Let food be thy medicine.
-Hippocrates
Hey y'all! Hope everyone is doing well. I'm back with some information regarding diabetes. Now, let me just say that even though my doctor did not diagnose me with diabetes, I feel sure I have a problem. Or should I say...had a problem. My sugars are staying down close to 100 and I feel like they will go even lower over the course of the next 2 months. It is truly amazing how quickly your health can go south and how just as quickly, you can see major improvements. I'm excited to tell you a little of what I've been learning about diabetes.
What, exactly, is diabetes? Most people will tell you that you have too much sugar in your blood and they would be right to a degree. But, it actually goes further. Yes, you have too much sugar in your blood and when it sits there, it can cause damage to your blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, legs, feet, etc. Usually, when a person is diagnosed with diabetes, they are put on medication to bring the sugar levels down. Medicine works for that purpose, although, over time your condition can worsen and even more medications are needed. This line of defense, in my opinion, is no defense at all. That treatment plan treats the symptoms - too much sugar.
What we need to do is treat the root cause. The problem is with our insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps our cells take up glucose (sugar) to use as energy. If you eat a diet high in fats (animal products....meat, dairy and oils), over time your cells start storing that fat, taking up space that is designed for glucose. Now that your cells are gummed up with fat, your insulin can't unlock the door, so to speak, to allow glucose to enter. Therefore, the glucose just hangs out in your blood. This is called insulin resistance and we may end up having to take insulin just to keep up.
So, what's the solution? Well, if eating animal fats gummed up your cells to start with, then wouldn't it be wise to stop eating the fats? Yes! Not only should we stop eating animal fats, but olive oil, avocado oils, and vegetable oils, etc. Oils, whether considered healthy or not, are still 100% fat.
Not only does eating animal fats affect how our insulin works, but eating animal fats and oils also raises your cholesterol levels, in particular your LDL cholesterol, which puts you at a greater risk for heart disease.
Popular diets are low in carbs and high in protein. Initially these diets will work to help you lose weight. Losing weight will bring your cholesterol and sugar levels down, but eventually they stop working and you regain some of the weight, if not all. Because of the high fat content, they will raise your LDL cholesterol levels. And because they are high in protein, these diets can be hard on your kidneys.
The better option, a low-fat plant based diet with no oils.....this includes carbs.
So, let's talk about carbs. Our body uses carbohydrates for fuel. That's what it's designed to do. If you don't have diabetes, after eating, your pancreas secretes insulin to go grab those sugars from your blood and help them into your muscle cells. Everything works fine, insulin does a great job and now you have all the energy you need to go about your day.
I have been reading Dr. Neal Barnard's book for reversing diabetes and I don't know all the science behind it, although he explains things very well. I think anyone concerned about diabetes would benefit from reading his book. I'll give you the title at the end of this post. Dr. Barnard says that eating carbs is not the problem, we need carbs, he encourages them. I'm not talking about simple carbs like sugar, cookies, cakes, etc., but complex carbs. By eating complex carbohydrate rich foods, we are not putting the fats into our cells that gums them up and makes insulin's job nearly impossible. We are putting fuel into our cells. Examples of complex carbs are, brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, oatmeal, fruits and veggies.
Dr. Barnard's guidelines are this:
Choose foods from plant sources. Avoid all animal products and keep vegetable oils to a bare minimum. Favor food with a low glycemic index (GI).
He focuses on what he calls the 'New Four Food Groups':
Whole Grains: Whole grain pasta, brown rice, bran cereal, oatmeal, pumpernickel or rye bread, couscous, bulgur wheat, millet, barley, etc. Suggested servings: 8 per day.
Legumes: Beans (black, pinto, or kidney beans, chickpeas, baked beans, soybeans, etc.), peas, split peas, lentils, fat-free soy products (fat-free veggie burgers, fat-free tofu), etc. Suggested servings: 3 per day
Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, collards, squash, green beans, bok choy, etc. Choose those with a low GI. Suggested servings: 4 or more per day.
