Diabetes

Diabetes – why does it happen, and how can it be prevented.

Yes, I used the word prevented – not only can diabetes be prevented, but also I believe it can be reversed. It’s not an easy job to prevent or reverse – it takes quite a bit of effort on your part and you may even need a health coach like me to help you. Here are things you can and should do to prevent and reverse diabetes. I highly recommend you go through a good, thorough detoxification process first. The detox will clean out what the liver and kidneys have accumulated in them and it’s a good idea to have an experienced health coach help as you go through the detox process.

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions throughout the US and the world among both adults and children. If your diabetes is not kept under control, it can cause many other serious secondary health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, kidney disease, blindness, amputation and more.

What basically causes diabetes is eating the wrong food, or in some cases too much of what might be considered healthy food. Our bodies can only handle about 50-60 carbohydrates at a time – that’s how much the liver can handle and process in a day, and in some cases it takes 3-4 days for the carbs to vacate your liver – anything above that amount is turned into fat. Eating the wrong foods can raise your blood sugar and insulin levels and promote inflammation, which increases your risk of those secondary diseases. All disease comes from inflammation in the body and poor eating/food choices cause inflammation because our bodies were not designed to consume unnatural, highly processed, chemical based items that aren’t real food.

So, to prevent or reverse diabetes you must stay away from the following foods – it’s crucial to your health.

1. Carbonated or sugary beverages – A 12 oz. can of soda has 38 carbs; and just because it says sugar-free doesn’t make it any better. A diet soda has the same effect on your body as a sugar-laden soda and it causes an increase in blood sugar, which causes the pancreas to release insulin. The best thing you can do for your health is to drink unsweetened beverages – water, unsweet tea, or black coffee.
2. Trans Fats – Trans Fats are found in margarines, coffee creamers, peanut butters, frozen dinners, cookies, muffins, – basically any and all over the counter products that are intended to have a long shelf life. This includes any product that says, “partially hydrogenated” on it. Please remember this – the longer the shelf life of the products you eat, the shorter will be your shelf life! When you consume trans fats in products it causes a plastic like substance to form in your veins which in turn, impedes your blood flow. They’ve been linked to increased belly fat, increased inflammation, increased insulin resistance, and the lowering of good cholesterol. Basically stay away from fried foods and anything that says, “partially hydrogenated” on the label.
3. Bread, Pasta and Rice – These are all extremely high carbonated, processed foods that contain very little fiber. Carbs that contain real fiber help slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. Even gluten free pastas, brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc. will raise your blood sugar. Remember our bodies are only meant to handle 50-60 carbs per day; anything more has the potential to turn into fat. When looking at carb count on the labels pay attention to how much fiber is in them; this determines how the carbs will be absorbed by the body.
4. Fruit Flavored Yogurt – Yogurt, because it’s a dairy product, naturally has 10-12 grams of sugar per cup. But, when you buy the yogurt that is artificially flavored with fruit, or has fruit on the bottom, it has added sugar added in – sometimes as much as 40-50 grams of added sugar. The best yogurt to eat is Plain or Greek Whole Milk Yogurt, than add your own fresh fruit – pineapple, berries, etc. – whatever kind of fruit you like.
5. Cereal – Many people start the day with a bowl of cereal because it’s quick and easy. Unfortunately, it’s not a healthy choice – it’s highly processed and has very little to no protein, it’s high in carbs and will spike your blood sugar. Even some of the cereals we think of as healthy are not really good for us. Granola for instance has 30 carbs in a ½ cup, Grape Nuts has 41 carbs, and Oatmeal has 26 carbs in a ½ cup. How many people only eat ½ cup of any cereal? A healthier choice is something that’s high in protein – such as eggs or a protein shake – your sugar won’t spike and your hunger will stay satisfied for a much longer time.
6. Coffee – Now, coffee itself is not bad for you, it’s what you add to the coffee that’s bad for you. Sugar, flavored creamers, chocolate, caramel, etc. How many people do you know who drink their coffee black – not very many. Black coffee has many health benefits – it’s very detoxifying and can actually lower blood sugar. Even if you add ½ and ½ to it, it’s good for you; the problem is most people need to add sugar in some form to their coffee – then it becomes a health hazard by raising your blood sugar and potentially causing other health problems. Do you know that a 16 oz. caramel Frappuccino from Starbucks has 67 carbs in it – that’s more carbs in one drink than you should have in the entire day! Much less, it has 420 calories in it! Do yourself a favor learn how to drink your coffee black or with a little bit of cream – your body will thank you.
7. Honey, Agave Nectar and Maple Syrup – Many people use these as sweeteners instead of sugar because they think they’re a healthier choice. Even though all of these are healthier choices than sugar, they have the same or more carbs than sugar has in it per tablespoon. White sugar has 12.6 grams, Agave Nectar 16 grams, Honey 17 grams and Maple Syrup 13 grams. Yes, all of these are healthier choices than sugar, but will spike your blood sugar just as much as eating regular sugar. So, you say, “Well then, I’ll just use an artificial sweetener.” Wrong! They’re just as bad for you because they’re FAKE SUGARS! The best thing is to use an all-natural sweetener such as Stevia, or you can learn how to give up the sugar.
8. Packaged Snack foods – These are probably the worst snack foods you could eat. They’re made from refined flour and have no nutritious value whatsoever, and not much fiber. They have fast acting carbs that get quickly into the blood stream quickly and spike the blood sugar. A 1-ounce serving of crackers or chips has over 20 carbs, and 1-2 grams of fiber. The best thing to have for a snack is a handful of nuts, a piece of cheese, or maybe some carrot sticks or fruit.
9. Fruit Juice – Even fresh squeezed fruit juice is loaded with sugar – natural sugar, (fructose) but still sugar. Because it’s a liquid sugar it gets absorbed into the body very quickly and into the blood stream even quicker. It’s better if you just ate the fruit because at least there’s fiber in it. Store bought juices many times have added sugar to make them even sweeter. Even unsweetened fruit juice has more sugar in it than a can of soda. You’re better off just eating a piece of fruit, or cutting up fruit and adding it to water to make the water taste like the fruit.
10. French Fries – For years this has been the one thing I’ve had trouble staying away from, but have finally succeeded. They’re extremely bad for everyone’s health, but for diabetics they’re even worse. The potato is a very starchy vegetable – a medium potato with skin has over 35 carbs in it. When peeled and cooked in vegetable oil (trans fat) it will send your sugar through the roof and it’s more likely to increase the inflammation in your body. If you really want the potato, cook it at home in olive oil or bake it.

Basically, if you want to prevent or get rid of your diabetes you need to eat a diet of meat (protein), vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats- limit your carbs to those in fruits and vegetables. I work with people every day to help them do just this – prevent or get rid of diabetes. Please contact me if you have any questions.