Did you know that most type 2 diabetics no longer need to be diabetic if they follow the right eating plan? In most cases, type 2 diabetes develops when insulin resistance becomes so severe that the body loses the ability to control blood sugar. By changing the composition of your diet, you can actually teach your body how to achieve and maintain a healthy blood sugar level. If you have type 2 diabetes, this could be life saving information.

Diabetes is a serious disease; it can shorten your life and create many terrible long term health complications.  Diabetes currently affects approximately 246 million people worldwide and the prediction is that in 20 years time there will be 380 million diabetics in the world! Most cases are comprised of type 2 diabetes, but other forms of the disease are also rising.

There are three main types of diabetes; type 1 diabetes, which usually occurs in childhood and requires daily insulin injections; type 2 diabetes, which predominantly occurs in overweight middle aged adults and gestational diabetes, which is a temporary form of diabetes that occurs in pregnancy.  There is also a milder form of type 1 diabetes that can develop in adulthood called LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults). All forms of diabetes are rising in incidence but it is particularly type 2 diabetes that is skyrocketing.

Type 2 diabetes is commonly referred to as a lifestyle disease because it is largely a result of inappropriate diet, obesity and inactivity.  It is well known that most of the world is experiencing an obesity epidemic, and the rise in type 2 diabetes is one consequence of this.  The frightening thing is that as childhood obesity has become a significant health concern in recent years, children are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  Some of these children are even below the age of ten.  Diabetes produces some devastating health complications and the more years a person is a diabetic, the more complications they will probably develop.  That’s why it is frightening that children are developing a disease of middle age. Some of the health complications that diabetes can produce include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, erectile dysfunction and nerve damage.

Type 2 diabetes is a preventable disease in most cases; you don’t have to become a diabetic.  Even if you have several family members with diabetes, you can usually prevent developing the condition yourself!  If you already have type 2 diabetes, implementing the right nutrition plan and lifestyle changes can reverse the disease in the majority of cases!  As long as your pancreas can still produce insulin, there is a great chance your type 2 diabetes can be reversed.  At the very least you should be able to reduce your dose of oral diabetes medication, lose weight and get your blood sugar down into a healthier range.  The higher your blood sugar level is above 97mg/dL, the more likely you are to develop diabetic complications.

Insulin resistance can cause fat accumulation inside the pancreas (fatty pancreas), and high blood sugar is toxic to pancreatic cells. That means it can kill them. If enough pancreatic cells have died, your body may not be able to produce enough insulin. In that circumstance, life long insulin therapy may be required.

The standard dietary recommendations type 2 diabetics are given do nothing to help the condition, in fact they can make it worse.  Because most type 2 diabetics are overweight, and four out of five diabetics eventually die of heart disease, they are told to follow a low fat, high carbohydrate diet.  As high carbohydrate foods such as bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals and potatoes are low in fat, diabetics are told to base their diet on these foods.  Diabetics are also told to strictly limit their intake of fat, in the belief that this will help them to lose weight.

The problem with this approach is it fails to acknowledge that all carbohydrates are digested into sugar.  It doesn’t matter if the carbohydrates are high in fiber or low in fiber, high glycemic index or low glycemic index, simple or complex carbohydrates; they are all digested into sugar and raise blood sugar levels when consumed.  The last thing a diabetic needs is food that raises blood sugar; they need the opposite – an eating regime that lowers blood sugar. Protein and fat are the most important nutrients for diabetics, as they do not raise blood sugar significantly. They reduce hunger and assist weight loss.  Protein should be consumed at each meal.

When eating protein rich foods like fish, poultry or red meat, please eat a palm and a half sized portion. Whey protein powder is an excellent source of protein that’s highly satiating. It will help to keep you feeling full for many hours and reduces the risk of sugar cravings. People who don’t eat enough protein and fat usually crave sugar and carbohydrate. For more information see the book Diabetes Type 2: You Can Reverse it. Many of our patients have poor liver health, therefore compromised fat digestion. If you have a sluggish liver, it will not produce sufficient bile. That means eating good fats can leave you feeling bloated, nauseous and tired. Taking an ox bile supplement can help prevent those symptoms.

Berberine is a plant extract that helps weight loss by improving insulin sensitivity. This is critical for type 2 diabetics because the insulin in their body doesn’t work properly. It is also important to take a good quality liver tonic. Diet changes will work on their own eventually, but you should reach your health, weight and blood sugar goals sooner, and feel more energetic sooner if you take a good quality liver tonic. Livatone Plus contains the nutrients your liver needs in order to burn fat efficiently and detoxify your bloodstream

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.