"People are not lacking information. They are lacking the execution of that information."
This episode is guided by our distinguished guests, Diana, a certified diabetes care and education specialist, and Jose, a seasoned exercise physiologist.
They kickstart our conversation by discussing their groundbreaking digital platform, The Type 2 Diabetes Revolution. Diana and Jose take us through their personal stories, the victories of those who’ve bravely embraced a healthier lifestyle, and the need for comprehensive support in our healthcare system. You’ll gain insights into ways of reducing saturated fat consumption, the benefits of physical activity, and the role of fiber in enhancing insulin sensitivity. Be ready for an illuminating episode that will redefine your approach to Type 2 diabetes!
Resources from this Episode:
Get Cookbook Here
If you want to connect with Diana and Jose, visit the following:
Instagram: @type2diabetesrevolution
TikTok: @type2diabetesrevolution
Website: www.type2diabetesrevolution.com
_____________________________________________________________________
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have a question, suggestion or comment for the podcast? Fill out form here
Plant Centered Nutrition Essential Resources:
"People are not lacking information. They are lacking the execution of that information."
This episode is guided by our distinguished guests, Diana, a certified diabetes care and education specialist, and Jose, a seasoned exercise physiologist.
They kickstart our conversation by discussing their groundbreaking digital platform, The Type 2 Diabetes Revolution. Diana and Jose take us through their personal stories, the victories of those who’ve bravely embraced a healthier lifestyle, and the need for comprehensive support in our healthcare system. You’ll gain insights into ways of reducing saturated fat consumption, the benefits of physical activity, and the role of fiber in enhancing insulin sensitivity. Be ready for an illuminating episode that will redefine your approach to Type 2 diabetes!
Resources from this Episode:
Get Cookbook Here
If you want to connect with Diana and Jose, visit the following:
Instagram: @type2diabetesrevolution
TikTok: @type2diabetesrevolution
Website: www.type2diabetesrevolution.com
_____________________________________________________________________
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have a question, suggestion or comment for the podcast? Fill out form here
Plant Centered Nutrition Essential Resources:
Welcome to the Plant-Centered and Thriving Podcast. I'm your host, ashley Kitchens. I'm a plant-based registered dietitian and virtual nutrition mentor. I was raised on an Angus Cattle Farm, grew up with a lot of GI issues and used the power of plant-based eating to promote healing. Here you'll find inspiration, ideas and encouragement for your own plant-based journey. I'm so thrilled you're here today. Let's get started. Welcome to the show Plant-Centered Listener. My name is Ashley and I am your host today.
Speaker 1:Today I have with me two very special guests who have an even more special mission, and part of that mission has to do with the facts I'm about to share with you right now, which comes from the CDC. The CDC estimates that about 37.3 million people have diabetes. That's a little bit over one out of every 10 people. They also estimate that 96 million people aged 18 years or older have pre-diabetes. That's 38% of the adult US population. These are staggering statistics. So I would imagine that you know someone who has specifically type 2 diabetes, or know someone who knows someone because it is so oriented, especially throughout the US. So today I have with me Diana, who is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist. She holds her master's in nutrition, science and policy, and then joining her. Joining us is Jose, who is an exercise physiologist with a degree in exercise science, and she just happens to be a two-time Ironman triathlete. So that is no easy feat, right there. Together, both of them combine their forces Jose with his expertise in exercise physiology, diana with her expertise in nutrition and they created a digital health platform that helps you prevent, manage and reverse type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise, and they share a couple of stories from the people that they have worked with.
Speaker 1:And my jaw basically just dropped. It hit the floor. It was incredible. Across their social media channels, they have half a million followers and are now releasing the highly anticipated book, the Type 2 Diabetes Revolution. This comes out on November 7th, so, depending on when you're listening to this, you're able to pre-order it, or, if you are listening to this after November 7th, it will have already come out. And this book which, by the way you all, is gorgeous and it includes over 100 high fiber plant-based recipes. When I tell you that this interview was invigorating and empowering, that doesn't even begin to describe how enthusiastic both Diana and Jose are about helping people prevent, manage and even reverse their Type 2 diabetes. And again, those stories that they share are just mind-blowing. They're mind-blowing, but we also know that there is power in plants. So please join me in welcoming Diana and Jose to the show. I guess what I wanted to first ask was how did for both of you, how did Type 2 diabetes become a passion of yours? I'm really curious to hear this story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I can go first. So I'm a dietitian and Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. I've seen many of my family members struggle with it. So when I was studying to become a dietitian, I kind of knew from the start that I always wanted to specialize in Type 2 diabetes. You know, after I became a dietitian I took the exam and I worked. I was working in different healthcare centers and healthcare settings.
