We love to try new flavours.  And we love to eat great food.

When I’m not writing, reading or editing, and when Daniel’s not composing, grading or sitting in class, the majority of our time is spent with food.  Every weekend, we visit local farm markets and purchase freshly laid eggs, picked-that-morning produce and island-raised, free range meat.  We cook. We bake. We peel. We purée. We chop. We dice. We whisk. We pour. We simmer. We sauté.  And then, we grab our forks, delve in and, more often than not, groan with gustatory pleasure — even when things don’t turn out quite as we’d initially imagined.

Good food is such an important part of living a healthful life and, as a person with both type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, I can not overemphasize how monumentally important healthy food choices are in my day-to-day living.  This is not to say that I don’t enjoy cookies and chocolate and ice cream (believe me, I do!).  But, I also strongly believe in balance and moderation.

Each Friday, the From Scratch Era will celebrate a single culinary topic, something that Daniel and I have been exploring during the week — a specific dish or baked good, a seasonal vegetable or fruit, or a recently tried cooking methodology.  We may also stray slightly from the “from scratch” path and promote cookbooks that we enjoy or great, gluten-free products that we discover.

All in all, the From Scratch Era will be a celebration of great tasting and gluten-free food made with care and made with love.

We hope that you will — as we have — find joy in the From Scratch Era.  We hope you will take inspiration from this new venture and be inspired to get into the kitchen and get some dishes dirty.