Diabetic friendly foods to eat

It would be essential to preface this that I too had diabetes, obesity, leaky gut, insulin resistance, arthritis, allergies, asthma, systemic candida overgrowth, and reversed it all using this information.

Types Defined:

Type 1: Autoimmune early triggered in childhood with damaged pancreas/no insulin (can occur later)

LADA : late-onset adult diabetes autoimmune or ‘double diabetes’ after years as Type 2.

Type 2: Late-onset in adults’ w/insulin resistance, too much insulin, too much glucose

MODY: Maturity-onset diabetes of the young + Gestational Diabetes: during pregnancy complication

Type 3: Diabetes of the Brain – Alzheimer’ s/Dementia/ ADD/ADHD/Parkinson – insulin resistance in the brain

See: Diabetic Diet Meal Plans For A Day

The Myths/Problems:

Dr. Fung “…All this excess glucose ….Over the decades, everything just starts to rot.”

1.      Sugar is Natural: NO. Processed sugar is artificially processed. Table sugar is not the natural form as it appears in nature.

2.      Optimal Blood Sugar: 72-85 with 4+ hour fast, 100-120 after meals. Fasting 90+ = prediabetic, 125+ = diabetic

3.      Optimal A1C: 5.0-5.4, 5.5+ pre-diabetic, 6.0+ diabetic. Sugar crystallizes on blood cells lower function & crystals cut up vessel walls causing high blood pressure, coats the vessel walls, caramelized decreasing function, elasticity,….

4. It’s your own fault: NO! Blood sugar fluctuations hurt us all.

Causes:

The list is endless.

– Genetics/epigenetics (environment)

– Antibiotics/Med’s

– Bad industrial vegetable oils

– Packaged foods/hidden sugar

– Microbiome imbalances/leaky gut

– Heavy metals

– Mycotoxins (mold/candida)

– Nutritional deficiencies (Omegas/zinc/chromium/magnesium/B’s)

– DHEA deficiency/NAC/thyroid

– Bad water (Fluoride, plastics, meds)

all causing cravings, affecting hormones, leading to more chronic diseases

5.  Low-fat is dangerous: Brain, cell membranes, hormones, all made from fat. Without fat in the diet, we replace calories with carbs, bile doesn’t move, toxins get reabsorbed.

6.  Eating constantly: blood sugar never drops, pancreas producing insulin never rests. You need protein & fat first thing in the morning (until things improve) as stabilizes your blood sugar out the gate.

7.  Glucose Intolerance Disorder: It’s like being allergic to peanuts. You can eat them & take a shot or avoid them. The same analogy can be applied to glucose.

8. No such thing as an essential carb: Every carb you eat – bread/pasta/fried food/oats/sugar/rice/beans/fruit/veggies – ends up as glucose & may damage the gut lining (leaky gut) especially gluten. Lower carbs mean lower insulin needs.

Belly fat/low energy/hungry even after meals/afternoon energy slump/focus (Brain fog), and associated with fibromyalgia/thyroid/adrenal fatigue/depression.

Living with diabetes is not a sentence to feel deprived. People can learn how to balance meals and make healthy food choices while still including the foods that they like. Both sugary and starchy carbohydrates can increase glucose levels, but people can choose to include those foods in the ideal parts as part of a balanced meal plan.

For those with diabetes, it’s crucial to monitor the complete quantity of carbs in a meal. Carbohydrate requirements will vary based on several factors, including an individual’s activity levels and medications.

A dietitian can evaluate and recommend specific carbohydrate guidelines that best meet an individual’s needs. However, as a general rule, individuals should try to follow along with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ MyPlate guidelines and comprise no more than a quarter plate of starchy carbs in one meal.

Creating a diabetes-friendly diet

A diabetic diet need not be complicated, and you don’t need to give up all of your favorite foods. The first step to creating smarter decisions would be to separate the myths from the truth about eating to prevent or control diabetes.

Like any healthy diet, a diabetic diet is much more about managing your overall dietary pattern as opposed to obsessing over particular foods. Aim to consume more of the healthy, natural foods and less of those that come in a can or a package.

See: Diet Plan for Person With Thyroid Cancer

Eat more of these

healthy fats from nuts, olive oil, fish oils, flax seeds, or avocados

berries and veggies –ideally refreshing, the more colorful, the better; whole fruit rather than juices

Whole grains based high-fiber bread and cereals

High-quality protein such as eggs or beans

Fish or shellfish

Chicken or turkey

Avoid all of these

Trans fats from deep-fried foods

Packaged and fast foods

White bread, pasta or rice

Processed and red meat

fat-free yogurt

Choose high-fiber, slow-release carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have a significant effect on your blood glucose levels–more so than fats and proteins – so you will need to be smart about what sorts of carbs you consume. Limit refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, and rice, as well as soda, candy, packaged foods, and snack foods. Concentrate on high-fiber complex carbohydrates–also called slow-release carbs. They’re digested more slowly, thus preventing your body from producing too much insulin.

According to the ADA (American Diabetes Association), the secret to a healthful diet for diabetics is as follows:

Include fruits and veggies.

Eat lean protein.

Choose foods with less added sugar.

Avoid trans fats.

Below is a listing of a few fruits, vegetables, and foods with less added sugar.

