"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
 |
| Fresh vegetables from the New Albany, Indiana Farmers Market |
I was recently
talking with a staff member at an agency about teaching classes for adults
with diabetes. Out of the blue he said, “I’d love to come to your classes
because I have diabetes.”
People who
have diabetes are starving for education.
What they get from their doctors are prescriptions for medicines and an appointment to return in 3 months.
When I worked for a Medicare health insurance company and was asked by
the medical director to redesign its wellness program, I accepted the
challenge with the goal of educating older adults about how to control diabetes
and prevent complications. What happened
was that people who attended the workshops taught by my staff and I started needing less medicine.
Some people were able to stop all their diabetes medications. Their lab numbers improved. They started feeling better. They had more energy and less brain fog. Many people lost weight. People learned how to ask for their test
results and became empowered to ask questions about their A1c, LDL, HDL, and
triglyceride results with their medical team. From the
perspective of population health, we made measurable improvements in the health
of the population we served.
Can we
talk? Diabetes is not only controllable,
it is reversible for many people. It is
also preventable. With the childhood
epidemic in this country, we have thousands of children at risk for developing
diabetes.
Since retooling that Medicare health insurance company's wellness program, I have continued to learn how powerful dietary interventions can be in changing the course of diabetes as well as heart disease. The
consumption of highly processed sugars, sodas, meat, and dairy products like
milk and cheese is damaging our health and also our children’s health. Saturated fats found in meat, milk, and
cheese clog the cells, blocking the absorption of sugars in the blood stream
to the cells where they are needed for energy.
Research has
clearly proven that plant-based eating can reverse diabetes. Physicians such as Dean Ornish, MD, Neal
Barnard, MD, and Michael Greger, MD work tirelessly to educate their patients and other medical professionals about the power of whole food plant-based eating. Eating primarily fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, and legumes can put you - and your children - on the path to a new
life.
With love,
Nancy
Heinrich, MPH
Founder and
Wellness Architect
Growing
Healthy Kids, Inc.
