Which raw diet is best?

I'm so glad you guys are interested in adding more raw foods. :) I am so excited with the talk in the forum and the emails I'm getting.

I was surfing around today, and have been reading a lot. I realize the "raw food world" might be pretty confusing to new people. So I wanted to share share something with you.

It's that there is no ONE raw food diet. There are high-fat raw food diets, low-fat, high-fruit diets. There are diets that allow some lightly cooked items, some that don't. There are some that allow beans, others that call them poison.

There here I come confusing things, saying I personally believe we need to look at the wisdom of the diets of some indigenous cultures before the Spanish explorers arrived, calling specific attention to the Tohono O'Odham and Pima Indian early traditional diets. Enough to make your mind spin! Sorry!

Currently there is a big split happening in the raw food world. At one end are the diets that say you can eat anything as long as it's raw - eat as many high-fat avocados and nuts as you want. At the other end are the ones that say, no you can't, this is way too much fat, eat fruit instead (like the 80/10/10 raw food diet). The former leans a lot on "gourmet" foods, superfoods, and manipulating raw foods into copycats of old favorites. The latter says, how can anything be or taste better than a fresh pineapple?

I know, it's confusing. So what is the RIGHT diet? The right diet is the one that makes YOU feel food and you see positive benefits from. As diabetics, of COURSE you know, we are all unique and different and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another. We know that all too well. 100% raw might not be right for you. Maybe you are someone who can handle a lot of fat. I personally can't. While my blood sugar numbers and blood pressure went down to normal eating raw foods, my cholesterol numbers did not go down to normal - they DID decrease, but not to normal. So I have to cut some more. Also some diabetics can have tahini (raw sesame seed paste) with no ill effects while others will have their blood sugar numbers skyrocket.

It's important to keep records and be observant (another curse of diabetes, haha). Pay attention to what you eat and then how your blood sugar reacts. Just because it's raw doesn't necessarily mean it wont effect your sugars. Pay attention to foods that might be irritating your digestive system - because in the end it's all connected via our hormonal systems.

MOST IMPORTANT...you have to work with your health care team. Ask your doctor before starting a new program and ask what foods you might need to avoid because of complications, medications, or any special conditions you may have. For instance, if you are on Coumadin/warfarin, you shouldn't be eating ginger - and maybe even limit the dark leafy greens. Let your doctor know what your plan is and have him or her work with you on your drug dosages and strategy. Don't make changes on your own.

So what should you do? How should you start? The basic thing these diets all can agree on is - get more raw fruits and veggies, especially green leafy vegetables into your diet. So, that is a fantastic starting point. Figure out simple ways to get more of these things into your diet. Take baby steps and see how you feel. In the meantime, research! Pay attention to your basic needs - carbs, fat, protein, calories, vitamins, minerals, water - make sure you aren't deficient or extreme on any of these. We need balance.

You can add green juice or a green smoothie. You can decide to have fruit or veggies for breakfast or replace a meal with a big salad. You try a raw recipe once in a while. It doesn't have to be complicated, and it's best to make it simple and go slow. Anything you do will be an improvement and as long as you are headed in the right direction, don't worry too much about how fast you get there. Enjoy the ride. :)

My First Update! Going after my next 30 pounds!

Here is my first update since re-committing to raw foods and green juice. Please subscribe to this blog to keep up-to-date! :)

In short, I see a big difference in my skin. The inflammation on my face has gone way down and lumps and bumps have gone down as well.

How I Make my Green Juice

This is the green juice I try to drink everyday. Diabetes-friendly juice recipes are hard to find, even for green juice. Good luck at juice bars - they are usually loaded with carrots.

Anyway here it is.....

I wanted to post this video of "Mike." He describes himself and his wife as "2 OLD Surf Bums Gone bad.....Sad to see what happens when the old longboard ain't long enough anymore, when wax won't keep ya from slipping, when that water just seems a bit TOO COLD to bother with. Yep, OLD age......2 Cats, both fat and lazy. Crap, maybe we do look like our pets after all?"

Mike doesn't have diabetes, but he deals with chronic issues too. He's also a "regular" guy who kind of fell into juicing. He started it out of boredom, wanting to see what it tasted like. Now he's juiced about every day since. He hasn't had a beer in two months, lost 16 pounds, and has gone from 21 medications to one.

I just like this video.

