Flashback Friday: Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet for Diabetes

What happens when you add massive amounts of carbs to the daily diet of type 2 diabetics in the form of whole grains?

Here are a few other diabetes videos, but I’ve got tons more here.

Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

Image credit: CC0 Public Domain/Maxpixel. Image has been modified.

[Lexaire]

That control diet looked pretty healthy! I'm surprised such a pronounced difference was found between it and the Ma-Pi 2. Looks like switching out olive oil, cod, dairy, and processed grains for unprocessed grains and whole vegetables made a lot of difference.

[bonniemullen]

Once again Dr. Greggors a excellent report on diabetes and diet control !!!! Thank you ❣️💕😁😘🕊💝

[chiyerano]

The macrobiotic diet looks like a diet I can definitely do regularly even though I am not diabetic. Loving the variety of whole grains, legumes, and vegetables.

[MichaelSuperbacker]

Dr Greger, this will help me greatly! Thank you! Dr Greger, do you have more videos on diabetes that you can help me with?

[robertkhamis]

Do you know what is the biggest SIN that you may make?
It is leave a Dr.Greger video without tapping the like thumb up.
Thank you so much Michael

[smallfootprint]

I loved my time on the macrobiotic diet in the early 80s. Unfortunately I added back dairy, at some point, and got myself fat and sick. Eventually getting back to basics, I adopted raw, and then the Starch solution. So glad I have all these great people with this great knowledge to back up my journey. Thank you, Dr. Greger. Whenever I get off track, I draw on my experience I had on macrobiotics, and I feel better. Glad to see you post this study.

[SherryEllesson]

I love oat groats with a bit of Tamarai and a few drops of toasted sesame oil. I used to make it with bits of sea veggies cut up in the cooking water but I've gotten hesitant about using Japanese sea veg since the Fukushima incident. I've asked about this on your live Q&A but never received an answer.

[MiwaKaursKitchen]

I hope unprocessed whole grains become more widely available at regular supermarkets soon! 🙂

[pokagal]

Dr. Greger, thank you, but it is so frustrating for a lay person like myself to know so many diabetics and none of them would even think of changing their diets. I want to show them your videos, give them the "how not to die" book, but it would be a waste of time. The insulin pump is the worst invention EVER. I have an RN friend who works for an insulin pump company, and frankly, I do not know how she can sleep at night. I have been in the company of a man on a pump drinking liquor and stuffing his gob with sweets...at the same time. Heartbreaking. I work at a med school. It is a disgrace what my school is NOT teaching students about nutrition.

[davidfernandez]

Could you recommend a breakfast lunch and dinner using this diet?

[gangigirl]

Once again, proof that food IS medicine.

[christophergray]

I love Dr Greger. But the studies he cites here are low participant numbers. The 6 month study was only 16 people. There is still so much contradictory information about nutrition. The main issue is that we know very little about how nutrition impacts our bodies and each of us has our own unique metabolism.

Grains cause inflammation in some people. Those people needs to stay away from grains.

I have oral allergy syndrome with allergies to birch and ragweed. So I need to stay away from fresh fruits and veggies that are part of my OAS.

I love what Dr Greger and Dr Michael Li are doing in promoting healthy food choices. But you need to pay attention to your own metabolism and figure out what works best for your body.

[universalsoldier]

I keep trying to tell my diabetic coworkers this, but they keep insisting that they are doing it the "right way" with low carb and high fat. I think it might be an excuse to keep on eating Taco Bell and pizza.

[blk]

There has to be an answer out there somewhere. Can you please help? I am 70, WFPB, recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Refused medication for it. Whenever I eat beans, rice or potatoes my glucose spikes. Even after fasting for 14 hours my glucose is over 150. Why???

[rythmicwarrior]

1800 cal! Damn that's like half of my daily intake!

[clover]

I don't even know what millet is.

[retta]

A diet with no fat is not sustainable. Bread, potatoes, rice, without butter, no thank you!