A recent study published in Diabetes Care June 2017, followed 59,033 women for 26 years, monitoring their red meat cooking patterns. 6206 of them developed type 2 diabetes over the 26 years. What the research found was, for eating the same amount of red meat:

• Those who ate broiled, barbequed, and roasted red meats often (more than twice a week) had significantly higher incidence of diabetes than those who used other cooking methods.
• Stewing and boiling did not increase T2 diabetes risk. Pan-frying in fact reduced it.

This is hugely important information for anyone wanting to control diabetes!

Not Just Recent Studies

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health conducted a review of nearly 1600 research studies that jointly monitored 1.2 million individuals from 10 countries across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

They found the same thing: consumption of processed meats, but not red meats, is associated with higher incidence of coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus.

Bottom-line

So the next time you think about firing up that grill or eating charred meats at a restaurant, remember that high-temperature and open-flame cooking methods for red meats, especially broiling and barbecuing, have been observed to increase the risk of diabetes. 

Share this with all your friends who love to BBQ!

Meals

1. Eggs: boil 20-30 eggs on the weekend and refrigerate them. In the mornings, just grab 2-3 eggs, add mayo or sour cream, and enjoy. Feel free to add salt and pepper. Or combine eggs with bacon-strips or avocado.
2. Omelet: (see recipe) On the days that you have some more time, beat up 2-3 eggs. Add fresh or warmed frozen, chopped vegetables, heavy cream and make your omelet in butter. Pair this with avocado.
3. Omelet paleo (coconut) wrap: Line a coconut wrap (e.g. Nuco, Julian, Pure Wraps) with lettuce leaf. Apply home made or Primal Kitchen mayo. Place omelet in wrap and top it with sliced onions, avocado, tomato, herbs.
4. Chicken soup: Can be prepared in advance and stored in fridge for 3-5 days.
5. Cold fish: Cook extra the previous night, whenever you have fish for dinner, and store it in the fridge for the next morning.
6. Cooked shrimp: Can be bought frozen and placed to thaw in the fridge the night before.
7. Uncured sausage: Slice and saute in avocado oil with diced onion.
8. Bacon strips: Can be prepared in the microwave. Place on paper towel on microwave-safe plate and microwave 2 strips on high for about 60-90 seconds (or see times listed on package).
9. Whipped cream: have it with a small amount of fruits and nuts. Add dark chocolate if you like.
10. Double cream: eat it with a small amount of fruits and dark chocolate. 
11. Chia pudding: See recipe.
12. Flavored nuts: Warm some coconut oil or butter in a pan on low-medium flame. Add spices of your choice (examples: pumpkin spice, cinnamon, ginger, curry powder, chili, lime juice, black pepper). Add nuts and cook for 2-4 minutes on low heat. Cool for 30-40 minutes
13. Curried vegetables (cauliflower, squash) with avocado (see recipe) and coconut chutney (see recipe)

Beverages

1. Tea with heavy cream. Cream makes the tea more filling, so you do not feel hungry for a long time.
2. Coffee with cream (use heavy cream, NOT half-n-half, and NOT milk)
3. Hot chocolate: Add one 100% dark chocolate square, 1/3rd cup water, and 1/2 cup heavy cream to a cup. Warm in a microwave for 30-40 seconds. Repeat 3-4 times or until chocolate has completely melted, with stopping to stir the chocolate. Add 1/2 tsp of honey and enjoy.

NOTE: Product brands mentioned are only examples, feel free to use other brands with equivalent ingredients (make sure to check the label to avoid accidental carbs).

To heal your stomach and intestinal lining:

Avoid these foods

• Grains
• Quinoa
• Lentils, beans, green beans
• Potatoes
• Dairy (milk protein irritates gut lining)
• Alcohol
• Nut milk (contain emulsifiers)
• Chlorinated water

Consume plenty of these

1. Fish
2. Red meat (grass-fed, gently cooked)
3. Chicken, turkey
4. Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil
5. Avocados
6. Vegetables
7. Bone broth (home made)
8. Spring water (it is chlorine free)

Consume in small amounts only

• Nuts
• Caffeine
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Eggs
• Butter, heavy cream (preferably use grass-fed, raw)

Take these supplements

1. Megafood Megaflora Plus probiotic 1-2 caps/day
2. Vitamin D3 supplement (NOW brand is good): 5000-10,000 IU/day

You should start noticing an improvement in just 1 week.

Can’t I just take a PPI?

No, not without it hurting your body. This article published in JAMA , earlier this year, discusses that PPIs increase the risk (1) of osteoporosis, heart attack, kidney disease, clostrium difficile diarrhea, pneumonia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and many other conditions.

Some examples of PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) are nexium, prevacid, dexilant, pepcid, etc.

References

1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2481153?resultClick=1

Vision Loss in Diabetes

One of the risks associated with diabetes is vision loss, caused by diabetic retinopathy (DR) (2). DR initially causes no or mild symptoms but can eventually lead to blindness. It is a leading cause of blindness in the US. Omega-3 from fatty fish is a powerful anti-oxidant. It helps to reduce inflammation in the retina caused by diabetes and protects it.

