The Bernstein Diet for People with Diabetes

The Bernstein Diet or Diabetes Diet, contains a low amount of carbohydrates and a high fat content and is designed for people with diabetes or diabetes. This diet has quite a bit of opposition from the medical world, as most regular diets that have been practiced for over 50 years actually prescribe to take in more carbohydrates and less fat.

The origin of the diet

The diet was developed by endocrinologist Richard K. Bernstein who himself was a type 1 diabetes patient. He first published this diet in a book in 1997 and was part of a full program to achieve normal blood sugar. Diabetes is a disease in which the body produces no or insufficient insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to convert sugar, starch and other foods into energy. Insulin resistance is often associated with other health problems, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even heart attacks. When you have several of these symptoms at the same time, it is called insulin resistance syndrome.

Bernstein was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of twelve. He was prescribed a standard diet high in carbohydrates and low in fat. For twenty-five years he continued to follow this diet as his condition continued to deteriorate and numerous complications surfaced. For example, he regularly had attacks due to low blood sugar, but also headaches and fatigue. Many of those side effects, he said, would arise from the high-dose injections of insulin in combination with the many carbohydrates from the diet. Diabetics use a high-carbohydrate diet to increase their blood sugar. When the blood sugar level becomes too high, this can be reduced with an insulin injection. Bernstein began to experiment on his own by doubling his insulin injections and cutting back on carbohydrate intake. As he saw the side effects diminish, he gradually adjusted his diet and insulin injections by measuring his blood sugar several times a day. By refining his diet, he gradually saw his health improve and he reached a more or less constant blood sugar level.

For years he has tried to convince the medical world of his findings in the hope of helping other diabetics. However, this without success. In 1983 Bernstein gave up his job as an engineer and opened his own practice in New York. His book was published in 1997. Bernstein does not support the specific strict ratio of the three main food groups, namely proteins, fats and carbohydrates. He states that you should measure your blood sugar five to eight times a day because there is simply no objective way of determining how a particular food is going to behave in the patient's body.

First, you should ignore all foods that contain sugar, because those are fast-acting carbohydrates. This is primarily sugar itself, but also most starchy foods such as bread and pasta, grains and potatoes. Second, you should not take in more carbohydrates than those that can work with the insulin that has to be injected or that is produced by the body itself. The blood sugar should therefore not rise after a meal. If the blood sugar rises or falls after a meal, you will have to adjust the carbohydrate consumption. Third, you should stop eating when you no longer feel hungry. The trick is not to leave the table hungry, but also not to eat too long.

The dangers for diabetics lie in so-called low-sugar or sugar-free foods. Things that should be avoided at all times by diabetics are carob, honey, sucrose, glucose, lactose, sorbitol, dextrin, levulose, sorghum, dextrose, maltodextrin, syrup, dulcitol, maltose, fructose, mannitol, xylitol, xylose and molasses. After all, this list is getting longer because manufacturers are becoming more inventive. These ingredients can cause sudden fluctuations in blood sugar. Foods Bernstein strongly discourages include cereals, sweets, biscuits, pastries, potatoes, tortilla chips, popcorn, milk, fruit and fruit juices, tomatoes, carrots, beans, packaged soups and most "sugar-free" diet products. What you can eat are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, tofu, soy products, cheese, butter, cream, yogurt and pudding.

The Bernstein diet is all about getting the blood sugar level as stable as possible and thus preventing possible complications. Overweight patients can also lose weight with this diet. The benefits of the diet were evidenced by a study conducted between 1983 and 1993, which was the most large-scale study in diabetics ever to date. The study found that the risk of certain side effects, such as nerve disorders, eye diseases and kidney disease, were reduced by more than 50%. However, critics continue to argue that the diet is too rich in fat and that the diet is not balanced enough to be healthy.

This book is not yet available in a Dutch version. You can order it on Amazon via the following link. Good luck!