Myth busted by Robin Jacob | Good control on sugar levels in type 1 diabetic

Welcome viewers to our next session of Food, Medicine, and Lives. Before I introduce you to a very, very inspiring person, let me do some housekeeping for this channel. So for all those who don't know, I had started this channel when COVID lockdown started. Why? Because every second I was getting messages Doc, is this information right? Doc, is this information wrong? Should I follow this? Should I not follow this? And I thought, rather than replying to everybody, let me do something and bring people who are experts in their areas, who have inspiring stories to share, and also some knowledge about health, the way health is changing, and what more we need to know to stay healthy. So friends, if you have any questions, you can post in the chat box and I will ask Robin to answer them in between or in the end. And do share your comments or any other session you will want to have on this channel. So with this housekeeping, I welcome, welcome Robin Jacob. And you know, just before this show I asked Robin, what is it that you want me to introduce you as? And you know, the answer he gave actually spells everything for a lot of people. He said, ma'am, I was diagnosed as type 1 diabetic many years back, but what I want to convey is this condition has never deterred me in my path of professional or personal success. I look handsome, I am intelligent, I am loved by my family members, my friends, my colleagues. I have my hobbies, I travel, and I do everything and much better than many normal people. So I am better than normal. So, and I definitely agree with him on this. And now I will want to ask Robin, Robin, can you share with us when you were diagnosed and how were you diagnosed?

Yeah, so first of all, hi everyone, and I'm so excited to be a part of this session. And thanks to Dr. Preeti for inviting me to share my life story as a type 1 diabetic. So to that question, ma'am, uh, I was diagnosed 14, at the age of 14, now around 22 years back. I was diagnosed, and I got, uh, I think I, I became so lean, and I think my parents noticed that I, I had a lot of cough, coughing that time. And, uh, I think at the end we had a medical checkup, and the doctor told I am type 1 diabetic. Yeah, that's how it happened, at least around 22 years back.

Yeah, right. So Robin, I hear that pain, you know, when this diagnosis is made, which actually every child and the parent both go through. Yeah. So can you share something about, about that time? Yeah. What was going in your mind? What was going in your parents' mind if they shared it with you?

So I think the, the name diabetic itself is quite, I would say, even the term diabetic comes into mind, people talks about amputated legs and kidney failure and all those things will suddenly come to mind. But during that time, I was so young to understand the complications and the, the main things. But I was shocked to know that at an early age to have something known as diabetic, but I was not much aware about what is this type 1 diabetes. And I— type 1 diabetes. But, uh, during that time, I think the— when I was diagnosed, the doctor put me on insulin injections and very less focus on diet. And there was not much flexibility in adjusting the insulin levels based on the diet, probably due to a lack of training or knowledge. And so my prescription usually ended up in 20-20-20 or 15-15-15, morning, evening, morning, afternoon, and evening, regardless of the amount of food I take. So this, this was, has been happening for quite a few years later after I got diagnosed. And yeah, it was quite a roller coaster ride, and my sugar levels went between highs and lows, and even achieving HbA1c less than 7.5 was a big achievement for me. And, uh, thank God nothing detrimental happened during those times, right?

So, uh, Robin, um, I understand it was a very roller coaster ride for you, and it is generally for a lot of type 1 diabetics, uh, and you rightly said because Allopathy, of course, insulin is a boon, it's a gift, you know, which we can't ignore and which we can't be grateful for. But yes, the standard prescription protocol, I think times have evolved. A lot more things can be done, and we can empower type 1 diabetics a lot more by giving them more information than what we are presently giving. Right. But Robin, uh, how was that experience of when you had to take insulin injections multiple times, check your sugar levels? Can you relate back to that? Because I work with so many children and somehow I find it very difficult to comprehend, how would they be doing so much and how would their parents be doing so much?