How Much Fish Should I Eat?

The beneficial effect of Omega-3 depends on the amount consumed. The 2016 study shows that the people who ate at least 2 servings of fatty fish per week had a 48% reduced risk of DR than compared to people who didn’t.

• The recommended serving size (3) per American Heart Association is 3.5 ounce cooked or 3/4th cup flaked fish.
• Fatty fish high in omega-3 fatty acids are: salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna .

References

1. Sala-Vila A, Díz-López A, Valls-Predret C, et al. Dietary marine ω-3 fatty acids and incident sight-threatening retinopathy in middle-aged and older individuals with type 2 diabetes. Prospective investigation from the PREDIMED trial. JAMA Opthalmol. 2016
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-retinopathy/basics/definition/con-20023311
3. https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/HealthyDietGoals/Fish-and-Omega-3-Fatty-Acids_UCM_303248_Article.jsp#.WDOQ_PkrI2w

Risk factors (2)

• Diabetes
• Obesity

Asymptomatic, but life threatening

Comparsion of healthy liver and end-stage liver disease (cirrhosis)

Up to 90% of the people with diabetes and obesity have fatty liver (2). Triglycerides deposited in the liver cause inflammation. This can progress to life-threatening liver failure without causing any noticeable symptoms.

No specific or effective medications are available for this condition. The only route to normalize fatty liver is a healthy lifestyle.

References

1. https://www.liverfoundation.org/downloads/alf_download_1275.pdf
2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/when-the-liver-gets-fatty

1. Antibiotics kill good intestinal bacteria, along with the bad ones. This can lower immunity for fighting current and future infections (1).
2. Antibiotics can trigger autoimmune diseases (2), especially in children.
3. They are not effective against viral infections.
4. Can cause dangerous drug interactions

Most over the counter medications provide minimal symptom relief. They do not help the body fight off infections by killing unhealthy germs, or boosting immunity.

To beat respiratory tract infections, use these effective combinations to boost immunity and ease symptoms:

Kids

1. Probonix probiotic 3 droppers full 4 times/day for 2-3 days and then 1/2 dropper full daily (available on Amazon.com)
2. Sunshine for 30-45 minutes daily at noon or Vitamin D3 2000 IU/day for 1 month (liquid drops)
3. Zinc supplement 15-25 mg/day (liquid drops) with food for 7-10 days
4. No milk products for 15 days
5. Chicken soup or bone broth
6. For cough: raw, unfiltered honey for kids older than 1 year

Adults

1. Throat coat liquorice tea: several times/day
2. Megafood Megaflora plus probiotic 4 caps 2 times/day for 1 week, and then 1 cap daily.
3. Sunshine for 30-45 minutes daily at noon or Vitamin D3 10,000 IU/day for 1 month
4. Zinc supplement 50 mg/day (NOW brand is good) with food for 7-10 days
5. No milk products for 10-15 days
6. Chicken soup or bone broth

How long will it take?

You should start noticing a significant improvement in your symptoms within 36-48 hours of starting this regimen.

This regimen resolves illness faster than usual, helping you stay away from antibiotics. Research shows that the right kind of supplements, such as those included in the above regiment, can reduce symptom duration significantly (3), (4).

References

1. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/antibiotics-may-make-fighting-flu-harder
2. https://nyulangone.org/press-releases/antibiotic-treatment-increased-risk-for-type-1-diabetes-in-animal-study
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8678384/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10929163/

In his scholarly article (1), Dr. Ludwig, from the Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School explains:

• that medical research has repeatedly found a high-fat diet to be more beneficial than a low-fat diet, and
• the historical reasons for why food guidelines ignore such research.

Research Findings

The key findings from multiple clinical research studies discussed in this article are:

1. The risk of heart disease decreases faster with a high-fat diet than with a low-fat diet. People following low-fat (high-carbohydrate) diets had higher rates of premature death.
2. Within high fat diets, the type of fats consumed matters, implying that certain fats are healthier than others.

Historical Reasons

The concept of low-fat originally gained traction because it was believed that carbohydrates being half as dense in calories than fat will help reduce overall calorie intake. This also made economic sense since producing carbohydrates is much cheaper than proteins and fats.

However, the concept turned out to be flawed due to two reasons. First, it is easy to eat more calories from carbohydrates than from fat. For instance, its easy to eat a bowl full of cereal, but not easy to eat half a bowl of butter. Second, our body converts carbohydrates faster into sugar. This makes us hungrier sooner and results in eating more frequently.

As a result, the food pyramid has done more harm than good. It has brought on the epidemics of diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, hypertension, and several inter-related chronic illnesses. The currently followed guidelines, that recommend a low fat high carb diet, were formulated almost 40 years ago and have not been updated to take into account the new studies.

Bottom line

The food pyramid needs to be upside down. Consuming a high fat and low-carb diet protects us from chronic illnesses and obesity.

Note: The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of the biomedical sciences.

