The 2 Meanings of "Reversing Diabetes"

I was reading an article on another blog last night on how to reverse diabetes. As I read the article, it really struck me how different their usage of the phrase "reversing diabetes" was from the way I use the phrase. We're using the same words but we are meaning something very different. Please allow me to explain as this is not simply a semantic issue but actually gets at the heart of healing your diabetes.

When someone develops type 2 diabetes, their body is damaged, usually from years of abuse and mainly from an assault from industrial foods in the modern food supply. Most importantly, cell membranes in a type 2 diabetic are usually severely damaged to the point that they are not responding to insulin properly. The common term for this is "insulin resistance."

When cell membranes become damaged in a type 2 diabetic, the primary symptom is high blood sugar. This occurs because the cell membrane will not allow insulin to "escort" glucose molecules in the blood after eating food inside the cell. Insulin brings the glucose to the cell but the cell membrane is so badly damaged structure wise it can't work with insulin properly and the glucose is not allowed inside the cell. Glucose on the outside of the cell can not nourish the cell so even if you eat, your cells starve. The glucose that can't get inside the cells starts to build up in the blood and can reach levels that are much higher than normal. Over time, this high blood sugar causes extensive damage to almost every organ in the body because it attacks the tiny blood vessels.

When I am talking about "reversing diabetes," I am talking about healing the cell membranes and the rest of the damaged body (such as the liver) so that it can function normally again and regulate the blood sugar levels in the body. I am NOT just talking about temporarily reducing blood sugar. However, I believe that this is what many other people mean when they say "reverse diabetes." In fact, they are sometimes just talking about the temporary reduction of blood sugar when they use the term "reversing diabetes." I believe this is usually because they don't really understand the underlying mechanisms involved in type 2 diabetes.

There are foods you can eat such as cinnamon that have been scientifically proven to lower blood sugar. However, in all my research I have not found anything to indicate that cinnamon can heal your cell membranes or your liver or any other part of your body that could be contributing to type 2 diabetes.  In fact, it doesn't make any sense from a biological perspective how this could happen. Please note that I'm using cinnamon as an example because it is so widely known as being a food that can lower blood sugar and it is one of the best studied examples but there are many other foods that would also fall into the category of lowering blood sugar but not actually healing the cell membranes and other damaged parts of the body.

Lowering blood sugar, even if only temporarily, is a good thing of course but if you really want to reverse your diabetes permanently then you need to focus on HEALING the underlying problem that is causing the high blood sugar in the first place. Otherwise you just get a yo yo effect of high blood sugar being interrupted by lower blood sugar when you happen to eat a food that can lower it. Eating TOO much cinnamon can also have a toxic effect by the way.

This is why I recommend so strongly that diabetics get this diabetes information (this is the same information you'll find if you click on the red button at the top of the page) that shows you exactly how to truly reverse diabetes. It was developed by scientists and back by actual research. It does not just focused on just lowering blood sugar temporarily. It focuses on a natural method you can use to actually heal your body. This is the only way you will truly reverse your diabetes. Focusing on lowering blood sugar only will result in the yo yo effect when what you actually need is for your body to be healed so it can holistically regulate your blood sugar at all times.

How California Prop 37 Will Effect Everyone - Diabetics In Every State

This is high priority article so please help me spread the word (see below how!)

Prop 37 is of the utmost importance to ALL diabetics - NOT just those that live in California.... read on to learn why....

In fact, it is extremely important to all consumers who want to eat healthy food, prevent diseases like type 2 diabetes from developing, and provide healthy food to their families... read on to learn why...

Prop 37 is a "yes" or "no" California State ballot measure. The vote will take place in November during the presidential election! Californians will be deciding whether or not state law will REQUIRE food manufacturers to tell the consumer ON THE FOOD LABEL if the food contains GMO ingredients. It will also require a special sign for all GMO produce sold in stores.

Remember readers, it is believed by many that GMO foods cause elevated high blood sugar (i.e. type 2 diabetes) and many other health issues. GMO foods may not kill you instantly but they can certainly contribute to chronic diseases that kill you slowly, ruin your quality of life, and erase 15 years off your lifespan!

If you want to reverse diabetes naturally, you need to know if there are GMO ingredients so you can avoid eating them!

I was discussing this with a friend of mine who is diabetic the other day. She lives on the East Coast of the US and at one point during the conversation she said, "I guess it's not going to affect me."

Well, I hate to tell my friends they are wrong and I usually avoid it... but this is such an important issue, I just had to inform her that she was wrong and explain how if this law passes in California, it will indeed affect every consumer in the nation... and in fact, it may very well affect every consumer in the world -- for the good because we truly NEED to know when there is GMO in our food!

The State of California is a very large economy, the largest in the US in fact. Most of the food sold in the US is now controlled by only a few super large multi-national corporations. It's not like these corporations are going to want to just stop selling in California. They'd lose too much money! And... if they have to label food as GMO in one state, the largest state economy in the nation, it will be more cost effective for them to just do it for all states because to create a special labeling for just California and send special shipments to one state would cost too much and would be too complicated.

So, if California voters pass the GMO labeling law, it WILL affect every diabetic and every consumer in the entire nation and perhaps in the entire world.

Of course the food industry is up in arms about this and they have spent more than $25 million so far to try to defeat this proposition. Monsanto tops this list (no surprise!) and as of Aug 15th, had already spent $4,208,000. Dupont comes in at a close second spending $4,025,200. Other companies that have spent more than a million dollars to defeat Prop 37 include ConAgra Foods, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Pepsico, and Bayer. The amount of money they are spending should tell you how very important this potential new law is for EVERYONE, not just Californians.

This is VERY personal to me. I know that my poor diet was one of the main reasons I developed type 2 diabetes. How do I know? Because I've been able to REVERSE my diabetes by changing my diet and get my HbA1c back to normal! One of the most important things I do is avoid all gmo foods! I get so frustrated when I read silly reports telling diabetics to avoid foods like shrimp and coconut oil when it is really things like GMO foods, trans fat, and high fructose corn syrup (all products of the modern industrialized food process) that they should REALLY be worried about! People by and large are still unaware of how much GMO food they are really eating. It is in almost all processed food as some form of GMO corn, GMO soy, or as the supposedly "healthy" (ha) GMO canola oil!

We all need to pitch in to make sure Prop 37 passes! This is especially true for those of us who either have a chronic disease we are trying to reverse or have a beloved family member or friend who is going through this. Also, I would think that parents in particular would want to make sure that in the future all our packaged foods are labeled with whether or not they contain GMO ingredients. This is already done in every European nation. The only reason it hasn't been done here yet is how powerful the food lobby is! It is high time that the power of the consumer is heard more loudly than the lobbyists!

How can you help get Prop 37 passed if you live in another state? We can all help by spreading the word. I have written this article on my "Reverse Diabetes Naturally - How To Cure Diabetes Like I Did" blog and placed a prominent link on the sidebar so that it will be seen on every page of the site... you are welcome to link directly to my site from your blog, site, twitter account, facebook wall, newsletter, or through private emails. I will be tweeting out messages about Prop 37 as well. If you follow the link and follow me @diabetes1933 you can retweet my tweets -- let's get these messages to go viral!!!. Then of course word of mouth is also very important. One friend talking to another friend is always one of the most effective methods in any grassroots effort -- and that's exactly what we need: a grassroots effort only with a new modern spin added to the effort: social media!! Please help me by retweeting. Also, if you leave a comment with your tweeter account and tweet about this, I will try to retweet yours as well.

Another thing we can all do is talk to each other about the deception that is being spewed out right now by the food industry and the biotech companies who are spending millions to try to fool the California voters and others into thinking that GMO labeling would actually be a bad thing. For diabetics who are trying to reverse their diabetes through food and other natural means it is absolutely imperative that we KNOW exactly what is in our food so we can avoid this frankenfood which has become part of the industrialized food supply that is poisoning us and making diseases like heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and type 2 diabetes skyrocket.

Remember to visit my twitter page and retweet. I'm going to try to tweet about this as much as possible. Also, please do include a link to this information as widely as possible. We can all party with a big non-GMO feast when Prop 37 passes!

Reverse Diabetes With Greens & Save Hundreds Of Dollars While You Do It

In my article, "Diabetics - Eat Your Greens, Kale, Spinach, etc...," I explained how beneficial eating greens can be for someone in the process of reversing diabetes. Even though I have already reversed my diabetes, I still eat greens almost every day. Greens are simply one of the healthiest foods anyone can eat. However, it is particularly important for a diabetic or a former diabetic to eat their greens religiously. If you haven't read the the article I linked above, I highly encourage you to do so!

