>> Dr. Terry Simpson: This is part four of our series, Food Isn't a

Prescription Pad. And right at the start, let's be

clear. Food is not medicine. Yes, food is

powerful. Yes, food can lower risk, but food is

not a replacement for medicine. Clearly, diets

rich in ultra processed food lead to more

problems. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes,

cancers. And the most empowering thing a person

can do is, is eat a better diet. Some people think

we never had chronic disease before modern times.

They blame food. But then they extend their logic

to say that if we just had good food, we wouldn't

need medicine at all. So let me give you an

example of why that isn't true. One of the most

powerful stories in all of medicine. It's the

early 1920s. Dr. Frederick Banting and his

assistant Charles Best are working in Toronto, and

they made a discovery that would change the world.

At that time, children with diabetes were doomed.

The only treatment was a starvation diet so low in

calories that a child might live a few extra

months. But death was certain. Parents sat

helplessly as children wasted away. Hospital wards

were filled with kids in diabetic coma, Families

waiting for the end. Then came insulin. Dr.

Banding went to one of these hospitals and began

to inject these children who were laying down

comatose. And this is one of the most famous

moments in all of medicine. One by one, the

comatose children began to stir. They sat up, they

asked for food, and they hugged their parents.

That discovery was so profound, that moment so

profound that Dr. Banti became the fastest person

to ever win the Nobel Prize. After medical

discovery, insulin became one of the fastest

adopted drugs in the history of that time. And

here's the lesson. Those children had the best

food their families could provide. But food wasn't

enough. Only medicine. Insulin saved their lives.

Today, we're going to make sense of the madness of

diet and diabetes. I am your Chief Medical

Explanationist, Dr. Terri Simpson, and this is

Fork U Fork University, where we bust a few myths,

make sense of the madness, and teach you a little

bit about food and medicine.

Let's start with beans. Beans are a legume, and

other legumes are some of the best foods that you

can eat to help control your blood sugar. They're

packed with soluble fiber, which binds glucose and

slows absorption in your gut. They're rich in

plant protein, which keeps energy steady. And they

have a low glycemic index so they don't spike

blood sugar like white bread or soda. Studies show

that people who eat beans regularly can lower

their hemoglobin A1C that long term marker of

blood sugar, about 0.3 to 0.5%. That is a real

effect from food. And beans aren't just healthy,

they're practical. They're inexpensive, available

everywhere. And humans have probably eaten beans

longer than any other protein source. We're

natural hunters. Not really. I mean, I couldn't

hit the broadside of a barn. But beans, well,

beans were always there. And in the Mediterranean

region for many years, including the times of the

gladiators, beans were the primary source of

protein. Before I compare beans to medicine, let's

step back. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1

diabetes is where the pancreas loses its ability

to make insulin. It's called juvenile diabetes.

That was the diabetes that we talked about with

Dr. Banting. And best. Usually it is an immune

system that destroys the insulin producing cells

of the pancreas. And without insulin, glucose

cannot enter your cells. Glucose builds up in the

bloodstream. Without insulin, life cannot

continue, which is why every type 1 diabetic

patient needs insulin from the day of diagnosis.

Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called adult

onset, the pancreas still makes insulin, but the

body cells are resistant to it. So the pancreas

works harder and harder. And over time, the

pancreas can wear out, which is why many type 2

diabetics eventually need insulin too, because

that's the natural course of the disease. So

whether it's type 1 or type 2 food has never been

enough. Back to beans. They help, but they are not

a drug we call metformin. Metformin is the first

line drug for type 2 diabetes. It lowers A1C by

about 1 or 2%. That's two to four times more than

beans. And metformin also reduces your risk of

heart disease, and it has decades of safety data

behind it. So, yeah, beans are great, but if your

A1C is 9 or 10, no amount of chili or hummus is

going to bring you to target. Medicine does that.

Food lays the foundation. Medicine does the heavy

lifting. And to be clear, the best overall diet

for diabetes isn't low carb or keto or carnivore.

It isn't some fad diet where you cut out entire

food groups. The best diet for diabetes, shown

again and again and again in multiple studies

across many populations, is the Mediterranean

diet. That means fruits, vegetables, uh, olive

oils, nuts, legumes, beans, and whole grains. Now,

whole grains might sound controversial, especially

to those who grew up in the era of low carb

madness, but the science is clear. Whole grains

are and continue to be a healthy choice for

patients with Diabetes. In fact, whole grains are

a lot healthier than bacon. But the Mediterranean

diet doesn't lower blood sugar, lowers

cholesterol, improves blood pressure, reduces

inflammation, protects the heart. And unlike crash

diets, it's sustainable. It's a way people can and

do eat for a lifetime. But even the Mediterranean

diet is not medicine. Here's some practical tips

for beans. So how do you actually use them to your

advantage? Swap ground beef for black beans and

chili. Add lentils to soups or stews, which

thicken them beautifully. Roast chickpeas for a

crunchy snack. Use hummus instead of cheese

spread. And toss peas in rice and pasta or grain

bowls. Those are simple swaps. They add up to

lowering blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, and

and keeping patients feeling full. And when

they're a part of the Mediterranean diet, the

effect is multiplied. All right, scam time. Keto

and carnivore diets get hyped as diabetic cures.

They can lower glucose in the short term, but at

the cost of raising saturated fat. For people with

diabetes already at higher risk of heart disease,

that's dangerous. It's pouring gasoline on the

fire. And the insulin claim? False. Protein spikes

insulin. So the idea that no carbs means no

insulin is a fantasy. And then there's cinnamon

supplements. Cinnamon and oatmeal. Delicious

cinnamon capsules as a cure. Worthless. The

evidence is minimal. If someone's selling you

that, they're selling you snake oil and not

science. So here's the truth. Beans are not

metformin. Yes, food matters. Yes, food lowers

risk. Food empowers you to take control. But food

is not medicine. Food is food. Medicine is

medicine. Together, they save lives. This has been

episode four of, uh, food isn't a prescription

pad. Next time, when green tea and broccoli aren't

chemotherapy, why Prevention is not the same as

cure. I'm Dr. Terry Simpson, your chief medical

explanationist. Fork U is produced by Simpler

Media and the pod God, Mr. Evo Terra. For

references and more, visit YourDoctorsOrders.com

and Forku.com and check out my substack newsletter

where I dig deeper into the science@drsimpson.com

and here's the disclaimer. I am a board certified

physician, but I am not your physician. This

podcast is for education, not personal medical

advice. Always talk to your board certified

physician and a registered dietitian before making

changes for your health. All right, everybody,

have a good week.

Teivo, my favorite bean dish is hummus. What's

yours?

>> Speaker B: Would you like to see the 40 pounds of dried

chickpeas. We have that most of the time, gets

made into hummus. Also cowboy, uh, caviar, great

beans.