Chia seeds are an excellent food for people with diabetes and are popular with the raw food community. I live in southern Arizona and chia seeds have been an important food source for the indigenous people here.
Many traditional foods are especially good at helping diabetes, and chia seeds are one of them. Here are some tradtional-style recipes to use Chia seeds.
CHIA LEMONADE AGUA FRESCA (fresh water)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup apple juice
2 tsp lemon juice
Place the seeds in the juice, and stir or shake. Let it sit for 30 minutes until it becomes the consistency of jelly. Add the lemon and ice if desired to make a slushy drink.
CHIA LEMON AGUA FRESCA "JELLO" DRINK
1/4 cup chia seeds
8 oz water (use more or less to your own preference)
tsp lemon juice
Place seeds in the water, and stir or shake. Let it sit until the water starts to become a gel. This can take up to 45 minutes. Add the lemon juice and enjoy. Chill if desired.
CHIA BERRY SMOOTHIE
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup apple juice
16 oz unsweetened frozen berries
Place seeds in the water, and stir or shake. Let soak for 30 minutes. Put the chia mixture and berries into a blender (or just mash with a fork) until it has a smoothy consistency.
CHIA FRUIT SALAD
1-2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup fruit juice
3 cups chopped fruit
Place seeds in the water, and stir or shake. Let soak for 30 minutes until it thickens. Toss chia mixture with fruit.
CHIA GRUELS
I like gruels. They are portable. Kind of like porridge. You can take a mix of seeds, flours and spices and mix in water. You have to remember that they are highly concentrated sources of calories and energy. So you don't need very much. It has been said that a tablespoon of chia seeds could provide enough energy for a long-distance runner for 24 hours.
I also use mesquite meal in these gruels. This is another food good for people with diabetes. Mesquite is an indigenous tree to southern Arizona. Bags of meal can be pricey, but you don't have to use a lot of it in gruels. Mesquite meal has kind of a lightly sweet, carmel flavor. Some say it tastes like mild Cracker Jacks. Here is a place that sells mesquite meal near me. They are a great organization and need support to preserve wild and traditional seeds.
I have a typical "base" of chia seeds, mesquite meal, and sunflower seeds. This can be made into so many dishes.
Here is a recipe to try. If you have never had mole before, then don't go in with preconceived expectations or be too disapoointed if you don't like it. Mole is kind of gritty, a little chocolate taste, not very sweet, sometimes savory too. Many different types of mole's. It is usually served as a sauce over some type of meat. But I always liked the taste of the sauce, so I made it into a gruel. I suggest you make this and then play around with it to get it where you like it.
BJAY'S MOLE GRUEL - makes 1 small serving
2 tsp chia seeds
2 tsp sunflower seeds
2 tsp mesquite meal (alternative: can try more flax and agave nectar)
2 tsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp raisins
1 tsp cocoa powder or other type of chocolate type powder
1/4 tsp mild chile powder (hotter if you prefer)
shake or pinch of cinnamon
shake or pinch cumin
shake or pinch of nutmeg
shake or pinch of cinnamon
shake of garlic salt (or combo of a tiny bit of mashed garlic and salt to taste)
1 tsp agave nectar or use other preferred sweetener
1/2 cup water
Mix together. It will thicken as time goes on. It will be more like a cereal at first. If you stir occasionally it should be more like a porridge after 15-20 minutes. If it isn't thick enough, you can add some more flax, chia, or mesquite.
life, type 2 diabetes, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, health, fitness, raw/whole food, southwest, writing....WHATEVER
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Why do raw food, diabetes, and indigenous traditions go together?
I have diabetes, eat mostly raw food, and pay attention to what, when, and how the local indigenous people ate. It all naturally goes together. Why?
I live in the southern Arizona desert. Home to the Tohono O'odham and Pima tribes--two tribes recognized for a severe diabetes epidemic. About 75% of those over 55 have obesity and diabetes.
When these people were introduced to the standard American diet and encouraged to abandon their traditional diet and native foods, it was disaster.
As diabetics, we can learn a lot from this. They have the so-called "starvation gene" that allowed them to survive through regular periods of hunger. For instance, on the tradtional Tohono O'Odham calendar, May had been listed as "The month of hunger." This is when I like to do longer fasting or juice feasting. It keeps me in touch more with the natural cycles of the desert.
Their bodies were able to store more fat for the future. Studies have found they gain more weight than the "average" person consuming the same amount of calories. This is thought to be due to a low metabolism.
