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Over 37 million Americans have diabetes and another 96 million are prediabetic. According to the medical community, we’ve reached epidemic proportions. Thankfully there are steps we can take to help reverse diabetes for a stronger, healthier body.
Conquering diabetes is more than just trying to avoid insulin injections though. This disease causes a lot of different health problems. But first, what exactly is diabetes?
What is Diabetes?
Medical experts define diabetes as having fasting blood glucose levels of 126 mg/dL or higher. Ranges between 100-125 mg/dL are pre-diabetic, while 99 mg/dL or lower is normal. Fasting blood glucose levels above 95 triple the risk of developing diabetes compared to levels under 90.
Fasting blood glucose below 83 mg/dL may be a better benchmark. Men’s heart disease risk increases at 85 mg/dL compared to those with 81 mg/dL or lower.
Type 1 vs. Type 2 Diabetes
When we talk about reversing diabetes it’s important to know there are two different kinds.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. Type 2 diabetes is diet and lifestyle-related. This article refers to the medical condition Type 2 diabetes. The good news is we can reverse type 2 diabetes. With lifestyle changes, like healthy eating and physical activity, diabetes remission is possible. Healthy eating means choosing a lower carbohydrate diet and avoiding sugar. These sugary foods raise blood sugar levels and wreak havoc on the body.
How to Test for Diabetes
Some medical professionals use an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to determine diabetes. If you’ve been pregnant, you may have drank a sugary cocktail before having your blood drawn. If so, you’re familiar with this one.
For an OGTT, a patient gets 50-75 grams of glucose. Then a medical professional measures their blood sugar response. No one should be drinking that much glucose! The test isn’t accurate, either.
And if you’re a fan of big gulp drinks and lots of soda, you’re testing your body in a similar way. Eventually, your body will give in. It will respond with something like, “Fine, if you want diabetes, I’ll show you diabetes!
All that sugar increases the risk of all kinds of health problems. These include vision problems, kidney disease, nerve damage, cancer, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. These can occur even without an official diabetes diagnosis.
Diabetes Symptoms
Some common diabetes symptoms of both types, according to the Mayo Clinic include:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Extreme hunger
- Unexplained weight loss
- Ketones in the urine
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores
- Frequent infections
Doctors used to call type 2 diabetes adult-onset diabetes, but children now get it too. The pancreas makes enough insulin, but the body starts ignoring it. When that happens, you have insulin resistance. This looks like increased blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and waist size.
Prevalence of Diabetes in America
The American Diabetes Association reports that as of 2019:
- 37.3 million Americans have diabetes (and 8.5 million didn’t even know they had it)
- Nearly 1.9 million Americans have type 1 diabetes, and 244,000 are children and adolescents.
- It’s estimated about 35% of Americans under 20 have diabetes.
- 96 million Americans age 18 and up are pre-diabetic.
- 1.4 million new cases of diabetes occur each year.
- Nearly 30% of people older than 65 have diabetes
- Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death and costs $327 billion a year.
Diabetes is a big problem, but what causes it? Some say it’s genetic, while others claim a lifestyle or dietary cause… What is it? Let’s go back to biology.
Biology 101: Sugar, Carbs, Insulin, and Fat
Our body breaks down and metabolizes any food we eat into the different building blocks it needs. What it doesn’t process the liver removes.
We need protein and fats for muscle and tissue regeneration and other bodily processes. We typically use carbohydrates as a fast energy source, but when we eat more than we need, our body stores it as fat. So that whole wheat muffin can be just as bad as eating a donut with sprinkles!
I explain the process more in this post. While it may seem simple, there are a few confounding factors.
Grains, Sugars, and Omega-6 Oils
These three are the axis of evil in the nutrition world. They’re all new to the human diet, especially in the most common forms. These include processed flour, table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and vegetable oils.
Grains (especially the highly processed form) not only raise insulin levels but can damage the gut lining. This can happen even without celiac disease. Even whole grains also cause inflammation and can create an immune response.
