Sunday, June 2, 2024

Is Fruit Safe for Diabetics?

 

The following is something I took from Ariel Belloso from www.nutritionraw.com He is not the only one who is pro-fruit for diabetics. Sergei Boutenko healed his diabetes with fruit and raw green smoothies, courtesy  of his mom Victoria Boutenko’s research.

Blessings,
Frannie

lanzones




Fruit is a natural food that is often the most vilified by many trends; whether you eat vegan, vegetarian or the standard American diet.
 
Even the Hippocrates Health Institute has launched a fear campaign on eating fruit, claiming that fruit eating is responsible for the common health problems experienced by the majority of raw foodists, which is a rather ignorant claim.
 
Let’s take a look at a few myths about fruit.
 

Overeating fruit will cause symptoms of blood sugar problems.

 
It’s still possible for some people to experience an adverse reaction from eating sweet fruit. However, it’s not the fruit that’s to blame in this case, but their overall diet which is too high in fat. This situation is best explained in the book “Breaking the Food Seduction,” by Dr. Neal Barnard, M.D.
 
“It may surprise you to know that you can change your body’s response to any food so that you are better able to handle whatever sugars it might contain. (…)
 
Marjorie was one of our research volunteers. In a laboratory test, we asked her to drink a syrup containing 75 grams of pure sugar. Taking blood samples over the next two hours, we saw what happened to her blood sugar. (…) It peaked at about thirty minutes, then quickly cascaded downward. That’s a pretty typical pattern. If your blood sugar falls too precipitously, you may be set up for another binge, which is your body’s way of bringing your blood sugar back up again.
 
Here’s the problem: insulin is the hormone that escorts sugar from your bloodstream into the cells of the body. It is like a doorman who turns the knob on the door to each cell, helps sugar go inside, and then closes the door. (…)
 
But everything changes when you eat fatty foods, or when you gain a significant amount of weight. Insulin can’t work in an oil slick. When there is too much fat in the bloodstream, insulin’s hand slips on the knob. Unable to open the door to the cells, insulin lets sugar build up in the blood. Your body responds by making more and more insulin, and eventually, it will get the sugar into the cells.
 
(…) Cutting fat from your meals improves what is called insulin sensitivity, meaning that insulin efficiently escorts sugar into the cells of the body. (…)
 
With our guidance, Marjorie adjusted her diet to cut fat and boost fiber scrupulously. A few weeks later, we repeated the test. She again drank exactly the same sugar solution, but the changes in her blood sugar were very different. Because the low-fat diet had tuned up her insulin, the blood-sugar was more muted, the peak was lower, and the fall was gentler than before. (…) In our clinical studies, we have found that simple diet changes alone boost insulin sensitivity by an average of 24 percent, and it can increase even more if you also exercise.”
 
Diabetics Should Not Eat Fruit
 
What about diabetes? Should people with diabetes avoid fruit altogether or should they not worry about it?
 
Again, it’s best to look at the root of the problem, rather than analyze it superficially.
 
Fruit-eating will NOT cause diabetes. Type-2 diabetes is caused by intra-cellular fat, preventing insulin from doing its job.

balimbing


 
While type 1 diabetes occurs early in life and is rarely reversible, type 2 diabetes is simply an acute form of insulin resistance or, “reduced insulin sensitivity.” This type is reversible when a person addresses the root of the problem in time.
 
If you want to improve your body’s response to the natural sugar in fruit — and all of the food you eat for that matter — all you have to do is improve your insulin sensitivity by doing the following:
 
• Reduce your body fat to a healthy level.
• Eat a high-fiber diet (or should we say an “adequate” fiber diet).
• Eat a low-fat diet (15% or less of total calories).
• Exercise regularly (and favour cardio).
• Avoid animal foods.
 
These recommendations, endorsed by many health professionals with extensive experience healing with diabetes naturally (Fuhrman, Mc.Dougall, Ornish, Barnard, etc.), are perfectly compatible with a high-fruit, low-fat diet.
 
