Cyrus Khambatta, Ph.D
Co-Founder, Mastering Diabetes
Robby Barbaro, MPH
Co-Founder, Mastering Diabetes
Today, almost one-third of the U.S. population is living with a condition known as insulin resistance — the underlying cause of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. More than 30 million Americans have already been diagnosed with some form of diabetes and a staggering 85 million more people are unaware that they’re living with prediabetes.
Insulin resistance is a big deal because it causes high blood glucose and also forces your pancreas to secrete excess insulin. The combination of these two things dramatically increases your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.
To combat this growing epidemic, many health professionals are using “lifestyle medicine” to help patients lower their blood glucose by teaching simple, daily habits that are scientifically proven to lower blood glucose.
Mastering your diabetes
Drawing on almost 100 years of scientific research, Cyrus Khambatta, Ph.D., and Robby Barbaro, MPH, have created the Mastering Diabetes Method to reverse insulin resistance using a plant-based, whole-food diet to dramatically reduce blood glucose, lose weight permanently, reduce oral medication and insulin needs, and simultaneously reduce the risk for many chronic diseases that affect the majority of the U.S. population.
Unlike traditional low-carb methods, this whole-food, plant-based approach includes many servings of fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes, intact whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, leafy greens, herbs, and spices, and discourages eating refined grains, processed foods, vegetable oils, and refined sugars, as well as foods high in fat including red meat, white meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs.
It may sound counterintuitive, but the truth is that these carbohydrate-rich whole foods are incredibly nutrient-dense, providing you with lasting energy and many micronutrients that protect against insulin resistance, rapid blood glucose elevations, and the secretion of excess insulin.
Backed by science
High-quality scientific research has demonstrated that these foods begin reducing insulin resistance, blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol, and blood pressure within the first few days. In contrast, refined carbohydrate-rich foods like chips, cookies, bread, and pastries cause insulin resistance and high blood glucose, especially when your diet contains fatty foods.
In addition, when you eat a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet, you eat foods with powerful, immune-boosting effects that reduce the risk of complications from viral infections. Increasing your insulin sensitivity will not only improve your blood glucose control and decrease your risk for weight gain, obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, it can dramatically increase your body’s ability to protect you against costly and often unnecessary doctor’s appointments and hospital visits.