A superior nutritional program is a must if you are serious about getting your diabetes under control and possibly reversing it.
Author’s Note: While I was in the hospital, the doctors and nurses told me that I would need to change the way I eat and that proper nutrition would be very important. However, there were many different opinions concerning what is “proper nutrition” – what to eat, how much to eat and what not to eat.
My first step was to stop eating so many processed foods and snacks and replace them with more natural whole foods. My second step was to redistribute what I ate during the day since I was not eating breakfast and I was pigging out with a large dinner and a bedtime dessert. As a result, I was able to make some progress in lowering my blood glucose level. But I had difficulty getting my blood glucose level consistently below 200 mg/dl without taking more insulin. However I didn’t want to increase my dependency on the drugs by taking more insulin. I also didn’t want to compensate for eating too much food or for eating the wrong foods by increasing my insulin dosage before each meal. And, because of my fear of needles, my initial goal was to try to reduce the number of injections from 4 to 3 and hopefully to 2 or 1 injection a day.
My original breakfast consisted of a bowl of my favorite cereal, some fruit on top of the cereal, a cup of 2% milk, a piece of toast, a couple slices of turkey bacon, and a glass of grape juice. However, when my post-meal blood glucose readings continued to hover around the 200-250 range, I realized that I needed to make some changes to breakfast. I eliminated the toast, switched to 1% milk and replaced the juice with water. But, I still couldn’t get my blood glucose level consistently below 200 mg/dl.
Then, I had one of those “accidents” I mentioned earlier – I had run out of my favorite cereal and had to eat some Brussel sprouts that my mother had prepared. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my blood glucose level went below 200 for the first time! I wasn’t certain that the Brussel sprouts had anything to do with this, so I decided to eat Brussel sprouts for lunch and dinner. Each time my blood glucose level went down a few points (to 189). So I kept eating Brussel sprouts because I was so happy that my blood glucose level was coming down. I also noticed that my energy level was going up. And, now that I had energy, I was able to exercise without getting exhausted.
When I finally got tired of the Brussel sprouts (after 7 days), I switched to broccoli then spinach, but my blood glucose level kept coming down. My favorite breakfast gradually evolved to the following:
Super Breakfast
2 cups raw or steamed broccoli (or spinach)
Optional: Add ½ cup sliced onions or red/yellow peppers before steaming
1 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (put on top of the vegetable after steaming)
2 oz. baked wild salmon or 1 organic egg
1 slice sprouted grain bread (1-2 days each week)
1 glass (16 oz.) filtered water
So, why did this breakfast work for me? Was it just a lucky accident? Was it unique to just me? Would it work for dinner? First of all, the meal contained all four of the major macronutrients: a carbohydrate, a protein, a fat, and a liquid. Second, the quality level of the carbohydrate, the protein, the fat, and the liquid was very high. Third, the meal contained key nutrients that many diabetics are lacking, e.g. fiber, water, enzymes, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, Omega-3 fats, and antioxidants. I discovered later that this combination of foods helped my body to extract a larger percentage of the nutrients, increasing the nutritional power of the meal to a “super” level. For example, the olive oil helps to unlock the fat-soluble nutrients in the vegetable and, increase its absorption by the body’s cells and tissues.
The Major Macronutrients
Sometimes it is confusing trying to figure out how carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, calories and all of the other nutritional components fit into an overall eating plan or diet. The following sections will help to clear up some of that confusion.
There are four major macronutrients that your body requires every time you eat – to maintain its balance biochemically and hormonally and keep the body and mind healthy from disease:
Carbohydrates, which come primarily from the earth, e.g. vegetables, fruits, grains; also, man-made processed foods
Proteins, which come primarily from animals and plants, e.g. fish, nuts, seeds, beans, eggs, chicken, beef, turkey
Fats, which come primarily from animals and plants, e.g. olive oil, flaxseed, nuts, fish, meat, dairy
Liquids, which come primarily from plants and the earth; also, man-made beverages, e.g. water, tea, raw juice, bottled juice
Please Note: To reverse your diabetes, every "super" meal and snack should be comprised of these 4 major macronutrients.
Super Meal Attributes
The nutritional protocol, or attributes, of a super meal are similar to those of the Mediterranean diet, which includes fresh whole foods -- vegetables, fruits, fish, whole grains, nuts and olive oil -- that are high in fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids and low in refined carbohydrates. The super meal is designed to provide optimum nutrition to prevent and fight diabetes and other systemic, degenerative diseases/ailments such as heart disease, stroke, and obesity. These attributes specifically nourish, protect, cleanse and repair the body’s cells by addressing the major root causes of Type 2 diabetes: insulin resistance (hormonal imbalance), inflammation, oxidation, nutritional deficiency, and toxic overload. Implement these attributes over a period of time, based on your current state of health, your health goals, lifestyle, exercise regimen and food preferences.
Smaller meal size (350-700 calories): This will reduce the production of insulin and prevent the body from storing fat. Too much insulin in your blood also depletes the body of specific vitamins and minerals, e.g. Vitamin B-complex, Vitamin C, chromium, potassium, magnesium.
Minimum daily quantities of foods: If you don’t like to count calories, then, the minimum daily quantities must be met and distributed across 4 to 6 daily meals/snacks to ensure the body is acquiring enough of the proper nutrients throughout the day to repair the trillions of defective cells:
· 5 to 7 cups of bright-colored raw/lightly-steamed vegetables and 1-3 cups of fruits, including raw juices; 8-16 oz. wheat/barley grass juice; ideally at least 1-2 vegetables with each major meal.
· 3 to 4 tablespoons of a plant oil such as extra virgin olive oil or some other good plant oil such as macadamia nut oil; ideally 1 to 1½ tablespoons with each major meal.
· 5 to 7 cups of filtered water; approximately 2 cups with each meal.
· 2 to 3 cups/servings of lean protein (legumes, organic/fermented soy foods), fish, lean meat, low fat dairy.
· 1 to 2 cups of organic whole grains, including 1 to 3 slices of sprouted grain bread.
More frequent meals (4 to 6 times/day): This increases the thermogenic mechanisms, speeding up your metabolism. This also reduces the production of insulin, cholesterol, homocysteine, and triglycerides leading to the reduction in the thickness of the blood and a lower blood pressure.
Author’s Personal Note: This was difficult for me because I didn’t like to eat snacks and my schedule made it difficult to eat more frequently. But, I was able to find some healthy snack foods that made it easy to eat more frequently and more healthy. For example, a handful of nuts/seeds, some grapes and a glass of water are actually a balanced super snack because it contains the 4 major macronutrients: a carbohydrate (the grapes), a protein/fat (the nuts/seeds), and a liquid (the water). Apples, strawberries, pears, bananas, pulse food, and organic fruit juice were some of the other carbohydrates that I ate/drank as part of my snacks. Black bean soup, canned wild salmon, tuna, skinless chicken breast, ground flaxseed, soft-boiled eggs, whey protein powder, and soy protein nuggets were some of the other proteins and fats.
Meal balance of “live” super carbohydrates, proteins, fats and liquids: This reduces the production of insulin and prevents the body from storing fat. For a typical (smaller) meal of 400-500 calories, the gram and calorie count should be similar to the following:
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