There is a Cure for Diabetes

A letter to the universe straight from my heart-

Aaaarrrrghhh.... I'm loving the book There is a Cure for Diabetes. But- the cure really doesn't allow high-glycemic fruits???

I just had an apple with some raw sesame butter. Delicious. If that had to be celery with sesame butter- I think I would need something to balance the bitterness (mix some stevia into the sesame butter?)

Anyway- I am serious about doing this. I generally feel so healthy and energized. But it is really hard. And- it is all hard. No coffee is hard. No fruit is insanely hard. It comes down to vegetables, nuts and seeds. (He has a few recommended grains and beans- but for me those are only sometimes foods. See my earlier posts regarding whole foods to know why. I have already gone that route and my blood sugars were not perfect.)

I have a big glass or two of juice every morning: celery, cucumber, spinach, parsley, ginger and a big salad with everything for lunch. I've been eating "whole food, but often cooked, for dinner." I'm OK with that- but see myself mentally preparing to move away from it. But - no fruit? What the hell? (OK- so he allows blueberries and raspberries, etc) but short of placing raspberries on a real homemade shortbread crust topped with a layer of sugary raspberry jam, and serving it with a cup of coffee to cut all that sweetness- this is feeling like major deprivation. Just saying. Aaarrrgghh...

I wrote to Russell James and told him how much I appreciate him for creating the beautiful food he does. (He doesn't know me.) But- he is such an inspiration!!

I really want to do this and it's going to require some major shift.

Shift.

When I feel like yelling "sh*t" I should just yell SHIFT!

Ruth

P.S. If someone is serious about curing their diabetes through raw foods- actually there is a lot of support out there. Dr Gabriel Cousins book is wonderful. My husband is so awesome!!! He is phenomenally supportive of me (he just called me from the store, they are OUT OF CELERY.) My friend Vanessa- thank you for turning me on to this in the first place. My dearest Josie- again- just holding the biggest possible vision for me. My dear brother- totally supportive. I have to say- in that I am so lucky. It is sicko to read reviews of There is a Cure for Diabetes at Amazon where people say their family and friends are not supportive. Time for new friends, time to talk about support!

I'd love to offer support to anyone on this journey, and make some more wonderful friends who are living these choices- I know I am drawing that to myself right now...

Chef Russell James

If you want more raw chef inspiration- see what Russell James is (un)cooking up at www.therawchefblog.com. All of his recipes are raw and vegan.

If you take his three question survey (regarding how he can serve people in the raw community better) you can download PDF versions of his Marbeled Chocolate and Orange Tavoletta, Chocolate Raspberry Cake with Ginger Chocolate Mousse, and Fennel and Cherry Tomato Tart with Macademia Cheese. He gives what looks like very thorough directions.

I have been wanting to try the Tavoletta for a while but am intimidated. He mentions using a high power blender for the mousse. I'm looking at it- wondering how this would work out with my $30 blender. I could substitute raw almond butter for the cashews in the marbeling. The rest of the recipes- I think may be doable with my blender and $30 food processor. (It cost $60 for the two appliances together at Costco. I mention this because one criticism of some raw (un)cooking is that it requires expensive equipment.)

Chef Matthew Kenney

Chef Matthew Kenney:

I am annoyed by one review of the Kenney book, Everyday Raw. The person reviewing on Amazon complains this book makes raw food complicated. One can grab a handful of nuts and an apple and call it breakfast, or have a big salad and call it lunch. Do you need a book to tell you that raw can be simple? I think the opposite is true- most people need a book that shows them amazing raw food.

Kenney is an incredible chef who elevates (un)cooking food to an art form. Given the love and creativity that goes into Kenney's preparation of raw food I can't understand why any raw foodist would scorn his book. Does this person not understand that reviews affect book sales? If that person wants to eat a very simple raw diet- go for it- but why spoil the fun for others who enjoy a gourmet raw experience?

The recipes in the last two of Matthew Kenney's books I bought turned out great every time I tried them. (I have his first book. It is cooked and carnivorous.) He puts a lot of careful work into preparing these books. And, the books also have gorgeous photography.

Sample Menu from a Real Day

Breakfast:
1/2 apple with heaping tablespoon raw almond butter
glass of Green Juice

Lunch
diced zuchinni and button mushrooms in ginger soy sauce
1/2 bananna

Snack
espresso cup of coffee
2 small date paste balls, rolled in unsweetened coconut

Second Snack
10 olives
raw coconut, just out of the shell

Dinner
salad with red bell pepper, alfalfa sprouts, ginger tahini drizzle, topped with almond slivers
Cubed tofu (not raw)

Fruit and Nuts

This morning I woke up wanting to have something other than Green Juice. I had a sixth of a coconut and a sixth of a mango (another breakfaster was having mango and insisted on sharing). Two hours later- I had perfect blood sugar.

