By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

So, you just returned from your check-up with your doctor, where you’ve been told, “You’ve got diabetes”, or “You are pre-diabetic”.

Now what? So many diets out there, so much advice. Where do you turn? When you ask your doctor what to eat and not eat, he just shrugs and says, “Eat less sugar.”

It’s confusing, befuddling and a little scary. You want to get your health on track. What do you eat? What do you NOT eat?

Let me help you.

For starters, Type 2 diabetes is one of the world’s most preventable diseases. And what’s more, studies show Type 2 diabetes can be more easily reversed than originally thought—and many people are really doing it—and you can too.

According to this study done in Scotland in 2019 and published in the PLOS journal, approximately 5% or more of people with Type 2 diabetes in Scotland were in remission at the time of the study.

Most newly diagnosed diabetics and pre-diabetics find themselves in a hopeless and confusing situation, at the mercy of their doctors and conventional health care. This can become a downward spiral of helplessness, health issues and pharmaceutical intervention. Worst of all is the feeling of being clueless at how to maintain good health—that the condition can be reversible.

I’d like you to know that Type 2 diabetes is totally preventable, and can be reversible—by making a few simple dietary and lifestyle changes, and by gaining a better awareness of the foods and drinks that contribute to this condition.

The fact that Type 2 diabetes is trending upwards in the United States and the rest of the world, is proof that our current dietary guidelines, conventional medical and pharmacological treatments, and the commercial food industry are completely misleading the public with diabetes diet and treatment recommendations.

If this system worked, the numbers would be decreasing–not increasing. It’s pretty clear that we heading in the wrong direction!

In 1991, it was projected that around 11.6 million Americans would have diabetes by 2030—however those numbers were based on an old definition of diabetes, with a higher blood sugar level than what use now to diagnose diabetes. The number of Americans with diabetes is now double that number! And worldwide, the numbers are similarly increasing.

Diabetes has become a relatively common disease and the seriousness of the health ramifications are easily overlooked. Diabetes is directly tied to a high risk for heart disease, strokes, neuropathy, serious infections, kidney, and eye disease. And the presence of diabetes or obesity means contagious viruses like Covid can become life-threatening.

Health complications frequently associated with Type 2 diabetes include:

• Obesity
• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Blindness
• Kidney disease
• Nervous system disease
• Wounds, infections, and amputations
• Dental disease
• Pregnancy complications and birth defects
• Poor immune function and ability to fight off viruses and other pathogens
• Alzheimer’s or dementia
• Depression, anxiety, and other mood problems

The official medical definition of pre-diabetes is a fasting blood sugar of over 100 mg/dL, and the diagnosis for full-blown diabetes is 126 mg/dL. However, these numbers are rather arbitrary.

These cutoff numbers do not reflect the whole spectrum of risk that includes heart disease, cancer, dementia, strokes, kidney, and nerve damage—which start at much lower glucose numbers—numbers that conventional medical professionals often classify as ‘normal’. Diabetes exists on a spectrum.

The DECODE study of 22,000 people in 2003 from the European Diabetes Epidemiology Group measured blood sugar after participants ingested a standardized sugary drink, found that even starting at blood sugar levels that were seemingly ‘normal’ (95 mg/dL), there was a significant and consistent increased risk of heart disease and other diabetic complications.

However, Type 2 diabetes, or pre-diabetes, can be preventable and even reversible. And when you make the necessary changes to your diet, it has far-reaching effects for overall health and wellbeing!

A study from Newcastle University in the UK, found that losing body fat decreases fat in the pancreas. It is theorized that accumulated fat in the pancreas contributes to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. When that fat in the pancreas is reduced, the pancreas begins to work more efficiently.

According to Dr. Taylor of Newcastle University, losing just 1 gram of fat out of the pancreas will help the pancreas return to normal function. When the pancreas is functioning properly, it releases insulin which controls glucose in the blood.

According to this UK study, losing only 13% of your body weight will reduce fat in the pancreas to improve or reverse diabetes symptoms.

Yet, you probably won’t get this type of information from a conventional healthcare professional–because treating diabetics is very profitable. The whole healthcare industry, including doctors, dietitians, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, weight loss centers, bariatric surgeries, kidney treatments, and nerve treatment clinics exist all because of complications of diabetes.

And here is a sad but true fact: There is more money in treating diabetics with insulin and pharmaceutical medications, than there is in curing diabetes with diet and lifestyle changes. A diabetes patient is looked at by medical professionals as a long-term patient who will bring in money to increase their profits. And, unfortunately, our healthcare system is a for-profit system—and a huge business at that!

Conventional Treatment Can Make Health Worse

The conventional treatment for Type 2 diabetes focuses on controlling blood sugar levels by raising insulin levels, although this method of treatment can worsen the underlying issue of metabolic miscommunication of hormones that govern blood sugar, appetite, insulin, and fat storage.

A scientific study of 33,000 people showed intensive drug treatment of Type 2 diabetes, is only effective in 15-17% of cases. Glucose-lowering drugs have been shown to increase the risk of death—and they don’t even prevent the dangerous complications of diabetes. Diabetics often get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that their blood sugar and carbohydrate intake doesn’t really matter if they have medication to control their blood sugar.

Even if you closely monitor and maintain glucose control, diabetes can age you prematurely and shorten your life. The chance of diabetes worsening over time under conventional medical care is almost a certainty, since the medications that are used to control blood sugar also cause weight gain.

Conventional medical treatment starts a downward spiral: As a person gains weight and diabetes worsens, more medications are prescribed, and the doses keep going up and up.

The only way to break out of this vicious cycle is to make serious changes in diet and lifestyle and stick to them.

Diabetes is not caused by just having elevated blood sugar—it is caused by insulin resistance and poor hormonal signaling, which can be improved solely by changes in diet and activity levels.

Even the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine states that most cases of Type 2 diabetes can be, “…prevented by the adoption of a healthier diet and lifestyle”.

Diet is the single most important factor that leads to high blood glucose levels, insulin stability issues, metabolic dysfunction, high triglyceride levels and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).

And–diet can reverse these conditions as well.

The results of a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine show that making key lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, will create positive change in body weight, blood pressure, and HbA1C blood glucose readings. Heart health can also improve, LDL cholesterol goes down and the healthy HDL cholesterol levels can increase.

Diabetics need to follow a natural whole-foods diet that excludes sugar in all forms, processed carbohydrates, grains, and omega 6 vegetable seed oils.

Diabetics should be eating grass-fed meat, wild caught fish, free range chicken, and oodles of fresh, raw vegetables and fruits. This is the best and healthiest way to regain your body’s natural balance. In turn, you can prevent diabetes complications and regain your health.

The fact is–our bodies are designed to be healthy—if we give them the appropriate materials. Give your body the right environment for healing and it will become a miraculous self-healing machine.

Risk Factors and Symptoms

Diabetes doesn’t develop overnight. It is usually from years of a poor diet lacking in nutrients, high in sugars and refined carbohydrates. Even something as minor as drinking just one soda or fruit juice a day can increase the odds of developing diabetes up to 80%.

Other factors that increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes include:

• Being overweight—even as little as 5-7% over suggested body weight
• Being over the age of 45
• Having a family member with diabetes
• Ethnic background of African American, Native American, Asian, Hispanic or Pacific Islander
• Previous incidence of gestational diabetes
• Blood pressure over 140/90
• HDL cholesterol less than 35, LDL cholesterol over 150, and triglycerides over 150

Diabetes can be sneaky and not have noticeable symptoms. Symptoms can vary widely from person to person. You may or may not experience some of these symptoms–but if you do, you need to make a visit to your physician or health practitioner to have your blood glucose and insulin levels checked:

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst—not related to anything else (i.e., exercise, heat, altitude, etc.)
• Increased fatigue
• Unusual or unexplained weight loss or gain
• Irritability
• Blurry vision
• Frequent infections of skin, urinary tract, or vagina
• Poor or slow wound healing
• Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
• Depression and anxiety
• Metabolic Syndrome

The Diabetes Spectrum

One of the primary things to understand about diabetes and high blood sugar is that there is no line that you cross over and then you have health issues. Type 2 diabetes and elevated blood sugar exist on a spectrum.

