There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is caused by genetics and is something that you’re essentially born with, or develops due to illnesses such as pancreatic illnesses, and can only be treated with medications.
Both diseases are treatable and you can live with them, but Type 2 diabetes is something developed through a combination of lifestyle choices and genetics. The good news is that type 2 diabetes can often be controlled and eliminated through lifestyle choices, while type 1 diabetes has worst long-term consequences and must be controlled with drugs and other more serious interventions.
DIABETES BASICS
When you ingest food, it is broken down into glucose. This is what gives you the energy you need to go through your day. To process the glucose, your body needs to make insulin and use it properly. Without proper insulin production and use, the sugar stays in the blood instead of getting converted to energy. This high blood sugar level is called diabetes.
COMPLICATIONS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
Diabetes can cause a plethora of problems for your health if left untreated. You can develop many illnesses because of high blood sugar levels, such as cardiovascular problems, nerve disorders, and even blindness.
- Skin Problems – There are problems that can happen with your skin when you have diabetes. Sometimes people discover they have diabetes due to having a wound that won’t heal, no matter what treatments or ointments they try. People with diabetes can also develop scleroderma, a thickening of the skin on the back and upper neck.
- Neuropathy – The high level of sugar in the blood of a diabetic can cause nerve damage. In diabetics, this shows up in your hands and feet more. Sufferers describe the feeling as bees or ants stinging their feet. It can be very painful and even disabling or fatal. One bad side effect of neuropathy is that it might affect your ability to tell if you have low blood sugar.
- Eye Problems — People with diabetes can suffer from a lot of eye problems including blindness, if left untreated. Diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and other conditions are caused by the sugars in the blood destroying the nerves and other tissue in the eye.
- Foot Problems – Damage to the peripheral nerves due to high blood sugar levels can occur causing problems in the legs and feet. Usually, it ends up being peripheral artery disease (PAD) or peripheral neuropathy. Both can cause disability and even death.
- Cardiovascular Issues – Many times, sadly, people don’t even find out that they have diabetes until they’re in the ER diagnosed with a heart problem or due to having a stroke.
- Kidney Problems – Due to the high levels of glucose in the blood of an untreated diabetic the kidneys of a diabetic filter too much blood and get overworked. Often, they start to leak protein in their urine which can be the first sign of kidney disease.
- Ketoacidosis (DKA) – When your ketone levels get too high they can literally cause you to develop DKA. Treating DKA requires hospitalization, a lot of treatment, and a better diet.
This is not a comprehensive list of the types of problems and complications you can develop when you have type 2 diabetes but it gives you a basic understanding of the problems and complications that can arise if left untreated. If you have been diagnosed, you must get it under control and treat it. Thankfully there are several treatment options.
CAUSES OF TYPE 2 DIABETES
The thing to remember is that while lifestyle choices do affect your chances of developing type 2 diabetes it’s not the only factor. Genetic components also play a role. You may not know any of your relatives that have diabetes when you develop it, but it’s highly likely that you’re not the first person in your family to be diagnosed with this condition. You don’t always know, so you may want to ask family members.
But if you do know relatives with type 2 diabetes that is your warning to watch your diet. If you didn’t realize you were at risk, it’s okay because you can change your lifestyle and virtually eliminate type 2 diabetes.
- Genetics – Scientists have discovered several gene mutations to a risk for diabetes but the thing to remember is that most people who get diabetes don’t have that risk factor. With type 2 diabetes lifestyle can make a bigger difference than one might think.
- Lifestyle – Choosing which new lifestyle you’re going to live to treat your type 2 diabetes is part of the problem. There is a lot of contradictory information regarding treating type 2 diabetes. Doctors aren’t trained in nutrition and often the nutritional information that dieticians have is outdated or assumes a one-size-fits-all approach.
Regardless of why you have type 2 diabetes, genetics or lifestyle, the treatment is the same. It’s either going to be medication and lifestyle changes, or you may be able to solely use lifestyle changes if you have enough self-control to do it.