Speaker 2:I worked at one point outpatient, I did some inpatient work and one thing I really realized was how little care and education was given to this patient population. Like, for example, I worked in a medical center in Boston and I was only allowed to see my patients every three to four months for about 20 minutes for follow-ups Initial, granted, it was 45 minutes to an hour, but then follow-ups was 20 to 30 minutes, which is just not enough time to try to make lifestyle changes, to help someone make lifestyle changes when dealing with something like Type 2 diabetes, which can be a life-altering, a life-threatening condition. And so I kind of just grew really frustrated with the healthcare system. I was like I feel like I really was not making an impact and so many people have Type 2 diabetes now and just seeing firsthand how my family member struggled with it, I really wanted to do more. So I switched to private practice and to social media, and because social media you can reach so many more people and I started just educating on there. And that actually led me to meet Jose and he was doing something very, very similar on his social media account. He was using plant-based nutrition and exercise. I'll let him get into that, but it's very specifically Type 2 diabetes and we quickly realized how much our missions and our goals aligned and we're like you know what, maybe we should join forces.
Speaker 2:A dietitian and an exercise physiologist what better combination? And so we decided to join forces and we both really knew and valued the power of a plant-based diet. Like through my studies of dietitian, I had really dug into the research and knew how effective it was, not just for health but specifically for Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. And he was doing the same exact thing, promoting more of a plant-based dietary pattern. And so we joined forces. We created an online program. We still felt like the one-on-one was a little bit limiting, so we created an online program that could reach a lot more people, and so we offer that right now and then, after a few years of that, that kind of led us to write our book, the Type 2 Diabetes Revolution. This is a way to continue to broaden our reach. Reach more people who maybe don't necessarily have the means to join a program or do one-on-one coaching, but could still benefit from some education and recipes from our book.
Speaker 1:Nice, wonderful. So, basically, more access for people, more reach and impact for you all, which is wonderful. Yes, thank you. Yes, so, jose, I would love to hear your take as well.
Speaker 3:Okay, so my name is Jose, I am an exercise physiologist with a degree in exercise science, and to tell you about my first exposure to Type 2 diabetes, I have to take you back to the very beginning, about eight years ago. Right out of school I needed to get some exposure to the medical field and I ended up working for two physicians that happened to be plant-based doctors that practiced lifestyle medicine. So I was very lucky to end up in this practice and for those of you that don't know, lifestyle medicine is this real branch of medicine that a lot of doctors are getting board certified in nowadays, and the premise behind it is basically empowering physicians to teach their patients how to change their lifestyle to a more plant-predominant diet to prevent and reverse conditions like Type 2 diabetes, like high cholesterol, hypertension, side-deliver disease and so on. So that was my first exposure to the plant-based approach and how it helps with Type 2 diabetes. Now let me tell you in this practice we were seeing about 100 patients a week and, I kid you not, 50% to 60% of them had some kind of metabolic condition. So the large majority Now these doctors, their first line of treatment, their first therapy, would be hey, go in this plant-based approach. Come back three months later and we'll see how you're doing right.
Speaker 3:And I saw two main groups of patients the ones that actually follow the recommendations of the doctor follow this plant-based approach or a plant-predominant diet. Then they would come back three months later, get their labs retested and everything would be back to normal, like blood glucose back to normal range, cholesterol back to normal range or at least getting there blood pressure problems gone, fatty liver so liver enzymes back to normal range. And I was just like mind blown about these results. I was like how is that even possible? But unfortunately I also saw the other side of the picture the patients who were recommended this approach but didn't really follow it. Not because they didn't want to I mean, who doesn't want to get healthier right? They probably did want to follow the approach but they didn't have a support system or a plan to do it. So they would come back three months later and I could already see it on their faces that they didn't really follow it. The lab results would come back and things would be either the same or they would be even worse and at that point they have to put you on medications right. And it's a sad situation for everybody, because the doctor knows that the downward spiral of prescription medications is basically starting at that point and it was a sad thing to see.
