Did you know that it is actually possible to reverse Type 2 Diabetes? That’s according to world renowned nephrologist, Dr. Jason Fung, who is also the New York Times best-selling author of “The Obesity Code” and “The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally."
Dr. Fung is also a huge advocate of intermittent fasting and a low carbohydrate diet, which he states are key to ending insulin resistance, obesity and in turn reversing Type 2 Diabetes. So whether you’re dealing with diabetes yourself or know someone currently struggling with this debilitating disease, let’s break down the top 5 foods that reverse diabetes!
//Creative Commons Attribution Licence video (Reuse allowed)
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Did you know that it's actually possible to reverse type 2 diabetes
0:03
That is according to Dr. Jason Fung, a world-renowned nephrologist who is also a New York Times
0:09
best-selling author of the Obesity Code and the Diabetes Code. Dr. Jason Fung is a huge advocate of intermittent fasting and a low-carbohydrate diet, which
0:19
he states are the key to ending insulin resistance, obesity, and in turn reversing type 2 diabetes
0:26
So if you're dealing with diabetes yourself, or if you know someone who is currently dealing
0:31
with this debilitating disease, let's break down the top 5 foods that reverse diabetes
0:37
Let's start off with the first food on our list, which is actually part of a larger category
0:41
of foods, and those are the leafy green vegetables. So when we talk about leafy green vegetables, we're actually concentrating on two primary
0:50
vegetables, and those are spinach, which is picturized here, and of course, we have kale here
0:57
So what's so special about spinach and kale? Well, for one thing, these are extremely low-calorie vegetables
1:03
So in terms of calorie content, one cup of spinach, which is what I consume with my scramble
1:08
eggs every morning, is just 5 calories. That's it. One cup of kale is 16 calories
1:14
So it's a little bit more than spinach, because it's a little higher in protein compared to
1:18
spinach, but overall, 16 calories, 5 calories in just a cup? And these are actually foods that will also make you more full when you're eating these
1:27
foods in combination with other foods. The second point is, both of these are excellent sources of vitamin K, an essential part of
1:34
the normal blood clotting process, but vitamin K also helps with bone healing as well
1:39
They're also chock full of fiber, which means that they're going to promote good digestive
1:43
health, they're going to be excellent for the gut microbiome. In terms of reversing diabetes, they're going to reduce those blood sugar spikes that you
1:51
get after eating a meal. So if you're eating, for example, some bread, or you're eating some rice with your spinach
1:56
and kale, normally, if you ate that rice or bread by itself, you'd get a massive sugar
2:01
spike right after the meal. But if you're eating them with spinach and kale, the presence of these high fiber foods
2:08
is going to reduce that spike. So if you have a reduction in that blood sugar spike after eating, you're going to in turn
2:14
cause less insulin to be released in your bloodstream. You're not only reducing your blood sugar, but you're also increasing insulin sensitivity
2:22
which is insulin resistance, is oftentimes a byproduct of too much insulin being secreted
2:27
into your bloodstream to drive glucose back into the cells. And finally, in terms of the other vitamins and minerals you get from spinach and fiber
2:35
they're also great sources of folate, vitamin C, which is good for boosting your immune system
2:40
And they're also a really good source of antioxidants in general, which are also going to be great
2:45
for cancer prevention. But they're also good for breaking down oxidative stress, which happens a lot in chronic disorders
2:51
like diabetes. Like it's cancer and diabetes are part of the same syndrome of disorders, which is known
2:56
as metabolic syndrome. Now let's tackle the second food group on our list
3:01
And those are going to be the beans and the legumes. We got a combination of a variety of beans and lots of legumes right here
3:09
So first of all, when we're talking about beans, we want to include some of our most
3:13
popular beans, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, etc. And then when we're talking about legumes, we're not only talking about lentils, which
3:21
is what you primarily see here on the screen, but we're also including peas and chickpeas
3:26
or garbanzos. So what's so special about beans and legumes? And how do they help reverse type 2 diabetes
3:32
For one thing, both beans and legumes are adequate sources of protein, albeit they lack
3:37
certain essential amino acids. So there are 20 amino acids that comprise proteins, and they lack some of these essential
3:45
amino acids that you're supposed to get from your diet. By virtue of that, beans and legumes are actually known as incomplete proteins, but you should
3:51
use them in combination with other protein sources in your diet. And we're going to talk about a really good protein source coming right up
3:58
But even despite the fact that beans and legumes are incomplete proteins, they're still adequate
4:02
sources of protein and should definitely be a part of your diet, especially because they're
4:07
filled with fiber. So much like your leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, these fiber filled foods
4:14
are going to not only promote good digestive health, but they're also going to reduce those
4:18
blood sugar spikes that you get after meals. So definitely, I would highly recommend including beans and legumes into your meals, preferably
4:26
lunch and dinner. They also reduce your blood pressure and triglycerides. This is very key to reversing type 2 diabetes, because high blood pressure or hypertension
4:36
and dyslipidemia or hyperlipidemia or high levels of triglycerides in your blood are
4:41
precursors to diabetes. So now let's talk about the third food on our list
4:46
And we alluded to this earlier, but this is going to be the fatty fish
4:50
This is going to be a great source of protein in our diet. So we talked about the incomplete proteins being our beans and legumes
4:57
So now let's talk about a complete protein source, which is fatty fish
5:00
And of course, when we're talking about fatty fish, we're not just talking about things like sardine, tuna and mackerel, but we're also mentioning the king of all fatty fish
5:09
And that is salmon, baby. This is going to be an excellent source of protein
5:13