GETTING THE DIAGNOSIS
Before you can do anything, you need to get the diagnosis. This often happens innocently in your doctor’s office at your yearly checkup. But, it sometimes happens after you’ve had a health-related incident such as stroke, heart attack, or symptoms of neuropathy.
The Process
You’ll get a fasting blood test which requires that you don’t eat for 8 to 12 hours before the test. If your blood sugar levels are from 100 to 125 mg/dl then you are considered prediabetic. Often, they’ll want you to get a glucose tolerance test which requires overnight fasting as well.
If your blood sugar is tested to be elevated, over time, and you randomly have a blood sugar reading of over 126 mg/dl they’re going to diagnose you as diabetic. Then they may do an A1C test which shows your average blood sugar level over time. High levels mean that you likely have diabetes.
COPING WITH YOUR DIAGNOSIS
It can be very overwhelming to get a diagnosis of diabetes. But to cope with it, you must work on changing your perspective. Consider a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes a wakeup call telling you it’s time to change your lifestyle and get healthier. You can wind up healthier than ever by listening to your body, changing your lifestyle, and working on being healthy.
Dealing with Emotions
One of the hardest parts of dealing with a diabetes diagnosis is your emotions. Since type 2 diabetes is associated with poor lifestyle choices it can feel embarrassing that you contracted this disease. But remember, while there is a lifestyle component, it may not be entirely your fault.
Dealing with the entire diagnosis and being presented with this health concern can be daunting. You may feel as if your life is over. But, it’s not. Thankfully, there are many treatment options that you can consider so that you can figure out what is right for you.
Remember, you don’t have to do what your doctor says, you have a choice, but you should take into consideration what he/she says, conduct research, and then come up with a plan, together with your doctor, that you both can agree on.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
you’re diagnosed with diabetes it’s likely your doctor will immediately prescribe some form of medication depending on how high your blood sugar is. It’s okay to use these treatments because you want to get your blood sugar down. But, the best way to treat type 2 diabetes is with diet and lifestyle changes over the long term. You can even get off the meds or significantly lower your use of them with the right plan for you.
- Metformin – This is often prescribed for type 2 diabetes. A brand name you may recognize is Glucophage. This medication works by helping your body produce and use insulin to control your blood sugar levels. There are side effects from this medication and if it’s not working well enough they may need to prescribe other medications.
- Sulfonylureas – Brand names of this are Glucotrol and Amaryl. These can cause weight gain and low blood sugar.
- Meglitinides — This is a fast-acting stimulant medication that causes your pancreas to release more insulin. Some people experience extremely low blood sugar with this medication.
- Thiazolidinediones – This makes your tissues more sensitive to insulin so if your body is still releasing insulin this can work for you. But it has a lot of risks such as heart failure, bone fractures, and others. Some examples of this drug are Avandia and Actos.
- Insulin – Sometimes people with type 2 diabetes still need insulin therapy. Often, it’s the first line of defense today over diet and lifestyle changes because it tends to work best. But, you may want to talk to your doctor about trying diet and exercise.
These treatment options are often the first things that are thrown at you, but there is another way to treat your condition. That’s diet, exercise, and a lifestyle change. Often these lifestyle changes work a lot better than other treatment options. Remember what Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
ADAPTING YOUR LIFESTYLE
The moment you have a diagnosis of either pre-diabetes or actual type 2 diabetes it’s time to change, immediately. You’re now out of time because the longer you allow your blood sugar to remain too high, the more damage to your cardiovascular system and body, the more you’re risking other conditions to develop.
This isn’t a disease that will cure itself. You will need to be highly aware and treat yourself as if your life depends on it, because it does.
Curing Yourself with Diet
There is a lot of controversy about which diet is best. The approach you should take is that not everything works for everyone. Everybody is different. But there are two types of diets that have shown to help diabetes in scientific studies. Oddly, these two diets are basically the opposite.
Whole Food Low Fat Vegan Plant Based Diet
One diet, promoted by many doctors such as Dr. McDougall, Dr. Greger, and others. They promote a whole food vegan diet that is very specific. You can’t eat just vegan and expect to be cured. But you can eat a whole food low-fat plant based diet and see vast improvements in health.
