Participants: George Guthrie, Tim Arnott
Series Code: WM
Program Code: WM000332
00:37 Hello this is Wonderfully Made and
00:40 I am Dr. George Guthrie Medical Director 00:43 of the Lifestyle Center of America. 00:46 There is a special message for the people today 00:50 there are some people who have tried the lifestyle 00:53 management of disease and have been discouraged, 00:57 because their weight didn't come down, 01:00 their cholesterol didn't come down and maybe their 01:04 diabetes hasn't improved their 01:06 blood sugar haven't does improved. 01:07 We would like to focus today on plant foods, 01:12 because they are not all created equal. 01:18 Here to help us with this discussion is Dr. Tim Arnott. 01:22 Hello George, it's good to be with you again. 01:25 Yes, people with this obesity, diabetes, 01:30 high cholesterol, who have tried that lifestyle 01:34 approach, have found themselves discouraged. 01:39 What's the underlying problem why aren't they 01:41 getting better while their compatriots 01:43 who may be doing the same thing are improving 01:46 dramatically? Well, what we need to understand 01:49 is the role of insulin in the body. 01:53 Insulin of course is a protein made by the pancreas 01:57 that's in the middle upper middle of the abdomen 02:00 and that insulin of course has job and that job is 02:04 to get sugar and actually fat into the cells, 02:08 so that the cells can burn and do the work what they 02:12 need to do and make the things that they need to 02:14 make and so insulin is very important the trouble 02:17 is if your insulin level is too high then something 02:22 is happened that aren't very good 02:24 and that is insulin basically sends the body the 02:27 message hang on to the energy hang on to the 02:31 calories that you have don't let go over them 02:33 and so its more difficult to loose weight 02:36 if you have the high insulin level, also elevated 02:40 or high insulin levels actually tell the body tell 02:44 the liver if you will to make more cholesterol 02:47 they encourage the liver to make more cholesterol, 02:51 so its more difficult to get that the cholesterol level 02:54 down if you have a high insulin level and so another 03:00 a group of individuals may have tried a total plant 03:03 diet as George mentioned a few minutes ago 03:06 and seen their triglycerides the fat in the level. 03:09 The fat in the blood go up, they may have seen 03:11 their good cholesterol go down and the reason for 03:15 this impart at least is that the insulin level may be 03:19 too high in their blood stream, 03:21 so what we want to share in this program is 03:23 how do I get my insulin level down and there is 03:25 one more thing its important to know is that 03:27 insulin is a growth promoter. It moves 03:31 and stimulates cells to divide and so it can raise 03:34 your risk of cancer if your insulin level is too high. 03:37 So, George how on earth can we deal with 03:40 this whole problem of insulin being too high? 03:43 Well that's especially important when we 03:45 think about how doctors tend to treat people 03:48 who have for example diabetes and these are 03:50 some often the people have the hardest time by this. 03:54 What they trying to do is to get medications to 03:56 increase the insulin levels in the body that makes 03:59 it harder to lose weight. I have noticed 04:01 when I treat somebody with who hasn't been able 04:05 to manage their blood sugars with diet 04:07 or pills or by start them on insulin they want to gain 04:10 15 pounds. Insulin is a problem short of a hormone. 04:15 Well, it's important to the body. 04:16 It's still their when there is too much of it, 04:20 its definitely a problem. So, how do we get it down? 04:23 Well, you know different plant foods actually affect 04:28 insulin levels a little bit differently. 04:31 They are some of them that drive the blood sugar 04:34 up higher and because they drive the blood sugar up 04:36 higher the insulin level needs to go higher in 04:39 order to bring the blood sugar back down. 04:42 So, basically what you are telling us George is that 04:45 there are plant foods that the creator has provided 04:49 that have the smallest or the least ability to raise 04:54 blood sugar and that means they have the least 04:57 or smallest ability to raise insulin levels. 05:00 So, if you had difficulty bringing your weight down 05:03 on a plant diet, if you have had difficulty your blood 05:07 sugar down on a plant diet and if you have had your 05:10 triglycerides the fat in the blood go up and your good 05:13 cholesterol go down and had your doctor saying get off 05:16 for that plant diet, because your, your risk of a heart 05:20 attack is going up rather than going down there is hope 05:24 there is hope for you and that hope isn't knowing 05:27 that not all plants are created equal, 05:30 so George give us an overview for individuals 05:33 who need the information fast. 05:36 What kind of plants are we talking about? 05:40 Well, it's those plants that are high in fiber 05:45 and the fiber hangs on to the sugar 05:50 and lets it going slowly. Foods that have not been 05:54 broken apart into different pieces, 05:58 so the body takes some time to break them apart 06:01 that lets the blood sugar go inn. A concept that we 06:05 use to talk about this is called Glycemic Index. 