The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs

As an RN I find this information easy for the lay person to understand and apply. My brother has used a lot of this information and his diabetes is very controlled (off medication) and he has no other diabetic related problems. This is a must read for all diabetes and their families. The large print book is so helpful!

Actually, I purchased this book for a friend who has diabetes. He is so pleased, and is wanting a copy of Dr. Barnard's cook book for Diabetics. He does not have a computer, so I do his research and purchases for him.

I bought this book after I received high blood sugar and high cholesterol reports on a blood test. I decided to give the program a try during Lent (40 Days) and then have my blood work done to compare results. After doing this program my results were so much better that I have made it how I live and eat on a daily basis. It is a true life-changing way to eat and I recommend this book and program to anyone who wants to be healthy. By following Dr. Barnard's program I lost weight, my blood sugar and cholesterol counts lowered to the normal range and I have the energy and vitality to do activities that I love to do.

My husband is a Type 2 diabetic and although he controls it well, just as this book pointed out, the current diet and treatment are only slowing down the erosion of his health from the diabetes. The research and studies that Dr Bernard shares in the book gave us a much clearer understanding of what diabetes is, how it affects the body and what is the causes of the different types of diabetes.
The diet that Dr Bernard's research has come up with may seem extreme to someone who has been following the typical high protein diet that the medical community endorses, but if you can have quality of life as you age, avoiding blindness, kidney failure and a host of other health problems by following Dr Bernard's recommended diet then I think it's worth trying.

Excellent book! Dr. Barnard's recommendation in this book saved me from the trend of diabetes. I follow the diet of this book for two months and the health can get the improvement significantly. My weight loss is also very good.

I must say that this latest information based in clinical research was a life saver. Generally I am a little leery of the medical "system". So I started this book with an attitude. I soon saw that the book is so well written and the information so practical, I knew I had found the information needed to help with this diabetes. I found that, based on previous information, I was heading down the wrong path. I have been using Dr. Barnard's program and experiencing wonderful results. I highly recommend this book.

Since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 15 months ago I have approached the problem in a resolute fashion with excellent results, but this book encourages me to take the next step towards a full reversal of the diabetic condition.

I purchased it because my mother is a "brittle" diabetic and the insulin is making her gain weight. The book gives a different perspective on the disease than what you"d usually hear, especially when it comes to eating carbs. I have not implemented the plan yet but I intend to. If it works I'll definitely give it five stars

This book was recommended by my doctor and should prove to be very beneficial to my health. I have tried the diet for three weeks and can already see improvement in my glucose levels and neuropathy. It was shipped promptly and was in good condition.

I purchased it because my mother is a "brittle" diabetic and the insulin is making her gain weight. The book gives a different perspective on the disease than what you"d usually hear, especially when it comes to eating carbs. I have not implemented the plan yet but I intend to. If it works I'll definitely give it five stars

This book was recommended by my doctor and should prove to be very beneficial to my health. I have tried the diet for three weeks and can already see improvement in my glucose levels and neuropathy. It was shipped promptly and was in good condition.

it made sense but he didn't mention eating organically at all so I find that an important thing to leave out. though getting a green smoothie with 2 cups of raw greens in it I did find made a difference in my blood sugar levels. Though my acupuncturist suggested I take Berberine 1000 mg a day and that and laying on my bemer...seems to be making big difference since yesterday I ate carbs and beef with no green smoothie and my numbers were still better than I had seen in a long time.

His generic advice is not good for people with bad insulin resistance or very low insulin. It would be much more helpful to have a book guiding diabetes victims on how to learn how to manage their own unique responses and solutions, including a hard-nosed assessment of supplements.

First Class Book. Should be compulsory reading for anyone suffering from diabetes.

It would seem that the good doctor has hit the nail on the head with his emphasis on reducing fat in the diet in order to reverse this insidious disease.

Dr. Bernard has done a great job supporting his suggestions for a plant-based diet as a way to gain better control of diabetes. This book is easy to read and grasp the concepts that are presented. A must have.

it made sense but he didn't mention eating organically at all so I find that an important thing to leave out. though getting a green smoothie with 2 cups of raw greens in it I did find made a difference in my blood sugar levels. Though my acupuncturist suggested I take Berberine 1000 mg a day and that and laying on my bemer...seems to be making big difference since yesterday I ate carbs and beef with no green smoothie and my numbers were still better than I had seen in a long time.

His generic advice is not good for people with bad insulin resistance or very low insulin. It would be much more helpful to have a book guiding diabetes victims on how to learn how to manage their own unique responses and solutions, including a hard-nosed assessment of supplements.

First Class Book. Should be compulsory reading for anyone suffering from diabetes.

It would seem that the good doctor has hit the nail on the head with his emphasis on reducing fat in the diet in order to reverse this insidious disease.

Dr. Bernard has done a great job supporting his suggestions for a plant-based diet as a way to gain better control of diabetes. This book is easy to read and grasp the concepts that are presented. A must have.

Almost a year ago I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 64. I thought that I would escape its impact through a relatively reasonable lifestyle even though my father died of it at age 68 after having it for 25 years. The diagnosis hit me like a brick...there was no way I was going to suffer its possible diverse ramifications or food exchanges like my father endured.
A trip to the bookstore somehow allowed me to find this fantastic information. My A1C was 7.3 and glucose was at 183 when tested and after a week of reading the book carefully and spending a few weeks coming up to speed at the grocery store both my wife and I became vegan.
The results have been nothing short of astounding. Even the family doctor who was prepared to start me on a drug regimen is totally amazed as I progressively lost weight, lowered LDL and triglicerides and raised HDL. I have lost 25#, the A1C is now at 5.9 and feel better than I have since college age. I found everything he predicted to be the truth (which as we all know in todays' world is in short supply. We will continue to develop our cooking skills and look forward to even more success.

MAKE THIS LIFE ALL IT CAN BE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY...THERE IS A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND IT IS SO SIMPLE.

Kind of disappointing. I was expecting more out of this book. There were too many stories, theories and whatnot. The most important information for me were the "FOODS" that I should be consuming as a diabetic. Books like this really need to get down to the "nitty gritty" of things and NOT present a bunch of stores, scenarios, graphs, etc. BORING! By the time I reached the part of the book that I REALLY needed to get to, my enthusiasm to even follow the recipes was very minimal.

Disappointed that I even purchased this book to be brutally honest!

Susana

While the actual recommendations that help reverse diabetes can be summarized on one page, here is the why and how for the scientifically-minded. I have given this book to my clients and intend to donate it to my library and clinic.
Dr. Barnard is the founder of the Physicians'Committee for Responsible Medicine, [...], a great organization promoting health and ethics in medicine.

One of the best books for learning a healthier way of life even for those not facing diabetes. A life changing book!!! If everyone incorporated his wisdom into their lives, we would feel MUCH better and have MUCH less heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, etc. Highly recommend this book to everyone looking for good health!

I am a patient of psoriasis, but my daughter has type 1 diabetes. She has already embarked upon a "vegan" diet as Dr. Bernard recommends and has greatly reduced her need for insulin. This book is an easy read with very practical answers and information about how to help yourself if you suffer from diabetes. But it also acknowledges the co-morbidity of other conditions like obesity, high blood pressure heart disease and other autoimmune conditions.

Diet is profound when it comes to helping us live longer and better quality of life. This is a must read for anyone who knows of people with any of these conditions.

With a life changing experience diagnosis, I'm glad I've discovered this book. I find this book useful with information based on research and studies--one I can understand and make an appropriate correction to the type of food I've been eating. The program is easier to follow than it seems because the food recommended in this book is not only healthy but tastes just as good(I thought I had to give up taste) or better than the typical food I used to have. Thank you.

This is an excellent book. I don't have diabetes but wanted to make sure I don't get diabetes. This book has it all - 1) The Breakthrough - tells all about type 1 and type 2 diabetes, 2)The Program - Menu's, Healthful Weight Control, and exercise 3) Complete Health - re healthy heart, nerves, eyes, & kidneys. PLUS menus and recipes. I would recommend any of Dr. Neal Barnard's books. "The Best" in Arizona!

The hardback copy of the book arrived 2 weeks before the softback. Somehow I didn't realize that I had purchased both. It is an extraordinary book which we are using as a guide to change our eating habits. The message is so in line with the message we are receiving about osteoporosis and eating the right foods, eliminating the gastly drugs prescribed by the doctors.

This is a great book if you are open to the vegan life style. The advertising of curing your diabetes by changing your life style needs to be clearer. If your looking to be a vegan that this book is for you. For the rest of us not so much. Misrepresentation !!!

good and interisting, I use them very good.I will contnue to buy many many thing from the store. For last a couple years, I had bounght a lot of stuff from there, I fill very convinince. Thank you very much.

Gives good basic information about the disease. Not for someone that is not going to consider the vegan diet plan. The doctor is very anti meat and animal products. This diet would be very hard for the average person to follow.

Ok, look, you can be vegetarian or probably even vegan and control your diabetes without drugs. You arent going to do it this Dr. Barnard way. Despite his claims, once you are full blown type2, its all about how your body deals with carbohydrates. Natural fats like those in nuts or cold pressed vegetable oils are not your enemy, carbs are. You have to strictly limit carbs and be careful of the kind of carbs you do ingest. Your body simply can no longer deal with an overabundance of blood glucose, even from healthy carbs. A lifetime vegetarian diet high in whole grains and beans and potatoes is how I got type2 diabetes. Never had a sweet tooth, no soda, no processed garbage with HFCS. Drank coffee black, no sugar. My cholesterol unlike many type2 diabetics, is LOW because of my lifelong veggie diet.

You need to use your glucose meter and discover for yourself how various foods affect you. Half cup brown rice or any other whole grain including oatmeal, will spike my blood sugar. So will a small fresh raw tomato!!! (now that is cruel) Most beans too though I can tolerate some mung, garbonzo, and black soy. Find for some reason I can also tolerate canned hominy, no idea why that is ok as its processed corn. But frankly I have had to live mostly on salads of non-starchy veggies and nuts and other oily seeds to keep my blood sugar under control without drugs/insulin. I have added some eggs and fish at times for some relief of endless salads, but mostly lot of raw veggies and nuts. Also taking chromium, D, C, and B12. By way I have lost 50 pound last nine months. Feel better than I have for some years but I am not cured by any means.

I will mention that if you arent full blown type2 yet, just pre diabetes, try buckwheat as a substitute for all other grain in your diet. Its still relatively high carb, but contains a natural chemical that helps control blood sugar. Mung beans are also high in this chemical. D-chiro-inositol, I think its called. Thats off top of my head, but think thats the name. Limited amounts millet may also be tolerated. The month after I was diagnosed with diabetes and was on insulin, I did very well on buckwheat based diet. Fasting blood glucose went down to normal range. And very easy since only change was all grain and flour was changed to buckwheat. However when I went off insulin, then the buckwheat was as bad as any other grain. My body's blood sugar control was in very fragile shape without the crutch of injected insulin.