In fact, even while the low carb diets are still being promoted by a lot of people, medical professionals, institutions, and hospitals are now beginning to promote this way of life as preferable to drug treatments and other treatments due to the long-term benefits of a properly managed, healthy vegan diet.
INTRODUCTION TO WHOLE FOOD LOW FAT VEGAN DIET
Essentially, it’s very simple. You can eat anything that is not processed and grows from the ground. It’s not about being vegan as much as being unprocessed and lower in protein. It’s recommended on this diet that you eat about 80 percent of your food in carbohydrates, 10 percent fat, and 10 percent protein all from whole foods that have not been processed.
They do not recommend smoothies, sugar, overt fats (added fats and oils like olive and coconut oil) but instead recommend avoiding too much sugar. You’ll still get to eat raw fruit, but you can’t eat raw fruit cooked with crust and sugar even if it is vegan. It’s important to pay attention to how the food is prepared as much as what the ingredients are.
Essentially, you’ll follow this path to eating this way:
Stop eating any products derived from animals. No meat, fish, chicken, dairy and so forth. Read all labels to avoid these added ingredients. For example, some gelatin is really derived from pork bones so you wouldn’t want to eat that. You can go cold turkey (no pun intended) or you can take a six-week approach to ending your reliance on processed and animal ingredients.
Week 1 – Stop Eating Animal Products – Read all labels and shop the perimeter of the store to find the best products that don’t have animals and aren’t in boxes. Hint: For most people, this means rice and potatoes in moderation are fine even if you’re diabetic.
Week 2 – Stop Adding Oil to Food – This means that you shouldn’t add olive oil or any type of oils at all to your cooking. You can water sauté things that need to be sautéd or use veggie broth. It works fine and your taste buds will adapt and prefer it.
Week 3 – Choose Only Low Glycemic Food – Many vegan foods, while good for you, should be avoided when you have high blood sugar. Get a list of low glycemic food and choose those, most of the time, over high glycemic foods. However, note that since you’re not adding fat or sugar, eating the occasional high glycemic food, like potatoes, will be fine.
Week 4 – Choose High Fiber over Low Fiber – Brown and wild rice instead of white rice, apples instead of peaches, berries instead of other fruit. These small changes will make a huge difference in digestion and your overall health.
Week 5 – Choose Nutrient Dense Foods – Look at labels, or look up the macro nutrient information, for each food you want to eat. Choose the food that has the most nutrition per gram. One way to look at this is just by the calories vs the grams. Choose food that has fewer calories than grams. So, if you need to choose between a banana and an apple, you’ll choose the apple because it offers fewer calories per gram.
Week 6 – Learn the Food Groups – This isn’t your old food groups, of course, now there are new ones for your plant based diet. You’ll choose from grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit. Notice sugar and fat aren’t food groups.
Try to make toppings and dressings from fruit, spices, and other ingredients. For example, you can blend together a mango, some good vinegar, spices and herbs and create a very healthy overt fat-free dressing for your salads. With this way of eating, you can find amazing ways to make your food taste delicious.
MAKE IT PERMANENT
Once you have become accustomed to the new way of eating, you can add more creativity to your food prep by using a small number of nuts, low-glycemic sweeteners and so forth. You can also go to an occasional party and enjoy some nuts, chips, chocolate, and full-fat soy products such as tofu, tempeh, soy cheese and so forth.
Stick with the Plan
If you stay within the 80 percent carbs, 10 percent fat, and 10 percent protein you should be okay. But, there is a lot of temptation to add fat, sugars, and more to your food that will only make it harder for you to treat your type 2 diabetes, so the best choice is to find alternatives for unhealthy snacks and use them only in moderation.
Moderation Causes Temptation
Understand that while it’s okay to enjoy some cake on your birthday, it should be a modified cake. Substitute fat with apple sauce or banana, sugar with agave, stevia, or another low glycemic choice. Just because this is a cake made especially for you, doesn’t mean it’s okay to eat it every day. Eat it only on your birthday or on the date of the special occasion, and eat only one serving. Moderation can often trip people up to slip more unhealthy foods in their body, thus losing all the benefits of eating healthy.
