Millions of people suffer from Type 2 diabetes worldwide – but one doctor reckons you can eat to beat the disease. Professor Roy Taylor has come up with a three-step plan to reverse the condition, which affects everything from the skin to your heart and eyes.

The diet plan – as detailed in his new book, Life Without Diabetes – starts with rapid weight loss then gradually reintroduces certain foods that will help you keep off the excess pounds.

Dr Michael Mosley, who came up with the 5:2 diet, is a big fan of the plan and so is TV chef and one half of the Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers.

Both men used Prof Taylor’s diet tips to reverse their diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to control blood glucose levels.

Prof Taylor first came up with the idea for the three-step plan several years ago, when he was working with patients dieting before surgery.

Feta and Grilled Aubergine
Courgetti Arrabbiata

He found that when it came to losing weight, hunger and choices were the main barriers.

So he decided to make it as easy as possible for people to shed the pounds by offering them a liquid formula diet that was nutritionally complete.

This method is mimicked in the shakes Prof Taylor recommends, which include Exante, Slim & Save and the New You Plan.

Here, he gives Sunday Mirror readers access to Life Without Diabetes and reveals how sufferers can turn their lives around.

Lesley's oven frittata

The 1,2,3 approach

The first stage of the diet will take around eight weeks. The second stage, with one 400-500 calorie meal replacing one shake, lasts two weeks.

Then slowly, over the course of another fortnight, a second shake is replaced with a meal so eventually, all three meals are 400-500 calories and you no longer need shakes.

As you follow the diet plan, your weight should drop steadily. If this isn’t happening, you are eating too much.

When you begin to reintroduce meals, you may gain around 1kg, which is fluid.

  • Step one: For eight weeks of rapid weight loss, the simplest option is to use a liquid formula product to provide 600 calories a day – with one helping of non-starchy vegetables or salad totalling around 100 calories.
Professor Roy Taylor has come up with a three-step plan to reverse the Type 2 diabetes (
Image:
Mike Urwin)

You will inevitably feel hungry for the first 36 hours but that will fade away.

Avoid sweet potato, potatoes, parsnips, yam, plantain, sweetcorn and beetroot as well as fruit, nuts and seeds because these are too calorific.

  • Step two: Fuller meals are gradually introduced, totalling 400-500 calories.
  • Step three: Eating can return to being a normal social activity – but keep a close eye on quantities.
  • All the recipes featured were devised by real people who took part in the trials.

What is Type 2 diabetes?

The condition means your blood glucose levels are higher than normal.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas do not work properly and the body does not respond to insulin the way it should.

TV chef and one half of the Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers is a big fan of the three-step plan (
Image:
BBC)

This causes high blood sugar, which produces symptoms like incredible thirst and passing a lot of urine.

If left unchecked, high blood sugar can cause a number of complications, affecting the kidneys, heart, eyes and feet - even leading to amputations.

How to escape it

According to Prof Taylor, Type 2 diabetes is a “snake in the grass”, slowly attacking vital parts of the body without warning.

His three-step programme differs from conventional fads because the aim isn’t to reduce calories and beat obesity, the aim is to bring your personal fat levels down to a number that is right for you.

Prof Taylor says you should not compare your size to others because everyone has a different constitution.

Whether you weigh 80kg or 160kg, losing around 15kg is likely to return blood glucose levels to normal.

What to do

Recognise the problem If you have been Type 2 diabetes, you’ve become too heavy for your body.

Write down your target weight No matter what you weigh, losing around 15kg will usually help.

Recognise that food intake has to be reduced for two to three months Think about when you can do this and stick to it.

Smoky Sofrito

Serves 4 as a main, or 8 if a base for another dish

1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or 3 tsp garlic paste) 2 sweet pointed red peppers, deseeded and   chopped into 2cm pieces 4 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp hot (picante) paprika A pinch of salt
2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Method: Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 15mins. Add the peppers and cook for another 5mins. Add both paprikas and the salt, stirring well. Turn up the heat to medium and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir well. When the sauce bubbles,turn the heat back down to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Allow to cool, then blend.

Alternative Sunday Lunch

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes 1 carrot, cut into large chunks
1 beetroot, peeled and chopped 6 Brussel sprouts

1 parsnip, cut into chunks 4 shallots, cut in half
2 celery sticks, chopped 1⁄2 small turnip, chopped 2 sage leaves

Alternative Sunday Lunch

Pepper to taste

Method: Preheat theoven to 200C/Gas Mark
6. Place the chicken in the centre of a roasting tin and arrange the vegetables around it. This will keep it moist. Add the sage leaves and a sprinkling of pepper. Place the tin in the centre of the oven and cook for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Fish Pie with Celeriac Topping

Serves 2

1 small onion, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil

2 frozen fish fillets (cod/haddock)
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

1 courgette, sliced
Bunch of fresh dill, chopped

1 small celeriac, peeled and chopped into 2cm chunks
2 tbsp cream cheese (or crème fraîche) Worcester sauce
Pinch of grated nutmeg , salt and pepper 1 tbsp grated Parmesan

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Fry the onion in the olive oil until it turns translucent.

Place the fish in a lidded casserole dish with half a cup of water and add the onion, pepper, courgette and dill.

Bake in the centre of the oven with the lid on for 25mins. Meanwhile, cook the celeriac in a pan ofboiling water for 20 minutes. Drain the celeriac, return it to the pan and add half of the cream cheese.

Mash, adding somecasserole water for additional moisture if required.

Drain most of the remaining water from the casserole dish. Add the remaining cream cheese, a splash of Worcester sauce, a pinch of grated nutmeg and some seasoning.

Cut the fish to break it up a bit and stir well, then spoon the mashed celeriac onto the fish mixture and spread out with a fork. Scatter over the Parmesan.

Return the dish to the oven for a further 15mins, without the lid. Serve with green beans.

Oven Frittata

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
Leftover cooked veg (any kind will do) 4 eggs
Salt and pepper
Splash of semi-skimmed milk
1 large tomato, sliced

Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6. Place the oil in a pan over a medium heat.

Fry the onion for a few minutes until it begins to soften, then tip it into a baking dish (around 20cm x 15cm), using a fork to spread it evenly. This also helps oil the dish to prevent sticking.

Add the vegetables to form a single layer in the bottom of the dish. Beat the eggs with a fork in a glass bowl or jug, add a splash of milk and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables – there should just be enough to cover them. Arrange the sliced tomato on top.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25mins or until golden brown. Allow it to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges. Place a chopping board over the dish, then turn it over and give it a few sharp taps to turn out the frittata.

When it has set firm, cut it into four pieces and serve with a tasty mixed salad. Alternatively, wrap it in foil to take for lunch the next day.