Yeah, so I think in the beginning itself I made up my mind that this is going to be there, and that actually relieved a lot of pressure on me. But, uh, yeah, initially it was quite tough that I need to take injections, but I relied more on the, uh, the pen— Novofine Novopen— and that really helped me. It's, it's kind of painless and very effective in carrying around. So I think over a period of time I got used to it, and it was— so it has become a part of my life now. So I, I learned the art of managing it. I could say—

so I feel the way we learn the art of, you know, going to the washroom every day, brushing our teeth every day, Yeah, now getting our haircut done after every few days and, you know, cleaning, you know, shaving and things like that, you get used to. But Robin, you said one thing which really made my mind go ticking, and that is you accepted it and you decided and promised to yourself that you are going to be a winner with this, right? Can you actually share what made you do this beautiful thing, which actually I think one of the big, big reasons that today you are here sharing your story with everyone?

Yeah, so I think, uh, I think to go back to that story, I think during my, uh, at the time of diagnosis, I was not very good at studies or I'm not very good at academics. So when it got diagnosed, first of all, yes, I accepted it, but then I also made up my mind to fight back, and I focused more on my studies. And if you see my academic record, almost I had— I have a very good academic record, especially my focus was mainly on studies and to come up in life regardless of the condition I have. So So I just fought back, and I think by God's grace I was able to come through it. That's what I'm telling.

So did someone motivate you to do this? Did the conversation in your house was like this, or you read something, you heard something, or just like that you said that's your nature, that you will accept it and move on?

Uh, so in the early stage, that's, that is 20 years back, yes, it was more of a My parents also were quite ignorant in this. They were not aware about what to do. Especially we relied on the doctor's prescription to take insulin and other medicines. But, uh, if I, if I take now, I think after around 15-20 years, I happen to read a book on ketogenic diet for type 1 diabetes by Ellen Davis and Dr. Keith. I think reference you can share, ma'am, later. It literally influenced me. So regarding how I could manage my sugar levels with proper diet, and first time I started realizing that diet is a very powerful factor in controlling my sugar levels. And I realized many things after reading that book. For example, one seemingly very small thing is, uh, I realized that our food contains fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Which are known as macronutrients, and it provides us energy. And among fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, our blood sugar levels are directly proportional to the amount of carbohydrates we intake, and not fats, and to some version, yeah, minimal proteins. But that really strikes me because my daily diet, or in fact most of our normal diet, is loaded up with carbohydrates. Say rice, wheat, maida, snacks, sugar, honey, etc., everything. And the more carbohydrates we take, it will convert into glucose in our bloodstream, resulting in more sugar levels. And that requires more insulin to bring down the sugar levels. And over a period of time, I realized I gained weight, uh, significantly due to the insulin intake, because I now realize insulin is a fat-building hormone. And in short, I— the biggest realization is the For diabetics, carbohydrate— they are carbohydrate intolerant. They, they can't take carbohydrate. If you, if, if you ask me, I would tell that for—

I want to add something here because, you know, I've also done a lot of research on keto and thought that cyclic keto is something which everybody should today should do because we are really high on carbs. But the way I understood this is we know there are essential proteins We know there are essential fats. Anyone among the viewers, have they ever heard the term essential carbohydrates? No, because there are no essential carbohydrates. But carbohydrates increase insulin the maximum. And as Robin rightly said, the allopathy way is that You know, you eat whatever you want to eat and then keep taking insulin, and then you have other side effects and other challenges. This is such an amazing idea which Robin has thrown forward for all of us to think and, you know, believe and then do, is be particular about what you eat, and you can have tasty food that way also. So Robin, can I request you to share your some day's routine? What do you eat in the morning? What in the afternoon? What in dinner? So because people now would be thinking that, oh, we can't do without rice, we can't do keto, or we can't do low carb.

Yeah, so I think it's a kind of paradigm change to shift from the normal carbohydrate diet, especially for a person from Kerala who is loaded up with carbs, rice, everything. But I would say it's very— I think once I accepted that, yes, I need to move out, I was so convinced in my mind that I need to move out of carbs. It was quite easy transition. It was quite an easier transition. And so regarding the foods, yes, I think I follow an app known as Cronometer where I decide 90-80% of that will be fats, 15% will be proteins, and 5% will be minimal carbs. But coming to the food, mostly, for example, morning I start with say 3 to 4 eggs, or with, with some healthy fats like coconut oil or butter, ghee. And for the lunch, it will be usually salads with some non-veg to have moderate protein. And if, if I need more fats, I will add more olive oil over it. And probably some— I, I explored many. There are very delicious options we have available. Only thing you need to little bit explore. And of course, when I move from the high carb to the low carb, there are symptoms which can be overcome, like Keto flu symptoms and all, but that only lasted for 1 to 2 weeks. But after that, I was fully energetic, and, uh, I, I actually experienced a lot of benefits such as weight loss, tighter sugar control, high energy, and which I never experienced before.