Change Happens Over Time
Remember that you may not see changes over night, although if you are 100 percent dedicated to eating unprocessed, low carb, low glycemic, plant based food that focuses on nutrition density you will see changes within the first six weeks. Ensure that you’re under your doctor’s care if you’re on medication because your blood sugar will drop with this diet, and it can drop fast. It may take longer for your mind to catch up and stick to this way of eating long term. But, the longer you do the more you prefer it and the healthier you’re going to become including reversal of your type 2 diabetes.
There are tons of research available today that show that a properly designed whole food vegan diet can reverse type 2 diabetes, in most people. Kaiser Permanente is recommending a whole foods vegan diet for their patients with type 2 diabetes and seeing amazing results.
WHOLE FOOD MODERATE FAT LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET
One thing interesting about a low carb diet for diabetes treatment is that it’s not really that much different from the vegan diet. You’re still not supposed to eat too much saturated fat, and you’re still not supposed to eat processed food. If nothing else this should tell you that eating too much fat and sugar is bad for diabetics.
The mainstream way to treat diabetics is still to medicate and then to prescribe a specific diet based on the medication and how many carbs you’re eating. So regardless of whether you’re trying this diet or another diet, it’s imperative that you talk to your physician about what diet you want to go on so that they can better manage your meds if you’re on any and monitor you for issues even if you’re not.
Week 1 – Give up Sugar – Sugar is an enemy in low-carb (and vegan) eating. You don’t want to use any added sugars or sweeteners at all in the low-carb diet other than xylitol which you may want to avoid because it’s a chemical and is not a whole food. Don’t eat much fruit either. If you do choose low glycemic fruit, consider all the other carbs you will be eating throughout the day so that you don’t go over the carb count you and your doctor decided upon.
Week 2 – Practice Moderation – When you eat anything, focus on real serving sizes and eat only until you are satiated. This may take some time if you’re used to over-eating. Your tummy should not feel stuffed, you should eat just until hunger is no longer present. Eat slower so your stomach has time to signal the brain that its consumed enough food. This is one of the best ways to prevent over-eating.
Week 3 – Give up High Glycemic Carbohydrates – These include potatoes, carrots, bananas, rice, bread, and grains. You also want to avoid eating legumes, peas, and lentils. In addition, avoid milk, fruit other than berries, juice, soda, sweet tea, punch and so forth. You also cannot have any desserts or beer.
Week 4 – Add in Low to Zero Carb Foods – Food like eggs, meat, poultry, sea food, hard cheese, non-starchy veggies, avocados, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, cream, and even sour cream are all good to eat on a whole foods low carb diet. These will make up the mainstay of your diet. In general, a serving of protein is the size of the palm of your hand.
Week 5 – Drink Plenty of Water – On any type of diet you should drink water, but by its nature, a low-carb diet is a diuretic. Therefore, ensure that you drink plenty of fresh, filtered water each day. The rule of thumb is 8 glasses a day but some people need more or less depending on their health and weight. If you’re thirsty, drink water.
Week 6 – Learn the Food Groups – When you’re on a low carb, unprocessed diet, your food is limited to non-starchy veggies and low saturated meat. No matter what you’ve read, bacon is not a health food even if it’s low-carb. It’s full of preservatives and things you can’t pronounce. But, you can enjoy some in moderation. The food groups in a low carb diet are low starch veggies, low saturated fat protein; like salmon, cheese, and eggs.
You should shoot for about 35 percent of your calories in protein. Plus, you can have low glycemic fruit, such as berries. The final two food groups are fat and dairy. Stick to unsaturated healthy fats, and don’t drink your dairy. Instead, focus on hard cheeses and using it to add flavor to food rather than as the main ingredient. Some diabetics need to get rid of dairy altogether due to how their body handles sugar.
Snacking on a low-carb diet should consist of protein rather than fat or sugar. For example, you might make a small lettuce wrap with leftover turkey as a snack. Eating this way can help you manage your diabetes, but it’s best not to eat too much protein when you are diabetic due to the extra work your kidneys must do to process the protein.
