Neal Barnard

This program is truly a revolution in the way we think about this otherwise unforgiving disease. Diabetes is no longer a condition you simply have to live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse. Quite the opposite. If you have diabetes, it is time for you to get your life back.

Sometimes people who are not losing weight blame genetics, lack of exercise, or something else for their problem. Genetics and exercise do play roles, of course. But if you are not losing weight, the problem is nearly always dietary.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you do not want to cater to insulin resistance; you want to counteract it.

I strongly caution against any diets that recommend high-protein foods.

Two large Harvard studies and several other studies from other countries have shown that milk-drinking men have a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer compared with men who generally avoid milk. The explanation appears to lie in hormonal effects caused by milk.

Choose foods from plant sources. Avoid all animal products and keep vegetable oils to a bare minimum. Favor foods with a low glycemic index (GI).

Exercise can boost the effects of a healthy diet, but it cannot make up for a poor one... To prevent diabetes or bring it under control, it is best to use both diet *and* exercise.

Just as a car performs dramatically better when it has the fuel it was designed for, your body performs far better when you give it the food it needs.

Do not rely on exercise alone for weight loss. A healthful diet change can easily trim 300 to 400 calories a day off your daily menu, but burning that many calories through exercise means walking or running 3 or 4 miles a day. Exercise is important, but it cannot begin to take the place of diet changes.

Research has proven that you are not powerless to resist the complications of diabetes. There is a lot you can do to protect yourself.