Type 2 diabetes
Pancreas --- undervalued, multi-tasking, hard working organ
First, let's take a quick look at the mechanism of the pancreas.
It's always fascinating how our body systems function almost
miraculously!
Situated behind the stomach(right under left rib cage), the pancreas is
connected to the duodenum through a common bile duct with the liver
and gallbladder.
And the pancreas is commonly divided into 3 sections,
the head
the body
and the tail
“The head” secretes pancreatic juices, which aid in digestion of main
nutrients of food such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
“The body” and “the tail” produces enzymes and hormones, including
insulin, which regulates blood sugar(glucose) level.
The pancreas also secretes bicarbonates into duodenum, which
neutralizes the acids coming from the stomach.
Yes, even though we normally do not pay attention to it, the pancreas
is such an amazing, and hardworking and extremely important organ.
So let's take some time to pay gratitude to it.
Put your hand just below the left rib cage, and say,
"Thank you, my pancreas for all your jobs~! xoxo"
Normal, healthy digestive function
Glucose, the main energy source
Our digestive system is meticulously orchestrated so the food we eat
can be turned into the blood, cells, tissues, organs, muscle, bones
and energy.
The most important nutrient for human body, despite the common
belief, is carbohydrates, which turns into glucose.
That's the main energy source for trillions of cells, nerves and brain
function.
Without glucose, our body cannot function.
It’s like a car without fuel.
So we need a steady, precise amount of glucose at all time to sustain
our bodily function.
Especially brain has to be supplied with glucose while other parts of
the body tissue can live off fuels deprived from fat only temporarily.
Too low in blood glucose first affects brain and nervous function,
especially cerebral cortex, causing depression, fatigue, mental
disability etc
And eventually it will starve all the body’s cells.
Complex carbs vs simple carbs
Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), found in whole grains and
vegetables, slowly and gradually burn and turn into glucose
(monosaccharide)
First in the mouth, these linkage of multiple saccharides are broken
down into simpler form of sugar by digestive enzyme called amylase
(saliva). Chewing stimulate the enzyme to be secreted.
That's why chewing is so important!
Then other digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas break them
down into even smaller form.
Finally, as the simplest form of sugar (monosaccharide/glucose), they
are absorbed in the small intestines, turn into the fuel for the whole
body function.
This slow and long metabolic process provides gradual energy for all
the cells, nerves and the brain with little stress.
But simple carbohydrates (disaccharide and monosaccharides), found
in sugars, fruits, milk sugar(lactose), and refined foods (white bread,
pasta, rice etc) completely bypass this normal digestive process,
quickly burn and absorbed (some even through the stomach!), and
smother the blood with sugar (glucose).
The brain immediately notices this emergency situation, and puts the
body on alert, sends a message to the pancreas to secretes abnormal
amount of insulin to regulate this dangerously high sugar level in the
blood, so the body can maintain normal blood glucose level.
But this process put tremendous stress on the organ, and overtime it
gets exhausted, starts to lose its function.
That's the condition called type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas
cannot process insulin effectively, and blood sugar (glucose) level is
chronically too high.
And some of the common complications are :
Heart diseases
kidney failure
eye/vision problems
nerve problems (diabetic neuropathy)
damage to blood vessels
susceptible to infections
some types of cancers
Causes of pancreatic dysfunction
It may be easy to blame your genes for this condition (or anything for
that matter), but from Macrobiotic point of view, primary and underlying
cause of diabetes is that the pancreas has become overwhelmed,
loosen and swollen (expanded), and lost its natural ability to secrete
insulin after years of excess consumption of certain foods/drinks with
"expansive, loosening effect" such as :
Sugar and other sweeteners, honey, chocolate, soda, fruits (fructose),
juice, dairy (lactose), alcohol, spices, chemicals, drugs etc
Yes, foods/drink typically consumed in modern society!
No wonder why so many people (1 in 3 in America!!) are at risk of
developing this disease!
