I had my labs redone recently, partly out of curiosity and partly because another year around the sun always makes me a little more reflective about my health.
I like to check in on these numbers every so often, since blood sugar has a way of drifting quietly with age if you're not paying close attention to it.
My A1c came back at 5.2, right where it's been for years. My fasting glucose and insulin were equally perfect, which in this case is exactly what you want, a healthy range and no surprises.
What still humbles me is that this isn't supposed to be my story.
My grandmother Anna struggled with diabetes for most of her life, and so did several of my uncles and cousins.
On my father's side of the family, it wasn't the exception. It was almost a given. I watched what that did to people I loved, long before I ever started studying nutrition professionally, and it left an impression that's stayed with me ever since.
So when people ask what I do differently, I never have a single tidy answer for them.
There's no single trick or magic pill behind it.
It's really a handful of habits I've practiced for so long that they barely feel like effort anymore, plus a few supplements that have earned a permanent place in my daily routine because they've kept proving themselves over the years.
I wrote about all of it in my latest post, walking through the daily habits that have helped keep my blood sugar steady and a few thoughts on why genetics so often get blamed for things that are still within our control.
It also covers the handful of supplements I rely on, including one that's been part of my routine since the 1980s and that I'm still surprised more people don't know about.
If a family history like mine sounds at all familiar, I think this one's worth a few minutes of your time, especially if you've ever wondered whether genetics really do call all the shots.
Read the full post here!
To your health,
Ann Louise
