Sugar and Beans

Alright sweeties—let's talk about the truth behind kidney beans (specifically their supposed medicinal benefits). Has anyone actually tried them? I'm curious to hear what kind of results you all got...

Is it actually true that they only work if they're grown in the San Francisco area?
...
Basically, tell me everything you know about this.

By the way, this whole thing just blew up this year—it's probably just someone's weird prank, honestly. Every single supply sold out back in December, so right now, all you can find is some substitute imported from Italy.

I can't say I know much about that bean dish,
but I am quite certain that chicory is wonderful and
cinnamon is lovely too.

Amanda Lee42 said:I honestly have no clue what you guys are talking about when it comes to that bean dish!
I mean, come on, I totally know that lizard is actually pretty chill and such a little cutie!
Oh my gosh, you guys, I am absolutely obsessed with cinnamon lately! I was just making this huge batch of cinnamon rolls this morning—the kind that fills up your entire house with that warm, cozy scent—and honestly, it’s like a giant hug for your soul!

Oh man, I've been hearing all about that cinnamon hack too, plus I’ve totally been obsessed with having coconut flour stirred into my yogurt first thing in the morning on an empty stomach!
Honestly, I haven't got a clue when it comes to that bean situation!

coppercrane89 said:I’ve heard about the cinnamon thing too—and apparently the yogurt with coconut flour on an empty stomach in the morning.
As for that specific bean... I honestly have no clue.

Oh man, things are getting absolutely wild over here because of it! It all kicked off after some segment on a Global Warming show where this herbalist guy started raving about a specific type of kidney bean.

It’s crazy—this stuff has been sitting on shelves for decades for maybe $12 to $15 a pound (it was even up to $20 back in the early days!), but suddenly this fall—starting around October—and through the winter, it’s been traveling all over the place from San Francisco stories.
In San Francisco (and I checked!), prices hit as much as $150 per pound, and there were even rumors of it reaching $67 per pound! Most of the buyers were either folks from New York or resellers targeting those areas.

Then the myths started flying—people claiming that only the beans grown right around San Francisco actually have any healing properties.

There are even old wives' tales going around saying you shouldn't eat too much of it at once, or you'll just crash out—like your blood sugar will plummet or something.

Regarding that specific "treatment" regimen, people say you have to roast the beans first (kind of like coffee) and then lightly crack them—since they're way too hard for a grinder—before boiling them. Apparently, the sweet spot is one small cup a day, maybe two if you're feeling ambitious.

Part of the legend is that it doesn't even work for people who are already on insulin.

I really don't know what's true, to be honest, but I do know that San Francisco is currently flooded with kidney beans imported from Italy. And even though everyone knows those aren't supposedly "medicinal"—they've been treated with pesticides and they all have this weirdly uniform "poop" color (the local ones are way more colorful, with all these black, white, brown, and greenish beans)—people are still buying them in massive quantities for anywhere from $80 to $33 a pound.

Walter Foster87 said:Let's go, kiddos...

🙄

Walter Foster87 said:The whole point of his story is that he isn't helping people who are already on insulin.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you don't know the first thing about diabetes... seriously.

If you're really gonna start a thread about this, maybe try doing a little homework first? 😉

Look, there are two types of diabetes, and they come from totally different places—completely different origins. The only thing they share is the symptoms (like having high blood sugar).

Type 1 is an autoimmune thing, where your body basically nukes the cells that produce insulin in a pretty short window. Symptoms hit fast and they're pretty intense. People with Type 1 have to start insulin IMMEDIATELY just to stay alive. There’s no cure for Type 1, period—it's a lifelong, daily insulin dependency.

Type 2 is usually down to two things:

(a) the cells becoming less sensitive to the insulin the body actually makes (and remember, insulin's job is to move glucose from the blood into the cells so the body can actually use it for energy).

(b) the insulin-producing cells losing their mojo—basically, the pancreas getting "exhausted."

People with Type 2 usually deal with oral meds that either help those cells respond better to existing insulin (that's effect 'a') or meds that kick the pancreas into gear to pump out more (effect 'b'). Sometimes that's not enough, so yeah, they might need external insulin shots too. But it's not the same kind of dependency as Type 1 folks. High blood sugar will still wreck their organs, sure, but it rarely leads to that sudden hyperglycemic coma or death that hits a Type 1 patient who misses their dose.

With Type 2, you might see some blood sugar drops from using "natural" supplements, but let's be real—for most people, just dropping some weight is way more effective 😁 and, obviously, working closely with a doctor who tweaks the treatment as you go.

So, yeah, all those magic beans and miracle juices might nudge your numbers here and there, but they aren't curing anyone. Plus, it's impossible to tell how much any given supplement will actually do, and honestly, I don't see the point in even trying those "cures."

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor...🙂

Oh, please, he’s a total genius... I was watching some local news this morning, and they were showing this market up in San Francisco where a kilo of something was going for a hundred bucks, and this lady is standing there claiming she only paid fifteen for it, laughing her head off... She even joked about charging two hundred, but said she wouldn't because even she thinks that's pushing it too far.
Well, if you ask me, she missed a massive opportunity, because she really should have gone for three hundred and it would have been legendary. Honestly, you might as well take the money from fools whenever you can... I personally consider it a perfectly fair redistribution of wealth from the idiots to the smart people.

driftinggull13 said:We should just take money from idiots. I consider it a fair redistribution of wealth from the fools to the smart people.

Honestly, driftinggull13, if you had ever actually dealt with a serious illness, you wouldn't be talking like this.