Dairy
Other than the fact that dairy contains simple sugar called lactose,
which may contribute to this condition, some studies have also shown
the link between some protein in dairy food and diabetes, too.
Our body has natural defense mechanism against foreign substances
(autoimmune system), and proteins in dairy food clearly does not
belong to our body.
So the body recognizes them as “foreign substances” and start to
attack them, which causes some allergic reaction such as digestive
problems, sneezing, skin problems, etc etc.
But the problem is that a certain protein in dairy looks almost identical
to certain cells in the pancreas, so when you are regularly consuming
dairy food, the body starts to attack these pancreatic cells too “by
mistake”. (auto-immune disorder)
Overtime, this leads to pancreatic damage and dysfunction, and
possibly causes to diabetes.
Butter and cream, anybody? (more about dairy, click here)
Prevention and solution
Well, unfortunately you cannot change your genes.
So what can we do to prevent or improve the condition?
1 Significantly cut down on certain foods
* In some cases, completely avoid them, at least until condition
improves.
Sugar and other sweeteners, chocolate, soda, fruits(especially tropical
origin), juice, dairy foods, refined foods, spices, alcohol, drugs.
Also important to cut down on meat, eggs, cheese and other animal
foods since they make you crave those foods above.(See the left)
2 Switch your diet from "Simple carb based" to "Complex carbs"
Eat more whole grains and variety of vegetables (land and sea),
beans etc, and restore the normal, healthy, "real human-like" digestive
process!
3 Eat more foods high in fiber
High fiber diet is proven to significantly improve the condition.
Whole cereal grains, root vegetables, beans are especially good
source of fibers, while animal foods, refined foods, sugar are little or
no fiber.
4 Special dishes and home remedies
There are some special dishes that you can incorporate in your daily
meal to improve the condition, using high fiber root vegetables such
as burdock root, or naturally sweet tasting winter squashes/pumpkin.
Also, there are some home remedies that helps your body restore the
natural healing power such as
Umesho bancha tea
mineral rich, alkalizing, strengthen the pancreas
*recipe
Sweet vegetable drink
regulate blood sugar level, calms sugar cravings
*recipe
* I teach these dishes and home remedies in my cooking classes.
For more infos, please contact me.
5 Life style
Exercise, regular movement (walk as much as possible, etc) are very
important, too.
Also, eating late at night put extra burden on the pancreas and whole
digestive system.
Take responsibility for your own health
In Japan, diabetes is categorized as one of the "Life Style Diseases"
by the Ministry of Health , along with heart diseases and cancers.
There may be other causes, but most of them are difficult to change.
Daily diet and exercise, on the other hand, are something that you
have control over, and can start to work on right away.
Do not "outsource" your health.
Not everyone can be a spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company.
It's your responsibility.
Take charge, be the captain of your life!
And trust your own body's amazing healing power : )
***
If you have diabetic condition, pre-diabetics, or concern about the
risk, and you are interested in holistic approach, I offer Macrobiotic
health consultation. Please ask me for more infos.
Pancreas --- undervalued, multi-tasking, hard working organ
First, let's take a quick look at the mechanism of the pancreas.
It's always fascinating how our body systems function almost
miraculously!
Situated behind the stomach(right under left rib cage), the pancreas is
connected to the duodenum through a common bile duct with the liver
and gallbladder.
And the pancreas is commonly divided into 3 sections,
the head
the body
and the tail
“The head” secretes pancreatic juices, which aid in digestion of main
nutrients of food such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
“The body” and “the tail” produces enzymes and hormones, including
insulin, which regulates blood sugar(glucose) level.
The pancreas also secretes bicarbonates into duodenum, which
neutralizes the acids coming from the stomach.
Yes, even though we normally do not pay attention to it, the pancreas
is such an amazing, and hardworking and extremely important organ.
So let's take some time to pay gratitude to it.
Put your hand just below the left rib cage, and say,
"Thank you, my pancreas for all your jobs~! xoxo"
Normal, healthy digestive function
Glucose, the main energy source
Our digestive system is meticulously orchestrated so the food we eat
can be turned into the blood, cells, tissues, organs, muscle, bones
and energy.