Speaker 3:But I had a light bulb moment in that practice where I decided to tell them that there's a solution out there, that they can actually reverse these conditions with lifestyle changes. So I created an Instagram account and I started posting the plant-based foods that I was eating. I started posting exercises that I was doing at home and people started following it, following the account. Then I met Diana, who was doing the same thing, like she mentioned, and one day we were like let's meet on Zoom because we're basically doing the same thing and let's talk about how we can help more people. Long story short, we decided that, me being an exercise sociologist and her being a dietitian, that is the exact type of knowledge that people need to reverse this kind of conditions, like she mentioned. Then we created a program, because people need a plan, people need support. We created a community forum and now we had the opportunity to write this book, the Type 2 Diabetes Revolution, to reach even more people.
Speaker 1:Yes, amazing, Jose. Did you go into this position knowing that this was going? You were going to basically be witnessing people putting their type 2 diabetes intervention, coming off medications, Like did you have any idea that that was what you were going to walk into?
Speaker 3:Not at all, and I had no idea that a simple change in diet could actually do that. And, as a matter of fact, when I joined this practice, I was not plan based. So I was showing up to the doctor's office with my little lunch with chicken and I was like, oh, I'm eating so healthy. But then I saw it right before my eyes that people were eating this way and reversing the conditions, and I was like, whoa, there's something to this approach. So I started slowly changing my diet, and that's how everything started.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's amazing and it's so cool that you were able to connect on social media and then create the programs that you have today, put out this incredible book that is coming out or has already come out, depending on when you're listening to this and reach so many more people. So I'm curious for both of you what you saw, because you obviously saw that something was missing. Diana, you specifically as a dietitian, jose, you and your field, and I'm curious how you ended up together both of your forces combined create a program that helps hold people accountable and helps them put their type 2 diabetes into remission or lower their insulin resistance different things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I could start just working in the healthcare field and the healthcare setting outpatient-inpatient.
Speaker 2:I just definitely felt like well, number one, not enough time was given to these people Like they were, I mean inpatient literally given a hand, they're given a handout, you review the handout with them and that's it, and then you hope that they'd see someone else, that they're referred to a dietitian, but there's not much more you can do in that inpatient setting Outpatient again, it was just not enough time to really help someone make a lifestyle changes, and I think a lot of focus is placed on symptom management too and not enough is placed on the reversal of insulin resistance and really placing type 2 diabetes into remission.
Speaker 2:And so that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to one, give people more education so that they could understand why type 2 diabetes develops, how it develops and what you can do, what lifestyle changes you can do to tackle the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes and not just manage the symptoms for the rest of your life. So that's why we created our program and we really wanted to be able to create more of that support and community where which is there. It was just lacking in the healthcare field, and so we do that with our program as well.
Speaker 3:I just wanted to add to that that, with social media, nowadays, people are not lacking information. People are lacking the execution of that information right. So that is where the program comes in, like creating a plan of action for people where they can see okay, this is what I got to do in week one. I just got to learn the pathophysiology of insulin resistance. You know basic level 101 to understand why am I doing this thing and how is it helping. That's why the program truly gives people like a mindset shift, a paradigm shift. They understand why they're eating these foods and how they're going to help them in the long run.
Speaker 1:Yeah, really getting to that root cause, like both of you all have really touched on. And I'm curious too in your practice, are there specific things or common things, like related to lifestyle changes that you often recommend more generically with the people that you're working with?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely Like so we. The first thing we always do with everyone who comes through our program is we have them right down their Y. So that is a big part of our program is figuring out why you want to embark on this journey, and not just to lower your blood sugar or lower your A1C. But what is the real reason, whether that's to be able to hang out and be around for your grandkids or be able to walk your daughter down the aisle for her wedding we want people to really understand and figure out what that Y is, so that when they are struggling throughout the program cause lifestyle change isn't easy, it can be challenging at times, and so during those more challenging times, they can come back to their Y and be reminded of it. And we have them write it down, place it in places. Well, they'll see it on their mirror, on the back on their the door, they're in their car, and so they can constantly be reminded of why exactly they're embarking on this lifestyle change.
Speaker 3:I would say that when it comes specifically to type two diaries, people need to understand that carbohydrates are not the enemy.
