What happens when you do "Supersize Me" in reverse? Why, you get a documentary like "Raw for 30 Days." The film-makers of "Raw" got six type 2 diabetics with less than stellar lifestyle habits and persuaded them to switch out hamburgers and fried chicken for a raw, whole foods diet consisting of all-organic, all-vegan foods. Mmm mmm.

You can't see the movie quite yet. But you can see the preview. Just click on over to the "Raw for 30 Days" website. My source says the preview can also be viewed on YouTube or Google Video. The finished product is now in post-production and should be released in time for Spring 2008 film festivals.

The documentary was directed by Sundance Film Festival-winner Aiyana Elliott, but the concept was created by the executive producer, Mark Perlmutter. The idea is to demonstrate that type 2 diabetes can be reversed "naturally" - that is, without the aid of a battery of prescription drugs. Says Perlmutter, "The release of our nine-minute preview may be the first exposure some have to a greater understanding of controlling, if not conquering the disease."

Okay, so the premise is a little shaky. For one thing: how much can be achieved in only thirty days? For another: it's changing lifestyle habits and maintaining them over time that's key in reversing symptoms of t2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. But why be a party-pooper? After all, raising awareness about diabetes is a good thing. I would definitely like to see this film.

Last night I had my usual for dinner: chick peas and a red pepper. Not that I'm a vegan or anything - I'm just lazy and this is quick and easy and full of fiber. So as I finished the last pulse on my Braun mini chopper -- I sliced my plump red pepper. My mouth watered for dinner. Time to check my blood sugar - dinners on!

I'm right handed, for those of you who were dying to know. So I pricked my left thumb and 5 seconds later my little trusty Agamatrix tells me my blood sugar is 596 mg/dL. No way, buddy! My mouth is watering. My last meal was hours ago - and my last blood sugar, 3 hours before, was 190! So I get a second opinion - a right hand opinion! The right hand says my blood sugar is 167 mg/dL. A lot more like it!

What's the moral of my story? Accuracy is subjective. The red pepper juice was invisible to the naked eye. When my semi sweet blood mixed with it - my sugar was 596 mg/dL (after I washed my hands). The right hand told a different story. Sound familiar? If I treated for the left hand without double-checking with my right-- I don't think I would've enjoyed my dinner so much. How accurate are urine strips again? I'm not that freaky. I can't chop vegetables with anything but my hands. Feel free to share your own tales of left vs. right readings. What skewed your results? And is urine testing such a bad idea, after all? I told you I was lazy.

A new survey reveals that most people prefer to treat diabetes by changing their diets, rather than using medicines.

According to a survey of 1,022 adults (515 women and 507 men), 69% of Americans would prefer to try a dietary approach, whereas only 21% preferred treating diabetes with medicines. The survey reinforces results from clinical research on diabetes, which has consistently found that people with diabetes adapt well to low-fat vegetarian diets and gain important health benefits. A dietary approach to diabetes based on scientific research shows that a low-fat vegan diet can lower high blood sugar levels three times more effectively than oral medications.

Among the results: women are even more likely than men to prefer food changes over pills. People with more education and higher incomes were especially likely to favor a diet approach. For the financially savvy - this makes a lot of sense. You MUST buy food. You might as well buy healthier foods and curtail your Rx costs. Furthermore, Americans aged 45 to 64 were more enthusiastic about diet changes, compared with older Americans. I'll bet it's the convenience factor. A little less medication, a little more supper, please. The most pill-happy generation was the 18- to 24-year-olds. Don't look at me like that - I'm 28 and favor the flavor over medication, any day. Bon appetit!

I always find that as soon as you hear one health story, another immediately comes out to complicate the picture. Sigh. Here's an example: One of the big diabetes-related stories in the news this past week has been a study that indicated a vegan (meat and dairy-free) diet could be beneficial for diabetics. Today, however, I read that another study indicates certain compounds in dairy products could be used to fight diabetes. Experiments conducted at Pennsylvania State University showed that fatty acids contained in dairy products were helpful in treating diabetes in mice. The acids - conjugated linoleic acids - are expected to help out human diabetics as well, although more experiments will be necessary to determine this for sure.

The researchers who conducted the experiment say these naturally occurring fatty acids could be used in treatments and have the same beneficial effects as synthetic drugs, which many people wish to avoid taking. On the other hand, they don't recommend switching to a high-dairy diet - balance is still best. Interesting, huh? To read more, check out this story on Penn State's website.

It's a fact that altering your diet can have a big impact on how well your diabetes is managed. But new research indicates that a vegan (plant-based) diet may be particularly beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes. A study compared how Type 2 diabetics fared, some following the diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), while others consumed a low-fat vegan diet. The participants ate this way for twenty-two weeks. Neither portion size nor calorie intake was restricted for those eating the vegan diet.

The conclusion was that the low-fat vegan diet is the way to go. While twenty-six percent of those eating the ADA diet reduced their need for diabetes meds, a whopping forty-three percent of the low-fat vegan group had the same result. Not surprisingly, those folks were also more likely to drop a few pounds and reduce their cholesterol levels while they were at it. Not bad for a few weeks of effort.

Researcher Neal D. Barnard, MD, of the George Washington University says he hopes the study will help people realize that diet is key to managing diabetes and that diet, rather than prescription drugs, should be the first consideration in formulating a diabetes management plan. (It should be noted that Dr. Barnard is president of a nonprofit group that advocates a vegan diet.)