Most diabetics I know have done incredibly well on a fruit-based diet (as long as it’s a low-fat one), by reducing dramatically the quantity of insulin they have to take, or eliminating it.
 
My father died from complications of type 2 diabetes in 2001 and many members of my family who do not follow my diet have diabetes today; while neither I nor my mother do. 
 
To be more precise. For the past 15 years, I have been eating about 12-20 units of fruit a day; a medium apple is what I consider a unit of fruit. If fruit caused diabetes, I would not only have diabetes, I would be dead. 
 
Conclusion
 
You should pay attention to all the important factors that can improve insulin sensitivity, the main ones being: losing weight, a low-fat diet, regular exercise.

In my Health For Life program (www.nutritionraw.com) I show you the clear steps you can take to prevent diabetes and other terrible diseases, and I show you exactly what you need to eat—not just to feel good, but to thrive!

-Ariel


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Friday, April 19, 2024

Green Smoothies

Victoria Boutenko, was looking to heal her son Sergei's diabetes.  She refused the conventional treatment of synthetic insulin. Her research led her to the raw food diet, and as a family, they decided to switch to raw foods.

The results for her family were amazing --- especially with Sergei who was completely healed from diabetes and is now living disease-free. He is an athlete, and an avid promoter of green smoothies.




What is a green smoothie?

A green smoothie combines leafy greens and fruit, some water or nut/seed mylk in a blender so that all the fiber is taken in by the body, and the taste is easier on the palate compared to if one were just taking juiced greens minus the fruit. Fruit has been described as nature's perfect food.

Did you know that in Genesis, Adam and Eve were eating just fruit and veggies? After the fall, it was then that Adam was told that he would have to work the rest of his life and it would be difficult to plant his own food and that likely included grains, which science has proven to be a little more acidifying to the body compared to fruit. Ripe fruit on the other hand, with all of its fiber intact is alkalinizing to the body. An alkaline body is more resistant to illness.  Fiber in the fruit is what keeps it from making ones' blood sugar levels from shooting up. After the Flood, Noah and his family started eating meat. Noah was the last person in the old testament who lived 900+ years. All his meat-eating (meat is also acidifying to the body) children and their spouses lived considerably shorter lives, but not as short as the lives of those who live in the current century.

Would you like to make your own green smoothies?


A Pinoy Green Smoothie (April 2024 Edition)


Ingredients:

flesh and juice from one ripe coconut

flesh of a ripe mango

flesh of a papaya

1 peeled ripe banana 

2 dates (seeds removed)

the green part of pechay 


Instructions:

Use a high-speed blender to blend the ingredients. Beginners may want to chill their smoothies in the fridge first. Enjoy! 

If you are no longer new to green smoothies, amp up the recipe with 1 stick of celery, a small bit of fresh ginger or turmeric (maybe 1/2-1 inch), the juice of 1-2 calamansi, and 1 bunch of sliced cilantro!





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Thursday, February 23, 2023

Raw Food Potluck March 18 Saturday 3pm

Let's do a raw vegan potluck!

Saturday, March 18, 2023

3:00pm

Mira's Garden

101 Manuel L. Quezon St.

Alabang, Muntinlupa, MM

Recipe ideas here. I also love Mimi Kirk's Book Raw-Vitalize $9.99 on Kindle right now. 



A close 1st runner up is Ani Phyo's Raw Food Kitchen, $9.03.




There are also lots of free raw recipes out there.  

One guest is a strict vegan, so let's be sensitive and stick to raw vegan recipes only :)

If you don't have the time to prep the recipe (super understandable) you are also welcome to bring fresh local fruit in season! For the month of March in the Philippines, that means:

buko

lagkitan, lakatan, saba (check also with your local palengke - they likely have other varieties)




calamansi 

caimito

duhat

langka



macopa



mango



papaya

suha

watermelon 



Parking in the grounds so guests don't park on the street. The venue can accommodate 12 vehicles.