Optimal blood sugar levels should be consistently in the 80’s, and HbA1C levels should ideally be below 5%. Once those levels begin to rise you’ve entered the diabetes risk spectrum which starts with metabolic syndrome, moves to pre-diabetes, and then on to full-blown diabetes.

Pre-diabetes is not benign. Once you are in the ‘pre-diabetic’ range, damage is already occurring to your heart, blood vessels and organs. In fact, research shows that roughly two-thirds of patients admitted to an ER for heart attacks already had ‘pre-diabetes’.

Your risk of a heart attack increases with any rise in blood sugar beyond optimal levels. The fact is pre-diabetes can kill you before you ever get to diabetes from heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.

The point is this—Don’t wait until you have been officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to change your diet and lifestyle.

How Does Diabetes Develop?

Most of the energy in our bodies comes from glucose, which is the sugar the body uses for fuel from foods we eat. Glucose comes primarily from carbohydrates in our diet, which we eat in the form of fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods.

Glucose can also be broken down and metabolized from protein and fats as well, but carbohydrates and simple sugars are the most readily available for the body to use. So when you eat, food is converted to glucose and the blood carries the glucose to all the cells in our body. We also store some glucose in the form of glycogen, in the liver and the muscles.

As the glucose levels begin to rise, cells in the pancreas secrete insulin. The insulin lowers the glucose in the bloodstream and sends the glucose off to the cells where can be used or stored.

Insulin is the key to unlock your body’s cell receptor sites to allow glucose into the cell to provide energy for growth, repair, and energy production. When there is not enough insulin in the bloodstream to open receptor sites on our cells, or when the body no longer responds appropriately to the insulin that is released, glucose stays in the bloodstream, beginning its destruction.

High glucose in the bloodstream is extremely damaging. Think of it this way: if you put sand in your car’s gas tank, the damaging, the abrasive effects of the sand in the engine would destroy most of its sensitive components. Glucose in our bodies is similarly damaging, and it has very destructive effects if it rises out of control.

High levels of glucose irritate, inflame, and damage the lining of blood vessels, from the primary arteries to the smallest of capillaries.

Our heart and circulatory system, the brain, the kidneys and the tiny vessels in the eyes, our sexual organs, and the nervous system are most vulnerable to the damaging effects of glucose.

Massive quantities of free radicals begin to circulate from the excessive inflammation, which then attack your cells and their DNA. When DNA in cells is damaged, cells cannot reproduce properly. This is where cancer can become a likely possibility. And yes, glucose is the preferred food for cancer cells.

Weight and Type 2 Diabetes

Way before diabetes is diagnosed, the more weight someone carries on his or her body, the more insulin is necessary to lower blood glucose. So being overweight predisposes a person to diabetes.

The more overweight a person is, the more insulin is released each time they eat. Then, the more weight that is gained, the easier it is to store fat, and it becomes harder and harder to lose it. It’s a vicious cycle. Insulin also has a huge effect on hunger and appetite and makes it harder to stop eating.

The Vicious Cycle

When you eat sugary, starchy foods like cookies, pasta, bread, potatoes, etc., blood sugar spikes, then there is a rush of insulin to lower blood sugar. In a couple of hours, you will be hungrier than before. This sets people up for weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. For diabetics, this situation is even worse, as medication in the form of insulin not only works to lower blood sugar, but it increases fat storing.

Conventional medicine’s answer to treating diabetes is prescribe and administer insulin–which as a side effect—can cause weight gain and appetite increase. This treatment can create a vicious circle of weight gain, worsening diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated triglycerides and cholesterol.

Then comes the blood pressure medication, statins for lowering cholesterol, and more pharmaceuticals—along with more complications. Many of these have weight gain and exercise intolerance as side effects.

Relying on lowering blood sugar with medication or insulin will not improve one’s health, nor will it counteract the effects of diabetes. In fact, relying on medications to lower blood sugar does NOT reduce the risk of death from any of the related health complications of diabetes of stroke, heart attacks, infections, and kidney disease. Only diet and lifestyle changes will.

What’s Wrong with Our Diet?

In the last few thousand years, our food system makes all kinds of food too easy to obtain—in fact, it’s hard to escape! Modern people don’t have to spend days burning up thousands of calories hunting or growing their own food.

The problem is that most food that is readily available is something that our bodies do not even recognize. Until a few thousand years ago, humans rarely even ate grains that were refined. And now, grains and soy make up about 75%-80% of most people’s diets.

Food made from processed grains, starches or sugars is very quickly converted into glucose in the body.

Sneaky Sugar

100 years or so ago, an average American consumed about 4 pounds or less of sugar a year. Today, the average American consumes between 150 and 200 pounds of sugar a year! Is it really any wonder why obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed?

Refined sugars are in most all processed foods, soft drinks, and even juices. Some of the less-than-obvious foods that contain high levels of sugar include:

• ‘Healthy’ whole grain cereals
• Barbecue sauce
• Ketchup
• Bread
• Crackers
• Frozen ‘diet’ dinners
• Hot dogs and other processed meats
• Marinades
• Spaghetti sauce
• Peanut and other nut butters
• Salad dressing
• Smoothies, juices, and other ‘natural’ drinks
• Energy drinks, energy bars

You can walk down virtually any inner aisle in a grocery store, pick up a can, bottle or box and find some form of sugar in the ingredients.

Modern man has never really evolved to eat a diet high in starches or sugars. It is contrary to our physiology.

Let’s take a moment to review Physiology 101. Our bodies have two primary sources of energy supply:

1. Fat—which we burn when insulin and blood sugar levels are low. Your body will access, break down, and burn your own fat for energy.
2. Glucose—which comes from the starches and sugars we eat. High glycemic foods are quickly turned into glucose in the body. In turn glucose levels go up and insulin is released to lower glucose. Insulin lowers blood sugar. The blood sugar is converted to fat and is stored. This also stops you from burning your own fat for energy.

Grain and Blood Sugar

Wheat and corn are two of the most used food ingredients in processed foods. They also can have some of the worst effects on your blood sugar.

Wheat gluten can be related to a whole range of inflammatory diseases, and even for those who are seemingly not gluten-sensitive, it causes low-level, long-term inflammation. Wheat also contains a substance called Amylopectin-A, which has been found in some tests to spike your blood sugar higher than even pure table sugar. In fact, amylopectin-A can raise your blood sugar more than almost any other carbohydrate source, based on blood sugar response testing that’s documented in studies.

Corn also has a very high sugar content and is a definite contributor to diabetes and obesity. Corn also contains substances that block nutrients from being utilized in the body. It can cause a variety of health issues, such as dermatitis, diarrhea, irritability, ADD and depression.

Eating a more primal style diet with low carbohydrates and free of grains and sugar is the healthier way to control blood sugar, appetite, and weight. This type of diet emphasizes eating real foods, such as fresh organic vegetables, and naturally raised meat and fish, along with ample amounts of healthy fats–while avoiding grains, omega 6 vegetable seed oils, processed foods, and sugars.