Since I started eating more greens to reverse diabetes, I have found that I crave them if I don't eat them for a day or two. I believe like many believe that cravings are simply your body telling you what it needs. For example, many women crave chocolate during their menstrual cycle. Makes sense because they are losing so much iron and chocolate is loaded with iron. Guess what else is loaded with iron, by the way? Greens! For my female readers, don't be surprised if you start craving greens around your time of the month! But I digress a bit...

Another reason I love greens is how quick and easy they are to prepare. You can throw together a healthy salad with greens as a base in just a few minutes. You can saute them in just one to two minutes. You can very easily add them to soups, stir-fries, or just about any other dish. I often add greens to my eggs. You can check out my diabetic recipes site for more ideas.

While there are other foods you need to know about if you are interested in reversing diabetes, greens like kale and spinach are certainly at the very top of the list. This year I have been growing my own greens and saving tons of money doing so. It tickles me pink every time I walk down the produce isle at the store and see organic Lacinato kale (also known as black kale or dinosaur kale) selling for more than $3 a bunch. Don't get me wrong, that's a real bargain for the nutrients and antioxidants you get out of that one bunch of kale. But.... I now get the same thing for practically free growing it myself.

While some gardening tasks such as growing vine ripe tomatoes can be a bit of a challenge and even an art form sometimes, growing greens are so simple anyone can grow them, even if you have never raised a garden before. In fact, it takes very little effort and you don't need a green thumb. You just poke some seeds into some dirt (about 1/8 an inch) and water them every day and watch them grow almost as if by magic. 2-4 weeks later, you can start harvesting! Sometimes they grow so fast I swear you can almost see it happening. Right now I have several pots of greens growing out on the patio and it has become a fun morning ritual to walk out there with my coffee and see how much they've grown overnight. Right now I have 2 types of kale, 2 varieties of spinach, and 2 salad mixes growing plus a bunch of green herbs. It takes me only a couple of minutes to water them and I harvest some almost every day, sometimes multiple times in a day.

You don't even need any yard space to grow greens. Greens like kale, spinach, and salad greens grow very easily in containers as do herbs. So even if you live in an apartment and all you have is a small balcony or a bright sunny window, you can grow greens very easily in containers. For kale, you need a pot at least 8 inches deep. For spinach, you need a pot at least 6 inches deep. Herbs and salad greens will grow in a container of just about any size. The seed packages usually tell you to plant kale 8 inches apart but you can crowd them in much closer if you want and they still grow like a charm (they just won't grow as tall if you crowd them). Spinach can easily grow to full size if planted 2 inches apart. So you see it doesn't take much space at all to grow enough greens for 1 or 2 people and that's even if you eat greens every single day - which you should if you want to reverse diabetes!

Growing your own greens can save you hundreds of dollars a year too! The other day, while helping a friend figure out how to grow her own greens, we did some math. You can get a packet of very high quality organic seeds for about $2-$3. You can buy some organic dirt for about $3 or if you look under the free section of CraigsList, you can often find organic compost/dirt for free. You can get containers for $1 a piece at one of those everything's a dollar stores or you can often get them for free if you ask at larger nurseries. I've also found some amazing pots discarded on the side of the road and some people will give them away on CraigsList. At any rate, for less than $10, and if you really penny pinch for maybe only $2, you can start raising your own greens and raise enough for the entire year for no more than $10.

That's how to reverse diabetes at a bargain.

If you were to buy one bag of organic salad greens, one bunch of organic kale, and one bag of organic baby spinach a week you'd spend between $8-$12 so let's say that's an average of $10 per week. In one year, you'd spend 56 x $10 = $560 on healthy greens. Now, given that food is medicine and that greens are one of the healthiest foods a diabetic that is trying to reverse diabetes can eat, that is still one heck of a bargain (especially compared to Big Pharma prices). However, if you plant your own, you can get all the greens you can eat for an entire year for maybe $6 - $20 maximum. Plus of course, you'll have the joy of watching them grow which somehow helps to lower stress that would be hard to explain to anyone who has never raised their own food before. It's almost as fun as collecting food from the wild, but not quite :)

Here's another reason diabetics should consider raising their own greens. The fresher the greens, the more nutrients they have. I've read if you buy a bag of organic baby spinach, it will lose about half the nutrients and antioxidants in 3 days. Now, regardless of the specifics of the study, the point is that the fresher the greens, the more they can help you reverse diabetes! The more nutrients you'll be able to pass along to your family too!

If you can't grow your own greens, then by all means buy them and try to get the freshest ones you can find. It's still an amazing bargain and the healthiest food you can buy at the store. However, I just wanted to point out to my readers how easy it is to grow greens. It's much easier than growing other vegetables. My kale seeds sprouted in 3 days! My spinach sprouted in 4-7 days. My salad greens (I got seed packages that contained mixtures) sprouted in 1-2 days. I was starting to eat baby greens in 2-3 weeks and now I just rotate new ones in. Plus, as you harvest your greens, new leaves appear on the same plant so you can just keep harvesting from the same plant until it finally goes to seed.... unlike when you buy a bunch of kale at the store!

Of course, I haven't mentioned flavor yet! The fresher the greens, the better the taste in my opinion. There's nothing better than walking out on the patio, cutting some greens, and eating them a few minutes later! Kale gets sweeter as it gets colder as does other brassica family greens like mustard greens and collard greens! In fact, they taste the best after a frost!

Again, I want to emphasize that eating greens is one of the most important things you can do to reverse diabetes. However, you really do need to know the other foods you need to eat and you need to know the foods you simply MUST avoid to reverse diabetes. Also, the details about the foods you eat matter a great deal and it isn't always obvious (there is lots of misleading information out there). What I recommend to you and to all my friends is to get this guide and make sure you read it very carefully. It is a very comprehensive reference for reversing diabetes and has all the information you will need and then some. It is also written in a very easy to understand way.

1% Drop In HbA1c Reduces Eye, Kidney, Heart, and Nerve Complications 40%

Having type 2 diabetes can be really depressing sometimes. One of the main reasons for this is that diabetics have to constantly deal with all the potential medical complications that plague diabetics. These complications iclude heart disease (cardiovascular disease), decreased kidney function (nephropathy) leading to kidney failure and dialysis, nerve damage (neuropathy) leading to ulcers and amputations, weakening eyesight (retinopathy) leading to blindness, compromised immunity system, chronic infection, and blood vessel damage (microvascular disease) that can damage every organ in the diabetic's body.

The complications listed above are caused by the higher than normal levels of blood sugar (glucose) circulating in the diabetic body. This high glucose directly damages the nerves and the smaller blood vessels that lead to these health complications. Prolonged periods of high blood sugar almost guarantee that the diabetic will have one or more of these terrible complications. In fact, the #1 cause of death in diabetics is heart attacks caused by vessel damage due to high blood sugar and this is one of the primary reasons that diabetics have on average a shorter lifespan.

These complications can directly very much lower the quality of a diabetic's life and even the knowledge that diabetics carry around that they could at any moment develop one or more of these complications is more than enough to depress them!

However, I do have some VERY GOOD NEWS!

If a diabetic reverses his or her diabetes (YES, you can!), they can avoid these complications all together! In fact, if a diabetic lowers their blood sugar just a little on average, the risk of these complications is very significantly reduced.

The United States Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this very important statistic on their 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet.

If a diabetic lowers his or her HbA1c (the most accurate measure of your average blood sugar) just 1%, the probability they'll develop complications like the ones described above is lowered 40%! So to make this more clear, if a diabetic that has an average HbA1c of 8 can lower that to 7, he or she will have 40% less chance of getting complications due to high blood sugar. One percentage point for a forty percent drop in complications is HUGE.  Now, what if the diabetic reduced their blood sugar even more? Reducing their blood sugar 2 or more points can really have an amazing impact on the quality of their life!! If the diabetic can lower their blood sugar significantly, and better yet totally reverse their diabetes, they can live a normal lifespan. What may be even more important is they can live a higher quality life. You can review how the HbA1c test works here.

To learn how to lower your blood sugar, you should definitely get out this reverse diabetes guide. It is the most complete reference I've seen anywhere on how to reverse diabetes naturally. I've reviewed almost every resource out there and most only give you part of the formula and it's tough to reverse diabetes if you're missing steps. The guide I linked above is very comprehensive and will take you through every step you need.

Let's Bring Back Popeye and Reverse Diabetes!

I'm on a mission to help as many people as I can reverse diabetes. So it irks me to no end when I see commercials like the latest Tyson chicken nugget commercial. In this day and age when diseases like diabetes are skyrocketing due to our poor diet, they disparage spinach as a totally undesirable food and glorify an overly processed food that does more harm than good to the human body. And... what's driving this? Money of course!

