What about Joel Fuhrman, MD

[Dreamer in Ontario]

Has anyone read and followed the advice in his The End of Diabetes?

[Mia in Germany]

Hi Dreamer!
I did read it. It has a lot of good information but I don't agree with everything. It definitely gives great advice considering a diet high in nutrients, but I don't agree with his ideas about animal products being a high risk in general.
Most studies which show that animal products increase the risk for diabetes don't take into consideration the general diet and lifestyle of a person. Generally, people who eat many eggs and a lot of meat, do not eat lots of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and good fats - if you eat lots of eggs along with lots of meat and white bread, sweets, soft drinks etc., of course this is not healthy.
But there are also studies and experiences that if you eat lots of vegetables, fruit and healthy fat, reasonable amounts of animal products (organic, if possible), decrease refined flour, sugar and "junk food", you are very likely to have a balanced blood sugar and balanced levels of all vitamins, minerals and other micro-nutrients.
Hope this helps

[Dreamer in Ontario]

Thanks Mia. I bought his book and was thinking of trying it. It's rather extreme, though, and I'm not knowledgeable enough to determine whether everything he says makes sense. He depends a lot on testimonials to back up his claims which makes me suspicious of the validity of the claims. I'm not diabetic yet but I am pre-diabetic and I'd like to avoid all the drugs. My doctor believes that it's inevitable that I'll be diabetic in a few years.

[Mia in Germany]

Hi Dreamer,

diabetes type 2 in most cases definitely is not inevitable if one is pre-diabetic. There are some things which are crucial: not being overweight, regular exercise, avoiding transfats and refined carbohydrates, eating enough essentials fats (not too many omega 6 and enough omega 3 fats), taking in enough foods which provide all necessary micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients which work as antioxidants.
What is the reason why you're prediabetic if I may ask?

Forgot to say that no extreme kind of diet is reasonable, neither to prevent diabetes not to stay healthy in general.

[Dreamer in Ontario]

My fasting glucose is 6.4 mmol/l (normal range 4.4-6.1), triglycerides are high (doubled in 5 years) and LDL is high

[Mia in Germany]

Has your diet been high in carbohydrates until now? Or do you have weight issues? There can be several reasons for elevated glucose, triglyceride and LDL levels.

[Dreamer in Ontario]

Both
I need to increase my exercize too
since my dog is unable to walk long distances I don't walk as much either.

[Mia in Germany]

The main reason for high triglycerides is too much carbohydrate intake. If you manage to decrease your intake of refined flour, sugar and processed foods and try to eat more vegetables, salads, olive oil, flax seed oil, good proteins like lean meat, fish, lentils, beans, you should do well. It's not a good idea to use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Better is to use unrefined sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, raw cane sugar, dried fruit and get used to less sweetness, if you're sweet toothed. It works perfectly well to reduce sugar in your own baked goods step by step. One tablespoon less in every batch of cookies or cake, for example, until the total amount is only half of what it used to be, or even less. People are astonished how much they can reduce the sweetener without missing a thing that way.
Another big problem are soft drinks like lemonade, coke etc. Better drink lots of plain water.
Also if you manage 30 minutes of quick walking daily, that will help a lot.
When I work with clients, I ask them to write a food diary to find out where they can improve their diet.

[Dreamer in Ontario]

Thanks for the advice, Mia. I'm going to try them. I've already removed all processed food from my diet and I've stocked up on lots of fresh veggies.

[Mia in Germany]

Feel free to come back any time if you need help This community is here for helping and encouraging each other in exactly such a situation.
Congrats for getting started! I know how challenging it is to change one's life style. But the results are so rewarding. And this definitely is not the end of good eating

[Dreamer in Ontario]

Thanks. I appreciate it, Mia

[Mia in Germany]

You're very welcome, that's what we're here for

[PaulaG]

Good morning Dreamer and MIa. This is a very interesting discussion you have been having. I haven't read the book in question but can share about DH's progress. Which goes into line with what Mia is saying.

DH was pre-diabetic for several years and did very little about it. I think that when he finally broke through his denial and started watching what he ate, exercising and lost about 40 pounds his blood sugars and A1C have been normal. If he had done that at the onset he might have avoided the need for medication.

He has been able to come off some of his medication but not all. He continues to monitor his blood sugars and I try to make sure he eats healthy and gets a reasonable amount of exercise.

[Dreamer in Ontario]

Good news about your DH, Paula. My DF has been pre for years and years. He changed his diet, lost weight, exercises daily but still takes meds and monitors his blood sugar.
I'm hoping to be able to avoid taking drugs for the rest of my life. I loath taking drugs of any kind.
My doctor prescribed a statin for my cholesterol and it seems to be making me nauseous. She doesn't believe that diet and life style changes can make the drugs unnecessary but I'm hoping she's wrong.
I'm already changing what I eat and I've been exercising once or twice a week but I'm adding to that now.
You and Mia give me hope.

[PaulaG]

Small steps are often the best. MIf one try's to make sudden changes all at once it may seem hopeless. I was not able to take the cholesterol lowering meds. Very serious muscle cramps. Keep at your changes and keep us updated on your progress. We can all be supportive of one another.