An excellent read for those with Diabetes

Some years ago, having settled into a sedentary lifestyle, with poor eating habits, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. By making radical changes in my diet and adding exercise to my daily routine, I dropped an enormous amount of weight and pushed the disease into remission.

However, over the last two years, while navigating several significant life changes, I've slipped back into a less healthy attitude and diabetes has raised its head, again.  I'm not back at "square one," but I'm awfully close and my body has been pitching a fit.  It's time for a reboot.  Enter this fantastic book from Dr. Joel Fuhrman:

https://www.amazon.com/End-Diabetes-Live-Prevent-Reverse/dp/0062219987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490705060&sr=8-1&keywords=end+of+diabetes

Beyond recipes and sample meal plans, the information in these pages provides scientific insight into how and why specific foods impact the diabetic body; though it's of most value to those with Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetics are not left out and may also find it beneficial.  It's worth note that while the book focuses on diabetes management or reversal through lifestyle, Dr. Fuhrman is adamant that changes in treatment involving medication be managed and monitored by the patient's doctor.

So, why am I touting the book on this forum?  Because I'm passionate about being healthy and self-sufficient, about growing my own "clean" food and encouraging others to do the same. This morning, for the first time in months, I woke up feeling optimistic and hopeful about my health. I know I can do this...I've done it before and I can do it again...even better!  Armed with fresh knowledge of how diet impacts my body, I'm going to get active, expand my garden and reduce my waistline.



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I love Dr. Furhman!  He's my healthy eating guru. I bought his first book, Eat to Live, when it first came out and it changed my life & health...for the better.    I've read every book since, and reread some just to be reminded.  
Very wise man.  

Good luck with your pre-diabetes.  I know lots of folks who have gotten rid of pre and full blown type 2 thru diet.  And like you said, you did it before and can do it again!

I would join you GB, goal: Health.  It is about health.

Method:  Move more, eat more veggies, fruits, plant centered meals.   Meats and starch should be sides.  Good thing we are gardeners....Lol

How can we stay accountable?  Is this Boot Camp ?  YES!  Get on board!

Rooster, help?

Scorpio Rising wrote:I would join you GB, goal: Health.  It is about health.

Method:  Move more, eat more veggies, fruits, plant centered meals.   Meats and starch should be sides.  Good thing we are gardeners....Lol

How can we stay accountable?  Is this Boot Camp ?  YES!  Get on board!

Rooster, help?

I'm in the MORE PROTEIN!! boot camp

I do eat plenty of veggies, and some fruits, but I'm all about protein and getting those carbs down, or at least trying to balance them out with as much fiber as possible.
But I'm not very informed on diabetic needs and diet, so my methods and needs may be different.
I work on a calorie deficit, and once I hit all my macros (or close) for the day, I fill in any calorie surplus with either protein or carbs depending on time of day or level of physical activity. Usually focus is protein!

CC, thank you for the vote of confidence; your encouragement means a lot to me! I'm glad you're in my corner!

SR and Rooster, you're both right!  More veggies and protein = success.  According to Dr. Fuhrman, here's the catch for diabetics: just like there are good carbs and bad carbs, there's good protein and bad protein. I didn't know that before.

Learning this is revolutionary for me; it explains a lot about my previous attempt to overcome the disease.  Upon diagnosis, I immediately dropped all bad carbs from my diet, increased the good ones, as well as protein. What I didn't know, was that I needed to greatly diminish my meat intake and ramp up on vegetable-based protein.

Because I was eating "better" and exercising every day, I lost a lot of weight.  Most of the aches and pains I associated with getting older, disappeared, and daily headaches went away.  But months in, even though I looked better and wasn't in pain, I still didn't feel good. At some point I realized I wasn't feeling the way I thought I should, given the positive changes I'd made.  The kicker is: my doctor agreed, but was just as puzzled as I was; she couldn't help me.  Eventually, I caved to stress and started eating junk again...

I'm excited because being aware that vegetable-based protein may be the key I was missing, I can easily incorporate it, going forward. For a fraction of the price I would pay for organic produce at the market, I will expand my garden to grow the exact greens, legumes, and other vegetables my body needs for optimum health, without relying on medication.

