Why every Diabetic should take a serious look at the Paleo Diet
It should be considered no secret that the majority of type 2 diabetes sufferers have issues due to being overweight. And while many will be willing to simply take insulin as a treatment for the rest of their lives , many now know that if they were able to find a diet in which they could lose weight , they could possibly be able to win the battle against diabetes . There is one such diet ,that will not only possibly help you lose weight and control your diabetes but also lower your blood pressure and cholesterol . The diet I am talking about is the Paleo diet also known as the caveman diet and while controversial, it has the keys to rapid weight loss down .
So what is the Paleo Diet?
What we commonly refer to as “dinner” is really only about 10,000 years old And while this may sound like a long time, in reality, it’s just a drop in the bucket from an evolutionary standpoint. Before agricultural times (how we are cultivating food today), we ate what we managed to catch during hunting and vegetables and fruits that came strictly from the land and not from a garden. Advocates of the caveman diet will tell you that that is exactly how we should be eating today.
The irony to the paleo diet is that most modern day men and women don’t eat like this at all . Think about it this way…if I told you that you couldn’t eat anything with sugar or flour…no potatoes or corn, what would you eat? In essence, if you are planning to go on this diet, expect to eat lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Most condiments become an issue because most are heavy laden with sugar . so is peanut butter, although many paleo dieters will cheat on this food.
What can you expect to happen?
While lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure as well as weight loss doesn’t have as much to do with diabetes, in truth, the paleo diet will even out spikes caused by sugar . Weight loss along without any spikes in insulin caused by sugar also means the body won’t have to work so hard producing insulin …which means that the diabetic in a lot of cases can eventually produce a normal amount of insulin themselves without having to rely on a needle.
The paleo diet is tough though and requires a bit of commitment . The biggest issue that most diabetics and overweight people will have to overcome is the limiting factor of this diet. For instance, you may have to literally clean out your fridge and replace it with fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein.
Success Stories of Diabetics who Switched to the Paleo Diet
I had a heart attack 2 years ago, I’m only 51, my glucose levels were out of control, my sugar was either too high or too low, I was about 15 lbs overweight. I was exercising 20 or 30 minutes a day on my eliptical machine in front of the t.v. I honestly thought I was eating healthy and balanced, but I could never loose 1 pound.
…my glucose levels were often in the 180 to 225 range. Sometimes it would drop to 51 and I felt that the end was near.
I saw changes in my glucose levels in the first week on the diet. My morning levels were coming down. I cut down on my meds after the first week because I didn’t need so much anymore.
Now I take only 5mg of Glipizide in the evening, and still take the Byetta shots morning and evening. But I’m sure I will be cutting that down soon.
For more information, you can check this website out as well- The Caveman Diet.