A professional truckdriver deals with multiple contradictions.  First, you are asked to literally sit for at least 12 or more hours daily and do nothing more than perform a complex mental activity.  Moreover, you have few healthy food options on the road.  Both issues lead to several potential health problems including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea and other problems.  Yet, your employer and the Department of Transportation (DOT) require adherence to regular medical evaluations with consequences for falling short of medical standards.

I have several truckdriver patients with diabetes, but the department of transportation prohibits professional driving if insulin, an injectable hormone and diabetes medicine that reduces blood sugar, is necessary.   Therefore, If your diabetes is severe enough to require insulin, then you are either disabled or looking at another occupation.  Historically, insulin can lead to dangerously low blood sugars, blacking out, and an increase in truckdriver accidents.   Insulin has significantly changed today since this rule was enacted 30-40 years ago.  Furthermore, several 40-year-old, cheap drugs of that era are equally as dangerous at lowering  your blood sugar insulin, and are still widely used by truckdrivers.  I should know; I prescribe them.

Now what is the solution to this dilemma?  It is my hope that no one with diabetes will ever need insulin.  To reduce insulin resistance, you must radically change your diet.  While diabetes is genetic in a way, lifestyle changes can minimize this issue if not completely resolve it.  Eating mostly clean fuel foods can minimize or eliminate insulin resistance and adult diabetes.

 

Sample meal for a truckdriver

Breakfast:  Overnight oatmeal-eat it on the road.

Lunch:  Chickpea salad with crackers or on pita,  apple or grapes and a banana.  Have a green salad if able.

Grilled Vegetables on pita bread with hummus and fruit on the side.

Dinner:  Sloppy Joe’s made with lentils instead of beef potato bread bun, roasted sweet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.  Hopefully you are home by now.

Dessert: sweet potato smoothie.

I do not have pictures of these meals, but I will post some in the future.    Please be sure to subscribe, like, share of comment to this post.  Thanks.

For a complete list of clean fuel  and dirty fuel foods, please check here.