Take control of diabetes, naturally
When Holly Chakwesha moved to Canada from Zimbabwe in 2001 as a lean and fit 32-year-old mother of three, it only took one year of lifestyle changes to turn her health upside down. One year of indulging in high-fat, sugary foods, cookies and pastries, and driving around in cars and riding on buses instead of walking, created the perfect environment for disease to set in.
At age 33 she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. By then she was so “skinny you could see her bones,” and she just kept losing weight, was insatiably thirsty and constantly urinating.
“I’m sure I was running on a diabetic ketoacidosis,” a potentially life-threatening condition where there’s just not sufficient insulin to allow blood sugar into cells for the body’s energy requirements, she adds.
Having no knowledge of holistic approaches to managing Type 1 diabetes back in 2003, she began to heed the advice of dieticians, focusing on minimizing carbohydrate intake, food portioning, and restriction of certain foods.
She admits a large part of her was in denial, thinking her health condition would just change “all of a sudden,” but change only came years later, once she shifted into acceptance, then commitment and consistency, and found her health path.
“With medicine it’s a vicious cycle, and it only manages symptoms, but never gets to the root cause of the illness. You are given medication, then medication for the side effects of that medication.”
She struggled with managing weight gain caused by the insulin pump until 2020 when she really started to focus on getting back to the basics and eating as close to nature as possible.
“I wanted to know why, at the age of 33 I developed Type 1 diabetes.”
She studied holistic nutrition and became a registered holistic nutrition practitioner (RHNP) and a registered health nutrition counselor (RHNC), gaining a “fresh mindset on food as medicine,” and dispelling some of the dietary myths around diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance can be reversed through lifestyle changes, and Type 1 diabetes can be better managed, and dependency on medications reduced, by revamping your relationship with food, she says. Chakwesha is living proof.
“Having gone through the journey myself, now, as a holistic nutrition practitioner I help people balance and reverse high numbers, and feel good again by achieving optimal health through nutrition and lifestyle choices,’ Chakwesha, the Greater Sudbury resident, says.
“I lost 20Ibs just by eating the right nutrients, reduced insulin dosage by half, and my skin is glowing from inside out. I’m energetic and happy.”
People often overlook the fact that overweight and obesity are symptoms of a health condition, she adds. Over 60 per cent of Canadians share this one common symptom, which is at the root of countless health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes.
A little coaching can go a long way in setting a path to greater health and vitality. Most people not only need the support of a coach to motivate and encourage them to stay on a health path, but also need the right knowledge and tools that provide the foundation to using food as medicine in everyday life for the rest of their lives.
Top 3 steps to begin reversing type 2 diabetes
1. Awareness that something is wrong and you need change or help
2. Willingness to change your mindset and pursue the new right direction
3. Consistency to changing lifestyle needs, diligence in choosing healthy nutrition and persistence in not giving up before achieving the optimal results.
Tools for achieving optimal health
While Chakwesha’s niche is helping people manage diabetes through lifestyle and dietary changes, she also offers simple meal plans for multiple needs, including: a 7-day weight loss diet; 7-day sugar-free diet; one-pan meal plan; 7-day meal plan; 7-day leaky gut meal plan; 7-day thyroid health diet; and 7-day Mediterranean diet. Find out more here
She also offers two-month and three-month one-on-one coaching programs to help individuals get back to feeling healthy, energized and vibrant again.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call to explore how Holly can guide you on the path to nutritional health and wellbeing.
Contact Holly by email to hello@hollyholistic.ca or phone 705-586-2499 to book your free 30-minute discovery call or for more information.