Speaker 3:So that is one of the main things that we have to teach people so they can change their paradigm. On avoiding all carbohydrates is what I need to do to get better. That is not the case, and it's not that we're blaming anybody, but if you don't have the necessary nutrition knowledge, you can make the mistake of clumping all carbohydrates into an evil group of foods and then making the wrong dietary decisions from then onwards. So we got to go ahead and tell people there's two types of carbohydrates refined, and then there's a whole complex kind. What we are recommending is whole complex carbohydrates, which more with more fiber, more antioxidants, water, minerals and so on. This is the good kind that you should be focusing on this. When you are in the context of a plant predominant diet, you are going to be able to increase your insulin sensitivity, reverse insulin resistance, and then that is when it clicks for most people, and then the lifestyle change just happens on its own.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah. For so long, historically, we thought all sugar, all carbs are quote bad and we should avoid them if we have type two diabetes. What are some other things that maybe you just counsel or educate your clients on as well, or help them create awareness around what it is that they're putting into their body?
Speaker 2:Well, number one, a big one, is saturated fat, right? So I think a lot of most Americans are probably consuming way too much saturated fat. And for those who are listening and are not sure what saturated fat is, it's a type of fat that's found primarily in a lot of animal based products, or in most all animal based products, in higher amounts in red meat and full fat dairy. And there is some research that links high intake of saturated fat to insulin resistance and insulin resistance again is that underlying cause of type two diabetes. So we do educate people on the different types of fats as well, and so we kind of talk to them about saturated versus unsaturated fat, which is more of that fat primarily found in plant based foods, and we have them kind of shift over, reduce their saturated fat content and kind of replace that with more unsaturated fat sources.
Speaker 3:And I can add, to the physical movement side of things.
Speaker 3:So, aside from this over consumption of calories, we also are living sedentary lifestyles, not creating enough negative caloric balance right, and that is a big problem, because if we're not burning those calories, that energy has to be deposited somewhere right, and most of the time it goes to our fat deposits, and then that creates the insulin resistance that we are trying to avoid.
Speaker 3:Now, when it comes to physical movement, a lot of people are not moving their bodies enough, so what we tell people when they join the program or in our social media channels is to just walk more. Sometimes people think that walking is so easy that it's not going to have an impact on my health, but walking after meals for 15 to 20 minutes is one of the most powerful things that you can do. One to blunt the blood sugar spike right after a meal and two to create an even larger blood glucose clearance throughout the day. So do it after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner, do it every single day. It only takes 15 minutes, you don't even have to run, it's just a walk and you're going to see great results.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that. In fact, we had someone on recently who lives in Italy, or he, you know, he spent some time in Italy and he said after dinner, everyone typically goes out and takes a walk. And he said you know, if you were to see that in the US, you'd be like what is going on? There's an apocalypse happening. But it was just such a common practice. And I love that, jose, because I think it is something that if we were to just get Outside, even just after a meal, once a day, multiple times a day, and just do a little bit of walking, that that would have a great impact on Our health and our blood sugar levels.
Speaker 3:One thing this is not something only that some cultures are doing, but it has been researched. There's randomized control trials that have been done on the effect of post meal walking and your fasting blood glucose, and a one three months down the line.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, okay. But here's another reason for you listening to go out and take a walk today, because we are very pro walking here, so I love that. Good now I I know this cookbook, too, has over 100 high fiber plant-based recipes, so I'm curious what y'all's take is on fiber and why is it beneficial, especially for someone who has type 2 diabetes?
Speaker 2:Yes, fiber one of the Nutrients that most Americans do not get enough of and they should be eating more of, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. So I mean fiber. There's just so many benefits to fiber, but really specifically to type 2 diabetes. What fiber does is really help. Slows down the absorption of Glucose into our bloodstream, so when we're eating carbohydrates, that's why it's so important to choose more of those complex, high fiber carbs, because that's gonna enter our bloodstream at a much slower rate. And fiber also helps reduce cholesterol levels, and people with type 2 diabetes are at a much greater risk of having heart complications. So that's a really another great benefit of fiber as well, and it also helps to keep you satisfied, and so it fills you up quicker, keeps you full for longer, so you're less likely to be eating or snacking mindlessly between meals when you're focusing on High fiber meals, and so it really helps with weight management, which is so, so, so important when it comes to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Speaker 2:Having excess fat, especially in that abdominal area, has been linked is one of the biggest Risk factors for type 2 diabetes, so maintaining a healthy weight is very important. So, yeah, in our book we have over a hundred plant-based recipes, all high in fiber, and and one thing that we did with all of our recipes is we included the fiber to carb or the carb to fiber ratio in each recipe. So you can see, like, for example, this one's chickpea, tuna quote, lettuce wraps, and you can see the carb to fiber ratio is three to one, so that what that means is that for every three grams of carbohydrates, you can expect to get at least one gram of fiber with that.
