Diabetes expert Dave Mendosa on "Raw Food People"

I came across this today surfing around the net on Dave Mendosa's site. He's a fantastic and well-respected source of diabetes information on the internet. His blog post is not an attack on raw food diets, he's writing about a study.

In a nutshell he writes how some "raw food people" may not be entirely correct when they say raw food is better for you. I agree with this and don't.

I Agree: I agree there was a reason why primitive peoples took the time to cook certain foods rather than eat them raw. They had to avoid pests & poison. Some foods had to be prepared a certain way to become safe.

In the raw food circles, I wish there was more information out there about the need for proper preparation or limited eating of: Raw kidney beans, buckwheat greens, spinach, prickly pear pads, unpeeled potatoes, alfalfa sprouts, some types of raw cassava, unfertilized raw eggs, apricot kernels, and parsnips.

For example, spinach and prickly pear pads are pretty high in oxalates which can be detrimental. They are better in limited raw amounts or cooked to reduce the amounts of oxalates.

I Don't Agree: The blog post did not talk about these foods, it talked about everyday foods like broccoli, carrots, and zucchini. It referenced a study that said cooking allowed certain nutrients to become more available, "probably because of matrix softening and increased extractability."

This is a big misconception people have about raw food (just like how some people think raw food means sushi, haha).

Most raw fooders don't eat a lot of broccoli, carrots, or zucchini in it's whole state. I personally am not going to bite into it like an apple. It will get stuck between my teeth and feel like hell going down if I eat a lot of it.

These things I either juice...or blend or grate or slice into paper-thin slices and marinate them. This causes the aforementioned "matrix softening and increased extractability."

Anyway, I wanted to throw my 2 cents into the fray as I felt this touched on a major misconception of eating common raw foods while ignoring other foods which could realistically pose a threat in their raw state.

I don't have anything against Dave and I think he has provided an INVALUABLE service to the diabetes community. Thank you Dave!

My medicine is trying to kill me?

On DiabetesConnect.com, someone posted a question about why insulin causes you to gain weight. I read it's because it signals for fat retention and carb cravings.

However, it reminded me I had a similar problem with metformin - my oral diabetes medicine. When I did the green juice and was eating 100% raw, my carb cravings went completely away. I mean, I looked at a hamburger bun, a roll, a donut, and actually was turned off.

I restarted this oral medicine because I wanted to eat fruit again. I missed fruit. Immediately after I restarted the metformin, I got INTENSE constant carb cravings. I wanted Twinkies, donuts, bread crackers.


My diabetes medicine...which is supposed to help by body combat the ill-effects of too many carbs, actually causes me to crave carbs?

Ironic.

My juice formula

Here is the basic formula I use for my green juice now:

Makes about 1 quart

1 small bunch or 1/2 large bunch celery
1 cucumber
1/4 - 1/2 pound dark leafy greens (kale, collards, swiss chard, spinach)
1 cup of water

1 apple (optional for flavor)
juice of a lemon or lime (optional for flavor)
a small piece of ginger (optional I like the smell and makes me happy)

I use a blender. I put this stuff into the blender with the juicier items on the bottom to help the blades move easier. I mix it and then puree it until it's pretty smooth and blended, no large specks of greens floating around.

Then I'll pour it into a bowl I have lined with a nut milk bag or a paint strainer bag. I gently massage the bag to get the juice out. Then I pour it into a quart jar or glass and drink. :)

SPECIAL NOTES: I make sure and mix up the greens so I don't overdose on just one type - especially the spinach. You don't want to be eating a whole lot of spinach regularly it has oxalates that can be harmful in large amounts.

If I have all organic items, I wash well but don't peel anything. I also will sometimes fill my glass 1/4 of the way with some of the mix with the pulp in it and then strain the rest. This way I get some fiber and something to "chew."

However, if it's not organic stuff, I make sure and peel stuff that has a waxy coating. And I strain the whole thing. I hear pesticides and toxins reside in the fiber - kind of magnetically attracted to it. So I strain it out and get rid of it on non-organic stuff. My budget varies, so I try to get organic when I can.

My First Vlog

I made a video showing my pics before raw food, after raw food, and also showing how I look now. I weigh the same but there is definately something different. So I have re-committed to raw food and this first vlog is a documentation of my journey and where I am now.

If you would like get updates to my vlog, subscribe to my channel on YouTube and or subscribe to this blog:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bjay100

Update & Recomitting Myself

Okay, I survived the holidays without gaining weight. I actually ate normal Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and goodies. I had re-started my metformin because I wanted to eat fruit dammit. :) I don't like the side effects...hopefully I'll be able to quit it if I lose more weight.

So my weight is pretty stable between 170-175. My percentage of raw food went down. I was probably was eating 50-75% raw food. I didn't worry since my weight was okay. However, I've noticed little problems creeping back - blurry eyesight, achy shoulder joint, inflammation in my face, skin problems. Most of all, the glow is gone. :(

So I am re-committing myself to drinking 1 quart of green juice a day and mostly raw foods. I'll post my pics below and post as I progress. I have also started a Vlog on YouTube documenting my progress. I'll post that here later. Still editing it.

Here are my progress pics:

BEFORE JUICING AND RAW FOODS

AFTER JUICE FEAST AND MOSTLY RAW FOODS

NOW...AFTER LOWERING MY PERCENTAGE OF RAW AND OCCASIONAL JUICE
(EXCUSE MY JAMMIES AND MESSY HAIR)

I'm sure you will agree...the glow is gone! And my skin seemed firmer before. Hopefully adding daily green juice and more raw foods will help.