When The Diet Channel reviewed Fiber 35, they took the diplomatic approach, citing good and not so good advice. Good advice including: get plenty of soluble and insoluble fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, eat reasonable portions, and exercise. The problem is that this excellent, evidence-based message is buried in hyperbolic language and some superfluous advice.

Fiber 35 emphasizes the mechanisms by which fiber and fiber-containing foods can help improve disease markers (cholesterol, blood sugar, and immunity), while helping to control weight and appetite. A concept enjoying heavy rotation and loose interpretations nowadays is the subject of toxins. Fiber 35 claims that toxins are relieved by eating fiber -- 35 grams a day or more. Fat is addressed as being relatively inactive from a metabolic standpoint. However there is emerging research (not addressed in Fiber 35) demonstrating that fat is active to the point of a separate hormone targeting the metabolic response. As the diabetic community grows, the day will soon arrive when local CVS and Walgreens pharmacies carry the next endocrine simulating prescription.

Until that day arrives (and I continue to pray that capitalistic affairs of Big Pharma slow down like the alimentary canal without a trace of fiber) - look toward Mother Nature for the most organic answer to our metabolic quagmire. Thanks to Brenda Watson for Fiber 35 and The Diet Channel for their comprehensive review. To read the full article, click here.

Would you like to reduce your daily insulin requirements by a third or stop all diabetes medicines? Lofty goals, yes - but given the Eat To Live program - it's quite possible.

Regardless of my attempts to downgrade insulin dose in the last 15 years - my blood sugars would not take the hint. Had I known Dr. Fuhrman had figured this one out long ago - instead of badgering feats of diabetic noncompliance I would have picked up his book, Eat To Live. Dr. Fuhrman explains the best diet for humans to live longer in good health is also the best diet for one with diabetes. A diet comprised mostly in nature's perfect foods-green vegetables, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, raw nuts and seeds and limited fresh fruit, allows for people to eat as much as they want and still lose weight, drop their cholesterol, and their blood pressure relatively quickly.

The Eat To Live dietary style is a vegetable-based diet designed to maximize nutrient per calorie density. It is the most effective treatment for those with diabetes, more effective than drugs. For a type 2 diabetic, this approach has resulted in complete reversal of the diabetic condition in the vast majority of patients and for a type 1 diabetic it solves the problems with excessive highs and lows and prevents the typical dangerous complications that too frequently befall those with diabetes. Joel Fuhrman, M.D is a board certified family physician specializing in nutritional medicine for overweight and diabetic patents.

Wouldn't it be nice to find a diet that insists you stop fretting over carbs, fats and calories? Well a diet wouldn't be a diet unless it had rules. So what if the rules focused on combining fiber with lean protein at every meal? This is entirely possible, according to Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of The F-Factor Diet.

Tanya Zuckerbrot has spent more than a decade working with busy, successful clients who want and need to lose weight. She's watched fad diets come and go, offering only a temporary fix-and a lot of misinformation about healthy eating. To this end, Tanya has developed a plan that makes losing weight and keeping it off easy and convenient. Her healthy, delicious, sustainable diet redefines fiber as an essential piece to achieving weight loss with the added benefits of an energy boost, lowering cholesterol, and reducing the risk of metabolic diseases.

The F-Factor Diet is made up of 3 simple stages, each including a wide array of foods, packed full of fiber and available in any supermarket. She also hand-picks specialty products that compliment the high fiber goal of her plan and come nicely equipped with good taste! The F-Factor Diet also includes more than seventy-five delicious recipes-and a complete set of guidelines for those who don't cook.

Beyond her refreshing approach to easy weight loss -- Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D., is a nutritionist in private practice, based in New York City and Miami Beach. She serves on the advisory boards of Shape and Men's Fitness magazines, and has appeared on Today and Fox News, among other shows. If the suspense is killing you and you must get a copy today -- checkout Amazon.com for your copy of The F-Factor Diet.