A truly healthy person will never go over 100 mg/dl blood sugar no matter what they eat. The big deal though once you have blood sugar control problem, is to never go over 140. You will do damage anytime you go over 140. Measure one hour after eating, then again two hour after.

Also mention contrary to popular belief, its not your pancreas that is problem with type2. Its your liver. You basically get whats called fatty liver disease and liver gets sluggish/lazy in being able to convert excess blood glucose to fat. Your pancreas then floods system with insulin in an attempt to make up for this and to get cells to absorb the excess glucose that the liver isnt dealing with. This backfires and your cells become insulin resistant and require ever larger doses of insulin to absorb the excess blood glucose, more than your pancreas can supply. Some study back in 1970s, think it was John Hopkins. Anyway they autopsied 5000 diabetic corpses. 98% had liver damage. only 2% had any pancreas damage. Its nearly always a liver problem for type2. You can eventually damage your pancreas and become what is called a brittle diabetic or even a type one, if you dont get blood sugar under control, but few get that far. Now type1 in contrast is always insufficient insulin, your pancreas just cant produce enough under any conditions. If you are type one, you will take insulin rest of your life, strict diet might lessen amount insulin you need, but you need to inject insulin.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes back in March 2015 and I was devastated. I've been active all my life and have flirted with a plant based diet on and off over the last several years although not so much over the last year. Diabetes runs rampant in my family, my grandparents had it, my father had it, my mother has it, my brother has it, etc. So when I got diagnosed I felt like I had failed myself and that I couldn't escape this genetic curse.

My A1c was 10, my fasting glucose was 220 and my triglycerides was 777. When I researched about Type 2, numbers, etc. I was surprised I hadn't keeled over and died. When I told people about my diagnosis, they would say but you're not overweight! It's true, when I researched about Type 2, the words, "obese, processed food, sedentary lifestyle" came up all the time and yet, none of them applied to me. So, it's all genetic in my case.

I was determined to reverse this and my nutritionist at Kaiser recommended I read this book. Dr. Barnard made so much sense, that to treat diabetes requires a double equation - it's carbs AND fat. So for the first six weeks I went ninja on this - and my A1c came down to 8.1 and my fasting glucose came down to 150 and triglycerides came down to 220. My cholesterol came down by 50% and it was all from cutting out animal protein (including diary) and fats from my diet. I also made sure I exercised everyday - even if it was a 30 minute walk.

Now, one thing I will tell you is, I was and am still skeptical about his claim about pasta/noodles. Perhaps it works for other, but not me. I'm just very sensitive to carbohydrates and I test high after eating pasta/noodles even if it's wholewheat or even buckwheat. But I do eat brown rice, whole grains and I do have the occasional slice of dense bread (Ezekiel's sprouted grain and seeds work for me). I also eat a piece of ryvita (rye crisp bread) for breakfast - that works fine for me.

As I have continued with the lifestyle (because it's a style of living for life now versus a "diet"), after four months, my latest A1c was 6.5 and my doctor was impressed! So my A1c went from 10 to 6.5 over a four month period. I do eat fish from time to time and have eaten red meat on three occasions. And I did have cake to celebrate a birthday. But otherwise, it's been low fat plant based all the way.

I do notice the days I eat dairy or meat that my blood sugar tests higher (definitely with dairy) which is further proof of Dr. Barnard's findings. I wish you luck in your quest for perfect and encourage you to commit to this program because it works!

This book contains a lot of excellent informatio. The only problem I have with it is that this book seems to assume that everyone reading it is having a weight problem. Dr. Bernard says to cut out olive oil and nuts because fats make you fat. If I lose more than 3 pounds I will be too underweight so I am nervous about this suggestion. I believe I can follow all his other advice but cooking with out olive oil and not eating nuts will be extremely hard for me to enjoy my food. I am thinking of trying to reach him to see if there are any other reasons to avoid these two items aside from the high fat they contain. I have not entirely read the book to be fair and haven't tried his three week trial diet yet.

Both books are identical. The only difference is that one is a hard cover. Reverse Diabetes Now and Reversing Diabetes are the same book, different cover. Had I known this I could have saved myself a few dollars. It's more trouble to send one back so I'll just gift one of them.

I am interested in this approach, but some of the scientific evidence seems to be based on rather small studies and some of those with not clearly spelled out designs. I think that there is probably a strong connection between the diet that Barnard is suggesting and the level of insulin resistance, but there may well be other factors involved. For example, no studies have been done looking at vegetarian versus vegan diets and the effect on type 2 diabetes. No studies are mentioned that try to quantify the effect of eggs alone, nor studies to measure the effect of milk products from different sources (goat cheese versus cow cheese, for example). Because of these omissions, it is hard not to feel like Barnard is pushing the vegan agenda for its sake alone.

I found this book to be a proponent of a vegan diet. That may be well and good, but it is too much for me. Had I known that this was Dr. Barnard's approach, I would have skipped this book. For anyone interested in trying a vegan diet, it would be an excelllent book as it gives many recipes and suggested meals. While I did not like this book as it was not what I wanted, it might just be someone elses food bible.

The program espoused in this book should be presented as an ultimate goal to achieve in changing one's eating regimen, not an immediate goal. A transition diet beginning with the introduction of many of these unfamiliar ingredients with optional recipes for those newly introduced ingredients would allow time for one to adjust. I suppose an argument can be made that the reader can tailor this program to attempt such a transition, however the benefits might be compromised.
I have attempted (I haven't given up yet after two weeks) to stick with this program, but the recipes offered do not appeal to me at all. I would recommend to anyone with a diabetic or pre-diabetic condition to read the book then decide.

If you want to get healthy as a vegan this book is not for you. There are so many wheat recipes you will be inflamed from all the gluten and chemicals in the wheat. This was not what I was looking for when I bought this book. SO, make a few salads and have some spaghetti and you have this book!.

This book is simply a vegan diet. If you eat no meat, eggs, fish or dairy and keep to low glycemic index foods you will stop your blood sugar from spiking into the diabetic range. If you are willing to do the vegan diet then the book might be for you. Dr. Barnard has a lot of tips and recipes for going vegan.

I got this for my wife whjen she recently got diagnosed with Diabetes. Was surprised to find out, that this book used to be a library book in Detroit. I guess with the internet now,...there are probably 100's if not 1000's of small libraries being closed down. Who needs libraries when you've got GOOGLE. Anyway, this is book is just one of hundreds of books on the market that claim to have all the answers and cures for Diabetes. It was way to difficult to follow all the medical technical terms and the diet receipes were loaded with hard to find ingrediants. My wife just got frustrated with the book and tossed it out. She did a, what I call,...'Chuck-Chuck'.

If your looking for a way to reverse your diabetes (not cure it ) this works....i eat tons of veggies, legumes, (beans) lentils, and lots of fruit daily with 1 tablespoon of flax seed and a small portion of walnuts daily....and this way of eating has lowered my AC1 from 9.3 to 5.7 -----i am not cured as i know if i go back to eat junk food it will come back...i have lost 47 lbs and feel great.....avoid all vegan junk food and keep your diet a pure as possible.....take some sort of vit b 12 supplement (research it on google) ......don't be hard on yourself ...take baby steps....traveling is hard as food options are limited so you may have to eat some non complient food items but be prepared and bring your own if possible....this book is a great one to have as it will give you the science behind a plant based diet (no oil) to reverse your diabetes----and he also has a plant based FB group you can join...which will give you lots of support and help you along with your journey....Good Luck.....but you can do it as thousands have with this way of eating !!

After being diagnosed as a diabetic, I was determined to conquer the disease. I fell for the promises of Dr Barnard's Program. And, I followed it to a "T". Results were minimal, but certainly FAR from a cure. I would not recommend this book to anyone who hopes for a cure to diabetes.

I followed the book, read it carefully and consulted with my doctor. Now I spent 6 months as an ovo vegetarian with fish and eggs then would shock the body for 6 months with vegan and back and forth. This worked for me so that my metabolism would not flatline. My weight plummeted from 375 to 209 within the year that I did this and I am still losing weight. I am off invokana and back on metformin and off several other drugs as well. If you are not cavalier and work hard and serious with this and walk or exercise and consult with a doctor this will work for you. I love this man.

Amazing book, if you follow this program you will not only reverse your diabetes but also have some positive side effects, like shading excess fat, lower your cholesterol level, your glucose lever, in short this diet is not only for curing diabetes is a healthy diet that you can follow and made it your lifestyle, it will make you and keep you healthy.
Dr. Neal is one of the modern age Saints for me, along with other doctors like John McDougal, Dean Ornish, and so many others.
If you have dietary caused diabetes and want to get rid of the drugs you are on now and also save some money then this is the book for you. Don’t be an idiot read this book and wake up.

This book was given to me by a friend. I have had type 2 diabetes for 20years and have seen my weight rise, my meds not work, change and also rise, and have developed painful neuropathy in hands and legs and feet. Insulin dependant for the past 13 years has not stopped the disease from progressing despite exercise and following the ADA diet fairly closely.

I didn't think this would work, but did want to give it a try. In the first 3 weeks I dropped over 5 lbs. and began reducing my insulin amounts as I started experiencing low blood sugar often. After 3 months, I had lost almost 20 lbs. and further reduced my insulin amounts.

Now 7 months into this plant based diet journey, I do not miss meat or dairy or fat. Sometimes I eat a bite of something I used to eat and realize it doesn't taste nearly as good as I remember. I am down 27 lbs. and have cut my insulin amount in half of what it was when I started. I would like to see it come down further, as well as to lose more weight. But I am patient and since I have rarely a pain in my hands or feet anymore, I am encouraged to continue trying new vegan recipes and new vegetables and fruits to expand my menus.

I started this program 18 months ago. I am a type II diabetic and my sugar levels were out of control prior to becoming a vegan. Within a week my 280's became 140's and the glucose levels continued to get better over the next 6 months. I was shocked at how quickly I adjusted to the vegan diet. It was actually more stressful anticipating becoming a vegan than actually becoming one. I do not miss meat, cheese, etc. and have been introduced to a whole new world of foods that I love. It is important to remember that this is a three-part diet: vegan + low fat + low glycemic. I allowed higher levels of fat back into my diet this past winter and the weight came back and the glucose levels went back up. It takes all three for the plan to work. The downside to this plan is the intentionality that is required. You have to plan your meals, cook at home, pay attention to the nutrition requirements (protein, B12, etc), and anticipate working late or attending events during meal times. I also had to get a few extra books from registered (vegan) nutritionists in order to better understand issues not covered in detail in Dr. Barnard's book. I am am an absolute fan of this book and the lifestyle. I have no intention of going back.

