Understanding diabetes has become more difficult as more is learned. In all biology, increasing complexity is revealed by ongoing research. Since glucose is the principle source of energy for all life, complex systems of glucose regulation have evolved. Eating behavior is steered towards high sugar foods that, once eaten, require prompt metabolic responses to utilize and store glucose for later use. Diabetes 2 involves a complex of disorders that start with appetite dysregulation and continue through disordered metabolism of glucose, cholesterol and fatty acids. Diabetes 2 is a progressive disorder. Early corrective action is highly desirable.
The Supreme Importance of Diet Revision
When you are diagnosed with diabetes 2, do not try to hold on to old habits. They made you ill. You have to change your food choices. You need to lose weight and exercise; 20 minutes per day of walking and resistance exercises that makes muscles work will correct many metabolic abnormalities, reducing the risk and the negative consequences of diabetes.
Standard medical treatment protocols for Diabetes 2 always mention diet revision and then quickly proceed to drug options. While food control is always mentioned, the critical, decisive importance of diet revision and exercise is not emphasized. Diet revision is neglected in favor of drug treatments. Diet revision means changing your food choices and learning how to self regulate by adjusting food choices and food amounts.
The odd reasoning in medical practice is that even though eating the wrong food contributed to or even caused the disease, you can just go to the store and buy a drug that will excuse you from changing the cause. Although some of the chemicals for sale at the pharmacy may reduce some consequences of eating too much of the wrong food, a smart person will get busy and remove the cause of the disease.
If you follow common arguments about diabetic diets, then all diabetics should eat a low carbohydrate, low fat, low protein diet. The only way you can achieve all three goals is to eat a low food diet. Indeed, reducing caloric intake is the key to success. Another key to success is to increase your energy expenditure by enjoying a more active life. When you exercise more, your muscles grown in size and strength and become more metabolically active. No drug can compete with beneficial changes in metabolism that exercise creates. Exercise acts on all the key metabolic organs and all the signaling molecules that control metabolism.
A diabetic treatment plan in its simplest form:
See Managing Diabetes, a book by Stephen Gislason MD
