Use this diet to take a load off of your pancreas, kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract.

Here is what you should avoid:

Processed foods
Any food that contains genetically modified ingredients, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors or anything you cannot pronounce.

Starches and grains
Pasta, Potatoes, Breads, Cereals and anything with gluten content.

Juices and soft drinks
Water and teas are the only acceptable beverage, juice is a waste of energy they usually contain processed sugars and artificial sweeteners.

Here is what you should upload into your life:

Vegetables
Fiber and Alkalinity are some of the greatest benefits of veggies. Order organic to your doorstep if you can it's cheap and it forces you to take advantage of some amazing variety. Go green! Green leafy veggies have so much nutrition like calcium and iron as well as tons of antioxidant power. I like Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, green beans, peppers and spinach. A great substitute for lettuce in salads is baby spinach. Remember that POTATOES ARE NOT VEGGIES. OK, maybe by definition but a nutritional breakdown suggests that they fit much better with pasta, white bread and white rice so leave them alone! Uploading veggies as part of every meal and snack plus substituting with a "Greens" nutritional supplement mix will allow the body to maintain an alkaline environment which will allow the body's cells to repair and regenerate.

Legumes
A great source of fiber and protein. This list includes

• Adzuki Beans
• Black Beans
• Black-eyed peas
• Broad Beans (Fava Beans)
• Butter Beans
• Calico Beans
• Cannellini Beans
• Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
• Edamame
• Great Northern Beans
• Italian Beans
• Kidney Beans
• Lentils
• Lima Beans
• Mung Beans
• Navy Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Soy Beans including black soy beans
• Split Peas

Wow! Look at all this variety. In Eastern and European countries these are staples and those countries have a dramatically lower incidence of disease.

Nuts
Yes you can be nuts over nuts! Raw nuts be them almonds, pasticcios, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans and all the rest. Almonds are my favorite and contain the most nutrient-bang for you buck with the most protein, calcium (yes calcium!), B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium to name a few. So have raw nuts handy as a snack in between meals and for dessert.

Poultry and Fish
If you look at most healthy countries' dinner plates, meat is a garnish. It is prepared with utmost care and flavour to savour but it doesn't make up the bulk of the plate. So eat and savour meat just don't load up on it. Cook your meats with healthy oils like olive, canola and coconut oils and flavor them with light kosher salt, pepper and spices like paprika, cayenne, turmeric and herbs like fresh oregano, basil and rosemary.

Fruits
I am tired of hearing diabetic patients say they can't eat fruits because of sugar while they throw artificial sweeteners and processed foods down the hatch. Real organic fruit is full of fiber, antioxidants and nutrition that is excellent for the body while not raising blood sugar levels through the roof. Stick to powerful and easy fruits that aren't too acidic like apples, blue berries, bananas and pomegranates.

Yours in health,

Dr. M.