If you haven't seen the Tyson nugget commercial yet, they are interviewing different kids one at a time on what they like to eat. The kids are all extra cute of course. One little boy is asked if he likes spinach and he wrinkles up his nose and says, "Spinach? not a big fan." Then they show how all the kids love the nuggets. They make some kind of statement at the end about how parents can be assured that all kids like Tyson nuggets (but not spinach of course).

This sends the wrong message to not only kids but the adults too. And.. this is what we're up against! We get these kinds of messages blasted at us none stop all the time and our kids are growing up seeing this as well.


Yes, I know I'm ranting but please bear with me as I have something very important to say to all those who wish to reverse diabetes.

As a kid I loved spinach. Why? Well, it started out because of Popeye. I'd sing, "I'm Popeye the sailor man.... toot toot" and show my bicep muscle like Popeye (I was a tom girl). Of course, I learned to love spinach for other reasons later on but it was that positive cartoon message that initially got me hooked.

We need to bring back Popeye!! and send our kids and our society the right message when it comes to food. Foods like chicken nuggets and other processed food are slowly killing us with diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.

When Popeye first became popular, it was the Great Depression years of 1931 - 1936. Popeye increased spinach consumption by about 33% with just a comic strip and that was with no TV appearances. Now, what do we tell people:

Basically we say spinach is bad. Eat overly processed and very unhealthy chicken nuggets instead.

How do we combat a food industry that has billions of dollars to spend on advertising blasting us with the wrong message?

I know the answer to my question is complicated but we need to collectively make our voices heard because our modern diet is killing us.

Spinach is one of the healthiest foods on Earth and it is one of the very best food choices you could eat if you are trying to reverse diabetes. Gram for gram, calorie for calorie, spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world.

Spinach contains a heavy does of magnesium and chromium, both of which help lower blood sugar in the body. It also has lots of fiber which, as you probably already know, also helps lower blood sugar.

In addition to lowering blood sugar, spinach also combats the negative effects of having too much sugar in your blood. High blood sugar causes the heart muscles and other cardiovascular muscles to weaken by making the mitochondria have less energy. The nitrates in spinach combat this effect. The nitrates also make nitric oxide which helps to dilate the blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and improve blood circulation.

The chlorophyll in the deep green leaves of spinach help build new red blood cells faster and this is important because red blood cells become damaged faster in diabetics. The glycoclycerolipids in spinach help build cell membranes which are also badly damaged in diabetics. Copper, zinc, and selenium help build up the immune system and type 2 diabetics usually have a compromised immune system. Spinach is also loaded with other antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and CoQ10, a vital co-enzyme needed for the heart to function properly.

Bottom line, you can't go wrong with spinach. If you are serious about reversing your diabetes, eat spinach often and eat a lot of it! Eat other green leafy vegetables closely related to spinach such as chard, amaranth, quinoa greens, dandelion greens, and lambsquarter (an enemy of Big Agriculture but delicious and nutritious). In fact, diabetics should eat lots of other greens too.

One of the biggest hurdles to reversing diabetes is the crazy messages you get blasted with on TV and in other media sources. I am living proof that eating the right food and avoiding the wrong food can reverse diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, I highly suggest that you get this comprehensive guide and learn how to cure yourself with food and other natural means.

I love you Popeye! Way to go Elzie Crisler Segar!

Beware Of Granola Bars If You Want To Reverse Diabetes & Stay Healthy!

When you're headed out on a road trip and you want to take along a healthy snack, what do you choose? Many diabetics take along granola bars.

Since the hippie decade, the word "granola" has been synonymous with "healthy." Food companies, or should I say food empires, know this and they love to stick the word "granola" on their food packages. It helps sell their product. I mean something that tastes like a candy bar but is labeled as healthy "granola" is a guaranteed profit maker in the food industry. It also doesn't hurt that they are super quick to grab and easy to eat.

This is why half a grocery isle is now dedicated to granola bars. My personal favorite used to be the "sweet and salty" bars with nuts and yogurt on the bottom. I couldn't believe that something so healthy could taste so darn good!

But guess what?

I was TOTALLY WRONG!

There weren't healthy!

Granola bars in general, with only rare exceptions, are NOT healthy. This is especially true for anyone who is working on reversing their diabetes, preventing diabetes, or making sure diabetes doesn't come back into the picture.

Now, if you are like me, I was totally addicted to both the taste and convenience of granola bars and it took me literally months before I stopped craving them. But I have to tell you that you really must stop eating them if you want to reverse diabetes. You can probably find some that are healthier than others, but even the organic ones all (hard to find) seem to be full of sugar. There are certainly better things for you to eat.

As I type this paragraph, I am holding a Kellogg's Special K Granola Bars box in my left hand. Yes, I'm typing with one hand and holding the box with the other hand so I can read the ingredients label. Oh wait, the list of ingredients is so small, I need a magnifying glass to read them. Be right back...

Ok... I'm back with my magnifying glass and having now scanned the ingredients I can see why they would want to make them so small it is difficult to read them.

But... before I discuss the ingredients, I need to let you know that the biggest word on the front of the box is "Granola." The picture of the granola bar looks absolutely delicious and there are some oats spilling out of the crunchy chewy bar which has been broken in half. How deceptive is that? Looks healthy but reading the ingredients I can assure you it isn't.

Ok, here we go. The first ingredient is "soluble corn fiber." In case you don't already know this, the first ingredient is the most abundant ingredient. So the most abundant ingredient in these granola bars are not oats or some other healthy grain but rather "soluble corn fiber," a highly processed "corn" derivative (probably chemically processed). Since this is not an organic product, this means the soluble corn fiber is derived from GMO corn (genetically modified), most likely from grown from Monsanto seed. If you want to reverse diabetes, you need to avoid GMO corn and other GMO foods completely. GMO is not something you should just cut back on or reduce. It is something you should eliminate 100% from your diet.

At this point, I'm wrinkling up my nose and sticking out my tongue at these bars but let's continue...

Sugar is the third ingredient and each bar contains 7 grams of sugar. There's also fructose and corn syrup, both most likely derived from GMO corn.

These granola bars also contain "isolated soy protein." This is most likely another GMO ingredient because most non-organic foods that contain soy contain GMO soy. Nowadays, the only way to get non-GMO soy is to buy organic or buy a product that very specifically states it is non-GMO soy (very very rare). Lots of soy isn't good for you anyway, regardless of whether or not it is GMO but GMO soy is by far worse. The idea that lots of soy is healthy is a myth perpetuated by the food industry that wants you to buy food that they can make a bigger profit on. Soy is cheap for them to add as a "filler," especially GMO soy. Diabetics should generally speaking avoid all soy. A little non-GMO soy won't hurt you but it should only be occasional. Diabetics trying to reverse diabetes should eliminate ALL GMO soy.

These delicious looking granola bars also contain one of the most toxic artificial foods the industrial revolution ever produced: hydrogenated oils!!! This is one of the very worst things a person trying to reverse diabetes could put into their mouth.

Specifically, they contain "hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated palm kernel, palm, canola, and/or coconut oil" AND "hydrogenated rapeseed and/or cottonseed oil." The canola oil is most likely GMO because if the product isn't organic and it contains canola oil, it is most likely GMO canola oil. Rapeseed and cottonseed oils are two of the most toxic oils used in the world. Both are very cheap and are known to produce health effects like heart legions. Truly toxic but cheap to buy which is why the food industry uses it. It certainly isn't added for your health!

Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils means TRANS FAT and this is a recipe for damaged cell membranes which leads to insulin resistance, i.e. type 2 diabetes. If you want to reverse diabetes, it is absolutely imperative that you eliminate ALL trans fat, not just reduce it. Don't eat anything that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on the label. When I see this I immediately think of a skull and cross bones poison label because that's essentially what it is to your body's cell membranes: POISON. It won't kill you fast but it can kill you slow.

There are other undesirable ingredients too like soy lecithin which is probably GMO and things like "artificial flavors" which who knows what that is but do you trust it is safe from a company that is putting GMO foods and trans fat into your supposedly healthy "granola bars?" I certainly don't.

Here's the bottom line to what I am saying here:

Virtually all granola bars contain ingredients you should not have if you want to be healthy. This is especially true for anyone who wants to reverse diabetes as these ingredients not only hinder that goal, they can cause diabetes.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news because I know how tasty and convenient granola bars can be. There are days I wish I was still under the illusion that they are actually healthy but when you get diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and it really sinks in what all that can mean if you don't reverse it (15 years shorter lifespan on average, heart problems, kidney problems, high risk for amputations, general fatigue all the time, etc, etc...), you begin to search for the the real truth about things. I dug deep and I am appalled at what the food industry gets away with. How they trick us into believing certain foods are healthy when in fact they are very unhealthy. When in fact they are the very foods we need to avoid eating.