Speaker 1:No, no. Is there a particular ratio that you like to aim for? Is it's just something that you, like, just wanted to put into your book?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I had come across a study by researchers at Harvard Health or Public School of Health and they had done. They had kind of said like a good ratio was was 10 to 1 and I thought that was a little too lenient so we definitely made it a little strict. So most of our recipes actually fall Below five to one, but then there are a few that will be above, like some of our dessert ones Of course, are a little bit higher, but none of them go above, I think, nine to one.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's incredible, and I imagine, if you're eating a predominantly plant-based diet, or even a 100% plant-based diet, that it would be pretty easy to hit those ratios. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Without thinking about it, on a plant-based diet, you're definitely gonna hit to those ratios. For those people that may be Interested on a plant-based diet but they're not fully committed yet, a practical tip is to just add two to three cups of non-starchy vegetables Before you eat a meal, and that is going to naturally raise the amount of fiber that you're consuming for a given meal.
Speaker 1:I like that. You could just like set it out even while you're like cooking your dinner or you know having it out, so you can just snack on it throughout the day. Yeah, that's a good idea yeah. Is there a just a really common piece of advice that you give to the people that you work with over and over again, like just something that kind of comes up a lot?
Speaker 2:I mean, you know, when it comes to nutrition, I would say we, we really encourage people to replace some of their I mean, if they're not ready to go Fully plant-based, which is completely fine. We, we really like to meet people where they're at. If they're not ready to go 100%, totally fine. We say okay, like how can we incorporate more plant-based meals into your diet? And one thing we kind of say over and over again is how can we replace some of that red meat or some of that meat with a plant-based protein? Because there's so much research that shows not only reducing your meat intake but replacing that meat intake with a plant-based protein is so, so effective. Because, number one, you're reducing the saturated fat in your diet but number two, you're also increasing again fiber in your diet and a lots of other vitamins and minerals that come along with plant-based proteins. So I would say, from the nutrition standpoint, we definitely encourage people to make that swap as much as possible.
Speaker 3:I would say this is more specifically for people that have high blood sugar problems is that there is. There's this notion that people really want to see results day after day after day. They want their blood glucose to improve daily. And one thing, one thing that we remind our members, is that Bluecoast look at blood glucose is highly, highly variable and you cannot just put all of your trust in one Individual reading that you got one day. You have to take a step back and look at the trends over the last 14 days, three weeks, and once you see downward, that downward trend, then you are going to understand that you are definitely Improving your insulin sensitivity. So don't focus too much on the individual readings that you see day after day. Take a step back and look at trends. That's what truly matters. You.
Speaker 1:I like that taking a step back, zooming out and kind of looking at the big picture, versus like focusing on one specific day or one reading at a time, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's wonderful, and I really I do want to shout out your Instagram which we'll talk about at the end too, which is type two diabetes revolution Is that you all do really give practical advice for people who are wanting to improve their insulin resistance, are wanting to put their type two diabetes in remission? So I just wanted to shout that out and say thank you, because I really do feel like it is guidance that you can actually follow, which is really appreciative Thank you.
Speaker 3:I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. So I would love to talk success stories if you have anyone kind of off the top of your head or someone that you want to share.
Speaker 3:There was this guy that joins our program, I think last year, and he was a dairy farmer, okay, so naturally, his dietary patterns were very high on animal products, right, meats and dairy. So this this person finds our, our Instagram channel or our TikTok, and well, he sees that we're helping people reverse insulin resistance. So he reaches out, he joins the program, but he tells me how say, I don't know, I don't know about this plan based approach. I don't know if I want to follow it. Is there something else that I could do? Like a look, we have a problem in our hands, right? Your A1C is above 12. You were just put on a cholesterol medication, on a blood glucose medication, on a blood pressure medication and another one to protect your kidneys. There's a problem at hand. We have the solution. Please go through this program and let's see what happens. Right, like, just promise me that you're going to do this for the next three months. He was like, okay, I can do this, and his wife was there and she's the one that promised me that he was going to do it. So that's basically how it worked.