Healthy and Unhealthy Sugar
Sugar raises insulin and over time this damages beta cells in the pancreas. This leads to insulin resistance, a precursor for diabetes. Fructose is the top offender in the sugar world. It goes directly to the liver and might be a big factor in fatty liver disease.
Excess sugar in the bloodstream also increases cortisol and adrenaline release. It slows the immune response, decreases necessary leptin levels, and promotes fat storage. While we should limit all sweeteners, some are worse than others:
- Glucose – Found in almost all carbohydrates, glucose is a precursor to glycogen. We need glycogen for energy so it’s ok in moderation.
- Fructose – A toxic substance with no health benefits. If you decide to eat it, get it from whole fruits, not High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).
- Sucrose – AKA table sugar. It has a 1:1 ratio of glucose to fructose and creates an insulin response. Limit or avoid it.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – This is super concentrated (and dangerous) fructose. Be strict about avoiding this substance.
- Honey, Maple Syrup, Agave, Molasses – These natural sweeteners still contain high levels of fructose. Healthy people with good insulin sensitivity can eat these in moderation.
- Fruit sugar – Fruit contains lots of natural sugar. While most fruits are okay in moderation, avoid their juices. These are concentrated sugar sources that raise blood glucose and insulin. The best fruit sources are low sugar and high antioxidant, like berries.
Vegetable Oils
Omega 6 oils are a relatively new addition to the diet, making their appearance in the early 1900s. Oils in this category include vegetable oils, which aren’t from vegetables at all. These include canola, cottonseed, soybean, corn, safflower, sunflower, and more.
Since the 1950s vegetable oil intake has increased thanks to health “experts.” Research now shows they increase obesity risk and harm the thyroid. They contribute to insulin resistance and inflammation, further aggravating the poor pancreas.
Ideally, we should consume omega-6 fats in a 1:1 ratio with Omega-3 fats. Most Americans consume a ratio closer to 20 or 25:1, increasing their risk of diabetes and obesity.
Stress, Toxins, and the Adrenals
The body functions as a sum of many parts. So, it’s logical that when one hormone or part of the endocrine system is suffering, the other would suffer. This is why recent research links high stress to diabetes and other health problems. Most people think of stress only in the mental context. But stress can be physical, psychological, emotional, or mental. Many things can trigger it, including:
- Lack of sleep
- Poor diet
- Exposure to toxins
- Infection
- Disease
- Overexercising
- Outside stress
Cortisol and Hormones
When we’re stressed the adrenals release cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are life-saving in true “fight or flight” situations, like running away from a bear. But too many of these hormones can cause problems.
Excess cortisol contributes to hormone imbalance. That’s because the body uses other hormones like progesterone to manufacture it. Too much cortisol can also interfere with other metabolic processes. It can mess with blood sugar, reduce fat-burning, and raise insulin. It can also suppress the thyroid, and contribute to belly fat.
Sleep deprivation can elevate cortisol, decrease insulin sensitivity, and increase blood sugar. Most moms have felt the hangover-like effects of this during the first weeks of caring for a newborn.
Genetic Factors
Genetics do play a role in any disease, but I put this factor last for a reason. Genetic risk factors for a disease will increase your chances of getting the disease. But not in a vacuum.
Some with a family history of heart disease remain heart-attack free. Studies of identical twins show that twins often get the same diseases.
We now know that environmental factors or a potent toxin can alter genes in a single generation. Factors like toxins, stress, pesticides, and diet can turn certain genes on or off, leading to disease. While our genes can increase disease odds, it won’t necessarily happen without other factors.
If you know you have a genetic predisposition to a condition, take steps to maintain your health. At the same time, work to prevent illness.
Those with a genetic predisposition to liver or autoimmune disease often get diabetes. This is likely because the pancreas and liver handle proper insulin regulation. So, problems here could affect the body’s normal response. Studies have linked autoimmune disease and leaky gut with higher instances of diabetes.
How Do We Fix It?
None of the above contributing factors usually happen by themselves. Since the body functions as a whole, a problem in one area will usually correlate to problems in others. A combination of the factors above can trigger a full-blown case of diabetes. It can also lead to many other diseases.
