Rethinking “Diabetes”

Let’s talk about “diabetes” and what it’s really trying to tell us.

Because when the body is understood, the story begins to change.  

What Is Diabetes, Really?

At its core, “diabetes” is a situation where the body is struggling to handle glucose (sugar) the way it’s meant to.

Glucose isn’t the bad guy.

It’s fuel.

Your brain runs on it.

Your muscles need it.

Your organs depend on it, just like a car depends on gas.

To get glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it belongs, the body uses insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas.

When insulin can no longer keep up with the body’s demands, or when cells become less responsive to it, blood sugar builds up in the bloodstream instead of being used for energy.

That’s when “diabetes” enters the picture.

Conventional medicine usually breaks “diabetes” into two types:

• Type 1: the body’s immune system is described as “attacking itself”
• Type 2: insulin is being made, but the body’s cells are resistant to it

Those definitions are common… but they don’t tell the real story. 

Insulin Resistance (The Part Often Missed)

Here’s where things get interesting.

Inside the pancreas are tiny clusters of cells called the islets of Langerhans.

Among them are beta cells ~ the ones responsible for making insulin.

When these cells are healthy, insulin flows smoothly and blood sugar is handled properly.

But when the pancreas becomes overworked, congested, inflamed, or stressed, insulin output drops and insulin resistance begins to show up.

The body isn’t broken or “attacking itself.”

It’s adapting.

• In type 1 “diabetes”, the body is never self-destructive, it’s responding to a pancreas that has become so compromised that insulin production is minimal.

• In type 2 “diabetes”, insulin is still being made, but the body’s cells are struggling. The insulin “key” is there but the cellular “lock” isn’t working anymore.

In both cases, the body is waving a big flag saying: “Please….Something needs to change!” 

Key Contributors You Probably Haven’t Heard

Here are some of the biggest stressors quietly wearing down the pancreas over time:

• Refined sugars & processed starches
These cause sharp blood sugar spikes, forcing the pancreas to pump out large bursts of insulin again and again, exhausting the system over time.

• Enzyme-dead, processed foods
When food lacks natural enzymes, the pancreas has to do all the digestive work and regulate blood sugar. That’s a heavy load.

• Foreign substances the body doesn’t recognize
Chemicals, additives, pesticides, heavy metals, and residues from processed foods build up in the body. These materials aren’t recognized as usable fuel, so they clog pathways, disrupt communication, and create congestion.

• The genetics myth
Sure, genetics might influence risk, but genetics is not destiny.

If diabetes were purely genetic:
– Why doesn’t it always show up at birth?
– Why does it often appear decades later?
– Why do identical twins with the same DNA often have different outcomes?

Genes can be strengthened or weakened by daily choices.

Important to Understand

Diet plays a major role in how the body handles blood sugar, but it isn’t the only piece of the puzzle.

Insulin resistance doesn’t develop from food alone.

It’s influenced by the total load placed on the body over time: digestion, toxicity, stress, inflammation, movement (or lack of it), and how much the pancreas is being asked to compensate day after day.

When multiple stressors stack up, the body adapts the best way it knows how ~ even if that adaptation is later labeled as “diabetes.”

The Pancreas: A Very Busy Organ

Your pancreas wears two important hats:

Digestive role — producing enzymes to break down food

Hormonal role — producing insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar

When the pancreas is constantly forced to compensate for processed foods and foreign substances, it eventually becomes exhausted.

This helps explain why “diabetes” becomes more common later in life in humans, dogs, and cats after years of eating highly-processed diets.

Supporting the pancreas, then, isn’t about forcing it harder, it’s about reducing the pressure that’s been placed on it over time.

Helping Insulin Work As Intended

Here’s the good news (and it’s really good news):

The body has an incredible ability to respond and shift when it’s supported properly.

Helpful shifts include:

• Choosing whole, living foods, fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts, and enzyme-rich foods

• Reducing processed foods and excess fats that clog insulin’s pathways

• Moving your body regularly so muscles use glucose efficiently

• Supporting digestion with high-quality digestive enzymes

• Providing mineral-rich whole foods that help the body respond to insulin more effectively

• Supporting gut balance with stable, effective, high-quality probiotics

• Reducing the burden of foreign and unnatural substances, so the body isn’t constantly fighting interference

Quality matters here.

Whole-food-based support gives the body what it recognizes and knows how to use. 

Why This Matters for Dogs & Cats Too 🐾

Diabetes in dogs and cats follows the same pattern.

Highly processed, enzyme-dead foods place enormous stress on a dog and cat’s pancreas over time.

When dogs and cats are supported with more natural, enzyme-rich foods and fewer dietary stressors, pancreatic function can improve, insulin needs may decrease, and quality of life can increase.

This is one reason real food matters so much ~ for every living, breathing being. 

Final Thoughts (From Our Hearts ❤️ ❤️ to Yours)

“Diabetes” isn’t a single-cause condition.

It doesn’t appear overnight.

And it isn’t a life sentence written in stone.

It’s the body adapting to long-term stress, overload, and interference.

And here’s the part we love sharing most:

The body isn’t broken. It’s communicating.

When we listen and respond with real food, supportive nutrients, movement, and fewer burdens, the body starts responding differently. 

Fruit is not the enemy.

Genes are not fate.

With the right support, humans, dogs, and cats can support pancreatic health, improve how the body handles blood sugar, and shift the trajectory of what is labeled as “diabetes.”