A similar thing happens with diabetes. Most of us have low metabolisms. It is harder for us to lose weight sometimes because our hormonal systems are sending messages to the brain to hold on to fat - even if we already have plenty of fat. The indigenous people would store the extra fat in their bellies. That's the common storage place for us...and it's been found that our belly fat, or abdominal intra-visceral fat, even acts as an organ unto itself, sending out messages to the brain to sustain itself.
If the local Native American people return to eating traditionally, they often lose weight, belly fat, and can better control their diabetes.
Their traditional eating and a raw food diet have a lot in common. They are both low-fat, high-fiber. They both use fresh seasonal foods and nutrition is condensed into less so less empty calories, as well as less overall calories, are consumed.
In scientific circles there is high debate as to which came first, the chicken or the egg...did diabetes appear undetected and cause the weight gain or did weight gain cause diabetes.
I found this interesting article from the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it explores those questions. It considers the Pima indians. The thinking seems to be that the Pima have low metabolic rates, low fidgeting, and probably genetic factors that make it easier to gain weight. Interestingly, they start out with low insulin resistance and low insulin levels. When they gain weight, the weight gain itself causes insulin resistance, higher insulin levels, and progression to diabetes and high blood sugar.
Anyway, it's pretty interesting. But all the scientific mumbo jumbo aside, regardless of the studies, for some reason traditional foods and raw foods seem to help.
I'm not going to say that either one is a magic cure in and of itself, but the components of each allow a person to eat a good amount of food with more nutrition and less calories. They also tend to help with food allergies which may complicate diabetes since many diabetics are allergic to gluten and they are both so much easier on our digestive systems.
I live in the southern Arizona desert. Home to the Tohono O'odham and Pima tribes--two tribes recognized for a severe diabetes epidemic. About 75% of those over 55 have obesity and diabetes.
When these people were introduced to the standard American diet and encouraged to abandon their traditional diet and native foods, it was disaster.
As diabetics, we can learn a lot from this. They have the so-called "starvation gene" that allowed them to survive through regular periods of hunger. For instance, on the tradtional Tohono O'Odham calendar, May had been listed as "The month of hunger." This is when I like to do longer fasting or juice feasting. It keeps me in touch more with the natural cycles of the desert.
Their bodies were able to store more fat for the future. Studies have found they gain more weight than the "average" person consuming the same amount of calories. This is thought to be due to a low metabolism.
A similar thing happens with diabetes. Most of us have low metabolisms. It is harder for us to lose weight sometimes because our hormonal systems are sending messages to the brain to hold on to fat - even if we already have plenty of fat. The indigenous people would store the extra fat in their bellies. That's the common storage place for us...and it's been found that our belly fat, or abdominal intra-visceral fat, even acts as an organ unto itself, sending out messages to the brain to sustain itself.
If the local Native American people return to eating traditionally, they often lose weight, belly fat, and can better control their diabetes.
Their traditional eating and a raw food diet have a lot in common. They are both low-fat, high-fiber. They both use fresh seasonal foods and nutrition is condensed into less so less empty calories, as well as less overall calories, are consumed.
In scientific circles there is high debate as to which came first, the chicken or the egg...did diabetes appear undetected and cause the weight gain or did weight gain cause diabetes.
I found this interesting article from the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it explores those questions. It considers the Pima indians. The thinking seems to be that the Pima have low metabolic rates, low fidgeting, and probably genetic factors that make it easier to gain weight. Interestingly, they start out with low insulin resistance and low insulin levels. When they gain weight, the weight gain itself causes insulin resistance, higher insulin levels, and progression to diabetes and high blood sugar.
Anyway, it's pretty interesting. But all the scientific mumbo jumbo aside, regardless of the studies, for some reason traditional foods and raw foods seem to help.
I'm not going to say that either one is a magic cure in and of itself, but the components of each allow a person to eat a good amount of food with more nutrition and less calories. They also tend to help with food allergies which may complicate diabetes since many diabetics are allergic to gluten and they are both so much easier on our digestive systems.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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
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
Monday, January 26, 2009
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:
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)
(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.
Monday, September 22, 2008
I wish it was easy to be GREEN!
Green juice makes a HUGE difference!
I stopped doing so much juice and was eating more raw. I was feeling pretty tired and I was getting REALLY haggard looking. I was looking like I was 50 (about to turn 40).
