The Complete Home Guide todiHseerabsse, Nsatural Healing, and Nutrition

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Three to six large cloves of garlic per day would be a minimum re-

quirement. Garlic balances the amount of sugar in the blood by

producing more insulin.

Eating enough of the right things at the right time is important in the

control of diabetes. At no time should the person ever fast. Diabetes

is all about maintaining correct carbohydrate metabolism. Food

should be high in f ber and complex carbohydrates, and should have

the correct protein levels to balance the carbohydrate ratio.

No tea, coffee, alcohol, or fruit juices should be drunk.

All sugars are to be avoided. Use instead rice syrup in minute quanti-

ties, barley malt, unref ned cane juice, and sweet herb (Stevia rebaudi-

ana). Very occasionally you can use small amounts of raw unheated

honey. Also avoid fructose, dextrose, and molasses.

Nourishing, “earthy” foods will be invaluable, but make sure you

choose the right ones: seaweeds and whole grains like rice, millet,

quinoa, oats, and barley are good. Avoid all processed grains. Try the

sweeter vegetables, like Jerusalem artichokes, pumpkins, burdock

root, onion, and parsnips. Avoid potatoes, yams, and carrots.

Avoid bread but, if necessary, eat rye bread.

Six small and easily digestible meals a day may be better than three

large ones.

Oats are rich in many vitamins and minerals and are generally very

nourishing. They can slow the rate of sugar metabolism, thus aiding

the work of the pancreas. Organic oats are best; they can be soaked

overnight in springwater with cinnamon powder and eaten for break-

fast.

Seaweeds, especially hijiki, normalize blood sugar levels. Cook them

with whole grains and add to salads and soups.

Drink one cup of homemade barley water daily (see recipe in chapter 4).

At least one or two apples per day are the best fruit for diabetics.Wild

fruits like blackberries, bilberries, quince, and pomegranate, with

their naturally sharp and bitter f avors, are also suitable. Do not drink

fruit in juiced form; the sugar content will be too high. Other suitable

fruits are pears, grapefruit, grapes (in small quantities), and bananas.

Bananas are known to lower blood sugar levels, but use only overripe

(

nearly black) ones, and have only two or three a week.

Dried f gs, dates, raisins, and other dried fruits are best avoided by

diabetics because of their high sugar content. If they are eaten, they

must be soaked for at least twelve hours.

Home Guide to Herbs - davies