Arnah’s Journey
from Pain into the Pantry
Everything seemed like a blur. I was dumbfounded. “Diabetes? But she’s so little. And what IS type 1 diabetes anyway?” Questions swirled in my head. I had no idea that it was a lifelong chronic condition. It was June 19th, 2019.
For several weeks prior, our baby, only two years old, had drastically lost weight, become weak, irritable, and constantly thirsty. She soaked through almost every diaper, became extremely constipated, and now had labored breathing, muscle weakness, and a seizure. Now she rose to walk, but fell over. I had taken her to the hospital twice. But each visit only resulted in a misdiagnosis, completely misinterpreting the cause of her rapid deterioration.
In desperation I quickly took a short video of my daughter’s current symptoms, and texted it to a family friend - a nurse who lived close by. He instantly rushed to our home. Using quick thinking, he squeezed her soaking diaper around a glucose urine-test stick, and it instantly showed the CORRECT diagnosis. I’ll never forget that next moment. With a tone of compassionate urgency, he stated:
“There’s sugar in her diaper. She has diabetes.”
The previously mysterious symptoms all pointed to ketoacidosis, a deadly complication resulting from the sudden onset of type 1 diabetes.
She was only a toddler; not talking yet, still in diapers - too young to understand. How could this be happening? When we arrived at the emergency room, she was almost dead. Blood sugar exceeded 600mg/dL and A1c was shockingly over 15%.
I stopped
in the doorway
of the kitchen,
stared up
at the shelves,
and burst into tears.
The international hospital stay was a nightmare. Nurses entered the room every hour, 24 times a day: each time for a painful finger prick, besides at least 5 daily insulin injections.
Finally, after ten days, she was released from the hospital. It was dinner time when we arrived home. I stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, stared up at the shelves, and burst into tears. There was NOTHING healthy for my child to eat- literally nothing - nothing that wouldn’t cause wild blood-sugar spikes - nothing without sugar or starchy carbs. An overwhelming hopelessness washed over me. What could I cook? Suddenly food became extremely important.
The odds stacked against my toddler seemed insurmountable. This ignited a fire in me—the desire to understand how food could be a powerful catalyst for hope and healing. I searched everywhere for guidance. Which foods would serve her body best, keep blood sugar as “normal” as possible, be sustainable, meet all micronutrient and macronutrient requirements, and God-willing, result in the best possible long-term health? Thankfully, I found two practitioners who suggested eating fewer carbohydrates.
“Hmm… Okay. Lower the carbs? Well, I guess if that can cure type 2 diabetes like they claim, then just maybe it can lessen the frequency and trauma of these horrible blood-sugar swings. What do we have to lose?”
Those two practitioners gave me that first piece of sound advice, but neither one had the time to show me everything step by step, and really walk me through all the ins and outs.
“Who can REALLY get my child’s blood sugar under control and give her the best chance at a healthy future?”
For months I searched for such a person.
Then I looked in the mirror.
Standing in the kitchen with cabinet doors wide open. I grabbed the bag of sugar. My mind was made up.
Thud.
And just like that, the sugar was gone.
I’ve never looked back.
I reached for every item that my child’s body could no longer tolerate, and threw them directly in the garbage. It was the best food-decision I’ve ever made in my life.
“Ok, so… now what? The sugar is gone, but what on earth do I cook?”
So with love for her as my motivation, I fully immersed myself into the study of food-science, focusing on the intricate relationship between diet and metabolic healing. I read anything I could get my hands on. Books, articles, science journals and case studies. I watched videos, podcasts, science lectures, and listened to world-class doctors. I was just a lay person, a sleep-deprived mom fighting for her child. But a fire was lit in me as I educated myself on the management of this life-threatening disease.
My academic journey pealed back layers of complexity about how the human body responds to different types of nourishment in unique, but predictable ways. I became fascinated by how certain foods either exacerbate or alleviate health issues.
People heard about our child’s blood-sugar transformation, and began asking serious health questions for their own chronic conditions. The same principles were not ONLY applicable for blood sugar control, but MANY health conditions! People around the United States, as well as internationally, asked me for help with a wide variety of physical and mental health conditions.
I absolutely LOVE the study of metabolic health. The metabolism - the processing of food into energy - affects EVERY SINGLE organ system, hormone, and process! The intricacy of human physiology is nothing short of miraculous!
So after years of research and personal exploration, I decided to channel my focus on formal nutrition education, with a goal of professionally helping others use food to break free from chronic disease. I gained certification as a metabolic health practitioner by the Society of Metabolic Health Practitioners, and also graduated from Nutrition Network as a nutrition practitioner, their highest level of non-medical certification.
I passionately believe that food is not only sustenance and a delight to our senses, but an actual tool for healing!
I founded Eat For Health LLC with a singular vision: to teach the message of hope - true and lasting hope for healing. Chronically ill people need hope! Who can they turn to for answers about their body, their nutrition, their debilitating conditions? I consider it an honor to give the hope of nutrition-based healing to such people.
I have found personal spiritual hope through the grace of Jesus. Now I strive to honor God’s call on my life by serving my fellow human beings in ways that pass on the immeasurable love and compassion He gave me.
I believe that God has given food the ability to bring healing, hope, and life. It’s an absolute joy and honor to encourage others to Eat For Health - one bite at a time. There is no doubt in my mind that your fork really CAN change your future.
After consistently implementing specific nutritional principles, our daughter’s blood sugar was safely lowered from a life-threatening HbA1c of over 15% to 5.4% - normal range!
Yes, there truly IS HOPE. Having “normal” blood sugar means less chance of diabetic complications! It also dramatically increases her chance at having a longer and healthier lifespan!
Our daughter is growing up! She’s in the kitchen along with me now, cooking her own food, and loving it! She wants to open her own grocery store one day.
I need to be clear. I’m not claiming that her type 1 diabetes is cured. She must still inject insulin because of the autoimmune component of her diabetes. Along with her Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction diet, she uses an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which are huge blessings. However, type 2 diabetes, as well as countless physical and mental conditions, can in many cases be completely reversed simply by eating differently.