Top Eight Fruits to Include for a Diabetes Friendly Diet

When you think about diabetes and what you can eat, fruit is often off the menu, but it doesn’t have to be.

It’s a myth that you can’t eat fruit when you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. You simply need to know which kinds of fruit can be of benefit to your condition.

Eating the right fruits in the right proportions can actually assist with insulin sensitivity and help lower your risk of developing many conditions that are associated with diabetes – obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, even cancer.

So, what are the best fruits for diabetes and why?

But Wait… Won’t My Blood Sugar Go Up?

‘I can’t eat fruit because it contains sugar and will send my blood sugar up.’

Ever heard or thought that before? Despite any rumors you’ve heard, fruits can assist in managing your blood glucose levels. The fact is that many fruits are low on the glycemic index and will not spike your blood sugar like bread, baked goods or other high gluten-based carbohydrates.

Most diabetic people have no need to reduce their consumption of fruit and veggies. Fruits are very helpful for digestive health, the immune system, general health, and even regulating blood sugar.

What you need to know is which one's are the best fruits for diabetes and some appropriate serving sizes. By the way, eat the fruits themselves instead of drinking fruit juices so that you receive all the soluble and insoluble fiber that slow down the absorption of sugars.

Blackberries

A case could be made that blackberries are the very best fruit for diabetes. They (and indeed all berries) score below 40 on the glycemic index. And they’re delicious. Berries contain fructose which does not require insulin to be metabolized. Most diabetics should safely be able to have ¾ of a cup of blackberries at a time. 100 grams of blackberries have only 5 grams of sugar while packing in 5 grams of fiber to prevent blood sugar from spiking.

Blueberries

Blueberries are an antioxidant super-food. The little orbs are packed with big flavor and benefits. With only 10 grams of fructose and 2 grams of fiber per 100 grams of blueberries, most diabetics should be OK with ¾ of a cup at a time. In addition, the 2 grams of fiber in the berries will help the sugar be absorbed much slower.

Strawberries

Strawberries contain 5 grams of fructose per 100 grams. Because they’re larger than other berries, they have a lower carbohydrate density and the perception is that you are getting more to eat. Up to 1¼ cups at a time are good. They’ll provide you with fiber, folate, your daily vitamin C, and manganese.

Avocados

Maybe avocados aren’t a sweet fruit in the traditional sense, but they are a fruit. And a superfood fruit, at that, especially for people with diabetes.

They contain no sugar at all. Plus they are 7% fiber, low in carbohydrates, and high in monounsaturated fats, all of which can help with insulin sensitivity.

Watermelon

Who doesn’t like a slice of watermelon on a hot day? Your first assumption may be that it contains a lot of sugar. But remember the first part of its name: water. It has 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams and it’s the water content that helps keep it so low. It’s also high in lycopene which can improve insulin sensitivity.

Tart/Sour Cherries

Tart cherries are the bright red ones that have a combined sweet-sour flavor. One cup of them is packed with antioxidants to reduce inflammation (the cause of so many diseases). When they’re in season, get them fresh. If you’re considering buying canned cherries, read the labels carefully because it is common practice for sugar to be added to these products. We recommend avoiding dried cherries because the sugar concentration in them is very high.

Apples

Apples can be great for diabetics, provided the peel stays on. The peel adds to the fiber, making the 10 grams of sugar in 100 grams easier to handle. A study tracked 75,000 people for a decade and found that those who consumed more apples were 11% less likely to suffer a stroke. Since strokes are common with people with type 2 diabetes, an apple a day truly CAN keep the doctor away.

Apricots

Apricots pack a huge punch, making them easily one of the best fruits for diabetes. They have 9 grams of sugar per 100 grams of fruit (roughly 2-4 medium-sized apricots minus the pit). Incidentally, this is the daily recommended serving and provides over 50% of your total daily dose of vitamin A. They have a good amount of fiber with only 17 calories and 4 grams of carbs per apricot.

‘How Do I Manage These Fruits Each Day?’

Good question. The simple answer is that you don’t have to become an expert researcher into all these fruits and how to portion them out for your diabetes. Simply subscribe to a comprehensive diabetic life support program that lays out all necessary information for you, including meal/snack plans and supplements for every day, right down to exact and balanced proportions.

Following such a program can bring your diabetes, blood sugar and insulin issues under control and keep them that way for the long-term. Then you can safely enjoy all these great fruits for diabetes and many other foods secure in the knowledge that you won’t spike your blood sugar and can look to a better, brighter future.

Source: https://diabeticmanual.com/

Diet Soda and Diet Foods Ingredient

I got a great question from a client (Carine) yesterday. She asked:

"What is your take on "diet foods" like diet sodas, sweeteners, sugar free gum, etc.? How will that impact bloating and constipation?"

My answer: They're about as good for you as eating rat poison. They're hidden killers.  Is that extreme? Am I going overboard? 