Fruits: Apples, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches, oranges, kiwifruit, berries, etc. Choose those with a low GI. Suggested servings: 3 or more per day.
Other permitted foods:
Foods to Avoid:
He speaks of low and high glycemic index (GI) foods. The GI is a number that indicates how rapidly any given food releases sugar into the bloodstream. A food with a high GI releases sugar into the blood quickly. A lower GI food has less effect. You can easily google those. Examples of a high GI would be: white bread...a lower GI option would be pumpernickel or rye bread. Examples of low GI foods would be: beans, green leafy vegetables, nearly all fruits with a few exceptions and even pasta. Choose lower GI foods. I'll admit, I have eaten white potatoes a couple of times, but it was before I read about the GI Index. And I eat rice, but it is brown or wild rice as opposed to white rice. I haven't been eating bread except for whole wheat pita pockets, occasionally. I bought a loaf of rye today to try, though.
So, my diet is high in complex carbs. And the only fats I'm getting are what occurs naturally in plant based foods. Plant based fats don't gum up your cells like animal fats and the fat content in plants is very, very low. Yet, it is enough to give us the amount of fat our body needs.
The other day, I mentioned that my beverages are water and coffee. But today, I remembered to tell you that if you drink milk, an excellent alternative to cow's milk is Almond milk, Soy milk, Rice milk, etc. Make sure it's fat content is no more than 2 to 3 grams per serving. The milk I choose is Almond milk. Rarely do I drink it and I'm not a cold cereal eater. But Cliff does, so I buy it for him. The brand I buy is Silk, the unsweetened one. It's NON-GMO, has no saturated fats, no cholesterol, no added sugars and has 1 gram of protein and 50% more calcium than cow's milk with only 30 calories per cup.
Whew, that was a lot of information. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask or comment. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this. In my next post, I'll tell you where to get other key nutrients, such as protein, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. It is a lot of information, but the more you read, the easier it gets to understand and retain.
How am I doing? Fantastic! I have so much more energy than before I started eating vegan. I've already ridden my bike 25.74 miles this week and I've walked 3.05 miles. I don't dread getting out there and exercising at all. And as far as my diet, it's not hard at all. I love the foods I'm eating. I don't feel deprived and I don't have cravings. I feel completely in control and I know that the end result will be complete health.
Take care and we'll talk soon!
Laurie
Book recommendation of the day: Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes
Not only does eating animal fats affect how our insulin works, but eating animal fats and oils also raises your cholesterol levels, in particular your LDL cholesterol, which puts you at a greater risk for heart disease.
Popular diets are low in carbs and high in protein. Initially these diets will work to help you lose weight. Losing weight will bring your cholesterol and sugar levels down, but eventually they stop working and you regain some of the weight, if not all. Because of the high fat content, they will raise your LDL cholesterol levels. And because they are high in protein, these diets can be hard on your kidneys.
The better option, a low-fat plant based diet with no oils.....this includes carbs.
So, let's talk about carbs. Our body uses carbohydrates for fuel. That's what it's designed to do. If you don't have diabetes, after eating, your pancreas secretes insulin to go grab those sugars from your blood and help them into your muscle cells. Everything works fine, insulin does a great job and now you have all the energy you need to go about your day.
I have been reading Dr. Neal Barnard's book for reversing diabetes and I don't know all the science behind it, although he explains things very well. I think anyone concerned about diabetes would benefit from reading his book. I'll give you the title at the end of this post. Dr. Barnard says that eating carbs is not the problem, we need carbs, he encourages them. I'm not talking about simple carbs like sugar, cookies, cakes, etc., but complex carbs. By eating complex carbohydrate rich foods, we are not putting the fats into our cells that gums them up and makes insulin's job nearly impossible. We are putting fuel into our cells. Examples of complex carbs are, brown rice, sweet potatoes, beans, oatmeal, fruits and veggies.
