Steve Cooksey

March 12, 2015

Steve Cooksey is a diabetic blogger from Stanley, N.C. Years ago, Steve—then a chronically ill, obese couch potato—was rushed to intensive care in a near coma.  He was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and told that he would be dependent on insulin and other drugs for life.  When he was discharged four days later, he resolved to regain control of his health.

Following longstanding government nutritional guidelines, Steve’s dietitians told him to eat a high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet and consume no more than 2,200 calories each day.  But for Steve, who is skeptical by nature, something about this advice just did not add up.  The more he read about diabetes, which is the inability to maintain normal blood-sugar levels, the more Steve doubted that eating a high-carbohydrate diet made sense because carbohydrates raise blood sugar.

Based on his reading and Internet research, Steve decided to drastically cut carbohydrates.  Within a month, his blood sugar had normalized and he did not require insulin or diabetes drugs.  He then transitioned to a “paleolithic” diet of meats, fish, fats, nuts and vegetables, but no agricultural grains, sugars, or junk food.  He also started a caveman-style exercise regimen, running and jumping in bare feet.  He lost 78 pounds, is insulin and drug free, and healthier than ever.

In January 2010, Steve started a blog (www.diabetes-warrior.net) to share his view that a paleolithic diet and exercise are the best for diabetics.  He has thousands of regular readers.  In December 2011, Steve started a Dear Abby-style advice column on his blog to answer reader questions.

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