So, and confidence in yourself, Robin.

Exactly. So once you lose the weight and you are you are thinking that you're getting more fitter.

Yes, of course the confidence will build up, especially when I've seen when we are able to do what we know is good for us and we see positive results, the self-confidence goes to the next level. And for viewers, I have recently started posting keto recipes on my channel, which is Food, Medicine, and Lies. Please feel free to subscribe to that channel and take benefits. So I have posted recipe of papadis, of biscuits, of some desserts also which you can enjoy, which are keto desserts, and a lot of vegetarian keto dishes also like keto curry and all, so that you can have more and more options to the food you can eat and stay healthy and have your sugar levels in control. Robin, what are your— what is your HbA1c recently?

So, uh, I think, uh, right now I'm so happy to see my experience.

I like your smile, Robin, on this question.

Less than 5.5. So, uh, it's kind of amazing. But, uh, I, I actually reached even 4.8 at some point. Then I So what happened is initially when I was on keto, I even reached 4.8 HbA1c, and I relaxed a little bit after I reached 4.8. I relaxed and moved to carb— carbohydrate diet, but then it again shot up to say about 6.5 and all. At that point I met ma'am, and of course I got a reorientation in everything, and again I started keto along with working on my gut health and homocysteine levels with Dr. Preeti, ma'am. And now I am— my vitals are all like a non-diabetic, and it's around 5.5, and so happy with that.

Wow, thank you, Robin. So Robin, generally a lot of type 1 diabetics who will meet you will come and say this is risky. We should— we are— one, we cannot get to this HbA1c level 5.5. Second, we should not get to this HbA1c level. What is your take on this?

Um, so first of all, if you see my reports, it's really attainable. There's no doubt about it. And the other thing is about the doubts we have whether we need to tightly control between 80 to 120 because there can be chances of hypoglycemia. But one advantage which I read from the book is When you are on keto diet, you are more of a fat-adapted person, and the hypoglycemic aftereffects won't be there. I experienced it. Even my sugar level goes to 55, I mean, I don't feel anything like when you are on the high-carb diet, when you are having the shivering and all those things. So, so I would strongly recommend, uh, keeping it within— so, uh, living like a non-diabetic means keeping the levels between 80 to 120. It's It's okay, occasionally it goes up, but over majority of the time. So one thing which I had is, uh, there's, uh, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Solutions, one book I read. He himself is a type 1 diabetic, but he strongly recommends to keep your sugar levels below 100. So, so he could achieve, uh, less than 5.5. So that's one another motivation for me.

Right, and you will see a lot of people like Robin who maintain their sugar levels like this and then stay at consistent energy levels. Their energy levels are not doing a roller coaster the whole day the way it does for type 1 diabetics or type 2 diabetics also who are on high carb diet, because carbs actually make your insulin levels go high, low, and you are on an energy roller coaster all the time. Right, so Robin, I understand that you've been into this journey for 22 years, and I think we met about 6-7 months back. 6 months back, yeah, 6-7 months, right? And since then, what is the difference you have seen in yourself?

So yeah, first, first of all, uh, just to give a background, it's been a very wonderful experience with Dr. Preeti and team, and I happened to meet her during a stage where I was not having any clear direction on what further can be done. And I was partially on keto diet, and one area which I realized after interacting with her is on my gut health and on my homocysteine levels, and which I realized it's very important. And Dr. Preeti and team were very friendly and really helped me to work on those areas through supplements and proper guidance. And, um, and I think I feel I'm doing much more holistically than I did previously where I focused just on the diet. But now it's— I think with the supplements, the nutrition, uh, which is lacking in me also is added. So I think I strongly feel I, I'm in a much healthier position. So definitely that confidence is there now.