Do you ever wonder if there's a trick to getting this diabetes thing down? Well I did. Like many fellow surfers, I asked Google for diabetic tricks. Not surprisingly, Google had a litany of answers. You may have heard about them before and most of us dismiss supplements as nothing more than snake oil. However, supplements are gaining credence when it comes to cutting risk and alleviating symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Take a look...

Chromium picolinate. Taking 200 to 1,000 micrograms daily can lower blood glucose, improve insulin function and lessen diabetic symptoms such as thirst and fatigue, says expert Richard Anderson, Ph.D., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In recent Israeli research, taking 200mcg twice a day for three weeks reduced diabetics' blood glucose by 26% and cholesterol by 9%. Anderson advises all adults to take 200mcg chromium picolinate daily to help prevent diabetes. New studies have put old safety questions to rest.

Cinnamon. The spice boosts insulin's efficiency in processing sugar, Anderson says. In one test, diabetics who ate 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon twice a day for 40 days reduced their fasting blood sugar 18% to 29%, triglycerides 23% to 30% and cholesterol 12% to 26%. Sprinkle cinnamon on foods such as cereal or fruit, or take it in capsules, Anderson says.

Alpha-lipoic acid. This potent antioxidant can improve blood sugar and help prevent and treat diabetic complications such as cataracts and neuropathy, says Lester Packer, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California. In German research, 600 milligrams daily significantly increased insulin sensitivity and lowered blood sugar in type 2 diabetics after four weeks.

Salacia oblonga. This herb, used in India to treat diabetes and sold on the Internet, lowered insulin 29% and blood glucose 23% in healthy adults, reports Steve Hertzler, Ph.D., of Ohio State University. But don't try it without telling your doctor, he says. Effective daily doses range from 100mg to 1,000mg, with gastrointestinal distress occurring at higher levels.

Data presented at the 2006 North American Association for the Study of Obesity confirmed that the all natural dietary fiber in FBCx effectively binds to dietary fat, specifically saturated fats, preventing absorption of a portion of your dietary fat. Don't jump to the conclusion that FBCx is just another four-letter word for P-I-L-L.

The double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial with obese diabetic volunteers concluded that all volunteers in the active group responded to FBCx, but those that had the highest saturated fat-containing diets experienced the largest adjusted weight loss. Results from this trial also indicate: significant weigh loss among all participants, decrease in serum triglyceride levels, decrease is serum cholesterol, decrease in LDL cholesterol and significant reduction in the amount of blood pressure medicine required.

Tell me if the following doesn't lure you like a moth to a flame. Imagine a diet program that does not involve a diet. It like a dietary illusion: 2 tablets per meal, 3 meals a day turns 2,000 consumed calories into 1,500 absorbed calories. Yes, that's the way to win the battle of the bulge - pick Mother Nature for your team!

Our odiferous little friend has been touted for many health benefits. Diabetics should pay close attention because, although it has the dubious distinction of causing dragon breath, let us not allow the immediate social expense to outweigh the long-term health payoff.

Medical research has been underway to assess whether these traditional uses of garlic have scientific validity. Much of the research is showing real promise. Knowing that heart disease is twice as likely to strike diabetics, it would behoove many of us to take a chance with a few cloves of garlic every day. What have you got to lose? Studies suggest that fresh garlic may prevent blood clots and destroy plaque. A little garlic breath never killed anyone. Can't say the same for plaque in your blood now, can we?

In addition, garlic may be beneficial for risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Preliminary studies in rabbits, rats, and limited numbers of people have demonstrated that garlic has some ability to lower blood sugars. A few cloves of garlic can substantially affect some medications. For example, if you are on a sulfonylurea drug, you will want to be extra cautious of the effects garlic will have on your blood sugars. A few popular examples of these drugs are: Dymelor, Diabinese, Tolinase, Orinase, Amaryl, Glucotrol, Glucotrol XL, DiaBeta, Micronase, and Glynase. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I would choose Mother Nature over scientific intervention. This is one of those little dietary adjustments that might be worth a try.