It’s possible you haven’t heard that fig fruits are helpful for people with diabetes. Most people with this condition are told to avoid fruits, at least the starchy sort. But I think figs are good for you, and many other foods on the supposed no-no list. Fig extracts made news in 2019, and I bet it wasn’t even a 2 second blip on the news when researchers published profoundly helpful findings! But as soon as I heard about it, I reformulated one of my supplements that helps support healthy blood sugar levels.*
Figs contain a compound that is useful for glycemic disorders, the extract from fig fruits are a natural consideration in the treatment or metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here is one human study about the extract which is called “Abscisic Acid.” The study is entitled, Abscisic Acid Standardized Fig ( Ficus carica) Extracts Ameliorate Postprandial Glycemic and Insulinemic Responses in Healthy Adults.
Why is this important? It’s time to stop making yourself crazy and just enjoy your food again. Obviously, continue tracking your blood glucose numbers, and making intelligent decisions about your diet, but do keep an open mind about your meals. Not everything you’re told is wise, at least in my humble opinion. My book explains more, it’s called Diabetes Without Drugs, and it’s sold at any book store nationwide, and on Amazon.
For today’s article I want to give you some tips for healthy dining.
1. Fig Fruit. Include fig fruits, or take a dietary supplement that contains this ingredient as part of its formula. Clinical studies support “abscisic acid” for blood sugar benefits, and it ranks up there with gymnema sylvestre, cinnamon and berberine.
2. Artificial Sweeteners. Do not include unnatural sugars if you are worried about your nerve cells, brain cells and free radical harm. I’m not convinced that anything “artificial” is good for a person, and I feel that natural sugars are better understood by your body, and very easily metabolized.
3. Oils. Don’t use old oils, freshen them periodically because they go rancid quickly. Some healthy oils include almond oil, grape seed oil, tea seed and olive oil. Some oils are more harmful because they cause higher levels of inflammatory compounds. If you’re interested in my other article, find it on my website. It’s called “The Best and Worst Oils to Cook With.”
4. Flour. One of my favorite flours to cook with is almond flour, as in 100% blanched almonds. Blanched almonds are almonds that have been quickly boiled in order to remove their outer skins. You can buy almond flour in a very fine or regular grain size. I prefer the regular grain size for baking zucchini bread. Almond flour has approximately 20 carbs per cup, versus over 70 carbs for wheat flour. It also contains “salicin” which is a cousin to aspirin so it has analgesic benefits! Almond flour is also gluten-free. You can eat delicious cakes and cookies without concern for carbs and gluten again!
5. Alcohol. It attacks your pancreas which is the organ that controls blood sugar. So I highly recommend you avoid alcohol. I’d suggest you pay the few extra dollars to buy alcohol-free extracts of vanilla and almond for your baking recipes.
6. Cheese. Cheese is like dope to some of us! LOL – Cheese contains a protein called “casein” and also “beta Casomorphine-7” which act on your brain’s opiate receptors! Milk has some, but it’s really concentrated in cheese and ice cream. And these morphine-like chemicals bind to our body’s natural opiate receptor. That’s where the nefarious oxycodone, heroine and morphine drugs bind to – the opiate receptor! That explains why it’s so hard for people to give up dairy, especially cheese! You’re essentially addicted to the pleasure it illicit when your opiate receptor gets tickled. This presents a challenge for people who have diabetes and/or dairy allergies.
What happens is the casein from the cheese isn’t fully metabolized so fragments of this protein leak through a permeable intestinal membrane, and thus get into the blood. The fragmented casein protein travels through your blood and lands somewhere, in an organ or two… or three. This produces an autoimmune reaction in the body, for example joints if you have rheumatoid, or the thyroid gland if you have Hashimoto’s. Autoimmune diabetes is a real problem and may be driven in part by the casein protein.
For those of you who want to be casein free, skip the cheese entirely. But if you want to try an experiment, you could test yourself with a sheep or goat-derived cheese, which doesn’t produce as many reactions as cow-derived cheese due to a different molecular structure of the casein.
Would you like an ebook with diabetes-friendly recipes? I have one that I’ve written and I’m happy to share it with you! Click the image below and find out how to get my ebook.
People with diabetes have the same nutritional needs as anyone else. You have to eat well-balanced meals to keep your blood glucose levels within the normal healthy range. Diabetes isn’t a problem of sugar, it’s a problem of systemic (full-body) inflammation. Most experts recommend foods that are laden with a toxin called alloxan. Eating the right foods are those that sustain and improve your health. The “right foods” have a shorter distance between Point A and Point B meaning there is a direct line from the Earth to your plate. Even though we don’t all have a local farmer’s market, I urge you to avoid heavily refined, processed, and nutritionally naked foods.
Suzy Cohen, has been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years and believes the best approach to chronic illness is a combination of natural medicine and conventional. She founded her own dietary supplement company specializing in custom-formulas, some of which have patents. With a special focus on functional medicine, thyroid health and drug nutrient depletion, Suzy is the author of several related books including Thyroid Healthy, Drug Muggers, Diabetes Without Drugs, and a nationally syndicated column.