So, yes SR, it's a good thing we're gardeners! 

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Sorry, I can't find the thread about diabetes.  I have to be careful what I eat, but Hubby has it really bad. He's on meds that aren't working very well. We are both trying to modify our diet, but it isn't easy. Here are a few goodies we've come up with:

Eat tuna salad and egg salad with celery spears instead of making sandwiches.

Egg salad and cucumber chunks is really yummy.

Almond flour has only 6 carbs -- regular flour has 22 for the same size serving. Almond flour is outrageously expensive, however, and doesn't hold together well. If you use it in a regular recipe, reduce liquid by half and add an egg or just use it to "dilute" regular flour. After a failed experiment with biscuits, we're thinking it might work for peanut butter cookies, using Splenda. I'll let you know if it works.

Cauliflower is a great substitute for rice -- much lower in carbs and works great in recipes.

If you can't give up mashed potatoes, mix in half cauliflower. You'll never know the difference and you've just reduced carbs by almost 50%.

We're still looking for a decent pasta substitute, but haven't found anything worthy of mention, yet.

I'm loving the new quinoa and lentil pastas.  Not sure of the carb content but they have to be less than wheat pasta.

(I'm providing this info from a gluten-free perspective, rather than diabetes, but:)
Had Banza "Rotini made from Chickpeas" last night - pretty nice texture for non-wheat.
The back of the box says Banza has 43g net carbs vs 71 net carbs in 'average pasta.'
The other ingredients, besides chickpeas, are tapioca, pea protein, and xanthan gum.

this

If you crave sweets and novelty coffees, Hubby discovered Walden Farms Calorie Free Caramel Syrup. No carbs. It's anything but natural, but can help when comfort food is inevitable.

We are just getting started on this, so I am not well-informed at this point.

Ginger Blue wrote:I'm excited because being aware that vegetable-based protein may be the key I was missing, I can easily incorporate it, going forward. For a fraction of the price I would pay for organic produce at the market, I will expand my garden to grow the exact greens, legumes, and other vegetables my body needs for optimum health, without relying on medication.

Some kinds of meds are great with no side effects. Diabetes meds - NOT SO MUCH!   DH has gone through 3-4 already. Some gave him severe stomach aches, daily headaches, and nausea. One worked fine for a week, then did the opposite of what it was supposed to and raised his blood sugar to 290. That was scary. This new one is inconsistent and still has side effects. If we can get him off meds through diet and exercise, we will be very happy campers. Right now, he has a very deep hole to dig himself out of.

Ginger Blue wrote:Some years ago, having settled into a sedentary lifestyle, with poor eating habits, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. By making radical changes in my diet and adding exercise to my daily routine, I dropped an enormous amount of weight and pushed the disease into remission.

However, over the last two years, while navigating several significant life changes, I've slipped back into a less healthy attitude and diabetes has raised its head, again.  I'm not back at "square one," but I'm awfully close and my body has been pitching a fit.  It's time for a reboot.  Enter this fantastic book from Dr. Joel Fuhrman:

https://www.amazon.com/End-Diabetes-Live-Prevent-Reverse/dp/0062219987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490705060&sr=8-1&keywords=end+of+diabetes

Beyond recipes and sample meal plans, the information in these pages provides scientific insight into how and why specific foods impact the diabetic body; though it's of most value to those with Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetics are not left out and may also find it beneficial.  It's worth note that while the book focuses on diabetes management or reversal through lifestyle, Dr. Fuhrman is adamant that changes in treatment involving medication be managed and monitored by the patient's doctor.

So, why am I touting the book on this forum?  Because I'm passionate about being healthy and self-sufficient, about growing my own "clean" food and encouraging others to do the same. This morning, for the first time in months, I woke up feeling optimistic and hopeful about my health. I know I can do this...I've done it before and I can do it again...even better!  Armed with fresh knowledge of how diet impacts my body, I'm going to get active, expand my garden and reduce my waistline.



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My book just arrived. I am about to dig in. Thank you so much for putting me onto this. We really need a magic bullet, here. Fingers crossed this book will be the answer.

