The past couple of weeks I’ve been on a diet of a lot of vegetables, especially green ones, lots of lean meat, nuts and seeds, and some fruit. I’ve allowed myself to eat some grains but if you are interested in living a much healthier life you really don’t need grains, or beans, corn, oats etc. The reason i’ve drifted away from carbs is because I’m interested in reduced body fat and low insulin levels, both of which correlate. Despite the fact that complex carbs are often devoid of many vitamins and minerals, they spike your insulin levels every time you eat them. These insulin spikes cause your body to store these calories as fat in the body. Now this isn’t such a bad thing if you’ve just come off a long run or have been exercising for a long time because the calories will just go to your glycogen stores (muscle). However grains contain a substance called phytates which bind to the nutrients in your body (zinc potassium etc.) making them harder to absorb. During my research I also found a substantial amount of claims where a practically “paleolithic” diet wiped symptoms of diabetes off the map.(Note: my sister pointed out a good thing. in my haste to deliver all of this information i didn’t fully explain how people with early symptoms of diabetes could use this diet, and yes there are at least 2 different kinds of diabetes so disregard whatever i said about it for the moment)
Since I started this diet my energy levels have been awesome, I don’t have as many mood swings as i normally would because my blood sugar isn’t being brought into play as much. Also, my body feels like it did when I was a kid. It has taken some willpower to get over the carb withdrawal my body put me through but it’s been worth every moment. Here’s a glimpse of what i’d eat on any given day during the week.
Breakfast: 2 slices of bacon, scrambled eggs with spinach, some strawberries and blackberries with chopped walnuts.
Snack: If i think i’ll need the energy or feel hungry i’ll eat walnuts and/or almonds and some carrots
Lunch: a beef patty with some avocado, tomato, and broccoli with mushrooms
Snack: nuts (avoid peanuts as they are legumes)
Dinner: Chicken breast with a salad
Coupled with moderate exercise, i’ve successfully lost about 4 pounds. That’s right, i enjoy bacon and eggs every morning and i’m lovin’ it. I can’t stress enough how awesome this lifestyle change is. If you are working a desk job try to find someway to incorporate exercise more often. walk further that day, get off of the bus a stop early. It’s the little things that will help you be able to see huge gains.
I haven’t set up the comments feature yet but feel free to comment and criticize. If anyone is interested in taking this kind of lifestyle on get at me and perhaps we can create some sort of dialogue or online journal to keep track of how things are going.
al, i’m glad this is working for you, but i need to point out two things:
- there are multiple forms of diabetes, some which can be controlled by diet and exercise alone and others that require insulin injections. it’s very important when discussing the disease to be clear which type you are referencing, because you may be making claims that cannot be applied to everyone that considers him or herself a diabetic.
- it may be okay for a healthy person to make such a drastic change in their diet, but it is not recommended for diabetics (especially those that require insulin) to change their diet or exercise routine without consulting their healthcare team. every person’s disease is different and should be handled carefully.
and to add, i don’t believe that this person, if she is in fact a type 1, would be able to survive without any form of insulin for much longer. she may have been misdiagnosed, or she may be in her honeymoon period, which means she is still producing insulin and would explain why she may not need to inject it.
