Positive Health Online

Across the United States, around 29 million people suffer from diabetes, and another 8 million are thought to still be undiagnosed. Modern medicine tells us that there’s no cure for diabetes, but what most people mean when they say they want a cure, is that they want to be free from the symptoms of diabetes. For me, that was definitely the case.

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My life changed dramatically when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 29-years-old. It’s not unusual for someone to be diagnosed with Type 2 this late, but Type 1 is usually discovered in childhood, and my doctors were shocked – but no-one more so than me! I’d been struggling for years with exhaustion which meant I had to spend most of my afternoons in bed, and when I finally got the diagnosis, I was crushed.

All I wanted was to be productive again. I wanted to go to work for the whole day without collapsing into my bed by mid-afternoon, and to socialize whenever I wanted. I wanted to stop craving sugary foods and get rid of the incredible 25 pounds I’d gained because I was too tired to exercise or control my insatiable cravings. I wanted to be free from the terrible mood swings that were plaguing my life and damaging my relationships, and I wanted to be able to enjoy food without worrying about how much insulin I needed to take to compensate.

When the doctors told me that I had Type 1 diabetes and that it was incurable, I thought I’d never be able to live my life the way I wanted to again. Every day that I couldn’t control my blood sugars felt like a failure; it was even worse when I felt like I’d done everything perfectly. Even when I ate the perfect diet and worked out like crazy, my blood sugars were still through the roof. It was on those days I felt completely defeated, like nothing I did was ever good enough.

After a decade of struggling with chronic exhaustion, fluctuating weight, and an irritable disposition, I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. In my spare moments, I started researching nutrition courses, determined that I’d find an answer to my problems. During one of my nightly sessions trawling through information online, I came across the PhD in Holistic Nutrition, and something in me said yes, this is what I need.

During my studies for the PhD, I realized to my immense shock, that my diet hadn’t been anywhere near as healthy as I’d thought. By making simple changes as I went along and gaining more knowledge, I started to see incredible improvements in my symptoms.

At first, I could hardly believe it, but I suddenly began to have energy throughout the day again and started to crave even more of the healthier options I was putting into my body, instead of the processed sugar I’d wanted before. Even more quickly than I’d dared to hope, I started to lose the excess weight I’d gained while struggling to control by blood sugar levels, and my confidence sky-rocketed. Finally, I was getting my life back.

It was during my studies, and through implementing these changes that I learned that diabetes symptoms can be reversed – even the ones caused by Type 1! As I got better at implementing what the doctors and scientists on my course were recommending as an optimal diet, I was amazed not only by the results, but also by how quickly my body responded to the changes, and how much easier my life became.

All of a sudden, my energy levels were back to normal. I was spending less time in the kitchen, less money on food, and no longer buying into the fads for expensive superfoods, supplements, or the protein powders I was using before. Within a short few weeks, I knew I’d discovered something huge.

Having completed my PhD now, I know first-hand how difficult it can be to decipher the conflicting nutritional information on what’s now considered to be healthy. During my course, I tested out the various theories on myself, cutting out foods I reacted badly to and adding more of the ones that gave me a boost.

At first, my body still craved the fatty foods I’d become used to, but I persevered, and now I’ve re-trained my body to expect only the food I know will make it feel great. By using myself as the guinea pig, I was able to create Feed a Diabetic, a step-by-step programme to help prediabetics prevent diabetes, and Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics manage and reverse their symptoms. I was even able to help parents of diabetic children learn how to recognize the symptoms of uncontrolled blood sugar, and nourish their children back to health.

Now, and after many years and a lot of heartache, I can finally say I look and feel so much healthier. I’m back to my college weight. I feel satiated when I eat because I’m giving my body the nutrients it needs, and my mood has also improved. Best of all, I need 40% less insulin even though I eat 10 - 15 pieces of fruit a day. I genuinely feel like a brand-new person, and I want this to be the reality for every other diabetic out there, too.

It’s my hope that no-one has to suffer for the ten years I did before discovering that I could reverse my diabetes naturally. If you have suffered the same, I want you to know that there is still hope for a normal, healthy life. After all, I’m the living proof.