We all have heard television commercials or read magazine ads making promises about some wonder powder, juice, or pill that will cure all that ails you. This program doesn’t rely on any gimmicks. There are no magic potions or elixirs—just good, wholesome food that you can find in your local supermarket. These foods will energize every cell in your body and put your system back into the proper balance.
At Cheryl Farley Wellness, we follow the premise of the Greek physician Hippocrates, who was known as the Father of Medicine. He said, “Let food be thy medicine.” Centuries ago, he was on to something. Today, doctors know that good, wholesome food not only protects against chronic diseases such as diabetes, but it may actually cure disease.
We want to introduce you to a way of eating that is practiced around the globe, but that still may be new to you. Eating wholesome, unrefined foods will send energy to your body more efficiently. The extra fuel your body is currently storing as fat will finally be taken out of storage and burned. This will bring the cells back into balance and help you feel much better. Unlike insulin and other medications, which only lower blood sugar levels but don’t address the root cause of diabetes, this eating program addresses the real problem at the cellular level which leads to diabetes and its complications.
Lowering Insulin Levels and Reversing Diabetes Through Diet
Bringing your insulin levels under control will help you reverse your diabetes. With the Cheryl Farley Wellness program, you’ll lower your insulin requirements levels by:
Eating less often. When you eat fewer meals a day, you lower insulin levels and allow the hormone glucagon to take over, doing its job of moving fuel out of storage to be burned. This returns the cells back to their normal balance. On this program you will eat a hearty breakfast, a large lunch and a smaller evening meal. The meal plan is designed to ensure the foods you eat each day are nutrient dense and filling. If you find you are too full on a three meal a day plan, you may want to switch to two meals a day. If you follow the two meal a day plan, you will eat one large mid morning meal from our breakfast menu and another meal from our lunch menu five or six hours later. Some people require a little extra boost so we designed this plan to include smaller meals and ‘more’ options. If you find you need something extra, please be sure to eat foods only allowed on this program. You will feel full and satisfied on the meals provided. Snacks are unnecessary, and counter-productive.
Consuming your calories so they’re absorbed slowly. This is very important! If you eat refined carbohydrates, sugar will get into your bloodstream quickly, causing a sharp rise in blood sugar. This will cause insulin levels to rise sharply too. When you eat complex carbohydrates and fiber, the carbohydrates will be broken down and absorbed much more slowly. This will help keep your insulin levels down and will take a load off your pancreas.
Reducing your intake of refined fats. Fat does not require insulin for transport into the cells the way sugar does. However, eating a diet that is high in refined fats increases inflammation and worsens insulin resistance. Eating refined fats also makes it easier for you to overeat and harder to lose the weight
Eating a plant-based, high-fiber diet. The reason that diabetes is an epidemic in our country today is because of our highly processed, highly refined diet, which is low in fiber. The lack of fiber causes you to be hungry throughout the day, and snack on sugary, unhealthy foods. The way to reverse type 2 diabetes is to eat an unrefined, plant-based diet. A diet that is high in complex carbohydrates and fiber and low in refined fat will keep insulin levels down and prevent insulin resistance. Plant foods are loaded with phytochemicals—nutritious plant chemicals that decrease inflammation. (Remember, inflammation worsens insulin resistance.) The ideal diet includes plenty of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and seeds. It emphasizes whole foods instead of processed foods—for example, a whole apple instead of apple juice and whole-grain bread instead of white bread. The more complex the carbohydrate and the more fiber it contains, the slower your body will break it down and the less likely you will experience rapid spikes in blood sugar.
Along with this diet, you’ll need to make other lifestyle changes to maximize the benefit to your health. These changes include exercising and avoiding toxins.
Exercise
As a society, we have become sedentary and obese—factors that have contributed to our type 2 diabetes epidemic. In addition to helping you lose weight, exercise also:
• Strengthens bone and muscles
• Improves circulation
• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces stress
• Aids in digestion (especially if you exercise after a meal)
• Improves mood and mental function.
You don’t need to join a gym to lose weight and get in shape. Exercise can be as simple as getting out and walking for 30 minutes, four to five times a week. Take your time at first. Talk to your doctor to learn how to exercise safely.
Avoiding Toxins
We are putting far too many toxins into our bodies. Alcohol consumption has become a leading cause of early death and disease. Alcohol is a refined carbohydrate and a poison that affects many organs. Drinking alcohol can make diabetes worse by:
• Raising blood sugar
• Stimulating appetite, which can cause you to snack
• Interfering with your diabetes medications
• Causing weight gain
• Increasing blood pressure
• Causing pancreatitis, which can impair insulin production.
Avoiding alcohol should be part of your overall plan to reclaim your health. If you are addicted to alcohol, avoid stimulants that trigger your alcohol cravings, such as caffeine, junk food, and tobacco.
And speaking of tobacco, it is another toxin to avoid. Not only can smoking increase your risk for heart disease and a number of different cancers, but it also can make you more likely to get type 2 diabetes. One study found that men who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day double their risk of getting type 2 diabetes. If you already have type 2 diabetes and you smoke, you add additional risks to your heart because tobacco constricts blood vessels. Smoking further increases your risk of having a heart attack, high blood pressure, or a stroke.
Caffeine is another toxin to avoid. Although it is true that coffee and green tea contain beneficial antioxidants that reduce both inflammation and your risk of developing diabetes, once you already have diabetes, caffeine accelerates the absorption of sugar and worsens diabetic control. If you can’t get along without coffee and tea, try drinking decaf. Don’t worry that you won’t get enough antioxidants. The Cheryl Farley Wellness program is rich in antioxidants similar to those found in coffee and green tea, without the downsides of caffeine. Above all, avoid sodas, particularly caffeinated sodas, which have all the negative effects of caffeine without the beneficial antioxidants.