Dr Barnard implies that all fat and animal protein are bad for you and you should eat a diet of almost 100% carbs, but he doesn't present any real science or scientific evidence to suggest good fat, like avocados, olive oil, and nuts, contributes towards diabetes. The all carb diet was all the rage in the 1980's and we've known for decades if not centuries that low glycemic carbs are better than high glycemic carbs.

However, Barry Sears in the Zone argues why we need a balance of protein, carbs, and fat and that some fats are good for us. His research is compelling and has slowly become adopted by the mainstream nutrition community and especially the diabetes nutrition community.

The argument that fat and especially dairy "gunks up" your insulin receptors and causes diabetes doesn't explain why Ireland, which has a high fat and high dairy and high beef consumption diet has the lowest diabetes rate in the world outside a few impoverished African countries. It's half the rate of Japan and 1/3 the rate of the USA and India. Which brings me to another point. How come India, who's population is 1/3 vegetarian, has a diabetes rate almost as high as the USA?

If this book convinces you to reduce your consumption of animal and dairy fat and to prefer high fiber carbs, you'll get some benefit but if you really want to understand nutrition, read The Zone. Even after 23 years the book is cutting edge insight into nutrition based on Nobel Prize winning science.

I bought this book for my husband who is diabetic. I read parts of it and know that some of the advice is common sense, eating correctly and not a cure for diabetes. If it was a cure, every doctor in the country would be touting it's benefits and telling their patients to read the book. Like I said, some of the advice in the book is worth reading, but unless you've been hiding under a rock all your life, you will already know most of this stuff and there's not that much in the book that's new or innovative.

I wish I had read the 1 star reviews before I bought this book. It may work for others - but won't work for me. Here's why:

I became diabetic one year after finishing 6 months of chemo (12 times, 20 drugs, plus 28 radiation sessions simultaneously with chemo) for an estrogen positive cancer.

Having an estrogen positive cancer means I cannot have any soy - because soy is full of phytoestrogens. YES - I know the research shows soy prevents cancer - but AS a statistician researcher, and having access to research around the world - it appears that soy is the wonder food preventing cancer - BUT ONLY if you've had soy as part of your diet from a young age. This means that on Dr. Barnard's program, one of the major sources of protein is eliminated for me.

A second source of protein - nuts (in limited quantity, not that it matters as I appear to have an allergic reaction to most nuts) is also out for me as a food choice.

Another source of protein - legumes - are significantly high in carbs. The only legume my body doesn't go sky high with the glucose is lentil. I'm sorry, but I just don't see eating lentils every meal.

I cannot process grains. So basically, the only foods on this program I'd be able to eat are fruits (in my case, only berries), and vegetables.

I do not know of anyone who could survive on berries and vegetables. (For those of you who are Raw foodists - I've been a raw foodist as well, and loved it - although the program is labor intensive. Unfortunately, as one gets older, one's digestive process weakens and it is difficult to digest raw foods. This may not be the case for folks who have been raw foodists from a young age, as their body may be able to sustain its ability to effectively digest raw foods for longer. That being said, all the adults who became raw foodists after 40 years of age DO look better - but only for about 2-3 years; after that their bodies seem to be deteriorating).

Needless to say - unless you are comfortable with a vegan diet - do not buy this book.

Oh - and by the way - I was vegan (and bought only organic) for over 5 years before I was diagnosed with cancer. In fact, my diet was essentially the same as Dr. Barnard's program. However, I had 5 years of very high stress (without relief) - which likely contributed to my getting cancer.

I got this for my wife whjen she recently got diagnosed with Diabetes. Was surprised to find out, that this book used to be a library book in Detroit. I guess with the internet now,...there are probably 100's if not 1000's of small libraries being closed down. Who needs libraries when you've got GOOGLE. Anyway, this is book is just one of hundreds of books on the market that claim to have all the answers and cures for Diabetes. It was way to difficult to follow all the medical technical terms and the diet receipes were loaded with hard to find ingrediants. My wife just got frustrated with the book and tossed it out. She did a, what I call,...'Chuck-Chuck'.

If your looking for a way to reverse your diabetes (not cure it ) this works....i eat tons of veggies, legumes, (beans) lentils, and lots of fruit daily with 1 tablespoon of flax seed and a small portion of walnuts daily....and this way of eating has lowered my AC1 from 9.3 to 5.7 -----i am not cured as i know if i go back to eat junk food it will come back...i have lost 47 lbs and feel great.....avoid all vegan junk food and keep your diet a pure as possible.....take some sort of vit b 12 supplement (research it on google) ......don't be hard on yourself ...take baby steps....traveling is hard as food options are limited so you may have to eat some non complient food items but be prepared and bring your own if possible....this book is a great one to have as it will give you the science behind a plant based diet (no oil) to reverse your diabetes----and he also has a plant based FB group you can join...which will give you lots of support and help you along with your journey....Good Luck.....but you can do it as thousands have with this way of eating !!

After being diagnosed as a diabetic, I was determined to conquer the disease. I fell for the promises of Dr Barnard's Program. And, I followed it to a "T". Results were minimal, but certainly FAR from a cure. I would not recommend this book to anyone who hopes for a cure to diabetes.

The book promises a great deal. I starts on the premise that fat stores in muscle cells and causes insuline resistance. From that point, it forms a dietary plan that completely eliminates fat. Since most animal protein has fat, it advocates eliminating all animal protein--in other words a Vegan diet.

The problem is that, after reading the book, I went online looking for corroborating research. There wasn't much out there. If, in fact, fat causes insulin resistance in diebetics, you would think there would be a ton of studies out there verifying this fact. I did not find them, especially anything recently done. I did find diabetes discussion forums that pan this guy, and say he is a nut. They say that their best results are with low carb diets, which a vegan diet is not.

So, does it work or not? don't know. Not sure if I am willing to try his approach. Maybe a halfway thing, where I cut out as much fat as I can, without going full Vegan, and see what happens to the blood sugars.

I would say to buy this book only after having done a little research on your own.

I followed the book, read it carefully and consulted with my doctor. Now I spent 6 months as an ovo vegetarian with fish and eggs then would shock the body for 6 months with vegan and back and forth. This worked for me so that my metabolism would not flatline. My weight plummeted from 375 to 209 within the year that I did this and I am still losing weight. I am off invokana and back on metformin and off several other drugs as well. If you are not cavalier and work hard and serious with this and walk or exercise and consult with a doctor this will work for you. I love this man.

Amazing book, if you follow this program you will not only reverse your diabetes but also have some positive side effects, like shading excess fat, lower your cholesterol level, your glucose lever, in short this diet is not only for curing diabetes is a healthy diet that you can follow and made it your lifestyle, it will make you and keep you healthy.
Dr. Neal is one of the modern age Saints for me, along with other doctors like John McDougal, Dean Ornish, and so many others.
If you have dietary caused diabetes and want to get rid of the drugs you are on now and also save some money then this is the book for you. Don’t be an idiot read this book and wake up.

This book was given to me by a friend. I have had type 2 diabetes for 20years and have seen my weight rise, my meds not work, change and also rise, and have developed painful neuropathy in hands and legs and feet. Insulin dependant for the past 13 years has not stopped the disease from progressing despite exercise and following the ADA diet fairly closely.

I didn't think this would work, but did want to give it a try. In the first 3 weeks I dropped over 5 lbs. and began reducing my insulin amounts as I started experiencing low blood sugar often. After 3 months, I had lost almost 20 lbs. and further reduced my insulin amounts.

Now 7 months into this plant based diet journey, I do not miss meat or dairy or fat. Sometimes I eat a bite of something I used to eat and realize it doesn't taste nearly as good as I remember. I am down 27 lbs. and have cut my insulin amount in half of what it was when I started. I would like to see it come down further, as well as to lose more weight. But I am patient and since I have rarely a pain in my hands or feet anymore, I am encouraged to continue trying new vegan recipes and new vegetables and fruits to expand my menus.

I started this program 18 months ago. I am a type II diabetic and my sugar levels were out of control prior to becoming a vegan. Within a week my 280's became 140's and the glucose levels continued to get better over the next 6 months. I was shocked at how quickly I adjusted to the vegan diet. It was actually more stressful anticipating becoming a vegan than actually becoming one. I do not miss meat, cheese, etc. and have been introduced to a whole new world of foods that I love. It is important to remember that this is a three-part diet: vegan + low fat + low glycemic. I allowed higher levels of fat back into my diet this past winter and the weight came back and the glucose levels went back up. It takes all three for the plan to work. The downside to this plan is the intentionality that is required. You have to plan your meals, cook at home, pay attention to the nutrition requirements (protein, B12, etc), and anticipate working late or attending events during meal times. I also had to get a few extra books from registered (vegan) nutritionists in order to better understand issues not covered in detail in Dr. Barnard's book. I am am an absolute fan of this book and the lifestyle. I have no intention of going back.

Dr Barnard implies that all fat and animal protein are bad for you and you should eat a diet of almost 100% carbs, but he doesn't present any real science or scientific evidence to suggest good fat, like avocados, olive oil, and nuts, contributes towards diabetes. The all carb diet was all the rage in the 1980's and we've known for decades if not centuries that low glycemic carbs are better than high glycemic carbs.

However, Barry Sears in the Zone argues why we need a balance of protein, carbs, and fat and that some fats are good for us. His research is compelling and has slowly become adopted by the mainstream nutrition community and especially the diabetes nutrition community.

The argument that fat and especially dairy "gunks up" your insulin receptors and causes diabetes doesn't explain why Ireland, which has a high fat and high dairy and high beef consumption diet has the lowest diabetes rate in the world outside a few impoverished African countries. It's half the rate of Japan and 1/3 the rate of the USA and India. Which brings me to another point. How come India, who's population is 1/3 vegetarian, has a diabetes rate almost as high as the USA?

If this book convinces you to reduce your consumption of animal and dairy fat and to prefer high fiber carbs, you'll get some benefit but if you really want to understand nutrition, read The Zone. Even after 23 years the book is cutting edge insight into nutrition based on Nobel Prize winning science.

My wife is an insulin-dependent diabetic who is also gluten infolerant. While this book may help others, it can't be used in our household. All cookbooks should have a warning printed on their covers if they are not gluten free.

