Several students have recently asked me what else they can do to combat their type 2 diabetes. They are exercising regularly. They are watching their sugar intake and following the diets that their physicians have put them on, but still their blood work reveals elevated numbers. They feel their is nothing else they can do and worry that they will need to increase their meds, or move from pills to daily injections.
While I offer what information I can, I am not licensed in nutrition, so I tend to shy away from offering too much advice, but share what seems to work for others I know…and myself, of course. Often, this is information that has never been mentioned by their doctors, and sometimes actually contradicts the diets that they have been put on.
Yesterday, while skimming through my DVR, I was so encouraged to find a health segment explaining how red meat is contributing to the high rate of diabetes in America. Many may cock their heads here, thinking “huhhh?” How can a protein like meat contribute to a rise in sugar??
Perhaps the way we break down our food groups has caused more confusion, than good, because most foods are not that “black and white.” For example, especially when initially leaning into a plant-based diet, people are surprised by how much protein they can get from their vegetables. So while we know that red meat is a high source of protein, we also have to remember that it’s a source of bad fats. Without going into all the confusing scientific details, where there is animal fat, there is dietary cholesterol and the relationship between elevated cholesterol and type 2 diabetes is very high!
Countless studies support that eliminating red meat from our diets can help control our blood sugar. This is also a case of more (or less) is better. Eliminating animal products, will eliminate the ingestion of bad fats, which directly lowers our risk factors for many of the big dreaded diseases.
While I was encouraged to watch this segment of national TV, I was also annoyed that this information is NEWS at all. The China Study, written by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II, was published almost 10 years ago and these doctors don’t treat symptoms, they work, instead, towards cures and prevention, while I feel most conventional doctors, following guidelines, are afraid to ask their patients to vie so far from a “traditional” American diet.
Is veganism extreme? Perhaps to some. I find it a much better extreme than insulin injections, cardiac by-pass surgery, daily medications and cancer treatments.
If you love yourself enough to really try to fix what’s broken, move away from meds and hopefully even avoid some of the big diseases of affluence, consider doing some of your own homework. Pick up a copy of The China Study. It’s a great place to start. If you are a student of mine and would like to borrow my copy, I lend it HAPPILY!
On this Vegan (Feast) Thursday (geeesh I miss those dinners!) consider making some plant-based options. I promise your meals can be just as satisfying once you change your brain! And when you get you next get your blood work done, you may just like your new way of eating, a whole lot more.
Since it’s been a while since I was blogging much, please search back to Vegan Feast Thursday entries for more health info and plant-based recipes and feel free to ask me ANY questions………..thanks for taking the time to stop in for a dose of peaceandfitness and remember what’s good for the animals and our planet just so happens to be what’s good for us, too!