Mark Bricklin - The Diabetes Rescue Diet: Conquer Diabetes Naturally While Eating and Drinking What You Love—Even Chocolate and Wine!

DIABETES

RESCUE

DIET

Conquer Diabetes Naturally

While Eating and Drinking What You LoveEven Chocolate and Wine!

MARK BRICKLIN

former editor-in-chief of

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2012 by Mark Bricklin

Exclusive direct hardcover was published by Rodale Inc. in June 2012.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

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Book design by Carol Angstadt

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 9781609618483 trade hardcover

eISBN 9781609617691 ebook

We inspire and enable people to improve their lives and the world around them.
rodalebooks.com

To my wife, Lynn, whose love and encouragement made this book possible

Acknowledgments

Id like to express my gratitude to my editorial associate,

Julia VanTine, for her invaluable contributions.

Contents

Introduction

What if it were so easy to prevent diabetes that you didnt need a special diet at all? What if the food you eat every day could reduce your risk of this epidemic disease by more than 80 percent?

That was the conclusion of a large study that found people who just naturally ate in a certain pattern were largely immune to diabetes, compared with others of the same age and background who ate in a different way. The reduction in risk was more dramatic than that seen with any doctor-prescribed program, including prescription drugs (even when combined with exercise).

The protective eating pattern these researchers studied is known as the Mediterranean diet, and when people are instructed to follow its principles, the results are stunning: lower incidence of diabetes, fewer complications, less need for medications, and much more.

This dietwhich really isnt a diet at all but a general pattern of food selectionoriginally came to the attention of medical researchers 50 or 60 years ago, when they found that people who ate this way had a remarkably lower rate of heart disease than people who followed more Western or modern diets.

Only recently have researchers discovered that this same traditional menu also protects against diabetes. And since the number one health threat to people with diabetes is heart disease, were looking at double protection from one diet!

The Diabetes Rescue Diet is based on the traditional Mediterranean diet, so you know youre getting massive health protection. But this plan goes beyond the basics: Ive made a few tweaksIm talking small, easy-to-follow changesthat supercharge the diet to provide even more protection. As youll read in the following pages, a leading nutrition and health expert says that the Diabetes Rescue Diet could reduce the risk of diabetes by as much as 90 percent!

The Rescuers Work Together

As I researched this book, I found that scientists all over the world are trying to dissect the Mediterranean diet and discover what makes it tick. Their goal is to find one or more particular compounds that can be put into pill form to be sold like statin drugs.

But it looks to me like theyre missing the point: These benefits dont come from one magic ingredient but the whole dietary pattern. And some experts believe the foods featured in the Mediterranean diet dont promote health all by themselves but, rather, interact with one another in a way that makes the sum much greater than the parts.

A Plan Youll Love to Live With

Ive been a health journalist for more than 40 years. And to me, the most remarkable thing about the Diabetes Rescue Diet is not how powerful its ingredients are but how easy it is to follow. Thats crucial, because to be perfectly honest, mostmaybe allideas about how to prevent diabetes fail in real life because the majority of people simply cannot follow them.

For example, the number one standard piece of advice on avoiding diabetes is to lose weight. Thats a good idea, but as youll see later, the success rate of weight-loss diets over the long term is pathetically low. For people who already have diabetes, the real-life possibility of losing weight is even lower.

Studies prove that you dont have to drop pounds to reduce your risk of diabetes. And while exercise greatly benefits your body and mind (I highly recommend it!), it isnt essential to reducing your risk of diabetes.

Then there are the foods you can and cant eat. One popular diet today, urged for weight loss and diabetes protection, is the low-carbohydrate diet. It should really be called the no-carbohydrate diet, because with the classic prescription, you cant eat bread (not even whole grain), oatmeal, cereal, rolls, pasta, rice, potatoes, polenta, or corn on the cob (not to mention pizza!). Most people cant stick with such a superstrict regimen. Could you?

Another diet promoted for defending against diabetes requires zero consumption of meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, yogurt, or any other dairy products. Plus, you cant put vegetable oil on that huge salad. Ready to dig in? Me neither.