Enerji Sisters

I want to share my experience trying to reverse my Type 1 diabetes naturally.  I was diagnosed on May 30, 2002.  My life changed dramatically since that shocking day.  I had (and continue to be) very active, growing up playing sports, running, lifting weights, etc.  I also tried to eat as healthy as possible.  I never drank soft drinks, ate fast food or even greasy foods.  It was so hard to accept that “this” could happen to me!  I immediately had to learn how to prick my finger to test my blood sugars, how to use a syringe to give myself injections, and what foods to eat and to avoid.  All of my doctors have told me that I will always be on insulin to stay alive since my pancreas does not produce insulin on its own anymore.  Insulin is the hormone that keeps blood sugars in balance.  Without insulin, people die.  High blood sugars over time cause heart attacks, stroke, blindness, neuropathy (numbness in legs) and kidney failure.  There is a difference in Type 1 (T1) and Type 2 (T2)  diabetes:  in T1, the immune system attacks the pancreas (researchers are still not sure why), leaving it damaged and unable to perform it’s insulin-producing function; thus, it is termed an auto-immune disease.  This is why T1’s must inject insulin into their bodies with syringes or use an insulin pump; with T2 diabetes, the pancreas is overworked so it sometimes does not produce the right kind of insulin or the body becomes resistant to insulin and does not use it correctly.  A T2 can help their pancreas by exercising and eating healthy foods and not ever have to use insulin.  If they do not change their lifestyle patterns, they usually need to take pills (to help their body be less resistant to the insulin they are making) or they eventually have to take insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

Last November, my brother-in-law informed me that Dr. Neal Barnard was on The Mike Collins show (a local show on NPR).  Dr. Barnard has researched diabetes extensively and has written a book called “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program to Reverse Diabetes Now“.  Reversing Type 2 diabetes (by following a low fat, vegan, high fiber and low glycemic foods diet) was the topic of the radio interview that day.  As I listened to him speak, I wondered if this diet could help T1’s like myself.  I emailed him a few questions and he answered them on the air.  He said this diet has not reversed T1 but that it could help lower insulin needs and help balance my blood sugar levels.  I decided to check his book out of the library and see if this was something I wanted to try.

I read his book in a few days, full of hope and excitement.  I decided to “go vegan” which means following a vegetarian diet and also eliminating dairy and eggs.  I had been a meat-eater all my life (35 years at the time) but did not have trouble giving it up.  I only ate eggs because they are a good source of protein- I never liked the taste of them so this was easy to remove from my diet.  My biggest challenge was dairy- I love yogurt, butter, and creamer- so I started substituting soy creamer in my coffee and gave up all foods that contained butter, milk, and eggs.  Grocery shopping was labor-intensive initially but I eventually “learned” what I could and could not have.  I also had to include low fat (so limited nut intake), fiber-rich and low glycemic foods so I became an educated label reader.   The reason I was able to transition so easily was because I could eat as much as I wanted as long as it fell under the above guidelines.  That was my saving grace!  Because of this diet change, I dropped 8-10 pounds (while eating like a teenager!) and lowered one of my insulin medications from 60 units a day to 12 units within a month or so!

I started this diet the day I finished reading his book, a week before Thanksgiving last year.  My partner was amazed at my determination and will power and my family was concerned that I was not getting enough to eat at the holiday dinner.  I brought vegetables that I could enjoy (without butter) and felt satiated.  I did feel a bit sorry for myself that I was so “different” and could not enjoy the traditional foods, but I had hope that this new diet would help me control my blood sugars, thus helping me feel better daily and prevent all of the diabetic complications I mentioned earlier.  To me, possible blindness, dialysis and strokes are reason enough to try.

My insulin needs did decrease, but I eventually hit a plateau and continued to need an average of 30 units a day.  Some days, I felt disappointed and upset because of this leveling-off, but I continued following it, unsure of what to do next.  In March, 2009, an acquaintance mentioned that she had heard of diabetics completely reversing their disease by following a raw diet.  I asked if this included T1’s and she thought it did.  I was skeptical at first, knowing the difference between T1’s and T2’s.  I did not look into a raw food diet for another month or so…

I am signing off from this blog because it’s getting long and my fingers are tired :)  I will continue with my raw food research next time.

Thanks for your interest!