I wasn't really hungry at eleven, but sat down and had a lunch after unpacking the groceries. I had a 4oz cup of cherries, one fourth of an avocado sprinkled with a few grains of sea salt. I snacked on the above, and finished with a tablespoon of raw almond butter.

I know that some would consider the above food combination scary. According to food combining theory in the book The Raw Life, by Paul Nisson; the cherries are fruit (and should best be eaten alone), the avocados are considered fat, and the nut butter is considered protein. Either the fat or protein might have been eaten alone or with greens, but not together.

Reasons of health aside, food combining eliminates gassiness. For three weeks I went along fine, eating what I wanted with no problem. Then one night I had a banana, raw hazelnuts, some greens with a little oil and vinegar, and a glass of red wine. My stomach hurt! It was no joke.

Herbert Shelton's book Food Combining Made Easy seems to be the accepted authority on this- so that's on my to-read list. Paul Nisson recommends strongly that you eat mono-meals (just one thing or one kind of thing at a meal, even fruits are divided into sub-groups such as acidic fruits, sweet fruits, etc.) I might add that many of the long-time raw foodists interviewed for his book agreed.

But, I also read in Nisson's book The Raw Life that Morris Krok, said "You might have an apple with your almonds. Although this is not the best food combining practice, the almonds are dry but the apple is juicy." The message I get is to do what works for you and not become obsessed in a way that stops you from continuing on your path .

Also- there are raw food chefs out there making amazing dishes which sometimes combine nuts and fruits. If you don't go wild eating too many different things at once, I think these inspired dishes can bring good health as well as pleasure.

Pretty Packages in the Mail

I recently discovered that http://www.oneluckyduck.com/ offers giftwrapping. It's $10 a pop, but the papers are beautiful. The sort of paper that can turn a jar of raw chocolate spread or some raw blondies into an appropriate "thank you for being lovely."

Raw Food Real Cooking

Raw Food Real Cooking is a cookbook by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Mengalis. I have the cooked cookbook Big City Cooking by Matthew Kenney, and it is really good. I was intimidated by this raw cookbook, and so only recently bought it. I wish I had bought it sooner.

Like the other book, this book is filled with sumptuous pictures that show you how the finished dish will look. Like the other book this includes a Shopping Directory at the end because the authors believe that good food begins with good ingredients. (And in the world of raw foods, it's very helpful and informative.) New to this book is a bit of friendly chattiness and the voice of co-author Sarma that I think works well.

I don't have a lot of fancy kitchen tools; I have a blender and food processor combo that I bought together for $60 at Costco. But I have been able to make everything in this book that I've tried. So my nut milks are a little nutty and therefore not as smooth as what the authors acheive. In places I have substitued ingredients either because the authors suggest it, or because I gained the confidence to improvise from Big City Cooking. Everything comes out delicious.

I can't even wait until I have a proper dehydrator, blender, etc.I gave myself one month of being raw before I invested in these items. Guess what? I feel so great. Sarma does not lie when she says this raw food will get you feeling amazing. I LOVE having this beautiful book, and it's elegant recipes to take raw foodism beyond rabbit food. I can serve a Mango Macadamia Milk Lassi for brunch and my guests reaction is "Wow."

Buy this book if you want to go raw- OR- are looking for many recipes that even non-raw foodists will enjoy. There is plenty here to try even without any fancy equipment.

P.S.
There's a new Matthew Kenney Cookbook- Everyday Raw.

Raw Milk

In answer to the question- Don't raw foodists drink raw milk?

See yesterdays' post- Most Raw Foodists are Vegan. Simply, most don't consume animal products at all. Even consuming honey or bee pollen is controversial. I would not drink raw milk, or eat unpasteurized cheese. This is because I don't think cow (or goat) milk is the best human food.

Sixty percent of people have lactose intolerance. It is particularly common among Hispanics and African-Americans. This can take the form of gassiness or stuffy nose, or more serious reactions such as a swollen face after drinking milk.

I remember that when I was in school the teachers had charts with four squares. Meat (pictures of hams and sausages and eggs), Dairy (ice cream featured prominently in this group), Fruits & Vegetables (Lumped together) and Breads (including white bread and soda crackers). We were told these foods were good for you. Maybe schools should have to get permission slips from parents before children are exposed to these lies. Not for sex education, but for the other garbage they teach in health class.

Raw milk is not the most radical idea, and I keep reading about how some people think it is good for you. Our grandfathers regularly drank unpasteurized milk. In France, cheeses are not pasteurized. Many people feel that the government should not make this decision for people. But, I know someone who got sick from drinking raw milk. I don't think it is wise to drink raw milk.

What's to Eat?

Here is what I have been doing for the past three weeks.

Breakfast is anywhere from 5am to 9am. Breakfast is a drink that goes by many names. I've heard it called Green Lemonade, Glass of Fresh, Green Juice and the Drink-Made-by-Dr-Mehmet-Oz-on-the-Oprah-Show!

