Dr. Woliner's weekly wellness tip

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Docs:

Here is Dr. Woliner's weekly wellness tip.

Have a healthy productive week!

Lyndon McGill, D.C.

EvolvHealth Wellness Advisory Council Member

Salem, Oregon

www.SalemSpineClinic.com

www.EvolvingDaily.com

The Easy Way to Handle High Blood Sugar

There’s a new study that’s being called a big step forward in

solving the blood sugar problem. Researchers stuffed fruit flies

full of food until their bodies stopped responding properly to

insulin.1

So how does this help with your blood sugar problem? Well, the

researchers say they now have another animal they can study –

alongside rats and mice.

Don’t get me wrong here. Some of the biggest breakthroughs in

human health have come from animal studies. But in this case,

they’re looking for new ways to solve a problem that was solved

long ago.

If you have blood sugar problems, the chances are excellent that

you can help end them pretty quickly. And the answer is radically

simple.

Cut out the carbs.

You see, blood sugar problems develop from giving your body the

wrong fuel. Carbohydrates such as sugars and starches may be

tasty… but they’re not a natural part of the human diet.

250,000 years ago, your ancestors didn’t farm grain or bake

cookies. They ate what they could catch or forage. So your body is

based on eons of protein, fruits, nuts and scavenged vegetable

matter as fuel.

Wheat, rice, and other grains – and most sugars – are newcomers

to the human diet. And your body isn’t built to take large amounts

of these new foods.

Eating sugars and starches floods your bloodstream with glucose –

a form of simple sugar. This high level of blood sugar tells your

body to release a blast of insulin. The insulin is then supposed

to trigger absorption of the extra sugar from your blood.

But, over time, your body develops a tolerance to high levels of

insulin. So it takes more and more insulin to trigger the process.

And as your body resists the insulin more and more, your blood

sugar levels skyrocket.

So how do you keep this from happening? Eat low-glycemic foods.

Low-glycemic foods are those that don’t cause your blood sugar to

spike when you eat them. They include lean protein, most

vegetables, seeds and nuts, and even some sweet fruits.

In other words, eat the way your ancient ancestors did.

And we know this works. Study after study has proven you can get

your blood sugar under control with a low-glycemic lifestyle.

Take this recent study from Case Western Reserve University.

Doctors took two similar groups of people and put them on a

12-week exercise program. One group ate a high-glycemic diet – one

that contained typical sugars and starches. The other group ate

low-glycemic foods.

At the end of the 12 weeks, both groups had lost weight and shown

other health improvements. But only the low-glycemic group had

leveled out their blood sugar.2

A low-glycemic lifestyle is actually pretty easy to follow,

because it includes lots of delicious foods. Aim for about 3

ounces of lean, high-quality protein per meal. And eat plenty of

vegetables – pretty much anything you like, except root vegetables

(potatoes, turnips, beets, etc.)

Stay away from processed foods – especially anything with added

sugars. And avoid grains. Fruits aren’t off the table, though.

Focus on fruits you can eat with the skin on, which tend to have

a lower “glycemic index.” Apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and

such are all still okay. Just don’t overdo the fruit, since it

contains natural sugars.

You can add herbs and other nutrients to naturally encourage

healthier blood sugar levels, too. Korean red ginseng,3

magnesium,4 and berries – such as bilberries5 – can all help you

support healthy blood sugar levels.

To top off this simple plan, add about 20 minutes or so of

exercise at least 3 days a week. Even if it’s just a brisk walk,

it will make a big difference.

It’s that simple. Most people find they can take control of their

blood sugar this way in just a matter of weeks.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Woliner, M.D.

1 , S.N. S., et al, “Development of diet-induced insulin

resistance in adult Drosophila melanogaster,” Biochimica et

Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease. Aug 2012;

1822(8):1230–1237.

2 , T.P., et al, “A low-glycemic index diet combined with

exercise reduces insulin resistance, postprandial

hyperinsulinemia, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide

responses in obese, prediabetic humans,” Am J Clin Nutr. Dec 2010;

92(6): 1359-13 Dec 68.

3 “Ginseng offers hope for diabetes patients,”

NutraIngredients-USA. Jul 7, 2003.

4 “Magnesium,” NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.

5 Törrönen, R., et al, “Berries modify the postprandial plasma

glucose response to sucrose in healthy subjects,” Br J Nutr. Apr

2010; 103(8): 1094-1097.