Just not that useful or interesting. Returned. Try instead: Stop Prediabetes Now by Jack Challem. Wealth of easy to understand info and tips. Especially good advice on vitamins, supplements, and food selection or substitutes.Stop Prediabetes Now: The Ultimate Plan to Lose Weight and Prevent Diabetes

My husband and I served as health coaches for a 6-week reversing diabetes seminar based on the principles of this book. There were several who visited the class, sharing major health transformations with A1C decreases, weight loss, and getting off all medications (Type 2 diabetes) by working the program in this book. It's not for the faint of heart but it works. Diagnosis of diabetes leaves many to look forward to daily blood tests and medications that promise only to slow the disease's inevitable damage. Life becomes a waiting game with one complication arising after another. The good news of this book is that Type II diabetes is not only preventable, it's reversible! If I could give this book 10 stars I would. It brings hope to those willing to put forth the effort.

In Dec, 2011, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes condition with an A1C test results of 6.0 and I asked my doctor what I should eat since I was already a vegetarian and he said "I don't know". He said just watch your diet and exercise but he had no idea what food or what exercise. He said to hire a diet specialist to tell me what to eat... Needless to say I left his office depressed and lost. Googled at home and found most books and websites saying cut the carb and eat meats and protein. I bought 4 books that said eat meats lots of meat and no carb. Then I bought Dr. Barnard's book and it said the complete opposite. Then I asked myself if I were to bet my life, would I bet it on meats and lots of protein or plant based diet? The answer was clear that I will bet my life on plant and water based diet rather than fat and grease and processed food. I started on the diet and it improved my fasting sugar level and it was not until I stopped eating white bread and drinking soda that I started to turn the curve. I also ate one or two apples per day with their skin as well as taking Vitamin B complex and B12. Yesterday my A1C went tested 5.3 which is a complete reversal of my pre-diabitic, sure slow death condition and I am so happy and grateful to Dr. Barnard and I also went from 237 pounds at the high before I started Dr. Barnard's diet to now weighing 200 pounds and fitting in normal size 40 again and not over sized 46 pants size. I did exercise some but not a lot. When I did I lifted weight as well used a stationary bike or walked for minimum 30 minutes most days. Please do yourself and everyone a big favor and buy and follow Dr. Barnard's book, it will save the quality of your life and for sure save your life too! I can not thank Dr. Barnard enough for giving me back my healthy life!

I woke up the Friday after Thanksgiving deathly sick with a severe hypoglycemic reaction from not making the best food choices the night before. I'd been vegan for 16 years and never had a problem, but mixing too much wine with white potatoes, white four pasta, and not much else, sent my body on a freak out that lasted almost 2 months. I did have a history of low blood sugar episodes occasionally since I was a teenager, but had done great for many years. Anyway, my blood sugar seemed to become very brittle, and I couldn't keep my sugar levels up. They would randomly plummet every day....with mornings when I first woke up being the worst. I went to 3 doctors and had gallons of blood drawn. My blood tests came back totally normal, and I was accused of everything from bulimia to having panic attacks. (I just looooove the way doctors treat women.) One doctor told me I was imagining it. What?! I'm imagining passing out? I'm imaginging shaking uncontrollably with a racing heart, dry mouth, numb arms, diarrhea, etc.?! My issue seemed to be that I was dropping too fast from big spikes up. I'd sometimes have low sugar reactions even if my blood glucose was in the 90s, but it had dropped to the 90s from some higher number much too fast...triggering the symptoms.

I read Dr. Barnard's book and found it truly eye opening about how fats in your blood cause your blood cells to not properly use glucose. I immediately got all of the fat out of my diet (my vegan diet had been loaded full of peanut butter, olive oil, almond butter, fried things, etc.) and felt better after just 24 hours. By the second day, I had hope. I couldn't believe the improvement. But then, a nutritionist met with me and convinced me that I should add some monounsaturated fats and more protein back into my diet and I did. Within a few days, I began having numerous low blood sugar attacks during the day. It was VERY scary, especially because I live alone. I literally felt like I was dying numerous times since Black Friday 2010. I finally said, "The heck with this! I'm going back to very low fat. I don't care if I'm not getting enough EFAs or whatever the mainstream nutrition world thinks I could lack on a low fat vegan diet." Within 24 hours again, I was like a new person. Today is day 7 back to McDougalling/Barnarding (Dr. John McDougall is another low fat vegan proponent) and I'm having no attacks and feel good. I'm not checking my blood sugar all the time, but when I have checked it, it's perfect. Prior to getting the fat out of my diet, a little frozen burrito with white flour tortilla made my blood sugar jump to 212. I am so relieved that I don't have to constantly worry about having an episode and getting sick. I still pay attention to when and what I eat, and I am omitting overly glycemic items like white potatoes, but I'm being able to go longer and longer between meals, and, I can even have one glass of wine or beer occasionally without it making my heart race and my hands shake.

Grateful,
Atheria

Dr. Barnard's program for reversing diabetes is based on Dr. David Jenkins portfolio diet, which is a high-fiber vegan diet. It's a completely vegan diet with no meat, eggs, or dairy products, although in Dr. Jenkins original study they allowed a small amount of butter. The result of the one-month study showed the portfolio diet to be as effective as low dose statin drugs for lowering LDL cholesterol.
This diet is fine for a diabetic who's life depends on it, but for the average reader who is just trying to lose weight or control his or her cholesterol it may be too strict to follow for a long period of time. Not mentioned in the book, but in a survey only 40% of the portfolio diet participants found the diet acceptable. Dr. Barnard does not even allow low-fat fish in his program to keep protein intake low. A low protein diet may not be beneficial for children or athletes who have higher protein requirements. The book gives a lot of good advice, but is lacking in detail. For example, he recommends the addition of a multivitamin with B-12 since this is not found in a vegan diet, but he does not mention the best form of B-12 (methylcobalamin). He recommends fruit and vegetables with a low glycemic index, but does not take into consideration glycemic load. He recommends cinnamon for lowering blood sugar, but does not tell you it works by slowing digestion and so it's most effective taken shortly before or with a meal. After reading that the diet did not allow fish, I thought for sure that somewhere in the book he would recommend fish oil as a source of omega-3s. To my surprise he recommends not taking fish oil. While flax seed is a great source of ALA, it does not contain EPA or DHA like the omega-3s in fish oil. Our body can convert ALA to EPA if an enzyme called delta-6-desaturase is present, but this enzyme is inhibited in diabetes. There is not much information on antioxidants and no mention of natural treatments for lowering cholesterol, such as niacin or red yeast rice extract.

First of all, for what it's worth, I am an MD specializing in Family Medicine. Depending on your view, that might make me more trustworthy or less :P

I expect I will recommend this book to more than a few patients in the future. It is very well written, very evidence based (and well cited for those who like to look up the primary sources), and contains I believe an incredibly powerful message. If a patient with Diabetes or pre-Diabetes reads this book and takes it to heart, it quite literally could be part of a life-change that could prevent blindness, low energy, loss of limbs, and death (at least from the diabetes and complications of it... we all die sometime, right?)

Just to say a word about the structure of the book- it's basically an introduction to what is Diabetes (both type 1 and type 2), education about both standard diabetic diets and a plant-based diet which is what Dr. Barnard recommends, quite a bit of information on how to implement the diet into one's life, and then information more specifically about various health topics that are relevant. It is very readable, has a good combination of general principles and specific suggestions, and is written by someone with very good credentials and recommendations.

I would say, if you have any interest in it (really, whether you have diabetes or not), give it a shot.

We bought this book back in Feb. 2010. My father has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes twenty years ago. About 4 years ago he got lymphoma, two different types. After going through treatments for the cancer, the diabetes went completely out of control. His fasting blood sugars were 230-250 range. He was on Metformin and Glyburide. Finally his doctor said Insulin would be next, and someone suggested this book. He failed Atkin's. Not sure if it was a compliance issue or if the diabetes was too far gone.
It took three weeks to see any difference in his fasting blood sugars. He took his blood sugar at least four times a day. After three weeks, he tested one morning and his blood sugar, fasting, had finally dropped to 150's. A month later 120's. At that time, his day time blood sugars were 150 to 200.
Three months out, his fasting blood sugars dropped to the 120s. His day time sugars no longer went past 160, 170.
Six months out, his fasting is 95-100. His daytime 120-140. The other day, he had a fasting blood sugar of 70.
He has been off Metformin since the fourth month. His glyburide has been cut to half pill twice a day. His attending is considering cutting that one altogether. When I sit down and review his book, I see a downward trend in the blood sugar, from the third week on. It just slowly came into normal range.
He eats everything that the book allows:
Sweet potatoes, brown rice, beans. Fruit. He makes his own bread with whole wheat flour. He oatmeal everyday. He puts raisins in his bread and eats it toasted with no butter. He did not appear to be over weight when he started but he has lost about 15 pounds.
This diet has really been a life saver. If you are dealing with diabetes, give this an honest chance. Very easy to follow and you will not be hungry.

A thought provoking life style change,Very simple to follow.
1.No animal food
2.No fat including any kind of diary products.Minimum veg oil can be consumed daily.
3.Low glycemic food & low glycemic load.This is for carbohydrate too.(web link is given)
Can eat stomach full the above items.
Now you can get rid off your medication slowly & gradually within 3 weeks
All you need is patience & faith.Now your body will obey.
My reading was220(fasting);440(post prandial)
now it is 98(fasting);110(post prandial) after 4 weeks.
Thanks to DR.Barnard

Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes:
The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes
Without Drugs by Dr. Neal Barnard is an excellent primer
on the causes of diabetes and strategies to control the
condition. Dr. Barnard notes that diabetes has been rare
in places like China and Japan.

The author's research suggests that Type I Diabetes could be reduced
by avoiding early childhood exposure to cow's milk. In addition,
fatty foods and refined sugar are dietary taboos. Excess fat is bad
because it interferes with how muscles function.

According to the author, the best strategy is to avoid animal
products, reduce the consumption of vegetable oils and reduce
the glycemic index (GI)with more healthful food choices.

The GI ranks foods on how the level of blood glucose is impacted. This index measures the increments in blood glucose within two or more hours subsequent to consuming food.

The GI is most sensitive to foods high in carbohydrates. Foods high in protein or fat don't cause the blood glucose to increase to a level that would concern physicians as much.

Eliminating animal fat makes the blood less viscous and more watery. As a result, blood flow is easier and sediment decreases. In addition, fat cells interfere with insulin action. For instance, the author shows how beef has 37 fat calories; whereas, beans have four fat calories.

There are better dietary choices for children. The book cites examples like
oatmeal, cantaloupe, and whole grains with no grease. Eggs may be replaced with egg powder, tofu, or mashed banana. Cooking spray may be used in place of poured oil. Greens and beans have large amounts of natural calcium. Plain water is preferred over sugary soda with upwards of 30 grams of sugar in a single can.

The author presents many sample recipes. In addition, there is an extensive set of references from authoritative citations like the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Clinical Therapeutics, Preventive Medicine Pediatrics and The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes is excellent for implementing important dietary changes to manage insulin sensitivity intelligently.