If you are serious about reversing diabetes there is knowledge that you absolutely must have or you won't be successful and you must know how to read food labels. The best thing you can do for your health is to get a comprehensive guide on how to reverse diabetes like this one at this link. I recommend this one because it is 1) cheap and 2) comprehensive and 3) a very easy read. Overall, it is one of the best resources I have encountered on teaching someone how to reverse diabetes.

How I Faced My Diabetes Diagnosis and Why I Decided To Reverse Diabetes Naturally

Getting diagnosed with diabetes is a rude awakening! I remember how stunned I was when I was first told I had it. The person who told me did so in a rather cold way as almost an afterthought since I was there for an entirely different reason. Once the news sunk in and I got over the initial shock, I went into a period of denial. 2 months later, I remember sitting in the doctor's office and watching several people enter the office in wheelchairs because their feet and lower limbs had been amputated. I remember seeing some very scary looking diabetic ulcers. I remember seeing a woman who got winded just walking from the parking lot into the office. I remember thinking to myself that I did never wanted to be in their shoes and then I realized I was well on my way to being them. I would be the one in the wheelchair if I didn't take drastic steps. I would be the one winded after only a few steps if I didn't change my ways. I also remember seeing a very over-weight and very sweet 14 year old girl with type 2 diabetes ask her Mom if it was time get her insulin injection. I remember thinking, "What is the world coming to?!"

That waiting room probably did more to motivate me than anything the doctors or the nurses said to me. It was actually seeing with my own eyes where diabetes can take you. It was actually witnessing how low the quality of life can become if you don't reverse your diabetes. It also showed me that insulin and oral medication doesn't do much to put you back on the right track. The doctor and the nurses kept urging me to learn how to "control it" and "manage it" but never once did I hear them say learn how to "reverse it" or "cure it."

All I can say now is thank goodness I became determined that I wasn't going to let my type 2 diabetes ruin the rest of my life or shorten my lifespan significantly. I was over-weight and out of shape with a bad diet that was slowly killing me. I remember thinking that I absolutely needed to turn over a new leaf and make some major changes to my life before it was too late. As a person who had always been interested in home remedies and the natural power of food, I remember thinking that I needed to do some independent research and not just accept the "sentence" the medical community had given me to me. I felt like they were sentencing me to 15 years shorter lifespan, chronic fatigue, joint pain, eventual heart problems, eventual kidney problems, eventual eye problems, and the yo yo effect of the diabetes medication they wanted to put me on for the rest of my life.

I did not want the above. I took the medicine temporarily but I knew in my mind that I rejected the traditional medicine approach. I wanted the diabetes gone. I wanted to cure the diabetes completely. I was convinced by my preliminary research that you COULD cure diabetes, not just manage it! Thus began my serious quest to dig deep and read all the literature I could find on how to cure type 2 diabetes naturally. I was like a woman possessed and would talk about it with anyone who would listen! I made up my mind that I was going to reverse my diabetes naturally.

I remember how resolute I was when I told the first doctor that I was going to reverse diabetes naturally and that I did not want to be on medication for the rest of my life. The look on his face made me know in an instant that he was not on board with this idea. I tried to talk with him about it but as I did I began to realize that there would never be any way to sway him. If I stayed with this doctor it would be an ongoing struggle to get him to cooperate with my goal. I remember telling him that I did not like the fact that he was assuming that my diabetes would progress to the point where I would have to have insulin injections instead of just taking oral medication. I remember leaving his office that day determined to find a new doctor. And... I remember shopping around for a new doctor because the first one did not seem like he was going to be supportive of my reversing my diabetes through diet and other natural means.

I did find a very good doctor that was willing to work with me on reversing my diabetes naturally. In fact, every time I met when him and he saw the results he became more of a believer. He became one of my biggest cheerleaders and I appreciated his support more than he'll ever know.

The success I had in reversing my diabetes was very rapid and very motivating so I charged ahead. I wasn't satisfied with just lowering my A1c. I wanted it in the normal range. My doctor told me that most type 2 diabetics are really happy if they can get their HbA1c (A1c) under 7. He said he would be really happy if I could get it to under 6.5. I WAS happy to get there but I also wanted to keep going... and I did. My A1c has been between 5-6 for a very long time now! This is square in the normal range, not borderline.

As I began to talk to others, including both my friends and complete strangers, I realized that one of the worst things about getting the dreaded type 2 diabetes diagnosis is how depressed you can get. Having to be tied to taking medicine and picking your finger all the time is no fun. Then the way you feel is not good either. The idea that it seems to be a foregone conclusion by the medical establishment that once you are diagnosed with diabetes, you ARE going to get worse. All you can do is slow it down seems to be the message they give diabetics. HOW DEPRESSING!!!

What people need is hope. And... I don't mean pretend hope but REAL hope. They need a straightforward recipe to how they CAN cure their diabetes through diet and other natural means.

What I suggest to anyone who has diabetes or pre-diabetes is to really study up BEFORE you talk with your doctor about reversing diabetes naturally. Arm yourself with solid well researched information. Start using food to cure yourself right away and schedule an appointment with your doctor. Let him or her know in advance that you'll need some extra time to talk with them. Then, if your doctor does not seem to be in favor of the natural approach or seems to believe there is no way you can reverse diabetes, I strongly recommend you leave that doctor (on good terms if at all possible) and shop around for a new doctor who will support the natural approach and work with you to get off your medications safely if you are already on them.

The easiest way to get all the information you need on how to reverse diabetes naturally is to get this report and read it very carefully. Read it more than once. Read it several times if you have to. But you need the right information all laid out in one source. The link I am providing is a comprehensive report that is extremely well-researched and has been reviewed by doctors. It is far better than others I've seen. Don't depend on trying to get pieces of the puzzle from various places around the internet. Yes, you can learn some valuable information (like on my site) but it will not be comprehensive and it will leave important steps out. I've also seen a lot of incorrect information on the net so be very careful of your source. Check out resource I've linked above. I think you will be very impressed.

HbA1c Test - An Important Tool In Reversing Diabetes

If you want to be successful in reversing diabetes, it is very important that you have an accurate way to gauge your progress and the HbA1c test is the best way. Most diabetics are used to checking their blood sugar, more accurately called blood glucose (BG), several times a day by pricking their finger to get a drop of blood to be read by a glucose meter. Unfortunately, this test is notoriously inaccurate. It can vary tremendously from one minute to the next even in a normal healthy person. In a diabetic, blood sugar measured this way varies even more. Moreover, it does not provide an accurate way to gauge your progress as you reverse your diabetes because it's just too variable and arbitrary.

A much more accurate way to gauge your progress in reversing diabetes is to take an HbA1c test at least every 3 months. You may even want to work with your doctor to get this test every month when you are first starting the process of reversing your diabetes naturally. This is especially true if you are on diabetes medication because as you reverse your diabetes using natural methods, you will not need as much medication and your doctor may need to ween you off it. If they don't lower the dosage as you reverse your diabetes, you could end up with low blood sugar which can be dangerous! Eventually, you won't need diabetes medication at all.

Please note that you may see the HbA1c test written as HgA1c or HgbA1c but neither of these are the standard way to refer to the test.

So why is a HbA1c test more accurate than a blood glucose reading?

The HbA1c test is an average reading of your blood sugar levels over the last 2-3 months, with more weight being on the last 2-4 weeks. A blood glucose reading measures your blood sugar level at that one moment right when you prick your finger. One minute later, it may be entirely different. If you get a reading in the normal range, it could very well be misleading if your blood sugar is actually high one minute later. The reverse would be true as well. The HbA1c test gives you a much more accurate picture of what is actually going on because it gives you an average reading across several weeks.

So how does an HbA1c test work?

As glucose circulates throughout the bloodstream, some of it attaches to the hemoglobin molecules found in the red blood cells. Once this happens, the new protein is called "glycated hemoglobin."  Once a hemoglobin molecule becomes glycated, it remains this way for the life of the red blood cell containing it. The more glucose that is present in the blood, the more glycated hemoglobin molecules will be present.

In a healthy person without diabetes, the percentage of glycated hemoglobin ranges between 4%–5.9%. However, in a person with elevated levels of glucose in their blood, the percentage can go much higher. Over 6%-6.5% is considered in the diabetic range. For reference, an HbA1c result of between 6%-7% is equal to a 127 -155 mg/dl blood glucose reading. An HbA1c result over 10% is considered extremely high and extremely dangerous.