Dr. Barnard's guidelines are this:
Choose foods from plant sources. Avoid all animal products and keep vegetable oils to a bare minimum. Favor food with a low glycemic index (GI).
He focuses on what he calls the 'New Four Food Groups':
Whole Grains: Whole grain pasta, brown rice, bran cereal, oatmeal, pumpernickel or rye bread, couscous, bulgur wheat, millet, barley, etc. Suggested servings: 8 per day.
Legumes: Beans (black, pinto, or kidney beans, chickpeas, baked beans, soybeans, etc.), peas, split peas, lentils, fat-free soy products (fat-free veggie burgers, fat-free tofu), etc. Suggested servings: 3 per day
Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, collards, squash, green beans, bok choy, etc. Choose those with a low GI. Suggested servings: 4 or more per day.
Fruits: Apples, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches, oranges, kiwifruit, berries, etc. Choose those with a low GI. Suggested servings: 3 or more per day.
Other permitted foods:
- Fat-free dressings and other fat-free condiments
- Coffee (with fat-free nondairy creamer, if desired)
- Occasionally, alcoholic beverages
- Rarely: sugar, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate (made without milk), full-fat soy products such as tofu, tempeh, soy cheese, etc.
Foods to Avoid:
- Meats, poultry, fish, eggs (whites and yolks), and all dairy products (regular and fat-free), including milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, cream, sour cream, butter, etc.
- Added oils, such as margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise, cooking oils, etc.
- Fried foods, such as potato chips, french fries, onion rings, doughnuts, etc.
- Avocados, olives, and peanut butter
- Refined foods and/or foods with a high glycemic index, such as white bread and white potatoes.
He speaks of low and high glycemic index (GI) foods. The GI is a number that indicates how rapidly any given food releases sugar into the bloodstream. A food with a high GI releases sugar into the blood quickly. A lower GI food has less effect. You can easily google those. Examples of a high GI would be: white bread...a lower GI option would be pumpernickel or rye bread. Examples of low GI foods would be: beans, green leafy vegetables, nearly all fruits with a few exceptions and even pasta. Choose lower GI foods. I'll admit, I have eaten white potatoes a couple of times, but it was before I read about the GI Index. And I eat rice, but it is brown or wild rice as opposed to white rice. I haven't been eating bread except for whole wheat pita pockets, occasionally. I bought a loaf of rye today to try, though.
So, my diet is high in complex carbs. And the only fats I'm getting are what occurs naturally in plant based foods. Plant based fats don't gum up your cells like animal fats and the fat content in plants is very, very low. Yet, it is enough to give us the amount of fat our body needs.
The other day, I mentioned that my beverages are water and coffee. But today, I remembered to tell you that if you drink milk, an excellent alternative to cow's milk is Almond milk, Soy milk, Rice milk, etc. Make sure it's fat content is no more than 2 to 3 grams per serving. The milk I choose is Almond milk. Rarely do I drink it and I'm not a cold cereal eater. But Cliff does, so I buy it for him. The brand I buy is Silk, the unsweetened one. It's NON-GMO, has no saturated fats, no cholesterol, no added sugars and has 1 gram of protein and 50% more calcium than cow's milk with only 30 calories per cup.
Whew, that was a lot of information. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask or comment. Thanks for taking time out of your day to read this. In my next post, I'll tell you where to get other key nutrients, such as protein, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. It is a lot of information, but the more you read, the easier it gets to understand and retain.
How am I doing? Fantastic! I have so much more energy than before I started eating vegan. I've already ridden my bike 25.74 miles this week and I've walked 3.05 miles. I don't dread getting out there and exercising at all. And as far as my diet, it's not hard at all. I love the foods I'm eating. I don't feel deprived and I don't have cravings. I feel completely in control and I know that the end result will be complete health.
Take care and we'll talk soon!
Laurie
Book recommendation of the day: Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes
