How Not to Die Cookbook - Question

[84green]

Hi

I was diagnosed as Type 2 in 2014. Currently on 2000mg metformin daily. Plus statin and aspirin for minimal/mild artery narrowing.

Currently into week 7 of the Newcastle diet. Have lost 45lbs in weight. HbA1C test on the day I started the diet was 56mmol/mol. Blood sugar readings generally now in the 5.0 - 6.6 range (a few lower, a few higher) and blood pressure coming down (115/64 this morning but tends to rise during the day - previously around 140/75). Exercise levels also increased.

I am now exploring options for a sustainable, life long diet that continues weight loss and maintains blood sugar levels below 6.5, as well as BP. I only have 14 days of the ND phase 1 left but, right now, it seems like 14 weeks!

My reading has included the How Not to Die book and cookbook by Dr Michael Gregor which claims to have a positive effect on a range of diseases including diabetes.

I am conscious that minimising my carb intake appears key to maintaining “normal” blood sugar levels.

Many of the recipes appeal to me. My question is that’s many of the ingredients appear high in carbs - beans, grains, oats for instance. How does this square with the Dr’s claim that the diet can reverse diabetes.

Grateful for any thoughts or advice based on people’s own knowledge and experience.

Thanks.

 

[xfieldok]

I would ignore it and go keto.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi

I was diagnosed as Type 2 in 2014. Currently on 2000mg metformin daily. Plus statin and aspirin for minimal/mild artery narrowing.

Currently into week 7 of the Newcastle diet. Have lost 45lbs in weight. HbA1C test on the day I started the diet was 56mmol/mol. Blood sugar readings generally now in the 5.0 - 6.6 range (a few lower, a few higher) and blood pressure coming down (115/64 this morning but tends to rise during the day - previously around 140/75). Exercise levels also increased.

I am now exploring options for a sustainable, life long diet that continues weight loss and maintains blood sugar levels below 6.5, as well as BP. I only have 14 days of the ND phase 1 left but, right now, it seems like 14 weeks!

My reading has included the How Not to Die book and cookbook by Dr Michael Gregor which claims to have a positive effect on a range of diseases including diabetes.

I am conscious that minimising my carb intake appears key to maintaining “normal” blood sugar levels.

Many of the recipes appeal to me. My question is that’s many of the ingredients appear high in carbs - beans, grains, oats for instance. How does this square with the Dr’s claim that the diet can reverse diabetes.

Grateful for any thoughts or advice based on people’s own knowledge and experience.

Thanks.

A diet can reverse diabetes, depending on what you call reversed. Once a diabetic, always a diabetic, but you can be a well-controlled one. Just don't see it happening with a diet that includes oats and grains though... That's puzzling at best. Basically, you want a low carb, high fat (no worries on the cholesterol front, mine came down and I have bacon once or twice a day, and eggs too!), which is something you can keep up without becoming deficient in anything, and it'll keep your blood sugars down. I wrote a little quick-start guide, https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html hope it'll help, and if you're interested in more, you might want to read Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code. (The man's a minor god around these parts.).

In any case... You were right to question the carb high recipes. Low Carb/ High Fat or Keto'd be of more use if you want a permanent lifestyle change that'll stick.

Good luck!
Jo

 

[Tophat1900]

I would ignore it and go keto.

I would follow the advice above.... keto or LC

 

[Mike d]

The good doctor is completely wrong ...

 

[84green]

A diet can reverse diabetes, depending on what you call reversed. Once a diabetic, always a diabetic, but you can be a well-controlled one. Just don't see it happening with a diet that includes oats and grains though... That's puzzling at best. Basically, you want a low carb, high fat (no worries on the cholesterol front, mine came down and I have bacon once or twice a day, and eggs too!), which is something you can keep up without becoming deficient in anything, and it'll keep your blood sugars down. I wrote a little quick-start guide, https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html hope it'll help, and if you're interested in more, you might want to read Dr. Jason Fung's The Diabetes Code. (The man's a minor god around these parts.).

In any case... You were right to question the carb high recipes. Low Carb/ High Fat or Keto'd be of more use if you want a permanent lifestyle change that'll stick.

Good luck!
Jo

Thanks Jo. Yes, I don’t want to get too hung up on the “reversal”, “remission” debate which seems to stoke some controversy.

My objective is to achieve non diabetic blood sugar levels and, in time, come off the Metformin.

In time, I may give a couple of the recipes a go and test to see how I react. But, my strong suspicion is that the result won’t be good in terms of blood sugar levels!

Best wishes

 

[bulkbiker]

the How Not to Die book and cookbook by Dr Michael Gregor

The "good " doctor is a vociferous vegan advocate.

Personally I doubt that any of his recipes are suitable for a low carbing omnivore.

Vegan diets have been shown to not be great for T2's (even by a vegan doctor) so I'd doubt most of the claims made by Greger and co.