Speaker 3:Now, fast forward a month and he was very, very compliant. He will send us pictures every single day A month down the line he starts feeling better. So he goes to a different physician to get his blood work redone. The doctor was like well, I cannot really do an A1C right now because you just got it done a month ago and it was 12.0. But your fasting blood glucose is much better, your cholesterol problems are gone, blood pressure is back to normal. I have to take you off all medications. So within a month he got off all medications. Of course he's a compliant. He's a good doctor. He stayed compliant for the next two months. His A1C came down to 5.6, from 12 to 5.6 within three months and that was the best thing that I have seen in my life.
Speaker 1:And just three months. I mean he was seeing results after one month, four weeks.
Speaker 3:There's people that see results within a couple of days, so it's pretty wild.
Speaker 1:Wow, wow, and I imagine he is just, I would imagine beyond grateful that he joined the program, like actually took the leap, because I'm sure it was a scary step.
Speaker 3:He definitely was grateful. Left out two paragraph testimonial in our community forum. So he was very excited, oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:We love stories, so that's great.
Speaker 2:This woman came to us because she, her doctor, would not approve her immigration visa and because of her health, because her A1C was too high so we wouldn't approve it and she had to. He basically gave her three months to change her lifestyle, change her diet, and then he would see and then he would reevaluate. So she found our program and she came into our program with an A1C of about 7 percent, which is type two diabetes, and she did our 10 week program. So our program is spans, the 10 weeks, and throughout that time she lost a total of 26 pounds and then when she went to get her A1C levels checked again, she had gone from a 7 percent to a 5.9 percent, which is a huge drop in A1C, and her fasting blood sugar went from from in the 200 to 100. So she went back to her doctor and he approved her visa and she was then allowed to leave the country and travel. So that was just.
Speaker 2:That was really touching and she felt like it wasn't just about the visa. Obviously, she said that she was so sluggish, always sleepy, like she would never have the energy to exercise. She would always be craving, like you know, not the healthiest foods. And then, after our program. She said that you know, all of her cravings for the highly processed foods kind of stopped. She said like following more of a plant-based diet was like the easiest plan she had ever followed and easiest thing to ever stick with. She had tried keto before. She had tried just being in a calorie deficit before low carb and nothing had worked. And it wasn't until she joined our program and did our method that she felt healthier, her blood sugars dropped significantly and just felt like she had developed a healthy relationship with food again.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so incredible. I mean so such an impact with just and I'll say just because I don't want to undermine it, but like with her changing her diet. I mean incredible and I think kind of similar to what you were saying. When you go plant-based, it can be, there can be so much abundance and it can be incredibly liberating versus restricting, which I think sometimes it may look a little restrictive, but it sounds like even with just the two stories that you mentioned, I mean, this was a life-changing decision for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean it was like her immigration visa was like. I mean it's terrible that her immigration visa was like wasn't going to be approved just because of her AONC, but the fact that she was able to not only get that approved but also make lifestyle changes for the rest of her life, yeah, that's what I think was most important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, thank you for sharing both of those stories, so that those are just incredible to hear.
Speaker 2:We have our educational modules, that we have people watch so they can learn about everything when it comes to type 2 diabetes. Then we also have meal plans and recipes that people have access to every single week of the program. And then we also have this amazing community forum where people can interact with other people going through the program and then they have direct access through there as well to Jose and myself and they have any questions or need more hand-holding than we're there for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, definitely. So I'm curious if you have any specific thoughts on like type 2 diabetes medications that are incredibly popular, especially going on right now in the world. There are a couple of one in particular. That's like quote trending, I would say. So obviously there's a time and place for medications and you know we're so thankful that those exist. But I'm curious kind of with your approach, kind of what's your take on that as well?
Speaker 3:There is a time and place for medications, absolutely. I mean, if you look at the prescription algorithm for medications for type 2 diabetes, doctors have followed algorithm. I mean, if you're A1C between certain ranges, you're going to be put on a formant. On top of that, they're going to tell you to change your lifestyle, but then, once you get to the higher ranges of your A1C, you might be put on insulin. If you have to lose weight, you're probably referring to asempic and semaglutides, which are like this new type of drugs that are everybody that wants to lose weight are now taking. Right.