06:10 You can actually rate foods from high to low on 06:14 how much they will actually raise the blood sugar 06:19 and the higher of course they raise the blood sugar 06:22 the harder its going to loose weight the harder 06:24 it will be to have the cholesterol come down 06:27 and the higher the number of the Glycemic Index. 06:30 Its a 100 scale and usually either white bread is at 06:36 the top 100 in another words it raises blood sugar 06:40 most aggressively, most readily or it can be a 06:45 glucose at the top of the scale 100 on a scale 06:48 and so what basically they do is they feed 06:51 individuals different foods, different plant 06:54 foods for example and then they measure their 06:57 blood sugar a short time later and based on the 07:02 blood sugar elevation they assign that food 07:05 which they ate a number and the lower the 07:08 number the lower the blood sugar rise 07:11 the lower the insulin rise after those foods and so, 07:17 what we wanna look at and what we wanna share 07:20 during this program is what foods raise insulin levels 07:24 at the smallest amount to the least elevation. 07:28 So, and spell them out for us Tim, 07:30 what are these categories? Well, George its actually 07:33 quite simply beans are one of the most important 07:37 tools if you wanna have a low insulin level 07:40 and beans are rich in soluble fiber which means 07:44 the blood sugar will actually go in more slowly 07:47 into the blood stream and that would lead to a 07:50 lower insulin rise. So, beans are very important. 07:53 Another category of plant foods that are very 07:57 helpful in keeping the insulin level low are whole 08:01 grains in other words these are oats, barley, 08:04 rye, wheat and other grains that have not had 08:08 anything removed from the grain the fiber is still 08:11 still there. And its best not to have them ground 08:13 up as well as you grind them it, it makes the blood 08:17 or the sugar going to the blood faster. 08:19 That's right George in fact if you can use breads, 08:23 whole grain breads now and Pastas, 08:25 whole grain pastas now if you can use those more 08:28 sparingly and just eat whole grain hot cereal 08:31 or brown rice streamed and beans poured over it, 08:36 those whole grains just cooked and eaten without 08:40 grinding it into flour will give you the lowest insulin 08:44 rise possible and may help those who had 08:46 difficulty loosing weight. Now, other categories of 08:50 plant foods that can keep the insulin low are the 08:53 above the ground vegetables and these are the leaf 08:57 and flower and the stem vegetables like 09:00 Broccoli, kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, 09:05 and all your favorites your understand the leafy green 09:08 vegetables are just powerful in fact George some of 09:13 them are so low and their ability to raise blood sugar 09:16 that they have a Glycemic Index of how much? 09:20 Pretty close to zero, I mean they just don't raise 09:22 it at all and that's exciting news if you have 09:24 diabetes, if you have difficulty loosing the weight 09:27 or if you have had your triglycerides go up 09:30 and your good cholesterol go down you wanna plug 09:33 into these above the ground vegetables which 09:37 essentially don't raise blood sugar and they 09:40 don't raise the insulin level very much at all. 09:43 Well, now Tim will, you say above the ground 09:47 vegetables and that's very positive. 09:49 What about the below the ground vegetables? 09:52 Well, the below the ground vegetables 09:54 are rich in starch those roots lots of starch there 09:58 of course the creator he made those foods 10:01 they have a particular role we'll talk more about that 10:03 later, but if you have had difficulty in loosing 10:06 weight if you had difficulty in getting your blood 10:09 sugar under control, if you have had your 10:11 triglycerides go up and you good cholesterol go down 10:14 on a plant diet then you may want to use the root 10:18 vegetables more like the nuts and seeds more 10:21 sparingly, however you should know that when you 10:24 do go below the ground after those roots there are 10:28 some that are actually little better than others 10:31 and the boiled carrots or the raw carrots are 10:35 probably least able to raise your insulin level next 10:40 on the list would be the yam and then the sweet 10:43 potato and then the new potato those are the little 10:47 round ones and then come to big spuds the large 10:53 white potato they actually have a quite a high 10:58 blood sugar raising and insulin raising affect, 11:02 so you may wanna use those when you go out 11:04 and to eat that is and when you do eat them 11:07 you may wanna add some beans you may wanna 11:10 add some avocados some of the fats, 11:12 because the fats can actually help to slow down 11:16 the blood sugar entry from some of those 11:19 higher Glycemic food like potatoes. 11:24 Good, good so there was some, another 11:26 category you were going to tell? Yes, there is another 11:29 category fruits and lot of people say George that 11:32 fruits raise the blood sugar I can't have those. 