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The big shift from animal protein and processed foods is the real game-changer. As a result of this shift, the insulin response improves in the body and even a genetic risk of Type-2 Diabetes can be negated with a whole food plant-based diet! Apart from this, plant-based diets also help in preventing excess weight gain which is another crucial cause of Type-2 Diabetes.
The challenge lies in the processed grains and fat + sugar + chemicals trio. Together, they continue to create a sugar high & low roller coaster and challenge the adrenal response. Packaged food that has highly processed fat content adds other risks like cholesterol and heart disease to the already persisting diabetes issue.
Diabetes is a silent killer. While we sugarcoat the truth by calling it a sugar problem, it is, in reality, impacting every organ and function within our body—eye health and macular degeneration, nerve health and foot conditions, blood pressure and organ damage. If we don’t strive hard to make better food and lifestyle changes, it will continuously increase our risks of stroke, nerve damage, or even high blood pressure and heart ailments.
– The first step is to move to try to eat whole foods for the majority of the time – The second step would be to remove processed foods altogether. – The third step would be to reduce/remove dairy and meat from the diet. This may seem hard for some people but it has a huge impact on your body’s insulin response.
A quick diet chart would look like the following: – Breakfast: oatmeal, nuts, fruits – Lunch: dal, sabzi salad, red rice – Snack: sprouts chaat – Dinner: vegetable/tomato soup with avocado, salsa
Rather than a definite low-carb approach, what is more important is to change the quality of carbs; opt for whole grains vs processed foods, natural fruit vs refined sugars. This approach can definitely help patients suffering from type-2 diabetes.
Portion control is not a concern when one transitions to a plant-based diet because the fibre creates satiety (feeling of fullness). This is the crux of long-term habit change (not forced short-term portion control). If you’re ready to listed to your body and stop eating when you are full, a plant-based diet is great because you feel satisfied naturally in a reasonable portion.
1. Peanut Sesame Chutney (Also, A Bone Health Supplement) Method: – Roast the peanuts, sesame, chana dal, curry leaves, red chillies. – Grind the above with imli, water, salt. – Add a tadka with coconut oil, asafoetida, mustard seeds, urad dal & more curry leaves 2. Chana Salad My favourite raw meals are chaat inspired. Here is a simple idea and my go-to meal on several busy days! Ingredients: – 1.5 cups chopped tomatoes – 2 tablespoons of spring onions – 2 tablespoons of chopped carrot – 1 teaspoon of chopped green chillies (you can adjust this as per your preference) – 1.5 teaspoon of lemon juice – 1 cup boiled chickpeas (chana)
Some low-fat plant-based snacks that can beneficial for Type-2 Diabetes patients are: – All salads with healthy fats and no oil – Nut and seeds based snacks
Lifestyle changes are extremely important when it comes to dealing with diabetes. – Move away from packaged and processed foods – Exercise daily – Eat 30-50% raw foods – Eat very few processed fats or oils
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