Researchers often look at a single variable when searching for a cure for a disease. But the best approach is to address the body as a whole. The best remedy is prevention but some measures can help reverse disease once it’s happened.
Freshly diagnosed diabetics usually start working with a dietitian or nutritionist. Diabetes care usually involves avoiding sugar (a good step, not the solution). They may need drugs like Metformin or insulin.
These are a band-aid solution though and can cause side effects. The problem is that diabetes is a problem with insulin regulation. The body becomes resistant to insulin hormone and then the pancreas overproduces it.
The goal is to remove toxic amounts of glucose from the bloodstream. Insulin is also dangerous if left circulating in the blood. Treating excess circulating glucose and insulin by adding more insulin doesn’t make sense.
We have to fix the actual problem causing diabetes, like diet, toxins, stress, and gut problems. Just managing blood sugar levels can lead to insulin-dependent diabetes and pancreas shut down.
Ditch the Typical Diet
Mainstream US health experts often follow the current USDA My Plate guidelines. This recommends 6-9 ounces of grains a day for fiber. For perspective that’s 9 slices of bread or 4 plus cups of rice. While this is poor medical advice for anyone, it’s fuel on the fire for those with insulin issues.
All those grains and carbs increase body weight and fat.
7 Steps to Help Your Body Recover from Diabetes
The good news (about time!) is that most people with Type 2 diabetes can reverse it or dramatically improve it with the right steps.
1. Control Insulin
Insulin resistance triggers diabetes. Regaining proper insulin sensitivity can help reverse the process. Limit sugar, grains, and processed carbs. Instead focus on healthy proteins, fats, and green veggies.
2. Balance Fats
Too many omega-6 fats in the diet contribute to diabetes. A 1:1 ratio of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats is best. Avoid Omega-6 rich seed and vegetable oils (almost every restaurant uses these). Fatty fish like salmon and sardines are good Omega 3 sources.
3. Fix your Gut
No, I’m not talking about the beer gut. Grains and toxins cause damage to the intestinal lining and can cause leaky gut. Not enough good bacteria in our gut makes the problem worse. Poor diet, antibiotics, and being bottle-fed as a baby all deplete the microbiome.
Remove grains, avoid toxins and take probiotics to help heal. Grains, especially gluten, can harm gut health for some people. Even if it’s eaten occasionally.
4. Exercise
Even mainstream medicine recognizes the advantages of exercise for diabetes. It increases the muscles’ ability to use insulin. Over time, it can help fix insulin resistance.
All exercise isn’t created equal, though. Daily high-intensity exercise improves insulin balance better than an hour of moderate cardio. It also works better for weight loss. I recommend high-intensity exercise anyway for its various health advantages.
5. Lose Excess Weight
Obesity and Diabetes often go hand in hand. There’s still a debate on which one causes the other. But studies show that lowering your BMI can help mitigate diabetes. It also lowers your risk of getting it in the first place. Certain dietary and lifestyle improvements can help you lose weight and are beneficial for diabetes reversal as well.
6. Reduce Stress
Stress raises cortisol, potentially leading to hormone imbalance and insulin issues. It also increases your risk for certain types of diseases.
To lower your stress, get plenty of sleep, avoid toxins, and improve your diet. Getting quality sleep every night can help reduce stress hormone levels and is excellent for blood sugar. Also, do what you can to address mental and emotional sources of stress. I’ve found tapping very helpful.
7. Supplement
Supplements can help you heal from diabetes. They’re especially helpful while your body normalizes its insulin responses. Consider cinnamon, omega-3s, alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, and garlic. Magnesium and chromium are also helpful.
Monitoring the Problem As It Improves
Anyone with diabetes should consult their primary care provider before making any changes. Especially before changing diabetes medication. That said, focusing on healthy foods is always a good idea.
Nearly 74% of Americans are overweight and many are in a pre-diabetic state. Even if you don’t have symptoms, a glucose monitor can show you your insulin levels.
I also monitored my glucose when pregnant instead of doing the glucose test. Testing at home will tell you how your body responds to certain foods and what works best for you.