4 cups mix of Spinach and Romaine (some recipes use Kale, Parsley)
a few stalks of Celery (I actually don't like the flavor of Celery)
half a small lemon or 1/4 of a large one (some people use more)
half an apple (some people use more)
I've discovered that a tangerine tastes delicious
Sometimes a little ginger, but a little goes a long way
water to thin- my resulting mixture is 8 cups
(Ice makes it taste even better)

I rough chop the lettuce, and mince the other ingredients finely, leaving the skins on. I blend it up. I don't have a fancy blender but a stronger blender would improve this drink. Sometimes I have one glass, sometimes more. I drink less than half the mixture in a morning, and start with a fresh batch every other day. It tastes good, but I know you wont believe me if you don't try it for yourself.

I wait until noon for lunch, by which time I am hungry. Luckily as I am not on heavy drugs, my blood sugar has not plummeted.

Lunch is a salad. I eat greens and raw vegetables, and a vinaigrette. I often eat sprouted and dehydrated sunflower seeds. If it's all greens, I add some almonds or walnuts .

I've noticed that my energy slumps a little at four. Usually I have a small coffee with a large splash of unsweetened almond milk. Since we have family dinner at five thirty, I don't want to eat anything that will raise my blood sugar. But I need to keep my sugar from dipping. It's a question mark. Today I had a cup of the grain beverage Pero, and didn't test my sugars afterwards. On other days I've eaten a half an avocado or a quarter cup of olives. Again, I really should wait two hours and test to see what is happening there.

Dinner- to give this program a fair shot- I will start putting some effort into making half-way palatable dinners. So far the easiest thing is more salad with nuts, or a piece of fruit with nuts. We've also been eating some dishes I learned from Karen Knowlers' YouTube Videos- Avocado Massaged Kale, Stuffed Nori Rolls, Marinated Mushrooms, Chopped Raw Almonds with Blueberries and Almond Milk. I usually serve some cooked food and let everyone take what they want. (Guests love to try out the raw offering.)

Most Raw Foodists are Vegan

There are a lot of crazy things written about raw foodists. The craziest is that raw foodists eat raw meat. After reading many different books about raw foodism over the past year and a half, I can emphatically tell you that is not the case. Most raw foodists are vegans. I've seen two references to meat-eating in books. One author said something like "I knew a guy who got into that, and he got very sick. He's still sick. Don't do it." In the other case the author mentions that he's known a few meat eaters and says "But they are shunned." (Italics are mine, for emphasis.)

Again- just read any of the literature and understand the history of the movement- most raw foodists are vegans. Because this is becoming a popular diet among the general public, you may find some that eat very little cooked meat. A person who formerly ate a diet of mostly cooked foods, that enjoys going for sushi and continues to eat sashimi after becoming a raw foodist- is just doing what he did before. The person is not suddenly eating raw meat as a raw foodist.

Anyway, the idea is so crazy I almost didn't mention it. But, it is super important to fight this perception because it would be terrible if health care professionals believed this was a usual practice of raw foodists.

Transitioning to Raw

Depending on what you're diet is like now, transitioning to eating a whole foods vegan diet first can be helpful in transitioning to a raw diet. And when you're eating a raw diet, you're also continuing to eat only whole foods. Eating a raw diet means you just elinate cooked foods.

First- what is Whole Food? Can you imagine it growing in nature? Even a fish swimming is a whole food. (Some pople think a fish is food for a bear.) Artificially pink fish-paste with artificial onion flavor that comes in a tube to squeeze onto crackers is not a whole food, because you cannot imagine it existing in nature.
If you choose to eat grains (Berenstein thinks diabetics generally shouldn't,) the less processed the better. You might prepare brown rice or quinoa for a side dish. Eat a lot of vegetables, and make half of them raw salads. Find whole foods to replace special ocassion things you might have eaten before and you will completely lose your desire to eat processed, artificial food.

When you are ready, transition to raw foods. Begin the day with green juice and have a salad for lunch. Work up the courage to try some simple raw recipes for dinner.

If you are going to "fall off the all-raw-wagon" do it with whole food. Have slow-cooked oatmeal with organic apple grated in it and unsweetened almond milk for breakfast, a home-made vegetable soup with sunflower seed crackers for lunch, some brocolli salad with a side of carrots and cooked spinach in an almond butter sauce (also known as bathing rama) for dinner. These are good foods that help you transition back to raw because they do not throw your body as far off balance as much as highly processed, artificial, sweetened food.

Raw for 30

I am inspired by the movie Raw for 30. You can see the trailer at YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynXGA6fCEgU.

We've been eating raw food since the day after Christmas (the kiddos are still having a whole foods diet.) I'll write more later- but I've already encountered some serious misunderstandings about the raw foods diet. The kind that would be very bad for a diabetic.

The hardest thing for me was giving up coffee. It's been three weeks vegan & raw (I've eaten vegan & cooked three times during those three weeks) but the coffee is the last to go.