11:35 Well, what you should know what's important to know? 11:39 What we have discovered I should say is that 11:42 if you don't juice the fruit if you don't cook the fruit 11:46 and perhaps if you don't dry it that's probably 11:48 going to be the best fruit in keeping 11:50 the insulin level down. The fruit the whole fruit 11:53 and nothing but the fruit so help me. 11:55 That's exactly right. Now, what we like to share 11:58 with our patients and what we have seen to be 12:00 most helpful for those who want to keep the sugar down 12:03 and these insulin level down is to move toward the 12:06 Northern fruits these would be the apple, 12:09 the pear and fruits that grow up North that have 12:12 a pit like cherries and apricots and peaches plums 12:17 and then the berries don't forget the berries remember 12:20 the blueberry has more anti-oxidants then any 12:25 other fruit, so berries and northern fruits will 12:29 give you the lowest blood sugar elevation 12:31 the lowest insulin of elevation and that will help 12:36 and then the final category remember the nuts 12:39 and seeds. Now, you don't wan to use fistfuls, 12:42 but you do want to use at least one cupped handful of 12:46 nuts everyday and its good to use those at breakfast, 12:50 because the nuts maybe avocado or olives at lunch 12:54 will help to slow the blood sugar entry into the blood 12:59 stream that also will help keep the insulin level down 13:01 and so all of these important foods again its beans 13:08 whole grains not yet ground into flower, 13:10 above the ground vegetables northern fruits 13:13 and nuts and seeds sparingly that can be a powerful 13:16 tool to keeping the insulin level down and helping 13:18 people to loose weight they couldn't, helping people to 13:20 get the blood sugar down who couldn't and 13:23 helping that triglycerides to go back down 13:26 and good cholesterol to go up. Now, I am interested 13:29 in this term you have used Northern fruit 13:31 its can of a principle or a category of fruit that tend 13:37 to be better and apparently the Southern fruit 13:39 or tropical fruit and while its true green bananas are 13:43 little safer than over ripe once, but pineapple 13:46 and papaya and watermelon, mangoes all tend to 13:53 raise the blood sugar little more and so what we are 13:55 doing is encouraging people to minimize those 13:58 and maximize as far as fruits are concerned the more 14:02 Northern varieties. It's a just a general principle 14:04 to help people remember which fruits 14:07 are better than the others. 14:08 Absolutely, but we are not saying never have any 14:11 tropical fruits and don't eat white potatoes ever, 14:15 but what we are saying is if you had difficulty 14:18 getting your weight down or your blood sugar down 14:21 on a total plant diet just remember not all plants 14:26 are created equal and the creator has plants for those 14:30 individuals that are dealing with those kind of 14:32 struggles. Now, Tim the science is beginning to 14:37 come in at high Glycemic foods can cause problems 14:41 and that lower Glycemic foods tend to improve some of 14:45 these numbers and problems. You share us with us a 14:48 little bit what you have learned? 14:50 You know, George something that's coming on the 14:54 scene of importance in health is that to as your 14:57 insulin level goes up and what we were saying 15:00 a lot of negative things about insulin and don't get 15:03 us wrong, insulin is very important, 15:04 but again the body cannot tolerate insulin levels 15:08 that are too high in fact insulin is a growth 15:11 promoting protein and it pushes cells it can 15:16 push cells to divide and if you have too much insulin 15:20 you have too much cell division to rapid cell 15:22 division and you can have any increased risk 15:24 of cancer which is cell division out of control. 15:27 It probably doesn't cause the cancer, 15:30 but certainly if a cancer begins to grow its going to 15:34 make it grow faster, so it would be something 15:36 you would want to avoid if possible. 15:38 That's right if you have a cell that is turned 15:42 cancerous and its going to divide at a more rapid rate, 15:46 because of the influence of the high insulin level, 15:50 so its going to be more difficult for the immune 15:52 system to get a hold of and destroy those 15:55 cancer cells. So, what cancers have been 15:57 associated with the high insulin levels? 15:59 Well, Dr. Meshad and his colleagues actually 16:03 at the National Cancer Institute reported that 16:07 there was an increase in the risk of pancreatic 16:11 cancer. In fact, individuals who let me say it 16:16 positively individuals who ate foods least likely to 16:20 raise the blood sugar least likely to raise the insulin 16:23 level they had about one third the risk of pancreas 16:28 cancer as those who were eating foods with the 16:31 greatest stability to raise blood sugar. 16:34 So, in another words if you want to help avoid 16:38 pancreas cancer then one of the things 16:41 that you want to do is eat foods that 16:43 we've outlined in this program. 