The most important nutrient for human body, despite the common
belief, is carbohydrates, which turns into glucose.
That's the main energy source for trillions of cells, nerves and brain
function.
Without glucose, our body cannot function.
It’s like a car without fuel.
So we need a steady, precise amount of glucose at all time to sustain
our bodily function.
Especially brain has to be supplied with glucose while other parts of
the body tissue can live off fuels deprived from fat only temporarily.
Too low in blood glucose first affects brain and nervous function,
especially cerebral cortex, causing depression, fatigue, mental
disability etc
And eventually it will starve all the body’s cells.
Complex carbs vs simple carbs
Complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), found in whole grains and
vegetables, slowly and gradually burn and turn into glucose
(monosaccharide)
First in the mouth, these linkage of multiple saccharides are broken
down into simpler form of sugar by digestive enzyme called amylase
(saliva). Chewing stimulate the enzyme to be secreted.
That's why chewing is so important!
Then other digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas break them
down into even smaller form.
Finally, as the simplest form of sugar (monosaccharide/glucose), they
are absorbed in the small intestines, turn into the fuel for the whole
body function.
This slow and long metabolic process provides gradual energy for all
the cells, nerves and the brain with little stress.
But simple carbohydrates (disaccharide and monosaccharides), found
in sugars, fruits, milk sugar(lactose), and refined foods (white bread,
pasta, rice etc) completely bypass this normal digestive process,
quickly burn and absorbed (some even through the stomach!), and
smother the blood with sugar (glucose).
The brain immediately notices this emergency situation, and puts the
body on alert, sends a message to the pancreas to secretes abnormal
amount of insulin to regulate this dangerously high sugar level in the
blood, so the body can maintain normal blood glucose level.
But this process put tremendous stress on the organ, and overtime it
gets exhausted, starts to lose its function.
That's the condition called type 2 diabetes, where the pancreas
cannot process insulin effectively, and blood sugar (glucose) level is
chronically too high.
And some of the common complications are :
Heart diseases
kidney failure
eye/vision problems
nerve problems (diabetic neuropathy)
damage to blood vessels
susceptible to infections
some types of cancers
Causes of pancreatic dysfunction
It may be easy to blame your genes for this condition (or anything for
that matter), but from Macrobiotic point of view, primary and underlying
cause of diabetes is that the pancreas has become overwhelmed,
loosen and swollen (expanded), and lost its natural ability to secrete
insulin after years of excess consumption of certain foods/drinks with
"expansive, loosening effect" such as :
Sugar and other sweeteners, honey, chocolate, soda, fruits (fructose),
juice, dairy (lactose), alcohol, spices, chemicals, drugs etc
Yes, foods/drink typically consumed in modern society!
No wonder why so many people (1 in 3 in America!!) are at risk of
developing this disease!
Dairy
Other than the fact that dairy contains simple sugar called lactose,
which may contribute to this condition, some studies have also shown
the link between some protein in dairy food and diabetes, too.
Our body has natural defense mechanism against foreign substances
(autoimmune system), and proteins in dairy food clearly does not
belong to our body.
So the body recognizes them as “foreign substances” and start to
attack them, which causes some allergic reaction such as digestive
problems, sneezing, skin problems, etc etc.
But the problem is that a certain protein in dairy looks almost identical
to certain cells in the pancreas, so when you are regularly consuming
dairy food, the body starts to attack these pancreatic cells too “by
mistake”. (auto-immune disorder)
Overtime, this leads to pancreatic damage and dysfunction, and
possibly causes to diabetes.
Butter and cream, anybody? (more about dairy, click here)
Prevention and solution
Well, unfortunately you cannot change your genes.
So what can we do to prevent or improve the condition?
1 Significantly cut down on certain foods
* In some cases, completely avoid them, at least until condition
improves.
