For the record, I’m referring to Type 2 Diabetes, adult onset diabetes, or the kind of diabetes most often related to diet and lifestyle issues.
Can Diabetes be prevented or even, dare I say….CURED….through diet? I believe the answer is true.
Just today I spoke with a diabetic patient that lamented their struggles with nutrition. Genetics as a cause of diabetes was brought up, but in the same breath they mentioned how they buy “special” foods–read junk foods–when their grand kids come to stay. In this scenario genetics aren’t at play….cultural food choices are.
So what is a “Pre diabetes Diet” anyway. In my opinion we must look at physiology (The combined chemical and metabolic processes in our body) for the answer. When you eat sugar, starches or carbohydrates (Those are all synonyms by the way) during the digestion process insulin is released from your pancreas to help move the sugar your digesting away from the bloodstream.
The insulin helps you store the energy as fat or helps it into cells to power them further.
In folks prone to diabetes, this mechanism doesn’t respond optimally. Eating foods that require insulin secretion only put more demand on your body. High levels of insulin, driven by high carbohydrate dieting, drives fat production, especially in the mid-section.
In a “Pre diabetes diet, one would avoid these foods like the plague. One would want to avoid fruit juice, candy, sweets, pastries, rice, potatoes, and starchy snacks. Fruit would also be limited if your doctor recommended a pre diabetes diet. The operative word here is limited. I typically recommend that on a weight loss or pre diabetes diet, the patient should severely limit fruit but part-take in fruit if severe sugar cravings arise. After all, fruit is a carbohydrate but a slower release carb. So in effect it doesn’t hit your system as hard as say….a soda. THIS DOESN”T INCLUDE FRUIT DRINKS! Not a good choice for me, you, or the pre diabetes individual. Fructose is a sugar the body doesn’t handle well…..look for topics in the coming weeks along this line.
Clinically I have had good results with patients who combine light regular exercise and at least the basic changes mentioned above. It’s not about medicine, it’s about what your putting in!! Diet changes, simple ones, make the biggest difference….way more than medication.
I’ve seen diabetics get off of insulin, lose weight, stop medications, etc. by simply eliminating excess processed carbohydrates as I’ve suggested in this pre diabetes diet treatise.
Feel free to shoot questions this is a huge topic.