16:45 Well, pancreatic cancer is a not a real common one. 16:47 And occasionally people get it, are there any common 16:50 cancers that are more likely to be worse 16:53 or affect people who eat foods that are 16:56 high-glycemic. Well, actually colon cancer is the next 17:00 one on our list and Dr Franceschi reported 17:04 in the Annals of Oncology in 2001 that individuals 17:09 who ate foods least likely to raise the blood sugar 17:13 and least likely to raise that insulin level they had 17:17 about a 70 percent lower risk of developing colon 17:22 cancer and so you know what they are showing is 17:27 that if you raise that insulin level you push 17:30 your cancer risk up and more positively 17:35 if you move toward beans, whole grains above the 17:39 ground vegetables, northern fruits eaten raw 17:42 or frozen, nuts and seeds. You will actually lower 17:46 your insulin level and lower your risk of cancer. 17:49 So, it's a, an additional side benefit. 17:51 You know, I appreciate that emphasis 17:54 and these studies that you are talking about are 17:56 focusing actually on decreasing the Glycemic Index 18:02 of food and haven't focused at all at some of the 18:04 other benefits. For example the anti-oxidants, 18:08 the phytochemicals that tend to fight cancer which are 18:12 within the plants whether it's the berries 18:17 or the greens or the fruit, vegetables. 18:21 Absolutely, you know we want to point out 18:24 that these foods that are least likely to raise your 18:28 blood sugar least likely to raise the insulin level 18:31 they not only lower may lower your risk of cancer, 18:34 but they have actually been shown to 18:36 lower the risk of heart disease. 18:38 Well, that makes sense because we know 18:40 that insulin tends to raise the cholesterol the LDL 18:45 or bad cholesterol and it lowers the good 18:48 cholesterol or the HDL and the triglycerides go up, 18:52 so there are so many benefits to keeping insulin 18:54 where it should be nice and low. 18:56 And the Dr Liu and his colleagues at the 18:59 Harvard medical school found that individuals 19:03 now that ate foods least likely to raise the blood 19:07 sugar, least likely to raise insulin levels at about 19:10 a third the risk of developing coronary artery disease 19:14 as those eating foods mostly likely with the 19:18 greatest ability to raise insulin and blood sugar 19:21 levels. So, it makes it makes a difference not 19:24 all foods are created equal and of course 19:28 it's also important to understand George. 19:31 What kind of foods that, that are high in their 19:35 ability to raise blood sugar in America. 19:38 It's not just that they are eating white potatoes 19:41 they are some other foods as well we'll talk about 19:43 that. They take those white potatoes 19:45 and then they fry them in grease to increase 19:48 their calories to make the insulin resistance worse 19:51 to drive the insulin levels up. There is a lot of 19:54 refined grains. Certainly, these tend to raise the 19:58 insulin levels and I am sure that that's the factor 20:02 that's being studied in these particular done studies. 20:05 Now, one thing to understand is when they do these 20:08 studies they actually try to rule out as many other 20:12 causes of heart disease or cancer of the colon 20:16 or pancreas as they possibly can't. 20:17 I mean they control for weight they control for age, 20:21 they control for a number of dietary parameters 20:26 and so what they are trying to do is just look at 20:29 this one factor and that is the ability of food to 20:34 raise the blood sugar. And so its really important 20:38 especially for those who had trouble with the 20:41 weight loss, how are trouble with getting the blood 20:43 sugar down trouble with the triglycerides going up, 20:47 good cholesterol going down. Even despite having 20:50 tried a plant based diet and so take heart. 20:55 Take a hold of those beans those whole grains 20:58 specially Oats, Barley and Rye and the above the 21:03 ground vegetable specially the leafy grains. 21:05 These are so powerful I cannot say enough about 21:08 the above the ground vegetables, 21:11 because they are your chief weapon for 21:14 loosing weight bringing blood sugar down. 21:16 Tim in our little introduction we talked about 21:19 people with diabetes, who are just having a 21:22 hard time loosing weight and managing their 21:25 cholesterol for example. What about those 21:30 who are don't have diabetes is there any benefit 21:34 to move in this direction even if they don't 21:37 have an obvious disease for example? 21:39 Oh, absolutely in fact George I would say that 21:44 because there are many more people at risk of 21:48 diabetes than actually have diabetes. 