The whites of my eyes were not bright, more of a gray. My skin was looking pretty saggy and dull. The glow was absolutely gone.
I've been reading "Beautiful on Raw" by Tonya Zavasta. In that book she has testimonials from women who have seen huge changes in their appearance. All of them juiced and one of them said she felt green juice was her beauty secret.
So I decided I would try to juice daily. I would either make myself juice or I would go down to Robek's juice bar and buy some juice. I have figured it costs me up to 6-7 dollars to make a quart of juice from 1 English cucumber ($1.99), 1 bunch of celery (up to $2.50), and a head of dark leafy greens (up to $2.50) - unless I can find good organic bargains. I can go to Robek's and get a Large green juice with 2 oz shot of wheatgrass on the side for 7.99. So I've been doing either or.
I know I would save more if I bought regular produce...but in the long run I end up saving with organic. I don't think people realize how much nutrition our food has lost over the years with modern farming methods and soil that has been depleted of nutrients. I think there was a study done in the 50's that showed commercial produce had already lost 20-30% of it's nutrition and it was estimated to get worse. Don't quote me, I can't find the book that was in. I think it was one of Dr. Norman Walker's books. I can eat less organic food and get more nutrition. I can get away with a juice and a salad along with some nuts and seeds and seaweed for the day.
The people at Robek's think I'm crazy. The "greenest" drink they offer is called a Green-V, and it has tons of carrots with celery and some spinach. It comes out orange from the carrots and very sweet. Not very good for diabetics. I don't think they realize what little options they offer for diabetics.
I ask for a large juice with 1/2 of one carrot, regular celery, and tons of spinach. I used to deplete their spinach supply, so now I bring in my own cucumber for them to add. They are really nice and try to give me what I ask, and they add the cucumber I bring in. Although it does feel a little funny walking past everyone at Starbucks and the people sitting at the tables outside the juice bar holding a long cucumber lol.
I go in and get my green juice, and have done it pretty regularly. Because I bring in the cucumber, there is often extra and they'll give it to me in a little cup. One day I saw the extra, but they didn't give it to me. I just figured they didn't feel generous that day and left. The next day I was there bright and early with my cucumber and the same two girls where at the counter from the day before. I ordered my juice and then they went about making it. Then one of the girls kind of timidly asks...do you really like this juice? I said, "Huh?" and she said, "Well do you order it because you like it or for health reasons?" I said, I guess health reasons and also I can't have all the sweet stuff because I have diabetes. They go, "OH." Then went on to explain that they had tried the extra juice from the day before and they thought it tasted horrible, haha. Oh well, hehe.
ANYWAY, long story short, within a couple days of starting up the green juice regularly, the glow was back and my skin was feeling more elastic again. I feel so much better too. Happier. The whites of my eyes are white again and little spots I was starting to get on my face are gone.
Juicing is a pain in the arse. There I said it. And it's expensive. But actually if I'm really only drinking a quart of juice (celery, cucumber, lettuce) and then having a big salad (avocado, greens, sprouts, tomato, onions, lemon, garlic, ginger, peppers, and something extra like beets, broccoli, corn, cabbage, carrots, etc.) along with an apple a day and some nuts/seeds...and pretty much skipping dinner then it's not THAT BAD. I think the problem is the three diets going on in our house - hubby vegetarian (who doesn't really like veggies), son a "normal" diet, and then me mostly raw. If it were just me, that'd be a different story. And it's a pain because I don't want to eat dinner but I gotta make dinner for them.
I'll say it again, juicing is apain in the ARSE. I hate having to buy fresh veggies every couple days. I hate all the looks from people who see my cart full of veggies. I hate when the supermarket cashiers seem to pray that I don't go into their lines with my cart full of produce - half of it they can't identify let alone remember the codes and prices for. I hate having a fridge CRAMMED with veggies. Literally, I open the door and something falls out. I hate constantly having to clean out the fridge. I hate how dealing with fresh live foods means your kitchen looks like youve been sacrificing it to the Gods for eons, with little bits of veggies here and there. I hate how it attracts all the little no-see-ums and flies. I hate prepping the veggies and juicing them. I hate straining the stuff. I hate cleaning up afterwards. I hate all the veggie garbage and pulp I have to be either creative or wasteful with. (I recently began raising earthworms to eat some of that stuff) BUT....it's worth it! REALLY!