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Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Going Gluten-Free?

The raw, plant-based diet is naturally gluten-free. In fact, you can enjoy gluten-free pizza, pasta, and bread on this regimen.

Here are some of my favorite recipes:


Ani Phyo's Sun Burgers (needs a dehydrator) 

Mariko Sakata's Raw Vegan Creamy Kimchi Zucchini Pasta (use a spiralizer to make the zucchini noodles)

Victoria Boutenko's Green Smoothie Prescriptions (this lady invented green smoothies! Check her out) 

 If there are berries that are hard to find in a recipe, you can always substitute with dalandan or a local fruit. Swiss chard and wheatgrass may also be hard to come by, and you can substitute with kangkong or pechay (remove the stems, of course!)


Nut Mylk (Can substitute kinayod na niyog/grated mature coconut for the nuts)


All other recipes are found are in the Recipes page.  











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Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Nut Mylk

1 cup 4 hour-soaked nuts (can be walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, gata which is mature grated coconut flesh), rinsed (soak water can be used to water plants)

3 cups drinking water

(you may wish to strain the nuts using a nut mylk bag or strainer) 

3 dates or a tablespoon of agave nectar

1 splash vanilla

1 tiny sprinkling of salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Place all the ingredients in your Vitamix and blend! 

Pour into your mason jars and chill. 










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Thursday, December 30, 2021

Juice Fasting

Most of my friends will be fasting in January and again in June.

I am doing mine a little earlier this time. 

A beloved mentor sent these questions (credits to Roch Villades, whose questions made it to her!) and told her they couldn't have come at a more opportune time!

 




Great questions to ponder as a new year dawns:

1. What are the spiritual disciplines you need to cultivate to keep yourself connected to God?

2. What are the practices of self-care you need to attend to in order to nurture your body and your soul?

3. What core relationships do you need to support you on your journey?

4. What are the gifts, passions and burdens within you that God wants you to express for the blessing of others?

(Please let me know if these questions helped you!)


One spiritual discipline is a fast.

How to Start Your Fast



Pray about which kind of fast you will be doing. Water-only? Or raw juice only?

I know pastors who do water-only fasts, but I will be doing a raw juice fast.

2 Kinds of Fasts



Water Fasting


I know many on the keto diet prefer this over raw juice fasting. Jesus likely did a water-only fast. 


A person on it must drink water throughout the day and abstain from solid food.


Raw Juice Fasting


My fellow raw plant-based foodies and I prefer the raw juice fast.  And for the rest of this journal entry, I will speak primarily regarding a raw juice fast. 


Raw juice is juice freshly pressed from raw fruit, leafy greens, and veggies, and consumed immediately, or perhaps juiced all at one time (like maybe the night or early morning before your day begins) then placed in the fridge and portioned to correspond to the times of intake). The juice must not be from a carton, can, plastic or glass bottle whose source heats the juices to prevent spoilage. 





Some places can make the raw juice for you, using their own juicers. They place these in glass bottles (ideal) or plastic (still OK if plastic use is not an issue for you), then send them to you by courier each day of the fast. If you have the resources (they can be pricey) and not enough time, these are very convenient! The raw juices are already portioned and some even include guides recommending how to spread out your raw juice intake throughout the day. Others also provide a bag that can keep the juices cool for you especially if your hybrid office setup doesn’t have a refrigerator. 

 

A person on a raw juice fast also abstains from solid food.





Many who practice this spread out the juices throughout the day to prevent hunger. 


In addition to the raw juice, water must also be consumed. 


  1. If you do not consume a lot of raw fruit and veggies already,  it may be wise to start doing so before the fast.


This preps your body to be receiving fewer calories during the fast, and it will be easier on it psychologically.



This is easier on the digestive system and your body will thank you for it!





        3. Have an accountability group


Fasting comes with its share of temptations! 