The Diabetes Weight Loss Diet

1. Eliminate all processed and packaged foods. A good rule of thumb is to look at the list of ingredients. If it has more than 3 ingredients, avoid it—especially if it contains ingredients that you don’t recognize or cannot pronounce. Keep on hand food that contains 1 ingredient or doesn’t even have a label. Most all food that has a label contains sugar and refined carbohydrates.
2. Eliminate sugar in all forms. This includes: sucrose, glucose, cane sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, fruit juice, juice concentrate, maltose, fructose, maple syrup, corn sweetener, natural sweeteners, beet sugar, organic cane juice, brown rice syrup, agave, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, xylitol, mannitol, and sorbitol.
3. Get rid of all artificial sweeteners. This includes Splenda (sucralose), Nutrasweet, (aspartame), Sweet n’ Low (saccharin), and anything containing sugar alcohols such as xylitol, sorbitol, malitol, and erythritol, or anything ending with “-ol”. These sweeteners can promote weight gain.
4. Beware of Stevia. Although Stevia is marketed as an all-natural safe sweetener that doesn’t affect blood sugar or insulin levels, beware of the commercially prepared stevia. Commercial stevia often has added sugars like dextrose (a sweetener made from corn), or erythritol (a highly processed sweetener).
5. Eliminate all grain products. Eliminate corn, wheat, rice, oats, and all “gluten free” products—most of these are highly processed starches that will raise your blood sugar quickly. Beware of “grain-free” products or gluten-free products, they often contain cassava or tapioca starch, another highly processed form of starch.
6. Eliminate all omega 6 vegetable seed oils such as: corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and any oil that says “hydrogenated”. Also, check labels to be sure foods do not contain these inflammatory oils. Vegetable oils have been shown to cause weight gain and massive inflammation.
7. Avoid all soft drinks, diet drinks, energy/sports drinks, fruit juices, and sweetened teas-whether “diet” or sweetened with sugar, fruit juice, or high fructose corn syrup.
8. Remove conventional dairy products such as flavored yogurts or kefirs, and drinks—these contain high amounts of sugar. Also avoid drinking skim milk, as skim milk is quite high in lactose (a sugar), and the absence of milk fat makes it easily absorbable and can increase blood sugar. Dairy products increase inflammation as well.
9. Avoid commercially processed meats including cold cuts, sausages, bacon and jerky with added sugars and preservatives.
10. Avoid condiments including ketchup, mayonnaise, relishes, jams, jellies, salad dressings, and pre-packaged sauces like spaghetti sauce—as these often have a lot of added sugar.
11. Avoid frozen prepared dinners—especially ‘weight loss’ meals. These are full of preservatives, starches, sugar, and other chemicals that increase inflammation and addict the consumer.
12. Avoid soups in cans or boxes. These often have a lot of additives, sodium, sugars, and starches.
13. Eliminate non-dairy milks with added sugar or other sweeteners. Especially avoid soy milk, rice milk and oat milk—these are high sugar products. If you like non-dairy milk, use a nut-based one without added sugar.
14. Avoid starchy, high glycemic vegetables: beets, peas, white potatoes, carrots, and corn.
15. Avoid alcohol—especially beer and mixed drinks. If you feel you would like to drink alcohol, you can enjoy one glass of wine a day. Dry red wine has the least amount of sugar. Alcohol turns to sugar in our bodies and impairs our ability to avoid sugary, starchy foods.
16. Be aware that many medications contain either corn syrup or artificial sweeteners—especially over-the-counter cough syrups and antihistamines.

Diabetes-Fighting Superfoods

The best diabetes-fighting superfoods are low glycemic, have few carbohydrates, and have high concentrations of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (healing plant chemicals), and fiber.

Not only will you find eating nutrient-dense foods satisfying and delicious, but because these foods are low glycemic and high in nutrition, you will feel satisfied and feel your cravings for junk food start to recede. Our bodies are smart–when you feed your body the nutrition it needs, it stops craving more food.

Low glycemic (low sugar) foods not only keep your blood sugar stable and low—where it should be, but because they do not stimulate an insulin release, they do not stimulate your appetite. Result: you feel satisfied and full longer.

Being in a state of ‘un-health’ with diabetes or pre-diabetes—or even being overweight—means you are most likely missing out on valuable nutrients in your diet. Besides stabilizing your blood sugar, eating super foods will restore valuable nutrients to your body. By doing this, you will help reverse your diabetes and in the process, you may prevent or get rid of other health issues as well.

You will want to follow these principles to maximize the nutrient value of your food and maximize your health:

1. Whenever possible, eat REAL food that has only ONE ingredient.
2. Eat organic as much as possible. For a list of the foods you should eat organic and foods ok to eat conventionally-raised see the “Dirty Dozen and Clean 15” and www.ewg.org. This list is updated annually.
3. Eat high quality protein: grass-fed meat, pasture-raised/organic poultry, wild-caught fish, and pastured eggs.
4. Buy local, if you can. Include vegetables, meat and dairy products that are raised nearby. Smaller, local farms have more naturally raised options, and less shipping time means more nutrition in the food. Most local food is raised with fewer pesticides, herbicides, etc. And you will KNOW where it came from.

Keep in mind, major changes to your diet may mean you have to adjust your taste buds. Your body may be used to super-sweet, processed foods with added chemicals, artificial flavorings and sweeteners that enhance the flavor.

Real food may taste different, but you may find that real food tastes far better than any processed junk. Your cravings for sweets subside as you nourish your body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—everything it is craving. As you eliminate sugar from your diet you will find that you do not need added sugars.

Diabetes-Fighting Veggies

Vegetables should be the cornerstone of your diet and the primary food group you are eating. Vegetables are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and diabetes-fighting phytochemicals. Organic veggies not only help to reverse diabetes, but they also help you lose weight, speed up your metabolism, optimize your health and are good for the planet as well!

Vegetables are high in vitamins, mineral and fiber. They fill you up, while being very low in calories, so you become healthier and lose weight when you eat a diet heavy in vegetables.

When you ingest the fiber from vegetables and protein, before eating carbohydrates, blood sugar remains 30% lower. And, the fiber in vegetables keeps you regular, and cleans out toxins, cholesterol, and waste products, and helps to prevent a majority of diseases.

Here are 9 ways to increase vegetables in your diet:

1. Buy local whenever possible. Buying local ensures you fresh picked, seasonal vegetables, with the highest concentration of nutrients. They taste much better too.
2. Try different kinds of vegetables chopped up in salads. Enjoy salads with a variety of greens, carrots, cucumber, radishes, sweet red pepper, tomatoes, walnuts or almonds, and a hard-boiled egg, tuna, or meat. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and some herbs, (keep these ingredients on hand, and you never have to eat unhealthy bottled salad dressing again), and viola! A delicious low glycemic meal.
3. Sauté or lightly steam vegetables till tender crisp, not mushy. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime, grass-fed butter, sea salt and pepper.
4. Keep raw veggies cut up in the fridge and you always have a handy low calorie, high nutrient, high fiber snack on hand.
5. Use sliced cucumber, zucchini, celery, and other veggies to dip into hummus, bean dip, guacamole, or salsa instead of chips or crackers.
6. Mash up cauliflower instead of high glycemic mashed potatoes. Chop cauliflower into small pieces and steam until tender. Add garlic browned in butter, sea salt and pepper, and mash with a fork or potato masher.
7. Make sandwiches and tacos out of lettuce leaves. Use butter lettuce, Bibb, or Boston lettuce and wrap any combo of meat, fish, and veggies in lettuce. Try tuna salad this way! Many restaurants are beginning to offer this on the menu. You can also try making sandwich rolls from seaweed sheets.
8. Add a variety of greens to your smoothies. Use kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mache, parsley, or any other power greens in your smoothies. You can also add celery, zucchini, cucumber, and other vegetables to smoothies as well. You generally can’t taste them, and blending them up with your smoothies makes them ‘pre-digested’ so your body easily absorbs the nutrients.
9. Try grilling vegetables. Nothing tastes better than grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini or summer squash, or grilled sweet red peppers or sliced onions. One of my favorite ways to eat vegetables in the summertime is when they are garden fresh!

Other Top Superfoods for Diabetes

• Avocados – The healthy fats and other nutrition you get from avocados help stabilize blood sugar and insulin. This fruit is super high in healthy monounsaturated fat, and full of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and antioxidants. It fights cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. And because avo’s are high in fat, they are filling and satisfying.
• Beans and Legumes – Black, white, navy, lima, pinto, garbanzo, soy, and kidney beans are a terrific combination of slow-burning carbohydrates, satisfying protein, and soluble fiber that helps stabilize blood-sugar levels, and keeps hunger in check. Beans are also inexpensive and versatile.
• Coffee – You may be happy to hear that drinking coffee can decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than half, according to a new study from University of California, Los Angeles. And, a 2011 study in the Journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research revealed that coffee consumption helped to prevent or delay degenerative diseases connected with free radicals.
• Wild Caught Fish, Grass-Fed Meat and Free-Range Poultry, Eggs and Raw, Unpasteurized Cheese – Naturally raised, antibiotic and hormone free cattle, poultry and fish contain the highest amounts of nutrients possible, because these animals are eating their natural diet. Their fat contains more anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats and other essential fatty acids as well.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – Vinegar has been shown to lower post-meal glucose by 34%, according to an Arizona State University study. Vinegar slows the absorption of carbohydrates in the blood and slow the breakdown of starches eaten into sugars. The study also shows that vinegar increases insulin sensitivity.
• Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, cashews, and walnuts sit at the top of the list for nutrition, but many other varieties of nuts and seeds are healthy, too, including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, pecans, cashews, macadamias, and Brazil nuts. Nuts are chock-full of minerals, including copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium. Selenium is a potent cancer-fighting mineral, and aids the thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism, and fat burning in the body. Beware of overdoing a good thing—nuts a significant amount of inflammatory omega 6 fats. AVOID any nuts roasted in vegetable oils!

