How does a skinny lady get Type 2 diabetes? People looked at me & said how lucky I was. I would jokingly ask if they wanted my diseases. I had grand Mal seizures as a child. Several every month. In 1993 the epilepsy medication (valporic acid), gave me hemorrhagic pancreatitis.

At this time, I was not eating healthy. I had gained about 50 pounds within two years of arriving in North America. I am 5 feet 2 inches and went from 100 pounds to 150! I think there is a strong possibility that my bad diet at the time contributed to this as well.

With pancreatitis, I was in Intensive Care for 2 months and after multiple surgeries, a large portion of my pancreas was removed. I almost did not make it.

I lost all that extra weight. Let’s admit thats a horrible way to loose weight. 

I was told I would one day need insulin and become diabetic. At the time I was resigned to my fate. I found out later that my pancreas was still able to produce some insulin.

Post pancreatitis, our family followed the dietary teachings of Weston A. Price foundation (Nourishing Traditions). I ate organic, raw cheeses, sprouted grains, grass-fed meat, farm eggs, good fat and no processed food. We spent long hours preparing meals. I also exercised regularly and was not over weight. However, I was not strict with my diet and ate way too many carbs and sugar. 

In 2004, I was officially diabetic and put on classic diabetes drugs along with cholesterol medication as well! I was on 2500 mg of metformin, glyburide (for my diabetes), phenobarbital for my epilepsy and a statin  (which I stopped 3 months after starting it as it crippled me)

Moving forward, in 2012, I had brain surgery, which removed a cavernoma that was causing my seizures. Finally, I was seizure free!

In 2016, I was under a lot of stress and my fasting sugars went as high as 22 mmol/L  ( 396 mg/dl ). I was put on insulin with classic side effects such as, weight gain & joint inflammation. I gained about 20 pounds in 6 weeks.

The more insulin I took, the more weight I gained. Insulin did not help regulate my sugars and was not a long term solution. I was also crippled with the insulin.

Post brain surgery, I had no excuse for not dealing with my diabetes. It was time to research cures. I wanted a magic pill but quickly learnt, that does not exist. I was sure that I would end up crippled, with dementia and other diseases.

In July 2017, while on vacation, eating good foods, mostly staying away from carbs & sugars, taking my insulin and still having elevated readings, I was desperate. In searching for the cure, I put the food I was eating as I knew my diet was great.

So if I was eating all the right things, what was I not doing? I needed ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting  and very low carb diet.

I currently do tea and bone broth fasts 3 days a week for 36 to 42 hours and 24 H the other 4 days. I love it.

My fasting sugars now are between 3.7 and 5.8 and my last few AICs were at 5.4 (Down from 10.3 at its highest)!

I need insulin only if I eat late, about 4 times a month.

Here are the results: blood sugars normal, joint pain gone (I can crochet again!), the eczema that the Dr told me I needed steroids for gone, no insomnia or anxiety. My brain has a clarity it never had. I do work events where I am on my feet 14 hours and I am still standing strong.

The most amazing change has been my body strength. I could barely lift anything over 10 pounds. I can now set up huge event tents, lift weights that are over 25 lbs. That astounds me. Fat for fuel people!

I have an all organic Chai and Spice company in Vancouver, Canada (www.trudyannschai.com), and have blended healing teas for a decade now. I was always allergic to medicine so I practised healing traditions I learnt back home in India from the elders. This company was my hobby but after keto, I can really work at it.

I meet a lot of people, as I travel all over Canada and the USA to Tea Festivals. People I meet  are obese and very sick. I blend teas based on what worked for my many health issues, be it pain, anxiety, sleep issues, inflammation, nausea, digestive issues and hormonal support. It’s so gratifying to know that the herbs I use can help people get off pain medication. I survive drinking my teas while I fast. 

In places such as Kashmir they put fat and salt in their teas daily! I do the same when I fast and sometimes it feels like I am drinking broth. 

My mum, Prafulla, a retired dentist in India too started eating a ketogenic diet and normalized  her blood sugars and increased her energy levels.  She lives with me and I feed her well :D

I went back to India recently and filmed online Keto cooking classes (Trudy Ann’s Keto Masala kitchen). All I want to really do now is spread this way of life and help people heal.

I am a pretty determined human being. My gratitude is enormous that I survived.

My hope is that I can inspire you. Together lets try to heal our planet.

“Itadakimasu” Japanese phrase: “ For this food I give thanks.”

Namaste,

Trudy Ann

For more recipes and spices, please have a look at Trudy Ann’s Masala Kitchen Recipe cookbook. My cook book has lots of low carb- high fat diets along with instructions for soaking & sprouting your food.

Chai Chai x Trudy Ann

© 2017 Trudy Ann’s Chai