Diabetes - A Helpful Diet for Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease

Type 2 Diabetes - A Helpful Diet for Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease
By Beverleigh H Piepers

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a range of conditions that come about due to a little too much fat in the liver cells, which can exist without causing problems, to full-blown cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. It is often seen among people who are overweight or obese, or in people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at the Lab of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in Castellana Grotte, Italy, looked at 98 people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. They assigned 50 participants to a low-glycemic (low-GI) Mediterranean diet and the remaining participants to a regular diet. After 6 months, their results were reported on in the Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging, 2017. An improvement was seen in the participants in the group who were following the low-glycemic Mediterranean diet. This led the investigators to conclude a low-glycemic Mediterranean diet could be an important method for treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and went on to speculate it could also be a good way to prevent Type 2 diabetes and heart and blood vessel disease.

The Mediterranean diet is based on foods such as...

• various fruits and vegetables,
• whole grains,
• beans, and
• nuts.

Liquid oil such as olive and canola, replace butter and various other solid fats derived from meat and dairy products. Instead of salt, the diet includes herbs and spices for more flavor and less risk of high blood pressure. Red wine is optional.

The Mediterranean diet is thought to lower the risk of...

• breast cancer,
• Parkinson's disease, and
• Alzheimer's disease.

A low-glycemic diet limits sugars, especially of the refined variety. All foods have a glycemic index (GI), a number based on how much a particular type of food raises blood sugar levels. The glycemic index times the portion size is the glycemic load (GL). A "real" goal for the daily glycemic load is 100...

• a cup of chopped kale has a glycemic of 3.
• an ounce of peanuts, actually a kind of legume or bean, has a glycemic load of less than 1. Unfortunately, it also has 166 calories, so don't go overboard.

Need some flavor? Who doesn't?

• a quarter cup of fresh basil leaves, with one calorie, has a glycemic load of less than 1.
• a tablespoon, or 8 grams, of garlic powder, with 27 calories, has a glycemic load of 3.

Crave sweets? Try fruit...

• one cup, or 151 grams of grapes, has a glycemic load of 9, with 104 calories.

In contrast, 1 ounce or 28 grams of a Mounds candy bar, has a glycemic load of 18, with 258 calories.

Check out the American Diabetes Association website for a Mediterranean diet meal plan.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

For nearly 25 years, Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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