Diabetes Initiative:
Prevention and Treatment
The Food for Life: Diabetes Initiative is the plant-based nutrition and cooking program for type 2 diabetes prevention and treatment developed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine. The intended audience for this program is people with diabetes, prediabetes (defined below), a family history or risk factors for developing diabetes, and their adult family members. It is also designed to introduce health care professionals to the basics of plant-based nutrition for preventing and treating diabetes.
Diabetes is a major public health problem of epidemic proportions. More than 12% of the U.S. adult population has diabetes, and more than one-quarter of the population over 65 has the disease. One out of four people with diabetes is unaware they have it, which means they are not being treated with a healthy diet or medications. Uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to complications from head to toe, including stroke, loss of vision, heart disease, kidney failure, and various problems due to nerve damage and circulatory problems, such as erectile dysfunction or lower-extremity amputation.
An even greater number of people have prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or both), which means they are at high risk for developing diabetes. With prediabetes, blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
There are 86 million people in the United States who have prediabetes, and they are generally
without symptoms. Recent research has shown that some long-term damage to the body,
especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during prediabetes. A blood test is used to diagnose prediabetes. Between 15% and 30% of people with prediabetes will develop diabetes within five years. Weight loss can prevent or delay this onset.
An astonishing one in three children born in the year 2000 is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (and one in two African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans) in their lifetime, unless there are significant changes in diet and activity levels. Fortunately, type 2 diabetes is largely a disease of over-nutrition and sedentary lifestyle. The disease can be prevented, and complications can often be avoided or treated with a significant change in lifestyle.
The course series consists of eight classes. Each two-hour class features a video, discussion, and a cooking demonstration.
Diabetes Initiative Class Topics
Class 1: How Foods Fight Diabetes
The road to diabetes does not have to be a one-way street. There is reason for hope! People who eat plant-based meals are less likely to ever develop diabetes, and for those who have diabetes, plant-based meals can help to improve blood sugar levels and prevent complications. These meals are affordable and can be quite delicious and satisfying. A low-fat, plant-based approach offers a new tool that many have found to be very useful.
Class 3: Understanding Type 2 Diabetes
New research shows that reducing the fat we eat helps to reduce the fat that can build up in muscle cells, which can improve the body’s ability to use insulin. Common dietary fat-lowering techniques, such as taking the skin off the chicken or switching to low-fat milk, do not go far enough in reducing the total amount of fat for many people to really repair this underlying problem in type 2 diabetes.
Class 5: Using the Glycemic Index
We have all heard that white bread is bad and whole-wheat bread is better, but do you know why? You may have also heard that people with diabetes should avoid pasta and fruit. That nutrition myth and others will be explored. By learning a few simple rules, you’ll be an expert in choosing foods that will hold your blood sugar levels steady and give you the nutrition you need for good health. Learn to prepare some dishes that are energizing and that will never leave you with a blood-sugar spike and crash after your meal.
Class 7: Diabetes Care From Head to Toe
By improving blood sugar levels, you can protect yourself from your eyes to your feet, and everywhere in between. Review the steps that are important every day, every few months, and once a year to take good care of yourself. Sample some easy dishes that are simple to prepare at home but look and taste like you fussed quite a bit. We won’t tell.
Class 2: The Power of Your Plate and Grocery Cart
Let’s get practical. This class provides the knowledge and resources for trying out a new way of eating. By using the tools provided, participants often experience better blood sugar
levels, weight loss if needed, and other health benefits within a surprisingly short time. We’ll discuss common concerns, including how to prevent
and treat low blood sugar for those taking certain medications, and how to ease your transition into a filling, high-fiber way of eating.
Class 4: Designing a Diet for Maximum Weight Control
This is not a “diet” that asks you to walk around hungry or feel deprived. How can you lose weight, if needed, without skipping meals or limiting your portions? In a word, it’s all about
FIBER. Plant-foods have it; animal foods do not. Fiber is what makes us feel full, and, as a bonus, it also helps to control blood sugar levels, protects against certain cancers, and, of no small importance, it keeps us “regular.” Learn to comfortably fill up on whole foods and watch the pounds melt away.
Class 6: Keeping a Healthy Heart
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people who have diabetes. Fortunately, the same change in diet that has been shown to be so effective in turning diabetes around also helps to protect the heart, quite dramatically. Dean Ornish, MD, was among the first to show that a change in lifestyle could be as effective as and much safer than bypass surgery for those with significant heart disease. In this class, you’ll sample cholesterol-free foods that are full of flavor and health-promoting benefits.
Class 8: Making It Work for You
Sticking with a new way of eating can take some planning. In this class, we’ll consider occasions that have the potential to present challenges, whether it is eating at work, during
the holidays, or while traveling. Foods that you make ahead of time that travel well, and/or that are good dishes for a potluck will be featured by your instructor.
Why learn with me?
Take the whole series or just one class. Classes are live and online (not pre-recorded),
with some in-person classes offered in Maine.
This series is also offered as a corporate wellness program.
Learn more about why I teach whole food, plant-based cooking.
Learn
I'm a big believer that knowledge is power. Most classes provide a video lesson and many handouts to satisfy the scientist in you (and silence the skeptics!)
Connect
Join a community of learners who are also new to whole food, plant-based cooking. We share tips, recipes, our successes and our challenges so you don't feel like you are doing this all alone. We've got you!
Create
Unleash your creativity - in the kitchen (and beyond). You'll gain confidence to prepare mouthwatering and healthy meals for yourself and your whole family, even if you don't like to cook.