We have been grappling with the issue of what food means for health and now modern science has come to the table providing insights as to what will work.
Meet the man who proved that the right type of diet helped him go from close to death to glucose control without medication.
The strategies he developed may not work for you but they did for him and the people who tried them.
Mind you, you are not to stop your medications until your blood sugar is so well controlled your doctor will give you the go-ahead signal to stop taking them.
His journey has given some the insight that may surprise you.
One is the fact that the diabetics themselves have become more experts at blood sugar control than the physicians who treat them.
This is not surprising because we know our body more than anybody else.
We can monitor our body's reaction 24/7 while the doctor has only 30 minutes at the office.
At first, this man followed everything he was told to the letter.
Still his blood sugar reading remained high.
So he decided to do it his way.
It was difficult because he had to learn good health habits, how to prepare a meal and to analyze his meals.
In addition, he had to change his way of thinking about food.
The dietary consumption in this man's version is different from both advocated by American Diabetes Association and that released by the Joslin Diabetes Center.
In fact, this man's version falls between the two.
It is also different from the Canadian Diabetic Association as this and ADA are more easygoing with counting and types of carbs.
Here are the guidelines of this man's dietary practice:
- Measuring the food accurately, recording and analyzing the food consumption is part of this strategy.
There is therefore a need for a scale to weigh the food and to analyze and record them.
Did I not warn you it is not going to be easy? Do not worry because with the help of the computer, this will lighten the burden.
- The 20-50-30 PCF ratio works well for most people who have type 2 diabetes.
This ratio refers to the calories contained in protein, carbohydrates and fats.
Most foods have those three nutrients.
If the ratio does not work for some then there can be a reduction in the carbohydrates but perhaps not lower than 40%.
Anyway what matters here is the type of carbohydrates consumed.
- All carbohydrate intake should be low glycemic ones.
Why? Researchers have agreed in their findings that not all carbohydrates affect the blood sugar level the same way.
The low glycemic ones raise the blood sugar slower than the high glycemic carbohydrates. - It is not necessary to increase the consumption of protein to more than the 20-25%.
In fact, this is not desirable.
Any protein intake over 15% will be converted to glucose and may stress the kidneys.
- Contrary to the 1992 Food Pyramid that indicated fat is bad, there are healthy fats in the forms of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated ones.
Where the old food pyramid recommended using fats sparingly, now it is 30% of the diet.
Needless to say the old pyramid has been revamped to show the new way of thinking which works. - Consumption of more than 1000 mg of omega 3 daily is recommended for healthy adults and as high as 4000 mg daily for the unhealthy ones.
Foods that are rich in omega 3 are fish and seafood. - There is no denying that weight loss is tied to caloric consumption.
The caloric intake should equal the caloric expense.
This is backed by medical teams. - The human body does not absorb fiber which is a form of carbohydrate.
Everyone has to consume 20-35 grams of fiber each day.
It does a lot of things for the body.
Among them is that it helps the digestive system, lowers cholesterol, keeps the heart healthy and slows down the rise of the blood sugar. - And now for the last but not the least, drink plenty of water.
Not only does water help the body get rid of the toxins but also it helps eliminate the extra glucose.
I bet you want to know who he is.
It is no other than Toma Grubb who is willing to share with you the software to help employ the diabetic diet secrets.