What You Need
A Levels glucose monitor is my preferred way to check my sugar levels as it is easy and pain-free. You can also track your numbers as often as you like. The company sends a tracker that you attach to your arm and it gets replaced every 14 days. But finger pricks also work!
If you want to manually check, most drugstores sell glucometer and test strip kits. Be sure to check the cost of replacement strips though. Those can get pricey!
Testing Blood Sugar Levels
Take blood sugar readings at the following times each day for a week:
- First thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything
- Before your normal lunch
- One hour after lunch
- Two hours after lunch
- Three hours after lunch
Do not eat or drink anything else during the three hours of testing.
You may get an accurate baseline of your insulin response after only a few days. But a week provides more data. If you’re diabetic, you likely have some ideas about these numbers. Take readings at the suggested times anyway to figure out your baseline.
Keep a Food Log
Write down everything you eat and drink and track the times you test your blood sugar. This shows how you react to specific foods. Don’t make a special effort to diet or eat healthy foods during this time as you’ll want to know your normal reactions.
Carbohydrate Spike Test
Choose a day of your blood sugar readings to eat a food high in simple carbs. It should be after at least 2-3 days of testing.
For your test meal, eat potato, rice, etc. You can also include any vegetables, but don’t add any fats or proteins. This will test your basic reaction to high levels of glucose not mitigated by fat. Record these numbers as usual.
Important note: If you usually eat a low-carb diet, this number might seem higher than it should be. This is because of a decreased carbohydrate tolerance and is not a cause for concern.
Determine Results
Based on your food log and glucose results, note which foods cause higher readings. Use a website like fitday to input your food log. That will help you get an accurate analysis of your total carb, protein, and fat consumption. Then you’ll see which days were the best and worst for your blood glucose.
How Should Your Numbers Look?
You want your numbers to be as follows:
- Fasting blood glucose below 83 mg/dL
- A pre-meal reading below 90 mg/dL or your fasting level
- 1 hour reading under 140 mg/dL
- 2 hour reading under 120 mg/dL (preferably under 100)
- 3-hour reading back to pre-meal level
- No readings above 140 mg/dL
If your numbers are higher, your body isn’t processing glucose well. You likely have some level of insulin resistance. Limit carbs and processed foods and opt for more good fats and proteins.
Start the “Seven Steps” above then take a look at your readings. If they’re in the diabetic or high prediabetic range, consider consulting a specialist.
Even if you don’t have glucose issues, occasional blood sugar testing is a good idea. It can help pinpoint which carbs your body does and doesn’t like. And it’s a more accurate alternative to the pregnancy glucose test. You may have to explain your reasons to your doctor though!
Final Thoughts on Reversing Diabetes
Diabetes research is constantly evolving. I compiled the best of my research above, but do your own, too! At the very least, please consider making some positive changes. A good diet and lifestyle go a long way to help fight and prevent disease.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Michelle Sands, ND. She is double board certified in Integrative Medicine and Naturopathic Medicine and is also a Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and competitive endurance athlete. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Do you struggle with diabetes? Have you overcome it?
Hi Katie. I must say I am loving your blog. I have been stuck here non stop for hours already. (Except for the hour break I took to try out one of your detox baths.:)) Anyway, I was hoping for a lil advice. My dad has had diabetes for many years and he was doing alright keeping it under control but the last couple years his diabetes has just gotten worse. Mostly from added stress and I know he’s just not eating right. Basically during the week, my dad will eat a sandwich or a TV dinner of some sort. Just something quick and easy, although not that good for him. On the weekends, we all usually get together for a home cooked meal. So, what I really would like is to find something (or some things) I can make and stick in the freezer that my dad can reheat during the week that is healthy for him. But also something he will actually enjoy. Which is the hard part since he isn’t a big fan of healthy food. I was hoping maybe you could help me out in finding some great recipes. Maybe even just point me in the right direction or if you have any that you would recommend. Also which supplements would be best, or actually a multi supplement I could get for him that would be easy. I’m just so lost in how to help my dad with his diabetes. And although he is on medication and does check his blood sugar regularly, I feel almost as if he is starting to just give up. Also, he is pretty active and gets plenty of exercise daily. He’s 66 years old and has owned his own plumbing company for 30 years. He is one of the hardest working men I have ever known. He’s not really over weight but does have that beer belly! He is however extremely stressed all the time with work and some family problems we’ve had. If I could just take all his stress away, I would but it’s not that easy. Any advice on how to help? Basically, I need help in all aspects of helping my dad with his diabetes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
This article talks about diabetes: https://wellnessmama.com/1440/reverse-diabetes-naturally/ and here’s info on slow cooked freezer recipes: https://wellnessmama.com/7076/slow-cooker-freezer-recipes-review/ Hopefully those will be a start!
