The raw diet questions

Lately I've been having a major convergence of thoughts and ideas regarding my diet, and finding a "cure" for the disease I personally struggle with and other related diseases that our nation at large is having a hard time fighting off. An Internet search on "diabetes" and "cure" will bring up either Western Medicine establishments saying there simply is none, or a raw food diet plan. Dr. Gabriel Cousens requests a very big check and time commitment to visit his Arizona retreat to be evaluated and treated. A lucky few were sent there free of charge in 2009 to be a part of this video project he made called, Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days, which gives a glimpse into the program. Unfortunately the token Type 1 did not fully participate in the food plan, so his results can't really be qualified.
The plan seems to be 100% fully raw and vegan, eliminating caffeine and alcohol. Now the question is, can I save the $10k and do this at home under doctor supervision? Will it work? There are some obstacles to consider:

• It can be quite hard to go out and be social without drinking (although many people do this). 
• It can be very difficult to find restaurants that serve a raw food option, plus there is the pressure of sitting next to your friend's juicy burger and fries.
• One is constantly facing the uncertainty of what ingredients the restaurant has snuck into your meal. 
• I imagine it's hard to reverse the idea that coffee is an agent against healthy blood sugar, since it doesn't give the immediate effects of spikes.

So eating out is a challenge and a potential strain on the social life. It means taking more time to prepare meals and plan ahead (probably no different to the effort to remember your insulin everyday and keep stock of supplies, balance the constantly changing amount of insulin your body needs with the constantly changing amount you have on board). All this makes me frustrated on a daily basis with my current diet (no gluten/corn/dairy/processed or high carbs), which is just halfway to what the raw food diet suggests. Plus it's giving these food items up for life. It's becoming sober and saying goodbye to coffee forever. Is that worth not having to deal with a high number in the morning b/c your fell asleep without your pump on? Or waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night b/c your over corrected after dinner and now you're hypoglycemic. I'd say YES! And I think I'm heading in that direction, although it sure would make it a whole lot easier if the food industry embraced raw food and integrated it into our society of "convenience" as much as the fast food industry has become so ubiquitous across the country.Dr Robert H. Lustig writes that it's the food industry and the FDA that are to blame in his book FAT Chance; Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease. And author Michael Moss confirms the tricks of the processed food industries, in his investigative book Salt Sugar Fat. So the word is getting out there. Will it change the way we nourish ourselves in this country? Will it happen fast enough for me to see the benefits? What do you think, would you do it?

Mission accomplished

Here's to a week + of daily runs, and a prettier testing kit. Now every time I pull this out, I'll be reminded of my continued intention.

Golden carrot

This week I have a new goal. I've been doing some research about using less insulin, and reversing diabetes, and came across this story of a mother that caught her's son's Type 1 earlier enough to implement a serious regime of daily running and eating an exclusively raw diet. (There are so many variables here to explore, so I'm not making any claims, but I am curious) Although I'm working with a Holistic doctor on my diet,  and try to run often, the diet he prescribes is not exclusively raw, and I don't run every day. So I'm curious if running every day and working in one fully raw meal each day can at least make a difference in my glucose numbers. Now, I fully believe in the practice of breaking down big lofty goals into bite sized tasks, and completing them one by one in a realistic and enthusiastic fashion. Part of this enthusiasm comes towards working towards your goal, but a lot of it comes from a small but compelling reward I've promised myself at the successful completion of each task. So if I run 2miles every day and keep blood sugars below 200mg/dL for 7 days straight, I get to buy myself this lovely gold Baggu pouch made of super soft leather (to replace the current raggedy insulin supplies kit that I carry with me everywhere). I've admired this for quite some time and can now justify buying it. 3 days down, 4 to go. Wish me luck!

Shishoto Peppers at LACMA

While on a work-trip-turned-vacation in LA last month, I had lunch with my boyfriend at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This museum has an amazing collection of modern art and it's gourmet farm-to-table restaurant, Ray's, was equally as impressive. We decided to share plates which means we played the game of searching the menu to 'order within my diet' for both of us.  While I strictly adhere to my "no dairy, gluten, corn or high carbs" diet, I don't expect those restrictions to be imposed on my meal companions, but it's extra nice when they play along. We found three items on the menu that fit the bill and they all three dazzled. It just goes to prove that even 'healthy' can be inventive, tasty, and imaginative, and I don't have to feel like I'm missing out on the dining out experience. Pictured above is a tuna sashimi, shishoto peppers with salt, and a kale and pigs ears salad.
Photo by Gina

Facing east

I've been on a new diet since October. I started going to a NRT specialist, and this is how my body responded to his vials. No dairy, no gluten, no corn. Added on top of my low carb/little-to-no sugar regime. His method of diet and supplements individually tailored to my body's response to his testing, definitely cleared me of Candida, a condition that makes you crave sugar (diabetic kryptonite), in just one month. So now I'm going for optimal health and seeing what happens. In addition I'm working on balancing my body energetically by taking a Reiki session every month or so. This has been an extremely rewarding experience, seeing positive changes each and every time I go. Both of these methods are outside of the normal Western medicine outlook, and thus out of my insurance coverage, but I'm finding myself compelled to find answers beyond "We don't know what caused your illness, and we don't know how to cure it, just rely on this insulin."
So far I've reduced some insulin, had the best A1c (3 month average of glucose readings), minimized concern about my thyroid, and lost 10lbs. That's a pretty good start for 4 months work.

The Green Juice

Although most smoothies and juices are off limits for the diabetic or anyone trying to limit their sugar intake, there is a healthy, yummy alternative; The Green Juice.
It's an excellent way to pack in some vitamins and have something fresh to wash down a meal with, or even have it on it's own for a mid-day energy boost. A lot of cafe's will have a veggie option with some fruit in there, or a more sugary vegetable like beet, or carrot. I tend to steer clear of any fruit or sugary veggies in the liquid form, because they are sure to spike glucose when stripped of their accompanying fiber. Thus I customize an all vegetable concoction.
My favorite ingredients are: kale, lemon, lime, cucumber, spinach, and some ginger for a kick!
Today's recipe was kale, lemon, cucumber, and ginger. I loved every sip and how it inspired the guy in line behind me to order the same for himself. He liked it, I hope you do too!
Bottoms up! Gina

Zucchini Pasta

This week's fresh, low carb recipe is a versatile one. I found it on We Like It Raw when cooking for a dinner party to which I invited someone on a raw food diet. What's magic about it though is slicing the zucchini into long thin pasta like strips is a delicious filling base onto which you can build with any of your favorite ingredients.
Pictured above is the following:

• 1 zucchini shredded with a hand peeler into long strips
• 1/2 cucumber chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 oz tanhini dressing
• cubed sharp cheddar to taste

Another variation:

• 1 zucchini shredded with a hand peeler into long strips
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup cooked spinach
• 1/2 cooked mushrooms
• salt to taste