Tips for Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 Diabetes)

Diabetes type 2 is a lifestyle disease that happens in people who have the genetic makeup that allows this disease to happen in the right circumstances. The circumstances are things we eat, poor sleep hygiene, and lack of exercise. Diabetes type one is caused by a hereditary gene that codes for damage to the pancreatic cells that create insulin.

For a long time, type 2 diabetes was thought to be a disease of late adulthood, and diabetes type 1 was a disease that started in childhood. All that changed though with the onset of childhood obesity and auto-immune diseases skyrocketing in the past few decades in America.

Now, type 1 diabetes can occur at any age if the pancreatic islet cells are destroyed by the body, making the person dependent on insulin as a medication to manage their disease process.

Type 2 diabetes is a great example of epigenetics at work. Here’s an explanation:

Person A and person B are identical twins.

Person A eats a whole foods, plant-based, low fat diet, and exercises regularly. Person B eats a Standard American diet and exercises regularly. At first, Person A is at their ideal weight and Person B is at their ideal weight. Throughout their 20s all went well, yet in the later years, person B started putting on weight and developed prediabetes. The lifestyle choice of a high saturated fat activated the disease process. See this article to learn how fat precipitates diabetes in people with the gene. https://nutritionfacts.org/2016/11/17/fat-is-the-cause-of-type-2-diabetes/

The article below deals with body fat as a percentage and the onset of diabetes in Asian individuals.

https://eje.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/eje/178/5/EJE-17-0868.xml

As you can see, fat plays a major role in diabetes type 2 and it is critical it is controlled through diet changes.

When dealing with type 2 diabetes, here are a few tips:

1. Eat regular meals and keep fat low.

While your body is dysregulated, it is best to eat regularly while on medication to regulate glucose levels and to prevent wide fluctuations in sugar levels. What you eat is also important.

Low fat, plant based, whole foods, organic leafy greens, grains, nuts and seeds are the optimal ingredients in your diet, keeping fat content to less than 15% daily. It is impossible to achieve the fat percentage less than 15% with animal products in your diet. Especially dairy.

Once the fat content is controlled, the receptors for the insulin being made in the body is more available for interaction and then carbohydrates eaten will be processed better by the body.

Most people have found that their need for medications rapidly reduces once this is done.

2. Medications

Take medications regularly while needed for management. Check levels regularly at least twice daily so you are aware of the levels and not over medicating.

3. Exercise regularly

This is key for all individuals, diabetics included. Check levels before exercise and have a snack if you plan to do strenuous exercise. Adding a snack while on medications can prevent low blood sugar due to the medication, and the exercise will work together to lower your sugar levels.

4. Mindset

Having a can-do mindset is helpful in all disease states. Focus on what you can control and do not indulge in guilt and shame. Negative thoughts are an energy drain and can derail the most devoted people.

5. Sleep

Sleep is foundational to health. Without a good base of restorative sleep, it is difficult to have the energy to make the decisions for optimal health during the daytime.