The Remarkable Story of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Diet

Weight loss seems to be a perennial concern for many Americans these days. As obesity rates increase and more and more people are diagnosed with diabetes, researchers and doctors have developed hundreds of plans and programs to help people control their weight and shed unwanted pounds. Dr. Richard Bernstein drew from his own experience as a Type I diabetic to help all people, not only diabetics, lose weight with what is now well-known as  Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Diet.

Richard Bernstein was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the young age of twelve. Unhappy with the miserable side effects of his disorder that he had to suffer, he constantly looked for ways to defy the doctors who told him he could never have normal blood sugar levels. He is allegedly the first diabetic to use a blood glucose meter. Formally trained as an engineer, Richard Bernstein sought to perfect his intake of food and insulin, and in time prove his physicians wrong – he was able to maintain a normal blood sugar level for three decades.

Richard Bernstein wanted to share his experience, and use what he had learned to help other diabetics. But not being a doctor, he was unable to do so. Therefore, at the age of 45 he entered the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and graduated just 3 years later. He devoted his medical career to endocrinology (the study of the endocrine glands), and in 1997 published his diet as a book, “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution.” Since the original publication, a revised and updated edition has been published, as well as a companion book, “The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution.”

At first glance,  Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet resembles other low-carb diet plans being marketed today. Lots of protein, little or no carbohydrates.  However, Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet is considerably more demanding and specific than other low-carb diets, prescribing very particular amounts of carbohydrates and other food types and when they should be taken. In a whole day, an individual on Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet will eat no more than 42 grams of carbohydrates.

Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet has been received as so radical that it has been labeled as “fundamentalist,” “maverick,” “demanding,” and its author a “zealot.” But for many people, including Dr. Bernstein, it enables them to live a normal life with regular blood sugars – extending their lives, keeping them healthy, and allowing them to enjoy life to the fullest – and for that they are willing to follow the specific regimen prescribed.

Dr. Bernstien’s unique way of developing his program – originally testing on himself with no formal medical training –has made him something of an outsider to mainstream dieticians, and at times with the American Diabetes Association.  However, Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet is claimed to have helped seventy-three percent of people that use it.

Like the Atkins and Zone plans, the Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet is yet another low-carb diet plan that became popular in the late 1990s. However, it is specifically targeted to diabetics, unlike other low-carb diets which have generally been ineffective or harmful to diabetics. While it has the usual run of critics and side effects, hundreds of individuals have tried the program and have found the ability to maintain normal blood sugar levels despite their diabetic disorder . As with any weight loss products, don’t substitute Dr. Bernstein's diabetes diet’s general advice to the masses  for individual advice from your own personal doctor. Please make sure to consult your own general practitioner before engaging in any weight loss program, especially one that seeks to radically change what you eat, when