Thanks Wellness Mama for this post! I just found out I have high insulin resistance despite being healthy weight. I suspect stress from 2 babies close to age and a diet rich in “whole grains” and lots of them has gotten me to this situation. I was looking for some non-drug answers and appreciated your insight (as always, I’ve been a fan for over a year). I’m hoping cutting grains almost completely from my diet will help me get great results like Dave above. I will be getting a blood tester this week so I can monitor myself. Thank you for helping me put this in perspective and Sharing the correct numbers for home testing.
Great Article!
I have also been working off pounds and eating much like the plan outlined here. It has indeed repaired my insulin sensitivity.
As many others , my prediabetic condition was lifestyle related.
It does seem quite clear this piece is about type II. Gestational diabetes and type 1 are different situations.
Best wishes to all working their own diabetes program out.
RE: Emily Says:
IMPORTANT: There is a difference between Type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune condition) and Type 2 diabetes (lifestyle related). This article refers specifically to Type 2 diabetes.
Hey everyone,
I would like to say that this post indicates that type 2 diabetes is caused by your lifestyle which is not intirely correct. I have type 2 diabetes which my lifestyle did not have anything to do with it. I developed diabetes during each of my 3 pregnancy’s and after a couple of years after my last one, I had 2 ovarian tumors removed, During the surgery I had complications and ended up having 3 surgery’s instead of just one. This caused my body to much stress and my pancreas gave up and I no longer produce insulin. I am a very active person as I train and break horses for a living and I also own a farm, nor did I ever stuff unhealthly foods down my throat…. Just saying not all type 2 diabetics are lazy and have bad eating habits, everyone who suffers from the diease knows that it is considered an individual diease and treatment is different for each person and it doesn’t matter what type you have either, I inject the same insulin a type 1 would use.
I am going to post this here, because it seems that the confusion between Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes still exists. I believe it is incredibly important for individuals to understand the fundamental difference between these conditions in order to have a better idea of how to help treat and manage. Knowledge is key to treating any condition, educating yourself is the greatest start, in conjunction with seeing your endocrinologist and Diabetic support team.
Since Wellness Mama has done a fabulous job at informing us about Type 2 Diabetes, I will go on, and for the purpose of clarification, will be referring only to Type 1 Diabetes for the remainder of this post.
Type 1 Diabetes is an Autoimmune Disease that often effects children and young adolescents, but can however be diagnosed in adults.
In Type 1 Diabetes, the body begins to produce defective antibodies/white blood cells (the cells your body uses to fight infections) and those cells see Islet Cells (the insulin producing cells which are located in your pancreas) as foreign objects, not unlike the way they would see bacteria or a virus as a foreign object in the body. The antibodies then begin to attack the Islet cells, killing them off, this process can take a few years to several, during which the body is producing some insulin, called the Honeymoon Phase.
Now lets talk about the importance of Islet cells; Islet cells produce insulin, which is a hormone in the body that is used to process sugar. In saying that, you have to understand that everything you eat, literally everything with the exception of fats, the moment you put it in your mouth, your body is absorbing and metabolizing it, and in order to use that food, whether it is a fruit, vegetable, grain or dairy product, the body breaks it down and turns it into a sugar; this is your body’s primary source of energy. It uses that energy for normal body functions, your brain uses glucose (sugar) to function, your muscles and organs need it to run properly, and your body stores it as fat to be used later as energy as well.
