Though she had been experiencing high stress, chronic fatigue, and weight gain in recent years, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes took Tina completely by surprise. After hearing the words, “Your A1c is high and you have type 2 diabetes,” Tina was convinced that her doctors had made a mistake.

Tina had been conscious of nutrition for years and thought that she was eating healthfully to prevent diabetes and other chronic diseases. Unfortunately, she fell into the trap of believing that low-fat dairy products and “lean” meats were health foods.

Fortunately, Tina was aware that eating a plant-based diet was a great option to reverse type 2 diabetes and drop her A1c dramatically. Immediately following her diagnosis, she committed to a plant-based lifestyle and never looked back.

Although she was interested in trying out a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet, she hesitated because the idea of eating large amounts of fruit and carbohydrate-rich foods seemed dangerous to her diabetes health.

Like many, Tina subscribed to the wisdom that, “Carbohydrate-rich foods will increase my A1c and increase my blood glucose, right?”

Having watched her aunt’s health deteriorate as a result of uncontrolled diabetes, Tina was determined to do everything in her power to maximize her diabetes health to avoid the same fate.

Tina reached out the Mastering Diabetes to help her learn how to reverse type 2 diabetes and lower her A1c using her food as medicine.

She stopped eating what she had thought were “healthy” lean meats like chicken and fish, as well as dairy products like milk and cheese. Instead, she began eating unlimited amounts of fruits, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables like potatoes and squashes.

In a typical day, she eats fruit for breakfast with chia seeds and cinnamon. For lunch, she has a salad with a baked potato, or brown rice with a hearty bean chili. She snacks on fresh fruits, vegetables, or baked potatoes throughout the day. Dinner is typically another salad with steamed vegetables, and she follows it up with another big bowl of sliced fruit for dessert.

Almost immediately, Tina felt significantly more energy, and was amazed at how easy it felt to eat the Mastering Diabetes way, despite the drastic change from her previous diet.

Her skin began clearing up, her energy levels increased, she began sleeping better, she began losing weight, and her fasting blood glucose decreased significantly. Without doubt, each of these benefits trumped the temptation of fried foods and refined carbohydrates.

So far, Tina has lost 53 pounds–and she is continuing to lose weight at a steady, healthy rate. 

You can see more details about her health improvements in the chart below:

Tina no longer feels like a victim, and instead feels like she has some control over her health.

Rather than feeling as though things happen to her, she feels like she now sits in the driver’s seat of her metabolic health for the first time in her life, and understands how to lose weight, how to reduce her A1c, how to feel more energy, and how to reverse chronic disease.

Tina began eating a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet to help reverse type 2 diabetes, but is thrilled to discover that the benefits extend way beyond diabetes. She has discovered that the human body does not heal selectively, and feels as though her whole body (including her emotions and spirit) have improved dramatically.

When she was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a dangerously high A1c, Tina was ashamed of her diagnosis. She wanted to hide type 2 diabetes from her friends and family, and pretend as though her A1c wasn’t twice as high as a non-diabetic individual.

Today, Tina talks openly about cutting her A1c in half using a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food lifestyle, and is proud to share her story with everyone. She has experienced the incredible benefits of a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet, and is now excited to help others experience the same transformation.