How I Lowered My Blood Sugar Levels
Apr 16th, 2011 by sandalwood
Some time ago, reading a book about a health problem other than diabetes, I found some food advice on what to eat, given by a well known M.D. that, when substituted temporarily for my usual diabetic diet, brought my blood sugar levels down to almost normal in just a few days.
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I was diagnosed as having type-2 diabetes a long time ago and like many of my fellow diabetics I assume, I have had many periods of struggle to bring my blood sugar levels down to within a safer and more normal range.
The one way to do so that now seems to always work for me, required a simple dietary modification that I will describe below (with appropriate references). It is nothing special, it’s well known but with a small variation suggested by Dr. Gabe Mirken, an M.D. who, with his wife Diana Mirken as co-author, wrote about it in the book The Healthy Heart Miracle, published by an associate company of Harper Collins in 2004.
Although prescribed for heart disease, it lowered my blood sugar levels
Dr. Mirken stated in his book that if his advice is followed exactly, with no cheating, he could practically guarantee that it would lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglycerides down to normal levels within 2 weeks! (I cannot help but add the exclamation mark)
The foods we eat are the source of our blood sugars
Most people who suffer from diabetes know the importance of diet and the need to formulate a diabetic menu that provides the appropriate food items to help them control and manage the higher than normal blood sugars that characterize their diabetes.
No one diet fits all, we all have our personal food preferences and tastes and most of us tend to prefer the types of foods we grew up with. For older people who have diabetes, myself included, that fact may be of help when putting together a diabetic menu plan because, if your growing up was like mine, there were more “natural” healthy and less processed foods available many years ago. Also, there was less reliance on packaged foods that often contain preservatives, added sugars, added salt, colorings and such.
However, good nutritious foods are common to all good dietary food menus, not just diabetic menus. I hate to betray my age, but junk foods and so-called fast foods, high in fats and calories, did not exist when I was young — so I guess that was an advantage when growing up.
The advice of Dr. Mirken: the SHOW ME! Diet
The SHOW ME! Diet-plan of Dr. Mirken is based on the well-known DASH diet, small modifications of which, are advocated throughout the Healthy Heart Miracle book where it is extensively explained.
The DASH diet ( Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
Is a healthy eating plan designed primarily to prevent and treat high blood pressure and is advocated by several health agencies such as those of the U.S. government’s National Health Institute (NIH). A more detailed explanation of the DASH diet can be found at this NIH website.
Dr. Mirken’s diet advice, which as mentioned above was really directed at patient’s with high blood pressure but also lowered my own blood sugars — was so simple it may be hard to believe, all that was called for was the very strict adherence to eating, for FOURTEEN DAYS, [see my note below on fourteen days] meals that would provide adequate amounts of only two types of food:
- For breakfast: Cooked oatmeal with fruit and milk to taste. For anyone who cannot eat oatmeal, use instead brown rice or any other whole grain flavoured and served in the same manner as oatmeal (cooked oatmeal is called porridge in my family). Don’t use quick-cook or instant oatmeal, beter are those that take longer to cook, referred to as steel cut, Scottish, or Irish style oats. I can confirm they are delicious cooked with a few nuts or raisins added and maybe topped with a few berries and with milk or soymilk.
- For Lunch and Dinner: Salads of any type and any amount for satisfaction.
- Frequent smaller meals and snacks can be eaten if preferred, as often as needed. Cooked oatmeal is not limited to breakfast but can be eaten any time if wished.
About the fourteen days — that length of time was specified to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, not necessarily to lower blood sugars. It only took a few days, less than a week, to lower my blood sugars, and I must say eating only salads for a week can get rather boring — but it works, and can provide a new base from which to start anew and follow carefully a more varied diabetic meal plan.
Additional information
For information on what to take into account when devising a diabetic menu, check out The Diabetic Menu – and for details of the diabetic menu prescribed by my dietitian see My Diabetic Food Plan.
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