Before insulin, there was Oatmeal
Before the discovery of insulin, the lives of many diabetics were saved or prolonged by Carl von Noorden’s oatmeal diet. As I discuss in my video Is Oatmeal Good for People With Diabetes?he published his findings in 1903, which was received with great skepticism. But the critics were defeated in later years by the weight of evidence.
The famous doctor James B. Herrick first tried the oatmeal diet on his patients. At first very skeptical, he was surprised by the results, which led to the announcement in 1909 that no case of juvenile or juvenile diabetes should be denied the benefits of oatmeal treatment.
The great Elliott Joslin, founder of the oldest and largest diabetes clinic in the world, described the effects of oatmeal as “sometimes magical,” calling the oatmeal cure an unsolved mystery, referred to back then as “one of the great mysteries of diabetes.” They had clues, though. They found that animal protein should be completely removed, because it destroys the good action of oatmeal-type food.
And now we know, more than a century later, that, indeed, the animal protein diet increases insulin resistance, which is the cause of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, while a plant-based diet improves insulin sensitivity, and vice versa.
Is it Is Oatmeal Good for Diabetics?
We have long known that high consumption of whole grains, including oats, is associated with a lower risk of diabetes. As I discuss in my video How Does Oatmeal Help With Blood Sugar?more than a dozen randomized controlled trials found that oats significantly improved both short-term and long-term blood sugar control, in addition to reducing cholesterol levels.
We think the benefits come from the fermentable fiber in oats called beta-glucan. We know that one of the primary cholesterol-lowering uses of oatmeal may be its ability to regulate the microbiome––in other words, having a beneficial effect on our gut bacteria.
What’s So Great About Fiber in Oatmeal?
A little fiber goes a long way. Our good gut flora uses fiber to make short-chain fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory effects. There are a number of randomized controlled trials that show the types of fiber found in oats and beans can improve long-term blood sugar control in people with diabetes. Why? Because gut bacteria are encouraged by choosing a fiber diet that can help reduce type 2 diabetes.
Oat fiber itself has been shown to act as a prebiotic, increasing the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus again Bifidobacteria. Therefore, between the lack of animal protein, the lack of animal fat, and the explosion in lines with prebiotic fiber, it is not surprising that the oatmeal diet grew to be part of the treatment method in the treatment of diabetes.
How Fast Can You See Results?
As I discuss in my video Oatmeal Diet Tested for Diabetes Treatmentseveral studies have suggested that a few days of eating oatmeal can have beneficial effects about a month later. In a randomized, controlled, crossover trial, not only did the need for insulin decrease by about 40% in just two days, compared to restricting calories only with a hypocaloric diet for diabetes, but a measure of long-term blood sugar control taken four weeks later showed a benefit.
Other new studies have shown the same thing. Two days of oatmeal significantly reduced the amount of insulin required and improved blood sugar levels, with beneficial effects noted for up to four weeks. Consider this: Patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes on a two-day oatmeal diet experienced a 40% reduction in insulin levels, along with near-normalization of blood sugar. Although the intervention lasted only two days, the researchers saw a significant and lasting decrease in insulin levels and improved blood sugar levels several weeks after the participants were withdrawn from the study—and that was after they resumed eating their normal diet.
Put people on a diet full of oats, beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and the number of intestinal fiber-feeders that release beneficial short-chain fatty acids increases, and fasting diabetic blood sugar drops by about 25% within one month. If they increase fiber-feeders, it is better to control blood sugar. When fiber-promoted short-chain fatty acid producers were present in greater variety and quantity, participants improved their hemoglobin A1c levels (a measure of long-term blood sugar control).
Is there anything wrong with oatmeal?
If you try an oatmeal diet, your doctor should be ready immediately explain your blood sugar medications or you may be on more dangerous medications. Oatmeal interventions should not be performed in patients who may have difficulty reporting symptoms of low blood sugar. The disadvantage of trying oatmeal dates is that it can be very effective, so it should be done under medical supervision.
Glycemic Index of Oatmeal
Whole letters are fine, but partial letters are better. Whole grains: groats.
Oat groats are stripped of their inedible outer husks during processing. They can be cut into two to four pieces to make a metal-cut (also known as the head of the rudder or Irish) oats, which are considered a food with a low glycemic index, with an average of less than 55.
Oat groats can be milled and made into Scottish oatmeal or steamed and reduced into “classic” rolled oats, which have a glycemic index of 55.
Instant oats are baked for a long time and rolled very thin. Scoring 79, it’s considered a high glycemic index food, but not as bad as other breakfast cereals, which can get into the 80s or 90s.
Cooking Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a classic breakfast cereal, and there are many ways to enjoy it.
- Of course, fruits and nuts are popular additions. A a bowl of berry banana oatmeal it’s quick and easy, too cinnamon baked apples make a hearty breakfast. Mix it up overnight oats or baked carrot cake oatmeal the night before to make your morning easier.
- To add another type of fiber to your gut flora, add cannellini beans to your oatmeal—my friend Paul swears you can’t even see or taste them.
- I like to start the morning with what I call my own BROL container. BROL stands for barley, rye, oats, and lentils. I use oat groats (aka hull-less again chopped oats). I first mix all the ingredients in a ratio of 1:1:1:1 and cook one spoon of dry BROL and two cups of water in an electric pressure cooker. That makes a good textured foundation.
Once you have your BROL base, select your input. When I feel like something fun, I go to a chocolate-covered-cherry feeling. I make it with frozen black cherries, cocoa powder, dates, and walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
You can easily turn that bowl of BROL into something delicious; here is a version made with sautéed vegetables. Google “sweet oatmeal” for all kinds of interesting recipes including mushrooms, herbs, curries, roasted vegetables—you name it!
