This part of the series is especially close to my heart and health
because after years of practicing what I teach and counseling
patients in maintaining a healthy blood sugar through diet,
and natural supplements when necessary, I became a trauma-induced
diabetic. I was having some small moles removed
(about the size of a lentil) from my forearm. Within a few hours
of the surgery by a highly qualified plastic surgeon, which by
medical definition was a minor surgery, I developed a life-threatening
MRSA infection from exposure in the surgery room.
Besides having to save my arm with natural methods through
I.V.’s and oral interception of non-drugs, I now had to deal with
an elevated blood sugar that kept spiking—of course it did, my
body was fighting a life-threatening infection! Type-2 Diabetes is
nothing to take lightly; it changes your life forever!
The above episode was the impetus that spring-boarded
my decision to share my many years of research, cooking
and teaching cooking classes worldwide into creating healthy
recipes that DO NOT include food or ingredients that “ignite”
inflammation, elevate blood sugar or blood pressure, raise
cholesterol, sabotage thyroid health, feed health-destroying
yeast, and rob us of our quality of life.
DIABETES
Coconut, and its derived products, is one fat diabetics can eat
WITHOUT FEAR! Not only does
it not contribute to diabetes, it
specifically helps regulate blood
sugar—lessening the effects of
the disease. Island people have
consumed large amounts of
coconut oil for many generations
without ever encountering
diabetes...UNTIL...they abandoned
it for other western foods and oils,
then the results were disastrous.
Controlling your carbohydrate
intake is the best way to optimize
diabetes control. Eating too many
carbs at once can make your blood
sugar levels go on a roller coaster,
making it more difficult for you
to manage your diabetes. Foods
made from grains and flours,
such as bread, pasta, cookies,
cakes, muffins, croissants, pies,
pancakes and other baked goods,
are a huge source of carbohydrates
in the Standard American Diet
(SAD). Using flours with a lower
carbohydrate content can help you
enjoy your favorite foods without
compromising your blood sugar
levels.
Changing A Grain into A Flour Changes the Way It Affects Blood
Sugar
Often, when we take a grain and make it into flour, it changes
the carb and fiber content. SO what tends to happen for you
as a diabetic is that most types of flours will make your blood sugar spike like wild fire. At least that's what most
people experience, which is why our meal plans and recipes
at our Anti-Inflammation Cooking Institute contain virtually
no grain flours.
An example of this is buckwheat. Eaten whole it has a
glycemic index (GI) of around 49, which is a low GI. But
take it and turn it into bread and it changes to a GI of 67,
meaning it affects your blood sugar more rapidly and more
intensely than eating the whole grain itself.
Another example using wheat. Whole wheat kernels are
a very low GI of 30, but we don't tend to eat whole wheat
kernels, we eat whole wheat flour and it has an average GI of
around 74 and wheat contains large amounts of gluten
which not only induces inflammation but compromises gut
health.
Coconut flour DOES NOT change when converted from coconut meat into flour!
“Flour Power”
As described above, even whole grains can be problematic
for people with diabetes (blood sugar imbalances), yet
conventional nutrition for diabetes keep echoing, “eat more
whole grains.” SO, in our Cooking Institute, we only use
almond flour or almond meal, coconut flour, ground flaxseed
meal, sesame flour, ground psyllium, quinoa flour and other
nut flours in our low carb, low or no sugar breads and bakes.
Coconut Flour Comparison Chart
The high fiber content provides coconut flour with many of
its health benefits including a healthy gastrointestinal tract and blood sugar regulation. By now you’re likely asking, “how
is that possible?”
As an example, let’s compare a multigrain loaf of bread.
Multigrain contains only 10 percent fiber and has a high glycemic
index of approximately 85. Coconut flour has a relatively low
glycemic index of 45 and is comprised of 60 percent dietary fiber.
Compared to wheat flour, coconut
flour contains five times more fiber!
So which type of flour slows the
absorption of sugar? Of course, it’s
the flour containing more fiber.
In an interview, Dr. Bruce Fife,
a physician and expert on coconut
products, compared the fiber in
coconut flour to a sponge because
of its affinity for moisture.
As a result, dietary fiber creates
bulk by pulling-in carcinogens
along with harmful bacteria.
Intestinal space becomes freed-up
for the release and absorption of
nutrients as well as for a healthy
gut microbiome in which beneficial
bacteria can flourish. One more
reason to bake with coconut flour!
Reported to Decrease Risk for Colon Cancer
The high fiber content of coconut
flour makes it an excellent weapon
in the fight against colon cancer.
Incidences of colon cancer continue
to increase and become more
prevalent as a result of our bad
eating habits.
One study took a close look at
the role of bacterial microflora in
the gut and the occurrence of colon
carcinogenesis, or cancer development. Amazingly, with the
introduction of only 25 percent coconut flour, in the form of
cake, there exhibited a dramatic reduction in tumor growth. Just
one more reason to bake with coconut flour!
Looking Forward
In subsequent articles, I’ll continue to detail the “Super
Five” flours and their health-enhancing properties and some
historical perspective of the grains.
In the next issue of TotalHealth Magazine, I’ll
outline the benefits of Almond Flour, stay tuned.
Making these healthy lifestyle modifications is what
enables us to “Age Without Feeling or Looking Old” because
we’re avoiding inflammatory foods and ingredients that age us
prematurely while robbing us of quality of life and then propel
disorders and diseases that shorten our life-span.
