DR. NEAL BARNARD'S PROGRAM for REVERSING DIABETES

Page 9) Diabetes Diets If you have diabetes, chances are you were given guidelines on what to eat and what to avoid. Perhaps you have met with a dietician, and you may have been referred to a diabetes class. Unfortunately, most people do not get the ongoing support they need to make dietary changes, and as a result, this well - meaning effort may not have much effect. For many years, the ADA has offered diet recommendations designed to provide basic nutrition while also keeping calorie intake and food choices reasonably stable over the course of the day and from one day to the next. The idea was that if you had no carbohydrates for breakfast but then had a big carb - fest later in the day, your blood sugar would change erratically. Similarly, if you had lots of starchy foods on Monday but went low - carb the rest of the week, your blood sugar would be all over the map, and your medications could not keep up with you. Following the ADA guidelines, you would first meet with a registered dietician, who would lay out an individualized plan describing specific numbers of servings of various foods for your meals and snacks, taking into account your need to reduce your weight or cholesterol and your use of medications. Within your plan, you would be able to choose foods using "exchange lisits." That is, if the dietician prescribed a certain number of starch servings at breakfast, for example, you could decide whether that starch is 1/4 of a bagel, one slice of raisin bread, 1/2 cup of cereal, or any other choice on the starch exchange list. Likewise, if your meal plan called for you to have a piece of fruit, you could pick from a range of choices with similar nutritional makeups. Page 10) The guidelines do improve most people's eating habits. The diet you will read about in this book is completely different. For many people, it is much easier as well as much more effective and up - to - date. Now, consulting a registered dietician is still a  good idea because he or she can guide you in the approach described in the following chapters. Take this book with you; your dietician can help you get started. Drugs and Money The diet you will read about in this book is powerful. Unfortunately, the power of nutrition is neglected in many medical practices, and in the process, diabetes treatment is reduced to a series of prescriptions. Don't misunderstand me. Diabetes medications can be lifesaving. They can reduce your blood sugar and, over the long run, cut your risk of complications. And if diet and lifestyle changes do not do the job, it is a serious mistake to forgo medications. But some doctors and patients view medications as the only tools at their disposal. The marketing of pharmaceuticals has so dominated medical practice that many doctors give little more than lip service to diet and exercise, which can often be dramatically effective. Page 11) Open any diabetes journal and you will see expensive advertisements for this drug and that drug. The manufacturers even advertise in popular magazines, encouraging readers to ask their doctors for prescriptions. At the ADA annual meetings, drug company representatives arrive at the loading dock looking as if they are preparing to put on an enormous political convention. You, the drug consumer, are stuck with the bill for all this. A typical diabetes pill contains a few cents' worth of active medication, but the retail cost is heavily inflated by its manufacturer's promotional expenses and its continued efforts to find yet another pill that can carve out more of the market. NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES Focus on the New Four Food Groups Whole Grains: Whole grain pasta, brown rice, bran cereal, oatmeal, pumpernickel or rye bread, couscous, bulgur wheat, millet, barley, etc. Suggested servings: 8 per day. One serving is 1/2 cup cooked grain (e.g., oatmeal or pasta), 1 ounce dry cereal, or 1 slice bread Legumes: Beans (black, pinto, or kidney beans; chickpeas; baked beans; soybeans, etc.), peas, split peas, lentils, fat - free soy products ( fat - free unsweetened soy milk, fat - free veggie burgers, textured vegetable protein, fat - free tofu), etc. Suggested servings: 3 per day. One serving is 1/2 cup cooked beans, 4 ounces tofu, or 8 ounces soy milk. Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, collards, squash, green beans, bok choy, artichokes, etc. Choose those with a low GI. Suggested servings: 4 or more per day. A serving is 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked vegetables. Fruits: Apples, bananas, grapes, pears , peaches, oranges, kiwifruit, berries, etc. Choose those with a low GI. Suggested servings: 3 or more per day. One serving is one piece raw fruit, 1/2 cup chopped fruit, or 1/2 cup cooked fruit or juice. Other Permitted Foods Fat - free salad dressings and other fat - free c0ndiments Coffee (with fat - free nondairy creamer, if desired) Occasionally, alcoholic beverages rarely, sugar, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate ( made without milk), full - fat soy products such as tofu, tempeh, soy cheese, etc. Foods to Avoid Meats, poultry, fish, eggs, (whites and yolks), and all dairy products (regular and fat - free), including milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, sour cream, butter, etc. Added oils, such as margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise, cooking oils, etc. Fried foods, such as potato chips, French fries, onion rings, doughnuts, etc. Avocados, olives, and peanut butter Refined foods and/or foods with a high glycemic index, such as white bread and white potatoes A Daily Multivitamin Take a daily multivitamin as a convenient source of Vitamin B12 (unless you choose B12 - fortified products such as fortified breakfast cereals or fortified soy milk) and vitamin D, which you may need if you rarely get exposure to natural sunlight. http://www.fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/teachers/zopa/advice/pdf/essentialmantrasholyobjectsbkltjune07a4.pdf