 

[ianf0ster]

The good doctor is completely wrong ...

I would hesitate to use the adjective 'good' about somebody promoting blood spiking diets - even if mainstream medicine is quietly doing the same.

 

[Geordie_P]

Yes, I looked Dr Greger up, and immediately he's linked to the American Seventh Day Adventist medical movement, so ultimately we're looking at the same branch of science that brought you enemas, cornflakes and circumcision in the name of stopping 'self-abuse'.
You yourself, by applying a bit of common-sense, have evidently seen his claims for the nonsense they are: T2 diabetics can't handle carbs, so gorging on carbs is only going to exacerbate, not reverse diabetes.

 

[Resurgam]

Maybe look for a copy of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution from 2003 - they were available for pennies and will probably be far more use to you long term.

 

[84green]

Maybe look for a copy of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution from 2003 - they were available for pennies and will probably be far more use to you long term.

Thanks. My concern is that I also have some blocked arteries (for which I am on meds) and want to restrict the amount of fat I eat. I’m veering towards a low carb Mediterranean diet.

Best wishes

 

[NicoleC1971]

Thanks Jo. Yes, I don’t want to get too hung up on the “reversal”, “remission” debate which seems to stoke some controversy.

My objective is to achieve non diabetic blood sugar levels and, in time, come off the Metformin.

In time, I may give a couple of the recipes a go and test to see how I react. But, my strong suspicion is that the result won’t be good in terms of blood sugar levels!

Best wishes

It is possible to reverse out of diabetes on a low fat diet which is what is being advocated in this book albeit with a vegan agenda. Or you can go LC which IMO is far more nutritious (vitamins and minerals being better absorbed with fats) and tasty. Please bear in mind that there were never any pre civilisation hunter gatherers who ate a vegan/vegetarian diet and there is a reason for that!

 

[Mike d]

I would hesitate to use the adjective 'good' about somebody promoting blood spiking diets - even if mainstream medicine is quietly doing the same.

My sarcasm, I would have thought, was painfully obvious

 

[bulkbiker]

want to restrict the amount of fat I eat.

Probably unlikely to have been caused by dietary fats.. but that's a whole other story.

 

[84green]

It is possible to reverse out of diabetes on a low fat diet which is what is being advocated in this book albeit with a vegan agenda. Or you can go LC which IMO is far more nutritious (vitamins and minerals being better absorbed with fats) and tasty. Please bear in mind that there were never any pre civilisation hunter gatherers who ate a vegan/vegetarian diet and there is a reason for that!

Thank you. I really can’t see myself giving up eggs (we keep chickens), fish, cheese or occasional meat but like the idea of including some plant, whole grains and beans if possible.

 

[ianf0ster]

Thank you. I really can’t see myself giving up eggs (we keep chickens), fish, cheese or occasional meat but like the idea of including some plant, whole grains and beans if possible.

Can't fault the first part, but better eat Cauliflower, Broccoli, leafy greens and non-starchy above ground veggies. Legumes and grains are far too carby for many of us. If in doubt use a BG meter to test your body's reaction.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Thank you. I really can’t see myself giving up eggs (we keep chickens), fish, cheese or occasional meat but like the idea of including some plant, whole grains and beans if possible.

No need to give up eggs, fish and (the occasional?) meat... Those are all zero carbs. Its the whole grains and beans that pose problems...

 

[84green]

Probably unlikely to have been caused by dietary fats.. but that's a whole other story.

Thanks. Enjoyed looking at your blog and congratulations on the weight loss and HbA1c results. The only risk factor I didn’t have when I received the CAD diagnosis was that I’m not a smoker. Working on reducing them - diet, exercise, stress etc.

But I understand your point about dietary fats - my cholesterol levels had never been above the normal range - except for one LDL reading that then came back down. They dropped significantly after 14 days of statins but still not entirely convinced about the role cholesterol plays.

 

[Roggg]

Everyone needs to make their own decisions ultimately, and I can say being raised when and where I was, the message that dietary fats are not strongly linked to serum lipids was a hard one for me to accept emotionally. I've seen some really compelling study results presented in some of Stephen Phinney's Keto presentations.

Here's an imagine I found that I think is from Phinney's presentation on a Keto diet vs a low-fat diet on "metabolic syndrome" which includes HDL, LDL, and triglycerides:

This was if I recall correctly a calorie-restricted low fat diet compared to a ketogenic "eat to satiety" diet. In this study people told to eat as much fat as they want had bigger improvements in blood lipids than those who ate a low-fat calorie reduced diet. It's one small study, so don't take this as gospel, but the point is conventional wisdom on dietary fat (eating fat makes you fat, eating fat raises cholesterol) does not seem to agree with what actually happens.

If you want to talk yourself into a Keto diet, Phinney is a great watch. He is very rational, and provides some great data.