Conquer Diabetes & Prediabetes by Steve Parker, M.D.

I’m way behind on my book reviews. So many books, so little time. I’ve recently read Conquer Diabetes & Prediabetes by Dr. Steve Parker and I’m glad I can finally share my thoughts about this this book with you.

I have to say I was immensly impressed by the very first sentence in this book.

“I’m sorry for what the medical establishment has done to people with diabetes.”

I instantly sensed I was going to enjoy this book, and I was correct.

Dr. Parker, author of the informative blog Diabetic Mediterranean Diet, starts the book off defining type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. He does a great job of explaining how the body handles carbohydrates and the intolerances diabetics experience. He then moves to explaining the various blood sugar levels and what they indicate, as well as what your goals should be for these levels.

Chapter 3 delves into the many drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes. He goes into great detail on each medication – class, how it works, usage, dose, side effects & even when not to use a particular drug. It’s amazingly useful information for those utilizing medication to control their diabetes. I found this chapter especially enlightening and recommend it highly to anyone on diabetes medication. Knowledge is power my friends. This is the kind of knowledge you need.

Next you’ll learn about hypoglycemia, and then on to the benefits of a ketogenic mediterranean diet, as well as the more lenient low-carb mediterranean diet.

Chapter 7 is a chapter everyone will love – menu plans and recipes! Dr. Parker shares a week worth of menus, with mouth-watering recipes, to get you started on this health-resotring lifestyle. Even if you don’t have diabetes, you’ll love these recipes.

Chapter 8 is especially superb. In this area Dr. Parker talks about living this lifestyle on a daily basis. He talks about finding more recipes, possible short-term effects (like induction flu, etc.), shopping and dining out, cheating, cravings…. I could go on and on. He’s covered a lot of bases in this chapter and it’s all great advice.

The next chapter is titled Prepare For Weight Loss. Again, this is a chapter that deserves some serious kudos. Movitation, visualization and support are just a small part the great information shared in this section of the book.

Of course he’d be remiss if he didn’t mention the benefits of exercise. Dr. Parker does a fantastic job of this in Chapter 10.

Last, but certianly not least, he uses chapter 11 to discuss long-term maintainance. Despite what most people think, maintenance can be a lot of work and requires a strategy, just as weight loss does, especially if you have diabetes.

In the back of the book you’ll find resources (thanks for the mention Dr. Parker!), as well as an annotated bibliography for those who like to read the science behind it all.

I found this an immensly educational read and I highly recommend it for anyone who deals with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes. I give it a full five stars, and a huge hug. I have no doubt this book will help a lot of people.

Be sure to check out his blog here. If you want to purchase his book, be sure to look for your $3.00 off code here as well!

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for review. I was not compensated in any way for writing this review, or for any sales that may result from this review.