See: Pre-diabetes Diet Plan for Vegetarians

The Fixes:

“..success of low carb diets…for diabetes/metabolic syndrome …. are immediate, well documented…evidence-based.” RD Feinman /Nutrition Journal

1.      Insulin: the glucose uptake/fat-storage hormone where an excess causes inflammatory havoc in the body, damages tissues, and cells. One effect of this is that with too many carbs, too much insulin is produced & cells become insulin resistant. The other result is that too much fuel inside the cells is not being burned and becomes toxic to the cell. The cell keeps the insulin from allowing glucose into cells, rejecting it but leaving it in the blood which becomes toxic to the body. The resultant mitochondrial dysfunction or metabolic syndrome is the inability to burn the fuel due to damaged mitochondria causing blood sugar dysregulation. Both effects are caused by excess fuel not being burned.

2.      Carbs are anything with glucose (sugar/wheat/bread/pasta) and require insulin to help it cross into the cell. If you reduce the carbs, you reduce the blood sugar, reduce the need for insulin, your pancreas rest, and the insulin resistance resolves itself.

3.      Books: ‘Eat fat, get thin’/’Fat as Fuel’ – Use a nutrient-dense Paleo/Keto approach (6-10 servings/day of veggies + most calories from good fats, medium protein). Fats are insulin neutral. The brain actually works better on burning ketones for fuel. Harvard diabetes center is using a high-fat/keto diet to treat/reverse Type 2 diabetes.

4.      Once you stabilize optimal blood sugar levels, the highs & lows, cravings, withdrawal-like symptoms go away. Your diet should be free of gluten/grain/dairy/sugar without harmful oils or processed foods.  Instead, eat nutrient-dense veggies and medium protein that will lead to a metabolic reset or insulin receptor re-sensitivity. This good food diet for diabetes reduces insulin needs by keeping blood sugar in the optimal range and improves immune function, reduces inflammation, and optimizes fat burning. It also minimizes stress hormones and improves sleep to heal and tame candida. A good food diabetic diet =  healing ‘sweet spot’!

5.      Leaky gut – the chicken or the egg. There is a direct link as diabetes is on the autoimmune spectrum. Is it the food choices causing leaky gut and bad microbiome creating cravings? Good probiotic, fermented food can help to rebalance.

See: Sample Diet Plan for Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Good diabetes supplements – to accelerate the healing process:

1. Gymnema: used for blood sugar regulation since 600 BCE. Decreases absorption of glucose in the blood and may help with appetite control, sugar cravings, inflammation, and heart disease markers. Studies show a possible effect of regenerating beta cells in the pancreas.

2. Berberine: As Good as Diabetes Drugs (metformin) Lowers BS/after-meal BS/resistance dropped 45%. 500-1000 mg/day

3. Turmeric: anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory/lower BS/cholesterol/protects kidneys/relieves pain/improves digestion….

4. Chromium Polynicotinate improves insulin sensitivity, reduces insulin resistance, improves glucose uptake.

5. Biotin: Combined w/chromium, it improves carb metabolism, reduces blood sugar levels, more insulin sensitivity.

6. Bitter Melon: improves blood sugar metabolism/transport glucose/improves insulin resistance.

7. Omega 3’s (DHA, EPA): Reduces inflammation/improves blood vessels/ circulation/hormone sensitivity/brain

8. Alpha Lipoic Acid: antioxidant/enhanced energy/carb metabolism/improves insulin sensitivity/neuropathy.

9. Vanadyl Sulfate: Improves glucose metabolism/insulin sensitivity/directly stimulating insulin receptors.

See: Diet Therapy For Psoriasis

Great foods list for diabetes

1. Spirulina: Increases Insulin Sensitivity by 225% – 19 grams/day for eight weeks, detoxes, alkalizes.

2. Chlorella: detoxes, lowers blood sugar, stimulates the immune system, promotes weight loss, alkalizes.

3. Cinnamon (powder/extracts/oil): Reduces Blood Sugar Levels by improving response to insulin, slows the rise in blood sugar, supports pancreas, anti-microbial, reduces triglyceride, LDL, & prevents diabetes. (dilute oil)

4. Ginger (powder/fresh/oil): Lowers Fasting blood sugar by 10.5% + increases insulin sensitivity, cleanses the blood, kills candida.

5. Coconut/MCT/avocado/EVOO oil: hormone & BS balancing, is brain food, satiated, slows absorption, kills candida.

6. Flaxseed: repairs cellular damage, lowers/stabilizes BS, high fiber for weight loss, omegas. Whole seeds you grind.

7. Apple cider vinegar (raw): 1 T in 1 C water improves BS, insulin sensitivity, slows sugar uptake, alkalizes, probiotic,…

8. Green Tea/extract: Rich in polyphenols – antioxidants, reduces inflammation, increases insulin activity, prevents T2 diabetes, reduces blood pressure, improves metabolism, slows glucose absorption in the gut minimizing spikes.

See: Diet Plan for Gestational Diabetes in Third trimester

My morning tea: 1 C warm water, 1/4 t matcha green tea, 1 T apple cider vinegar, 2 drops stevia, 1/4 squeezed lemon, pinch cinnamon, ginger, turmeric (moved up to drops of oil).