• Olive Oil – We now know that monounsaturated fats like olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts is beneficial to our overall health. Olive oil varieties are a bit like wine, where different growing conditions, soil and weather dictate the taste, color and levels of polyphenols and antioxidants in the oil. People who use olive oil regularly have lower rates of heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and asthma. A Spanish study published in the Diabetes Care, showed a Mediterranean style diet rich in olive oil reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes by almost 50 percent compared to a low fat diet. Diets using ample amounts of olive oil improved adiponectin levels, thus reducing inflammation and heart attack risks.

• Grass-fed Butter and Ghee– Healthy fats are key to good health. They supply your body with essential fatty acids for blood sugar stabilization, longevity, hormone balance, heart health, sharp vision, glowing, moist skin and energy. The best source of healthy butter is from organic, grass-fed cows. Natural fats are the most beneficial to the body. Fat is converted to the most efficient type of fuel for the body. Fat helps our bodies absorb nutrients–particularly calcium and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

• Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils, helping to lower LDL cholesterol, and raise HDL cholesterol—preventing heart disease. This recent study showed that mice fed coconut oil better insulin sensitivity and less body fat than mice fed lard. This study helps how medium chain ‘fatty acids’ found in coconut oil can help burn body fat. Pure coconut oil (make sure it is not hydrogenated) is one of the best options for cooking oil, due to its highly stable nature under heat. This article below describes more details about cooking oils and which are healthy vs. unhealthy: 

• Dark Green Leafy Vegetables – Including chard, spinach, baby greens, romaine, kale, arugula, and collard greens. Leafy greens deliver massive health benefits and big nutrition in the form of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Leafy greens are high in magnesium which helps to stabilize blood sugar. In addition to its blood sugar-controlling abilities, it also assists in metabolism of carbohydrates and reduces cravings for sugar. Leafy vegetables are also rich in folate, vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, and contain beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protects cells’ DNA. Carotenoids, which are the antioxidants in orange, red, yellow, and green vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes Type 2 by 20% or so.

• Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Kale and Other Cruciferous Veggies – Eating foods rich in vitamin C helps to lower inflammation and keep it in check, thereby lowering the risk of diabetes.
  Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are also rich in potassium, which helps to regulate glucose metabolism. Potassium is necessary for the beta cells in the pancreas to ‘sense’ elevated blood sugar levels, and respond by secreting insulin. Cruciferous vegetables helping the body eliminate xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are artificial estrogens from toxic chemicals in our environment, plastics, cosmetics, and food additives.

• Garlic and Onions –Both of these pungent herbs contain an ingredient, allicin, known for antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Garlic and onions help to increase insulin sensitivity and stabilize blood sugar, as shown by a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food. Garlic is known to prevent heart disease and strokes, and onions contain a hefty amount of quercetin (especially red or purple onions), which helps to reduce inflammation, help allergies, and fight heart disease and cancer.

• Berries and Cherries – when you crave something sweet, berries like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cherries fit the bill. Berries and cherries are diabetes superfoods because they are packed with powerful antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, and little natural sugar. Berries’ deep red, blue or purple color comes from a compound called anthocyanin, which is a flavonoid antioxidant that has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and help control blood sugar.

• Dark Chocolate – When you feel you need a satisfying treat and crave chocolate, reach for an antioxidant-filled piece of dark chocolate. Chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao tree, theobroma cacao. Cocoa contains several antioxidants which are effective in preventing weight gain and Type 2 diabetes by curbing the appetite and improving glucose tolerance. The flavonoids in dark chocolate have powerful antioxidant properties, which means they reduce inflammation, promote healthy arteries, and help fight aging by preventing–and repairing–cellular damage. A small bar of dark chocolate can contain the same amount of antioxidants as six apples, four and a half cups of tea, or two glasses of red wine.

• Seaweed – New studies report certain seaweeds slow down processing of carbohydrates, which keeps blood sugar from spiking. Brown seaweed extracts appear to the ability to interfere with the release of simple sugars as well, which reduces post-meal blood sugar spikes. Other research on seaweed shows seaweed lowers blood pressure and reduces heart attack risk.
• Green Tea – Green tea helps to sensitize insulin cells so they are better able to metabolize sugar. A Japanese study published in the Diabetes and Metabolism Journal found that people who drank 6 cups of tea a day were 33% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. It does this by slowing the action of the digestive enzyme, amylase. This enzyme is pivotal in the breakdown of starches (carbs), that can cause blood sugar levels to soar following a meal. This is exciting stuff — green tea might be a missing link in proper glucose management. Tea also contains polyphenols which reduce oxidative stress, and cause vasodilation which expands and relaxes blood
  vessels, reducing blood pressure, and lessening the chances for heart attacks and strokes. Green tea is also a fat burning food. Green tea increases metabolic rate, which burns more calories, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

• Red Wine – Red wine can be healthy for diabetics! A small glass of red wine a day can help keep diabetes under control. The polyphenols found in red grape skins help regulate glucose levels. Some antioxidants interact with human cells involved with fat cells, energy storage and blood sugar regulation. These antioxidants have a similar action as the diabetes drug Avandia.

Keto Diet and Diabetes

While conventional diet and medical practice focus on carbohydrates, as in the Standard American Diet, a better option is reduced carb Paleo or keto. Low carb Paleo and Ketogenic diets can reprogram our bodies to fat burning machines. These kinds of diets are very effective in lowering the amount of glucose circulating in the body and bringing back insulin sensitivity once again.

What is the difference between a Paleo diet and a Keto diet?

The Paleo diet has been popular over the past decade. Paleo emphasizes eating a diet close to what our primal ancestors ate: no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no processed foods, and no refined sugar. Paleo eaters do eat some sweet potatoes, fruits, starchy vegetables, allow natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup and dates. Paleo diets also include grass-fed pastured meats, poultry, eggs, wild caught fish, game, and healthy saturated fats.

Is a Paleo diet effective for type 2 diabetes? The Paleo diet can contain variable amounts of carbohydrates and natural sugars, depending on the types of paleo foods you choose to eat. Many versions of Paleo diets include sweet potatoes, or desserts sweetened with dates, honey, molasses, or maple syrup.

The ketogenic diet is not a new dietary fad–it has existed since the 1950’s as a treatment for epilepsy and other health issues. It recently gained popularity to fight chronic disease, increase physical stamina, fuel the brain, and reduce body fat.

The ketogenic diet takes Paleo a step further by restricting carbohydrates to a much larger degree. A keto diet restricts most carbohydrates and sugar, keeping blood sugar low. This forces the body to burn fats for energy. Keto diets are even more restrictive than Paleo diets as far as carbs go. A keto diet is the perfect diet for a diabetic. A keto diet allows 20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day.

How a ketogenic diet works for type 2 diabetic

The best and healthiest method to lower blood sugar for a Type 2 diabetic is by severely restricting carbohydrates and sugars, in addition to increasing antioxidants and other nutrient-dense foods.

The keto diet is very low carb, and low sugar, so blood sugar stays low. Most people on the keto diet can easily lose weight, and the body becomes much more sensitive to insulin. utilize for energy. The keto diet contains these macro nutrients:

• 60-75% calories from healthy fats
• 15-30% calories from protein
• 5-10% calories from carbohydrates

Keto Diet Research

A study was done at Duke University on 28 overweight participants with type 2 diabetes. After only 16 weeks, participants had these results:

• 16% decrease in HbA1c
• 20lb weight loss, average
• 42% decrease in triglyceride levels
• 10 patients reduced or stopped medication

This study by Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek, shows convincing evidence that cutting carb intake to 30g a day, improved blood sugar levels and helped weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes. In almost 60% of participants, diabetes medication was decreased or stopped altogether. After 10 weeks on the keto diet:

• HbA1c had a 6.5% decrease
• BMI decreased by 7%
• 112 reduced diabetes medications, 21 totally eliminated diabetes medications

Another study of 84 people, found 24 weeks, diabetes markers of fasting blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), weight, and Hb A1C dropped drastically. This study looked at 2 groups—low calorie vs low carb/high fat.

