My family always ate pretty healthy. With two older brothers, there was always a lot of food around. Stew, king ranch chicken, hamburgers. But always balanced meals. We knew that veggies were good for us, fruit was always accessible, and desserts were minimal.

It was never an issue to eat a salad or mixed vegetables. I don't recall ever feeling jeopardized for not snacking or having instant access to ice cream, cookies, and cake. They were treats that we always enjoyed, but in moderation.

I never really thought about food (or don't remember it) as helping or hurting my diabetes though. It wasn't ever really about how celery is a free food, but cookies weren't. I just ate what was placed in front of me or what I found in the fridge.

Now I so often hear that foods will help my blood sugars or reduce my complications. And I do buy into some of it. I drink an antioxidant blend religiously to prevent complications. So much research shows that antioxidants help reduce the nerve damage, the heart issues, and the stroke risk. Antioxidants buffer what my diabetes does to my body.

But these other studies that find specific foods helping blood sugars or reducing complications? I'm not sure about them.

I know the power of whole grains. My mother instilled that in me from the beginning. We always ate whole grain wheat bread. White bread doesn't even taste good to me. But recent research says that whole grain and bran intake is associated with lower risk of death in diabetic women. Granted, this study is for type 2 women, but it's still an interesting find. Perhaps it's the weight control or the way that whole grains help your body in general.

Another study that I just stumbled upon says that cashews may help improve the body's response to insulin. I find this fascinating. Cashews! I love cashews! And they could help increase my body's sensitivity? Crazy.

There's also the study that says vinegar can lower the after meal spike in blood sugar. Now I'm not going to go around and sip vinegar with my meals, but it's an interesting point to note that vinegar, a very basic cooking ingredient, might lower my post-prandials. There is something scientific about it (it blocks digestive enzymes that convert carbs to sugar) so I don't doubt it might help. Just like cinnamon and chromium supplements.

I'm certainly the first to tell you that I believe in the power of food. I know that these foods were created with reason, with rational. Food has a purpose in every imaginable way. So maybe cashes and vinegar help blood sugars. Or maybe antioxidants and whole grains reduce complications. Does it mean that I'm going to drench my cashews in vinegar and eat them religiously with every meal?

Probably not, because that's just disgusting. But it does mean that I'm going to remind myself that everything that goes into my mouth takes some sort of toll on my body. Whether it adds to the stress of diabetes or lowers my risk, food can't be consumed without thought. My eating habits probably won't change (I'll still always like cheesecake even if it is bad for me), but I might take a little extra time to eat my cashews or add vinegar to reasonable meals.

And I'll always stick with my antioxidant blend.