Despite illness, changing diet can be for the better

Good morning, everybody, and welcome back to another Cecil’s World in Print. I was just looking at my calendar, and I cannot believe Christmas is a little more than three weeks away.
That is a great time of the year, when family and friends take time out from their busy schedules to get together for the holidays. This is the time when everyone is preparing those great Christmas dishes for the holidays. This is when I normally do my share of eating. There’s turkey, dressing, pies and cakes, just to mention a few mouth-watering dishes.
This year’s holidays are going to be a little different for me. During  a physical in November, I discovered I am a diabetic.
I am not telling you this so you will feel sorry for me; I am telling those of you who might be on the verge of becoming diabetic that life goes on.
After my physical, I went in to discuss the results with my doctor. Smiling at me, he said, “I have some good news and bad news.”
So, I said, “OK, doc, let me have it.”
He said the good news is, you are not dying. We both got a chuckle from that, but then he looked at me and said the bad news is you are a diabetic.
This hit me like a ton of bricks, and I did not know what to say. He then told me I have to change my eating habits.
Wait a minute, I am the guy on television who is always tasting and eating all of these great dishes, and you are telling me that I have to change?
No more chocolate candy, cheeseburgers, rice and potatoes. It was tough at first, but I have changed my eating habits, and I am still getting enough to eat.
Now, however, I find myself in the grocery store reading every item that I pick up. If you have never read what the products contain, you need to do so.
Some of the cereals and other products that are advertised as being good for you actually are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates.
I have to control my intake of starches, carbohydrates and sugar. Let me tell you, I never knew about all the food I used to eat that was not good for me.
I have now learned to eat plenty of salads with vinegar and oil instead of my favorite ranch dressing. I have cut down on my red meat intake and eat more fish and grilled chicken.
For breakfast, I have a couple of eggs and wheat toast with half a spoonful of peanut butter. I also have learned to cut down on my portion sizes.
You also have to snack during the day, but not what I used to snack on. It was a candy bar here, potato chips there and a burger at least once a day.
Now, it’s maybe a sugar-free cup of Jell-O, the white of a boiled egg and a small health bar. The doctor says diet drinks are OK, but don’t overindulge, so I have cut down to about one diet drink a week and have turned to drinking more water. I drink plenty of water, sometimes five to six bottles a day.
Since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I have discovered many of my friends have it, and I never knew it. If you are a diabetic, I now know what you are going through. I have made my mind up that I will follow my doctor’s orders and lower my sugar and my cholesterol levels so I can get back to normal one day and start eating a little better.
I also walk a mile and a half a day. Yes, I have lost about 16 pounds so far.
Any diabetics who might want to share some of their secrets to eating healthier, please send me an e-mail at .
Well that’s it for another Cecil’s World in Print. It’s time for my snack. I think I will have a sugar-free Jell-O. See you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.