The text below was written 8 days ago: a friend , a type 2 diabetic with severely compromised kidneys, did not want to tell me that his doctor had revealed to him that he was in danger of sudden death (reflected by an abnormally high potassium level in the blood).
We called on experts in the field to try to understand and find solutions. I knew that diseases could be reversed through diet. We are eight days after this radical change, adopted immediately; he had nothing left to lose.
He called me today to tell me that after only 8 days of eating differently, his blood potassium levels returned to normal. Can you believe it? My heart is in my throat and my eyes are watering.
A friend is in bad shape. His blood tests show serious problems: Too much potassium, high blood sugar, and so on. He doesn't know what to eat anymore, so we suggest he boil some vegetables, throw away the cooking water, boil the vegetables again, throw away the cooking water a second time, and eat only the food residue, stripped of everything. He's also asked to eliminate foods that contain potassium. Celery contains potassium; there are no major ingredients left in the repertoire. Better to die. I obviously don't know what to suggest (and my green juices in such a situation are not a good idea).
My friend is truly devastated: "The news isn't good at all, and hearing the word dialysis isn't pleasant." I was more positive, curious for years to learn about the benefits of the diet adopted and disseminated here, I knew the possibilities. For me, hope awaited us. But we still had to review the basic notions of how our organs function. I live in this world of logic, of healing through food. You tell me daily about the relief of various health problems by eating our vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free recipes. But when you've eaten meat all your life, and when a good cheese is therefore good before dessert, this speech has the effect of a tornado in the mind. And we'd better convey the information well, with calculations and supporting evidence.
Brenda Davis, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, has authored nine books, including " Defeating Diabetes, " which offers hope and real solutions for type 2 diabetics. She shares a diet and lifestyle that really works. I suggest we explore the principles and data she outlines to make informed choices.
She has seen cases of inflammatory diseases reversed through diet. I read her carefully and learned a lot.
Diabetes is an epidemic. We need to start from scratch, reset the record. For my friend, it all started with osteoarthritis in his knee. He was given anti-inflammatories which, over time (it's 15 years later), affected his kidneys (hence the high potassium level), which also led to complications with his diabetes. He is given medication at all levels to bring his blood back to normal. But the problem remains. How can we address the cause to improve his vitality, digestion, and reduce his medication intake?
We stop to talk about nutrition and to understand what needs to be done, what makes sense.
Food gives us energy. There are three sources:
- carbohydrates
- proteins
- lipids
What is most important?
No, they're not proteins. They're used to build things (skin, muscles, hair). Like the structural parts of a car. In this image, lipids are like engine oil: they allow us to absorb certain nutrients for our membranes and our brain (e.g., lycopene from tomatoes passes right through if there are no fat-soluble foods to absorb them).
Carbohydrates (or sugars) are the main source that gives us energy, our fuel (for our brain, our muscles, our nervous system, our red blood cells). Carbohydrates are propelled into the blood but they are of no use there, they must enter the cells: imagine a corridor, the blood, and several doors along it, the cells. The key to opening these doors is the insulin secreted by our pancreas.
Type 1 diabetics must inject insulin that is no longer produced by their pancreas.
Type 2 diabetics have insulin that does not work well (the doorknob slips) for two possible reasons:
- abdominal obesity (fat is therefore stored around organs such as the liver)
- triglycerides, that is, fat in the blood
The cause of type 2 diabetes is thought to be lipocentric : too much fat around the organs and in the blood.
The result is too much sugar in the blood because it doesn't get into the cell.
Is the solution to cut out sugars (carbohydrates)? Should we start eating more protein? Consuming too much protein causes kidney problems. We can't compromise our kidneys. They're already in bad shape. So do we eat more fat? If we add more fat, insulin will work even less well. Is this why diabetics remain diabetic?
According to Brenda Devis, the solution is to eat just enough protein* (15%), good fats (but not too much, 15 to 25%), and good-quality carbohydrates (60 to 70%) that enter the blood slowly (slow-release sugars) to give insulin a chance to do its job.
We are lucky in Quebec because we have a "disciple" of Brenda Davis's method to see us for consultations: Anne-Marie Roy, nutritionist and founder of the clinic "Reversante " (as in reversing inflammatory diseases).
... *Click here to understand which proteins to favor and which ones generate waste
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