Before insulin, there was oats
Before the discovery of insulin, the lives of many diabetics were saved or extended by Carl von Norden’s Oatmeal Diet. As I discuss in my video Are oats good for people with diabetes?he published his findings in 1903, which were met with great skepticism. But critics were defeated by the weight of evidence in the following years.
Famous doctor James B. Herrick began testing the oatmeal diet on his patients. Very skeptical at first, he was so surprised by the results that in 1909 he announced that no case of juvenile or adolescent diabetes should be denied the benefits of oatmeal treatment.
Elder Elliott Joslin, the founder of the oldest and largest diabetes clinic in the world, described the effect of oats as “sometimes magical” and called the treatment of oats an unsolved mystery, which at the time was called “one of the greatest mysteries of diabetes.” However, they had some advice. They found that animal protein should be strictly excluded, as it nullifies the beneficial effects of oat-type diets.
And now, more than a century later, we know that animal protein consumption actually increases insulin resistance, which is the cause of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, while plant-based foods increase insulin sensitivity, which is the opposite.
is Is oatmeal good for people with diabetes?
We’ve known for a long time that eating more whole grains, including oats, is associated with a lower risk of diabetes. As I discuss in my video How does oatmeal help blood sugar?more than a dozen randomized controlled trials have shown that oats improve both short- and long-term blood sugar control in addition to lowering cholesterol levels.
We think that the benefits of fermentable fiber in oats are called beta-glucan. We know that one of the main cholesterol-lowering mechanisms of oat consumption may be its ability to manipulate the microbiome—in other words, it has a beneficial effect on our gut bacteria.
What’s so great about fiber in oats?
A little fiber goes a long way. Our good gut flora uses fiber to make short-chain fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory effects. There are dozens of randomized controlled trials showing that the types of fiber found in oats and beans can improve long-term blood sugar control in people with diabetes. Why? Because gut bacteria that are selectively boosted by dietary fiber intake can help reduce type 2 diabetes.
Oat fiber itself has been shown to act as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. So, between the lack of animal protein, the lack of animal fat, and the explosion in prebiotic fiber layers, it’s no wonder that oat diets have become part of the clinical regimen in the treatment of diabetes.
How soon can you see results?
As I discuss in my video Oatmeal diet is being tested to treat diabetesSeveral studies have shown that eating oatmeal for a few days after about a month can have beneficial effects. In a randomized, controlled, crossover trial, not only was insulin need reduced by about 40% over two days, compared to just restricting calories with a hypocaloric diabetes diet, but a measure of long-term blood sugar control taken after four weeks reflected the benefit.
Other recent studies have shown the same thing. Two days of oats significantly reduced the required amount of insulin and improved blood sugar levels, with beneficial effects noted for up to four weeks. Consider this: Type 2 diabetics on a two-day uncontrolled oatmeal diet saw a 40% reduction in insulin dose, accompanied by nearly normalization of average blood sugar. Although the intervention lasted only two days, the researchers observed a significant decrease in insulin levels and average blood sugar in the weeks after the participants left the study – and this after they resumed their normal diet.
Put people on a diet full of oats, beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and the number of fiber feeders in their gut that release beneficial short-chain fatty acids increases, and diabetic blood sugar drops by about 25% within a month. The more fiber they eat, the better their blood sugar control. When fiber-promoted short-chain fatty acid producers were present in variety and abundance, participants improved their hemoglobin A1c levels (which is a measure of long-term blood sugar control).
Are there any downsides to oats?
If you are trying an oat diet, your doctor should be ready soon to describe your blood sugar medications, or else you could be dangerously overmedicated. Oatmeal intervention should not be performed in patients who have difficulty reporting symptoms of low blood sugar. The downside to trying oatmeal days is that it can work a little too well, so it should be done under close medical supervision.
Glycemic index of oats
Cereals are good, but healthy whole grains are better. Largest grains: groats.
Oat groats have their inedible outer skins removed during processing. They can then be cut into two to four pieces to make a steel cut (also called cover or irish) oats, which is considered a low glycemic food, has an average of less than 55.
Oat groats can also be coarsely ground into Scotch oats or steamed and smoothed into “old-fashioned” rolled oats, which have a glycemic index of 55.
Instant oatmeal is steamed longer and rolled even thinner. At 79, it’s considered a high glycemic index food, but not as bad as some breakfast cereals that can score in the 80s and 90s.
Cooking oatmeal
Oatmeal is a classic breakfast cereal and there are many ways to enjoy it.
- Of course, fruit and nuts are popular additions. A bowl of banana berry oatmeal is quick and easy, and baked cinnamon apple prepare for a comfortable breakfast. Collect overnight oats or Baked carrot cake oatmeal the night before to simplify your morning.
- To add another type of fiber to your gut flora, mix cannellini beans into your oatmeal—my friend Paul swears you can’t even see them, let alone taste them.
- I like to start my morning with what I call myself bowl of BROL. BROL stands for Barley, Rye, Oats and Lentils. I use oatmeal (also called bottomless and peeled oats). I mix all the ingredients in a ratio of 1:1:1:1 and then boil one spoon of dry BROL and two spoons of water in an electric pressure cooker. This makes a background with great text.
Once you have your BROL base, choose your add-ons. When I feel something sweet, I go Feeling chocolate covered-cherries. I bake it with frozen dark red cherries, cocoa powder, dates and walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
You can easily spice up that bowl of BROL; Here’s a greenbacked version. Google “savory porridge” for all sorts of interesting dishes with mushrooms, herbs, curries, roasted vegetables – you name it!
