The one simple diet that slashes your diabetes risk

Given yesterday’s discussion on how diabetes dramatically increases COVID death risk, I thought I’d take some time today to talk about the single best way to get your blood sugar under control.

Because the truth is, research on one particular approach couldn’t be any clearer. And a recent analysis of data from more than 1,300 type 2 diabetics is just the latest example…

“Low-carb” is a lifestyle

This research showed that when subjects followed a low-carb diet for at least six months, they enjoyed a significantly higher rate of disease remission than diabetics who followed other types of diets.

More specifically, researchers found a 32 percent increase in diabetes remission with low-carb dieting. As a result, the need for diabetes medications was reduced, and triglyceride levels as well as measures of insulin resistance improved.

And that was with a very generous definition of “low carb.” (At least, by my standards.)

In fact, these researchers classified “low-carb” as any diet featuring fewer than 130 grams of carbs per day—and “very low-carb” to be fewer than 50 grams daily. Neither of which meets my standards of a proper low-carb diet.

And that is exactly why so much research like this is fundamentally flawed. Which is why I’m not going to bore you with any more of this study’s details today. Instead, allow me to unpack some of the nonsense…

Public health “experts” over-complicate everything

In general, this is what irritates me about just about any study that analyzes diets… they focus on age-old caveats, like this one:

“Diets in general can be difficult to sustain over the long term…We need to provide patients with easy-to-use support tools and convenient solutions to help them adhere to a low-carb diet long term to gain these greater health improvements.”

Look, I’m all for supporting healthier eating habits. But this is complete hogwash.

We don’t need “convenient” solutions. (That’s how you end up with pre-packaged garbage masquerading as “diet food.”) What we need is to provide dieters with access to low-carb whole food options that aren’t so expensive. (At least, compared to all the wheat, corn, and soy products our government chooses to subsidize instead.)

We also need to see more restaurants and take-out menus offering low-carb options—just like we’ve seen with the rising popularity of vegan and vegetarian options.

I mean, there are entire establishments devoted to vegan fare these days—despite limited evidence that eating this way actually makes you healthier. Simply because when you tell people the same thing over and over (like “meat is bad”), eventually they start to believe it.

And that goes both ways. When “experts” insist on telling the public over and over again that “dieting” is difficult, guess what? People are going to believe that dieting is difficult. When the truth is, a “diet” is simply how you eat. And it doesn’t have to be painful. Because no matter how many big changes you make to the way that you eat, you will always get used to them.

I’ve been living a low-carb lifestyle for so long that when I get ravenously hungry—which doesn’t happen often—I don’t start fantasizing about pizza, or bagels, or French fries. My mind goes straight to sashimi, grilled chicken salad, or even a spoonful of sugar-free peanut or almond butter.

This isn’t sheer willpower. It’s adaptation at its finest. And at the end of the day, my “diet” is a lifestyle, simple as that.

Find something that works for you

The other thing that bugs me here is that the research is so crystal clear about the benefits of low-carb diets—and yet, researchers and reporters alike just can’t help but keep questioning it, over and over.

Why does “more research need to be done,” when the facts are staring us right in the face? What kind of message does that send out to the public? Especially when you consider that the diabetes crisis is real, it’s worldwide, and it’s only getting worse.

If we can embrace brand new vaccines in the name of stopping a virus, why on Earth would we hesitate to recommend a simple diet change in the name of stopping an equally deadly global threat?

Now, I’m not here to say that every diabetic will benefit from a low-carb diet—or that we will ever find any one diet that is suitable for every ailment. In the end, you simply have to find the one that works for you—and stick with it. For the most part, as long as you don’t stray often, you will see results.

Because rest assured, diets take time and a change in behavior. So my advice to you? Stop always looking for the easy way out. I know that we, as humans—particularly American ones—don’t like to change our behavior. But when you have nothing to lose and your health and longevity to gain, why wouldn’t you consider trying?

I’ve been working with low-carb diets for my entire career. And in that time, I have seen many type 2 diabetics turn their life and health around, firsthand. And as I mention above, I, myself, have followed a low-carb diet for about 30 years now—so I can personally vouch for its effectiveness, on multiple levels.

But, as always, it will be your choice. So if you’re finally ready to stop waiting for that magic bullet and to take control of your health and your future, find a “diet” that works for you—and stick with it. You can start by ordering a copy of my A-List Diet book for more guidance—and by becoming a subscriber and browsing the many articles on dieting in the archives on my website.

Source:

“Low Carb Diets Boost Diabetes Remission Rates, at Least Short Term.” Medscape Medical News, 01/19/2021. (medscape.com/viewarticle/944298)