Sugar and other sweeteners, chocolate, soda, fruits(especially tropical
origin), juice, dairy foods, refined foods, spices, alcohol, drugs.
Also important to cut down on meat, eggs, cheese and other animal
foods since they make you crave those foods above.(See the left)
2 Switch your diet from "Simple carb based" to "Complex carbs"
Eat more whole grains and variety of vegetables (land and sea),
beans etc, and restore the normal, healthy, "real human-like" digestive
process!
3 Eat more foods high in fiber
High fiber diet is proven to significantly improve the condition.
Whole cereal grains, root vegetables, beans are especially good
source of fibers, while animal foods, refined foods, sugar are little or
no fiber.
4 Special dishes and home remedies
There are some special dishes that you can incorporate in your daily
meal to improve the condition, using high fiber root vegetables such
as burdock root, or naturally sweet tasting winter squashes/pumpkin.
Also, there are some home remedies that helps your body restore the
natural healing power such as
Umesho bancha tea
mineral rich, alkalizing, strengthen the pancreas
*recipe
Sweet vegetable drink
regulate blood sugar level, calms sugar cravings
*recipe
* I teach these dishes and home remedies in my cooking classes.
For more infos, please contact me.
5 Life style
Exercise, regular movement (walk as much as possible, etc) are very
important, too.
Also, eating late at night put extra burden on the pancreas and whole
digestive system.
Take responsibility for your own health
In Japan, diabetes is categorized as one of the "Life Style Diseases"
by the Ministry of Health , along with heart diseases and cancers.
There may be other causes, but most of them are difficult to change.
Daily diet and exercise, on the other hand, are something that you
have control over, and can start to work on right away.
Do not "outsource" your health.
Not everyone can be a spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company.
It's your responsibility.
Take charge, be the captain of your life!
And trust your own body's amazing healing power : )
***
If you have diabetic condition, pre-diabetics, or concern about the
risk, and you are interested in holistic approach, I offer Macrobiotic
health consultation. Please ask me for more infos.
Whole Life with Jin
Complex carbs
and simple carbs
HUGE difference!
and simple carbs
HUGE difference!
Check out the video footage of
people who have improved
diabetic conditions through
Macrobiotics.
(click here)
people who have improved
diabetic conditions through
Macrobiotics.
(click here)
Animal food and the Pancreas
Meat, eggs poultry are not the primary
cause of diabetes.
But the problem is eating those foods
naturally make you crave the very
foods/drink that causes diabetes!
Also, animal foods has other negative
effect on the pancreas,such as
hypoglycemia and pancreatic cancer.
More about hypoglycemia, click here
Meat, eggs poultry are not the primary
cause of diabetes.
But the problem is eating those foods
naturally make you crave the very
foods/drink that causes diabetes!
Also, animal foods has other negative
effect on the pancreas,such as
hypoglycemia and pancreatic cancer.
More about hypoglycemia, click here
Miracle of human digestive
process
Aside from carbohydrates,
proteins and fats also have to be
broken down into smaller
molecules to be absorbed into the
body.
Proteins are digested by
enzymes in stomach juice, and
some from pancreatic juice, then
also helped by small intestine.
As for Fats, the bile acids
produced by the liver act as
natural detergents to dissolve fat
in water and allow the enzymes to
break the large fat molecules into
smaller molecules
The entire process of digestion,
from mouth to anus, takes 17 to
24 hours!
process
Aside from carbohydrates,
proteins and fats also have to be
broken down into smaller
molecules to be absorbed into the
body.
Proteins are digested by
enzymes in stomach juice, and
some from pancreatic juice, then
also helped by small intestine.
As for Fats, the bile acids
produced by the liver act as
natural detergents to dissolve fat
in water and allow the enzymes to
break the large fat molecules into
smaller molecules
The entire process of digestion,
from mouth to anus, takes 17 to
24 hours!
Diet soda or not? Doesn't matter. Soda is
soda! The same negative effect on your body!
soda! The same negative effect on your body!