Did you know that Diabetes Type II was formerly named “Adult Onset Diabetes?” That’s because it was a condition that typically affected adults, not children. Wipe out the old and bring in the new because today we are seeing an epidemic of Diabetes Type II in our children.
What’s the reason for this? What changed so dramatically to create a name change for a diagnosis and an enormous increase in our population’s blood sugar imbalance?
One thing and one thing only—The over-consumption of Processed Foods.
That’s right, it’s as simple as that. Processed foods that are high in chemicals, additives, and refined, fast-converting-to-sugar carbohydrates have infiltrated our food supply. These foods, actually “food-like products,” are packaged, boxed, bagged, in jars and cartons, and even in the bulk bins. In addition, don’t forget the multitude of sugary, quick-pop-top cans lining the isles and coolers of our grocery and convenience stores.
Take note: carbohydrates in processed foods are radically different from the carbohydrates in whole (pure) foods—vegetables, fruit, and whole grains (grains have their downside but are still radically different from processed foods). Whole food carbohydrates are just as necessary for your overall health as the other necessary macronutrients—wise-choice proteins and healthy fats. You cannot function optimally without healthy carbohydrates!
Get the Good Stuff In!
Here’s the focus: Get The Good Stuff In! The path to optimal health, healing To-Day, and sustainable recovery, asks you to move against the mainstream diet-culture, do an “about face,” pivot while staying grounded, and focus on saturating your system (your body/mind/spirit system that is) with whole food nutrient density, i.e. “Food as Medicine.”
As I sit in a health food store cafe writing this post, a woman sitting to the right of me is eating watermelon. Spoon in melon, no cutting, no plate needed. This is a simple example of nutrient-dense food (packed with fiber, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals) a.k.a medicine.
You may need to re-train yourself to move from “processed-food-highway” to “pure-food-junction.” Be easy on yourself; it’s generally not an “overnight sensation.”
As a compliment to your whole food nutrition plan, here is a list of “7 Nutritional Supplements to Reverse Diabetes Type II, Pre-Diabetes, and Metabolic Syndrome.”
Choose Your Next Unique Step
It’s helpful to take just a couple of steps at a time, be true to where you are on the continuum, and refrain from comparing yourself to others. Everyone is at a different stage of understanding nutrition and applying it by taking action with lifestyle practices.
I’m going to give you some ideas of what you can ADD to your food plan and daily practice to Get the Good Stuff In and some options of what you might DECREASE or ELIMINATE from your daily consumption to halt chronic inflammation and toxicity. FYI – chronic inflammation and toxicity are known sources of dis-ease (distance from ease a.k.a the diabetes epidemic).
First. Eat organic if you have access. Stress and chemicals (found in non-organic food) alter your immune and nervous systems and degrade cell function. This is the opposite direction of healing.
Second. In the lists below, you’ll notice choices on different levels of ease or challenge; choose your next unique steps based on where you are Right Now in your lifestyle practices.
If some of these foods and practices are already part of your food/lifestyle plan, don’t stop there… choose 2 more!
Choose 2 to ADD to your food plan and/or lifestyle practice:
- 1 avocado/day
- 2 to 3 cucumbers/day
- 1 to 2 handfuls raw pecans or walnuts/day
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil/day
- 1 to 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter/day (preferably raw)
- 4 ounces wild salmon 3 days/week
- 1 big, beautiful multicolored salad/day
- 8 to 24 ounces fresh pressed veggie juice/day
- 30-45 minute walk (or other activity)/day
- 15-minute+ meditation/day
- 10-minute gratitude practice daily
- creative expression 1 hour/day
Choose 2 to DECREASE or ELIMINATE from your food plan and/or lifestyle practice:
- sodas: diet, non-diet, & “natural”
- canola oil
- highly-refined, fast-converting carbohydrates
- high-fructose corn syrup & agave syrup
- wheat products
- processed sugars
- alcohol
- non-organic, mold-contaminated coffee
- sitting longer than 45 minutes at a time
- self-blame, self-judgment, & judgment of others
- allowing your body to be stagnant & sedentary
- staying isolated, not reaching out for support
You see, you don’t need to have a go-gang-busters, I’m-all-in, all-or-nothing approach to health and healing. In fact, in my experience I witness most people making the most significant changes by taking baby steps and moving gradually while “getting the good stuff in.”
Like a jigsaw puzzle, it’s amazing how the big picture, i.e. your life/state of well-being will evolve and start to come into view as each small piece is added to your daily lifestyle practice.
Share Your Choices in Community
Join me by making 2 choices from the ADD list & 2 choices from the DECREASE/ELIMINATE lists above. Share your choices in the comments so we can support each other. I am choosing to ADD daily veggie juicing and walking (w/ health or business podcast on the headset :). I choose to DECREASE isolation and sitting longer than 45-minutes at a time.
Peaceful healing,
Dr. Nicki
[…] may have heard Diabetes Type II is an epidemic. Pre-diabetes is in epidemic proportions too, and heart disease is the number one killer of women. […]