I have taught for years that beans are nutritionally superior to whole grains, and should be the preferred starch source for diabetics – I often call my dietary recommendations for diabetics “the greens and beans diet” (learn more in my new book The End of Diabetes) A new study published by the research group of Dr. David Jenkins (who originally developed the concept of the glycemic index) has confirmed the advantages of beans over whole grains, especially for diabetics.1
One-hundred twenty-one type 2 diabetics were split into two groups; a “low-glycemic index legume diet,” which emphasized beans and other legumes, and a “high wheat fiber diet,” which emphasized whole wheat foods and other whole grains. The bean group was instructed to consume 1 cup/day of beans, lentils, or other legumes and the grain group was instructed to consume an equivalent amount of a cooked whole grain or whole wheat bread, pasta or cereal daily for three months. (more…)
Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S., and doubles the risk of heart attack and stroke.1 However, type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease – our food choices can either prevent or promote insulin resistance and resultant diabetes.
Many conventional diabetes diets rely on meat or grains as the major calorie source. However, these strategies have serious drawbacks (read more on Diseaseproof.com). High-nutrient, low glycemic load (GL) foods are the optimal foods for diabetics, and these foods also help to prevent diabetes in the first place: (more…)
Among thoughtful and informed medical providers and public alike, there is an ongoing transition toward recognizing adverse health effects from grains as being common and normal rather than rare and abnormal. Not all medical providers, of course, support this change in perspective and some are downright hostile toward it. Likewise, a segment of the public seems to be irritated by the gluten free trend and consider it just a silly fad.
Yet, if medicine is to be science based, no credible medical provider can dismiss the possibility that a large proportion of the U.S. (and possibly world) population may be sensitive to certain molecules present in most grains. Similarly, those that belittle the gluten free movement as a fad might, in fact, be an unknowing victim of grain sensitivity.
Celiac disease may have been described by the ancient physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia in the first century CE. It was not until the 1940′s, however, that the Dutch physician Willem Karel Dicke connected the disease to wheat as a result of the Dutch famine of 1944, in which wheat was scarce and those suffering from the disease seemed to dramatically improve. Since that time, modern medicine has narrowly defined the disease as an autoimmune disease resulting from the ingestion of gliadin, a component of wheat gluten. (more…)
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; this October, what women need to be aware of is that they are not powerless against breast cancer. Mammograms for ‘early detection’ are not the only defense and do not even offer significant benefits. The scientific evidence shows that women do have the power to protect themselves against breast cancer with powerful preventive lifestyle measures. Staying slim and active, focusing on healthful natural foods, and avoiding the disease-causing foods of the Standard American diet are strategies women can use to win the war on breast cancer.
Most importantly, we must unleash the immune system’s special forces: G-BOMBS! (more…)
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and the third most common cancer in both men and women. Yessenia Tantamango, from Loma Linda University (California, USA), and colleagues analyzed data from 2,818 subjects who participated in Adventist Health Study-1 (administered from 1976-77) and who answered a follow-up survey 26 years later from Adventist Health Study-2. Eating legumes at least three times a week and brown rice at least once a week was linked to a reduced risk of colon polyps by 33% and 40%, respectively. (more…)
Colon cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the United States, and it is the 2nd most deadly cancer.1 Proper nutrition can dramatically cut colon cancer risk. Numerous studies have found beans to significantly decrease the risk of colon cancer.2,3,4 A six year study tracking over 32,000 individuals found that those who ate beans, peas, or lentils only twice a week decreased their risk of colon cancer by 50%. If they cut their chance of colon cancer in half by eating beans twice a week, imagine the benefit of eating beans daily! (more…)
If you’re looking to transform your body, then protein is perhaps the most important macronutrient you could ever have on your side. It’s the macro with the highest thermic effect of feeding (i.e. you burn calories by eating it), it helps you regulate insulin by causing the secretion of insulin’s antagonist, glucagon, and it provides the vital building blocks for building muscle and recovery. BUT, it’s also typically the most expensive macronutrient, and THAT’S the problem I’m here to solve today with the below 5 DIRT CHEAP protein sources:
#1 – Eggs. A dozen eggs provides 72 grams of protein for about $1.69. At that rate you can even go Organic and have an extremely inexpensive meal.
#2 – Whey. At anywhere from 50 cents to $1 for 20 grams you just can’t go wrong. One of the purest, most bioavailable protein sources available.
#3 – Beans and Lentils. A can of beans or lentils packs about 45 grams of protein (and fiber!) for about a buck!
#4 – Cottage Cheese. 48 grams of protein ready to eat out of the container for $1.69 – not too bad!
#5 – Tuna. Perhaps the cheapest of all lean protein sources, a can of tuna yields approximately 42 grams of protein for just under $1. Getting your daily protein requirements (I recommend about 1 gram per pound of lean body mass daily) doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive by any means; in fact, it can be DIRT CHEAP by getting a good portion of your daily protein from the above sources.