Reversing the Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes – a Dietitian’s Journey

I once believed that Type 2 Diabetes was a chronic, progressive disease  because that’s what I was told, but I am seeing for myself that a reversal of symptoms is possible.

Today, after more than 10 years as someone with Type 2 Diabetes, I had an almost normal Fasting Blood Glucose reading of 5.8 mmol/L  (105 mg/dl) – when just 6 months ago, my average fasting blood glucose was between 10 – 11 mmol/L (180 – 198 mg/ml).

Just 2 months ago, after eating a low carb high fat diet with no more than 50 g of carbs per day, my Fasting Blood Sugar was averaging 7.5-7.8 mmol/L (135-141 mg/dl) and at the lab on July 25, 2017, my blood sugar was still way too high, at 8.0 mmol/L (144 mg/dl) – see below.

It was at that time that I decided to lower the amount of carbs I ate and to delay the time between meals (something referred to as intermittent fasting) as these are well-documented to help lower insulin resistance, and in turn, blood glucose. It isn’t “fasting” in the classic sense and there are many things that can be consumed during this period, that don’t affect blood glucose levels or cause a release of insulin. For me, I ate a full supper every weekday and then didn’t eat until supper the next day, although I would have any one of a number of things that don’t impact insulin or blood sugar in between, if I wanted to.

Was I hungry?

Oddly, no!

I’d have a coffee in the morning (my usual cappuccino made with diluted cream, as opposed to milk as it has no carbs) and since there aren’t any carbs in it, it’s something I can enjoy when I am “fasting”…just like “bone broth”.

 

A month later, on August 22nd, for the first time, my 2 hour post-prandial blood glucose (i.e. two hours after a meal) was 5.8 mmol/L (105 mg/dl).

This was definite progress!

To put that in context for someone without Diabetes, blood glucose taken  two hours after meals should be less than 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dl) – so my blood sugar after supper was not only in the non-Diabetic range, it was much better than that!

The problem was, my fasting blood glucose still remained high.

I carried on with delaying the time between meals (“intermittent fasting”) during the weekdays and ate what the number of meals I wanted on weekends, keeping my carbs at a low level, and monitoring my blood glucose every two hours or so.  This is the level I discovered that I do best at.

As mentioned in a previous blog, I added a no-carb beverage before bed that I made with club soda (seltzer), apple cider vinegar and grated ginger root (and sometimes added grated turmeric root) and started seeing my fasting blood sugars come down. I dubbed it “Gingeraid”.

The last three weeks I have been playing around with drinking Kombucha during the day (which is a fermented tea beverage that is mildly acidic)  and as I found out, the acid in Kombucha is acetic acid – just like apple cider vinegar.

I was noticing a marked improvement in my fasting blood sugars!

I’ve since done some poking around in the scientific literature and have discovered that Kombucha and other fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kimchi  (cabbage fermented with ginger, green onion and chili – a Korean staple ) have been documented to have a marked effect on fasting blood glucose.

BINGO!

Most mornings the last few weeks, I’ve had a fasting blood glucose is ~6.2-6.5 mmol/L (112-117 mg/dl)

Today was a first, almost normal fasting blood glucose of 5.8 mmol/L (105 mg/dl).

I did a “happy dance”!

I will write and article documenting some of the scientific evidence that fermented products such as Kombucha, kimchi and apple cider vinegar lower blood sugar but suffice to say, in the meantime I will keep eating the same lower level of carbs and monitoring my blood sugar, continuing to delay the time between meals a few days per week (supper to supper, but eating food if hungry or if my blood sugar is low), drinking Kombucha during the day (I love it diluted 50-50 with Gingeraid), and will drink 1/2 to one litre of Gingeraid before bed.

Final thoughts…

I once believed that Type 2 Diabetes was a chronic, progressive disease because that’s what I was told by my endocrinologist and by the nurses I saw at the Diabetes Clinic, but I am seeing for myself what many clinicians and researchers have discovered – that achieving remission is possible!

Am I “cured”?

No.

But if I end up without any of the symptoms of the disease, does it matter?

 

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Note: I am a “sample-set of 1” – meaning that my results may or may not be like any others who follow a similar lifestyle. If you are considering eating “low carb” and are taking medication to control your blood sugar or blood pressure, please discuss it with your doctor, first.