Diabetes has become a significant healthcare issue for millions of Americans. According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 29 million Americans have diabetes which is about 10% of the population. This condition is often considered “harmless” by many people who suffer with it but the fact of the matter is that diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in this country. This number is not entirely accurate because diabetes may be under reported as the cause

of death since it often leads to listed conditions like heart attack and stroke. This blood sugar disease can cause high blood pressure, obesity, heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, high cholesterol and even the need for limb amputation.

The bottom line is that diabetes in this country is not slowing down, it’s killing millions of Americans and costing us billions of dollars to manage. There must be a better way of preventing and treating this devastating condition. The current standard of care is to prescribe medications in an effort to keep blood sugar lower and then add cholesterol medication and high blood pressure medication to reduce heart disease and stroke (caused by the diabetes). Unfortunately, this solution is not working, as the health statistics clearly indicate. In this article we will be focusing on the more common form of diabetes called Type 2 Diabetes and how it may be managed differently.

What Causes Diabetes?

For most people diabetes (again we are talking about type 2) is caused by eating too much food and especially foods that cause high blood sugar. I know this may sound oversimplified, but it really isn’t; diabetes is a disease caused by food excess. Now, some foods are worse than others. For example; breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, corn, pretzels, cereal, ice cream, cookies and soda pop will cause blood sugar to go higher than other foods like meats, fats, vegetables and most fruits. Choosing the right foods is half of the battle; the other half is to actually reduce caloric intake. Many type 2 diabetics are overweight, eating too much food and of the wrong types.

What Should I Eat?

Some of this may be a bit confusing, especially if you visit diabetic websites like the American Diabetes Association. According to this organization, it is perfectly fine for diabetics to eat carbohydrates like breads, cereals, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables like potatoes. In fact, it says you can have up to 60 grams of these carbohydrates per meal. If someone with diabetes eats 60g of these carbohydrates 3 times each day that would equal 180 grams of carbohydrates per day and many of these carbohydrates source will raise blood sugar as much as pure sugar does.

Below is a table comparing various foods to pure sugar and how they affect blood sugar; the higher the number, the more it will raise blood sugar. We are using 2 measures called glycemic index and glycemic load.

As you can see, there are many “healthy” foods that will cause high blood sugar. Now compare these same numbers to an apple. As you can see, this would be a much better source of carbohydrate. The point is, following recommendations like this will only ensure one thing; you will continue to have diabetes and the disease will progress and your need for medication will also increase.

What Can I Do?

Contrary to what some experts may say, diabetics DO need to follow a different diet than someone without diabetes if they want to improve their condition. Even though there is no “cure” for diabetes, many diabetics can reduce their blood sugar and even stop various medications through proper diet and nutrition. The main problem that many diabetics run into is that they don’t know how to eat for their condition and they are not getting accurate information of their doctors or the internet. The truth of the matter is that many diabetics can greatly improve their condition through diet; we have even helped insulin-dependent diabetics (their pancreas can no longer produce insulin) dramatically reduce their insulin needs through proper diet and nutrition.

We often create a combination diet plan designed to lower blood sugar and reduce body weight (if needed); this two-pronged approach often leads to dramatic results.

If you have diabetes, or its precursor, pre-diabetes / insulin resistance there is much you can do to improve your health and your blood sugar levels. At Naperville Integrated Wellness, we utilize a functional medicine approach this condition and we just might be able to help you more than you ever thought possible.

If you would like more information about functional medicine, Dr. Sexton or diabetes, please contact our office or visit our website.