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Monday, January 23, 2012

Diabetes and Eating Clean


This week I am so excited to have diabetes educator Trisha Wood here with us to share her knowledge. Diabetes education is at the core of healthy nation. An estimated 285 million people worldwide are afflicted by this disease. And the reality is it can and should be managed with the right approach to nutrition. Read why Trish recommends The Eat-Clean Diet to her clients. I encourage you to comment below as I'm interested in your opinion or experience with this. P.S. American/Canadian Diabetes Associations... I would love to partner with you!!!

Take it away Trisha...

Hi Eat-Clean Dieters. I am a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator.  The first time I heard about the Eat-Clean Diet was from a client who had asked my opinion on whether or not this would be a good option for him as a person with diabetes.  There are many fad diets out there which have a “loose now…gain later” approach to weight loss so naturally I was very sceptical.  I took the book home and read it cover to cover.

I was quite impressed that Tosca’s way of thinking was very similar to mine when it comes to nutrition and healthy eating.  I love how she promotes a “whole foods” approach to eating.  I am always telling my clients meals are not meant to come from a box. If we simply cooked more foods from scratch and ate “from the land” we would all be healthier.

She suggests eating every 3 hours and having a balance of lean protein and complex carbohydrates.  This causes less swings in blood sugar levels and therefore allows for better blood sugar control - this is at the root of diabetes management.

Tosca also describes refined sugar as a drug, comparing it to cocaine and heroin in terms of addiction.  As an alternative, she suggests honey or maple syrup in moderation. People with diabetes can eat honey and maple syrup BUT they should be aware that even though they are “natural” foods, they still affect blood sugar levels the same way that sugar does.

I always tell my clients that the diet for someone with diabetes is basically healthy, clean eating. In fact, this is the way everyone should be eating - but most of us don't.  Overall, the Eat-Clean Diet IS a very appropriate healthy, clean eating lifestyle that can be individualized for different people including people with diabetes. I would DEFINITELY recommend this as a jumping off point, but be sure to work with your diabetes educator and registered dietitian to monitor your progress.  Don't have an educator? Visit www.diabetes.ca (in Canada) or www.diabetes.org (in the US) for more information.

I believe if people with diabetes adopted this type of lifestyle they would have better blood sugar control and their overall health would improve immensely!

My hope is that one day Tosca and her team will partner with experts in the area of diabetes to write an Eat-Clean Diet book geared specifically for those people with diabetes!

Thanks Trisha! Excellent message. Don't forget to comment below. Please also visit our community support network, the Kitchen Table, and meet Roxie-Girl who pairs Eating Clean with diabetes management.

12 comments:

  1. yes, i wish tose with diabetes would take charge of their health and not opt for a pill... this is so within their control! i have several family members who are not taking it seriously at all... sad... very sad... but i can't do it for them

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  2. The power of foods in managing diabetes and AVOIDING diabetes is much more incredible than the benefits of any pills. I have 2 diabetic parents.

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  3. Dear Tosca, are any of your books available in Spanish?

    Thanks!
    ~ Liliana

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  4. Just to let everyone know I am a Registered Dietitian and certified diabetes educator but I do NOT work for the Canadian Diabetes Association

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  5. Hi Liliana,
    My books are not available in Spanish at this point. Perhaps one day soon.
    -Tosca

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in dec. 2009.I decided to take control and started eating clean, and working out regularly. I have lost 42 pounds have my blood sugar in complete control with no medication. I am now doing Ripped classes, and at 53 I am in the best shape of my life! Needless to say my doctor is thrilled!

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  8. i am a diabetic and extremely overweight i need as much help and also information to help lose this weight i am looking to use.

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  9. I'm a mother of a Type 1 diabetic son. Since his diagnosis at 21 months old, we've been following the eat clean diet. The times we don't, I sea a significant difference in his blood glucose. The only thing that bothers me is that there NEVER is a difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in any article about the subject. The population needs to be informed of that difference, because the causes of those two are really not the same!

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  10. Do you have to be a vegetarian for the Eat-Clean Diet to work?

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  11. Diabetes drugs are not the answer – most type 2 diabetes medications either raise insulin or lower blood sugar (failing to address the root cause) and many can cause serious side effects

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  12. This is an awesome website for great content on all kinds of subjects. When you look at the internet nowadays this is definitly a worthwhile website. diabetes 60 system reviews

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