I've already written a few things about diabetes and the best way to deal with this disease and relieve its symptoms. However, a recent study shows a surprising result: diabetes can't just be managed; it can be cured!

Please note that this only applies to type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often a congenital condition and cannot be cured. At least, not with our current knowledge and resources in the field of medicine.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the entire study is that it was not a test of a new drug. No medication was involved. The disease was cured entirely naturally, namely through food. What you put in your mouth is much more important than you think!

However, before I delve deeper into the study conducted and any tips on how you could perform this diet yourself under the supervision of your doctor, I would like to first discuss the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Curing type 2 diabetes

Promising research from Newcastle University suggests that type 2 diabetes can be cured in just 8 weeks with diet alone. The diet used is effective for individuals who have had diabetes for up to 10 years, and the researchers believe it is likely to work for people who have had diabetes for even longer.

The experimental regimen employed in this investigation was brief and markedly restricted in caloric intake, aimed at emulating the energy expenditure following gastric banding.

It's established that gastric band surgery can swiftly alleviate diabetes. In their inaugural exploration of this dietary approach, the researchers from Newcastle witnessed noteworthy outcomes.

Participants suffering from diabetes for 4 years or less were placed on an 800-calorie diet. Three liquid meal replacements (600 calories total) and three portions of non-starchy vegetables were consumed daily (a total of 200 calories).

After 1 week:

Fasting blood sugar returned to normal and remained at normal levels throughout the study.

Glucose production by the liver decreased, while insulin sensitivity of the liver was significantly increased.

By the end of the study, for

Fat content in the liver and pancreas had decreased significantly

The pancreas returned to normal with glucose sensitivity and insulin production.

The average weight reduction was 15.3 kg or approximately 15% of the starting body weight.

The average weight increase four weeks after the study's conclusion was 3.1 kg (some of which was fluid), but the liver and pancreas were still functioning normally in 7 of the 11 subjects.

In short, the participants had thus effectively cured their type 2 diabetes. Please note: type 1 diabetes cannot be cured with the current state of knowledge.

The survey was conducted in 2011. At the time, the researchers were hesitant to recommend the diet to others because there were too few participants in the first study to justify it. They wanted to see longer-term studies with more participants before recommending the diet.

Today, however, such strict diets are much more common. One of the most popular diets based on this principle is, for example, the 5:2 diet, in which you reduce your energy consumption to 500 kcal per day on 2 days a week.

A variant of this has also recently become popular. This then revolves around a reduction in energy consumption every other day. Also, intermittent fasting is extremely popular, especially because science supports the benefits.

The mastermind behind the 5:2 dietary concept has unveiled an innovative 8-week short-term eating regimen, drawing inspiration from the groundbreaking research conducted at Newcastle University.

The author himself, Dr. Mosley, also has experience in curing his diabetes. His diet is based on natural foods from Mediterranean cuisine and 800 calories a day, which generally puts people in a state of ketosis. The advantage of this is that ketosis has a strong hunger-suppressing effect.

The researchers emphasize the loss of 15% body weight. This amount seems to stimulate sufficient fat loss in the liver and pancreas, allowing them to resume normal function and thus cure type 2 diabetes.

While the researchers conducted their experiments with mainly liquid meal replacements, it may be even more effective to use natural and unprocessed foods. Because it contains so much fiber, this also ensures more satiety. Presumably, other diets sticking to the 800-calorie-a-day rule will yield similar results.

However, that does not mean that every diet is equally healthy. Some programs can promote diabetes. For example, if you only eat unhealthy foods with a high glycemic index, you would of course still lose weight if you only ate 800 kcal per day, but due to the strong fluctuations in your blood sugar level, the chance of a cure for your diabetes is a lot smaller.

Natural foods consisting mainly of plant foods are the best choice and provide the most satiety. And will also support the healing process. In addition, by eating mainly unprocessed, plant-based foods, you will be able to consume a much larger volume than if you only drink shakes or opt for processed foods.

For example, you can eat two eggs, 3/4 cup of lentils, or a few medium oranges for the same amount of calories as one and a half tablespoons of oil. You will need this extra volume if you can consume so little energy.

For example, by eating a lot of vegetables in one day, you can fill your stomach with very few calories. In the end, the diet only lasts 8 weeks; almost everyone can sustain something for 8 weeks, especially when you see results so quickly.

Also, diabetics with a normal weight

It is worth mentioning that the diet helps to cure diabetes not only in overweight people but also in people who are at normal weight. The researchers theorize that everyone has a certain limit on the amount of fat in the liver and pancreas without developing diabetes. However, if you go over this limit, you will have problems that eventually lead to diabetes.

For some, this limit is so low that they already develop diabetes when they have a normal body weight. For example, there is a study that suggests that Asians with a BMI over 23 should already be tested for diabetes, while for most, this is a BMI over 25. So this example concerns an entire population whose tolerance is generally lower, although there are still large differences within ethnic groups.

Ultimately, this diet aims to reduce fat in the organs, so no matter what weight you currently have, chances are the diet will work for you too.

Why a diabetes diet?

Diabetes kills more than 70,000 people a year in the US alone and contributes to 200,000 more deaths. In the US, 29 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes.

A further 8 million people have the disease but don't know it yet. More than 80 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes and are developing the disease at a steady rate.

