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Obesity & Diabetes
By administrator | September 18, 2007
Don C. Ward CT, NT
In North America we have over 400,000 deaths a year due to obesity! Obesity is the leading cause of preventable death after smoking. Although not everyone who has diabetes is obese, most obese people have diabetes, so I consider the two problems as one. The causation for both problems can be brought down to one factor: too much sugar in the diet! Too much sugar compromises our pancreas through exhausting our glandular system, which leads directly to diabetes. Consider this:
- the average person consumes his or her own body weight in sugar every year!
- 100 million people in N.A. are overweight. That’s 60% of the adult population!
- A 2 liter bottle of coke contains 48 teaspoons of sugar!
- 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes!
- 17,000 people in America have type II diabetes, roughly 1 in 20 people!
- The direct costs of treating diabetes doubled in 5 years, from 44 billion dollars in 1997 to 92 billion dollars in 2002!
- Last year 30 billion dollars was spent on diet products and weight loss programs – 250% more than was spent on health & fitness…
- 40% of meals are eaten in fast food restaurants!
It is becoming obvious to everyone that we don’t have health care in North America, only sick care! Our medical system does not practice preventable medicine, they only treat symptoms. That’s why we are getting fatter and sicker…
A sedentary lifestyle, high sugar consumption, high fat consumption and junk food diets are all to blame for the rise in diabetes and obesity. Other reasons include glandular malfunction, emotional tension, boredom and a simple love of food.
As fat accumulates, it crowds the space occupied by the internal organs. Obesity puts an undue stress on the back, legs and internal organs, which will exacerbate many physical problems. Obesity increases the body’s resistance to insulin and susceptibility to infection, which often leads to diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, gallbladder problems, kidney disease, stroke and many other problems.
Traditionally, there are three basic approaches to weight management through nutritional supplementation. The first is the use of diuretic herbs and nutrients to reduce water retention. Second is the use of lipotropic vitamins, which have the ability to reduce cholesterol and fat. Third is the use of natural appetite suppressants like spirulina.
Top 5 foods contributing to obesity
While it is true that there is no single dietary culprit responsible for obesity, there are certain foods in our grocery stores that are causing kids (and adults!) to unknowingly pack on extra pounds. The shift from whole to refined and processed foods is definitely one of the biggest contributors to the problem. Stripping a natural grain of its fiber, adding refined sugars, and adding chemicals such as MSG, which stimulate the brain to eat more and more, is a one-way ticket to weight gain for most. The top five foods that are causing the epidemic of obesity:
1. White, refined flour products: bread, bagels, cereals, muffins, crackers, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, and granola bars
2. White sugar: soda, candy, cookies, cakes, gum, and ketchup
3. Hydrogenated and/or partially hydrogenated fat: margarine, refined vegetable oils, chips, most microwave popcorn, cookies
4. Processed fast foods: luncheon meats, french fries, burgers, microwave pizza
5. Saturated fat: cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, luncheon meats
White refined flour and sugar will trigger the release of the hormone insulin, secreted by the pancreas. When excess insulin is secreted because of faulty food choices, it is stored as fat. With the perpetual intake of highly refined foods, which are the mainstay of an average child’s diet, cell receptors become insensitive to the amount of insulin released. In order to compensate for the insulin insensitivity, the body will secrete more and more insulin to deal with the glucose (sugar) from the food. As a general rule, more insulin = more fat storage. In order to conceptualize the amount of insulin secreted by a healthy body versus a body that has become insulin insensitive, consider the following statistic by one of the world’s foremost authorities in nutritional and natural medicine, Dr. Michael Murray: “It is estimated that healthy individuals secrete approximately 31 units of insulin daily, while the obese type II diabetic secretes an average of 114 units daily.”
The state of insulin insensitivity is the first step toward the development of obesity and Type II diabetes. Luckily, this process can be halted and even reversed in children when proper dietary guidelines are introduced.
