Diabetic Nutrition

Reversing Diabetes – One Meal at a Time

Understanding Diabetes

Proper Diabetic Nutrition begins with a healthy understanding of this degenerative disease. Diabetes develops when the body does not produce or use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone used to change sugar, starches or other foods into energy for our life’s activities.

Type One Diabetes is usually found in children and young adults. This condition exists when the pancreas is not making any insulin for the body. Therefore, individuals will need to take insulin shots.

Type Two Diabetes is the more common form affecting 85 percent of all diabetics. Along with its complications, this illness is the third leading cause of death in the United States. In this condition, insulin is produced but the cells of the body resist insulin’s action. In other words, blood sugar is unable to enter and fuel the cell, circulates continually in the blood stream eventually causing damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart.

Gestational Diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Its symptoms are similar to type-two diabetes.

Pre-Diabetes is a condition affecting 54 million people. This condition is when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be called diabetes.

• Eating too much fat of any kind
• Overeating heavily processed, refined foods
• Too much fast food consumption
• Obesity
• Genetic predisposition may increase the chance of diabetes
• Pancreas and Liver Malfunction from excess caffeine, alcohol and stress overloads

Dr. Neal Barnard, M.D., author of “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes” says:

Best of all, a healthy diabetic nutrition plan provides NO need for counting calories, cutting portion sizes or avoiding nutritious, complex carbohydrates.

• Avoid Red Meat, poultry, fish and dairy products
• Did You Know? Saturated fat is linked to heart disease, insulin resistance and some forms of cancer
• Avoid high glycemic foods, such as sugar, white bread, cold cereals and white potatoes
• Eat plenty of low-glycemic foods, such as...
• Fresh fruits, except pineapple and watermelon
• Green Vegetables
• Whole Grains, beans, nuts and seeds
• Pasta
• Rye or Pumpernickel Bread
• Cinnamon has been used as an insulin replacement for controlling blood sugar with as little as a quarter of a teaspoon per day
• Brewer’s yeast may lower your blood glucose and insulin levels

Additional Low Glycemic Foods include...olives, soy beans, melons, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, mangoes and onions.