Speaker 3:But the way that we see it is that, even though there's their time and place, they are band-aid solutions to a problem that has a different route, that is not going to be resolved with just medication. You have to go through certain lifestyle changes. These are conditions that stem from lifestyle habits and if you want to reverse them, you have to change certain habits of lifestyle behaviors. Sure, you can have a joint therapy of pharmaceuticals and, on top of that, do some lifestyle changes and, once the time is right, doctors are going to probably deep prescribe, reduce your medication or completely take you off medication, and that is what we have seen in our program. You can definitely do them both at the same time, but just keep in mind that one is a band-aid solution and one is actually resulting in a root issue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and I mean and OZMPIG is not something new to us, like we and it's been around for a long time with people with type two diabetes and it's because of the weight loss that it became so popular now. But I do think you know, of course, like we are very, like, thankful for medications and that we have them to help people control uncontrolled blood sugar levels, because we know that the complications that can arise from uncontrolled blood sugar levels are extremely serious and need to be taken seriously, obviously. And so thank goodness we have medications that can help people get their blood sugars levels under control quickly. And OZMPIG, I think you know it can be beneficial for some people. I mean, it's one of those medications that helps control blood sugar levels and for people who need to lose weight.
Speaker 2:I think if you are also committed to making lifestyle changes, it can be sometimes a helpful add on. It can help you kind of jumpstart that weight loss journey. But I do think like you have to be committed to lifestyle as well, because you know, as soon as you get off the OZMPIG and don't make those lifestyle choices, what's going to happen you're probably going to gain that weight back. So it has to be done in conjunction with lifestyle teaches. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I appreciate that take. So, speaking of lifestyle changes and diet, of course you have your new cookbook coming out, which is on November 7th, and I'm curious, like what went into this? You know, what are you most excited about with it coming out, aside from every single recipe keeping extremely delicious.
Speaker 3:you are also going to be eating through your eyes. Okay, the pictures that we have taken for every recipe are just like mind blowing. And let me tell you a little story. So we met in Puerto Rico in Diana's house to cook, I mean, 50 plates of 50 recipes from this book. We actually cooked them and we took pictures of it. So it was 15 people in the kitchen at any given time, one chopping, one food styling, the photographer taking pictures, diana just conducting the orchestra and I was just eating. But it was. It was a fantastic. It was a fantastic experience and it turned out great because you're going to see actually we're going to send you a copy. You're going to love the pictures. So people are going to be really inclined to make those recipes and just eat through their eyes, but also be happy with how they taste.
Speaker 2:We have an amazing photographer in Puerto Rico, Robert Alvarez. We photographed between 60 and 70 recipes in two and a half days, which was just madness, but he was incredible, Like the photos are amazing and also part of the book too, the whole first part there's first there's six chapters in addition to the plant, to the recipes, and in those six chapters we go over just diabetes education so that people again can learn more about diabetes and how a plant based approach works so well for diabetes. And then we also we get asked all the time about meal plans, so we decided to include a meal plan in here, including our recipes. So we have a four week meal plan that you can follow if you would like. And, yeah, and it uses, of course, recipes from from the book for the for the four weeks.
Speaker 1:Hey, it's wonderful, so this is a great option really for anybody if they're wanting some like drool worthy, delicious recipes. Yes. Oh yeah, I saw I saw some behind the scenes footage of y'all's, I think y'all's photography on your page and I was like, oh yeah, these look as the one was like a toast with like different like vegetables and things on it. Yeah, it looked really good. Thank you, yeah, absolutely Well. So where can people either preorder this book or buy the book if it's already come out?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they can preorder it or buy it wherever books are sold. So it's going to be available on Amazon, barnes and Nobles, target, walmart. We also have a page it's type two diabetes revolutioncom slash book where you can find, like all the information about where to order it. Yeah, so wherever books are sold. Really wonderful.
Speaker 3:I just want to say that if any of your listeners are speaking Spanish Spanish speakers this book is going to be translated to Spanish and released in the year. So I just finished the translation into Spanish and I'm just very excited that it's going to be spread even further and wider now to Latin American countries.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's wonderful, and you said that'll be coming out next year.
Speaker 3:Next year?
Speaker 1:Yes, Okay, all right, good, we'll look forward to that as well. Awesome, well, thank you so much for coming on and talking about your book. Where is the best place to for people to connect with you? We'll put your website with the book information in the show notes, but where else can people connect with you online?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Instagram, tik Tok, YouTube, facebook, we are type two diabetes revolution. So or our website, type two diabetes revolutioncom.
Speaker 1:Perfect, Wonderful. Well, Diana Jose, thank you so much for coming on sharing your story, your journey, success stories, all the above. I cannot wait to have this book in my kitchen and start cooking some recipes.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having us, ashley, it's super fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you so much. Thank you for tuning in today. We'll catch you on the next episode.