(Originally posted in Facebook on March 12, 2019)
I read somewhere, recently, that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are starting to be thought of as type 3 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile diabetes – that’s the type that seems to start mainly in young children whose bodies don’t produce insulin at all. In type 2 diabetes, your body does produce insulin, but doesn’t seem to be able to use it effectively.
And then we come to dementia. There are so many things NOT understood about what happens in the brains of dementia patients, but diet is thought to be a contributing factor. Could it really be type 3 diabetes?
We’re still trying to keep M on a keto diet – or, I should say, I am trying to keep M on a keto diet. I don’t think he’s trying, at all. He willingly eats whatever I put in front of him, but then he goes behind my back and eats whatever he wants.
Yesterday, he said something about having forgotten to put the ice packs for his lunch in the freezer, so last night, I looked in his lunch box to make sure the ice packs weren’t in there. They weren’t – but there was a whole bag of candy in there.
Now, I can’t really say much. I should be eating a healthier diet. Summer is just around the corner – and I had a bag of powdered donuts for breakfast. I know, I know. I’ve GOT to get out of the “comfort food” mindset. Somehow, walking five miles isn’t nearly as comforting as a cup of hot cocoa. With marshmallows. And chocolate sprinkles.
But let’s get back to M – I’m trying to get his BRAIN healthier. Last week, one of his brothers sent me an email with some dietary changes, like adding green tea and carrots, recommended for dementia patients. He’s onboard with the green tea, but he gave a big THUMBS DOWN to the carrots. Sigh. I guess we’ll take this in baby steps.