Low-calorie group

• Fasting glucose decreased 16%
• BMI decreased 3, 15lb weight loss, average
• 5 reduction in HbA1c

Keto group

• Fasting glucose decreasesd 20%
• BMI decreased 4, 24.5lb weight loss, average
• 5 reduction in HbA1c

Another study of 363 overweight and obese participants looked the ketogenic diet on weight loss and diabetes. 102 of the subjects had type 2 diabetes. One group consumed a low-calorie diet and the other group consumed a keto diet. Subjects were measured on these parameters:

• Body weight
• BMI
• Waist circumference
• Blood glucose
• HbA1c
• Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides
• Uric acid, urea, creatinine

After 24 weeks, both groups had improved in all metrics but the keto group had more significant results. Diabetic medications were decreased to half and some were discontinued for those on the ketogenic diet.

Conventional Diabetic Diets vs. Ketogenic Diets

Despite all the positive research on ketogenic diets for diabetes, most doctors and dietitians still recommend terrible high carb diets to manage diabetes. A typical medically supervised diet recommended for a type 2 diabetic would include 45-60g carbohydrates at every meal, plus 15-30g of carbs for snacks.

Keto diets are a crucial key to healthy management of type 2 diabetes. Dietary carbohydrate restriction has the greatest effect on decreasing glucose levels. Type 2 diabetics can adhere to a ketogenic diet at least as easily as they can most other diets, and often better.

Dietary carbohydrate restriction is the most effective way to reduce serum triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and increasing healthy HDL cholesterol.

The available evidence suggests a keto diet is a safe and effective way to control or reverse type 2 diabetes and lose weight in the process. Many people on keto-style diets report increased overall health, reduction of chronic disease symptoms, and elimination of ahes, pains and mental issues. The result is a healthy body, better blood sugar control, weight loss and a clear head.

Important Note:

Your physician is your partner in this diabetes plan, so be sure to share with him all the details of your new diet and lifestyle, so that he can modify your medications and monitor your health as needed. It is highly likely that if you follow this plan, you will need to reduce or even stop your medications, as this plan will have significant effects on your blood sugar levels.

However, DO NOT attempt to change your medication dosages without consulting your physician first.

References
https://www.perfectketo.com/keto-diet-vs-paleo-diet-ketosis-better-paleo/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/keto-and-type-2-diabetes/

Geary, M., Ebeling, C., The Diabetes Fix, Nutrition Watchdog, 2016.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report: Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States, 2014. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2014.

American Diabetes Association. “Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes–2006 A position statement of the American Diabetes Association.”Diabetes care 29.9 (2006): 2140-2157.

Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration. “Diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose concentration, and risk of vascular disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of 102 prospective studies.” The Lancet 375.9733 (2010): 2215-2222.

O’Gara, Patrick T., et al. “2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology 61.4 (2013): e78-e140.

Aguiree, Florencia, et al. “IDF diabetes atlas.” (2013)

“Update 2014”. IDF. International Diabetes Federation. Retrieved 29 November 2014.

Geiss LS, Wang J, Cheng YJ. Thompson TJ, Barker L; Li Y, Albright AL, Gregg EW.
Prevalence and incidence trends for diagnosed diabetes among adults aged 20 to 79 years, United States, 1980-2012. JAMA 2014; 312:1218-1226.

Yancy Jr, William S., et al. “A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes.” Nutr Metab (Lond) 2 (2005): 34. Westman, Eric C., et al. “The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus.” Nutr Metab (Lond) 5 (2008): 36.

Hussain, Talib A., et al. “Effect of low-calorie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes.” Nutrition 28.10 (2012): 1016-1021.
Noakes, Manny, et al. “Comparison of isocaloric very low carbohydrate/high saturated fat and high carbohydrate/low ‘saturated fat diets on body composition and cardiovascular risk.” Nutrition & metabolism 3.1 (2006): 7

The post Why You Are Doomed to be Overweight and Unhealthy with Conventional Diabetes Treatment — Unless you do THIS appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

What is Candida?

As we should know by now, our bodies are host to a variety of yeasts and bacteria. Some of them healthy and some not so healthy. Candida is one of those yeasts—or fungus that normally lives in our bodies. The most common form of candida is candida albicans.

Candida is the most common types of fungus in the human body. Certain health conditions can cause the yeast to grow out of control and at that point, candida can cause a variety of unwanted symptoms. It’s generally harmless, but an overgrowth of this fungus can lead to a yeast infection.

Candida lives primarily in areas like the mouth, skin, fingernails, digestive tract, toenails, rectum and vagina. When candida grows out of control in these areas, it is called “candidiasis”. Overgrowth in the mouth can cause a condition called “thrush”. Overgrowth in the vaginal tract is generally called “vaginal candidiasis”.

Rarely, for some people with compromised immune function, candida can grow out of control and become systemic.

What Causes Yeast Infections?

Yeasts like candida, generally kept in check by our immune system and by healthy bacteria in our bodies. However, antibiotics can kill off all the beneficial bacteria that would hold candida back, opening the door for unregulated candida growth. Candida is a very opportunistic fungus, so it grows where the environment is best for it. That includes the mouth, the vagina, and the digestive tract where it is warm, moist, and dark.

Other things that can contribute to the unchecked growth of candida include high blood sugar—as in people with diabetes, people with suppressed immune function—as in those who may be undergoing chemo for cancer treatments, and even high estrogen levels. People with celiac disease or types of gluten sensitivity and food allergies often suffer from an overgrowth in their digestive systems as well, as the gut microbiome is often ‘off’.

The most common cause of yeast overgrowth is a diet high in sugar and carbohydrates and low in healthy fiber and vegetables. This contributes to higher than normal blood sugar levels, which actually feed candida. Higher blood sugar contributes to an overgrowth in the digestive system, leading to a condition called “dysbiosis”. An overgrowth in the digestive system can actually cause cravings for more carbs and sugar, leading to the theory that the candida organisms themselves can actually control our cravings.

This study shows that cutting back on sugar and refined carbohydrates can actually help lower the chances of yeast infections in women.

Several other health and lifestyle practices can lead to an increased incidence of yeast infections.

These include:

• Taking antibiotics
• Eating a diet high in sugar and refined carbs
• High alcohol intake
• A weakened immune system
• Dysbiosis (overgrowth of bad bacteria and yeasts) in digestive system
• Food allergies and gluten sensitivity
• Taking oral contraceptives
• Diabetes
• High stress levels

How Would I Know if I Have a Yeast Infection?

Yeast infections are pretty obvious, and you will have a feeling of fatigue, brain fog and just general malaise. There are also some claims that yeast infections can lead to joint aches, increased food allergies due to intestinal permeability, migraines, and food cravings, but these claims have not been scientifically researched.

Let’s take a look at some of the other signs of candida overgrowth:

1. Fatigue and Brain Fog

One of the most common symptoms of candida overgrowth is brain fog and fatigue. Brain fog and fatigue can be attributed to a variety of causes, including food allergies, environmental allergies, not enough sleep, high blood sugar and several other health issues.

But when tied with any of the above risk factors, like antibiotic use, brain fog and fatigue may be attributable to candida. Overgrowth of candida can also create nutritional deficiencies and malabsorption of important nutrients, including vitamin B6, which is essential to the creation of energy. Other deficiencies caused by overgrowth of candida include magnesium and essential fatty acids. Prolonged candidiasis can lead to other issues with fatigue including chronic fatigue syndrome. This study shows a possible connection of yeast to chronic fatigue syndrome.

2. Recurring Vaginal, Genital or Urinary Tract Infections

It is true that candida is normally found in most women’s vaginal tracts, but in some, it grows out of control. It is estimated that at least 75% of all women will have at least one vaginal yeast infection in their lifetime, and most of those have more than one recurrence.