Let me draw a picture for you to visualize some things, it helps.
Imagine a hallway, this hallway represents your bloodstream; all of the arteries and veins in your body. Now imagine that hallway is full of doors, and behind these doors are the rooms your body uses all the sugar that your body has broken down from all the foods you have eaten that day; all the vegetables, fruits, grains and dairies. All these rooms are locked though, they cannot be opened without a key. Now I want you to imagine insulin as the key to opening these doors. With out insulin, those doors will never open, and the hallway will continue to fill up with sugar (If you are type 2, it’s like some of the keys are broken, some of them will work, but others do not, o you don’t have enough keys)
When sugar floats around in your bloodstream, your body has no way of using it an energy, which is our primary source. We use fats to a small extent, but we are not designed to run on fats as a source of energy alone. So instead, our body begins to use our fat stores as energy to run our brains and muscles and organs. This can only last so long however, and once our fat stores are depleted, your body starts to use your organs as its source of energy, which eventually leads to death. The excess sugar in your bloodstream causes high glucose levels, or high blood sugar. This will make you tired and lethargic, or sleepy. It can cause nerve pain and headaches and general feeling of being unwell. It will lead to weight loss and extreme thirst.Your body wants to flush the sugar out so it tries to get you to drink more to help it do that. Eventually, long term high blood sugars lead to diabetic complications, like neuropathies and retinopathy, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and other complications.
Without sugar, your brain cannot function properly, your brain runs on glucose, it actually sits in a clear fluid, and when that glucose drops, you will become disoriented, your muscles can feel funny, you can become moody, your speech can become impaired, and eventually you with lose consciousness and go into a Hypoglycemic coma if your body is without enough sugar for too long. That’s because the brains synapses (the electrical impulses the brain uses to tell your body what to do and how to function) cannot fire properly, they don’t reach their destinations. So the body can’t run without sugar, but too much sugar is dangerous as well.
So with Type 1 Diabetes, you have to inject synthetic insulin in order to try and balance your blood sugar levels. This is not easy, as food, exercise, stress, sickness, menstruation, environmental changes, and sleeping patterns affect your blood sugar levels. It’s trying to manage a hormone in the body very tightly, and this is no easy feat.
Anyone, like me, who has Type 1 Diabetes cannot cure themselves or take themselves off insulin. When you understand how your body breaks down food and uses it, you realize that insulin is key to your bodies ability to function, but your ability to literally live. You can decrease the amount of insulin you need to use by exercising and changing your diet, but you cannot come off insulin as a Type 1 Diabetic. After your body kills your insulin producing Islet cells, you need synthetic insulin as a Life Sustaining Therapy.
The cause of Type 1 Diabetes is not known, there are genetic and hereditary factors, but there is still a lot that is still being researched. Until there is a cure, reach out to your Endocrinologist, Diabetic support team and Diabetic Personal support groups near your area. Reaching out to other Diabetic can help.
I hope this biology lesson has cleared up any questions or confusion 🙂
I hope this Helps
Alicia G
Type 1 Diabetic and Support Leader in NB, Canada!
Cheers!
Thank you Alicia! I am downloading your explanation to share it. It definitely communicates the difficult to otherwise comprehend behaviour of Diabetes I.
I would also like to direct readers to an excellent article by the Smithsonian Magazine on Diabetes I, (April 2013) called ‘The Secret of Dirt’. The article follows a team of researchers who were puzzled by the epidemic of Diabetes I in the healthy/wealthy nation of Finland, whereas right across the water in Russia, there was virtually no incidence of the disease. What they discovered is that the typical childhood, playing in the dirt, having dogs lick faces, getting sick and getting over it, are all critical parts of developing a healthy immune system, which the more affluent societies, with their sterile playgrounds and homes, abundance of medical interventions and drugs, and preference for vaccines in lieu of naturally occurring childhood sicknesses and recoveries.. lead to immune systems that just don’t know how to function – and as a result, attack the host.
God designed our bodies to require development. We train our brains and muscles.. how much more or less important is it to train our immune systems.
When people get their heads around that, diseases like Diabetes I may become a vestige of history at last.
