What’s the Best Diet to Reverse Diabetes? Keto, Mediterranean, or Low-Fat, Plant-Based, Whole-Food?

Mastering Diabetes Audio Experience

Mastering Diabetes

Nutrition, Alternative Health, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Choosing the best diet for diabetes can be confusing, especially with so much conflicting advice. In this episode, Robby breaks down three popular approaches — the Mediterranean/ADA diet, the low-carb ketogenic diet, and a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet — to reveal the pros, cons, and real-life results of each.

You’ll learn:

The macronutrient profiles of each diet and what they mean for your blood glucose
Why keto can bring short-term results but often misses the root cause
How a Mediterranean approach can deliver small improvements but limited reversal
Why a low-fat, plant-based diet stands out for sustainable A1c control and long-term energy
Robby’s personal journey with all three diets, including his current A1c of 5.5% and 91% time in range

If you’ve ever wondered which diet truly works to reverse insulin resistance and support long-term diabetes health, this episode gives you the clarity you need.

👉 Ready for more energy and better health? Book a free discovery call today!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Mastering Diabetes Audio Experience.
0:07.0	In today's episode, we're breaking down the benefits and drawbacks of three popular diets for diabetes,
0:16.0	the Ketogenic Diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the low-fat plant-based whole food diet.
0:22.2	This show comes from a YouTube video we posted earlier this year. So if you missed it there,
0:28.9	now is your chance to learn and dig into this controversial topic. Let's get into it.
0:37.4	Are you curious about the best diet for diabetes?
0:41.3	You're not alone. Many people ask this question.
0:45.3	Today, we'll look at three popular diets.
0:49.3	We'll look at their macronutrient profiles.
0:51.3	We'll weigh the pros and cons.
0:53.3	Then we'll discover what truly works.
0:57.0	My name is Robbie Barbaro.
0:58.0	I'm living with type 1 diabetes.
1:00.0	I'm a three-time Ironman triathlete.
1:02.0	My current A1C is 5.5% and my timing range is 91%.
1:07.0	I co-authored the New York Times best-selling book,
1:10.0	Mastering Diabetes. And for the past 12 years,
1:12.6	I've coached people with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and everything in between.
1:17.6	I've tried all of the diets in this video and their macronutrient profiles.
1:22.6	I'll share my personal experience and what research says about each approach.
1:26.6	First up, the ADA diet, also known as the Mediterranean diet.
1:31.7	For the purposes of this video, I'm lumping the American Diabetes Association's recommendations
	...

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