(I don't hate the taste though. I did at first, but now I crave it. )
I stopped doing so much juice and was eating more raw. I was feeling pretty tired and I was getting REALLY haggard looking. I was looking like I was 50 (about to turn 40).
The whites of my eyes were not bright, more of a gray. My skin was looking pretty saggy and dull. The glow was absolutely gone.
I've been reading "Beautiful on Raw" by Tonya Zavasta. In that book she has testimonials from women who have seen huge changes in their appearance. All of them juiced and one of them said she felt green juice was her beauty secret.
So I decided I would try to juice daily. I would either make myself juice or I would go down to Robek's juice bar and buy some juice. I have figured it costs me up to 6-7 dollars to make a quart of juice from 1 English cucumber ($1.99), 1 bunch of celery (up to $2.50), and a head of dark leafy greens (up to $2.50) - unless I can find good organic bargains. I can go to Robek's and get a Large green juice with 2 oz shot of wheatgrass on the side for 7.99. So I've been doing either or.
I know I would save more if I bought regular produce...but in the long run I end up saving with organic. I don't think people realize how much nutrition our food has lost over the years with modern farming methods and soil that has been depleted of nutrients. I think there was a study done in the 50's that showed commercial produce had already lost 20-30% of it's nutrition and it was estimated to get worse. Don't quote me, I can't find the book that was in. I think it was one of Dr. Norman Walker's books. I can eat less organic food and get more nutrition. I can get away with a juice and a salad along with some nuts and seeds and seaweed for the day.
The people at Robek's think I'm crazy. The "greenest" drink they offer is called a Green-V, and it has tons of carrots with celery and some spinach. It comes out orange from the carrots and very sweet. Not very good for diabetics. I don't think they realize what little options they offer for diabetics.
I ask for a large juice with 1/2 of one carrot, regular celery, and tons of spinach. I used to deplete their spinach supply, so now I bring in my own cucumber for them to add. They are really nice and try to give me what I ask, and they add the cucumber I bring in. Although it does feel a little funny walking past everyone at Starbucks and the people sitting at the tables outside the juice bar holding a long cucumber lol.
I go in and get my green juice, and have done it pretty regularly. Because I bring in the cucumber, there is often extra and they'll give it to me in a little cup. One day I saw the extra, but they didn't give it to me. I just figured they didn't feel generous that day and left. The next day I was there bright and early with my cucumber and the same two girls where at the counter from the day before. I ordered my juice and then they went about making it. Then one of the girls kind of timidly asks...do you really like this juice? I said, "Huh?" and she said, "Well do you order it because you like it or for health reasons?" I said, I guess health reasons and also I can't have all the sweet stuff because I have diabetes. They go, "OH." Then went on to explain that they had tried the extra juice from the day before and they thought it tasted horrible, haha. Oh well, hehe.
ANYWAY, long story short, within a couple days of starting up the green juice regularly, the glow was back and my skin was feeling more elastic again. I feel so much better too. Happier. The whites of my eyes are white again and little spots I was starting to get on my face are gone.
Juicing is a pain in the arse. There I said it. And it's expensive. But actually if I'm really only drinking a quart of juice (celery, cucumber, lettuce) and then having a big salad (avocado, greens, sprouts, tomato, onions, lemon, garlic, ginger, peppers, and something extra like beets, broccoli, corn, cabbage, carrots, etc.) along with an apple a day and some nuts/seeds...and pretty much skipping dinner then it's not THAT BAD. I think the problem is the three diets going on in our house - hubby vegetarian (who doesn't really like veggies), son a "normal" diet, and then me mostly raw. If it were just me, that'd be a different story. And it's a pain because I don't want to eat dinner but I gotta make dinner for them.
I'll say it again, juicing is apain in the ARSE. I hate having to buy fresh veggies every couple days. I hate all the looks from people who see my cart full of veggies. I hate when the supermarket cashiers seem to pray that I don't go into their lines with my cart full of produce - half of it they can't identify let alone remember the codes and prices for. I hate having a fridge CRAMMED with veggies. Literally, I open the door and something falls out. I hate constantly having to clean out the fridge. I hate how dealing with fresh live foods means your kitchen looks like youve been sacrificing it to the Gods for eons, with little bits of veggies here and there. I hate how it attracts all the little no-see-ums and flies. I hate prepping the veggies and juicing them. I hate straining the stuff. I hate cleaning up afterwards. I hate all the veggie garbage and pulp I have to be either creative or wasteful with. (I recently began raising earthworms to eat some of that stuff) BUT....it's worth it! REALLY!