References

1. Lowering the Bar on Low-Fat Diet, Journal of American Medical Association, Sept 2016
2. Maps for Trends in Diagnosed Diabetes and Obesity, Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2016.

Avocados are one of the healthiest foods that so many people are reluctant to consume for the fear of gaining weight. Avocados actually help to reduce weight, improve diabetes, and cholesterol because avocados are:

• High in healthy fats- This makes them satiating; we eat food (especially unhealthy) less often.
• Nutrient dense- helps reduce inflammation in our body. Inflammation of the arteries is a precursor of heart diseases

Because avocados help you stay full longer, they help decrease in the consumption of foods that are high in sugars and inflammation producing unhealthy fats.

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25567051

Causes

• Foods containing excessive, processed, simple carbohydrates, sugars.
• Unhealthy, overheated vegetable oils that cause inflammation in the body.
• Lack of physical activity
• Family history (genetics) plays a small part. Many people with no family history end up having severe diabetes. So many young people in their twenties have prediabetes and end up getting diabetes by the time they reach their thirties. People even with a strong family history of diabetes may never get it if they make healthy food choices.

High glucose is dangerous

Constantly elevated blood glucose level causes damage to body organs. Some of the more serious implications of long-standing diabetes are:

• Blindness
• Kidney disease and failure
• Heart diseases
• Stroke
• Neuropathy, resulting in loss of toes, feet, legs

Criteria for diagnosis

The American Diabetic Association describes the following criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes:

• HgbA1c>/= 6.5%
• Fasting plasma glucose>/=126 mg/dl
• Random plasma glucose >/= 200 mg/dl

Diabetes Epidemic

The number of people having diabetes is steeply rising (3). 29.1 million have DM and 86 million have Pre-diabetes, in the US (4).

Misleading Guidelines Contribute

1. Commonly used diabetes management guidelines state that diabetes will worsen over time regardless of treatment. The truth is that one can prevent diabetes from worsening and restore health to its normal state by making the right choices. It is possible that the guidelines are influenced by research sponsored by pharma companies, whose primary goal is to increase the sales of drugs. Advertised drugs simply maintain the disease rather than cure it.
2. They create fear in the minds of people that it is primarily a genetic, chronically progressive illness and therefore not much can be done about it. Patients are encouraged to just accept it as their destiny and learn to live with it.
3. Additionally, current guidelines give a vague message to eat less and exercise more. This seems like the perfect recipe to make anyone hungry and overindulge in eating, even if one doesn’t have diabetes. In spite of doing all of this, diabetes continues to worsen and risk of associated heart diseases continues to increase.

Paying to get unhealthy

Another burden, on top of progressively declining health and medication side effects, is the high cost of medications (5). Many people end up spending their entire deductible paying for doctor visits and medication bills. It also results in more expensive insurance rates.

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html
2. https://www.ndei.org/ADA-diabetes-management-guidelines-diagnosis-A1C-testing.aspx.html
3. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/prev/national/figpersons.htm
4. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics/2014statisticsreport.html
5. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/08/18/432621873/high-cost-of-diabetes-drugs-often-goes-overlooked

Unfortunately, in addition to the fact that they may not be nearly as effective (2) as advertised, flu vaccines can, and do, cause harm (1). The highest effectiveness that it has reached with the best match, since 2004, is 60%.

Effectiveness

Data from CDC for the past two years:
2014-2015: only 19 percent effective
2015-2016: 47 percent effective

Cochrane, an independent non-profit organization that reviews medical research, found that the measure of effectiveness is correlated with who funded the study on effectiveness (3). Studies funded by vaccine manufacturers, who directly profit from vaccine sales, tend to find that vaccines are more effective. These studies also get published in more visible journals, regardless of the studies’ method quality and number of patients on which the study was done. Studies funded by public sources (e.g. government research grants) did not find the flu-shots as useful.

Harms

Why can flu shots be harmful?

• Flu vaccines contain dangerous additives (4) such as Mercury and Aluminum, both of which are nerve toxins.
• They can interfere with our body’s immunity and may trigger autoimmune conditions in some individuals.
• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is one of the most dangerous, though rare, autoimmune conditions that flu vaccines can trigger.

Why do some people get sick after getting flu shots?

The viral proteins used in the vaccine cause production of interferons (anti-viral antibodies formed against killed virus in the vaccine) causing flu like symptoms. Similar flu like illness is seen in treatment of Hepatitis C with interferon therapy.

To stay well during the flu season

Influenza infections can effectively be prevented by boosting our immune system instead of faithfully relying on vaccines and medications.

To strengthen your immune system:

• Get sunshine for 30 minutes, around noon daily, or take Vitamin D3 supplement (5000-10,000 IU/day)
• Take Probitoics (recommend Probonix. It is available on Amazon.com) daily
• Eat nutritious food. Avoid foods high in carbohydrates.
• Do aerobic exercise for about 20 minutes daily
• Rest and sleep
• Wash hands with soap and water frequently
• Stay away from medical facilities with concentration of flu patients, if possible

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#flu
2.  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/effectiveness-studies.htm
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20614424
4. https://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM305089.pdf