"Think about it: heart disease and diabetes, which account for more deaths in the U.S. and worldwide than everything else combined, are completely preventable by making comprehensive lifestyle changes. Without drugs or surgery."
---Dean Ornish, MD
Diabetes
is a very expensive disease, not just in terms of financial costs, but more
importantly in the human costs such as loss of limbs, loss of vision, loss of sexual
function, loss of feeling in the extremities, and loss of life.
The number of people with diabetes and prediabetes is staggering. According to Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, an estimated 30.3 million people of all ages (9.4% of the U.S.
population) had diabetes in 2015. About
7.2 million Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed. Approximately 84 million adults (more than 1
in 3 American adults) have prediabetes, which is asymptomatic. The risk factors for prediabetes are sedentary
lifestyle, obesity, large waist size, poor diet, being 45 years or older, and
having a brother, sister, mother or father with type 2 diabetes.
Can
diabetes be prevented? Yes.
Can
diabetes be reversed? Yes, in most cases.
Can
prediabetes be prevented? Yes.
Can
prediabetes be reversed? Yes.
The
reality is that most people with diabetes and prediabetes are overweight. The best medicine for preventing
and reversing diabetes is to get to a healthier weight. I am not advocating that you go on a diet. I am advocating for eating healthier and being physically active for the rest of your life.
Moving
to a whole-grain plant-based way of eating comes with a wonderful side effect: weight loss.
Making the decision to eat fewer animal products is a powerful first
step for anyone with diabetes or prediabetes who knows that losing weight will
improve their health.
Eliminating
foods from animals eliminates saturated fats, also known as the bad fats. Our brains need a small amount of the good fats, called unsaturated. You find unsaturated fats in foods such as olives, avocados and flax seeds. Fats are the
largest (no pun intended) type of calorie consumed at 9 calories per gram,
while carbohydrates and protein weigh in at only 4 calories per gram.
The easiest way to get to a
healthier weight is to cut back on fat calories. Eliminate foods from animals such a meat, chicken, dairy, and cheese. Speaking of cheese, make our fabulous, easy and oh-so-delicious recipe for
cashew parmesan to use next time you make grilled zucchini, mushroom pizza, or spaghetti squash.
GROWING
HEALTHY KIDS: Our Recipe Collection
Cashew
Parmesan
Place
ingredients in a food processor and process until well mixed:
- ¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon raw, unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt
Store in
a glass jar in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
With
love and gratitude,
Nancy L.
Heinrich, MPH
Founder,
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
