macrobiotic healing diabetes
macrobiotic healing diabetes using natural foods, exercise and meditation
Explore macrobiotic healing diabetes and how to maintain more consistent blood sugar through a mixture of eating natural healthy low GI foods, exercise and meditation.
healing diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where sugars build up in the blood. Normally when we eat food with calories, our blood sugar increases and our pancreas produces insulin in response, to stimulate cells in blood vessels to absorb the sugar in the blood. This has the effect of getting energy to cells throughout our body and stopping blood sugars exceeding healthy limits.
There are two aspects to diabetes. How much insulin the gland at the end of the pancreas produces and how sensitive cells are to insulin in the blood and therefore able to absorb sugar from the blood. Low sensitivity is known as being insulin resistant.
Managing Blood Sugar through diet will help reduce the need for insulin. The aim is to gently raise blood sugar and keep it moderately elevated without any spikes created by eating high calorie foods that are also high in the GI or getting stressed.
At the same time insulin sensitivity can be increased through reducing lipids in the body. This can be encouraged through exercise and reducing saturated fats in our diet.
GI and calories
The rate at which the calories in food raise blood sugar can be rated in terms of the Glycemic Index. White sugar is the highest and rated 100, other foods are tested in comparison to the speed at which sugar raises blood sugar in the human body. The higher the number in the GI the faster blood sugar is likely to rise.
High fibre foods like green vegetables, fruit and vegetables with their skins, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans will be low in the GI and can be part of a healthy macrobiotic diet.
cooking
The longer a food is cooked and the higher the temperature the quicker we absorb the calories and raise our blood sugar. So, for example the GI of a baked potato is much higher (89) than a boiled potato (50).
To reduce blood sugar highs raw foods and lightly cooked foods are ideal. Soaking foods can make it possible to cook them quickly. For example soaked millet, buckwheat, jumbo oat flakes or brown rice can cook in 20 minutes.
In this sense some raw fruits like apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries and plums can be very low in the GI if they are eaten with their skins and be a healthy nutritious snack whilst keeping our blood sugar stable.
high fibre foods
Any foods that are high in soluble fibre will bring down blood sugar. These include vegetables like celery, greens and sweet potato. Whole grains will be much better at controlling blood sugar than refined / processed grains. Beans, nuts and seeds all have soluble fibre whilst being low in the GI. Be sure to eat foods with their skins to increase fibre.
Grains
As carbohydrate rich grains tend to increase blood sugar more quickly it can be helpful to have some meals without grains at all. Whole grains will increase blood sugar more slowly as they have more fibre. Beans, or bean products like humus, tofu and tempeh can be combined with lots of vegetables to moderate blood sugar.
Stress
When we feel stressed our natural response is to increase blood sugar and blood pressure, so that we can feed our muscles with more energy and oxygen. When we feel stressed but are not using up the extra blood sugar through intense physical activity, we need more insulin to bring our blood sugar down again.
To reduce creating blood sugar highs through stress we can practice any activity that teaches us how to stop thinking stress inducing thoughts by focussing on our in the moment sensorial experiences. This might include meditation, mindfulness, exercise, the tea ceremony, yoga, tai chi and any creative pursuits.
menu plan for macrobiotic healing diabetes
A typical days macrobiotic healing diabetes eating could include;
Breakfast
- Porridge with nuts, seeds, fruit, cinnamon.
- Vegetable juice
- Green tea
Morning Snack
Humus and raw carrot, cucumber or celery sticks
Lunch
- Bean and vegetable soup
- Salad
- Steamed vegetables
Afternoon Snack
Raw fruit
Evening Meal
- Miso soup
- Brown rice with fresh herbs
- Tofu
- Blanched vegetables
Snack
Roasted nuts
Sample Macrobiotic Recipes for Diabetes
- Vegetable Juices
- Salads
- Pressed Salads
- Blanched Vegetables
- Kimpira
- Steamed Vegetables
- Tofu
- Miso Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Teas
Case history of macrobiotic healing diabetes
This is feedback from Ralph in Sweden who came for a macrobiotic course with me in London so he could apply macrobiotic healing for diabetes.
“I visited my doctor last week and the test results showed amazing improvement in several areas. Firstly, the “bad” cholesterol had plummeted to levels even healthier than the lowest figures of reference for the Swedish people. Secondly, the “good” cholesterol was at a level in the upper figures of the reference table. Thirdly was unbelievably happy news that the measure of the average level of blood sugar – which goes back three months – was at 45 mmol/mol, which converted into the old system (I was told) is 5.2 mmol/L. The reference figures here is between 4.5 – 6.00 mmol/L. In other words, my blood sugar was at an absolutely perfect level (and only two months had passed since I started macrobiotics).
My doctor, although she is a renowned professor of diabetics as well as a prominent researcher in that area was astounded. She could hardly believe her eyes looking at the diagrams. And was curious about what macrobiotics was and so I will bring a book to her next time we meet so that she can have a look for herself. Hopefully she can absorb some of the philosophy and dietary recommendations into her treatment of other people and even in the articles and papers she’s writing”.
macrobiotic diabetes paper
Simon Brown worked with Diabetacare for over two years training specialist diabetes nurses to be health coaches using nutrition, meditation, exercise, good sleep and positive thinking. This paper explores macrobiotics, diabetes and managing blood sugar.
ENGLISH – Macrobiotics and the Management of Diabetes IMC 10.11.17
PORTUGUESE – Macrobiotica e a gestao de Diabetes
personal macrobiotic healing diabetes advice
You can have an in person or skype / facetime / Zoom session with Simon to help you with macrobiotic healing of diabetes. To find out more or to book your session call +44 (0) 7543663227 or +351 962413138 or email.