[...]

This is a fantastic book!... I've read most of it now, but not all of it. But what I've read, prompted me to buy it as a gift for every diabetic that I consider a friend or is family. I was already a raw vegan, but I've learned quite a bit about how the body works as a result of this book and I feel that I'm able to make smarter decisions now, even in the context of a raw vegan diet, which is pretty specific to begin with. I can't recommend this book highly enough. I bought it for my grandmother who is managing her diabetes with diet and she's already noticing real differences by implementing what she's read. Pretty cool. Thank you Dr. Neal Barnard for writing this book! Another book that I would recommend as a follow-up or companion to this would be Dr. Doug Graham's, "The 80/10/10 Diet". Both books are absolutely brilliant and come with my highest recommendation. Wishing you all health, wealth and happiness. Cheers.

I don't have diabetes. I won this book as part of a package in a fund raising auction.

I found it to be very interesting.

One current theory for the genesis of food allergies is that "leaky guts", porous intestines leak out proteins from our food before those proteins have been broken down into amino acids. These proteins then get out into the blood where the immune system is alerted to them, thus triggering an autoimmune response.

Infants, whose digestive systems are not fully matured, are predisposed to having leaky intestines. They are vulnerable to developing food allergies if they are fed highly allergenic foods too early ( dairy products, soy, wheat, citrus, meat etc ). The proteins leak into their blood stream and their immune systems are inadvertently trained to see these proteins as hazards.

Type 1 diabetes is believed to happen, in part, when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin producing cells of the pancreas ( pages 30 - 35 ). The book describes several studies of children predisposed to type 1 diabetes or children who were on their way to getting it. It turned out that these children's immune systems were "on alert" to attacking proteins found in bovine milk. It has been discovered that portions of those bovine milk proteins were nearly biochemically identical to the children's insulin producing cells.

Wow.

Dr. Barnard's dietary program for type 2 diabetes has been tested in several studies in partnership with the National Institute Of Health. In a nutshell, he prescribes eating low fat ( only 20% of calories from fat, preferably 10% ), high fiber, low glycemic index valued, and vegan foods. That is, each bit of food that a recovering diabetic eats has all of these qualities.

The really interesting part is where the book explains why this works. Too much fat accumulating on the inside of cells causes the mitochondria in those cells to stop burning such fat, which leads to insulin resistance. Though a person's pancreas might be kicking out enough insulin, the insulin no longer has any effect on the cells. The cells will not absorb glucose from the blood stream leading to toxic levels of sugar in the blood.

The diet described above has been proven to reduce the amount of fat within cells, restart the burning of this fat by the mitochonria, reverse insulin resistance, and lower blood sugar levels -- without drugs.

Again, wow.

Weight control is an important part of treating diabetes and this book has a lot of interesting facts about losing weight from the studies of Dr. Barbara Rolls who wrote the book "Volumetrics". Unlike the various quack popular diet book authors out there Dr. Rolls is a highly respected scientist who has been researching how to satisfy hunger with fewer calories.

One thing she learned is that for each 14 gram increase of fiber in a diet ( via food, not supplements ) people will eat until they are full, but they will feel full on 200 fewer calories.
200 fewer calories per day is enough to lose 20 pounds over the course of a year.

Her theory is that weight in the stomach triggers satiation.

Interestingly, her studies found that not any weight will set this response off. Having study participants drink a particular weight of water did nothing for triggering early satiation. However taking in the same weight composed of water and food ( stew ) did.

Dr. Rolls recommends eating foods that have natural "bulk" - a lot of water and a lot of fiber together naturally. To encourage weight loss she advises eating food that has the more weight per a particular amount of calories.

A neat trick offered by the book is to focus on eating foods that have an equal number of calories as grams of weight...or less.

Another simple weight loss trick offered by Dr. Barnard is to do a "quick fiber check" when your weight loss seems to be slowing down. He has a set value of points for servings of legumes, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. You count the number of servings of each you have every day. If your points add up to less than 40 and you want more weight loss you eat more food from those groups of foods.

The book also gave a very clear introduction to the disease of diabetes in accessible, but not dumbed down language that I found fascinating.

The premise of this book is that animal products and especially animals fats inhibit our cells capability to absorb the sugar in our blood streams. Insulin is no longer effective at causing the cell doors to open and absorb the sugars--they are blocked by the sludge caused by fats and especially animal fats. Barnard has based much of this theory on research studies on mice that shows animal products/fat inhibits cells from absorbing sugar. I did some research and there have been more recent studies to support this theory since the book was written. Normally insulin causes the GLUT4 transporters to come to the surface of our cells and allow the sugar in our blood streams to be absorbed. But, for people who are insulin resistant, it takes more and more insulin to get the GLUT4s to come to the surface and cause the cells to absorb sugar. Barnard believes that animal products inhibit the GLUT4 transporters from functioning correctly and therefore the sugar stays in the bloodstream without being absorbed by our cells. His program is aimed at eliminating the fats that bind the cells from opening up to absorb the sugar and the primary way he suggests to do this is to eliminate all animal products and thereby get the fat out of our cells and make them more effective at operating normally and absorbing the sugar. The small amount of research that support this theory and the testimonies I have read encourages me that this is an approach worth pursuing. I also hope that it can direct scientists to find cures to eliminate the fat build up in our cells and allow GLUT4 to perform properly.

His explanation of this theory is very good and if the rest of the book was as good, I would give it 5 stars. But, in other ways the book is out of date and also not fully balanced in approach. It is outdated, because GI (Glycemic Index) does not include the fiber content of foods. GI is based on the sugar levels in the food by itself, not in our bodies. In the last decade the GL (Glycemic Load) has been favored because it includes the fiber in foods and provides a more accurate measurement. GLs have been determined by measuring the blood sugar levels of people who have eaten the one specific food at frequent intervals to determine how the food changes sugar levels. The results of lots of people who have been tested are then averaged and then the GL for each food was calculated. Since the GL is based on how bodies respond to the actual food, which includes the slowing down of sugar build up because of the fiber content, it is much more accurate than looking at the GI which is based on the sugar only and not how our bodies process and generate sugar from the food. To overcome this I have used the GL instead of GI and this has actually allowed some other fruits to be included in the diet and eliminate some others. A very good book on this is "The Glycemic-Load Diet" by Rob Thompson.

A second concern I have about his program is that he suggests many prepared frozen and packaged meals and packaged soups. But there is no consideration for the sodium these products contain. Amy is a brand he often suggests and when I looked in the store at some of their products, I found one meal would contain close to or more than the recommended daily allowances for sodium. Just one of Amy's soups have 1200-1600 mg of Sodium and the serving of some of the frozen meals recommended have just as much sodium. Too much sodium, more water retention equals higher blood pressure and more stress on our hearts that can cause them to thicken like any other muscle. If you make more meals this is not a problem, but I am reading carefully the labels on frozen foods and pre-prepared foods and find very, very few that allow me to stay under the 2000-2500 mgs of Sodium guidelines recommended per day.

The last weakness in my opinion is that the information on supplements that have been researched and found to help the GLUT4 transporter to function better does not include many of the better ones being used to help reduce peoples blood sugars. Among these are the trace mineral Vanadium and herbs like Banaba which have helped dramatically reduce blood sugars in many people are not even included. To get a better treatment on supplements I would recommend Dr. Julian Whitaker's book, "Reversing Diabetes: Reduce or Even Eliminate Your Dependence on Insulin or Oral Drugs." It was written 5 years before this book came out, so I was surprised to find the supplement section lacking. Together these books should provide a balanced and holistic approach for a person to help reverse their diabetes.

Update August 2011:
The book "Death to Diabetes" is one of the best about reversing diabetes. I found that one of the most important things to do is to exercise about two hours after eating your last meal each day. This is because your sugar levels stay in a good range for 10 to 12 hours each day in contrast to potentially being high for hours when your sleeping. I fully realized the importance of this by taking a lot of sugar level reading at the end of the day and after exercising and came to the conclusion that these are the most important sugar level blood tests to take each day. Taking a reading after exercise helped me to learn just how long I need to exercise to get my sugar in tolerance until the next morning. The morning blood sugar test is no where even close to being as important in my opinion since movement of large muscles is what uses the most sugar and when your sleeping there is not much muscle movement.

Exercising after dinner in conjunction with diet changes has reduced my a1C to the 5.5 to 5.9 range since 2008 (before this on meds it was in the 6.3 to 7.3 range for a couple of years). I have also found by doing this that other side effects I had from diabetes have gone away or been reduced. For example the peripheral neuropathy has reduced dramatically so I no longer feel any burning and only slight discomfort; plus other things that were out of tolerance like testosterone levels are now in the middle of the normal range.

Most doctors have been taught it is impossible to reverse diabetes and want to put patients on meds right away to first reduce sugar produced by liver (Metformin) and next to increase the insulin production, to finally insulin injection. I was on two meds for close to three years and then did some research and learned that the meds cause Type II diabetics to produce more insulin and thus make there cells more and more resistant to insulin and then a lot of bad things begin to happen to organs, arteries, etc. From what I studied it is my opinion that sugar is not the problem, but only a CHEAP means to measure how the insulin in our bodies is processing the sugar. The main problem in my opinion from my research is the excess insulin which is hard to measure. In fact insulin is estimated using a C-Pep test using a correlation between it an insulin to determine how the pancreas is producing insulin. I encourage anyone who reads this to do their own research and learn how to make the changes needed to avoid the ever spiraling road to worsening health caused by diabetes and even the meds used to treat the disease. My doctor thought I was crazy to try the program I developed, but after a year he started to accept what happened saying, "sometimes approaches like what you took work, but more often than not they do not." It takes a lot of determination to make these kinds of life changes and after sharing my approach with some people I have found that the people who do not get results usually are not committed to doing the program. I have a 7 foot tall friend who is very disciplined who went on the program and went from 315 LBs to 245 LBs in 4 months and has had normal a1C tests ever since.

As a research scientist my theory to explain this is based on the fact that most cells are re-newed every 18-24 months (except brain cells) and since the cells are created from amino acids and proteins based on RNA and DNA synthesis (which is always the same) they are initially created as normal cells. If these new cells are allowed to develop in a low insulin environment the GLUT-4 transporters will not develop a resistance to insulin and effectively respond to sugar levels/demand in a normal fashion. This highlights the importance of making life changes that emphasize a diet based on low gylcemic loads and doing appropriate exercise after dinner every day.

Hogwash.
This is a book for people who feel guilty about eating meat. It completely ignores the wide research that this kind of diet, heavy in carbohydrates will only exacerbate people who are sensitive to carbs. Dr. Barnard feeds in the wide spread myth that lo-fat, hi-carb diets are "healthy." In his few--and that of his clone, Dean Ornish--FAT IS EVIL.

