(10-09-10) Slash Diabetes Risk with More Green Leafy Vegetables and Natural Diet

by John Phillip, citizen journalist
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Diabetes continues to grow at a staggering rate with 1.6 million new cases
being diagnosed each year in the US. The American Diabetes Association
estimates that more than 25 million children and adults are either pre-diabetic
or have progressed to the most devastating mature form of the disease. Emerging
evidence now clearly demonstrates that this insidious disease can be prevented
and controlled with a diet naturally high in green leafy vegetables.

Diabetes places a significant burden on an already dysfunctional health care
system, costing in excess of $200 billion annually, and ranks as the seventh
leading cause of death. The disease more than doubles the incidence of heart
disease and greatly increases the risk of stroke, blindness, kidney disease and
neuropathy.

Type II diabetes can be prevented and controlled with a sensible approach to
diet. Since the proliferation of processed and refined foods in the American
diet over the past half century and the introduction of high fructose corn
syrup in the early 1970`s, diabetes cases have skyrocketed in a parallel
fashion during this time.

The results of a study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) reviewed
six studies covering more than 220,000 people, concluding that one and one half
servings of green leafy vegetables per day lowered the risk of Type II diabetes
by 14%. This is significant because the finding provides validity to the
understanding that diabetes is a disease caused by poor diet and can be
improved through dietary modification.

The USDA recommends five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and still
many nutritionists would argue that this is insufficient to reap the full
antioxidant and nutrient benefits from leafy greens. Less than 1 in 5 people
eat the recommended number of daily servings, yet optimal protection from
diabetes and other afflictions requires more than 10 servings each day. The BMJ
study found a small degree of risk prevention from just one and one half
servings of fruits and vegetables, but didn`t explore other equally important
dietary interventions.

As diabetes is a disease precipitated by metabolic imbalance, controlling
blood sugar and insulin are critical components to prevention and treatment.
Following the traditional low-fat, high carbohydrate diet prescribed regularly
to diabetics leads to rapid surges of glucose in the blood, perpetuating and
worsening the disease. Control is achieved by eliminating all sugar and refined
carbohydrates including wheat, snacks, and junk food. Read nutritional labels
and pay close attention to carbohydrates, sugars, trans fats and any disguised
sugar-based ingredients.

Make a slow transition to a fresh vegetable and leafy green diet by
eliminating one unhealthy refined carbohydrate food choice at each meal. For
breakfast, replace pancakes or waffles with a large bowl of mixed berries, and
eliminate bread or pasta from your lunch and dinner meals in favor of a large
green salad topped with olive oil, vinegar, lemon and spices. Not only will you
find a natural low carbohydrate diet packed with fresh greens helpful in
dropping excess weight, but your risk of developing diabetes will be lowered
significantly.

Article References:
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-ba...
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full...
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/2010...
(NaturalNews)

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