Nope. Here's why:


First of all, ANY soda--diet or regular--is nothing but acid in a can (or bottle).  It's so acidic that it takes 32 cups of water to neutralize the acid in just one can of soda in your body. 

Trying to neutralize all that acid puts a tremendous strain on your body--especially your kidneys, which are responsible for filtering the acid out of your bloodstream and putting it into your urine. 

Your body also leeches alkaline minerals (calcium) from your bones and teeth to neutralize the acid. There is NOT an "endless supply" of minerals in your bones. Sooner or later, they break down. And you'll get osteoporosis, brittle bones susceptible to fractures or rotting teeth. Arthritis in your 30's, 40's and 50's is a clue.

All that acid also destroys proper digestion of your food...so soda is the absolute worst drink on the planet to have with a meal. You're begging to have bloating and constipation or diarrhea.

The average American now consumes 828 sodas a year--that's over 2 cans a day! And the scary thing is millions of people (especially teenagers) drink 4, 5, 6, 7 sodas a day or more. Many teenage boys drink 10 sodas a day.

My advice: Stay FAR away from soda, whether it's diet or regular. Drink water, and add a twist of lemon if you need a little flavor. It's alkaline. Fantastic for your body.

Now for the diet twist itself, be it diet soda, calorie-free sweeteners and/or sugar-free gum:  With one very small exception, stay away from all of them. Many diet foods contain aspartame (better known brand names are Equal or Nutrasweet). 

Here are just some of the documented side effects of aspartame:

Eyes:
-Blindness in one or both eyes
-Decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, tunnel vision
-Eye pain
-Dry eyes/decreased tears

Ears:
-Ringing or buzzing sound in the ears
-Severe hardness of hearing

Nerves:
-Seizures
-Headaches/migraines
-Dizziness
-Confusion/memory loss
-Severe drowsiness and sleepiness
-Numbness of the arms and legs
-Slurring of speech
-Facial pain
-Tremors/trembling

Psychological/Psychiatric:
-Severe depression
-Irritability/agitation
-Anxiety/phobias (fears)
-Personality changes

Chest:
-Heart palpitations/rapid heartbeat
-Shortness of breath
-High blood pressure

Digestive:
-Nausea
-Diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
-Stomach pain/pain while swallowing

Skin and Allergies:
-Itching without a rash
-Hives
-Worsening of asthma problems

Endocrine and Metabolic:
-Loss of control of diabetes
-Thinning or loss of hair
-Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
-Severe PMS symptoms

Other:
-Frequent urination or burning during urination
-Constant thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
-Increased infections

The most severe effects of aspartame poisoning are:
-Death
-Irreversible brain damage
-Birth defects, including mental retardation
-Ulcers
-Aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
-Hyperactivity in children
-Severe depression
-Aggressive behavior
-Suicidal tendencies
-Cancer

Sucralose (Splenda) is about the same. While it hasn't been around as long as aspartame and there aren't as many studies documenting its dangers, it's still associated with a giant list of medical problems.

Below are some of the reported adverse effects of Splenda use:
 
- Flushing or redness of the skin; rashes
- Itching
- Anxiety; panic attacks
- Nausea
- Stomach cramps
- Dry heaves
- Depression; becoming withdrawn
- Feeling forgetful; memory loss
- Dulled senses
- Unexplained crying
- Acne or acne-like rash
- Headache
- Altered emotional state, i.e. feeling irate, impatient, hypersensitive, moody
- Chest and body pain
- Bloating; diarrhea; vomiting 
- Trouble concentrating/staying in focus
- Seizures

Splenda is nothing but chlorinated table sugar. Chlorine is considered a carcinogen (cancer causer) and has been used in poisonous gas, disinfectants, pesticides and plastics.

Plus neither of these "diet poisons" (aspartame or sucralose) will help you take off weight.  They make the body crave carbohydrates and actually make you eat MORE-- which increases the number on the scale.

The only "diet sweetener" that seems to be showing promise at this time is Stevia. 

Stevia has been used for over 1,500 years in South America as a sweetener with no apparent adverse reactions.  It's 600 times sweeter than sugar, so certainly you don't need
to use much. 

The FDA continues to refuse to allow Stevia to be marketed as a sweetener (probably due to pressure from the aspartame and sucralose industries), but it is available in health food stores and some grocery stores as a dietary supplement. 

My advice: If your concern is taking off pounds, then the best way to do it is to eat lots of alkaline foods, drink water and correctly combine your meals. 

Your body will respond handsomely. Digestion will be a snap, and since you'll be getting more nutrients from your foods (because you won't have overproduction of acid), the body will be satisfied and won't trigger the hunger signal.

So you end up eating less! Less food = less of you to love.

Your body will be able to eliminate built-up wastes too.

That means a lower number on the scale and no more bloating.

To your health.

Do You Like Salad Dressing? Beware The Horror!

I went to my favorite local market yesterday.