Crap.

As a type 2 diabetic, I followed my clinical nutritionist's recommendation and over three long, suffering months. I gained six pounds, my resting glucose levels went from 101 to 224, I was constantly hungry, irritated and during weigh-in, I was accused of cheating. My triglycerides levels raised and it was only after a friend suggested I might have a carb intolerance, I switched to a lo-carb regimen, lost 22 pounds in 3 weeks, my serum glucose level went down to 110 and I'm better fed, happier and healthier.

There's no quarrel there are people for whom this kind of a regimen which should be the first step in a new life style of daily nutrition will work just fine. However, epidemiological studies show that nearly one third of the population is sensitive to carbohydrates and the subsequent insulin production that can exhaust and exacerbate the pancreas's ability to produce stabilizing glucose levels. This condition leads to fat production and storage and the yo-yo effect of bouncing glucose levels. However, the claims made herein have viable alternatives and make no attempt to explain why the so-call obesity epidemic after advocating this kind of a food regimen keeps raging on.

I'm convinced that if I'd continued on the torturous path this program unfolds, I'd likely be dead by now.

My best friend was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two months ago (December 2010) and I've researched tons of books, web sites and other information about this condition in order to help him.

Unfortunately, official medicine seem uninterested in healing people with diabetes (both types), other than keeping their sugar levels low with medications in attempt to prolong their life. It seems that nothing has changed in treating this condition since the times when my grandfather had it. As a result of such "treatment" patients only further develop their insulin resistance (with type 2) and require more and more different medicines over time. I have not heard stories of people being completely healed by such drugs, quite on contrary, there are plenty of unfortunate stories of people losing sight, kidneys, limbs and even dying.

At the same time there is a simple way to improve your condition by simply eliminating products that caused diabetes in the first place - all animal products including fish and dairy, refined oils, sugars, alcohol and junk food. Replace it with vegetables, quality whole carbohydrates (yes) - like brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat; exercise daily, use natural and inexpensive supplements; fast, if you can; and you will start feeling better day by day.

There is no-one out there who can heal you, but yourself. And you have everything to be healthy. All you need is the right direction, and this book gives you enough information to find it. It is written by a doctor who dared to experiment and he discovered a very simple way to cure diabetes with incredibly high success level.

While I would urge you not to stop there and continue your research, this book is a very good start, in fact in has everything to change your life and get you on the road to recovery.

Coming back to my friend, he followed a program we developed for him, which is very similar to the one described in this book, for two months and last week his analysis came completely clean - Hemoglobin A1c 5.8, glucose 5.5. Of course it is not the reason to revert back to a previous diet, rather a motivation to go even further.

If you or your friend/relative have diabetes, especially type 2, you need to buy this book and give it a try. I do hope it will work for you same way it did for my friend. It's all in your hands.

UPDATE: It's been 6 months since my friend was diagnosed with diabetes and about 5 months since he adopted a diet similar to the one described in this book (I think a bit more advanced) and he is now virtually free of any symptoms - his blood sugar is always normal, and he feels less tired and in general much better than before. He only lost about 1 1/2 stone (9 kg) but considering it was done without any restrictions on food intake (he's a bit of an eater so it's hard to change) it's a good result.

If you or your relatives or friends have diabetes, please buy this book and research further but most important, stop eating foods that made you ill, and you too can become diabetes-free. It's not a miracle, it's only natural to live a healthy and happy life. Good luck.

Dr. Barnard does an excellent job of explaining why a low fat, whole foods, plant-based diet reverses type 2 diabetes and promotes health. The science is well established. As a health practitioner myself, I was unaware of many of these factors, although I have personally seen how this way of eating has helped many people lose weight and get their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol under control. How wonderful to have a solution that gets to the root of the health problem, rather than just giving someone a pill that only treats the numbers and makes little difference in the progression of the disease and often with unwanted negative side-effects. This book is a great resource for those wanting to arrest and maybe reverse this nasty disease - with clear instructions and great recipes.

I should buy two of these books -- one to keep in the kitchen and the other one to bring with me when I travel.

Not only is this book "empowering" but it is also a life (and possibly limb) saver. It is logical, sensible, filled with extremely helpful facts and basic scientific information about the inner workings of diabetes and other physical processes connected with it. Dr. Barnard (who is a great speaker by the way) educates and informs the reader with information that is easy to assimilate and at the same time, demystifies the "patient/doctor" relationship, even though this "relationship" is in the form of a book.

Nutritional guidelines as well as a good basic explanation of specific diabetes medications, are all extremely helpful.

The charts are very useful, the recipes are plentiful, and while I cannot tolerate things like nutritional yeast and certain spices mentioned in these recipes, I can still utilize (and in some cases, modify) many of these recipes.

This book definitely pushes the reader towards a vegan diet. However-- this book is one of the best I have read that correctly explains diabetes, the power of diet on our biological systems, and outlines a purely nutritional plan for eating vegan. I was 178 lb when I read this book along with 8 other books on weight-loss and diabetes and by using Dr. Barnards 21 day challenge, I lost 10 lbs in the 21 days and 15 inches! NO extra exercising, just eating vegan as he has it planned out in this book. I have been eating that way 90% since then and have lost 30 lbs as of today, which is 4 months after reading this book. I exercise more now purely because I CAN and it feels SOOO good. My health is better than it has been for 15 yrs. THANK YOU DR BARNARD!!!!! I yo-yo dieted for 10 yrs before this and now its a lifestyle that is eating A LOT of good yummy foods and I just keep losing!

This book accomplished exactly what the title promised. I had diabetes and used this book as a guide to get over it. Although the advice flies in the face of conventional wisdom, it worked. My doctor told me I could stop taking my medication. Yippee!

Dr. Barnard -- Limited ways to send you a message, but did very much want to recommend to you the children's book VEGAN IS LOVE by Ruby Roth which I came across the other day at Barnes &Noble. Then noticed the store has the book and many other VEGAN books for children.
Just wanted to bring this to your attention as probably the best place to start is with children, but the book is amazing, loving, thoughtful and hope you use it -- especially in regard to your new campaign. All best wishes, Barbara Briemer

I know the harmful effects of diabetes and know first hand how it can hurt the ones you love as well as your own life. I personally have 2 parents with type 2 and am doing everything I can so I don't get it. Dr. Barnard really cares about people and for many years has given presentations on the topic to groups of people everywhere. You can view some of his videos online. If you have type 2 now and really want to help yourself - any of his books will give you a start.

I was devastated years ago when my oldest child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. He was a freshman in college and went through a horrendous year before he was stabilized by an insulin pump. Since then thanks to the work of people like Dr.Bernard he has been healthy and has resumed a normal life. This book is a foundation for anyone who wishes to control and in some sense overcome Diabetes.

S.J.Tagliareni author of Hitler's Priest

I am not entirely convinced of the science behind these dietary recommendations and the numerous hypotheses which are presented as facts. However, I am sure this method will be useful for some people. Unfortunately, the vilification of almost ALL animal protein including dairy and eggs left me in a quandry. Personally, I would rather die of diabetes complications than restrict my diet as severely as advocated in this book.

16 years as a diabetic, aggravated by exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. All fasting blood sugars in the first week below 115. They have never been this low ever. The logic for why this works is flawless. It is the way our ancestors ate for thousands of years. Plant food and one multivitamin is all we need. If you are committed and smart you will make this work and enjoy the healthy body that comes with it.

I purchased this book after seeing Dr. Barnard's program on PBS. Dr. Barnard is a great communicator. He makes something as drastic as a vegan diet seem entirely practical and doable. And it really is! I used to be someone who could not imagine not eating meat, but after going just a week without eating the flesh of animals, the idea of eating meat seemed repulsive. It's been a month now and I've lost 15 pounds, I feel great, my cholesterol and blood sugar levels have plummeted, and I'm not contributing to the suffering of intelligent creatures anymore. I already have some good before and after pics and after I get ripped, I plan to blog about the whole thing using the pics as proof. Maybe I can get in Dr. Barnard's next book or on the website.

There are many reasons to go Vegan. Dr. Barnard wisely focuses on the health reasons, knowing that most intelligent readers will do their own research about the other myriad of reasons to stop consuming animal products. Here's the big one: YOU ELIMINATE ALL SOURCES OF DIETARY CHOLESTEROL. As he says in the book, "every cell in your body will thank you." Also keep in mind that if you see yourself as an environmentalist, save the earth type of person, than you should look into the havoc that the meat industries are reeking on our planet, not to mention starvation in third world countries.

So that's how I feel now. After tons of failed diets, this is the one that really works. My family thinks I suddenly have an iron will (i'm not known for self-discipline), but it's really true that giving up meat is not that hard once you try. It helps to read some stuff on the PETA website also to get the gross out factor. For example: pigs, who are highly intelligent creatures, have their teeth torn out with no pain killers during the process of getting ready for the slaughter, milk contains a high level of pus, and eggs are the menstrual cycle of chickens (I did not know that). There are many other examples at the PETA website.

Aside from setting aside animal products, the book recommends limiting oils and eating foods low on the glycemic index. It's such a simple process that doesn't come with all the hype of the typical commercial diet, and to me it just makes sense. Buy it and read it with an open mind.

I adapted this lifestyle change in late Spring of 2013, and devoutly adhered to it until the beginning of Spring 2015, when my trusty tape measure confirmed for me why all my pants were feeling way too tight (-some I couldn't even wear). I had GAINED 2 inches!

If you are insulin sensitive, then this 100% plant based diet MIGHT be perfect for you, but if are an insulin resistant like me, and type II diabetes runs in your family, then you may want to scale way back on the fruit, or nearly eliminate it, if you decide to try this vegan eating regiment.

* Within the last 8 weeks, I have switched over to a LCHF (low carbohydrate high fat) diet, and have already lost nearly 1" around my waistline. As an alternative, read the book reviews of, Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes, and look for his YouTube videos in which he answers questions by various healthcare professionals. *

As a Venture Capitalist, I see all kinds of plans come into my office. Fads, weird science, all of it. Being on the skeptical side, I bought this bought with the notion of adding it to the pile in my quest to get control of my health. This book, put simply, is amazing. Some people have dinged it because they believe it is a political message about being a Vegan. I don't much care because, for me, the has worked.
My blood sugars are now between 4.5 - 7 all the time 2 hours after I eat. My morning fasting sugar is between 4.2 - 5.7 all the time. My BP is now normal. My HDL/LDL readings are excellent. My tingling in the nerves is gone. My sleep cycle is back to normal. I've lost 15 pounds in 5 weeks.

The net of this book could be Go Vegan, but it is more. This is a very very well written book which makes a good case via science why this can help people. I've found tons of foods I like to eat, discovered some great 'veggie' things and generally am a much more health person.

