Type 2 diabetes is a disease that is often caused by people’s poor eating habits. Numerous studies have shown that treating Type 2 Diabetes can be done with a whole food plant based diet, low in fat. It’s all about controlling your blood sugar levels and letting the insulin do its work.
Every meal, you eat food that contains sugar (carbohydrates). The body uses the sugar to feed the cells in your body. That sugar will be able to get into your cells with the help of insulin. To understand how it is done, imagine each cell of your body is a door with a lock. The insulin is the key that unlocks the door lock. When you eat, the pancreas produces insulin to guide the sugar into the cells. When health is good, the insulin unlocks the door and the sugar gets into the cell. With type II diabetes, there is chewing gum in the lock. And that chewing gum is fat. The insulin tries to open the door, but it’s not working. So your pancreas pumps out more insulin. Blood sugar levels rise and that is the beginning of prediabetes and type II diabetes.
The fat clogs the door lock because you basically eat too much fat! That is called lipotoxicity; Too much fat in the cells. And it is specifically saturated fat, found predominantly in animal products (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy). During the tv show The Retreat with Nick Knowles, Milton who was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, was put on a vegan diet low in fat, and we saw his blood sugar level drop down 70 points in just a few days. His results were showing that he had normal blood sugar levels because insulin was finally able to do its job. But do not be fooled. This doesn’t mean that he is cured. It means that his blood sugar level is controlled, but he will need to stay on this diet. If Milton goes back to his old diet that was rich in fat, processed junk food, and sugar, chances are that the disease will be back.
Diets rich in saturated fat also increase levels of circulation free fats in the blood (NEFAs), and may cause progressive pancreatic beta cell loss in type 2 diabetes. Saturated fat weakens insulin secretion and insulin action. Researchers have shown that saturated fat reduces insulin sensitivity within hours after a meal, as well as beta cells function.
We know that type 2 diabetes can be cured with an extreme calorie restriction. If you starve people enough, you can reverse the disease. Significant weight loss can be achieved on a plant-based diet, without restricting calories. Plant foods are low in fat thus low in calories. A healthy vegan diet showed better outcomes than the conventional American Diabetic Association diet in a randomized controlled clinical trial, without restricting calories. A review of all such studies found that the subjects following a plant-based diet experience “improved reductions in blood sugars, body weight, and cardiovascular risk, compared with those following diets that included animal products.”
If you wish to start treating type 2 diabetes without medication, first consult your doctor. Do not stop your medication until your health practitioner advises you to do so. I suggest to talk to a plant-based nutritionist or to read on the subject. I recommend these doctors websites:
Nutritionafacts.org
Pcrm.org
Drmcdougall.com
Nealbarnard.org
Drfuhrman.com
Forksoverknives.com
Nutritionstudies.org
Type 2 diabetes is a disease associated with the fat you eat and the fat you wear. Avoiding animal products, processed foods, and oils, eating a whole food plant-based diet, and exercising is what I recommend to control your diabetes. Eat lots of beans, vegetables, and whole grains, because they are low in fat and high in fiber. To make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need, I recommend you get the free APP of Doctor Michael Greger: The Daily Dozen. You can also find excellent recipes to start you off right here.
