How I reversed type 2 Diabetes and Transformed my Life
And why doing all the wrong things was the right thing to do!
Me after 9 weeks oil free vegan
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Before
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For years I was struggling with many health issues, I was overweight, had persistent high blood pressure, developed type 2 diabetes, had high cholesterol and high triglycerides. This was frustrating for me as I was following all the "right" things to do, Not only was I a practising Herbalist I also consulted many experts from natural health care practitioners, diabetes educators, and medical doctors. I looked all over the web, I ate organic,low carb, ate no sugar and did 30-60 minutes of cardio almost every day. I slept in a dark room, said affirmations, practised gratitude, went to bed before 10pm. I meditated and had detox baths, got massages and still had problems. Was it genetic? Was there too much stress in my life? Was it this or that?
Then last December things came to a head, I had chest pains, leg pains and started to lose my vision. I was tired and terrified. I knew something had to change but what? What else could I do? As far as I knew I was doing everything right and still getting worse. So I made a decision. I would follow my inner guidance and stop looking outside myself for the answer.I would move towards anything that I felt a positive pull towards and embrace it into my life. This is where my true healing journey really started.
I have always loved the color pink. The first thing I felt attracted to was pink salt. SALT?? are you kidding me? I had high blood pressure?? Ok here I go salt. Pink Himalayan Salt LOTS of it on EVERYTHING! And guess what?? My blood pressure is now perfect!! 119/78 on most days!
I spend every morning and every evening meditating, picking tarot cards and asking for guidance. The next thing I knew I was watching a youtube video about the benefits of an oil free vegan diet.
Whoa..how the heck was I going to do that?? The yes inside of me was sooo loud, I knew somehow it would work and I cooked my last egg and starting eating oatmeal and flax seed. Then came the lentils! (Yikes I had avoided carbs for sooo many years!!) Before I knew it I was eating yams, carrots, tons of salad, quinoa, and life was just getting yummier all the time. I was hungry for the first 2 weeks but within 9 days of following the diet I went from diabetic to pre-diabetic. Then I began to get non diabetic readings on some days and very low pre-diabetic readings on other days. Within 3 months I was getting consistent non-diabetic readings. YAY! Dr. Neal Barnard was instrumental in educating me on exactly what to do.
Then last December things came to a head, I had chest pains, leg pains and started to lose my vision. I was tired and terrified. I knew something had to change but what? What else could I do? As far as I knew I was doing everything right and still getting worse. So I made a decision. I would follow my inner guidance and stop looking outside myself for the answer.I would move towards anything that I felt a positive pull towards and embrace it into my life. This is where my true healing journey really started.
I have always loved the color pink. The first thing I felt attracted to was pink salt. SALT?? are you kidding me? I had high blood pressure?? Ok here I go salt. Pink Himalayan Salt LOTS of it on EVERYTHING! And guess what?? My blood pressure is now perfect!! 119/78 on most days!
I spend every morning and every evening meditating, picking tarot cards and asking for guidance. The next thing I knew I was watching a youtube video about the benefits of an oil free vegan diet.
Whoa..how the heck was I going to do that?? The yes inside of me was sooo loud, I knew somehow it would work and I cooked my last egg and starting eating oatmeal and flax seed. Then came the lentils! (Yikes I had avoided carbs for sooo many years!!) Before I knew it I was eating yams, carrots, tons of salad, quinoa, and life was just getting yummier all the time. I was hungry for the first 2 weeks but within 9 days of following the diet I went from diabetic to pre-diabetic. Then I began to get non diabetic readings on some days and very low pre-diabetic readings on other days. Within 3 months I was getting consistent non-diabetic readings. YAY! Dr. Neal Barnard was instrumental in educating me on exactly what to do.
Here is a great video that tells you all you need to know to reverse type 2 Diabetes just like I did!!