It is worth every penny.

My wife and I have been telling our friends and family that developing diabetes is about the best thing that has ever happened to me, health-wise. Five months ago, I was in poor shape, primarily because of the type work I do (mediation counseling for stepfamilies via the internet and in office sessions). I ate when I got a chance and hardly exercised at all. Then my doctor told me, after a routine blood test, that my cholesterol was twice what it should be and my blood glucose was almost three times where it should be - I had diabetes, he said, get ready for a life of blood checks, medication, and strict diets.

Well, I rebelled and went in search of a way to beat diabetes. I read several books on how to "reverse" the condition, and one in particular, "Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes," spoke so convincingly about the power of diet to correct my body's problems, that I decided to jump on the program wholeheartedly. My doctor reluctantly said he'd let me try it for six weeks to see if it did any good.

At my six-week check up my doctor said (literally) "Wow! I can't believe how much improvement you've made."

Here's the program in three steps:
1) cut out all animal products completely - all meat, milk, cheese, eggs, chicken, fish, etc. Everything. The reason is that cholesterol only comes from animal sources. When you cut out the meat, you cut out the cholesterol.
2) cut down on all oils as much as possible, including extra virgin olive oil.
3) eat a diet heavy in low glycemic index foods - these are foods that are dense in structure so they break down slowly in your stomach and ease into your system.

I thought quitting meat would be hard, but I like to eat, so I dived into alternatives - such as tofu, pasta, vegetables, etc, and I've gotten caught up in experimenting with new options. I quit just eating either chicken or fish or a hamburger at each meal and really got creative. I eat four to five times per day - I stay full! and we were both surprised at how fast I've lost so much weight.

Now, after a full five months, all my numbers are in the "good" range, I feel great, my wife says I look lots better, and I have so much energy I dont' know what to do with it all! And I've lead several other diabetes sufferers to the same program with the same results. I'll never go back.
(BTW, my doctor started the program, too!)

Tremendous book! Dr. Barnard lays it all out in black and white, making it very clear what the causal factors behind Type-2 Diabetes actually are -- which differs remarkably from everything else I've ever heard from a collection of well-intended, but factually inaccurate, "experts." The evidence is very well presented in a non-clinical manner and the facts are impossible to argue with. After following his advice, I have dropped 43 pounds and my blood sugar levels are under control for the first time in two years, without the assistance of drugs. A true gift for those who have tried every other way possible to gain control of their diabetes.

My wife is suffering from diabetes. She has lost most of her hearing, her sense of smell, much of her eyesight and has nerve damage that causes her feet and legs to hurt day and night. After several years of neglect and refusing to see a doctor, she consented to be tested. Her A 1 C was 12.2.
She attended the recommended diabetes education classes at the local hospital. The classes were of little benefit. The counsel given was suicidal at best. I knew a good deal about diabetes from much study of Dr. John McDougall's books. I was searching for information on the PCRM website and found Dr. Bernard's book and ordered it right away. By following the plan that he teaches, she was able to bring her diabetes under control without counting carbs. That is hard to do if you are a vegetarian. After six months her A 1 C had dropped to 6.4. Her blood pressure is usually below 110/70 without medication. Her weight is normal and she does not go hungry. This book is fantastic! It contains the truth!

Sal Salyers

Everyone is different and nothing should be expected to work for all folks.
I recently got a form letter from my health care clinic following routine a physical.
It pointed out that my blood sugar level was increasing to pre-diabetic levels and
that some liver enzymes were out of balance. It made no recommendations, offered no advise.
This book gave me an interesting insight. Over the last several years my family diet had
included increasing quantities of meat and animal products. We had been eating primarily
vegetarian (not as a religion, just preference.) Over the same period I began to experience
itchy skin under certain conditions.

Ok, after reading this book and additional research I draw the following connection:

Meat/Fat --> Glucose/blood --> Liver Enzyme --> Itchy Skin

Taking the other reviews at face value I'll implement the "Vegan" dietary recommendations
and return to the clinic in a few months (as they recommended) and retest. I'm cautiously
optimistic.

Curiously the same testing revealed that my Cholesterol levels which were at the high
end of the newer standards had dropped to the low end. ???

In any case I'm not here to prove science I just want to avoid future difficulties. The
medical profession and drug companies would prefer to profit from their care and drugs.

I have followed this diet to the letter for 3 weeks. My blood sugar has gone up 100 pts and I have gained 8 lbs. This diet is the typical low fat diet that was popular in the 80s minus the animal products. If you want to put on pounds like no tomorrow and watch your blood sugar shoot though the roof, then this is the diet for you. I am very disappointed with this program and wasted a lot of money buying his useless books and DVDs. Complete and utter BS

In 12 hours, my blood sugar had drop significantly. In 24 hours my blood sugar was at normal levels for the first time ever. In one week the levels were consistently lower and my doctor is having me cut some of the medication in half. One evening, out of curiosity, I added meat to my meal and by the next morning my blood sugar had risen to the higher levels it had been before I started. I went back to eating as the book suggested and in 12 hours the sugars had dropped back to normal levels.

Also, in attempt to control and reduce the sugar levels I had been eating very little. Following the advice in this book has allowed me to once again eat full and balanced meals and snacks. I'm starting to experience the weight loss the book says can happen. Before, even with the minimal eating, I was gaining weight due to the high sugar levels - even with regular exercise.

The advice given is for eating that is easy to do and nothing extra to purchase or do. Eat a vegan diet with no animal products, minimal oils, high fiber, low glycemic index, and watch the sugars. That's it. Nothing to measure or count or exchange. The recipes are great too. This morning I was so happy to be able to eat one of my favorite foods, waffles.

This book should be a must read for anyone and I believe would be successfully marketed as a weight loss book.

OK, so the diet is very much like the Dean Ornish program for reversing heart disease. A decade ago, I couldn't follow the diet, but it's funny what diabetes-related eye surgery, plus the wider availability of soy foods, can accomplish.

The basic message is simple: No animal fat or protein, eat all the low glycemic-index carbs you want, and reduce all fats as much as possible. The fat reduction has been the hard part for me, though my fat intake has been greatly reduced.

Results? In one month: Blood glucose average is now what my fasting glucose used to be. I have cut one of my meds in half. My medicated blood pressure is now within a very acceptable range. I have lost more than 10 pounds. I am happier, feel healthier, and I am not hungry all the time!

To make this program work, you need to commit to it. But, I have found this much easier than my Weight Watchers experience five years ago and don't really feel the urge to cheat on this diet.

Dr. Neal Barnard is a leading voice within the medical community whose data about the connections between food choices and chronic disease should grab the attention of anyone interested in their own and their family members' well-being. If you read the book and apply Dr. Barnard's recommendations, you will reap tremendous benefits in improving your health. It's that simple thanks to this major contribution from Dr. Neal Barnard.

This is a helpful book. But Dr. Barnard's explains that what is caused for insulin resistance is intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and by reducing or eliminating fat intake, we can increase our insulin sensitivity. I researched on this topic and found that

"Although athletes have elevated levels of IMCL they usually are very insulin sensitive [2]. So, the relationship between lipid storage in skeletal muscle with insulin sensitivity is unlikely to be causal. This has led to the suggestion that lipid intermediates, like DAG and ceramides, are able to interfere with myocellular insulin signaling, and that increased IMCL is merely a surrogate measure of the presence of elevated DAG or ceramide levels.

The higher levels of lipid intermediates in insulin resistant subjects could be a consequence of a lower fat oxidative capacity, which is low in insulin resistance. This blunted oxidative capacity is due to fewer mitochondria and/or compromised mitochondrial function. In combination with an elevated IMCL content, mitochondrial dysfunction could result in increased availability of lipid intermediates.

In contrast, endurance trained athletes have a high capacity to oxidize fat and have elevated IMCL storage, serving as a readily available energy source during exercise. Thus, if lipid turnover is high and fatty acids can be readily oxidized, the toxic effect of lipid intermediates is likely limited. An imbalance between ATGL and HSL activity, which in principle could raise DAG levels, has been suggested for the insulin resistant state"

I also found that

[...]

It says, "It is currently believed that intramyocellular triglyceride (IMTG) accumulation and insulin resistance are a consequence of dietary fat ingestion and/or the elevated circulating lipid levels associated with chronic fat surplus. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of short-term starvation versus low-carbohydrate (CHO)/high-fat diet on IMTG accumulation and the development of insulin resistance in physically fit men. Intramyocellular triglyceride content, measured as intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), and glucose tolerance/insulin sensitivity, assessed by frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT), were determined after 67 h of: (a) water-only starvation (S); and (b) very low-CHO/high-fat diet (LC). These diets had in common significant restriction of CHO availability but large differences in fat content. All results were compared with those measured after a mixed CHO diet (C). Dietary interventions were administered by cross-over design. The level of dietary-induced IMTG accumulation (P = 0.46), insulin resistance (P = 0.27) and glucose intolerance (P = 0.29) was not different between S and LC treatments. Intramyocellular triglyceride content and insulin sensitivity were negatively correlated (r = -0.63, P < 0.01). Therefore, whilst insulin resistance may be due to fat accumulation at a cellular level, in the integrated human organism this outcome is not exclusively a function of dietary fat intake. The comparable level of IMTG accumulation and insulin resistance following S and LC may suggest that these metabolic perturbations are largely a consequence of the increased lipolytic response associated with CHO restriction."

I followed the diet in this book strictly 4 weeks, and found my a1c of 6.2% unchanged. I would like to know more about other people's experience if you are physically fit like me, constantly working out, and still have prediabetic a1c level.

I thought that the premises of this vegan diet made sense so i bought the book and gave it a try. like most diets it involves checking and rechecking,then substituting every thing in the grocery. it is, naturally more expensive than a normal diet but i did give it my best shot along with some additional exercise. imagine my dismay when after a few days i found my sugar had shot up to over 300 and hovered in that neighbor hood. i thought that it might have been an anomaly and i was loosing weight. My sugar didn't come down until i discontinued the diet. The premises still makes sense but it wasn't for me. perhaps it was all the soy products -who knows. Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs

I am a 66 year old nurse who has, make that HAD, type 2 diabetes which came from steroids I had to take when I had chemotherapy for cancer 6 years age. I also had moderate pain from neuropathies and osteoarthritis.
I did some research before going on this program and
found a lot information to back it up.
After following this diet breakthrough for only a few weeks I had to stop my amaryl. It is now 3 months later and my blood sugars are perfectly normal without medication and I'm amazed to find that the chronic pain I had for the last 5 or 6 years is gone.

Dr. Barnards book is easy to understand and his program is easy to follow. It has changed the way I eat forever.

