Diabetic Diets

There is a huge problem for diabetics looking for an effective diet – there are so many options. And it is not just a case of finding the ‘correct’ diet that is based upon a sound medical and nutritional understanding – diabetes diet recommendations can vary from one medical institution to the next.

There is a great deal of history in diets for diabetics. Much of the controversy is centered around the multiple studies that have taken place in the last four decades, and how completely different approaches have yielded positive results.

Before drawing any conclusions, let’s take a look at the two most famous diabetes diet ‘programs’ followed over the last few decades.

The Pritikin Program

In 1976, Nathan Pritikin (a nutritionist) put his patients on the ‘The Pritikin Program’. The diet is high in carbohydrates and fibre; majoring on fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Regular exercise is also a central theme, which should of course be the case in any diet. The recommended exercise focuses on regular, low-level cardio.

The Pritikin Program was the inspiration for a study carried out in 2006 at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. An article which was published on New Scientist with the bold title, “Three-week diet curbs diabetes”, had the following to say:

The study…found that just three weeks of the programme reversed the clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes…The programme worked in half of the overweight patients following it.

Later in the article, Christian Roberts, who led the study, was quoted as saying:

The study shows, contrary to common belief, that type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome can be reversed solely through lifestyle changes.

For any sufferer of diabetes, such a claim is potentially life-changing. If you would like to try out the Pritikin Program then we would recommend the following two books:

• The Pritikin Program for Diet and Exercise – this details the original program in all its glory
• New Pritikin Program- this an updated and more contemporary approach to the program, written by Nathan Pritikin’s son, Robert.

Dr. Richard K. Bernstein

This is the point at which everything gets turned on its head.

Richard K. Berstein (MD) is a highly-qualified and well-respected physician. He also happens to be a sufferer of type 1 diabetes. The approach of his diabetes diet is the polar opposite to that of the Pritikin Program.

Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution focuses on an extremely low-carbohydrate diet, with the explicit aim of controlling blood sugar levels. The diet is extremely strict, but is raved about by followers of Dr. Bernstein’s methods.

What Method To Follow?

We are only scratching the surface here and will be publishing much more information in the coming months, but it is obvious that there is no single recommended approach to diabetic dieting. You may wish to try one of the diets above and see if it works for you. If it does not, you may wish to try the other.

One thing is for certain – both the Pritikin and Bernstein methods have been of great benefit to many sufferers of diabetes. There is only one way that you will discover which diet is the right one for you.

Photo courtesy of bodytel