April 2016: Managing & Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

The key to better health is always to be creating a lifestyle based on moderation.  It is critical to eat a balanced and nutrient rich diet, exercise and manage your daily stress. 
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Diabetes occurs in the body when cells that typically respond to insulin become insulin resistant.  Insulin is a hormone that communicates with cells, telling them to allow glucose (blood sugar) to enter.  If glucose cannot enter the cells, it builds up in the blood stream and begins to damage tissues and organs throughout the entire body.  This type of damage leads to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, vision damage and nerve damage or neuropathy.

Insulin can either be used by the body for energy, or it can become stored as fat for later use.  What is amazing about the chemistry in your body is that it reflects and mimics your daily habits.  This is the key to understanding that living a sedentary life creates a sedentary environment in which your body is trying to function.  If you are unable to manage stress, neither can your body. It begins to produce excess levels of cortisol to help your body manage the effects of stress.  Cortisol causes your body to store extra amounts of fat for energy during these times of distress. This is the fat that is found in the belly, the most dangerous kind of fat you can carry.  This type of belly fat is directly related to heart disease.

You can reverse your Type 2 diabetes diagnosis!! In as little as one week, you can make the lifestyle changes necessary to promote the pancreas to start working efficiently, to begin to normalize your blood sugars, and to increase your body’s cells to become more insulin sensitive.

Weight Loss:  Losing just 5 to 10 percent of body weight can drastically lower blood sugar levels and reduces insulin resistance.  This also has the added benefit of decreasing your risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Eat Healthy:  Eat whole foods rich in nutrients and fiber.  Stay away from refined carbohydrates and those foods that affect your glycemic index, like white flour in breads and pastas, sugars, potatoes, and processed foods.  Avoid saturated and Trans fats. Eat a heavily plant based diet of vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, berries, and lean proteins. 

Exercise:  This is one of the very best things you can do for diabetes.  Exercise encourages your muscles and liver to take in glucose, lowering the blood sugar levels in your body.  Exercise will decrease insulin resistance, regulate your blood pressure, reduce stress and help you sleep!  Find something you love to do!  Go for a brisk walk, ride your bike, put on a fun DVD workout dance video.  Get excited about building muscle and becoming fit!  You have the power to change your body!  Get moving today!

Manage Stress:  Stress hormones increase blood sugar levels.  This is the time to meditate, breathe, try yoga, and get out in the garden, read a book, or exercise.  Take time in your day to unwind and do something just for you.  Feed your soul! 

Supplements:  Cinnamon is fantastic at regulating blood sugar.  Those who take 1-6 grams of cinnamon a day reduce their blood sugars by 24%.  Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is the antioxidant in your body responsible for converting glucose into energy.  It also protects your nerve cells from damage.  Vitamin C in a mineral form is a powerful antioxidant carried in insulin that helps to maintain blood sugar.  GTF Chromium is essential for carbohydrate and fat metabolism.  People with low levels of GTF Chromium have increase insulin sensitivity.  Vitamins B6 and B12 protect the cells against nerve damage and neuropathy. 

For additional and more in-depth information on Type 2 diabetes please join us for our class on Saturday, April 9th @ 10AM.