(I don't hate the taste though. I did at first, but now I crave it. )
Thursday, August 14, 2008
What I'm doing as of today
After the juice feasting I did 100% raw for a few weeks. Then I took it to 80% cause I had to halt the weight loss now I'm just "mostly" raw.
Right now I'm in a holding pattern. I still have another 20 to go for my goal weight.
I just try to make sure the majority of what I eat is raw veggies. If I go out or find myself short on time or having to buy something in a rush, I stick with a modified basic food combining law which means if I eat bread/grains/carbs or meat, I don't eat them together. So it's carbs with green leafy or lightly steamed veggies or meat with green leafy or lightly steamed veggies. If I ate the starchy carb and meat together it would sit in my gut longer and make toxins and may decide to stay on my hips lol. So I want stuff I can move in and out quicky. :)
Also, instead of tracking calories or writing things down, I just try to be mindful of the last time I wasn't 100% raw. So if yesterday I had a salad from Jack-in-the-Box with some chicken, I try to remember that and be more faithful to raw foods for a while. If I have a family party coming up and I know they are going to have some of my favorite foods, I try to be good beforehand and after. I also take plenty of raw veggies and dip to munch on. Eating this way really makes you enjoy your food more. I can remember the little bite of hamburger I had last week. Before all my hamburgers were a blur. I could barely remember what I ate the day before.
I've been watching a lot of the old Jack LaLaine shows on YouTube - he was basically a raw foodie but he did cook them somtimes, making sure they were undercooked and he did eat meat (usually fish) once in a while and dairy. Not sure if his diet is the same now. I sure would like to have the dvd copies of his shows and some of his books. He is a great inspiration.
The only "bad" issue I've had is that a lot of my hair is falling out. I have NOT had a gastic bypass, but I've reduced my calorie intake just the same. I've been reading that this usually happens with gastic bypass patients because of the sharp reduction in calories, it shocks the body. The hair loss will start about 4 months into it and continue for about 8 months. My hair started to come out right on target. I'm using some special shampoo that has slowed it down. My hubby and sis say they can't tell, so hopefully it stays that way lol cause I didn't have that much to begin with!
The first day of the juice feast I had taken my cholesterol numbers, I should redo them soon to see where they are at. My blood sugars still aren't down to where I want them, but better than with medications. I have to get more strict more of the time to get them down to perfect.
Right now I'm in a holding pattern. I still have another 20 to go for my goal weight.
I just try to make sure the majority of what I eat is raw veggies. If I go out or find myself short on time or having to buy something in a rush, I stick with a modified basic food combining law which means if I eat bread/grains/carbs or meat, I don't eat them together. So it's carbs with green leafy or lightly steamed veggies or meat with green leafy or lightly steamed veggies. If I ate the starchy carb and meat together it would sit in my gut longer and make toxins and may decide to stay on my hips lol. So I want stuff I can move in and out quicky. :)
Also, instead of tracking calories or writing things down, I just try to be mindful of the last time I wasn't 100% raw. So if yesterday I had a salad from Jack-in-the-Box with some chicken, I try to remember that and be more faithful to raw foods for a while. If I have a family party coming up and I know they are going to have some of my favorite foods, I try to be good beforehand and after. I also take plenty of raw veggies and dip to munch on. Eating this way really makes you enjoy your food more. I can remember the little bite of hamburger I had last week. Before all my hamburgers were a blur. I could barely remember what I ate the day before.
I've been watching a lot of the old Jack LaLaine shows on YouTube - he was basically a raw foodie but he did cook them somtimes, making sure they were undercooked and he did eat meat (usually fish) once in a while and dairy. Not sure if his diet is the same now. I sure would like to have the dvd copies of his shows and some of his books. He is a great inspiration.
The only "bad" issue I've had is that a lot of my hair is falling out. I have NOT had a gastic bypass, but I've reduced my calorie intake just the same. I've been reading that this usually happens with gastic bypass patients because of the sharp reduction in calories, it shocks the body. The hair loss will start about 4 months into it and continue for about 8 months. My hair started to come out right on target. I'm using some special shampoo that has slowed it down. My hubby and sis say they can't tell, so hopefully it stays that way lol cause I didn't have that much to begin with!