Getting off of dairy I think was the hardest part for me. I always had loved cheese and giving up the cream in my coffee was the last to go. Then I learned that dairy products are addictive as are sugar, fat and other foods and why so many people have a hard time giving them up! Gosh now I was even more determined as I did not want to be addicted!!
In the beginning of my healing journey it was the chest pain that I was very worried about and at that time I came across the work of this most brilliant Physician, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. He was 78 when he gave the talk below and also promotes an oil free vegan diet.
Herbs and Supplements I have been taking with good results
Herbs
Rhodiola Rosea 500mg in the morning on an empty stomach
Tusli Tea ( Holy Basil) 2-4 cups/day
Oregon Grape Tincture 25 drops 2 x /day
Alfalfa, Nettle and Lemon Balm Tea 2-4 cups/day
Fenugreek, Burdock, Ginger Tea 4 cups a week
Warm lemon water every morning (1-2 cups)
Supplements
Chromium
Daily total of up to 1,000 mcg. Chromium improves glucose tolerance and balances blood-sugar levels.
Gymnema sylvestre
400 mg of a 25 percent gymneic acid extract daily. Gymnema lowers blood-sugar levels.
Alpha lipoic acid
300 to 1,200 mg daily. Alpha lipoic acid improves insulin sensitivity.
Vanadyl sulfate
100 to 300 mg daily. It improves glucose tolerance in people with insulin resistance.
I have found the most economical place to order these supplements is at iherb and if you click the following link we will both get a discount!
http://www.iherb.com?rcode=MKH825
Rhodiola Rosea 500mg in the morning on an empty stomach
Tusli Tea ( Holy Basil) 2-4 cups/day
Oregon Grape Tincture 25 drops 2 x /day
Alfalfa, Nettle and Lemon Balm Tea 2-4 cups/day
Fenugreek, Burdock, Ginger Tea 4 cups a week
Warm lemon water every morning (1-2 cups)
Supplements
Chromium
Daily total of up to 1,000 mcg. Chromium improves glucose tolerance and balances blood-sugar levels.
Gymnema sylvestre
400 mg of a 25 percent gymneic acid extract daily. Gymnema lowers blood-sugar levels.
Alpha lipoic acid
300 to 1,200 mg daily. Alpha lipoic acid improves insulin sensitivity.
Vanadyl sulfate
100 to 300 mg daily. It improves glucose tolerance in people with insulin resistance.
I have found the most economical place to order these supplements is at iherb and if you click the following link we will both get a discount!
http://www.iherb.com?rcode=MKH825
Menus or sooo what do you eat??
I make sure that I don't eat 3 hours before bed and that there are 12 hours between the times I actually eat. So if I finish eating by 7pm, go to bed by 10pm I won't eat anything till 7am the next morning.
Breakfast
Oatmeal with chia, ground flax and hemp seeds
I add spirulina, cayenne and himalayan salt too..try it you might like it!
The next time I am hungry ( and I wait until I feel hungry..) these are some of the things I might eat:
Lentil soup ( homemade)
Salad with chick peas
Steamed veggies and quinoa
Celery sticks, with salsa
Crackers and hummus ( homemade oil free)
Salad with hemp seeds
Steamed veggies with hemp seeds,ginger and mustard sauce
Baked Yams with Salad
Snacks
Grapefruit
Occasional banana
Oil free crackers
Drinks
Ice Herbal Tea (homemade no sweeteners)
Kombucha
Herbal Tea
If I drink coffee I put unsweetened almond milk in it, but you could use any unsweetened dairy free milk. Best to make your own.
