It is obvious why I chose this topic for my very first article. I believe it is the cornerstone of reversing diabetes! Yes, you read it right! Sugars and carbs as a concept would only come in second.
Why would I make such a statement? If you read the About us page then you know that my mom and me thought we were eating seemingly healthy… Somehow her numbers were not dropping as much as expected! My own fasting numbers were also high when I first decided to check my BS out of curiosity… Both of us were in a desperate need of understanding what a heck was going on!
Recently I read this book of Dr. Chris van Tulleken, Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food, 2023, and that was the “aha!” moment for me! I realized that once that we instinctively gave up on industrial food with infinite list of ingredients, we also started our journey of reversing diabetes! What is the ultra-processed food? Well, the definition is extremely long and to tell you the truth, it was hard for me to understand! However, I will list a few characteristics that together will define this type of food:
- ultra-processed food has more than five-six ingredients
- some of the ingredients were not even invented during your grandma’s time so she never used them in her kitchen
- some of the ingredients are molecules unknown to you and to your body; they are used to make the products tastier and create addiction
- ultra-processed food contains aromas to enhance the fragrance
- they contain powdered ingredients (powdered milk, potato flakes, powdered eggs or vegetable protein etc) to optimize the price thus making the product super-cheap
- industrial food will never satiate you, you will always want to eat more and more even if you’re already full
- the packaging is extremely attractive for kids and adults: they display cartoons or phrases like “healthy choice for your breakfast” on the boxes
Basically, if you have a packaged food in your hands that has an ingredient list, there are 95% chances that it is an ultra-processed food that you’re staring at. The problem is that this type of food seems to be also the reason of the overweight pandemics. Once that my mom and me stopped eating ultra-processed food, we immediately lost weight! Lots of it! 25 kgs (55 pounds) my mom and 12 kgs (26 pounds) myself in a matter of five weeks! When we reached our bodies’ comfort zone, we stopped losing weight even if we kept on going with our new diet. Never gained back a pound! Was it difficult? Just for the first three, four weeks until we got used to it. Later it became a habit, we developed new “favorite” things that we loved as much! Like pancakes made of the mix of flours instead of wheat flour, for example!
Is it more expensive? Maybe… But if you keep on eating ultra-processed food, you will surely become unhealthy and one day you’ll have to spend all the money that you saved on healthcare. However, choosing frozen veggies, for example, will make some difference in your wallet. They are also healthier as they keep all their vitamins!!
Here’s a tip: always do your shopping after eating and try to avoid the ultra-processed products isles as much as possible! By giving up on this food, you will immediately reduce your sugars and sodium intake (important for your diabetes, blood pressure and general heart health)! No more chemicals will enter your body to destroy your liver, kidneys and brain! No more powdered products and trans fats to increase your cholesterol! Your general health will improve visibly! It might take some time to do your home-cooking but with a little bit of organization, like preparing ahead and freezing for example, it can be done.
Do I recommend Dr. Chris van Tulleken’s Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn’t Food? Yes, definitely, at least the first three chapters! The last two are more theoretical about the politics and principles to implement to reduce the consumption of the ultra-processed foods. The book is extremely well documented and it gives lot’s of insights into the food industry and how they manipulate masses of people by creating addiction in order to increase their profits.
Remember! Reversing diabetes starts with your next meal! Your health comes first! Trust me, you will develop new “favorite foods” that will be even tastier and you will love as much!