Dr. Dansinger's Diet for Diabetes Reversal

[SCAPER]

I was just wondering if anyone had tried or read about Dr. Dansinger's diet for diabetes reversal. He seems to be an expert in the field and makes some pretty compelling arguments. I am beginning to think maybe I should switch from my current low-carb diet to his diet. I just wondered if any here had tried it, read about it, what you thought of it.

If you're unfamiliar with it, you should really start on Part 1 of the series and read all 6 parts. You can start at the link below and then on the bottom of the page click on the next 5 parts by using the links under the part that says, "read the entire series". Here is the link;
Conquering Diabetes: Eating for Diabetes Reversal: Part 1 (http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/07/eating-for-diabetes-reversal-part-1.html)

For a summary of his diet, you can skip to page 6 using the following link. But I advise reading the preceding pages first because without understanding his line of thinking, I think a lot of people would discount this diet because it allows some carbs (e.g. fruit). But regardless, here is part 6 - the actual diet;
Conquering Diabetes: Eating For Diabetes Reversal: Part 6 (http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/08/eating-for-diabetes-reversal-part-6.html)

Related to this diet, is an interesting story about one of his patients who he successfully guided in reversing type 2 diabetes, using this diet. The first part of that story is here;

Conquering Diabetes: A Diabetes Reversal Story (Part I) (http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/06/post-4.html)

And here is the second part of that story;
Conquering Diabetes: A Diabetes Reversal Story (Part II) (http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/07/diabetes-reversal-story-part-ii.html)

And here is the finale - the third part of that story;
Conquering Diabetes: A Diabetes Reversal Story (Part III) (http://blogs.webmd.com/life-with-diabetes-2/2009/07/diabetes-reversal-story-part-iii_16.html)

I dunno. But if this reverses diabetes - and I get to have a few items that would normally be "off-limits" once in a while - well, I am pretty freakin' interested.....

Comments???

[Mike Opteris]

Good Morning,
From what portions I read, this sounds like a version of the "paleo" or "caveman" diet that is touted by Loren Cordain a Physical Trainer who developed this diet for athletes. His premise is sound and when I started eating to my D, going paleo was my first step, and in many ways still influences my WOE. Currently, due to my D, I am more Bernstein, but I still check in occassionally on Paleo forums for tidbits and tips. As always when developing a diet for your D you should eat to your meter and test, test, test. However, YMMV so approach any of this with caution.
Good Luck
Mike

[fgummett]

To put our species' current nutritional situation into context, consider the following perspective. For the first 99% of human existence, for 2 million years, humans have been eating a combination of lean protein and high-fiber fruits and vegetables derived from wild natural plants and animals. I'll refer to this as the "Natural Human Diet". We are genetically designed, through millions of years of evolution, to thrive on these foods. But when our eating became too different from the "natural human diet" KABOOM! Heart disease epidemic! Obesity epidemic! Diabetes epidemic!I agree with the broad strokes here but where did our ancestors get this "lean protein"... boneless skinless chicken breasts maybe..? Real whole natural foods come with a natural balance of nutrients... Fats, Proteins and yes even Carbohydrates. The health disaster of this century has been messing with nature and thinking that we can do a better job of balancing these nutrients.

Michael Pollan NY Times - Unhappy Meals... (http://www.michaelpollan.com/article.php?id=87)

[foxl]

No one rule will work for everybody.

Eat to your meter, on any approach you wish to try, and modify according to your blood sugar results.

We used to call this biofeedback and it was considered somewhat mysterious! It works though.

[DeusXM]

There's nothing really new here. The basic premise is that if you eat less, lose weight and don't stuff yourself with carbs, you might not need medication to reduce insulin resistance. It doesn't really sound like a 'paleo' diet, it sounds much more like saying going to McDonalds every day is bad for you.

Let's face it, it can't hurt to follow but it's by no means some magic miracle, it's just basic healthier eating for a population that thinks there's nothing wrong with cheese in an aerosol can, cookies as breakfast cereal or having three burger patties with cheese inside a donut bun.

