These determined women triumphed over ailments that plague millions of Americans: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Instead of giving in to a lifetime on prescription drugs, they took control of their health by adopting diets that have been proven to fight disease. The eating plans (plus moderate exercise for two of the regimens) demanded commitment. But the results were so fast and dramatic, they inspired the women to stick with the changes. Each discovered, to her astonishment, that her new routine quickly stopped feeling like work and became a way of life. Today they’re all healthier, fitter, and feeling great. You can eat your way to better health. These stories show you how.
The problem: Diabetes
The food cure: Pritikin Diet can reverse type 2 diabetes in 3 weeks Seven years ago, Andrea Coogle, now 45, developed gestational diabetes while pregnant. Her blood sugar returned to normal after she gave birth, but shot up again a few months later—and the Tampa audiologist was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Coogle went on the diabetes medication Glucophage (metformin). But she felt drained and depressed, and she steadily gained weight. In 2004, her brother visited from New York. Stunned by how she’d changed, he insisted on treating her to a week at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, FL. She went reluctantly and sobbed when she arrived, ashamed of a life she felt had spun out of control. “I kept thinking: What am I doing here?” she recalls. “I didn’t realize that it would be the turning point of my life.’’ Coogle had always eaten whatever was convenient: muffins, fast food, hot dogs. At the Pritikin center, she was fed a super-low-fat, near-vegetarian diet. For 2 days her stomach ached. She dragged herself to the gym and hated every minute. But on day 3, the pangs stopped, and she began to enjoy the treadmill and elliptical trainer. And as her tastebuds adjusted, the meals seemed more appetizing. On the fourth day, she learned that her weight had dropped—and her blood sugar, too. That moment made her a convert. By week’s end, Coogle had lost 10 pounds and her blood sugar had fallen 7%. “I was amazed,’’ she says. The Pritikin diet is spartan—lots of choices, but all very low in fat. Nevertheless, Coogle says it’s not hard to stick with it. She keeps her kitchen stocked with organic produce and whole grains, and cooks from scratch four or five times a week, instead of grabbing takeout. (She adds small amounts of meat and salt for her family.) She knew she needed support, so she joined Weight Watchers and a gym; she works out three times a week. Her fasting glucose levels have fallen from about 180 mg/dl to about 112 (from diabetic to prediabetic range), and she’s dropped 55 pounds. She’s thrilled about her weight loss and the fact that she’s halved her diabetes meds. Her goal: to lose a few more pounds and get off diabetes medication entirely. “I weigh myself every day,’’ she says. “I’m constantly monitoring my blood sugars. I got it in my mind that this isn’t a diet—it’s forever. And with that mindset, I’ve won the battle.” [pagebreak]
How the diet works
The Pritikin program is even stricter than the healthy eating plans recommended by leading medical organizations: It emphasizes many of the same foods, such as fresh produce and whole grains, but permits only tiny amounts of animal protein (preferably fish or shellfish). Dairy must be fat free; little added sugar, salt, or caffeine is allowed. The public has always associated the Pritikin diet with cardiovascular health, partly because inventor Nathan Pritikin created the program 30 years ago to reverse his own heart disease. But studies have long shown that the Pritikin regimen of diet and exercise also lowers blood sugar in type 2 diabetics, in most cases so much that they no longer need medication. The results come fast, even without major weight loss, says Christian Roberts, PhD, an adjunct assistant professor of physiological science at UCLA. In 2006, Roberts studied blood samples from 13 diabetic men on the Pritikin regimen and found that in just 3 weeks their blood sugar dropped almost 20%, on average. Six of the men were no longer classified as diabetic when they left the spa. “Type 2 diabetes is basically an excess-calorie disease,’’ says James J. Kenney, PhD, RD, nutrition research specialist at the Pritikin center. “If calories and weight go down, insulin resistance goes way down, too. That’s why diet and exercise are so effective.’’ Try it! A taste of Pritikin: Begin your day with oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon and chopped raw apple. 3 rules to get started:1. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables—in fact, go wild with them. But limit juice to 1 cup daily; it doesn’t fill you up as much, so you’ll consume more—and take in too many calories. 2. Choose fish over poultry or meat. Stick to one small serving daily—about the size of your palm and the thickness of a deck of cards. Otherwise, go for beans and other veggie protein sources. 3. Get plenty of exercise: An hour a day is optimal for preventing or reversing insulin resistance. The workout doesn’t have to be strenuous—brisk walking is fine.