More Magic Bullet Blender Abuse

In my last post, I let you all know how I was able to use my little magic bullet blender in a pinch to blend up some spinach and water when I wasn't able to make my regular green juice. It worked GREAT for that.

Yesterday I tried Kale. Big pieces of kale with stems in it. It didn't work so well. It couldn't chop it down fine enough. Perhaps if I had removed the stems. I'll have to try that next time.

I think the Bullet does good in a pinch with spinach, but don't know if it would be good for regular use.

Rawbetes - When a diabetic wants to eat more raw food

I just had to do it.

I searched and wasn't able to find a place that was just for "Rawbetics" so I started one. Come talk to me if you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or at high risk for diabetes and have been interested in raw food or or want to share your story.

Join me!

"As Seen on TV" comes to the rescue!

Yesterday was a bear. I was totally off schedule, running behind, and out of my mind. :)

It happens.

All day long I kept feeling like I was forgetting something. Then about 9 pm I realized I hadn't had my green juice for the day. It was 9, my son had just gone to bed, I was tired, and my kitchen was a DISASTER.

I've found if my dishes and counters aren't clean, it's not conducive to making juice or raw food in general. I need to be sure to do dishes at night and empty the dishwasher upon rising and rinse stuff off and stick it in there. Because of my off day, the dishes had gotten neglected and I was not in the mood for washing them. I just wanted to go to bed.

What do do? My "regular juice" requires a clean counter and my big (clean) blender.

A while back a good friend was moving and unloading things she didn't want anymore. She gave me a Magic Bullet Blender. You've probably seen the infomercials. This thing has been really handy with raw food. I probably use it in ways it was never intended to be used, but it's working for me, haha.

Anyway, the basic thing I'm trying to get out of my green juice is chlorophyl from the dark leafy greens. The other stuff is gravy. So I packed the blender cup with as much spinach as I could and filled it with water. I screwed on the blades and blended it. FAST! I strained it really fast through my bag (while balancing the bowl on the counter with my stomach, haha). I suppose I could have just drank it as a smoothy right out of the cup, but I felt like strained juice.

So, anyway...that worked!

It's so small, I could probably pack it pretty easy for trips. It along with my paint strainer bag (or nut milk bag), and my little sprouter, and I'm set lol.

Health benefits to the raw food diet? My opinion.

Q & A

Question: Are there health benefits to the raw food diet?

Answer:

Hi!

If you look around the web, YouTube, etc., you will find lots of awesome personal testimonials.

For instance, I have type 2 diabetes and was on oral meds and insulin. After I did a 100% raw diet for two months, I lost 30 pounds and went off my meds. I saw liver spots go away, joint pain go away, my eyesight improve, blood pressure went down. I got more energy, improved skin, etc.

There are many variations to the raw food diet. People who are on a 100% raw food diet, believe they achieve maximum health benefits being 100%. I don't know if there is any data to support this. I haven't found any - yet. I do find plenty of information supporting the fact that adding more raw fruit and vegetables to your diet is extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. I personally am "mostly raw."

Many believe health benefits occur because you greatly improve the quality of your nutrition. Also your body expends less energy for digestion, and that energy is used on other bodily processes, like repairing. You have less food sitting and rotting in your gut and putting toxins into your body. We all know the benefits of increased fiber and less complex sugars.

I personally believe a raw food diet is good for you, but you need to be educated because your diet needs to be well planned to make sure 1) you are getting all the nutrients you need and 2) you are preparing your food properly to get maximum nutrients and not eating foods that will harm you in their raw state.

Here are some studies that show the good and bad. Remember to take studies with a grain of salt and consider the study design...but you can't deny more raw fruits and vegetables along with nuts, seeds, certain whole grains, and sea vegetables is just good common sense:

Here is a study that shows good effects on lowering cholesterol levels and triglycerides but also lowered B12 and good cholesterol levels. Many people on the raw food diet take a supplement of B12. Some make sure to get B12 other ways. And good cholesterol can be raised with exercise..the abstract doesn't mention what kind of exercise the participants in the study got. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/short/135/10/2372


Here is a negative study, showing more dental erosion...but I know to drink lots of water and rinse my mouth out after eating certain foods - like after citrus or juice: http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=4506749&q=raw+food&uid=&setcookie=yes

More stuff:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/1/7

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119312227/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1432351

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112708974/abstract

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0895435699000062

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/13/9/1422

http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/2/173

Raw Food Chia Seed Recipes

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.

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.