[dbaratta]

I dunno. But if this reverses diabetes - and I get to have a few items that would normally be "off-limits" once in a while - well, I am pretty freakin' interested.....

Comments???[/QUOTE]


Yeah, i bought the book, not sure who wrote it, I read it and gave it away. Just common sense stuff that I already do, I think it works for T2, not sure. Doesn't work for me. :confused:

[morrisma]

The caveman/paleo thing is fine but for it to be 'authentic', you are going to have to exercise a LOT more than most modern people are usually prepared to do.

As to reversing diabetes for T2s, I'd try anything to slow down the progression of the disease but diet and exercise are universally good for more than diabetes and still a mountain many cannot climb. Or, if they climb it, they fall back down too easily. Any changes you make should be ones you plan to keep forever, not just to achieve some short term goal.

Small, positive, lifestyle changes are often far more valuable than huge 180 degree turnabouts that cannot be sustained. Good luck!
Mike

[Subby]

This really had nothing to do with the diet, (haven't looked at it myself) but every time I see this title I read:

"Dr. Dan..ger's Diet for Diabetes Reversal"

Hmmm... doesn't sound too good!! ;)

[xMenace]

This is basically a Mediteranean diet. It will work, at least for awhile. It is a good option for somebody who has not come to terms with cholesteral being a good, vital component for health and all the baggage associated with it like saturated fats = bad.

[SCAPER]

I agree with the broad strokes here but where did our ancestors get this "lean protein"... boneless skinless chicken breasts maybe..? Real whole natural foods come with a natural balance of nutrients... Fats, Proteins and yes even Carbohydrates.

Yah, I don't think anyone is disagreeing with that. But our ancestors weren't diabetic and didn't have to lose weight. So they could eat the whole chicken, not just the boneless, skinless breast. Since most D patients are in the position of having to lose weight, lose fat, lower BG and get BACK in shape, then you need to eat a little leaner than our ancestors did - at least until you get things under control. Then maybe you can go back to a diet with a little more natural balance.

[fgummett]

Quite apart from my disagreeing with your assertion that cutting out fat is necessary for losing weight etc... the context in which I quoted Dr D. is quite clearly a statement of what he feels the paleolithic diet WAS, not what he recommends we should eat now. :) For the first 99% of human existence, for 2 million years, humans have been eating a combination of lean protein and high-fiber fruits and vegetables derived from wild natural plants and animals.

[notme]

But our ancestors weren't diabetic and didn't have to lose weight.


Not sure I really believe this statement. Our ancestors could very well have been diabetic. Honestly, people died and at age thirty it was considered "natural causes". They didn't have tests for diabetes, so it was called something else.

I think this is one of those cases again, where people can read the study, decide if it is for them and move on. There are so many claims of "reversing diabetes", it makes me and many others skeptical.

[Larry H.]

Interesting the comment that often people had no idea they were diabetic. My uncle who died at 47 and had heart trouble already at his late 30's used to always lay down and take a nap after the huge meals we were so used to in those days. lots of sugar and fat. Tasted good and who knew? He may have been among the first of that family of X farmers that had a city job and not the constant exercise the earlier generations had. Heart trouble is also related they say to diabetic problems or causes. So his son and myself a cousin, are both diabetic in a family in which my mom always said we didn't need to worry, no one in our family was diabetic. That has proved wrong.
As to the food, no doubt that people today are quite spoiled and I do have to pause at the content of foods today. More chemical names than food ingredients. Can't be good, maybe even related to our problems and I would almost bet the epidemic of attention deficit in children which was nearly unheard of when I was young. But when I look at early turn of the century photos of groups of men and boys or even women, I can't help but be struck by that rather pear shaped waist area that is quite common. That is way before the so called epidemic of over weight people. In fact it used to be that some "meat on the bones" was considered advantageous.
All that probably has nothing to do with the way we eat today however.
I do agree that the most important thing I did was get off my duff and start my daily half hour walking along with a reasonable cut back in carb intake. It seems to be paying dividends for me and I think it would for others as well. I don't think that a radical plan is necessary to achieve those goals, just common sense eating to what we need and our numbers.