Yes, there is hope!  I'm so excited!  I believe you'll be on the right track if you apply what you learn and commit to lifestyle changes, long-term.

We're on this journey together! I'd love to hear your thoughts and follow your husband's progress, please keep me in the loop here or via PM.



GB

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BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:(I'm providing this info from a gluten-free perspective, rather than diabetes, but:)
Had Banza "Rotini made from Chickpeas" last night - pretty nice texture for non-wheat.
The back of the box says Banza has 43g net carbs vs 71 net carbs in 'average pasta.'
The other ingredients, besides chickpeas, are tapioca, pea protein, and xanthan gum.

Beetles, I really want to try this; where did you get it?

CapeCoddess wrote:I'm loving the new quinoa and lentil pastas.  Not sure of the carb content but they have to be less than wheat pasta.

Finally found one that I love, too. It's called "Healthy Noodle." We get it at Costco. Comes in a refrigerator packet, with a long expiration date. It does have some junk in it, so Fuhrman wouldn't approve, but it has no sugar, fat, cholesterol, gluten, and only 5g of carbs. It's an imported soy-based product. We're really trying on this program, but some things we'll have to kick down the road while we tackle the bigger issues, first.

Wonderful info GB and Good luck to you!

How's everyone doing today?

I got the book out of the library again so I can read along with you all. Let me know if I can help at all because I've been doing Fuhrman for so long that it's second nature. I'm sure it has a lot to do with why my hip replacement is moving along so quickly. EVERYTHING is better!

News to me, thanks for the info.  I need to make changes too....looks like a good read.   Will try to get it at the library!

CapeCoddess wrote:How's everyone doing today?

I got the book out of the library again so I can read along with you all.  Let me know if I can help at all because I've been doing Fuhrman for so long that it's second nature. I'm sure it has a lot to do with why my hip replacement is moving along so quickly.  EVERYTHING is better!

That is sooooo good to know. I'm sure to have a million questions as we get into this. Thanks, CC. 

After 48 hours of strict adherence, Hubby's blood sugar is down to 149, which is huge since he's been having horrendous side-effects to the meds he's on. Now that gawdawful pill can go away (we hope). He is also losing a little weight, which is also huge. 

Oh, that's wonderful news! And it will only get better and better.

Ginger Blue wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:(I'm providing this info from a gluten-free perspective, rather than diabetes, but:)
Had Banza "Rotini made from Chickpeas" last night - pretty nice texture for non-wheat.
The back of the box says Banza has 43g net carbs vs 71 net carbs in 'average pasta.'
The other ingredients, besides chickpeas, are tapioca, pea protein, and xanthan gum.

Beetles, I really want to try this; where did you get it?

Wegmans - ... but the closest one to you is in Massachusetts.
Banza's website suggests that stores near you that may carry it are Target and The Fresh Market.

countrynaturals wrote:After 48 hours of strict adherence, Hubby's blood sugar is down to 149, which is huge since he's been having horrendous side-effects to the meds he's on. Now that gawdawful pill can go away (we hope). He is also losing a little weight, which is also huge. 

Only 48 hours????!!!!!!  Wow!  Then you are on your way to healing! :carrot flip:But don't change any meds without doctors orders....

Scorpio Rising wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:After 48 hours of strict adherence, Hubby's blood sugar is down to 149, which is huge since he's been having horrendous side-effects to the meds he's on. Now that gawdawful pill can go away (we hope). He is also losing a little weight, which is also huge. 

Only 48 hours????!!!!!!  Wow!  Then you are on your way to healing! :carrot flip:But don't change any meds without doctors orders....

He has  such awful reactions to the meds we had no choice but for him to stop taking them. This was his 3rd prescription -- only been on it a couple of weeks. The other 2 only lasted a few days to a week. One actually had the opposite effect and made his blood sugar go up.  We're monitoring him carefully. If his blood sugar starts going up again or if he starts feeling worse, we'll go right back to the doctor.

Country, you can call Fuhrman for a phone consult if you and hubby need it. I believe the information on his website.