How I cured myself of Type 2 diabetes while searching for long COVID treatments

Here's my story, plus a couple of Top 10 lists

By Dr. Paul Marik, MD, FCCM, FCCP

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

They say you are what you eat. If so, then the average American is about 50% carbohydrates and 35% polyunsaturated fats.

Here’s a list of the top 10 American foods:

1. Hamburger

2. Hot dog

3. French fries

4. Oreo cookies

5. Pizza

6. Soft drinks/soda

7. Chicken tenders

8. Ice cream

9. Donuts

10. Potato chips

No wonder more than one third of Americans are classified as obese.

I’m not trying to be fat-phobic. Believe me, I’ve been overweight too. What I’m saying is the highly processed foods we eat and the many prescription drugs we take are trying to kill us. I know that sounds dramatic, but sometimes a little hyperbole is necessary.

This is a story about how, while researching treatments for COVID-19, I discovered a way to lose weight and cure myself of Type 2 diabetes — by changing my approach to eating.

A few months ago, my colleagues and I released a protocol to help people suffering from symptoms after receiving COVID vaccines. Top on our list of recommended treatments was intermittent fasting, which triggers a process in the body called autophagy. This is the body’s way of clearing out damaged cells and regenerating new, healthy cells.

Intermittent fasting, as it turns out, has a long list of astonishing benefits, including weight loss, reduced inflammation, improved sleep, balanced blood sugar, and immune support. I have spoken extensively about autophagy in our FLCCC weekly webinars, and I highly recommend my colleague Dr. Been’s short videos on the subject as well.

Having been a diabetic for over 25 years, I thought I was destined to be on anti-diabetes medication forever and would eventually develop diabetes-related complications.

Here’s a list of the drugs I used to take daily:

• Metformin

• Jardiance

• Altace

• Amlodipine

• Lipitor

• Zoloft

After four weeks of intermittent fasting and focusing on real vs. processed foods, I managed to get myself off all those medications (except metformin, but my dosage is drastically reduced). I do take a few supplements, including Omega 3, spermidine, resveratrol, melatonin and Vitamin D3. In 12 weeks, I lost 35 lbs.

Here’s my top 10 list of foods you should be eating:

1. Fish – especially Alaskan salmon

2. All vegetables (including avocados, beans, broccoli, spinach, etc.)

3. Chicken breast (free range, no hormones, no antibiotics)

4. Nuts – (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pistachios)

5. Peanut butter, chia seeds

6. Greek yogurt + pre-probiotics (not sweetened)

7. Meat (grass fed, no hormones) – avoid processed meats

8. Blueberries (limit volume)

9. Grapefruit (limit volume)

10. Coffee (with heavy cream or coconut oil; Stevia - no sugar or artificial sweeteners)

People will tell you Type 2 diabetes is a progressive, incurable disease. In my case, that proved to be a big, fat lie.

Watch Poison Inc: Processed Food & Prescription Drugs now and download Dr. Marik’s slide deck.