Check-in with your raw juice fasting buddy, and help each other to be accountable. I have buddies who do raw juice fasting for physical health purposes only, and other buddies who do it for spiritual health purposes only. It’s great if you have one that does both, but don’t sweat it if you can’t find one that does both. Just have one. 


You will likely miss eating solid food and start to think about them. Don't give in to the craving! Press on and see your fast through.


Detox symptoms may also make you want to quit (see below) but think about your raw juice fast's long-term effects instead of the temporary relief you will get from quitting.


        4.   Get enough sleep 


Your body will either be asking for naps, an earlier sleep time, or both. Not everyone can nap especially during the work period, so make arrangements to sleep earlier.



        5.    Breaking your fast


It will be tempting to gorge yourself after the fast! Don’t do this! Instead, try to choose a fruit that is easily digestible, like a cantaloupe melon or watermelon. Cantaloupe melons especially are great to uplift your mood! Check out this recipe to help you enjoy melons, even their seeds! Help your body to acclimate to solid foods more gently.  Then perhaps as a second meal after a few hours, make a green smoothie!










Benefits of a Fast


    Anyone can benefit from a fast, even a skinny person.


  1. Fasting is a spiritual discipline. Jesus expected believers to fast (Matthew 6:16 ESV). 


  1. Tremendous health benefits.


Raw juice fasting sets off a chain reaction of positive results, health-wise. Here are a few:


Improved Gut Health


Your gut, being part of the rest of you, is fearfully and wonderfully made. This is an incredible organ designed by an awesome, all-knowing, amazing God. Your marvellously-designed gut produces serotonin. What is it? Serotonin is a neurochemical that is mostly found in your gut (although a little bit of it is also produced elsewhere in the body), and this incredible neurochemical is responsible for a variety of body functions. Serotonin, for example, regulates brain function, such as mood, as well as sleep.  


Not a lot of research supports the benefits of fasting in humans, but studies with animals record the biological benefits of fasting. The research shows that because the regular intake of fuel for the body is halted, the body’s cells adapt and are forced to doing things they do not usually do — such as feeding on the body’s natural reserves. 


Our stored fat and toxins—although it is difficult to think of them as reserves (hehe), are the last resort for these hungry cells to work on during a crisis (such as deprivation of food). Raw juice fasting or water fasting, for that matter, will force your body to consume its remaining resources, and any accumulated toxins will be expelled. The fat is consumed, and toxins lodged in the gut are released. This occurrence may be responsible for that zit that manages to park itself on your face while you are doing a raw juice fast. Your skin, being a major organ of elimination, works with the gut to get rid of the toxin. 






Improved Mood


The healthy bacteria remaining in your gut (if they haven’t already been wiped out by antibiotics) produce most of your body’s serotonin, which is responsible for establishing a balance of mood.  


As mentioned earlier, gut bacteria manufacture most of your body’s supply of serotonin (about 95%, according to the American Psychological Association). Researchers discovered that brain chemistry can be altered by manipulating the balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria found in the gut.


     I know that when I started eating fried food during the pandemic, I started feeling extra irritable/anxious about getting the virus, especially when I had to run errands and was exposed to folks who didn't respect others' personal space.



Improved Sleep


         The same serotonin that ups your mood, helps you to improve your sleep pattern. Normally, the raw juice faster will experience wanting to sleep at earlier times. And the quality of sleep is much better. 


Other Benefits


        Ketosis also improves the way your body regulates glucose production, resistance to stress, and suppresses inflammation (for more about ketosis, read on).



Detox Symptoms


The raw juice fast is extremely cleansing. Remember the zit that finds its way on your face?


Bad breath, body odor are also possible symptoms during the fast.


Think of detox the way you think of cleaning your toilet. Of course it will stink in the process of cleaning. But the end result is a more sanitary, more hygienic, and more aesthetically-pleasing (hopefully, hehe!) bathroom.