I mentioned that mackerel or king mackerel is also a good source of protein
5:17
One serving of salmon is approximately 24 grams of protein. So that's 24 grams of protein per serving and a serving size of salmon is about four ounces
5:27
Salmon as well as mackerel, tuna and other fishes that are in this category of fatty fish
5:33
These fishes are extremely high in omega-3 fatty acids. And in particular, these are the fatty acids that we need from fatty fish
5:41
These are going to be EPA and DHA. EPA is eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA is dacosahexaenoic acid
5:50
So both of these omega-3 fatty acids are going to be found naturally in fatty fish such as
5:56
salmon and in salmon is also one of the best sources of natural fats as well
6:01
So you'll see that although one serving of salmon has about 24 grams of protein, zero
6:07
grams of carbs, by the way, but it also has about like 12 grams or so of fat
6:12
So it's a little heavier in fats, but this is all primarily monounsaturated and unsaturated
6:17
fats and then omega-3 fatty acids and a healthy proportion of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
6:25
This combination in fatty fish such as salmon reduces your blood pressure and lowers triglycerides
6:31
and it also lowers your risk of arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats. So this is an essential core of a diet that improves your cardiovascular health
6:42
So if you're improving cardiovascular health, you're reducing your risk of diabetes and
6:46
for a diabetic, this is also over time reversing your type 2 diabetes
6:51
The only caveat is going to be mercury contamination. So this is actually a concern in bigger fish, especially fish like tuna, swordfish and
7:02
king mackerel. So I would probably reduce your consumption of that type of fish because you will be over
7:08
time increasing your consumption of mercury, which can lead to oxidative stress and damage
7:13
your cells and the DNA in those cells themselves. So even salmon doctors don't recommend eating on a daily basis
7:20
If you're eating a four ounce serving a day, they recommend to limit your consumption of
7:25
salmon to two or maximum three times a week. Now let's tackle food number four on our list and that's going to be the nuts
7:34
So nuts are going to be a incredibly vital component of a diabetics diet
7:39
Let's talk about what types of nuts you should include in your diet and exactly how they
7:43
reverse type 2 diabetes. We're talking about walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios are all included
7:50
Interestingly enough, peanuts are technically not a nut, they're a legume. So we already covered that in our list under beans and legumes
7:56
Nuts are also going to be an excellent source of unsaturated fats and also of omega-3 fatty acids
8:04
But here nuts are going to be primarily prevalent in the ALA variety of omega-3 fatty acids
8:12
This is alpha linoleic acid. This is the parent or the precursor for EHA and DHA
8:18
So our fatty fish like salmon already contains EHA and DHA, but ALA is going to come from
8:25
the nuts. Fortunately, your body is able to convert ALA to EPA and DHA naturally within the body
8:31
and that's through processes known as desaturation and elongation. You don't have to worry about the specifics of those processes
8:40
Just know that the omega-3 fatty acids that you get from nuts like walnuts, for example
8:44
are different from the omega-3 fatty acids that you get from fatty fish
8:48
And just like the other foods on this list that were previously mentioned, they also
8:52
lower your risk of heart disease by lowering specifically cholesterol and they also lower
8:58
your risk for stroke as well. So these nuts due to their concentrations of specific types of omega-3 fatty acids and
9:05
of course monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are going to lower total cholesterol
9:10
They're going to lower LDL cholesterol and they're going to reduce in turn your risk
9:14
for heart disease and stroke. Anything that's good for cardiovascular health is going to be excellent for reversing type
9:21
2 diabetes. And then they're also a great source of fiber and antioxidants
9:27
So fiber, of course, we know that it's going to be excellent for promoting good digestive health
9:31
It's going to be used to reduce those blood sugar spikes after meals. And then finally, they're an excellent source of antioxidants
9:38
And before we tackle the last food on our list, make sure you subscribe to learn how
9:42
to become stronger, leaner, and live longer. Now the final food on our list, in my opinion, is one of the best foods for reducing your
9:51
risk for type 2 diabetes and ultimately reversing it is going to be the berries
9:57
This is our very scrumptious collection of berries on the right hand side
10:01
We've covered berries before in more detail in a previous video. But essentially when we talk about berries, we're talking about our blueberries, our raspberries
10:09
our blackberries, and our strawberries. In case you wanted a refresher on why berries are so beneficial, number one, they're an
10:16
excellent source of antioxidants. These are antioxidant bombs. They contain high levels of antioxidants such as anthocyanins and verservitrol
10:27
So they're going to be great for killing cancer cells and also for reducing oxidative stress
10:32
and chronic disorders such as diabetes. Number two, these are also going to be chock full of fiber
10:38
So the most fiber you can find in raspberries followed by blackberries, then strawberries
10:44
and then finally blueberries. By virtue of their antioxidant properties and the fact that they have fiber in them
10:50
they reduce blood sugar and by this reduction in blood sugar, they increase your insulin
10:56
sensitivity, ending insulin resistance, which is a primary cause of type 2 diabetes
11:01
And then finally, since these are low calorie foods, they should be a part of every single diet
11:07
These are extremely low calorie and you can stick them into a vegan diet, a vegetarian
11:11
diet, a keto diet. Berries should be an essential part of each and every one of your meals
11:18
If you eat each of these five foods on a daily basis, you'll be well on your way to eliminating
11:23
insulin resistance, obesity, and in turn reversing type 2 diabetes. But this is only a single step in a five step process to living longer, well past age 100
11:34
But if you're interested in learning about the five power laws of reverse aging and living
11:39
to 100 plus, click here and watch this video. Peace
Food & Drink
Food
Blood Sugar & Diabetes
Special & Restricted Diets
Fruits & Vegetables