Victoria Bingham
Hi Katie,
Another great post with a ton of information.
I was wondering what your take is on glucose in pregnancy. How do you feel about those nasty drinks that they make you do? Do you do that test? Why or why not.
Just curious about your take on the subject.
I do not drink it. I self-test blood sugar 4x a day for two weeks instead.
Hello Wellness Mama! I love your site and reference it often- thank you for the time and consideration you put into all your posts! I will say this post is the first one that I felt the need to comment on with (minor) dissatisfaction. I am the parent of a 5 year old Type 1 (who has been since age 3). We follow a strict grain and gluten free diet with minimal dairy and no refined sugars, and are managing (though praying for a cure). I am writing to ask that you please reframe this article to the population it is targeted to: Type 2 Diabetics. Unfortunately the similarity in names causes considerable confusion in the general population…and ultimately this impacts Type 1’s deleteriously, as the general public fails to understand the differences in these diseases- one being lifestyle induced and the other an auto-immune disease. (This misunderstanding can be dangerous- imagine my child gets lost at a store or amusement park, most people would not understand the severity of her condition, because they think it’s the same as their overweight grandparents)! Please, for the sake of kids like mine who deal with a public unaware of their huge struggle compared to Type 2’s, make it clearer who this article is intended for. Thanks again for all the important information you share!!
Great point Allison. I take for granted that this should be common knowledge. I will edit. My heart goes out to you… that is so tough!
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in Dec 2014 with 261 fasting blood sugar. After 3 weeks was able to bring to 130 on the average during the day.
I’m heading back to normalcy. I suggest that monitoring your fasting blood sugar and eating the healthy food is the key.
Very thankful that there are hopes for a cure of diabetes, I thought I’m on a life long journey on this disease. It will never be.
Thanks for this extremely well-written and comprehensive article. I had to take the 3 hour glucose test from Hell with my last two pregnancies. I was borderline. Never again. I know my body doesn’t tolerate sugar/ excess carbs well. Even though I am thin and lean and always have been. Eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast would do me in for the entire day. I think most people eating the standard diet are slowly developing insulin resistance. Just a matter of time before it turns into full-blown diabetes. I lift weights, eat healthy oils, and eat lots of protein to keep my levels (and mood!) steady. It makes such a huge difference.
I am a type 1 diabetic. I adopted the Paleo diet 7 months ago after being gluten-free for several years. While I still take insulin, I’m taking much less now than I was before.
This is for type 2 please specific this at the start as there is a huge difference bewteen the types
type 1 is an auto-immune condition which has no cure because the body is uanble to prouce any insulin.
Aloha from Brazil!
I was diagnosed pre-diabetes ( 160 fasting blood sugar level.)
I like to have Low fat yogurt, with oatmeal and fresh fruits in the morning.
Now I heard that oatmeal has a medium-high Glicemic Index.
Would that breakfast contribute or help to avoid my pre diabetes turn into diabetes?
On time: I don’t use sugar or weetner, but only about 20 grams of chocolate covered almonds per day.
Thanks in advance for your comments…
Hi Wellness Mama,
I really appreciate this post and your extensive research behind it. There’s just one thing that bothers me… you recommend chromium as a potentially helpful supplement to take to help prevent/reverse diabetes. I have found, through research, the advice of my endocrinologist, and my own (nursing) experience, that chromium supplementation can be very dangerous for those who have blood sugar issues (like diabetes, PCOS, hypoglycemia, CF, etc).
Unlike cinnamon (and exercise), which increases the cells’ sensitivity to insulin (and therefore decreases the body’s requirement of insulin, and therefore prolongs the life of the beta cells in the pancreas which produce insulin), chromium stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin, having a kind of ‘insulin dumping’ effect on the bloodstream. While this might seem like a good thing (after all, don’t diabetics need more insulin to compensate for their higher levels of blood glucose?), it’s actually pretty bad for several reasons.