And your reports also say the same. Yeah, right. I'm very, very impressed by seeing your reports, and I'm extremely happy. And I do want to add here that in type 1 diabetes or any autoimmune condition, gut health has to be looked into. Our inflammatory parameters like homocysteine and all need to be looked into. Our vitamin D levels, our zinc, our magnesium, they have to be taken into account. Because all these together create an environment. See, there is this saying that genes are like loaded gun, but if the gun is loaded, it will— it kill somebody? No, you will have to press the trigger, right? And that is the environment. And the environment is created by the gut health and by toxins and by heavy metals. And by high inflammatory markers. And I still remember, you know, when Robin had met me for the first time, his one big complaint was itching, right, Robin? And when we worked on his gut, his itching subsided. And when we stopped his gut supplements, itching came back again, right? Because gut microbiome takes a large time to balance and normalize. But it does tell us very clearly whether gut is involved or not. And generally, in 95 to 99% cases, gut is always involved. So, and, and that is the reason why diet becomes very, very, very important, because what's the biggest function of gut? Digestion. Digestion of the food we eat. Right, and give nutrients to our body. So I think that's extremely important. Robin, before we let, you know, audience go, what is your exercise schedule?

Okay, uh, so yeah, so after, uh, I already mentioned it's more of a holistic approach with the diet, uh, insulin I take only for the carb intake which I have. And coming to the exercise, I recently started doing more of high-intensity interval training and muscle strengthening. I follow an app known as Freeletics app, which is really helpful for helping me to be active wherever I am. So it's mostly— they, uh, work on my body weight, and it's really helpful. I'm following that app for that. And yeah, I think I'm pretty much consistent in that now.

How many minutes you exercise, Robin, and what time?

I nowadays, uh, do 20 minutes a day, but it's more of a high-intensity one.

Perfect. And this is what I wanted to communicate, friends. Don't be scared of exercise. Exercise is very critical, and it is not going to take too much time. 20 minutes a day for 5-6 days is good for you. Don't miss it. And I will take the link of the exercise app he's using and he has liked, and I will share it in the link below so that if anybody wants to use that, you can. I will also share a link of other exercise where I have listed 5 sets of exercises a diabetic needs to do, and it's really helpful. So choose what works for you, but Don't stop till you achieve your goal, and you can reach your goal. Robin is a live example here, and he is sharing his story with you to motivate you, to inspire you, and to help you be successful in your life. And when I say successful, I'm sure Robin and me, both of us, want you to be successful in every sphere of your life. Personal, professional, spiritual, emotional relationships, everything. So I wish you all the best. And Robin, before we log off, any message for the viewers and any type 1 diabetics who listen to this video after this? Any message you will want to share with them?

Yeah, so first, when I— when you asked me to come on livestream, I think this is one of my I think dreams to share with others that even if you have type 1 diabetes, there's nothing going to stop you. And since I went through this process, I understand the pains and frustrations you might be having due to this condition. But I would consider— I would say consider this condition as a stepping stone to motivate yourself to live like a healthy non-diabetic. And you can reach your full potential in whatever careers you are pursuing, and this condition is never going to hinder you if you could tame this condition. The know-hows or the proper guidance, if you get, you can really tame this condition. And that's very much possible. You can see my— from my reports and many other stories I can give. And one of the major things I would recommend is to build your knowledge, read the right books, and apply those principles. You need not live anymore in ignorance. And along with that, I would also add, recommend having expert help. I think Dr. Preeti would be able to help you to guide in those areas. If I, as a type 1 diabetic, can live like a non-diabetic with a healthy and active lifestyle, you all definitely can. And be encouraged to know that putting the right efforts, you can all live a healthy and happy life.

Wow. So it's just a way of life. Don't feel that with it. Yes, it's a thing, it has happened. Make— find a new way of life and have somebody with you so that, you know, you don't go astray. Stay healthy, stay happy. And thank you, Robin, for being a part of this live show. I am sure in the coming days your video is going to inspire lots and lots of people. Thank you very much.

Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, everyone.

Thank you.