How to Reverse Diabetes With Diet
Take control of your labs
I can’t tell you how many patients I have talked to that had no idea they were headed towards diabetes! SO MANY TIMES a patient comes to me thinking they are healthy and fine because their doctor says “everything is normal”, but when I look at their labs I see their numbers slowly trending up in to the danger zones. I also notice that conventional doctors don’t run all the necessary labs to get the complete picture concerning blood sugar metabolism, so let’s talk about what you can do to get in charge of your health.
Labs to ask for:
Fasting blood sugar
Your blood glucose levels when you’re fasted should be between 70-90 mg/dL. Just because diabetes isn’t considered until you’re >126 mg/dL doesn’t mean you’re not in trouble until you’re at that number. We don’t just want to keep numbers under 126 mg/dL (you will be considered “normal” at 124 mg/dL! 🤦🏻♀️), we want our numbers in a very healthy range that keeps you very far from the damage of diabetes.
HbA1c or A1c
This lab will measure how many glucose molecules are attached to hemoglobin in your red blood cells over the past 60-90 days, this gives a better idea of your average daily blood sugars. Your goal is to be below 5.3%, although you won’t actually be diagnosed as pre-diabetic/diabetic until you are >5.7%.
Fasting insulin
The higher your insulin levels are, the more insulin resistant you are, and the more likely you are to become diabetic. Insulin allows glucose to enter cells, so if that’s not working, your blood sugars will creep up too. High insulin levels increase aging, weight gain, heart disease, cancer, and more. It’s possible to have normal fasting blood sugars but super high insulin levels, so don’t skip this lab. Fasting insulin should be < 5 mIU/dl according to functional medicine health providers.
If your doctor refuses to run these labs you should consider finding a new doctor that will be a partner in your health. These are the most basic labs that will help you prevent illness which is SO much easier than reversing it and the damage diabetes causes. Watch this Ted Talk to see this doctor’s point of view on reversing diabetes with diet.
What you can test at home:
Post prandial glucose- this is your blood sugar after eating meals and is one of the best ways to understand how your body metabolizes carbohydrates. If you want to learn more about how to do this, check out this article by Chris Kresser M.S. called, How to Prevent Diabetes and Heart Disease for $16.
What raises blood sugar
Foods most responsible for raising blood sugar are carbohydrates which include:
starchy veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, plantains, etc.
fruit
beans
sugar (download handout to see all names for sugar)
grains like rice, wheat, oats, barley, etc.
Anything you eat that has components of these foods in the ingredients will mean that they have carbs. All carbs are digested (broken down) in to glucose so you can absorb them in the gut. These will raise blood sugar, no matter what. When blood sugars spike to high, too fast and too often, we set up the possibility of developing insulin resistance and diabetes. This doesn’t mean you should eat NO carbs, it just means we have to do it in a way that’s best for you.
What keeps blood sugar in check
My intention is not to make all carbs appear evil but rather to educate you so you can take control by eating smarter. If you’re going to eat carbs, consider these tips:
Eat whole food sources of carbs because the fiber that is present in them will prevent blood sugars from raising too high too fast. Whole food and high fiber carbs are whole grains, beans, sweet potato vs. white potato and berries (they are lowest in sugar of all the fruits).
Combine protein and healthy fats with your carbs to slow breakdown of carbohydrates which will prevent blood sugars from rising too high, too fast. Don’t just eat oatmeal for breakfast with fruit and sweetener it in- add nuts, flax meal, grass-fed butter or cream and a side of eggs! This will allow you to stay fuller longer, prevent sugar cravings, and also keep you fuller on fat/protein instead of needing to eat more oatmeal to feel satisfied.
Stop eating sugar. Seriously….with so many amazing sugar alternatives out there, there’s no need to endanger your life or your family’s lives by consuming sugar. Sugar hides in SO MANY packaged foods it’s absolutely no surprise to me that we struggle with diabetes and obesity! It’s incredibly addictive and destructive. Download the handout below to see how to do a 14 day sugar detox- if it looks scary, then you’re addicted! LOL.
Exercise. Just incase you needed another reason to be active.
All the bad things diabetes will do to you if you don’t take care
These are just a few:
diabetes
kidney disease and eventual failure (it’s the #1 cause)
inflammation & pain
cardiovascular disease
high cholesterol and triglycerides
brain fog
cravings
obesity
Best diets to reverse diabetes
There’s no one diet to reverse diabetes other than cutting down sugar and carb intake in general. Here are some of my favorite ways to help my patients normalize their labs and reduce/eliminate the need for medications:
Cut all sugar from the diet. This is for the person who is very addicted to sugar, drinks sweetened beverages, is unwilling to start a diet right off the bat. Download the handout below for directions of how to do this- it’s a great first step to take!
Ketogenic diet
Paleo diet
Low carb diet
AIP (autoimmune paleo) diet
Whole30 diet
Bulletproof diet
There are a ton of books and blogs written on all of these, but if you feel that you would do better with a little hand-holding, I’m a registered dietitian and provide virtual appointments here. I will give you detailed instructions, food lists, support and a bunch of handouts to help you through this journey 💗