As always, regardless of which diet you want to do, you should check with your doctor. Regardless of which one you choose you’re going to have to give up unhealthy, highly processed and prepared food; like packaged crackers, desserts, saturated fat, and sugar.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE
When you have diabetes it’s imperative that you start adding exercise to your day. Exercise will lower your blood sugar by burning it off first, for energy. In fact, your muscles will use the glucose in your blood even if you don’t have insulin or if your insulin reaction is not working right.
It’s important to speak to your doctor about exercise, especially if you have other health issues and are on medications. Your doctor will want to monitor how the exercise affects your medication needs closely.
- Improves Insulin Resistance – Some people who have type 2 diabetes are producing insulin, but the sugar in their blood is not using it for some reason. Exercise seems to help your body use the insulin better.
- Lower Blood Pressure – Exercise, especially aerobic, will make your heart much stronger which means blood flow will be improved. Along with dietary changes, you can lower your blood pressure and reduce the chance of cardiac problems from developing.
- Weight Control – If you exercise daily and don’t add in more food, you’re going to be able to control your weight easier since you’re burning more calories. Plus, doing a workout often makes you want to try harder with your diet.
- Raise Good Cholesterol – Exercise improves your good cholesterol which will help the balance in your body of good vs. bad cholesterol. Usually, this is very small but it’s always a good thing.
- Leaner Muscles – When you exercise you build muscles. Muscles burn more fat and calories than the fat stored on your body. You will look more toned and healthy, plus you’ll be able to process the sugar in your blood better.
- Stronger Bones – Many people don’t realize that bones are living tissue. You can break them down slightly to force them to grow back stronger through exercise. Having stronger bones will keep you from having painful problems that prevent exercise.
- Improved Energy – When you have more energy you tend to stick to improved food choices better. If you’re not overly tired, you’ll be more likely to prepare a healthy meal yourself, rather than run through an unhealthy drive through.
- Better Sleep – When you eat right, stay hydrated, and exercise, you’re more likely to sleep better. When you sleep better your body has time to repair itself during the night, which will make a big difference in your blood test results.
Also, as you know, exercise improves your mood and outlook on life. What’s more is, you don’t even need that much of it. You can exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day such as fast walking, weight lifting, swimming, and improve your health dramatically.
Now that you know what to do to help treat your type 2 diabetes, it’s important to see that you can easily modify recipes depending on the diet you choose. Let’s look at a one-day eating plan from each of the diets discussed here. Remember that everything can be adjusted based on the medical advice you get from your endocrinologist and dietician. They should happily support either the high carb low-fat diet or the low carb whole food diet.
ONE DAY MEAL PLANS WITH RECIPES
Scroll through to find your diet plan and then try some of the ideas from the recipes. Remember that in recipes there are just five flavors. Sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. When you learn about that you can easily modify any recipe to work for your needs.
When you think of food in terms of flavors and components instead of the actual ingredient, for example “protein”, as an ingredient can be from tofu, beans, meat, fish, poultry and other ingredients. Let’s get started.
LOW CARB DAY FOR A TYPE 2 DIABETIC
The following recipes are low carb and safe for a healthy low carb diet. Please check with your healthcare professional so that you can adjust the carbs if needed.
Breakfast: Eggs in a Nest
Ingredients:
4 Cups Zucchini, spiralized
4 Slices Turkey Bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 Eggs
Salt & Pepper
Coconut Oil
Instructions:
Rub some coconut oil on the bottom of four ramekins with a paper towel. Place on a cookie sheet for easy moving. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer the ingredients inside the ramekins. Bacon, Zucchini, egg, salt & pepper to taste. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the eggs are set to your desired consistency. Serves 4.
Lunch: Wrap It
Ingredients:
1 Pound Ground Turkey
1 Cup Mushrooms, chopped
1/4 Cup basil, chopped
2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil
Salt & Pepper
Low Carb Hoisin Sauce
Salad Mix (any kind you like, in a bag)
Leaf Lettuce (you can use butter lettuce or you can use iceberg)
Instructions:
In a large skillet add the sesame oil, the ground turkey and the chopped mushrooms. Season as desired. Cook over moderate heat until done. Prepare your hoisin sauce the night before because it tastes better the following day and is also good to just have around.
