The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Diabetics

With a note of appreciation to Dr.Stephen Covey to coining the phrase, here is my take on the seven habits of highly successful diabetics. These are not new ideas, and they certainly do not require diabetics to buy new products. They are simply commonsensical, time-tested principles that can help every diabetic design a truly healthy blood sugar control diet.

1. Drink only no-calorie beverages, preferably water and green tea.

When the question is "Got milk?" diabetics should not say yes. Liquid milk is loaded with lactose sugar, and as little as 1/4 cup (60 ml) will cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels in most diabetics. Fruit juices and sugar-sweetened beverages are obvious no-no's, and most artificially sweetened beverages just make it harder to kick the sugar habit.

2. Get your carbohydrates from vegetables and a very small amount of fruit.

Any diabetic can easily eat too much noodles, potatoes, bread, cereal, or rice, but it's very difficult indeed to get a blood sugar high from too much spinach. The carbohydrates in vegetables are slowly released and slowly absorbed. This gives the body's long-term, "second phase" production of insulin or a type 1 diabetic's injected insulin a chance to transport sugars that cannot be "covered" when diabetics eat fast-acting carbs.

"Slow" foods for diabetics include artichoke hearts, asparagus, avocado, bitter melon, bamboo shoots, green and red but not yellow bell peppers, bok choy, bottle gourd, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, celeriac, Chinese leek, choy sum, collard greens, daikon, dandelion greens, eggplant, endive, escarole, green beans, hearts of palm, kohlrabi, komatsuna, lo kui, luffa (the edible kind, not the scrubbing kind), mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, pak choi, pei tsai, pumpkin, radicchio, rhubarb, sauerkraut, scallions, snow peas, spaghetti squash, spinach, string beans, summer squash, turnips and turnip greens, water chestnuts, watercress, yin tsai (amaranth leaves), zucchini and zucchini blossoms. Beets, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and fresh fruit should be eaten in small amounts only. All diabetics get better control if they avoid bread, potatoes, and grains altogether.

3. Eat complete protein with every meal.

A "complete" protein contains all the amino acids the human body needs for nutrition. Sources of complete protein that are low in carbohydrates include meat, fish, eggs, soy, cheese, and quinoa, although quinoa should be eaten in moderation.

Why eat complete protein?

The body can convert amino acids into glucose. Even eating meat can slowly raise blood sugars. If you consume complete protein, your body will not have to strip some amino acids out of tissue, while having too much of other amino acids it turns into sugar.

4. Eat small meals more frequently.

The best-disciplined diabetics often tend to starve themselves to get lower blood sugars. Particularly if you are active, it is important to have a steady stream of both carbohydrate and protein so tissues can keep themselves in good repair. It's especially important to keep carbohydrates and proteins available if you are trying to build muscle.

Insulin-dependent diabetics who eat small meals regularly are able to manage their blood sugars with "slow" rather than "fast" insulin. The use of slow insulins like Lantus greatly reduces the risk of hypoglycemia or insulin shock.

5. Eat vegetables with every meal.

Even diabetics need carbohydrate, they just do not need very much. The vegetables listed for the second rule above are advisable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every meal in between.

6. Make sure that you get some fat every day.

Although monounsaturated fats like olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids like fish oil are widely considered "healthy," the fact is, the body needs omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids from a variety of plant and even animal sources to power the immune system and to enable at least the level of inflammation that removes diseased or damaged tissue. Up to 35 per cent of calories can come from fat. It may help to know the human body makes most of its own cholesterol.

7. Finally, eat mostly whole foods.

Minimally processed foods have tremendous advantages for diabetics. They release sugars slowly. They contain more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. And they contain more water, so they are more filling.

Diabetics who can follow these seven rules 90 per cent of the time are a long way down the road to good blood sugar control. And if you are in the early stages of type 2 diabetes, monitoring blood glucose levels and following these seven rules assiduously may even help you reverse diabetes entirely.