The first day of the juice feast I had taken my cholesterol numbers, I should redo them soon to see where they are at. My blood sugars still aren't down to where I want them, but better than with medications. I have to get more strict more of the time to get them down to perfect.
My juice feasting experience - Lost 30 pounds!
I juice feasted for 30 days and lost 20 pounds juicing and then another 10 eating mostly raw. I had to stop because I was losing weight too fast. I knew if you lost weight fast and shocked your system, you could temporarily lose hair and could take it about 8 months to regrow again. Well I was too late to save myself from the shock (will discuss this in a later post).
I would post a pic...but I'm on a different computer and my camera's software is on my broken one. I'll post one as soon as I can.
Anyway, since I'm diabetic, this meant at least 4 quarts of green juice a day. Sometimes it tasted pretty damn good, sometimes it tasted like pond scum. I really liked the experience.
I didn't have many withdrawal symptoms. On the very first day for a couple hours I was really nauseated, but that was it.
It was a time-consuming, messy experience, but it got faster and cleaner as I got a routine down.
I drank at least 4 quarts a day. Each quart usually contained the following:
1/2 pound of dark leafy greens (2 pounds total for the day)
1 bunch of celery
1-2 big cucumbers
Dark leafy greens meant spinach, collard, kale, shard, dark green lettuce, etc. For the day I tried to juice a pound of the really dark stuff (spinach, collard, kale, or shard) and then a pound of the lighter lettuces.
Keep in mind the above would usually make enough to make a quart....but if there was low water content or the celery or cucumbers were smaller, I'd end up having to throw more stuff in. If it was just like 1/2 a cup short, I'd put in 1/2 a cup of water.
The extra stuff I would throw in would be - 1/2 an apple, a carrot, bell peppers, squash, jalepeno, cilantro, parsely, jicama, ginger, green beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, prickly pear cactus pads (dethorned), etc. - whatever was on sale or I got given to me.
So I would buy for three days. My 3-day list looked like this:
3 pounds of dark leafy greens
3 pounds of lighter leafy greens (but not too light, no iceburg lettuce)
12 celery bunches
12 large cumbers or more smaller ones
A bag of apples
A bag of carrots
Ginger root
Then I'd cruise the veggie section, looking for what was on sale and try to buy a bunch of it.
At first I used a Juiceman juicer, but it died. Then I used a Breville juicer, but it died. Then I used a Breville blender and would strain it through a paint strainer bag (not sure how safe this is, don't copy me, nut milk bags are safe). Then I used my grandma's old Oster meat grinder from the 50's that she used to make tamale masa and strained that. Out of everything, her old meat grinder shows no signs of stopping - they sure don't make things the same do they. The Breville blender still works, but I don't want to break it, so I don't overuse it.
I would start the day with cleaning up my juicing area. I would get out the juicer, 4 jars, 4 lids, a peeler, a knife and cutting board and three huge bowls. I would fill one bowl up with the lettuces. The other with the rest of what I was using. I cleaned and rinsed the lettuce and threw it into the third bowl and put it by the juicer and rinsed out the dirty bowl. Then I peeled the cucumbers if they weren't organic and threw them into the rinsed bowl, cut them up if I had to. Then I cleaned and cut the celery and threw it in with the cucumber. Rinsed out that bowl and put the cleaned extras in. I kept my cutting board right by the sink so I could just scoop the scraps into it, I tried to have a strainer in the sink. I made a LOT of scraps. At least 1-2 plastic grocery bags full, including the pulp. I had my 4 jars ready with their lids and also had a small saucer to fill the jar on to catch spillage.
Then I juiced or blended/strained or grinded/strained. If I strained, I poured everything into a paint strainer bag and then would massage it to get all the juice out.
I would pour the juice into a quart jar with a canning lid, making sure it was overflowing a little. I pressed the canning lid on (some of the juice would squeeze out making an air-tight lid) and screwed the ring on. I kept them cold and drank them through the day. If I had to go somewhere, I stuck them in a lunchbox with an ice pack or cooler with ice.
Then the fun of cleaning up started lol.
If I used a juicer, my dogs loved eating the pulp. They didn't like the strained stuff so much. I live in Tucson and it's HOT (I did it in June) so I would scatter the pulp outside on the ground and it would dry up and I would stomp it into the soil. Sometimes I saved it in baggies and used it in soup. I used the scraps for broth when I could. Next time I'll have a compost pile and maybe even a little earthworm farm (much easier and cleaner and unsmelly than you think - and you get great fertilizer from it for your plants or to give away, this stuff is black gold believe me).