Inside the lettuce wrap, add the ground turkey mixture, some of the bagged salad mix, and a little hoisin sauce for taste. You can add salt & pepper as well for taste. This recipe serves four in terms of the amount of meat, but you can spread it out by using less meat filling for each wrap.
Dinner: Keep it Simple
Ingredients:
2 Salmon Steaks, 1 inch thick
3 TBS Olive Oil
3 TBS Butter
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper
1 LB Fresh Green Beans
Juice of One Lemon
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
Instructions:
To prepare the salmon, put skin side down on parchment in a glass baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place one pat of butter on each salmon steak. Bake in a preheated oven on 400 for ten minutes, spoon sauce from pan over steaks, bake for an additional 10 minutes until done.
For green beans, toss with juice of one lemon, garlic, 1 TBS olive oil, and 1 TBS butter, salt & pepper to taste. Place in a covered microwave bowl. Microwave on high for five minutes. Toss to serve.
For snacks, if you are hungry try nitrate free lunch meat and string cheese. You can also have a serving of low glycemic berries if you want.
WHOLE FOOD PLANT BASED DAY FOR A TYPE 2 DIABETIC
Breakfast: Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
1 Cup Whole Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 TBS Pecan Pieces
1 TBS Raisins (or other dried fruit, chopped)
Instructions:
Using a canning jar or other glass container with a lid. Put all ingredients inside and shake. Put in the fridge overnight. To serve you can add a serving of fruit or other toppings on it. Serves one.
Lunch: Veggie Wraps
Ingredients:
No Oil Hummus
Vegan Tortilla
2 Carrots, shredded
1 Zucchini, shredded
1/4 Cup Red Onion
1/4 Cup Tomatoes, chopped
1 Bunch of Kale
Instructions:
Spread hummus on a tortilla and put some of the veggies in each tortilla and wrap it up. You can also use cabbage, iceberg lettuce, butter lettuce or other veggies to wrap. It’s easy to change up this wrap and put any type of ingredients inside, or anything that can hold the ingredients.
Dinner: Roasted Veggie Dinner
Ingredients:
6 Cups of root veggies, cubed
- Carrots
- Sweet Potato
- Yukon Potatoes
- Parsnips
- Beets
- Turnips
- Rutabaga
- Squash
3 Cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Teaspoons Basil
2 Teaspoons Thyme
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Instructions:
Cube all the root veggies about the same size. Place into a large bowl with the spices you want to use, toss. Pour into a parchment paper covered 9×13 inch baking pan and bake in a 425-degree F. oven for 45 minutes to an hour until tender, turning occasionally.
Serve with leafy greens or another green vegetable, like green beans or collards.
For snacks on this diet, you can eat anytime you’re hungry if it’s plant based, whole food, and no added fat.
CONCLUSION
Scientific research shows that both the low carb and the plant based vegan diets work to help control blood sugar in type 2 diabetics, but you must stick to the diet very carefully. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel when trying either of these ways of eating to help control your type 2 diabetes.
Talk to Your Doctor
The first thing you should do is speak to your healthcare professional about your diet and which diet would be best for you. It’s important to not be afraid to talk to the doctor about which type of diet you can maintain depending upon your beliefs and your budget. That way, they can help you plan the right meals for you in a realistic manner.
Take it One Day at a Time
No change happens overnight. Commit to your new diet for at least a month to see how it works for you. Follow your doctor’s instructions as to how often to test your blood sugar and how to determine how much or any medications that you’re going to take.
Research
Learn everything you can about type 2 diabetes so that you can care for yourself best. The more you learn, the more you can help yourself become the healthiest version of you, with or without type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease which causes the insulin in your body to not work properly in processing the sugar that is in your blood. Pretty much all the food we eat turns into sugar or glucose in the blood, but some things affect blood sugar levels more in diabetics than others.