The problem: High Cholesterol
The food cure: Portfolio Diet lowers bad cholesterol as effectively as drugs Rosalba Erdelyi, 61, watched her mother struggle for decades with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other medical problems. As her kidneys and liver began to fail, her mother blamed her many meds, not underlying disease. “I remember her telling me: ‘Avoid taking medication if you can,’ ’’ Erdelyi says. When Erdelyi was 45, her own cholesterol began creeping up, and her doctor suggested she go on a statin drug. She said she’d cut her cholesterol with diet and exercise instead. “He told me, ‘You won’t be able to do it on your own.’ I decided to prove I could.’’ She tried oat bran and cut way back on red meat. But her cholesterol kept rising. So in 2005, she volunteered for a study of the Portfolio diet, developed by David Jenkins, MD, PhD, DSc, a nutritional sciences researcher at the nearby University of Toronto. Jenkins is known as the father of the glycemic index, which ranks foods by their effect on blood sugar levels. But one day, as news mounted about the cholesterol-cutting power of different foods, his wife, a dietitian, posed a question: Why not roll all the good stuff into one meal plan? Jenkins decided to try it. The vegan Portfolio is a radical departure from a typical Western diet. It relies on four categories of foods known to help prevent heart disease: soy, nuts, plant sterols, and foods high in “viscous,” or sticky, fiber. No meat, fish, or dairy is allowed. The only permissible sweet is a dollop of fruit jam. Portfolio produces striking results fast, working about as well as statins for people with moderately high cholesterol. A 2003 study of 46 adults found the diet slashed LDL 28.6% in just 4 weeks. For Erdelyi, the plan took some adjustment—mostly because of the foods she had to add. The large amounts of fiber made her gassy at first. But following the plan has become second nature. “If I eat something like a steak, I don’t even enjoy it anymore,’’ she says. Besides, her results keep her going. Her total cholesterol sank 21%, from 260 mg/dl to 205 mg/dl—enough to keep her off medication. “I have a lot of energy,” Erdelyi says. “I don’t have side effects of medication. And I’ve accomplished something I set out to do.’’ [pagebreak]
How the diet works
Portfolio is the most demanding of the three diet plans: It excludes dairy, meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Instead, it’s heavy on soybeans, soy milk, and tofu, thought to reduce cholesterol production. Plant sterols—found in fortified orange juice and margarine—block cholesterol absorption. And eggplant, oatmeal, and other foods high in viscous fiber prompt the liver to pull cholesterol out of the blood. Portfolio isn’t everyone’s cup of tea—only about one-third of people in a 2006 study followed it completely after a year. But people who stuck to the program only 60% of the time got good results. “If you’re on the cusp of statin therapy, you might want to try the diet first,’’ Jenkins says. “You can tell within 2 weeks if it works for you.” Try it! A taste of Portfolio: Blend together 1 cup of vanilla or chocolate soy milk with 1/4 cup of soy isolate powder. 3 Rules to get started:1. Have an ounce of almonds or other nuts (about a handful) as a daily snack. 2. Ditch or at least reduce meat, poultry, and fish. Jenkins found that the less animal protein people ate, the more their cholesterol dropped. Try a tofu stir-fry instead. 3. Switch to soy milk (many “beginners” prefer the taste of flavored soy milk). [pagebreak]
The problem: High Blood Pressure
The food cure: DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) As effective as medication for many patients, without side effects Judy Hecker, 52, always struggled with her weight, but after back surgery and a hysterectomy in the mid-1990s laid her up for more than a year, the pounds piled on. Depressed and constantly fatigued, she needed two medications for her very high blood pressure, along with beta-blockers for her heart. Hecker and her husband used to take their boat to catch crabs in a bay not far from their home outside Portland, OR, but by 2002, she couldn’t enjoy it anymore. “I got to the point where I couldn’t even climb into the boat,” she recalls. That’s when she had a mild heart attack. Now she had to slim down and get healthy. So when she heard that Kaiser Permanente researchers were launching a weight loss study using the DASH diet, she signed up. “At first I was skeptical,’’ she admits. But after just 4 weeks, the pounds had started to come off and her blood pressure was dropping. “When I saw it was working, it gave me hope that I could heal my body.’’ She initially found it tough to give up a few favorite treats, such as Doritos and ice cream. But the diet—high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low-fat dairy products—fit right into her life. “It was easy to eat all the fruits and vegetables,” she says. “And once you start eating them, you really crave them.’’ ’ The exercise required by the study was more of a challenge. Hecker and the other volunteers began with 30 minutes of walking two or three times a week, but she quickly realized that the more she worked out, the faster she lost weight. Now she strength-trains twice a week and works out on a treadmill 30 to 45 minutes three times week. She also goes for frequent walks in the steep hills near her home, and she and her husband have taken up golfing and hiking. “I feel great,’’ she says. “It’s really a whole new life.’’ Her dream—to get off blood pressure medication—became reality in only 3 months, after she’d lost just 10 pounds. Her blood pressure now measures 104/59 mmHg, from a high of 210/186 mmHg. A 15% blockage in her artery has cleared. And Hecker’s weight is down nearly 50 pounds. Although the study is over, Hecker is sticking with the DASH plan. “If I keep losing, I’ll be able to go out on the boat with my husband and get up on the rocks,’’ she says. “That’s my new goal—to climb that jetty again.’’ [pagebreak]
How the diet works
It’s old-fashioned, wholesome fare: more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products than what’s found in the typical American diet—and less red meat, sweets, added sugar, and sugary drinks. DASH is rich in protein and fiber, as well as potassium, magnesium, and calcium—minerals known to help control blood pressure. Scientists developed DASH on a hunch. Studies had shown that magnesium, potassium, and calcium helped regulate blood pressure, but supplements never seemed to work as well. So researchers at a number of major institutions created and tested a diet loaded with foods that contain those minerals. It’s likely that DASH’s nutrients help blood vessels relax; studies show that the diet lowers blood pressure dramatically and fast, says Njeri Karanja, PhD, senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, one of the institutions that helped design and test the eating plan. “The size of the reduction is amazing,” Karanja says—big enough to get many people with high blood pressure out of the danger range. Scientists say that if everyone followed the diet, Americans would have 15% less coronary heart disease and 27% fewer strokes. Try it! A taste of DASH: Make a modified Waldorf salad. Toss together unsalted nuts, fruit, feta cheese, and spinach or lettuce. Mix with walnut oil and lemon juice. 3 rules to get started:1. Instead of tossing a cup of romaine lettuce into a salad, use 2 cups (or switch to spinach—it’s higher in potassium and calcium). Just don’t increase the salad dressing. 2. If you live on takeout and packaged foods, make a commitment to cook at least one meal a week. That’s the only sure way to control fat, salt, and sugar. Salmon delivers potassium; pair it with magnesium-heavy potato and artichoke. 3. Use canola or olive oil in cooking—but sparingly, to keep fat levels low. Switch out butter; use yogurt, fresh herbs, or unsalted spice blends instead.
