I bought a book by Dr Sarah Brewer; Overcoming Diabetes (Natural health Guru) soon after I was diagnosed. She explains very thoroughly about diabetes and it's effects on your health including all the major complications. She also discusses all sorts of supplements and most useful foods to help lower blood sugars. There is some controversial research too regarding things like cinnamon and various vitamins but no pressure to follow the given information. The scientific side of the book is well and clearly written and very easy to follow, I would imagine even for non medical based readers.
She goes on to give three different plans to help combat high blood sugars and lipids, basically easy, intermediate and demanding. Easy plan follows low GI largely with reduced carbs and increased exercise for people who are large, unfit or otherwise not used to a healthier lifestyle. Foods and recipes are easy to follow and cook and exercise instructions are light with walking and progressive yoga postures. She also suggests alternative therapies like massages to support medical tratments.
Intermediate plan follows mediterranean style diet with a lot of olive oil and fish etc. Again there are exercise suggestions and youga instructions but more advanced and demanding for people who already are familiar with healthy lifestyle and diet.
Demanding plan is much more demanding, it follows traditional japanese eating plan (without white rice etc.) and includes a lot of exercise and rather a large lifestyle and diet change. All the plans are carb reduced and doable and backed up with research and science but I would say only the most hardened converts would go to the extent of the demanding plan.
All together I found this book very enjoyable and still read it regularly. I have also tried some recipes from it and thoroughly enjoyed them. If you are not open minded and support alternative therapies as a support for your medical treatments though, it might be best to leave this book on the side but to all others I would heartily recommend this book. But to highlight, this book is not offering to be replacing western medicine but to support the treatments you are using.