Should Type 2 Diabetics Start Eating Like a Caveman?

Thousands of diabetics memorize the American Diabetes Association Guidelines, weigh everything they put into their mouth, and count every carb... yet watch their blood sugar levels rise and fall like last year's Dow Jones. If this sounds like you, it might be time to consider one of the 'hottest' concepts in the nutrition field... paleo dieting.

Paleo dieting, short for 'Paleolithic' or the time period that modern humans first burst on the world's stage, is an eating plan that reflects the diet of our ancient ancestors.

What does this type of diet generally look like?

Foods Allowed On The Paleolithic Diet:

1. Meats of all kinds (including red meat, like steak and bacon)

2. Fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables

3. Water

4. Nuts (limited quantities)

5. Generous portions of fish and shellfish

6. Eggs

Foods Not Allowed On The Paleolithic Diet:

1. Grains and cereals (even whole grains)

2. Anything boxed, bagged, or packaged

3. Alcohol

4. Foods and drinks with sugar added

5. Dairy

As you can see, the diet is fairly restrictive in some areas (grains), and liberal in others (meats). In some ways, this approach is a planet-sized departure from the ADA diet that advocates a low-fat, moderate-carb diet with generous amounts of low-fat dairy. On the other hand, many of the staples of each diet: lean meats, eggs, fresh fruits and veggies, are found on 'both sides of the aisle'.

While you may think that eating this way is impractical or impossible, keep in mind that thousands of fairly hardcore followers as well as research subjects have been able to stick to the diet with no more effort than the typical diabetic diet.

Also, the potential payoff from this diet, nearly symptom-free diabetes, makes it at least worth a try. Recently, researchers from the University of Lund, Sweden, put a paleo diet head to head with the ADA diet for a 3-month period. They measured a battery of important factors that indicate overall health and diabetic control such as body weight, HbA1c, blood cholesterol, and waist circumference.

To the dismay of the ADA, the paleo diet trumped the standard diabetes diet in every single parameter measured. The researchers concluded that: 'Over a 3-month study period, a Paleolithic diet improved glycemic control and several cardiovascular risk factors compared to a Diabetes diet in patients with Type 2 diabetes'.

How does this diet work? No one knows for sure, but one of its weapons against Type 2 diabetes is the low glycemic index. Although whole grains typically have a lower GI than their refined counterparts, their GI can be double or even triple when compared to most natural vegetables.

Also, it seems that the paleo diet lowers inflammation... the silent cause of most cases of Type 2 diabetes. Research shows that a caveman diet can effectively reduce chronic inflammation.

While a caveman diet may sound like the newest fad diet for diabetics, the truth is that with 50,000 years of history in its favor, it's the oldest and most trusted diet of all time.

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Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
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Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide