The University of California-San Francisco Diabetes Center says it is possible to lower diabetic-level blood sugar without formal treatment for diabetes. This is often the result of comprehensive lifestyle changes, such as improvements to your diet, which keep it under control. Although type 2 diabetes might "go away," diabetes can have a genetic component. Even with diet, you might still have the predisposition for the disease, and it can come back. Diabetes is a serious condition. Don't attempt to control this potentially life-threatening disease on your own. To ensure your blood sugar is properly controlled and that your dietary changes are working, you need to regularly consult your health care provider. For type 1 diabetics, you must treat your condition with insulin. Diet alone is not sufficient.
Blood Sugar Control
Diet and exercise are the foundation of diabetes management because they help your cells respond better to insulin. The first set of recommendations in the American Diabetes Association's 2008 Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes has to do with energy balance and controlling body weight. The recommendations, based on the current science on diabetes, say losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight by reducing your calories and increasing your physical activity improves insulin resistance and thus supports your glucose control goals.
Blood Lipids and Blood Pressure
As an independent risk factor for heart disease, blood lipids --- that is, your cholesterol and triglycerides -- must be kept under control. Your primary defense against high blood cholesterol is eating less saturated fat and minimizing your consumption of trans fat. The American Diabetes Association wants you to keep your saturated fat at less than 7 percent of all your daily calories. Remember that all fat has 9 calories per gram, so essentially, that recommendation means getting less than 15 g daily on a 2,000-calorie diet. Trans fats are found in margarines, processed foods such as snack chips, and many baked dessert items. Moreover, 66 percent of diabetics have high blood pressure, or hypertension. Nutritional recommendations for diabetics call for you to get less than 1,500 mg of sodium daily to control hypertension. As a point of reference, 1 tsp. of regular salt contains more than 2,000 mg of sodium.
Kidney Function
Another major concern for diabetics is impaired kidney function. Poorly controlled blood glucose can damage your kidneys. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 44 percent of all new cases of kidney failure come from people with diabetes. In addition to controlling your blood pressure, your diet can play a role in improving kidney function. You should avoid excessively high amounts of protein when kidney function is a concern. This is especially advisable to those who follow a low-carb diet to lose weight with diabetes. Unless your doctor has told you that you have reduced kidney function, you can enjoy the same amount of protein as recommended for everyone else, 56 g daily for men and 46 g for women. However, when you are in late-stage kidney disease, your health-care provider might recommend that you reduce your protein to 0.4 g per pound of body weight.
When Diet Isn't Enough
For some, diet alone won't be enough to normalize blood sugar control, especially after it has gone unmanaged for an extended period of time. Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center puts it plainly: Your body gets tired of overproducing insulin because your cells are resistant to the hormone. In that case, the next phase of treatment involves medicine.
References
- University of California-San Francisco: Diabetes
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Can I Treat Diabetes Without Drugs?
- "Diabetes Care"; "Nutrition Recommendations and Interventions for Diabetes"; "American Diabetes Association"; January 2008
- American Diabetes Association: Fat and Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association: High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Kidney Disease and Diabetes