Red blood cells live on average around 90-120 days. This is why it is suggested you get the HbA1c test at least every 3 months, especially when you need to gauge how well you are doing in your efforts to reverse your diabetes. However, you should remember that the results of the HbA1c test are skewed for the last 3 months so if you are on medication and you have radically changed your diet and lifestyle in an effort to reverse diabetes naturally, you should really consider getting the HbA1c test more often, perhaps once a month.

You should also know that even though the HbA1c test is very accurate, there are a few instances where its accuracy can be thrown off. If you have lost a lot of blood after surgery for example, the results can be thrown off. Also, if there is a higher than normal turn over rate for red blood cells the results can be affected. This can happen when a person is anemic or has renal disease or liver disease. It can also happen if you take a super high dosage of vitamin C. Tell your doctor if you fall into any of these categories.

Now that you know the best test to use to gauge your progress in reversing diabetes, you need to know exactly how to go about reversing your diabetes. What I have seen around the net is that many sites offer misinformation that could derail your most sincere efforts. There are other sites that offer bits and pieces of good information but they don't give you all the details you need. To actually reverse diabetes, you need a comprehensive set of instructions that will give you extremely accurate, precise, and complete information on how to reverse diabetes using scientifically tested methods. You can also access this information from any page on my blog by clicking on the big red button at the top of the page.... I know it's kind of ugly and big but I strongly believe every diabetic needs this information.

How Many People Have Diabetes In the United States?

I have ALARMING news!!! On average, approximately 8-10% of the adult population in the United has diabetes. The vast majority of this is type 2 diabetes, otherwise known as adult onset diabetes although the average age of onset is getting lower every year. In fact, the MOST alarming part of this alarming news is that children are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and this was virtually unheard of 20-30 years ago.

As you can see from the graph below, some areas of the country have a higher percentage of diabetes in their general population. This seems to be mostly true in the Deep South in states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. These stats are calculated using data collected by every counties in each state so it is the most accurate data available hands down.

The data is compiled by the CDC, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, which is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Resources. This source of data is considered one of the most trusted sources of for disease related data in the United States.

What's even more alarming is the CDC has predicted that by year 2050, the rate of diabetes will rise to approximately 33% of the adult population!

Why isn't this news on the front page of every major newspaper in the United States? Shouldn't this take the top headline on most days -- one-third of all adults will have diabetes in less than 40 years if the trends stay the same. That is devastating news and I feel like the news media has totally dropped the ball on reporting it. Of course, if you start paying more attention to who their advertisers are, it becomes more clear why they don't take a hard detailed look at this crisis, or at least they don't publish what they find.

One can only guess as to why some states have a much higher rate of diabetes than other states. However, these guesses I would call "educated guesses." Factors such as sedentary lifestyle, higher rates of obesity, eating more processed foods containing industrial food toxins, and the heavier use of environmental pesticides are 3 factors that spring to mind.

If you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or any of the risk factors to get diabetes (family members who have it, over-weight, obesity, etc..), it is time to take a very serious look at your diet and lifestyle. It is possible to prevent diabetes in most cases and also to completely reverse diabetes. In fact, you can reverse diabetes even if you are already so advanced that you take daily insulin injections. Just be absolutely sure to ween yourself off insulin and oral medications and do so under a doctor's supervision! A proven method for doing this involves mostly changes to your diet but also changing other lifestyle factors. I should also say that the ingredients you need to reverse your diabetes are fairly straightforward. Of course, you also need to know exactly which foods and ingredients (including the ones hidden in processed foods) in order to reverse diabetes. For the most complete information I have found anywhere (online and offline) on reversing diabetes naturally, please visit this link or simply click on the huge red "click here" button at the top of every page on my blog. Please also share this page URL with all those who have any chance of developing diabetes.

Yes, you can find bits and pieces of some of this information (except perhaps the latest scientific research results that you can find in the link I provide) in other places but no where have I seen it all together in one place in an easy to digest/comprehensive format and you really need to have the whole picture to be successful at curing diabetes.

Why Diabetics Need To INCREASE Carbs, Not Lower Them!

One of the traditional approaches to "managing" type 2 diabetes is to eat fewer carbs. Diabetics are told to "limit your carb intake" or "go on a low carb diet." However, what I see happening far too often is diabetics eating less vegetables after being told this.  I actually see some diabetics avoiding vegetables altogether so they can lower their carbs! This is absolutely crazy if you want to cure diabetes. You HAVE TO eat vegetables and fruits to get the micronutrients ( like antioxidants and chlorophyll) that you need to cure diabetes!

And remember, supplements are a very poor substitute for veggies because your body can't absorb them as well and because they simply don't contain all the micronutrients you'd get from eating plants! This point can't be emphasized enough. I don't care how "complete" the supplement claims it is or how many "ingredients" they list on the bottle. In fact, most vitamins are now most in a lab and they are exactly the same chemical structure that you'd find in real foods/real vegetables. The best way to get most of your micronutrients (there are a few exceptions to this, see link at bottom) is the EAT them in high quality nutrient dense vegetables and other high quality foods (organic if at all possible).

If you are interested in reversing diabetes naturally, what's far more important than "lowering carbs" is learning what carb foods you need to INCREASE and what carbs you need to eat less of.

Yes, I am saying you need to INCREASE carb foods, not lower them! However, there is a caveat (isn't there always). You need to know which carbs to increase.

While there is a lot of nutritional science we could talk about here, what it all boils down to is this:

Low Nutrient Carbs vs High Nutrient Carbs

and

Low Fiber Carbs vs High Fiber Carbs

You want to eat lots and lots of high nutrient vegetable and fruits (carbs) and high fiber veggies and fruits.

This means that calorie for calorie, you need to concentrate on the carbs that give you the best nutritional bang and lower as much as possible the carbs that give you mostly "empty calories" or a lower density of nutrients. Don't worry, once you start thinking about it, it becomes quite easy to do this. In fact, it has almost become automatic for me to think about NUTRITIONAL DENSITY instead of total carbs (or carbs minus fiber) when I'm preparing a meal, shopping, and/or figuring out if I need to "make up for" the lower nutritional density food I ate earlier in the day/week. I never again want to allow myself to go very long without filling up my body with health building diabetes busting micronutrients! That would be like letting my car run on empty or going low on oil which of course can cause all sorts of problems.

Diabetics absolutely NEED carbs, especially if they want to reverse diabetes, not just "control" it as the traditional medicine folks will emphasize (hey, I want you to CURE diabetes, not just control your blood glucose). The trick though is you need to know which ones are the "good carbs" and which are the "not so good carbs." Notice I did not say "bad carbs" because no vegetable is all bad. Even bread and pasta (not technically veggies but derived from plants) isn't ALL bad even though these are both much much lower density nutrient foods than say spinach, kale, celery, green onions, or broccoli!

Let me first say that you need to eat greens, greens, and more greens. Did you get that -- think green! The more greens you eat the better. It would be near impossible for anyone to over-do on greens. Yes, I guess it is technically possible, especially if you happen to be on certain prescription drugs, but a huge heaping mound of kale or spinach is not over-doing it!

Notice I said GREENS, GREENS, and MORE GREENS.

Did I emphasize that enough for you? I hope so because you need to drill this into your head over and over.

Greens have the highest nutritional density of any food on Earth. No exaggeration!

Greens are full of micronutrients that haven't even been fully studied but that we know are extremely good for us.

Plus, greens are high in fiber as well as micronutrients and fiber lowers blood sugar naturally, cleans out the colon, and provides lots of other health benefits.

Also, try to eat as much diversity of greens as you possibly can. Don't just eat spinach or just eat kale. Throw in some variety as often as possible. Throw some beet greens, collards, chard, sprouts, lots of salad greens, and green herbs into the mix. In fact, some green herbs can become a vegetable instead of just a spice. For example, parsley and/or cilantro made into a nice tabouli can be one of the most nutritious meals you can prepare, especially if you substitute quinoa for bulgar wheat.

Wild greens like dandelion greens can be a special treat as well and if you don't poison your lawn with chemicals you can actually collect the greens right out of your yard. They are best when young as they are more tender and less bitter. However, even older ones that a little bitter have a very pleasurable taste with sauteed in some olive oil with a bit of garlic.

Quinoa is another one of those super good carbs that is as versatile as rice or pasta. Eat it as a breakfast cereal (with berries and nuts - YUM), turn it into an infinite number of salads (by adding veggies, fruits, and nuts), and serve your stir fry veggies and mushrooms on a bed of quinoa.