Dr. Neal Barnard is a great teacher and this book is full of excellent health guidance and nutritional information. This book makes it easy to alter your diet by providing 50 delicious recipes and a 3 week meal plan. Hiring a nutritionist would cost hundreds of dollars; this book is even better and only costs ~$10.

I had succes within a week of starting this and am now up to a month of following this program. Instead of treating the symptom (high blood sugar) of diabetes this book tells you what the cause of diabetes is and how to treat it. Clear descriptions and explanations. Easy read. Solid clinical trials - NIH and George Washington University. Dr. Barnard combines the best from both Western medicine and the holistic, vegan lifestyle.
Includes some recipes - 2 out of the 3 I tried were great. To round out this book use some of the excellent vegan cookbooks that are in print (Christine Pirello, Robin Robertson). Also read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan - amazing book.
My only "complaint" is that returning to the book to recheck some information (such as his recommended # of fat and fiber grams per day) I couldn't put my finger right on it...had to re-read a lot before finding what I was looking for. Maybe include a chart or list for easy access to that type of information ?

We heard about this book from our chiropractor and we bought it right away. My husband is a diabetic but has been managing it with medication and hoping against hope that he could delay the dreaded insulin shots. Well! After three weeks carefully following the easy program in this book, my husband's readings have been phenomenal. Just as the book suggests, his readings have moved below diabetic level. For example, two hours after lunch, he read 98. This is wonderful and so encouraging! I never thought we'd go vegan, although we've played with it a little, because meat is so pervasive. But now, in our mid-50's, losing weight and getting healed, it's certainly going to be our life from now on.

As a former vegan, I know all the kneejerk reactions against it. But this works! In three weeks, I lost 10 needed pounds and he lost 20. We are still losing. Really, give this a try.

Diabetes for Dummies offers solid, practical information for diabetics that explains the importance of both diet awareness and exercise. It's helpful for both the newly diagnosed and more experienced people with diabetes. If you would like a down-to-earth, inspirational (yes, there is such a thing!) look at diabetes you might want to check out The Diabetes Book: What Everyone Should Know

I bought this book expecting it to make a big difference in my recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Surprise! It's just what I had been eating, with the exception of Dr Barnard's recommendation to avoid vegetable oils, due to theie high caloric content. At the time my glucose was sky high. After two weeks on it my glucose counts were unchanged. If I had not been eating this way before I got the book, I would have said I didn't give it enough of a try, but that's not the case.

Dr Barnard recommends a vegetarian diet low in all oils, with the intent of improving insulin resistance by lowering your weight. The "meantime" is 8-12 weeks to see results, according to the book. The problem I see with this is that most diabetics won't find it advisable to have their glucose levels sky high in the meantime.

I investigated more, bought Dr Bernstein's book, which is the opposite of this book, recommending an extremely low carb diet, about 30 carbs a day, with the resulting calories from protein. I started following it, and my glucose count now is only slightly above normal. The results were almost immediate, by the way. I've also lost considerable weight on Dr Bernstein's method.

Previous to insulin, diabetics were recommended a low carb diet, and since then the ADA's method has shifted to a high carb, low fat diet to minimize heart risks from diabetes, and low protein to protect the kidneys. However, a diabetic's primary risks are due to high glucose, not high fat or high protein. Get this under control first. If you're concerned about the fat, reduce your saturated fats by consuming low fat fish and poultry.

Do yourself a favor and get Dr Bernstein's book if only to compare the differences and decide for yourself.

Dr Barnard is one of the most famous docs in the USA, and I ordered his book expecting some great ideas.

Instead, I found his low -fat, no animal protein, (no fish at all!) high carbs diet, (circa 1975!) which is pretty much discredited.

To my surprise, by cutting back on the carbs (even "good carbs" like dark rice and steel-cut oatmeal) I've gradually lost 12% of my body weight (and I wasn't very fat to begin with). I was already exercising, but doing a bit more of that as well.

I eat a little butter now, (I hadn't had any butter or margarine for years), lots of nuts, olive oil, c.cheese, and add Half & Half in my coffee. I've leaned up quite a bit, which is counter-intuitive. Had to buy smaller slacks and shirts. Can't say that it's gotten me out of the prediabetic stage yet, as my next test is next week. I don't miss the carbs!

Dr B says limit nuts and olive oil (!) which puts him at variance with most current opinion on controlling blood glucose. He says eating carbs is not a problem! oh, really? Today it's generally recognized that it's the carbs, not the fats that make us fat. Maybe his book ('07) is just dated.

His book even has sugar added to cole slaw. No thanks!

Perhaps Doc B has an ethical objection to eating meat (I understand, I've been off red meat for decades) and that may drive his advice. So his book is quite a disappointment. I'd be surprised if followers improved their blood sugar.

I had hope for this book. I thought maybe it would make eating easier. It didn't even bother me that the reviews said it promoted a Vegan diet, I am already a vegetarian and have been for thirteen years. Then I found out that Neal Barnard, MD is associated with PETA. He lost all credibility at that point.

His writing is almost condescending and his tone is a little on the irritating side. I didn't get more than a chapter into the book before I began having issues with the man's science and his reasoning for banning animal products. Look elsewhere for hope and help, this guy doesn't have what your looking for.

I have known for several years that is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes with diet and life style changes and He has proved as well as some other Doctors and believe gives very good and practical information on how to accomplish with the help of your physician.
I recommend for patients with type two diabetes that are welling to follow the program ,because the results will be in direct proportion on how close you follow the program.

Guillermo Trevino

Sugar number cut in half after just five weeks. Lantus dosage cut in half. Blood pressure normal. No more triamterene. All this while eating like an emperor. A whole new pallet of food to select from. And I've lost 6 lbs!!! There's got to be a cache. Why didn't the endocrinologist ever suggest this? Twenty years of things getting worst and now a reversal. Thank you Dr Bernard.

Since we started this new "life style", my husband is off his cholestrol meds! The information is awesome and easy to understand. Basically this is a "no-brainer"! When my husband has his bloodwork in a month, we are hopeful that his doctor will start to reduce his Diabetes meds. This is NOT hard. I do not have diabetes, but found myself losing weight just by changing our eating habits to include just a plant based diet. I highly recommend this book to any one who is struggling with health issues.

Having read many books about diabetes, I am impressed with this one the most because it seems practical and doable. After receiving the book on 12/26, in three weeks that I have followed the lifestyle and diet recommended by this book, I have observed some positive changes; for instance no more nightly trip to bathroom at 2:30AM etc. etc. The book is in very straightforward and easy to understand plain English.

One shortcoming that I did notice in the book, that it does not address people who are not overweight yet have the diabetes or are pre-diabetic. Following this diet of no animal fat and dairy etc, maybe will cause them to loose weight. BTW, I have noticed any weight loss in 3 weeks on this diet.

In summary, this approach is a welcome news for those, like myself, who would not accept low-carb or zero carbohydrate diet as a diabetes cure. The book explains the rationale as to why increasing fat or animal protein will make the condition worse over the long run.

I had been a dedicated vegetarian for 9 years and held my prediabetes at bay with diet and exercise for 4 years. At 72 it still progressed to full diabetes. I am not overweight and I am very active. Doctor said my body just got older and not as efficient. I read this book and even I could not eat this diet for very long. And my husband is a carnivore. If he couldn't make the leap from that to being a vegetarian he would never choose to become a vegan. This book was recommended by his doctor but we didn't find it helpful at all!

I stuck to this diet as posed in the book for 4 months. I did lose weight, in fact I did lose about 30 pounds and then after about 3 months no more weight loss.

The problem with me is that yes my fasting blood sugar average did go down (from 270 to about 240) but that after each meal of allowed foods it would go sky high well over 300. I cheated twice on the diet, one night I had my mom's fried chicken and mashed potatoes and green beans...the other night I got a hamburger and french fries. But those were the only 2 times I cheated on this diet. Other diets I would cheat all the time, so you do feel more satisfied on this diet. Pizza without cheese and just vegies is actually pretty good! Mostly I had frozen steamed vegies, beans and a little rice for my meals, with breakfast being shredded mini wheat (I cannot stand oatmeal and that is advocated for breakfast in this diet) and blueberries and soymilk. I did lose the weight but my blood sugar drop was unsatisfactory.

Last week I went and got Dr Bernsteins Diabetes Solution book. In about 8 days, I lost another 4 pounds and my blood sugar this morning was 140. Its dropped over a hundred points in one week. It may be another alternative for other diabetics.

This diet may work well with others, I gave it a good shot and I did lose weight but I have had better results on Dr Bernstein's diet and treatment.

GREAT BOOK! Easy to understand. Diet is simple and healthy. My favorite part is eat as much as you want and you don't have to exercise. Works for me!! I could not understand or follow the American Diabetic Assoc diet at all. I was starving and frustrated. This menu plan is wonderful. The receipts are easy if you want to make specialty foods.

Dr. Barnard's approach to reversing diabetes is the most well researched - with actual clinical trials. And he makes it simple and delicious too. Reading this book is like having a coach, a teacher, and a true health care provider all in one. He's the best.

Dr. Neal Barnard basically wants you to become a vegan...I'm not interested in becoming a vegan and was dsiappointed as I feel this was NOT MENTIONED in the book description! That is a huge shift in life-style and eating choices; It should have been mentioned on the cover or in the advertisement. Disappointed in this book. I've read other books of his and find they fall short and sway too far from main-stream eating style of Western culture. If you want to reach the masses, you must present a dietary life-style that they can and want to adhere to!

Here are some of my own tips for stabilizing your blood glucose levels and reducing the risk for cariovascular disease: Cut out all or most refined sugar and flour products. Include more vegetables as much as possible on a daily basis; learn some tasty vegetable recipes and eat a wide variety. Use unrefined Virgin Olive Oil when cooking and don't over-heat it. Eat more oily cold water fish. Cut out fast foods as much as possible. Monitor intake of dairy and eggs. Don't believe the hype on coconut oil...it's very calorie dense and a saturated fat that will effect your LDL & total cholesterol level. If your diabetic or prediabetic you must realize your at high risk for cardiovascular disease so also eat healthy to reduce cholesterol and reduce certain foods like high saturated animal fats.
As a person working in the healthcare field, I can tell you the hardest thing to do is to get a patient to change their eating habits, so let's be reasonable and remember that food has deep cultural, emotional, familial and religious meaning to most people...let's not alienate them be expecting them to go total vegan! Get real!

i awaited the book with impatience. i am a type 2 diabetic and looked forward to new insights and suggestions i could use.
the explanations are probably good, but nothing new if you have read up on the condition. The program basically consists of eliminating all animal products, and reducing use of oils (and peanut butter). in fact, to me, a vegan diet, a switch i am not willing to make. i expected more of the book.