Nowadays, drugs are only used to control diabetes. However, this is a natural way to cure the disease within 8 weeks, and the researchers estimate that the diet works for about two-thirds of people with type 2 diabetes.

So there's a great chance you could benefit from it too!

To help you get started with this diet yourself, I have listed the most important guidelines for you below, as well as prepared a weekly menu for you. This means that you can get started with the diet right away.

Note that a diet so low in calories could be harmful or have side effects in some cases. Always do this diet (or any diet) under the supervision of your doctor!

Diabetes Diet Plan

The following diet plan is only an example. You can, of course, choose to adapt the diet to your own needs. But again: only do this under the supervision of a competent doctor!

The basic rules:

The rules are simple. The following guidelines exist to make it as easy as possible for you: They are not requirements, but by following the guidelines, you have a greater chance of success.

Eat mainly plant-based foods and limit animal products as much as possible

Avoid added fats such as oil and butter. Also, do not use fat when baking. Use a few spoonfuls of water or vegetable stock instead. It tastes better than you think!

Eat three times a day and eat raw vegetables as a snack if you are still hungry

Limit your energy consumption to 800 kcal per day

Provide half an hour of light exercise every day but DO NOT exercise regularly on this diet

Follow the diet for 8 weeks

And that was it. As long as you limit yourself to mainly plant-based foods, you will see that you can eat a reasonable amount to meet your energy requirement of 800 kcal. So there is no need to go hungry.

Keep in mind that you may experience withdrawal symptoms in the first few days, including a severe headache. This generally goes away after 3 days, but certainly after a week.

Also limit your coffee consumption during these 8 weeks, although it may be better not to completely stop coffee during this diet, as you will get even stronger withdrawal symptoms, and there is no need to do everything at once. After the diet, you can also put the coffee aside.

The menu:

To keep it as simple and easy as possible, I have used dishes with only a few ingredients. All dishes can also be prepared quickly so that you can fit the diet into your busy life.

Day 1:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal prepared with water and half an apple sliced. Cup of tea or coffee.

Lunch: 1 slice of whole wheat spelled bread topped with a slice of low-fat cheese and a vegetable soup (homemade with vegetable stock, onion, garlic, lots of green vegetables, and carrots; avoid potatoes and other starchy products).

Dinner: A large salad of leafy vegetables with a dressing of balsamic vinegar sprinkled with a tablespoon of pine nuts and 100 grams of stewed salmon on a bed of spinach.

Day 2:

Breakfast: Fruit salad of 1 banana, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 apple.

Lunch: Salad of iceberg lettuce, boiled green beans, 1 small potato, and 1 chopped egg with a dressing of salt and lemon juice.

Dinner: Present a single portion of whole-grain spelled bread accompanied by a generous half-cup of your own crafted, reduced-fat hummus (blend chickpeas with garlic, a hint of lemon juice, a dash of salt, and finely ground fennel seeds). Garnish with fresh slices of tomato and crisp cucumber for a delightful finish."

Day 3:

Breakfast: Serve 200 grams of low-fat organic yogurt with 1 banana and 1 cup of strawberries.

Lunch: Omelette of 2 eggs, filled with 500 grams of stewed zucchini.

Dinner: 100 grams of salmon served with a salad and 300 grams of boiled broccoli, fried in garlic (without oil! Use some water!).

Day 4:

Breakfast: 1 banana and a cup of coffee.

Lunch: Greek salad without olive oil with 50 grams of feta cheese and a slice of whole wheat spelled bread.

Dinner: Stir-fried rice in vegetable stock (1 cup cooked whole grain rice) with 500 grams of mixed vegetables and served with a fried egg.

Day 5:

Breakfast: 1 sliced apple brushed with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter.

Lunch: 1 cup vegetable soup served with raw vegetables and 1/2 cup homemade hummus (see recipe above).

Dinner: Pasta dish with 1 cup of cooked whole grain rice pasta, 80 grams of fried chicken breast, and vegetables of your choice. Serve with tomato sauce if desired.

Day 6:

Breakfast: Omelette of 2 eggs a handful of fresh spinach and 1 apple.

Lunch: Sweet salad of 2 cups grated carrot, 1 orange sliced and served with 1 sliced small banana.

Dinner: Tomato soup (preferably fresh and homemade, without oil - boil 1-kilo tomatoes with a finely chopped onion and 2 cloves of garlic, season with salt and pepper) with half a can of chickpeas.

Day 7:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup whole-grain muesli mixed with a grated apple and 1/4 cup low-fat organic yogurt.

Lunch: 100 grams of smoked salmon on a bed of fresh spinach. 1 cup strawberries.

Dinner: Half a cup of cooked rice with 300 grams of broccoli and topped with a tablespoon of tahini with a pinch of salt.

Finally...

So it is indeed possible to cure diabetes, and this can be done without the side effects of nasty medication. It is possible to live a healthy and long life as long as you consume a healthy diet and watch your weight.

But beware, although it sounds very easy in theory, the diet above is certainly not. To get by on so little energy per day you will need all your willpower to keep it up. And especially in the first week, you will often wonder if it is all worth it because you are in the withdrawal phase.

However, is 8 weeks of suffering that much to ask for a life without diabetes? I have tried this article to help guide you in the right direction to cure your disease for good, but it is up to you to carry it out.