While there, I stopped in the salad dressing aisle, not for salad dressing, but for an Italian seasoning packet that we mix with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Makes for a perfect, tasty, all natural salad dressing with wholesome ingredients, unlike the typical salad dressings that line grocery store shelves.

You see, we NEVER buy bottled dressings.  Ever.  They are horrible for you, and for the most part the "all natural" versions are as well.

Here are just some of the reasons why:

1. Pick up any salad dressing bottle and you'll likely see canola oil, soybean oil, and/or vegetable oil as the main ingredients.  These oils are extremely processed, rich in inflammation-promoting Omega-6 fatty acids, and often times contain trans fats that aren't disclosed on the label due to how processed they are.

"All-natural" salad dressing found in the refrigerated section aren't much different.  You'll still see these oils as the base of nearly all of those brands as well.  Why?  They're cheap!

Also, don't be fooled by labels that claim "Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil".  Sure, they'll point that out on the front of the label because it sounds good and leads you to believe that it's an extra virgin olive oil based dressing.  Instead, that only means that there is at least a drop of extra virgin olive oil in the bottle, and often times that's all it has.  Flip the label over and you will see the same vegetable oils listed first and extra virgin olive oil way down on the list of ingredients.  Unethical? Yes.  Healthy? No.

2. More often than not, in addition to cheap, potentially harmful oils, store bought salad dressing is also loaded with sugar to boot.  Even worse, it often comes in the form of high fructose corn syrup (the absolute worst form of sugar available).  Just check the label.

3.  To round of the trifecta of horrid ingredients contained in traditional salad dressings we have the long list of artificial additives and preservatives that often plague these products.  If you're looking to avoid artificial chemicals in your food, simply put, you won't have much luck with store bought salad dressing.

That's why I recommend you do what we do.  Grab a seasoning packet from the store, mix with REAL extra virgin olive and vinegar, and enjoy your dressing the healthy and still very convenient way.

The Skinny on the Raw Food Diet

The Skinny on the Raw Food Diet
 by Ori Hofmekler

The last few decades mark an increasing interest in the correlation between food enzymes and health. Researchers found an interesting association between the body's enzyme pool and the aging process - which means, the older one gets, the fewer enzymes the body will have and the more vulnerable to disease one becomes.

I have addressed this important topic in The Warrior Diet book. I have covered the importance of ingesting live enzyme-dense foods (including naturally fermented foods) under the title Enzyme Loading. Nonetheless, I am quite concerned with the emotional impact of this topic on health consumers. Those who read articles, such as the one published recently at Weston A. Price, may reach the conclusion that unless raw, sprouted or fermented, all foods are not viable. If this is true, even raw nuts and seeds may not be good enough in this respect.

There is a growing crowd of people who currently follow the so-called "raw food diet" based on the premise that eating raw food only (including of course vegetables, fruits, legume sprouts, sprouted grains, raw dairy and even raw meat and marine food) is the only way to grant maximum nourishment. Since I've already addressed this topic in The Warrior Diet book, let me just note here that the raw food diet misleads people to believe that all cooked foods are inferior to all raw foods.

The truth is that in many cases, such as with cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage) and nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants), the cooked versions of the above are more digestible and by far more nutritive than the raw version. The active phytonutrients in broccoli and tomatoes (indoles and lycopene, respectively) can be released and absorbed hundreds of times more efficiently in the cooked version.

As for enzymes, certainly enzyme loading from raw, sprouted or fermented foods is highly beneficial but let's put things in proportion.

First, plant enzymes are not digestive enzymes. They work on a different pH than the body's digestive enzymes and therefore cannot support digestion directly.

Second, while some enzymes inhibitors may be harmful (premature sprouts or uncooked legumes), other enzyme inhibitors can be highly beneficial, such as some protease inhibitors (phytates) or aromatase inhibitors which have been found to be potentially anti-cancerous. The notion that nuts and seeds must be sprouted before ingestion is preposterous. Raw nuts and seeds are perfectly fine to nourish the human body whether in a sprouted form or not. There are no harmful inhibitors in mature nuts and seeds and any rancidity or inadequacy in these foods can be instantly detected via smell or taste.

Third, eating raw meat may seem "Paleolithic and healthy" but nowadays it can be detrimental. Besides hosting pathological bacterium, meat is a host substrate for harmful viruses, most notable of which is the toxoplasma virus that has shown to cause serious neuro damaging effects on animals and potentially on humans. Eating raw meat today does not make sense, to say the least.

Fourth, note that the article at Weston A. Price was written by two ladies to promote the sales of their cooking book.

In conclusion, raw, sprouted and fermented foods are great but it doesn't make sense to commit to eating these foods only. You can certainly benefit from eating cooked foods as well with a big bonus of pleasing your palate with a larger variety of meals.

Do you want to learn more about Ori Hofmekler’s Tenacious Fat Solution kit to help get rid of your stubborn belly fat?

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Our products have no sugar added (which is groundbreaking), they are made with all natural products, they are low carb, and they taste amazingly delicious!

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