An estimated 5.5 million Americans are being treated for diabetes. Studies indicate that there are 5 million adults with undetected type II diabetes, and another 20 million have impaired glucose tolerance that may lead to full blown diabetes. Urinalysis can often detect diabetes.
Type I Diabetes (Insulin-Dependent or Juvenile-Onset Diabetes) To test for diabetes:
1). Purchase chemically treated plastic strips at a drugstore.
2). Prick your finger and apply a drop of blood to the tip of the strip.
3). Wait one minute and compare the color on the strip to a color chart, which lists various glucose levels.
There are also electronic devices available that can analyze the test strip and give you a numerical readout of the glucose level. You simply prick your finger with the spring-loaded needle, apply a drop of blood to the test strip and place it in the machine for analysis. This test gives you an immediate blood sugar result. It is a device that all diabetics should own.
Type II Diabetes (Maturity-Onset Diabetes)
Those with type II diabetes often cannot perceive sweet tastes. This abnormality may play an important role in how diabetics perceive the taste of their food, and also in how well they comply with the dietary aspects of treatment. The following test can detect an impaired ability to taste sweets:
1). Do not consume stimulants like coffee, tea, soda or sweets for one hour before the test.
2). Fill 7 identical glasses with 8 ounces of water each and label the glasses as having no sugar, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1½ teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons of sugar. Add the appropriate amount of sugar to each glass, then ask someone to rearrange the order of the gasses and hide the labels.
3). Use a straw and sip from each glass, then write down the amount of sugar you think it contains. Between sips, make sure you rinse your mouth out with pure water.
Healthy people generally notice a sweet taste when a teaspoon or less of sugar is added to 8 ounces of water. People with adult-onset diabetes usually do not notice sweetness until 1½ to 2 teaspoons of sugar have been added to the water.
How Do I Deal With It?
There are a lot of similarities to dealing with obesity or diabetes, which is why I have included these conditions together. Obviously the first step is to stop consuming sugar, fats, refined flours, and processed fast foods. Next, cleanse the body of accumulated fats and toxins. Then begin supplementing with the appropriate supplements to promote proper glandular function.
Suggested Supplements:
Spirulina – A naturally digestible food that aids in protecting the immune system, in cholesterol reduction and in mineral absorption. It supplies the nutrients needed to help cleanse and heal, while also curbing the appetite.
Chromium picolinate – Improves insulin’s efficiency, which lowers blood sugar levels. 400 – 600 mcg daily. Vanadyl sulfate – Another trace mineral with actions similar to chromium. It mimics the effects of insulin so muscles use carbohydrates more efficiently, allowing fat to be used as fuel. 5 – 15 mcg daily.
Hydroxycitric Acid – Inhibits excess carbohydrates from being stored as body fat. 750 – 1500 mg daily taken before meals. Amino Acid Complex – Mobilizes fat, reduces cravings for sugar and aids in the release of insulin.
Recommendations:
- Drink a minimum of 4 liters of water a day! Without adequate water intake, every function of the body is compromised and nothing woks well.
- Every morning on an empty stomach, drink a large glass of water with a tablespoon of Linaza (ground flax seed) or psyllium husks to assist the cleansing effect of the digestive system.
- Eat a high-complex-carbohydrate, low-fat, high-fiber diet including plenty of raw fruits and vegetables as well as fresh fruit and vegetable juices. This reduces the need for insulin and also lowers the level of fats in the blood. Fiber helps to reduce blood sugar surges.
- Cleanse the vascular system, liver, kidneys, skin, small intestine and large intestine of toxic accumulations:
- milkthistle extract to cleanse the liver
- okra-pepsin-E3 for cleaning the small intestine
- Syntol for cleansing the large intestine and re-populating digestive tract with friendly bacteria
- chlorophyll for cleansing vascular system
- colonic hydrotherapy for cleaning the large intestine
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