Yeast infections don’t just happen to women, they can also occur in men, and get transferred back and forth from sexual partners.

Symptoms of vaginal yeast infections include redness and itching, along with a thick, white or yellowish, cheesy discharge from the vagina. In men, there are little to no symptoms. Candida infections can also cause painful intercourse, and vaginal candidiasis can worsen with intercourse, as seminal fluid contains nutrients that candida feed on.

Candida can also cause urinary tract infections as well, especially with a prolonged or recurrent vaginal yeast infections. Candida infections can also be very common for those with indwelling catheters.

3. Oral Thrush

Since candida is an opportunistic organism and likes warm, moist areas of the body like mucous membranes, it can grow out of control in the mouth and throat as well. This is called “thrush.”

Thrush generally occurs in newborns, the elderly, and those with weakened immune system, such as people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. People with certain types of dental work or dentures can also get thrush more easily.

Thrush looks like reddened, sore areas with bumpy white patches on the tongue, inside the cheeks, on the gums, tonsils or the throat. The mouth may be sensitive and sore and can bleed easily. Often the tongue can be red and swollen as well with a thick white coating. In particularly bad cases, the thrush can spread down the throat making swallowing and even breathing difficult.

4. Digestive Issues and Intestinal Permeability

Healthy gut bacteria and a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut is massively important to our health overall, and the health of our digestive system. Gut bacteria also play a role in digesting and breaking down foods including starches, fiber, and some sugar.

An imbalance of gut bacteria and an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and yeasts can create unhealthy issues within the digestive system. When yeasts and bacteria in your gut become unbalanced, you can experience digestive issues, including constipation, diarrhea, nausea, gas, cramps and bloating.

Some studies have shown that overgrowth of candida in the digestive tract may be associated with chronic diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease).

Severe candida overgrowth in the intestines can also cause increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome), an increase in food allergies, and even systemic candida infections as the micro-holes in the gut can allow candida to escape into the bloodstream.

5. Sinusitis

Many adults have chronically inflamed sinuses. This can be due to ongoing allergies either in the environment or the diet, but also can be due to candida. The nasal passages and sinuses are another warm, moist mucous membrane area of the body that can allow candida to grow out of control, given the proper circumstances. Common symptoms include a runny nose, nasal congestion, loss of smell and headaches.

Most sinus infections are short lived and caused by either a bacterial or viral infection, and often clear up with medication, but many long-term sinus issues are believed to be fungal infections.

This study by the Mayo Clinic looked at a group of 210 individuals with chronic sinus infections and found that 96% of them actually had fungi in their mucus. While antibiotics are the usual line of treatment for acute sinus infections, they would most certainly make a chronic fungal infection worse. If you have recurring sinus infections or an infection that lasts longer than a month, you may have a candida infection.

6. Skin and Nail Infections

Bacteria on the skin and nails also help to keep candida from growing out of control. But certain conditions can make it more conducive for candida to grow on the skin or nails. Candida yeasts also like to grow on the skin and nails in warmer, moist conditions, which is why a yeast infection can often occur on the feet, between the toes. Armpits and the groin can also foster yeasts readily as well.

In men, it is called “jock itch”, in babies, it is diaper rash. On the feet it is often called “athlete’s foot”. Candida can also grow in the folds of skin of obese people and babies.

Antibacterial soaps can encourage the growth of yeast infections, as do warm, moist, dark areas of the skin. Candida can also contribute to ringworm and toenail fungus as well.

Babies who may be taking antibiotics for an ear infection or other illness, may experience a candida diaper rash.

Candida infections on the skin result in itchy, blotchy red areas, while candida infections in the nails can cause the nail to pull away from the bed of the nail, look white, gray or yellow. The nail itself becomes crumbly and loses its integrity.

How to Treat Candidiasis

The standard medical treatment for candida overgrowth is antifungals. Antifungals can be topical for the skin and nails, suppositories for vaginitis, or taken internally for severe digestive overgrowth or systemic candida infections. Many conventional medications for candida can be especially harsh, with unwelcome side effects, including liver dysfunction and have to be monitored carefully.

Candidiasis is generally not considered life threatening, unless the immune system is severely compromised as it is in people who are on cancer treatments, or those with immune disorders such as AIDS.

A better, more gentle treatment is to try an anti-candida diet to treat the underlying cause in the gut. Eliminating all sugars, grain-based carbohydrates and fruit is a good start. In addition, it is recommended to avoid lactose in dairy products, fruit, and any foods you may be sensitive or allergic to. For those who are gluten sensitive, candida overgrowth is fairly easy to treat by eliminating gluten and slowing the inflammation and immune reaction in the digestive system.

By eliminating grain based carbohydrates, all added sugars, fruits and fruit juice—as well as high yeast drinks such as beer and wine, you help to starve the candida yeasts.

Certain foods and drinks actually are proven to encourage growth of beneficial bacteria and kill off candida, including:

• Taheebo or Pau d’arco tea–Pau d’arco actually contains two primary active ingredients, lapachol and beta-lapachone. These two natural chemicals are what make it effective against bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses and even parasites. Lapachol is known to not only kill many different types of fungi, bacteria and yeasts—like candida, but it also lowers inflammation.

• Garlic—Garlic contains the powerful substance, allicin, which is an antifungal. It has been shown to be active against candida yeasts in animal and test tube studies.

• Coconut oil—Coconut oil contains a substance called lauric acid which is toxic to candida cells.

• Turmeric and Curcumin—curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric can kill or reduce candida growth as well as reduce any accompanying inflammation that may occur with a yeast infection.

• Aloe vera—Aloe vera gel is effective for use against oral thrush, inhibiting the growth of candida and soothing sore inflamed oral tissue as well.

• Pomegranate—Plant compounds in pomegranate peel are beneficial against candida yeasts as well but care must exercised as most pomegranate juice you purchase in the store may have added sugars or other fruit juices, helping to encourage candida growth.

• Kombucha tea—Rich in tea antioxidants, acetic acid and a plethora of beneficial bacteria, kombucha makes an excellent drink to encourage growth of helpful bacteria, as well as working to kill off candida.

• Apple Cider Vinegar— ACV works as both an antibacterial and antifungal agent. A very recent study found that undiluted ACV can prevent the growth of candida. It appears this opportunistic fungus does not get along well with ACV, but more research is necessary to determine if it is because it makes the body less receptive to candida or that it actually kills the candida.

Unfortunately, dietary changes may not always do the trick, in which case conventional antifungal medications often seem to be the only other choice. However, there are several natural antifungal treatments that work well against candida—without the harmful side effects.

Some of the most effective natural treatments include grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil capsules and clove oil. One of my favorite supplements that not only kills off candida, but also other harmful parasites is a product called Intestibal, which contains oregano oil, clove, ginger, wormwood and evening primrose oils.

It’s important to keep in mind, when combating candida, there can be a candida ‘die-off’ reaction as the candida cells break open and release a toxin which can sometimes make you feel worse for a short time.

Sticking to a low carb diet of unprocessed foods, avoiding grains, gluten and dairy and steering far away from any foods containing sugar will go a long way to helping you avoid annoying candida overgrowth. Always check with your doctor before starting any supplements to be sure they do not interfere with any other medications or health conditions.

References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/candida-diet#downsides
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-candida-diet-separating-fact-from-fiction/
https://www.healthline.com/health/apple-cider-vinegar-candida
https://draxe.com/health/candida-symptoms/

The post The Truth About Candida appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, BSN, co-author of the best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging &The Diabetes Fix

If you have type 2 diabetes and you take a statin drug, you might start noticing a phrase that’s ridiculously overused…

“The benefits outweigh the risks.” Has your doctor ever said that to you?

There are plenty of risks and they’re all serious health issues. Actually the risks FAR outweigh the benefits. ESPECIALLY if you already have type 2 diabetes.

Statins are the primary drug that doctors prescribe to lower cholesterol. Statins are a fairly recent pharmaceutical creation that work by blocking an enzyme in the liver that is responsible for making cholesterol.

