Fiber is the part of the plant that cannot be digested or absorbed by the body. It is a carbohydrate that is obtained from vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Fiber is either water soluble or water insoluble. Water-soluble fiber is especially good for people with diabetes because it delays the pace at which food passes through the stomach. This allows a slower rate of absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, which reduces the glycemic roller coaster. It also improves insulin sensitivity, combating insulin resistance and helping insulin do its job of ushering glucose into the cells.
According to Dr. Julian Whitaker, MD, “One of the earlier studies demonstrating the power of dietary fiber in the treatment of diabetes was conducted by Perla M. Miranda, RD, MS, and David L. Horwitz, MD, PhD, FACp, and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 1978. Each of eight subjects who had insulin-dependent diabetes consumed either 20 grams of dietary fiber per day in the form of high-fiber bread or a mere 3 grams of fiber. All other factors of the diet were kept constant, as was the patients’ insulin dosage. On the low-fiber intake, the average blood glucose level of the patients was 169.4 mg/dl. During the period of higher fiber intake, the mean blood sugar level was 120.8 mg/dl.”
Gabriel Cousens, MD
“There Is a Cure for Diabetes – Revised Edition”
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