Anyway, I juiced for 30 days. At the beginning I put in supplements - spirulina, bee pollen (later found out I shouldn't have added yet as a diabetic), green powders. But I found I didn't *need* them. I also would drink some water with lemon juice and MSN. At first I did this every morning, then I tapered off.
I felt AMAZING.
About halfway through I allowed myself a little veggie broth, I would cook veggies lightly and drink the broth. It was sooooo good. Towards the end I let myself drink any broth, even if it was a meat broth, but not often. Then I started to have avocado halves once in a while.
I was bad and didn't do the "breaking of the fast" like it is suggested by so many others. I didn't want to shock myself with the sugar from soaked prunes. I just started adding more avocado, more broth, then had lightly cooked veggies. Remember I'm not 100% raw vegan.
I was doing 100% raw for a couple weeks but had to stop, I was losing weight too fast and my skin wasn't keeping up, so I put myself into a holding pattern so it could catch up. And it is.
Juicing wasn't cheap. Sometimes I could spend $60 - $100 dollars for three days - more expensive when I added the supplements and bought all organic.
I couldn't afford all organic and I figured something was better than nothing so I started to go to more discount groceries. I got some really good bargains at the local Mexican and Chinese groceries. At these places sometimes my bill got down to around $38.
I worried about the pesticides, but I read an old book, can't remember by who - Dr. Jensen or Dr. Walker...can't remember, but he mentioned that pesticides reside in the fiber of plants and have an opposite attraction to the juice - so when you juice and remove the pulp the pesticides are repelled by the juice and stay in the pulp. True? I don't know, but it made me feel better about not getting all organic. But made me feel bad for my dogs, haha.
Recently I've been sprouting alfalfa, sunflower greens, microgreens, and growing wheatgrass. Next time I do a juice fast, I'm going to do a lot of sprouting and try to have a ton of lettuce growing.
Another thing I will be more faithful about, I need to be more faithful with the techniques to help move more toxins out - like skin brushing, hot/cold showers, massages, and making sure my intestinal tract is moving thing out. When you juice feast or eat raw, your body is de-toxing big time and will do so through the skin, colon, etc. If the toxins aren't removed in a timely manner, then your body may re-absorb them.
I don't know if I will do another 30 day fast again though. I may do shorter ones through the year. Maybe even once a month or once a week, not sure yet.
I would post a pic...but I'm on a different computer and my camera's software is on my broken one. I'll post one as soon as I can.
Anyway, since I'm diabetic, this meant at least 4 quarts of green juice a day. Sometimes it tasted pretty damn good, sometimes it tasted like pond scum. I really liked the experience.
I didn't have many withdrawal symptoms. On the very first day for a couple hours I was really nauseated, but that was it.
It was a time-consuming, messy experience, but it got faster and cleaner as I got a routine down.
I drank at least 4 quarts a day. Each quart usually contained the following:
1/2 pound of dark leafy greens (2 pounds total for the day)
1 bunch of celery
1-2 big cucumbers
Dark leafy greens meant spinach, collard, kale, shard, dark green lettuce, etc. For the day I tried to juice a pound of the really dark stuff (spinach, collard, kale, or shard) and then a pound of the lighter lettuces.
Keep in mind the above would usually make enough to make a quart....but if there was low water content or the celery or cucumbers were smaller, I'd end up having to throw more stuff in. If it was just like 1/2 a cup short, I'd put in 1/2 a cup of water.
The extra stuff I would throw in would be - 1/2 an apple, a carrot, bell peppers, squash, jalepeno, cilantro, parsely, jicama, ginger, green beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, prickly pear cactus pads (dethorned), etc. - whatever was on sale or I got given to me.
So I would buy for three days. My 3-day list looked like this:
3 pounds of dark leafy greens
3 pounds of lighter leafy greens (but not too light, no iceburg lettuce)
12 celery bunches
12 large cumbers or more smaller ones
A bag of apples
A bag of carrots
Ginger root
Then I'd cruise the veggie section, looking for what was on sale and try to buy a bunch of it.
