I’m at that point in my pregnancy where the medical system insists on glucose testing – to rule out gestational diabetes. Most women drink this nasty, super sugary drink, called Glucola, then sit in the office for an hour and get their blood drawn. I will NOT participate in this.

With Little Man, I talked with my OB, and we agreed that I would eat a banana and drink a bottle of apple juice, then do the blood test. All was good until the nurse walked into the room with the bottle of orange sugary syrup. I took one look and said “Nope,” and started crying. The nurse said “But you’re here for your glucose test. You have to take this.” I walked to the door and opened it, “Go find my OB, take a look at my chart. It’s written in there that I am not drinking that crap; that I’m instead eating a banana and drinking apple juice.” She walked out, found the OB, who I overheard chastising the nurse, then came back. “Fine, you can do this. But you’re supposed to have a larger banana and more apple juice than this.” At that point, I threw everything into my bag and went to walk out, saying “This is what the doctor and I agreed on last month. It’s in my chart, which I know you saw. I would not have showed up with the wrong thing.” Her shoulders slumped, and she let me ingest what I had brought. Then the hour long wait began – and no, I couldn’t even drink any water, which REALLY sucked, after all that sugar.

I had no issues. I’m one of the rare pregnant women who doesn’t like anything sugary or sweet. If I do have something, I’m so dang sick after, except for dark chocolate. Just looking at sweets turns my stomach, so I just avoid them as much as possible.

This pregnancy, I broached the subject with my midwife early on about the glucose testing. “At Mayo, you have to drink the Glucola or prick your finger for two weeks,” I was told. So, this week, I started my finger pricks. Three times a day, for 14 days. I won’t have any issues with gestational diabetes, again. My numbers are nice and low; not too low to be concerning, but nowhere near where the average person is, and very far from being a gestational diabetic.

I have to tell you, after doing the first stick, I sat back and just thought about all the adults with Type II Diabetes out there. I have family members with Type II, as does Squatch. And I know for a fact that they don’t regularly test their blood sugars. Nor do they watch their diets to regulate the amount of sugars and carbs (which are actually sugars) they ingest on a daily basis. Yet, they are always complaining about all of their ongoing health issues, and new problems that seem to spring up left and right.

In today’s day and age, there is no reason to NOT take care of yourself. Hell, I know people who were diagnosed as pre-diabetic and diabetic who have reversed those diagnoses through diet alone. Yes, it is true and can happen, regardless of what you hear out there.

But, as I sat there thinking, I went down the rabbit hole. I’m eating carnivore this pregnancy – meat and eggs. Very rarely do I have something that is neither of those two options. I did have a small slice of birthday cake last Sunday, and another on Tuesday night as I was slicing up the remainder to freeze and bring down to Illinois when we visit family later.

You know the best part of the carnivore lifestyle? NO CRAVINGS. I did have a craving for ice cream last week, and after talking with some fellow keto/carnivore pals, realized my body was telling me I need more fats. So…a spoonful of peanut butter later I was feeling A TON better. I am one of those people though, with A TON of self-restraint. I see a delicious looking BBQ Chicken pizza, and as much as I start drooling over the way it looks and smells, I can walk away. I’m also not hungry throughout the day.

On a normal day, I eat breakfast and lunch, nothing else. Breakfast is always meat and eggs: sausage links or patties, ham steaks, etc. Lunch could be burger patties (with pickles and primal ketchup), pork loin, pork chop, a bowl of taco meat, or ground beef bowl seasoned with whatever I’ve a taste for, steaks…I eat until I’m comfortably full. On the rare chance I’m a tad peckish around dinnertime, I’ll eat some cheese cubes, or have that spoonful of peanut butter. If Little Man is having pizza for dinner, I’ll eat the cheese and sausage from it (he doesn’t like them right now). But that’s it. I drink water all day, and will supplement with electrolytes once or twice a day. The electrolytes are great first thing in the morning, and around dinner time.

But I look at this, and see how Squatch and I are making healthier choices for ourselves, and how we are starting to get Little Man on the same track. And I know that this is how we reduce the medical interventions in our lives. This is how we avoid the diabetes, heart problems, liver and pancreas and gallbladder issues. We eat properly, and listen to our bodies. I take a spoonful of local honey every morning to help with my allergies (which have been HORRIBLE this spring, as has my asthma along with it). I will put some rosemary or eucalyptus essential oil in the shower to help clear out my sinuses and lungs. I recently planted comfrey, and hope it takes root so I can make my own comfrey salve for scrapes, bruises, and sore muscles. The more freedom I can get from the modern medical system, the better.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are times when we need to go to hospital and see a doctor. I’m planning on a repeat C-Section for Baby Bug, based on family history, my history, and baby’s growth. Broken bones, sure, we will go to hospital. Heart attacks and strokes, yes, we will go to the doctor. But there is no need to go in for every bump, bruise, scrape, cold, flu, etc. If I’m having issues breathing, I will call and get in to see just what is going on, once I’ve established that it is not something I can remedy at home or with my rescue inhaler. There is a time and a place for medical intervention, but I am a firm believer in doing the best I can for myself and my family, by watching what we eat, being active, and spending as much time as we can outside.

So, if you are trying to get a handle on your medical matters, take a look at your diet…it’s as simple as that.