Statins became one of the most-prescribed medications when the guidelines for the high end of total cholesterol guidelines were reduced down to 200 a few years ago.

Now, tens of millions of Americans are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, thinking this is the best way to prevent heart disease. In fact, about 30 percent of American men and women over age 40 take a statin.

The problem is that statins come with a host of side effects which can be pretty significant. One of the more serious side effects of statins is the significant increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The latest study on this connection shows the link may be even stronger than was previously reported.

Researchers prospectively studied 8,567 men and women whose average age was 64. All were free of diabetes and not taking statins when the study started. In a follow-up study 15 years later, about 12 percent of the group had started taking statins, most using either Zocor or Lipitor (simvastatin or atorvastatin) and the rest either Pravachol or Lescol (pravastatin or fluvastatin). Most took the statins for over a year, and 716 new cases of diabetes occurred in the group.

After controlling for age, sex, smoking, family history of diabetes, and other factors, researchers found that statin use was associated with higher risk for insulin resistance and high blood sugar, and with a 38 percent increased risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

The brand of statin and the dosage made no difference, but the risk was especially high for statin users who were overweight or obese—which is of course an increased risk for type 2 diabetes as well. The study appeared in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Other recent research also shows a similar causal link between elevated blood glucose, type 2 diabetes and statins as well.

Here’s the key thing to take away—the number one risk factor of having type 2 diabetes is heart disease.

Adults with type 2 diabetes are about two to four times as likely to die from heart disease as adults who do not have diabetes.

So the question is–if you were told to take statins to lower your cholesterol and chances of heart disease, but it actually increases your chance of developing type 2 diabetes, is it worth it to take statins?

How do Statins increase risk of diabetes?

Statins have been shown to increase your risk of diabetes through a few different mechanisms. The most important one is they increase insulin resistance, which can be extremely harmful to your health. Increased insulin resistance contributes to chronic inflammation in your body, and inflammation is the hallmark of most diseases.

In fact, increased insulin resistance can lead to heart disease, which, ironically, is the primary reason for taking a cholesterol-reducing drug in the first place! It can also promote weight gain, high blood pressure, heart attacks, chronic fatigue, thyroid disruption, and diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

Secondly, statins increase your diabetes risk by actually raising your blood sugar. When you eat a meal that contains starches and sugar, some of the excess sugar goes to your liver, which then stores it away as cholesterol and triglycerides. Statins work by preventing your liver from making cholesterol. As a result, your liver returns the sugar to your bloodstream, raising blood sugar levels.

If you’re on a statin drug and find that your blood glucose is elevated, it is possible that you may just have hyperglycemia—a side effect, or result of your statin medication. Unfortunately, many doctors will often mistakenly diagnose you with type 2 diabetes, and possibly prescribe a diabetes drug, like metformin or insulin.

Discontinuing the statin will help to determine if blood glucose levels are caused by the statin. Be sure to check in with the physician, however, before stopping any prescribed medication.

Statins are well-known for the muscle weakness and pain they can cause, but statins can affect much more than just the muscles and blood sugar. Many people have reported cognitive problems and memory loss as a result of statin medication.

Other potential side effects of statins include: kidney problems, anemia, sexual dysfunction, immune depression, cataracts, increased cancer risk, abnormal liver enzymes and depression.

The other ironic, and contradictory fact about statins and heart health is the fact that statins deplete your body of CoQ10. CoQ10 is an essential cofactor in the body that is essential for the creation of ATP, which is what every cell in the body uses for energy production.

This is especially important for muscles—especially the heart muscle. CoQ10 is produced primarily in the liver and it also plays a role in maintaining blood glucose as well. As the body gets more and more depleted of CoQ10, it causes extreme fatigue, muscle weakness and achiness, and can even lead to heart failure.

Physicians seem to be blissfully unaware of this risk, and don’t usually discuss with patients the importance of supplementing with extra CoQ10. CoQ10 is also necessary to neutralize free radicals in the body, which damage the cell’s DNA and their reproduction. It’s a vicious cycle to have low CoQ10, no cellular energy (this translates to no energy overall!) and damaged DNA.

In addition, the muscle fatigue and pain make it difficult to be motivated to do any amount of exercise, further weakening the cardiovascular system and the muscles.

Statin drugs also interfere with necessary and vital biological functions, including hormone pathways. Statins affect the sex hormones, cortisone, and vitamin D. Statins actually interfere with your body’s natural ability to create vitamin D, which is related to cholesterol. It’s a fact that vitamin D actually helps improve insulin resistance, so a reduction in vitamin D also removes this protective factor, opening the door a bit wider for type 2 diabetes.

Do I Really Need to Lower My Cholesterol?

Total cholesterol values are only a very small part of the picture of your chances of heart disease, but unfortunately conventional medical doctors use total cholesterol numbers to base their decision to recommend statins.

It’s become common knowledge that cholesterol is not the primary cause of heart disease. In fact, three large reviews show the errors in the generally held theory that cholesterol causes heart disease. And this study, also shows no real link between cholesterol and heart disease. In fact, to the contrary, it’s been shown that low cholesterol contributes more to all-cause mortality in older adults, not high cholesterol.

Having a lipid panel that shows you have higher than normal total cholesterol then, is not any kind of predictor of your risk of heart disease, unless it is over 350. The ONLY people who may benefit from cholesterol-lowering practices are those with a genetic type of very high cholesterol.

The High Density Lipoproteins or HDL, number is a far more reliable indicator for heart disease risk. Here are the two ratios to check on your lipid panel:

1. HDL/Total Cholesterol Ratio: Should ideally be above 24 percent. If below 10 percent, you have a significantly elevated risk for heart disease.
2. Triglyceride/HDL Ratio: Should be below 2.

Many people with total cholesterol levels over 250 are actually at low risk for heart disease because of their high levels of protective HDL, and many people with low cholesterol under 200, can be at high risk for heart disease because of their high LDL and triglycerides.

Actually the conventional LDL/cholesterol hypothesis is not entirely accurate, because damage of the interior layers of your arteries always precedes heart disease, and this damage can be induced by a number of factors, including smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and inflammation.

Once the artery is damaged, cholesterol-rich plaque begins to build up as a protective mechanism. Problems arise when the rate of damage to the vessels and blood clot formation outpace your body’s ability to repair the blood vessels.

Your body actually needs a good amount of cholesterol—it is important in the production of cell membranes, all of your hormones—especially sex hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids that help you to digest fat.

Cholesterol also helps your brain work properly and is vital to healthy nerve function. There is also plenty of evidence that having low levels of cholesterol increases your risk for cancer, memory loss, Parkinson’s disease, hormonal imbalances, stroke, depression, suicide, and violent behavior.

If your doctor recommends you take statins to lower your cholesterol, think twice about that. There are many ways to protect your health with a healthy, low carb/low sugar diet, high in antioxidant rich veggies, that will also protect you from heart disease, diabetes, and many other diseases. Statins don’t seem to be the best solution.

If you are concerned about taking Statins, and want to try a natural approach to control your cholesterol, and not worry about heart disease, diabetes and many others, please take time read this important health article.

1 Simple trick to REVERSE your Diabetes (this also helps reduce abdominal fat)

References
https://www.cdc.gov/features/diabetes-heart-disease/index.html
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/03/19/why-are-statins-bad-for-you.aspx
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319832.php
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/07/well/live/statins-may-increase-risk-of-diabetes.html?fbclid=IwAR1VbYT-IdLacEB6OEJ7-u-FuYNhDkd30vKhSmaDDTE65Z55h4ppuV2JRVg
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/primary-coenzyme-q10-deficiency
https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcp.13898

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By: Cat Ebeling 

Diabetes is called a ‘silent killer’ because it doesn’t happen overnight. It is a silent insidious disease that can gradually creep up on you so subtly that you may not notice it is happening. With the increasing proliferation of sugar and sweeteners added to foods, it’s especially hard to avoid added sugars. Many foods that you would never consider as ‘sweet’ have a surprising amount of sugar added. Even something as seemingly minor as ingesting just one soda or fruit juice a day can increase the odds of developing diabetes up to 80%.