21:52 These foods are power foods for these individuals, 21:55 because one of the reasons that diabetes shows up 21:59 is that someone has had a lot of insulin resistance 22:03 perhaps they are carrying a extra weight in their mid 22:06 section or they are just carrying an extra weight 22:09 in general and their body has become insulin 22:12 resistant perhaps they are not using their muscles, 22:14 they are not exercising the muscles 22:16 or insulin resistant and that forces the pancreas 22:20 to put out greater and greater amounts of insulin 22:23 overtime the pancreas can wear out that can fatigue 22:27 and when it wears out then the blood sugar goes up 22:31 hits a 126 fasting and we say the person has diabetes, 22:35 but if they could find foods that would not stress the 22:40 pancreas that will not force the pancreas to put out 22:42 so much insulin they might be able to actually 22:46 avoid type 2 diabetes all together. 22:52 these individuals and the U.S. Government is 22:55 especially interested in any program that will help 22:58 prevent diabetes, because now we know that 23:01 if you have diabetes you essentially have 23:04 coronary artery disease. They are considered to be 23:07 equivalent and so these foods that we are talking 23:10 about although they may seem very simple 23:13 as far as a treatment they are very powerful. 23:17 Now, next George I want to look at some other 23:21 foods that Dr. Willett and his colleagues at the 23:25 Harvard School of Public Health found to be 23:27 very prevalent or prominent in those 23:32 who eventually went on and got type 2 diabetes. 23:35 What food are those? Well, it's very interesting 23:39 you mention the French fries few minutes 23:42 ago that's on the list. French fries and white 23:47 potatoes and white bread and colas those are 23:52 all on the list. Also on the list George are white rice 23:58 and white Pasta, white, we've mentioned white 24:02 potatoes also carbonated and non-carbonated sodas. 24:07 All of these are foods that those who went on 24:11 and got diabetes were using quite frequently 24:15 and all of those by the way are very good at 24:19 raising blood sugar and they are very good at 24:21 raising insulin levels and so again its so 24:26 encouraging George at the Lifestyle Centre of America 24:29 to see the triglycerides come down and the good 24:33 cholesterol go up or stay the same, 24:35 despite individuals eating plants, 24:39 foods that are rich in carbohydrates. 24:40 Why because we encourage our guests 24:44 to move to these foods like the beans, 24:47 the whole grains, the above the ground vegetables, 24:51 the Northern fruits and the nuts and seeds which are 24:55 very lowest at their ability to raise blood sugar 24:59 and insulin levels. So, this has been a big 25:02 encouragement to me what I have noticed 25:05 when people move to a plant based diet in order 25:07 to manage their disease, there is about ten 25:10 and may be 20 percent of them who don't have the 25:13 response that they wanted, that they need it 25:15 and those of us who have used lifestyle changes to 25:19 help treat those have sometimes been a bit 25:22 discouraged. This whole concept of Glycemic Index has 25:26 given us some hope a new tool to help those 25:30 who are discouraged and don't do as well 25:33 actually improved significantly. 25:35 Absolutely, and also George its important this 25:40 Glycemic Index principle and this principle of not all 25:44 foods being created equal its important 25:48 because of this. If you simply plant foods 25:53 and you may eat them refined and processed 25:56 you may actually have worst results then someone 26:00 who is on a high protein diet. Someone who is on a, 26:03 for a example an Atkins style diet and actually 26:06 one leading researcher at the Yale school 26:12 of medicine actually said in a recent program in the 26:16 American Diabetes Association that the Glycemic Index 26:20 and this whole principle of foods not being created 26:24 equal. This principle is probably the salvation 26:28 against some of these high protein diets, 26:31 because it answers the problems of high triglycerides 26:36 low HDL, difficulty getting blood sugar down 26:40 if you just eat any plants or plants that 26:43 are highly processed. So, it decreases the insulin 26:47 level and safely without the damage that occurs 26:50 from a lots and lots of protein to the kidneys 26:53 and other parts of the body. Well, this is a 26:56 very encouraging picture. And one of the things 27:01 that we want to mention is that you know 27:04 if your just moving into a plant based diet for 27:07 the first time. Don't be frightened, don't be upset 27:11 by what we have shared in this program. 27:13 We have shared information that is for a small 27:17 population of individuals who do have difficulty 27:20 loosing weight. Who do have difficulty in getting 27:22 blood sugar down. Who do have difficulty with their 27:26 triglycerides going up and their good cholesterol 27:28 going down on a plant based diet, but if your are 27:32 transitioning to a plant based diet the main thing 27:35 is to include in a generous way all of the foods 27:39 that the creator has provided and these will 27:43 give you the protection that you need against the 27:47 killer diseases that we struggle with not only 27:51 heart disease, but cancer and stroke and just 27:55 remember the dark leafy greens are the most 27:59 protective food on the planet and they may be 28:03 your best weapon for weight loss and for 28:06 general health improvement. 28:09 And so my friends remember 28:11 you are wonderfully made. |
Revised 2014-12-17