Fiber-Girl - Prevent and Reverse Type II Diabetes

Check out my new book - Free to Eat!

Fiber Combats Insulin Resistance

High fiber foods also prevent diabetes in another powerful way. The fats found in high-fiber foods such as seeds and nuts are "good" fats because they allow the cell membranes in our bodies to become more permeable, or pliable. The more permeable our cell membranes, the easier it is for insulin to bring blood sugar out of the blood and into the cell, where it belongs. These fats are found throughout foods high in fiber as well as in extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil, and they include monounsaturated fat and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Pliable vs. Resilient Cell Membrane Fats in foods that don't contain fiber are the "bad" fats. Saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol make cell membranes more resilient, making it hard for insulin to bring glucose into the cells. Over time the cells become resistant to insulin. Saturated fat and cholesterol come primarily from animal-origin foods: eggs, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. One current myth says that by eating poultry and fish in place of red meat, you can avoid these dangerous fats. This is only partly true. Poultry and fish do have significantly less saturated fat than red meat, but they all have the same amount of cholesterol. Considering the large role cholesterol plays in insulin resistance, we can't simply substitute the same amount of chicken for red meat. We need to scale way back on all meats, or cut them out altogether.

Trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) are found primarily in processed foods and restaurant food. The government now requires food manufacturers to list the grams of trans fat on labels. But ever noticed a food label claim of "0 grams trans fat" when partially hydrogenated oils appears on the ingredient list? This is because the food industry is allowed to round down. If a serving of food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the manufacturer is allowed to put zero on the label. While this may seem like a negligible amount, think how small that serving size is. Most people eat two or three servings of any given food at one sitting. Lord knows I do. Also, if we are consuming many foods that each contain small amounts of partially hydrogenated oil, that is going to add up, and our cells will be the victims.

next...