Try to eat more high fiber fruits than low fiber fruits -- there seems to also be a rough correlation between fiber and micronutrients - the more fiber the more micronutrients. Berries are the best choice for fruit, including wild berries you collect yourself as they have more micronutrients than the store bought/commercial varieties. Figs pack a really dense nutritional punch. Stone fruits like plums and peaches are good too. Apples fall in between. Citrus and melon are lower density BUT I encourage you to indulge at the peak of the season when the micronutrients in these fruits are at their highest (and of course they taste better too). Smell your melons for fragrance, thump your watermelons (a hollow sound is best), and above all don't buy those terrible melon platters full of off season not so tasty melon much lower in antioxidants!

As a little sidenote... our tastebuds and our sense of smell are there for a reason. Fruits that smell better and taste better are generally higher in nutrients. Follow your "monkey instincts" here.

Buy organic!

Let's talk potatoes. I LOVE golden yukon potatoes and red potatoes but sadly they have a lower density of nutrients than almost all other vegetables. That does not mean you shouldn't eat them at all but just be aware that eating spinach is giving you HUNDREDS of times more nutrients (not just double or triple). Having said this though, potatoes are more nutritious than most pasta and definitely less processed (if you start with a raw fresh potato).  Sweet potatoes and yams have more fiber and more nutrients than white, yellow, and red potatoes. Look for purple potatoes at farmer's markets and organic stores for a potato that is less cultivated and are much higher in nutrients. They are really tasty too. Leaving the skin on also makes the nutrient density go way up, especially if you are eating smaller potatoes, as most of the nutrients are concentrated in the skin.

Another tip on potatoes is to substitute turnips for potatoes. I used to totally turn up my nose at turnips when I was a kid but I have now learned that if you boil them and mash them up, they make a nice substitute for mashed potatoes. You can also roast them and they taste a bit like potatoes. They are higher in nutrients and lower in calories/carbs (more nutritionally dense than potatoes). Turnip greens are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat so if you buy turnips DO NOT THROW AWAY THE GREENS. You'd be throwing away the most nutritious part (same with carrot greens by the way).

Onions and garlic and all their relatives are some of the most nutritious foods you can eat. Beans are another great high nutrient veggie! Try to eat more black beans and other beans with color than white beans but all of them do contribute a nice dose of nutrients. If you make bean soup, instead of just beans, you can also throw in all sorts of herbs, greens, and other nutritious veggies. I sometimes call it an antioxidant witches brew.

There are many other healthy vegetables full of micronutrients: asparagus (one of my faves), artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc, etc.... plus all those delicious herbs.

Bottom line, diabetics who want to cure their diabetes should try to eat LOTS and LOTS of vegetables and skew this in the direction of greens (try to eat greens every single day if possible), and then next in priority eat other high fiber vegetables and fruits. You should limit the lower density vegetables like potatoes but you don't need to eliminate them altogether.

But PLEASE do not fall for the fallacy that you need to eat a "low carb diet" if you have diabetes. You need to eat a HIGH carb diet but you need much more of the right carbs! To learn EXACTLY what you need to eat and why to CURE (not just "control") diabetes, please follow this link and know that I believe this is the fastest way to learn everything you need to know. I truly mean that! I try to be as helpful as possible in my blog but you really need a comprehensive source like you'll find at this link.

Diabetic Food Fallacies Feedback & Rose Petals

Hi Everyone. For those who live in the United States, I hope you had a Happy 4th of July yesterday! I've been getting some really positive feedback on my last article on diabetic food fallacies (to read it, just click on the link).

 It seems people are very appreciative to learn what foods REALLY causes diabetes and what foods help reverse diabetes and cure it!! Hint: it is not a super low carb diet as many people would have you believe.

I also wanted to mention I have found a new use for my heirloom roses. I've been eating the rose petals and they are delicious and also highly nutritious! It turns out that all roses are edible -- they more in vogue to eat a few centuries ago. I add them to salads and they provide such beautiful color. They have a mildly sweet taste but I've noticed this sometimes comes out more when I slightly cook the petals by wilting them in the skillet with a little oil. I've been adding them to stir-fries at the last minute. You'll have to add a bunch because they are mostly water and basically "disappear!" They have a very high amount of vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant for diabetics and they contain many other micronutrients. I am finding that eating lots of wild foods and "alternate foods" is a great way to ensure I get the micronutrients I need to keep my diabetes from coming back

If you want to cure diabetes, and I do mean COMPLETELY reverse it, not just control the symptoms, click on the red button at the top of this page for detailed step by step instructions. You may also want to go ahead and read my diabetic food fallacies article linked above and learn about GMO corn and other important topics that you really need to know.

Scrumptious Non-GMO Corn & Diabetic Food Fallacies

Yum! I just polished off two ears of the sweetest yellow corn I've ever had! It was so good I literally sucked the juice from the cob until is was so dry and clean you could have made one of those corn cob pipes from it! It is truly one of the joys I always look forward to every year. As I relished the last piece, I realized I should share this with my readers on my "Reverse Diabetes Naturally" blog and I'll explain why below.

There are so many food fallacies out there that diabetics get drawn into. A good example is that "carbs are the enemy." While it is true that the modern American diet and the modern diet of other industrialized nations consists of far too many LOW QUALITY carbs, the food group of carbs is NOT what has caused the type 2 diabetes. It is very important in fact for those who want to cure their diabetes to eat plenty of fresh vegetables. It's best to eat a lot of green leafy vegetables (especially those in the kale family like all forms of kale, collards, mustard greens, and cabbages) and a wide variety of other veggies in every color: yellow, orange, red, purple, and white.

All the attention shown on suggesting low-carb diets for diabetics has taken the attention away from other food topics that diabetes should be far more concerned about: topics that concern what actually causes diabetes and what foods can cure it.

This is what I mean by diabetic food fallacies.

If you are serious about curing diabetes for good and/or avoiding it to begin with, there is information about food you definitely need. Lowering your intake of carbs and making sure your carbs have high nutrient density is important but it is actually less important than other food topics that I seldom see discussed in diabetes education circles. Sometimes I find myself shaking my head in disgust when I read through such literature.

So, let me get back to my scrumptious corn and tell you why I want to talk about it.

First, I want to talk about the importance of avoiding genetically modified foods (GMO foods). As a diabetic, this is most definitely one of the most important changes you can make to your diet. You need to get REALLY serious about avoiding ALL genetically modified foods. There is research that shows GMO foods play havoc with all your internal organs, cause metabolic problems, and they increase insulin resistance.

This means avoiding processed food, fast food, and even certain "fresh vegetables" if they are conventionally grown -- and definitely conventionally grown corn because it is almost all genetically modified corn if you purchase it in the United States! The only way to avoid this in the U.S. is buy CERTIFIED ORGANIC corn or corn from a trusted local farmer who verifies he or she uses non-GMO seed (this is almost alway organic seed but the land they grow it in may not be certified so they can't label it "organic"). A good source is farmers markets and local food co-ops that purchase from small local farmers.

One of the most commonly eaten GMO foods is corn and it is very toxic, especially for the diabetic. GMO corn is used to make high fructose corn syrup and various forms of it serves as fillers in many processed foods (and pet food too by the way) and fast food. In fact, more than 80% of all corn grown in the US is GMO corn, some say as much as 90%. In other words, it is grown using patent protected Monsanto seed that has been genetically altered with genes from a bacterium to resist herbicides (so they can spray the heck out of it with Monsanto's Round Up without killing the commercial crop of GMO corn) and to make it less tasty to bugs.

Yep, that's right.... when you're eating GMO corn, you're eating corn that even the bugs won't eat and has an herbicide built right into the corn itself, i.e. you are essentially eating herbicide!! That should tell you something. Sometimes I wonder just how smart we humans really are :-)

This means if you go to the store and buy some "farm fresh corn" or "locally grown corn" (food marketers really know how to make this toxic GMO stuff sound great), odds are very high that you are purchasing GMO corn!! It may look natural and healthy but don't be fooled! It is toxic. And please... don't be lured into buying it because of ridiculously low prices!! You need to stay away from it, especially if you have diabetes or have any propensity for developing it. In fact, everyone should stay away from this stuff as it causes all sorts of health issues.

Remember: the only sure fire way to avoid buying GMO corn is to buy certified ORGANIC corn. For produce to be labeled "organic" one of the rules is that it can not be GMO. And.. you can talk to small farmers directly at farmers markets and ask them if they use GMO corn seed.

The corn I just ate was non-GMO, i.e. non-Monsanto corn, i.e. it was NOT genetically modified corn!  How do I know? Well, it was ORGANIC corn from a trusted organic farm in the region where I live. Knowing this makes me savor each delicious juicy sweet bite all the more!!

