I am not a doctor. I am a diabetic. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes thirty years ago at the age of 11.

I followed all the rules, becoming a spokesperson in my community for a diet rich in “healthy” whole grains as countless doctors and dietitians had recommended. However, during all of this time, I was overweight, had bad skin, and suffered from PCOS. At the height of my consumption of whole grains and despite my exercise regimen, I was 40 pounds overweight, had chronic yeast infections and low energy. I was tired and unhappy.

A random comment from a stranger caused me to start questioning the rules and doing my own research. I learned more about how my body works and made changes to my diet and lifestyle. I felt better within weeks and my health continued to improve for years to come.

I forged ahead down this path of in-depth research, experimenting on myself more and more. I lost weight, gained energy, and started seeing the best blood sugar levels I’d ever seen. But most importantly, I FELT GREAT. I was so disappointed that no doctor had ever told me these things. I know that most of us with diabetes feel frustrated. They feel shame that despite an honest effort to follow the “rules,” diabetes continues to win.

In this book, I share how to easily optimize your health by naturally enhancing the blood sugar stabilizing powers of the body, and facts I have discovered about the potential factors that may be getting in your way. I share changes I’ve made to achieve more control over my diabetes and feel better, and I encourage you to dig deeper into your own body’s needs to figure out what works for you.

I promise it will be easier than you expect and absolutely worth it. I believe you can achieve better blood sugar levels, have steady energy, improve your sleep, and feel great by making just a few changes to your daily life the way I have. Your diabetes will become easier to manage, and you will reduce your risk of future complications.