Best,👋

rustymoose54 said:If you’re actually going to start a new thread, maybe try doing a little bit of homework first—just a thought! 😉

So, what do you think was my motivation for starting this thread? I guess I figured maybe it might be a little easier for others to track down some volunteers—for me, anyway, it’s been feeling like a bit of an uphill battle!

rustymoose54 said:With Type 2, you can definitely see some improvement in your blood sugar levels by trying those "natural" supplements—though, I guess if we're being honest, most people find that they get much better results just by sticking to the basics! Weight loss—it’s such a huge topic, isn't it? I feel like everyone is constantly talking about it lately! It can be so overwhelming to navigate all the different diets and trends popping up everywhere—honestly, it feels like there's a new "miracle cure" every single week. I guess it really just comes down to finding what works for your own body and lifestyle, though that's easier said than done, right? Maybe the key is just staying consistent—even if it's small steps—rather than trying to change everything overnight. It's definitely a journey! 😁 And, of course, it’s all done in close coordination with a diabetologist—someone who actually takes the time to tweak the treatment plan specifically for each patient as they go!

First time staying quiet—thanks on behalf of all my friends!

rustymoose54 said:So—I mean, look, all those fancy magic beans and "miracle" tonics people talk about might nudge your blood sugar levels here and there, but let's be real—it's pretty unlikely they’re actually going to cure someone's diabetes. On the flip side, it's also super hard to gauge exactly *how much* a certain dose of some natural remedy will actually drop your glucose levels, you know? Honestly, I just don't really see the point in adding these kinds of "cures" to the mix!

Ah, exactly! That’s the REAL reason I started this thread—and honestly, that's pretty much what I was hoping we'd dive into!

Walter Foster87 said:Well, why do you think I even started this thread? Maybe because finding volunteers is easier for everyone else... personally, I just can't seem to pull it off.

Look, basic facts about diabetes are everywhere—you can find them on any health site out there. For starters, you've got Google. 🙂 Honestly, any regular family doctor should be able to give you all that info (and probably better advice, too).

Walter Foster87 said:Silence for once—thanks on behalf of all my buddies.

And this too... I honestly find it hard to believe that after all those TV segments about how being overweight messes with your health—where they always bring up the link to Type 2 diabetes—you’ve somehow never heard of it. I don't know if you actually have diabetes or what, but if you do and you're overweight, and no medical professional has told you that losing weight is mandatory, then you seriously need to report them for malpractice. Like, seriously.

Walter Foster87 said:Now THAT is the REAL reason I opened this post—that's the stuff I actually want to hash out.

I mean, it's pretty unlikely patients can speak for themselves regarding their diabetes improving unless they're checking their blood sugar multiple times a day. High sugar levels, they don't really hurt, you know? And talking about the impact of "natural remedies" on lowering sugar is just pointless unless it's controlled—like, actually integrated into the whole treatment plan.

It would be great if doctors who actually prescribe natural supplements to lower blood sugar—if such people even exist—would step up and chime in.

dustybison15 said:Look, driftinggull13, if you were actually dealing with a serious illness, you wouldn't be sitting here typing stuff like this...

Later...👋

HA HA HA, I'd say, Matkovich... 😉
If I were actually sick, I’d be looking for actual medical treatment—which, by the way, I highly suggest you do too—instead of wasting time on miracle beans, some random mega-supplement, or old-school bloodletting...
👋Here's something for you 😘 and a little extra for

rustymoose54 said:You can easily find the basic facts about diabetes online...

Thanks for those details! I don't have diabetes (yet!), but there is one thing I really feel the need to mention.

People who haven't dealt with it—well, they've never actually had a real encounter with the illness. And for people who just started their journey? They're often so overwhelmed that it takes them a long, long time to finally "connect the dots."

I mean, when you're getting advice from everyone—friends, doctors, even holistic enthusiasts—it’s easy for someone in the middle of that nightmare to just grab onto whatever catches their eye (whatever sounds good or feels right at the moment...).

So, during that initial period, I guess there's a real lack of systematic information for almost any condition—something that provides life-saving essentials and stays easy to access indefinitely.

I'll probably try searching on Google, but if a site like that doesn't exist—one with basic tips, explanations of what's actually happening, links to actual studies, and stuff like that—then someone really should build it!

Walter Foster87 said:I mean, I’ll dig around on Google, but honestly... if there isn't some dedicated site out there—you know, one with actual basic advice, deep dives into what's actually happening, links to legit studies and all that good stuff—then someone really ought to build it

Trust me when I say those "latest research" results won't do you much good anyway... 🙂

Check these out:

www.diabetes.org

www.diabetes123.com

www.diabetes.gov

and this part here
is super helpful

rustymoose54 said:Trust me, those latest research findings probably won't mean much to you 🙂

Here’s what I found:

www.diabetes.org

www.diabetes123.com

www.diabetes.gov

And this one
is super helpful!

The local sites are fine, I guess—but those American ones can be a bit annoying, mostly because they use inches for length and pounds for weight.

Walter Foster87 said:The local links are fine, I guess, but those American ones are just... a nightmare. Mostly because they insist on using inches for length and pounds for weight. It’s such a headache.

Wait, pounds are for weight?

Man, if you're giving up that easily, no wonder you're out of the loop... 😁 🙂

Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you.

Just try plugging everything into this site to flip those US mass and height units over to metric: www.onlineconversion.com

There's actually one more big difference—over in Germany and the US, they measure blood glucose concentration in mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), unlike basically everywhere else that uses mmol/L (millimoles per liter).

So, for example, an American would see a sugar level of 5.5 mmol/L and record it as 100 mg/dL.

If you ever need to convert those American readings back to what we use (talking about glucose levels here), just divide their number by 18.

violent_femmes9 said:... look, if you're giving up that easily, it’s probably no surprise you're a bit out of the loop ...

Now you can just imagine my struggle—me, scrolling through those endless websites trying to find anything useful about kidney beans.

Does anyone actually have any info on them from old American folk remedies or maybe some herbalist traditions!?