At first I used a Juiceman juicer, but it died. Then I used a Breville juicer, but it died. Then I used a Breville blender and would strain it through a paint strainer bag (not sure how safe this is, don't copy me, nut milk bags are safe). Then I used my grandma's old Oster meat grinder from the 50's that she used to make tamale masa and strained that. Out of everything, her old meat grinder shows no signs of stopping - they sure don't make things the same do they. The Breville blender still works, but I don't want to break it, so I don't overuse it.
I would start the day with cleaning up my juicing area. I would get out the juicer, 4 jars, 4 lids, a peeler, a knife and cutting board and three huge bowls. I would fill one bowl up with the lettuces. The other with the rest of what I was using. I cleaned and rinsed the lettuce and threw it into the third bowl and put it by the juicer and rinsed out the dirty bowl. Then I peeled the cucumbers if they weren't organic and threw them into the rinsed bowl, cut them up if I had to. Then I cleaned and cut the celery and threw it in with the cucumber. Rinsed out that bowl and put the cleaned extras in. I kept my cutting board right by the sink so I could just scoop the scraps into it, I tried to have a strainer in the sink. I made a LOT of scraps. At least 1-2 plastic grocery bags full, including the pulp. I had my 4 jars ready with their lids and also had a small saucer to fill the jar on to catch spillage.
Then I juiced or blended/strained or grinded/strained. If I strained, I poured everything into a paint strainer bag and then would massage it to get all the juice out.
I would pour the juice into a quart jar with a canning lid, making sure it was overflowing a little. I pressed the canning lid on (some of the juice would squeeze out making an air-tight lid) and screwed the ring on. I kept them cold and drank them through the day. If I had to go somewhere, I stuck them in a lunchbox with an ice pack or cooler with ice.
Then the fun of cleaning up started lol.
If I used a juicer, my dogs loved eating the pulp. They didn't like the strained stuff so much. I live in Tucson and it's HOT (I did it in June) so I would scatter the pulp outside on the ground and it would dry up and I would stomp it into the soil. Sometimes I saved it in baggies and used it in soup. I used the scraps for broth when I could. Next time I'll have a compost pile and maybe even a little earthworm farm (much easier and cleaner and unsmelly than you think - and you get great fertilizer from it for your plants or to give away, this stuff is black gold believe me).
Anyway, I juiced for 30 days. At the beginning I put in supplements - spirulina, bee pollen (later found out I shouldn't have added yet as a diabetic), green powders. But I found I didn't *need* them. I also would drink some water with lemon juice and MSN. At first I did this every morning, then I tapered off.
I felt AMAZING.
About halfway through I allowed myself a little veggie broth, I would cook veggies lightly and drink the broth. It was sooooo good. Towards the end I let myself drink any broth, even if it was a meat broth, but not often. Then I started to have avocado halves once in a while.
I was bad and didn't do the "breaking of the fast" like it is suggested by so many others. I didn't want to shock myself with the sugar from soaked prunes. I just started adding more avocado, more broth, then had lightly cooked veggies. Remember I'm not 100% raw vegan.
I was doing 100% raw for a couple weeks but had to stop, I was losing weight too fast and my skin wasn't keeping up, so I put myself into a holding pattern so it could catch up. And it is.
Juicing wasn't cheap. Sometimes I could spend $60 - $100 dollars for three days - more expensive when I added the supplements and bought all organic.
I couldn't afford all organic and I figured something was better than nothing so I started to go to more discount groceries. I got some really good bargains at the local Mexican and Chinese groceries. At these places sometimes my bill got down to around $38.
I worried about the pesticides, but I read an old book, can't remember by who - Dr. Jensen or Dr. Walker...can't remember, but he mentioned that pesticides reside in the fiber of plants and have an opposite attraction to the juice - so when you juice and remove the pulp the pesticides are repelled by the juice and stay in the pulp. True? I don't know, but it made me feel better about not getting all organic. But made me feel bad for my dogs, haha.
Recently I've been sprouting alfalfa, sunflower greens, microgreens, and growing wheatgrass. Next time I do a juice fast, I'm going to do a lot of sprouting and try to have a ton of lettuce growing.
Another thing I will be more faithful about, I need to be more faithful with the techniques to help move more toxins out - like skin brushing, hot/cold showers, massages, and making sure my intestinal tract is moving thing out. When you juice feast or eat raw, your body is de-toxing big time and will do so through the skin, colon, etc. If the toxins aren't removed in a timely manner, then your body may re-absorb them.
I don't know if I will do another 30 day fast again though. I may do shorter ones through the year. Maybe even once a month or once a week, not sure yet.
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