Baxter Montgomery, M.D., a cardiologist from Houston, Texas, has more than heart patients. He has a following, not mention a book, website, DVDs and other products with his name on them. All of it came after Montgomery had an insight about his own health. The result is the diet plan he says can reverse heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
The Foundation
The idea that guides Montgomery's meal plan is that a dairy-free and meat-free diet is the best anyone can eat. According to a 2008 FoxNews.com report, he believes the human digestive system is not designed to break down meat. But more than simply eliminating animal flesh from your daily diet, Montgomery advocates eating a vegetable-rich and fruit-rich diet instead of a starch-based one.
What to Eat
Dr. Montgomery's diet allows you to eat foods that are whole, minimally processed and from plants. A piece of fresh fruit is an example of a whole food. It does not have anything added to it or taken away. Fresh fruit juice, on the other hand, is an example of a minimally processed food. This diabetes diet includes three general food groups: raw vegetables, raw fruit and fresh sprouts. Montgomery also recommends taking a blue-green algae supplement. According to the University of California at Berkeley, science has not proven that blue-green algae offers any health benefit. The school also warns that the supplements can be contaminated with heavy metals and other toxins. The blue-green algae is harvested from the bottom of lakes, some of which could be polluted.
What to Avoid
Dr. Montgomery's diabetes diet shuns boiled, fried, grilled, baked, microwaved and roasted foods. To find out whether the diet works for you, you also need to eliminate all meat, including poultry and fish, from your menu. Wheat and other grains with gluten, as well as hot and cold cereals, are not considered healthy in this eating plan, either. In addition, Montgomery says to stay away from rice, pasta and other cooked grains. Dairy and eggs are not good for diabetics, according to this plan. Likewise, you should skip commercial and stimulating drinks, such as soda, coffee and alcoholic beverages.
The Story
On the website where Montgomery markets his diet and accompanying products, he tells the reader what happened in 2002. He was diagnosed with high cholesterol and his diabetic mother passed away. Those events prompted him to research nutrition to improve his health. After a vegetarian diet lowered his cholesterol, he began teaching his patients what his research and personal experience had taught him -- and "Dr. Montgomery's Diet for Diabetes" was born. But as the doctor is also careful to say, the nutritional information he provides is only a reference. You should follow the advice of a doctor who has examined you and is familiar with diabetes.