Please understand that I do not recommend non-GMO corn as a frequent staple in a diabetic diet but there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying some on occasion. Don't let those low-carb diet claims for diabetics take away all the joy of summer veggies! In fact, I get a craving for good ol' corn on the cob a couple of times a year and I do indulge and my blood sugar doesn't suffer for it, thank you very much! Yellow corn that is non-GMO corn does have nutritious value, maybe not as much as a big helping of kale, but it adds to the diversity of your diet with antioxidants and other micronutrients, and it is healthy for you in moderation as long as it isn't GMO.

I also love corn bread on occasion with some yummy bean soup. I always use organic corn meal to make it so I know for sure I'm not eating GMO corn. There's nothing wrong with someone who has cured their diabetes through natural means to partake of organic corn mill occasionally. In fact, this can be healthy.

AND... to drive my point home more clearly:

Staying completely away from GMO food is far more important to the diabetic than indulging in non-processed fresh organic veggies that have carb. In fact, unless you have a corn allergy, I'd say those carby veggies are part of a healthy diet. By the way, most people (and pets) who have a corn allergy find that non-GMO corn doesn't bother them!

AND... one more important point:

The locally grown non-GMO corn that I ate today was also drenched in melted butter -- no, not "pretend" butter-like spread or the industrialized (i.e. full of trans fat) "food" known as margarine but REAL organic butter made from milk from pasture raised cows, i.e. cows that graze on organic green grass and ingest a few bugs in the process. Real butter made with milk from pasture raised cows contains a descent amount of omega-3 because pastured cows get their omega-3 from the green grass and bugs they eat and this is passed along in their milk.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you should eat tons of organic butter from pasture raised cows either but it is one of the healthier fats you can eat as long as you don't overdo it. It is far better for you than the so called "heart healthy" artificial stuff I see lined up on most grocery shelves which is always very sad to see!!! It's certainly better than canola oil, another GMO food to stay completely away from.

And remember, omega-3 is one of the most important things you can eat if you are trying to cure diabetes.... in fact, it is lesson #1 in my opinion in "how to cure diabetes" (click on the red button at the top for more info!). Eating plenty of omega-3 is also very important in preventing diabetes and in making sure type 2 diabetes doesn't return. Of course, there are many other food lessons you need to learn to cure diabetes for good and one of the best resources I've found for teaching you how to do so quickly is this one.

Can Picking a Rose Cure Diabetes?

Can picking a rose cure diabetes? Ok, that's a provocative title for a post, right? Well, I don't mean of course that simply picking a rose all by itself can cure diabetes but I use this example as a way to say that "little things" like picking a rose matter because they all add up.

I have an heirloom rose bush in my yard which for the last several weeks has been producing the most beautiful dark pink, almost red, roses. I've been enjoying them every day from the deck. Yesterday, I finally decided to take the time to pick one to bring inside to enjoy. I put it in a bud vase on the desk by my computer. The fragrance of this rose was so sublime I found myself taking long deep sniffs of it all day as I worked on the computer and while I did some household chores. This one little rose gave me an immense amount of joy which translated into my day being less stressful and more filled with inner peace.

Take time to smell the roses!

Trite but soooo true!

I'm sure you've heard that expression but I bet you never considered how important it really is to take the time to do those little things that give you pure joy. This is important for everyone as it is part of having good mental health. Research is showing more examples all the time where good mental health translates to good physical health... or perhaps more accurate, bad mental health can cause a whole cascade of physical problems, including type 2 diabetes.

For diabetics who are trying to cure their diabetes naturally, reducing stress is a KEY factor. I really can't stress this enough (hey, that was a pun but I didn't realize it at first!). STRESS causes cortisol levels to go up in your body and this causes weight gain, resistance to weight loss, higher insulin levels, slower to react endocrine system, and a whole host of other health hazards we are only beginning to understand.

This much we know for absolute sure: the less stress you have the better! The less stress the easier it will be to cure diabetes.

Modern society has become so rushed in some ways. We have all these time saving machines like washing machines, dishwashers, and cars. However, we still seem to have less time to enjoy the simple things.... or do we really?

My contention is that we really DO have the time to smell the proverbial roses (and in my case literally so) but we don't understand the importance of doing so anymore. We'd rather rush in to watch our favorite TV show or jump online. I'm not against these things, mind you. However, I just want to urge diabetics to think more about your priorities and make sure you are doing the simple things that give you great joy and lower stress. I can tell you that the beautiful fragrance of that rose I was sniffing all day gave me far more pleasure than any TV show or movie.

Something as simple as a walk in the park to see the flowers blooming or the fall foliage can put you in a better mood for days. Taking time to visit with elderly people, both in your own family and elsewhere can also give you a happier perspective on life.

Lowering stress is very important to reversing diabetes, and in fact, if you have too much stress your body may not be able to repair itself even if you are eating the right things and avoiding the toxins in the modern food supply that are contributing to the skyrocketing diabetes rates.

Get this reverse diabetes report to learn the specific steps you need to take to cure diabetes and while you're at it, take time to smell the roses!

Diabetics - Eat Your Greens, Kale, Spinach, etc...

I'm up early and I just walked outside to check on my garden. I'm growing several different types of greens this year and they are all coming along nicely. In fact, I've been picking off the outer leaves for some time now. If you want to reverse diabetes naturally, then one food item that you should definitely eat lots of is greens. It is highly recommended that you eat as wide a variety of greens as possible: kale, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, chard, dandelion greens, bok choy,  lambsquarter, etc... All greens are incredibly healthy, especially for anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Greens are well known to reduce blood sugar naturally.

That's right... Popeye did not have diabetes!

Greens like kale and spinach are known to be the most nutrient dense foods on Earth and I do mean this literally. They contain a whole range of micronutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals). Greens, especially dark leafy greens, contain lots of chlorophyll which turns out to be very similar to hemoglobin in structure and thus can really help with anemia which is common health issue with diabetics. Eating dark leafy greens will ramp up your hemoglobin much faster than red meat in fact.

Eating lots of chlorophyll can help reverse diabetes in another way too. The atom at the center of the chlorophyll molecule is magnesium (in hemoglobin, the central atom is iron but otherwise chlorophyll and hemoglobin are almost identical). Magnesium is one of the main minerals that is known to help reverse diabetes. It lowers blood sugar naturally and helps insulin work more efficiently. However, taking magnesium supplements is not nearly as good as eating greens because of how much better the body absorbs the magnesium in greens versus the form of magnesium put in the pill form of mineral supplements.

Mother nature almost always wins in these contests anyway!

As a person who has reversed her diabetes and someone who plans to keep it that way, I have become a very picky shopper! I buy only ORGANIC greens. I have learned that organic produce has far more nutrients because they are grown in soil that contains far more nutrients. People just don't think about the importance of soil enough but most of the nutrients in vegetables come from the soil! These nutrients include ones that we are only beginning to understand the importance of. Of course, organic greens are also not covered with herbicides and pesticides. Therefore, washing the greens is not as critical -- a quick rinse is all you need -- you don't have to worry about reaching ever crevice where toxic herbicides may be hiding. Keep in mind that you can NEVER really wash off all the chemicals on conventionally grown greens so when you're standing there comparing the prices at the stores, keep this important point mind as well as the higher nutrient density in organic versus non-organic! You may pay a little more for organic but you are also getting "natural medicine" for your diabetes!! Also, I have found that organic just tastes way better!

My favorite green leafy vegetable to cook is dinosaur kale which is a dark green kale that is a bit more tender than green kale, blue green kale, and red kale and thus cooks very easily. Remember that reversing diabetes is made much easier by learning how to make delicious healthy foods using the basic ingredients known to help cure diabetes quickly. If you can prepare foods quick then you'll be more likely to make them. I savor the sweet flavor of dinosaur kale (it seems to be even a little sweeter in the fall and winter). Dinosaur kale is also called Lacinato kale and is actually an heirloom variety from Italy. It turns out that the nutrients in kale are more available to the body for absorption if it is lightly cooked by slightly steaming. You can achieve this in the skillet by putting in a bit of olive oil and then as the skillet gets hot dropping in just enough water to create steam. I usually do this about 3 times and the kale is cooked. Remember you don't want to over cook kale so when it turns bright green it is done. I like to add sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Some people also add garlic but I actually prefer it with just lemon even though I do love garlic in lots of other foods and also highly recommend you eat plenty of garlic too!

My favorite green to eat raw is baby spinach. I make all sorts of salads with baby spinach as it is so versatile. This is my "go to" salad when I'm really in a hurry and I want a super healthy meal that is also filling. I get out a big bowl and use the baby spinach as the bulk of the salad but I add lots of other things too like blue cheese, dried cherries, walnuts. For a dressing, I use apple cider vinegar and olive oil (one of my favorite versions) but then I've learned to make a really yummy and creamy cashew dressing which tastes great on baby spinach with lots of other veggies. I also sometimes throw in some berries like blueberries or whatever wild berry happens to be in season to add a bit of sweetness. I try to keep some cashew butter on hand so I don't have to deal with the blender.

