WASHINGTON, DC—November is National Diabetes Month, and Food for Life, a plant-based nutrition and cooking class program, aims to help people prevent, reverse, and even reverse type 2 diabetes with plant-based foods. We are launching the “Eradicate Diabetes” initiative. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
According to the World Health Organization, each year more than 38 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, 97.6 million are prediabetic, and 1.2 million are diagnosed with diabetes. american diabetes association. Diabetes disproportionately affects Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans.
However, decades of research have shown that plant-based diets are beneficial against diabetes. In the Adventist Health Study 2, which surveyed approximately 61,000 people, The incidence of diabetes was 2.9% in those consuming a vegetarian diet compared to 7.6% in non-vegetarians..
Years of clinical research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine also demonstrate the effectiveness of plant-based diets for people with type 2 diabetes. In one study, 99 people were randomly assigned. Follow either a low-fat, plant-based diet or the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association. 22 weeks. 43% of the vegan group were able to reduce their diabetes medication, compared to 26% of the ADA group. And those who followed a vegan diet had significant improvements in weight, HbA1c, and LDL cholesterol.
Before taking the Food for Life class series, Stephanie Goetsche wasn't paying attention to the fat in her diet, eating lots of processed foods instead of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. She suffered from type 2 diabetes and had an A1C of 11%. A1C is a measurement of a person's average blood sugar level over the past three months. A normal A1C is less than 5.7%, prediabetic levels are 5.7% to 6.4%, and 6.5% or more indicates diabetes.
“The real game changer happened about three weeks after I started the Food for Life class,” Stephanie recalls. “Instead of a scary spike over 140, my blood sugar stayed below 100. That's when it really hit me: I was actually reversing my type 2 diabetes. By simply changing what was on my plate, I was rewriting my health story.”
Six months after starting classes, Stephanie reversed her diabetes and lowered her A1C to a healthy 5.2%. Her cholesterol levels have gone down, her blood pressure is normal, she is no longer obese, and her energy levels are “through the roof.”
The key to her success, she says, was receiving proper nutritional education in Food for Life classes taught by instructors Jill Erickson and Joel Erickson. Food for Life classes, designed by doctors, nurses, and nutritionists, promote a healthy plant-based diet based on the latest scientific research. Each class includes an introduction to how specific foods and nutrients work to promote or suppress disease, cooking demonstrations of delicious and healthy plant-based recipes, practical cooking skills and healthy eating habits. Contains tips for incorporating it into your daily life.
“Stephanie's success in overcoming type 2 diabetes and improving her health does more than just demonstrate the healing power of a plant-based diet based on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans,” says Food for Life. says instructor Jill Erickson. “It also demonstrates the power of the Food for Life program’s education and support to help class participants achieve their life-saving health goals.”
To learn more about how a plant-based diet can help you or someone you know improve diabetes and other health conditions, visit Food for Life to find a class near you.
