Welcome to the Sweet Spot!

Your weekly dose of practical tips, real talk, and encouragement to help you lower your blood sugar and feel better in your body, one simple step at a time.

Hi there Reader ,

So, things got a little weird in my house recently. I willingly signed up to... well, let's just say I got up close and personal with my own biology.

That's right, I took a "poop test." For science!

After writing last week's post about the gut-diabetes connection, I couldn't stop thinking about what was really going on inside my own digestive system. Are my gut microbes throwing a party or a pity party? Are they helping me or hindering me? I decided to stop guessing and get some real data.

I used a service called Viome, which provides an at-home kit to analyze your microbiome. And yes, it involves sending them a tiny sample of your stool. It sounds strange (and my mail carrier will never look at me the same way again 😂), but the process was surprisingly simple and discreet.

A few weeks later, I received an incredibly detailed report. It was like getting a report card for the trillions of tiny tenants living in my gut. I found out which microbes were thriving, which ones were slacking off, and got a list of superfoods and foods to avoid, all tailored specifically to me.

For example, my results showed I should be eating more asparagus (to feed some good guys) and maybe ease up on cucumbers- my absolute favorite (which surprised me!). It’s not just generic advice; it's a personalized roadmap based on what my body actually needs to function better.

It was a fascinating, slightly hilarious, and genuinely eye-opening experience. It’s one thing to read about gut health, but it's another to see your own data and get actionable steps to improve it.

Gut health is a topic that we are just now understanding is super important. God created our body perfectly, and unfortunately our Standard American Diet has wreaked havoc on the tiny microbes meant to keep things balanced.

Why this matters:

As Type 2 Diabetics, there is a an imbalance of gut microbes that causes the pancreatic areas where insulin is made to not work properly, thus causing insulin resistance. Specifically, studies have found there to be a lack of Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria in the gut of Type 2 Diabetics. This bacteria is a gram-negative bacteria that alleviates inflammation related to metabolic imbalance. It is important to note that when there is an imbalance of microbes and the bad starts outnumbering the good, more chronic illnesses tend to occur.

Here is the NIH article about Akkermansia.

If you've ever been curious about what's happening in your own inner ecosystem, I can't recommend it enough. It’s a powerful step toward taking control of your health from the inside out. Viome is the company I personally used.

If you're not into doing a poop test, which I totally get 😂, there are some things you can do to improve gut health:

1. Eat Pre-biotic rich foods (onions, garlic, leeks, and asparagus to name a few)
2. Consume poly-phenol rich foods (berries, cranberries, pomegranate , green tea, nuts)
3. Limit processed foods and sugar
4. Eat more fermented food like kimchi or sauerkraut.
5. Take a pre-biotic supplement like this one from Pendulum​

I do not receive any kick-back from any of these products. These are just things that I have used to improve my health from the inside out :).

Let’s make this week one where you enjoy your life AND take care of your health.

You've got this 💪
Stephanie
​The Diabetes Maven

P.S. Forward this email to a friend who says they don't know how to navigate this Type 2 Diabetes road. We’re not about restriction—we’re about strategy.

Each week on Substack, I’ll be sharing real-life advice, blood sugar hacks, and personal stories to help you live well with diabetes—not just manage it.

🤩 This Week's Most-Read Posts

• ​The Gut-Blood Sugar Connection​
• ​Magnesium-The Overlooked Mineral for Blood Sugar​
• ​Putting yourself first isn't selfish​