Damage from diabetes can start at ‘pre-diabetes’ blood sugar levels, so even if you have not been diagnosed for diabetes, you may still be at high risk for diabetes complications such as heart disease, kidney or nerve disease or eye disease.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include:

• Being overweight—even just 5-10 pounds overweight
• Eating a high carbohydrate diet—even if you think you are avoiding added sugars
• Ingesting sweet drinks, energy drinks or other so-called ‘health’ foods with added sugars
• Being over the age of 45
• Having a relative with diabetes
• Ethnic backgrounds of African, Native American, Asian, Hispanic or Pacific Islander
• Gestational diabetes if you have ever been pregnant
• High blood pressure (140/90) or even borderline high blood pressure
• LDL Cholesterol over 150, HDL under 35, and high triglycerides of 250+

Often diabetes can have no noticeable symptoms, or symptoms that you would never link to high blood sugar. Since symptoms can vary from person to person, and vary in their severity, there can be a wide range of unusual health symptoms that are unique and individual.

One of the primary things to understand about diabetes and high blood sugar is that there is no line drawn in the sand in which you cross over and you suddenly have health issues.

Think of diabetes and high blood sugar as a spectrum, where optimal blood sugar levels are consistently in the 70’s and 80’s, with HbA1C levels below 5%.

Once these levels begin to rise beyond that, you’ve entered the diabetes risk spectrum and you’ve opened the door to the damage that high blood sugar can cause.

“Borderline” Diabetes & Pre-Diabetes are VERY serious…

Borderline high blood sugar and Pre-diabetes are not benign conditions. Once you are in the ‘pre-diabetic’ range, damage is already occurring to your heart, blood vessels and organs. In fact, research shows that roughly two-thirds of patients admitted to the ER for heart attacks already had ‘pre- diabetes’. Risk of a heart attack increases with any rise in blood sugar beyond optimal levels.

The fact is pre-diabetes can kill you from heart attacks, strokes, and cancer—before you ever get diagnosed as diabetic.

So if you’ve been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome, don’t think there isn’t anything to worry about until you get to the point of an actual diabetes diagnosis.

Diabetes has plenty of early signs, but they are often so subtle you may not notice.

Blood sugar levels can begin to creep up gradually and the actual symptoms may be silent or be so subtle and gradual, you never really notice. But it doesn’t just happen over night.  “…most people are unaware that they have diabetes in its early or even middle phases,” says Aaron Cypess, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and staff physician at Joslin Diabetes Center. However, if you pay attention to the signals your body is sending, you may be able to catch rising levels of blood sugar and still have time to possibly reverse the damage.

These are some of the common (but often overlooked) high blood sugar symptoms to watch for:

1. Urinating frequently along with increased thirst

While thirst and urination may be attributed too many things—environment, exercise, dehydradation, diet, medication, etc., if it is happening on a regular basis, it may be time to pay attention.

When the body cannot lower blood sugar effectively anymore, higher levels than normal of glucose circulate in the system and your body helps to get rid of it by flushing it out through urine.

Frequent urination of course, leads to increases in thirst. But don’t reach for that sugary drink or fruit juice—you are just exacerbating the situation!

2. Hungry and ‘hangry’

When the body is not able to effectively regulate blood sugar, its levels tend to go up and down. A spike in blood sugar levels tends to be followed by a crash, causing shakiness, hunger and irritability. This causes cravings for more carbs or sugary foods and many people think this is the best way to relieve their blood sugar crash—by eating more carbs/sugary foods.

This creates a vicious cycle that can raise blood sugar levels over time.

Actually, the best way to stabilize blood sugar is to eat low carbohydrate foods and higher protein/healthy fats. This gets rid of the ‘hangries’ and helps to avoid future glucose ups and downs.

3. Lack of energy

Blood sugar ups and downs can create a serious lack of energy. Sugary and starchy foods may offer a temporary lift, but the resulting dip in blood sugar can make it feel like you are slugging your way through quicksand every day. Over time, this can also contribute to the body’s inability to process energy from foods you are eating.

A dip in energy can also decrease the desire and ability to get out and exercise, possibly causing weight gain—another risk factor for diabetes and heart disease.

4. Irritable or depressed mood

Blood sugar ups and downs can make you feel not only unwell, but can actually contribute to depression, anxiety and irritability.

Too much sugar and starch can throw off the sensitive microbiome in your gut, which contributes a large portion of serotonin, a brain chemical that makes you feel happy and calm. And generally when your body is unwell, your brain actually senses this, and you feel ‘bad’.

So pay attention to any depression, anxiety or irritability—your body may be trying to tell you something important.

5. Slow healing 

Again, this is one of those things that can develop slowly, so it may be so gradual, you just don’t notice. Slow healing and a tendency to develop inflammation or infections is a big indicator that you may have high blood sugar.

What is considered slow healing? Most cuts and scrapes, if relatively minor, will heal within a week to ten days. If it takes 2-3 weeks or more and stays red, swollen and possibly infected, it may be worth checking blood sugar levels, as well as getting your wounds treated.

6. Yeast infections and urinary tract infections

Higher than normal levels of sugar in the body can also feed yeast infections like Candida, along with certain pathogenic bacteria. Candida organisms feed off glucose, so what you eat and drink may be actually be encouraging a Candida infection. Candida live in a person’s digestive tracts, and the vagina, but are normally kept in balance.

Out of control candida is usually an indicator that your body’s immune system, and possibly blood sugar are out of whack. Glucose in the urine also feeds bacteria and yeast that normally do not survive. Recurrent urinary tract infections, along with frequent or ongoing yeast infections are a good reason to get checked out by a medical professional.

7. Blurry vision

Way before blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the eye causing diabetic retinopathy, vision can become blurry.

In the early stages of diabetes or pre-diabetes, higher than normal levels of glucose can cause blood to thicken, and can actually build up in the eye, temporarily changing its shape, and making it harder to focus. While this can be a chronic, ongoing issue, it can also only happen after eating a high-carb meal or a sugary drink or dessert.

The blurriness can be resolved once blood sugar is under control and stabilized, but it can take 3 to 6 months.

8. Tingling in hands or feet

Elevated sugar levels can cause complications well before you realize you have diabetes. One of these is mild nerve damage, which can cause numbness in your feet or hands. Because elevated glucose damages small peripheral capillaries in the hands and feet, nerve damage results from the lack of blood flow and oxygen.

A frequent feeling of ‘pins and needles’ in hands and feet can signal damage of the nerves way before you realize your blood sugar is out of control. Nerve damage is extremely serious and very important to manage, before there is a loss of sensation. Loss of sensation can lead to increased injuries, slow healing times, and infection—all of which can lead to amputations.

9. Bleeding gums

If you find you are brushing your teeth like normal, but spitting out blood, you may have some issues with blood sugar. Higher than normal blood sugar levels can also encourage bacteria to live in the mouth and gums, causing tender, swollen inflamed areas that will bleed when you brush or floss.

All of the above symptoms can be attributed to other things as well, and you shouldn’t panic if you feel extra tired, irritable or thirsty for a few days. Same goes for the any of other symptoms.

But if they become a constant, and are accompanied by other possible symptoms of diabetes, it’s time to get checked out by a doctor.

Medical professionals usually do a blood test to check A1C levels (blood sugar stability over about three months’ time), and may do a fasting glucose test. You should request a test for insulin levels as well, as insulin starts to rise and stays higher than normal long before blood sugar levels go up.

Diet and lifestyle changes are key and can reverse or prevent blood sugar issues. A diet high in anti-oxidants, organic vegetables, fruits, naturally raised meats/poultry/fish and certain natural supplements can go a long way to stop diabetes, pre-diabetes and the damage it can do to your body.

If you are struggling with Type-2 Diabetes or have been labeled as “pre-diabetic”, then you definitely need to check out the article below…  

This simple technique helps to REVERSE Type-2 Diabetes or pre-diabetes, naturally (while also getting rid of stubborn belly fat)

References

http://www.menshealth.com/health/high-blood-sugar-symptoms/slide/7

http://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/diabetes-warning-signs?tre=true&rd=2#warning-signs2

http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/signs-diabetes/

Ebeling, C., Geary, M., (2015). “The Diabetes Fix”. Irollie Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.truthaboutabs.com/end-diabetes-now.html

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