First, the high quantity of insulin that chromium stimulates the pancreas to release causes the blood glucose to rush into the cells at such a rapid rate that very low blood sugar usually results. Chromium supplementation ultimately contributes to blood sugar spikes (a pattern of high highs and low lows in rapid succession), which is a very unstable situation for a diabetic. This further contributes to carbohydrate cravings (at best) and dangerously low blood sugar (at worst). Second, chromium supplementation taxes the beta cells in the pancreas to over-produce insulin, and these are the same beta cells which are already overtaxed due to the higher demand for insulin which the body already has due to higher circulating levels of blood glucose. Once the beta cells in the pancreas fatigue and die, they die for good (a situation which results in insulin dependence for the Type II diabetic). So chromium ultimately shortens the lifespan of the beta cells, therefore decreasing the body’s capacity to produce insulin on the long-term.
Now, I agree that high levels of blood glucose are no good either, especially for those cells which do not require insulin in order to absorb and use glucose (such as the brain, eyes, and kidneys… which is why a lifetime of high blood glucose can result in diabetic kidney failure, blindness/retinopathy, and Alzheimer’s). However, chromium supplementation is not an adequate solution to high circulating blood glucose, and may put some folks with poorly-controlled blood sugar at great risk for very low blood sugar. The better choice is to supplement with something like (ceylon) cinnamon, or to increase muscle mass through weight training (muscle cells are way more sensitive to insulin than fat cells, and we would probably guess), which increases the cells’ sensitivity to insulin but does not cause the pancreas to produce MORE insulin. Unfortunately, many cinnamon supplements (though usually not the higher quality ceylon cinnamon supplements, but the cassia cinnamon supplements) have added chromium (!?!), probably because someone noticed that chromium can reduce blood sugar and did not consider how or at what cost. So a little detective work may be needed on the part of the supplement-taker in order to avoid chromium.
Thanks so much for reading my comment and I hope that, at the very least, you become interested to do a little more research about chromium, and also keep posting your very helpful and insightful thoughts about wholeness and health (I’ve certainly benefitted from them!!). 🙂
What a great Article! I have successfully Revered Diabetes 3 years ago and I am living a needle free life. It can be done if you desire!
Hi I’m 25 and I’ve had type 1 diabetics since I was 16. I was wondering if the reversing diabetics naturally could work for type 1’s as well? Thank you!
I have been on organic unrefined coconut oil for a month and a half. My glucose readings have been normal. I take two teaspoons four times a day. After a month and a half my numbers are getting higher. I am not sure what to do. [I haven’t done anything different.] I would appreciate your input.
As a medical professional l appreciate the article but at least we now have a healthy and scientifically proven weight loss method helping build confidence.
Thank you for your post and all the comments.
I had GD during my pregnancy which was controlled with diet and exercise( walk). However, I did not manage my diet after my delivery. At 2 months postpartum, I had the 2 hour Glucose tolerance test done and it showed one abnormal reading and my doctor advised me to be maintain my diet and exercise. I had not really done my part and after 4 months, I checked my Blood sugar levels and found abnormal reading and got scared and since then I maintained diet and am doing exercise. However, my fasting blood sugar levels are always high ( always around 6.5 mmol/L) though my BSL reading after dinner ( 1 hr ) is always below( 7.8 mmol/L). I also started taking a protein shake ( 1/2 cup Astro Greek yogurt but plain and not non-fat) . I prefer the plain one over non-fat one as it is very yummy.
So even if I take this protein shake before going bed, it is not helping me at all except for overcoming those hunger pangs.
I should also admit that apart my diet, I drink 1 cup of french vanilla( little diluted) from Tim Hortons 3 times a weeks. Although, my reading comes back to normal at 2 hr check.
I read in the above comment from wellness Mama, on “Taking a tablespoon of gelatin powder in some hot tea before bed” and found out that it is an animal by product ( made out of pig, chicken and fish) Is there any other way to reduce my fasting blood sugar levels?
Please help and is it something I can control just with diet? please help.
Thank you so much for this post. You saved my day today…an hour ago I was crying after reading that my symptoms that I’m currently experiencing are pointing towards diabetes and now I am hopeful and ready to make some very necessary changes to my lifestyle and eating habits.
Christine