Greens of all types have lots of natural fiber too which is also very important to reversing diabetes!

So, I would like to encourage you to start eating organic greens every day. I recommend big piles of organic greens in fact. While you are doing that, I also highly recommend you got to the top of this page and click on the red button. This will show you exactly all the foods and techniques that you can use to not just "control" your diabetes but actually reverse it for good. In other words, you can CURE diabetes if you have the right information. Here's the link here too: how to reverse diabetes naturally!

3 Steps to Incredible Health! With Dr. Joel Fuhrman

I am watching, or rather re-watching, a program on PBS called, "3 Steps to Incredible Health!" It is a program starring Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Although it is not specifically about reversing diabetes, Dr. Fuhrman does address diabetes specifically in his talk. I really like the fact that he specifically says he doesn't want to "control" diabetes but he wants to CURE diabetes. Way to go Dr. Fuhrman! It is so rare to hear a mainstream medical doctor put it in these terms -- but I wanted you guys to know that there ARE medical doctors out there who do believe you can cure diabetes and even know how to do it. Most doctors just want to show you how to control and manage your diabetes through medication. I've been following Dr. Fuhrman for a long time on Huffington Post and I've read many of his articles various other places as well. I respect what he has to say and I agree with him the vast majority of the time. He researches things quite well. However, if your #1 health concern is reversing diabetes, I'd point you to the information that is linked behind the big red button at the top of this page first and foremost as it is specifically aimed directly and precisely at curing type 2 diabetes (and improving type 1 diabetes as well).

Now I must tell you that if you order Dr. Joel Fuhrman's CD's, tapes, books, etc, they are very costly. The resource I link to through the red button is much cheaper and it has far more information regarding curing diabetes. However, it wouldn't hurt to also get  Fuhrman's CD's if you can afford them. By the way, I've checked and ordering them off PBS will not save you any money either but it will support your local PBS station which of course is a good thing. If money is tight, I would suggest starting with the program I have linked behind the red button up top and then later ordering Dr. Fuhrman's program if you can afford it. It is more aimed at improving your health overall and he gives excellent cooking tips.

Also, be aware that PBS re-runs this program (all over the US anyway) all the time so if you missed it today, just check your local listings and type in the name of the program, "3 Steps to Incredible Health!" or type in "Joel Fuhrman." The free TV program offers quite a bit of great information even without ordering the tapes, etc... A friend of mine in New Jersey actually found it playing on a different PBS station in her area. Usually this program runs in association with a pledge drive so be prepared for interruptions throughout asking for you to call in with a donation but of course you don't have to. It's sort of like an infomercial in style with Dr. Fuhrman talking to an audience, BUT unlike most infomercials, there really is some great info in there.

One thing I really like about what Dr. Fuhrman says is his message on the importance of micronutrients. The importance of micronutrients to maintaining health in general and in preventing diseases, including diabetes and other metabolic diseasese, is not stressed anywhere near enough in most health websites and other informational sources for good health. In fact, without micronutrients you'd have a hard time reversing ANY illness. This is something you would definitely learn about (and very specifically to how it applies to reversing diabetes) in the diabetes program I recommend to everyone. Most health experts seem so focused on carbs, fats, and proteins, they hardly ever talk about micronutrients and when they do it seems they only talk about certain minerals (the main ones) and vitamins. However, there are so many more micronutrients out there and they so incredibly important in fixing our damaged cells and our damaged endocrine system once we develop diabetes. It is important to think about food in terms of how micronutrient dense it is. Dr. Fuhrman actually says at one point that a piece of chicken is as lacking in nutrients as a piece of white bread because it has very few micronutrients. Yes -- you do need protein of course but if you just get protein, fat, and carbs but few micronutrients, your body will begin to fall apart. I plan to write more on the topic of micronutrients in the near future so stay tuned. In the meantime, get information I have linked up top and see if you can find Dr. Fuhrman's program on your PBS station.

To Cure Diabetes You Need To Change This One Thing

I had a long heart to heart conversation yesterday with my friend I mentioned in my last post who is well on her way to reversing her diabetes and another mutual friend who was also diagnosed with diabetes a few years back and has totally cured hers. Their stories are very different but there is one common thread. This common thread is also common to my personal story so my thinking is that it is common to most diabetics who have cured their own diabetes and this is what inspired this post.

Can you guess what the one common thread is?

Basically it boils down to this: in order to cure diabetes, completely reverse it forever, you have to get away from the "mind set" of the traditional medicine approach to dealing with this disease.

Traditional medicine concentrates on "managing" or "controlling" the SYMPTOMS of the disease (primarily high blood sugar) instead of addressing the root CAUSES of the disease.

You won't ever reverse diabetes if you don't fix the underlying causes of the disease.

Consider this example: When you have a cold, you may take something to soothe your stuffy nose but that doesn't get rid of the virus causing the cold. If you still have the virus causing the cold, you'll still have the cold even if you temporarily relieve the stuffy nose.... and the stuffy nose and other symptoms will flair right back up once the soothing medication wears off.

Unfortunately, one of the first things a patient usually hears from his or her health care professionals when they are diagnosed with diabetes is that the disease is "progressive." It is explained to them that "progressive" means the disease will definitely get worse over time and the only thing the patient can do is learn how to "manage" or "control" the symptoms.

They are basically also told to "learn to live with it." It's almost like getting sentenced to a lower quality life with no hope for reprieve.

When patients try their best to "manage" or "control" their symptoms with medications and diet but still can't do so, it can get really depressing for them and they often just give up. Alternately, they use the medication to "control" their blood sugar" when they eat poorly thinking it is ok to do so.  I've known diabetics who intentionally take more insulin or an extra pill before going to an all you can eat buffet for example. This is very dangerous and will certainly not cure the diabetes.

When patients ask their doctors, "Is there a cure for diabetes?" they are almost always told "No... maybe someday..."

Traditional doctors just aren't trained to think about diabetes having a cure. They are taught to treat or "control" the symptoms with medications. Better doctors will tell their patients to diet and exercise but the pamphlets they hand out on diet are truly not going to work well for diabetics. That's because it is aimed at controlling symptoms, not curing the disease!

What makes it even worse is that most people who attend diabetes classes and/or diabetes support groups are immersed even deeper into the traditional "mind set" of traditional medicine that teaches one to expect a "progressive" disease with no hope of a cure and to manage the symptoms and not address the underlying causes. It basically becomes a support group for people who have been sentenced to a lower quality of life with no hope that could ever change, i.e. it's depressing!

I've seen some attendees almost become what I would call "co-dependents" for each other but still devolve into a very unhappy state, sometimes even deep depression. Then they support each other in their depression.

This is no way to live in my opinion and you really don't have to because there is a way to cure diabetes (click on the big red button at the top of the page to learn exactly how) and it is fairly easy to do so and you can be really happy while you're doing it. In fact, I can safely say that the act of curing your diabetes will make you feel way better than any of the traditional medicine diabetes support groups out there. Plus, it can put real joy in your heart (it certainly has mine) telling people how they can cure their diabetes too. You can almost create your own support group for people who want to cure diabetes, not just control symptoms.

For my two friends and myself, plus many others I've known who have been successful in reversing diabetes, the one common thread to our otherwise very different stories is that we learned how to escape the mind set of the traditional medicine world!

We REJECT ENTIRELY the notion that diabetes has to be progressive. We just don't view it that way because we've seen evidence to the contrary. We've seen that people DO CURE THEIR DIABETES. We realize at some point that we can follow in their footsteps and that this is a much better choice than what traditional medicine is offering.

The pharmaceutical companies won't like the cure for diabetes that actually works by the way because it will cut into their profits but I suppose that will wait for a future post.

Once you accept the fact that diabetes CAN be cured, you can move on to learning how to do so. For the best single source of information on how to cure diabetes click on the link I just gave. This is a comprehensive and easy to understand version of what took me many months to collect from MULTIPLE sources and in fact including things I didn't find myself -- and it includes lots of amazing new research on curing type 2 diabetes that had not been done when needed to start curing my diabetes.

I'm talking to you as frankly as I can because this is the best way I have found to get this message through in a way that is meaningful enough that diabetics will actually act on it. As I said in my last post, you CAN reverse diabetes. You just have to be given the specific information on how to do that. Perhaps more importantly though you have to be receptive to idea and to be receptive to this message you have to break away from the mind set of traditional medicine. The video at the link at the top of the page may sound a little "hoaky" to some people but the materials that they provide are quite professional and very well put together.

Take care everyone and good luck. Please let me hear from you. I especially love success stories but I promise I will honor your privacy always.