Q. Hi Lynn can you do a post on Sugar Defender? It is supposed to cure diabetes. Is it real or a scam?
A. In looking at this question I would first ask if you want to heal diabetes or just mask it? If you truly want to cure or manage diabetes it will require a change in your way of life. A shot, pill or drop is just a short cut to a perceived improvement, but doesn't actually address the source.
Do you want to stop having insulin spikes, normalize hormones, reduce inflammation, rid excess weight and just feel better? If so you have to change how you see food and give up sugar. All of it. You also have to give up artificial sweeteners. They are poison to the body and we weren't designed to process them. In the event you are craving some sweetness opt for real sugar that doesn't impact insulin such as monk fruit (from a plant) or stevia (also from a plant and can be grown in porch pots).
Focus on "real food" and read food labels. More importantly, read the sugar and carbohydrate content and stay away from things that contain more than a gram or two. Think in terms of shopping the perimeter of the store - meat, dairy and produce. If you venture into the inner isles try to stick to canned veggies, frozen veggies and the essentials.
Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? An easier way to meal plan is to seek out a keto (or paleo) structure. We were duped a long time ago with the food pyramid thinking we needed bread and grains, but have you ever heard of an essential carb? The answer is no. This started when lobbyists pushed cereals and other break-fast foods (note the word comes from breaking your natural fast during sleep). The amount of sugar and carbs in many of these foods would be equal to eating a chocolate cake with frosting, but the marketing was stellar.
We DO have essential fatty acids though because our brains and nerves need fats. When you slowly convert to burning ketones from fats versus glucose you will think more clearly and be less hungry because the liver is satiated. The current marketing which is full of sugar just makes you want more sugar because the liver keeps sending signals to the brain that it needs more. We were created as hunters/gatherers and not supposed to eat snacks and junk all day (another dupe to sell this stuff). You ate when you found food, and preserved what you could. You ate berries including the fiber rather than cups of sweet fructose filled juice (which spikes insulin and triggers hunger).
Our food has been manipulated so far from what it used to be that it has become detrimental to our health. It is time to reclaim and empower yourself to feel your best self, but it will require work and mindfulness.
[I'm not a doctor and would ask everyone to do their own research. I will say I've studied health for years and do offer wellness coaching to help people with health goals and weight loss. There is so much more to this topic such as the benefits of fasting, intermittent fasting, autophagy, etc. but I don't want to totally overwhelm you.]
Blessings,
Lynn