[Muffie's Mom]

Nutrient Needs

Important Note:

Diabetic patients who are currently taking blood glucose-lowering medications should take note that dietary changes recommended below may significantly lower blood sugar levels. It's very important to adopt these changes slowly while monitoring blood sugar and continuing to see a doctor. Failure to monitor blood sugar and medication levels can result in very low blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous.

Foods That May Help Include:

Legumes

Hidden inside the humble, unassuming bean, or lentil, or pea, lies one of the best nutritional treatments available for type 2 diabetes. Packed inside these legumes is just the right blend of fiber, protein, and nutrients to have the profound effect on blood sugar regulation that modern drugs have yet to achieve; and legumes have no harmful side effects.

Study after study has demonstrated that beans can help with blood sugar control better than any other food available. While many meals lead to sharp rises in blood sugar and blood insulin levels, a meal with legumes does not cause this. Instead, the rise in blood sugar is slow and not very high, which leads to a much lesser rise in blood insulin levels.

A meal containing beans can even have a positive effect on the blood sugar response to the next meal eaten, even if the next meal does not contain beans. Beans can be mixed with a number of different types of foods and still maintain their excellent effects on blood glucose levels. In addition to containing fiber and numerous vital nutrients, legumes are also a great source of high-quality protein. They can very easily be used as a replacement for animal protein, which has been shown to cause problems for diabetic patients. The variety of legumes available, such as black beans, white beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, red beans, chickpeas, green peas, red lentils, French lentils, and soybeans, can keep your diet both interesting and healthy.

Soybeans, in particular, may help protect against diabetes-related kidney and heart disease. A small clinical trial conducted on type 2 diabetes patients with nephropathy (diabetes-related kidney damage) suggests that soy protein can help protect diabetics’ hearts and kidneys from damage caused by the disease. The study, a randomized crossover clinical trial, was conducted on 14 type 2 diabetes patients (10 men, 4 women) receiving medical care at an educational university hospital and private kidney disease clinic in Tehran. For the first seven weeks, patients followed a diet typically recommended to control nephropathy, which included 0.8 grams/kilogram of protein, based on 70% animal and 30% vegetable protein. After a washout period during which study subjects ate their pre-study diet, they were readmitted for another 7 week cycle, this time consuming a diet containing 35% soy protein and 30% vegetable protein. Following the soy diet, all patients experienced significant reductions in total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol, while levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol remained stable and renal function improved. Researchers concluded, “Soy inclusion in the diet can modify the risk factors of heart disease and improve kidney function in these patients.”

Another study, this one conducted at the University of Illinois and published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, provides more evidence that soy protein helps persons with diabetes prevent kidney disease and improve their cholesterol profile. This study, a seven month crossover trial, involved 14 men with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. After the first month, during which baseline measurements were established for each man, they were divided into two groups, one of which received a daily serving of vanilla flavored protein powder made from soy protein while the other group was given protein powder containing casein (the primary protein in cow's milk). After eight weeks, the men were given no protein powder for four weeks and then switched over to the other protein powder for eight weeks. Serving size of both types of protein was 0.5g/kg/day.

While on the soy protein, the men's urinary albumin concentrations decreased by 9.5% but increased by 11.1% while on the casein diet. Higher amounts of albumin in the urine are a marker for deterioration in kidney function.

In addition, blood levels of beneficial HDL-cholesterol increased by 4.3% after the soy protein diet but tended to be lower after casein consumption.

Why were these beneficial effects seen with soy? The authors suggest that soy's isoflavones may be responsible for the improvement in cholesterol profile, while soy's higher levels of the amino acid arginine, a chemical precursor to a molecule called nitric oxide that dilates arteries, are responsible for improving blood flow in the kidney and thus kidney function. Their conclusion: a simple dietary modification—adding soy protein foods to the diet— could help persons with diabetics prevent kidney disease and improve their cholesterol profile.

Whole Grains

Whole grain foods have come a long way since the days of the hard, flavorless bran muffin. Now you can find whole wheat bread, whole grain crackers, whole grain pastas, brown rice, barley soups, quinoa vegetable salads, amaranth breakfast cereals, numerous flavors of granola, and many other delicious whole-grain products.

Whole grains are very high in fiber, especially insoluble fiber. Certain grains, like oats and barley, are also high in soluble fiber. Since both types of fiber are helpful for people with diabetes, a good mix of whole grains is recommended.

Grains also contain many other vitamins and minerals needed by the body for healthy function. Refined grains, on the other hand, have been stripped of their nutrients and fiber and are very detrimental to diabetic patients. They can cause blood sugar levels to quickly rise to very high levels, which makes insulin levels rise rapidly as well. Alternatively, researchers are now suggesting that whole grains' ability to improve insulin sensitivity may be an important mechanism through which they reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. By replacing products made with refined flours and grains with whole grain foods, you can prevent high blood sugar spikes and improve your blood sugar control.

Two recent studies suggest that buckwheat and barley may be particularly good whole grain choices.

Fruits and Vegetables

The incredible variety of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables currently available at your local grocery store is staggering. Fruits and vegetables contain many other vital nutrients such as antioxidant vitamins like vitamin E, C, and beta-carotene, which are needed to neutralize free radicals.

Fruits and vegetables also contain bioflavonoids, which exert powerful antioxidant effects in the body. Although sweet in flavor, fruits have actually been shown to have stabilizing effects on blood sugar levels when consumed in small amounts at a time. Fructose, the main sugar found in fruits, does not cause blood sugar levels to rise as much as refined sugar when it is eaten in the form of portion-controlled fresh fruit.

Fruits and vegetables are delicious accompaniments to legumes, whole grains, and fish. They can be eaten raw, lightly steamed, simmered in soups and stews, baked, roasted, or even shish kabobbed. Diabetics should try to eat a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables, and to control fruit portion sizes since this will ensure a well-rounded intake of many nutrients and bioflavonoids. Note: Dried fruits and fruit juices are not good choices for diabetics. In the case of dried fruits, with the watery portion of the whole food removed, the sugar concentration is simply too high. In the case of fruit juices, too much of the whole food fiber and related nutrients have been removed, which concentrates the sugar.

Cherries Fight Diabetes and Feed Your Sweet Tooth

Anthocyanins, plant pigments found in cherries and other red and purple fruits, may help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, suggests laboratory research published in the January 2005 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

When researchers at Michigan State University exposed rodent pancreatic cells to anthocyanins, insulin production increased 50%.

The mechanism of action by which anthocyanins boost insulin production is not yet known, but the Michigan research team is currently feeding anthocyanins to a group of obese, diabetic mice to determine precisely how the plant compounds affect insulin levels in live subjects. Not only are anthocyanins capable of increasing insulin production, they are potent antioxidants that studies are increasingly associated with numerous health benefits, including protection against heart disease and cancer.
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