Controlling Blood Sugar In Type 2 Diabetes Without The utilization of Drugs
I was advised in quick succession that I was affected by intermittent claudication (that’s blocked arteries in the legs), high blood stress, Diabetes Type 2. and that I was overweight.
Not heaps of pleasure there! The intermittent claudication produced it increasingly complicated to do much, so as to in end result I had become a prisoner to my house and garden. Exercise was out of the question, my legs easily couldn’t cope, but it was hoped that angioplasty to each leg would cure the trouble. It didn’t.
My high blood stress, I was assured, might be treated by a cocktail of drugs and by weight loss. The cocktail of 4 different drugs worked, but I couldn’t seem to lose weight.
So I was given a decision: the blood sugar levels might be controlled either by drugs or by diet. Since I was previously taking 4 different drugs for blood stress, I thought it absolute to try diet control. I was also anxious that this might help me to lose weight. But where to start? My diabetic nurse provided me with a blood sugar monitor and mentioned I should objective to remain under 9 as my reading. My Doctor mentioned to remain under 7. Now she has diminished this to under 5. My ongoing long-term reading is 5.3. A enormous drop from the high readings I used to generate.
So what did I do? At first I was taking blood samples 3 times a day and was undoubtedly astonished at how my blood sugar jumped about. Plain porridge and water, which I entirely loved, would generate a reading of 16 and yet, being a slow release multigrain, I had systematically assumed it would be good for my health. A single apple, showed a reading of 12! Tea with milk but no sugar, ten. for sure there was more to this than met the eye.
The first learning point was that the body requires water and plenty of it. Out went sugared fizzy drinks and in came plain boiled water. The Swedes call it Silver Tea, I’m advised, and it is extremely refreshing. Now a cup starts daily and two or 3 more go after. Low calorie tonic water is also helpful (the quinine helps prevent cramps), mineral water (I specifically like carbonated forms), low calorie Ginger Beer and cold filtered tap water.
The next, important, learning point: control your carbohydrate intake, in my case to under 40gms a day. Eliminate bread, cakes, sweets, pasta, rice, cereals, biscuits, sugars, fruit juice, potatoes, honey, jam, marmalade, baked beans. Reading the food labels is a real eye opener!
Instead, expand your intake of veggies and low carbohydrate foods & fruits. each and every one of the following are mainly good: Broccoli, cabbage, spinach, runner beans, brussels sprouts cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, swede, squashes, celeriac, green salads. Fruit can be extremely high in sugars, so use in moderation. select rhubarb, grapefruit, raspberries, loganberries, strawberries, blueberries, which are all O.K. don’t add sugar, for sure, so sweeten with cinnamon as an alternative. Avocadoes are low in carbohydrates, but high in fat, so consume no more than half a fruit a day. Add nuts and seeds to your diet, again in little amounts.
As far as alcohol is concerned, all beers are out. One or two glasses of red wine a day are okay.
Avoid processed foods as much as probable and certainly don’t eat hydrogenated fats of any kind. They are to my mind a food industry con. and of no use to any one except manufacturers of processed food.
Buy only valid, non-reconstituted lean meat, poultry, game and fish. lower your saturated fat intake by cooking on a griddle and cutting off any excess fat. Cook with olive and nut oils, as these unsaturated fats are good for you. Never use lard. Add game to your repertoire of ingredients, along with lots of oily and white fish such as salmon, haddock, tuna, swordfish, mackerel & kipper.
I have never once felt hungry with this change in my eating behaviors to basic whole foods. I still find I miss eating plain yoghurt, vanilla ice cream and a countless cheeses. But then I from time to time do give myself a little treat – provided I remain within my allowance.
The results are good for my health:
My good cholesterol is high
My bad cholesterol is low
My type II diabetes blood sugar is well controlled by diet alone
I have lost ten lbs in weight.
My next activity is to lose another 30 lbs. I know now that this is achievable. The more weight I lose, the more able I am to expand my task levels – and the more incentive I have to conquer my calorie intake. i finally feel that I am taking back control of my body and discovering that you surely are what you eat!