Condiments
Mustard ( organic made with apple cider vinegar and no sugar ( read labels)
Apple cider vinegar
Tomato sauce ( homemade best)
Engevita yeast
Cayenne
Fresh Ginger and Tumeric
Other Unexpected Benefits of a Plant Based Diet
I had been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea about a year earlier and I was so tired all the time, and struggling with high blood pressure that wouldn't resolve no matter what healing program I followed or herbs, supplements, exercise and finally medication I used. The CPAP machine was a life changer and very helpful and while I was grateful such a thing existed and it helped soooo much, it was still a hassle and made travelling cumbersome and inconvenient. You can imagine my surprise when one night I was so tired and fell asleep without it and discovered I didn't snore! I repeated this on successive nights and yup..its true..I am cured! Wow what a blessing!
I had blood work done about 6 weeks in and all my cholesterol, triglycerides, iron stores, everything is all perfect!
I had blood work done about 6 weeks in and all my cholesterol, triglycerides, iron stores, everything is all perfect!
Exercise and Movement
I have always loved to hike, swim, dance, and have been practising yoga since I was 14. Movement is natural and fun for me. I made sure I did something every day to sweat and felt that it needed to take priority in my life. As I got into my 50's things began to shift for me and I found I had just too many things on my plate and let some of my social life and meditation slide in order to get my exercise in. I began to notice the days when I spent time with friends and didn't exercise that day, I would end up with a better fasting blood sugar reading in the morning. I also noticed that if I kept moving most of the day and had as much fun as possible, I would still get a good reading the next day. And conversely even if I did my cardio workout but had a pretty stressful day, I would get a higher fasting blood sugar and blood pressure reading the next day.
So from just watching what happened I began to realize that movement was good, if it was not stressful and connection,fun and relaxation were equally as valuable..hmmmm I loved this concept!
So from just watching what happened I began to realize that movement was good, if it was not stressful and connection,fun and relaxation were equally as valuable..hmmmm I loved this concept!
Inspirational and Motivational Tools
I must admit it took me being completely scared before I had the motivation to really change, I always thought that things were not that bad! Until they really really were!! Here are some tools I use to keep on the vibrant health path!
Affirmations
I have been working with affirmations since I was a teenager and I credit them to being a huge part of my healing journey. I had the pleasure of meeting Louise Hay in the late 70's and kept her little blue book You can Heal your Life in my purse for many years.
According to Louise Hay diabetes is about no longer having any sweetness left in your life. I know this was true for me after having experienced a number of significant losses in my life.
Here is an excerpt from her book:
DIABETES: Longing for what might have been. No sweetness left in life.
Affirmation: This moment is filled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.
Just keep repeating the above affirmation over and over again and see how your life changes. You can write them out in an affirmation journal as well.
Affirmations
I have been working with affirmations since I was a teenager and I credit them to being a huge part of my healing journey. I had the pleasure of meeting Louise Hay in the late 70's and kept her little blue book You can Heal your Life in my purse for many years.
According to Louise Hay diabetes is about no longer having any sweetness left in your life. I know this was true for me after having experienced a number of significant losses in my life.
Here is an excerpt from her book:
DIABETES: Longing for what might have been. No sweetness left in life.
Affirmation: This moment is filled with joy. I now choose to experience the sweetness of today.
Just keep repeating the above affirmation over and over again and see how your life changes. You can write them out in an affirmation journal as well.
Recipes
Flax Crackers
2 cups ground flaxseed
1 cup chia seed
3/4 cup whole flax seed
1/4 cup hemp seed
himalayan salt
rosemary
cayenne if you like
2 cups of water
Mix dry ingredients
Add water
mix well
let sit for at least 10 minutes
spread as thinly as possibly on parchment paper lined cookie sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
or longer depending on thickness
Flip over and bake longer for more crispyness
Enjoy!!
2 cups ground flaxseed
1 cup chia seed
3/4 cup whole flax seed
1/4 cup hemp seed
himalayan salt
rosemary
cayenne if you like
2 cups of water
Mix dry ingredients
Add water
mix well
let sit for at least 10 minutes
spread as thinly as possibly on parchment paper lined cookie sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
or longer depending on thickness
Flip over and bake longer for more crispyness
Enjoy!!
