Diet as Lifestyle

 

Two of the most crucial lifestyle elements are diet and exercise.

We must face this truth early on if we are to have any chance of fighting any chronic illness: If you want a permanent victory, you must cut all carbohydrates out of the diet. In spite of the conflicting reports you may have read, our bodies do not need even a fraction of the amount of sugar we shovel into our mouths daily. Sure, we can cope with it in small amounts, quite like one glass of wine won’t hurt you much, but to defeat chronic illness, you must step entirely away from potatoes, bread and rice, sweet desserts, and sugary foods and drinks, anything that tastes sweet or is made with dough, flour, corn, or rice.

 

A person who is worried about diabetes or chronic illness should eat no breads, cereal, or grain or any sweet fruits or juices. Even milk has too many carbs. It’s also important to note that anything labeled “fat free” generally compensates for the lack of taste by adding sugar. Fat is not bad, especially if it is naturally occurring. Remember that the worst possible diet to follow is a low-fat one.

 

Bread is particularly deceptive, particularly if you fall into the trap of thinking it is healthy because it is brown or claims to be whole grain. Whole wheat and white breads are not much different, and neither are good for you. While it is not typically very sweet, it is a food that is very high in carbohydrates and should be avoided.

 

You may enjoy just a little of boiled carrots, yams, peas, rice, or corn. When eating raw vegetables, avoid or use very little salad dressing.

 

Avoiding sugar in any quantity is crucial to a non-diabetic lifestyle, and this just not just apply to the actual table sugar we often picture. Think of sugar in terms of anything that tastes sweet, is made with starch or dough, or generally ends with –ose: Glucose, fructose, galactose, fucose, mannose, and xylose are all sugars. Many sugar alcohols end in –ol, such as xylitol, erythriol, and others. All artificial sugars and sweeteners are just as damaging, and often more toxic than normal sugar.

 

These chemical sweeteners may please our senses and appeal to our taste, but because they are not natural, they are not usable by the body for fuel or for enhancing structures. Therefore, artificial sweeteners are junk, debris the body must work hard to dispose of since they are of no value whatsoever. They overtax the body systems and can even lead to sugar cravings. Besides refined and unrefined, sugar has many names: fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup. You should avoid all of these as much as possible.

 

We all should avoid sugar under any name and sweeteners of any kind, but it is important to reiterate that starches must also be excluded. There are large quantities of sugar in most bakery products, bread, pasta, pizza, potatoes, bagels, donuts, cookies, cakes, candies, and ice cream, so these foods should not be eaten at all.

 

Another trap poorly informed consumers buy into are products that claim to be diet or light. Never fall for this! Most of these contain artificial sweeteners, and as we have already discussed, these are toxic and extremely hazardous to your health for a variety of reasons. Some studies have shown that people actually gain more weight by eating diet products than by eating the regular varieties. Any product that claims to be zero calories is also fraudulent; there is no such thing as a product with null calories. What this claim on the label really means is that the sweeteners are not broken or burned down completely to water and carbon dioxide. They may stay unbroken, resulting in adverse side effects and lots of trouble.

 

The most widely used artificial sweeteners are aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), saccharin (Sweet N’ Low), and sucralose (Splenda). None of these are good for you in any way. They are entirely unnatural and are number one on the complaint list at the FDA, yet the billion-dollar market will not easily give up its profits for the sake of human health. The only slightly better alternatives are natural honey, maple syrup, or stevia, but even these should be used very sparingly, as they, too, raise insulin levels.

 

Natural sugar from fresh fruits and vegetables is okay in small amounts, as it is accompanied by naturally occurring enzymes and the vitamins necessary to process it. Do not choose the sweetest fruits, like grapes or melons, just to satisfy a sugar addiction, and do not eat these excessively, especially if you want to lose weight. Eat fruits that do not taste very sweet, particularly small berries. Sugar in canned or processed fruits and vegetables is not okay, as the vitamins and enzymes that naturally accompany them are destroyed during food processing. Never believe canned fruits are as good as eating fresh ones.

Liquid sugar is just about the worst thing you can do to your body. Unfortunately, sugary drinks have taken over the world. Avoid soda and sweet drinks, carbonated or not, under any name or in any form. One can of soda contains nine to thirteen teaspoons of sugar or sugar equivalent, far above the recommended intake for an adult. Do not make the mistake of thinking fruit juices are a better option, as these also contain high amounts of sugar and preservatives to keep the color vivid and improve the taste.

If you want juice, make your own fresh juice occasionally, but be aware that all fruits contain fructose, a fruit sugar that should only be used in moderation. Giving a soda to a child forces that little one’s sensitive body to ingest eight times more sugar than they already have. No wonder their bodies go into a genuine state of alarm, because these toxic drinks trigger a massive dose of insulin to be released from the pancreas. For all these reasons and more, it is best to avoid sugary drinks, soda in particular, altogether, for both children and adults.

One sugary treat many people have turned into a habit is ice cream, especially in the evenings. Some eat a pint or more, even up to a half-gallon. This must change, as ice cream is full of sugar and, thus, severely raises insulin and promotes fat production.

It is best to eat no snacks whatsoever, nor any second portions. However, in the beginning, if you absolutely must have something to nibble on between meals, choose a boiled egg or a piece of cheese. The evidence against sugar is massive and simply cannot be contradicted. As a diabetic, you must avoid all forms of sugar, including natural ones like honey, grapes, or especially dried fruits. Grapes and raisins and watermelon are particularly harmful to diabetics. Vegetables are a healthier choice, but stay away from the candy bars of vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, rice, or corn.

 

Beware of sweets in disguise, like rice, potatoes, rolls, bagels, and pasta, all of which are loaded with carbs. Avoid fruit juices, even if the label brags about no sugar being added; the reason it is not added is because there is already an overabundance of sugar in the juice to begin with.

 

The diet we call low carb is, in fact, what should be the norm, but most people eat dangerously high levels of carbs and consider it normal. My advice is to become almost fanatical about keeping your blood sugar low and constant. This means you need to do away with nearly all starches and sugars, as we’ve discussed here. You must be prepared for a lifelong lifestyle change, one that requires you to make tough choices and stick to them for decades. It is even advisable that you avoid eating out, as this is often like an alcoholic going to a bar. Even continental breakfasts can be a sugar bomb

 

Can chronic illness like fatigue or diabetes be reversed? Yes, but you must commit to this goal. You must maintain a low-carb lifestyle. If you think you can go back to eating or living like you did in your 20s, gulping down oversized soft drinks, gorging on gallons of ice cream, or indulging in chocolate bars whenever you want, rarely exercising at all, then you are living in a dream world. Your illness  will be back soon if you undertake this lifestyle, and it will come back with a vengeance.

 

Chronic illness is nothing to play around with. For example diabetes is a very misunderstood disease, and it comes with severe complications that can last for many years. Left unchecked or uncontrolled, it can lead to heart attacks, clogging of blood vessels, loss of feeling, and chronic pain. On the other hand, when diabetes is kept under control, a diabetic may live an enjoyable life for decades. It is the same with most common chronic illness.

 

 

 

Chapter Summary

 

• Avoid all sweets, including manmade or man-altered carbs.
• Do not drink sugar.
• Do not eat or drink anything that contains artificial sweeteners of any kind.
• Stay away from all products labeled diet, light, or zero calories