Tips:



Prior to the fast:


  1. If your church doesn’t provide a guide for you, pray for a resource you can use.

  2. List specific prayer requests.

  3. If abstaining from social media (especially if you follow a lot of foodies) will help for the time being, do it. Delete your apps  (or perhaps mute them?) if you must, and re-install them when you break the fast. 

  4. Plan specific times to take the juices and spread the intake throughout the day.

  5. Tell your health practitioner you are about to embark on a fast. If you have existing conditions, she may want to help you do appropriate monitoring techniques. 



During the fast:


  1. Smile on purpose! Be grateful you are able to fast. 

  2. Clean your juicer daily! 

  3. Floss and brush your teeth!

  4. Do an oil pull to remove any juice from your mouth. Scrape your tongue with a tongue cleaner. Follow up with mouthwash. There’s a variety of mouthwashes that are non-toxic. 

  5. Sleep enough. Your body might ask for a little extra sleep during fasting time! 

  6. Journal! Have entries discussing bible-based guide questions and prayer points.  (I also take note of anything my body goes through). The effects of a raw juice fast can vary from person to person, depending on the person’s health, age, the quality of water, produce, containers and the cleanliness of the equipment used in juicing. 


Day 1 of the fast you may feel tired or get a headache. This is normal. Your body is panicking because of the restricted/absent food intake. Don’t be anxious and press forward.


Somewhere during Day 2 or Day 3, you will feel more energetic and you will think more clearly. Your body may be going through ketosis then. What is ketosis?


Ketosis - is a crucial process in the healing cycle where your body consumes stored fat (instead of the nutrients your body ingests). In a water fast especially, ketosis is arrived at faster because raw juice fasters still have a tiny bit of fructose from the fruit they are consuming. Not to worry though. Both water- and raw juice fasters can experience ketosis and its positive benefits. 



Do not go on a fast if:


  • You are pregnant or nursing



If you are marathon training:


  • No runs during the week of your fast! Do simple stretches and take a short walk in the sun (shorter than your usual duration). Get your natural vitamin D daily and don’t overexert yourself. Don’t think of missed runs as missed opportunities. This is a time for rest and healing. Sleep more instead of exercising. Your body will thank you for it! (The same applies to anyone who likes to lift weights, competition dancing/sports.) Take a break. Allow your body to heal.






Resources:


-Jason Vale (highly recommended by my raw support group) 


-Juice Feasting (Fully Raw Kristina) 


-Cherie Calbom (She talks about detoxing in general).


-Check online for recipes and support groups!


















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Thursday, December 9, 2021

Vitamin C-Boosting Smoothie

 



Ouch


Has this ever happened to you?


You wake up, groggily reach for a glass of water, and because of carelessness, you accidentally knock it over and it breaks into shards?


Then shards hit your toes and immediately,  blood gushes from the wounds?


And ow, ow, ow --- the searing pain makes you want to scream?


I feel embarrassed to admit it, but yes, I was that clumsy and now I have a deep wound in my right toe as well as the middle toe (that one’s not quite as deep). Sniff sniff.


First Aid


My first impulse was to pinch the area to immediately stop the bleeding. (But sometimes first impulses are incorrect. The rules of first aid dictate that I should have checked first for shards of glass still embedded in the skin before washing the area.) If I could have walked to a safer spot, to avoid additional shards of glass, I would have, but it was just too risky. I didn’t want to slip and injure myself even more. 


So I just stayed put.  While calling for help,  I applied pressure between the two edges of the skin to stop the bleeding wound. I didn’t know the other toe was cut at that point — I just wanted to get the blood to clot ASAP. 


Thank God for nurses! Thank you, Janice! We also had a first aid kit, which included a topical antibiotic and some gauze and tape. 


Ahhhh…. Relief at last.


The body heals itself


Right then, I had this incredible urge to just stop and marvel at the One who created my body and its self-healing properties. And I also wondered why it is only during times like these that I praise Him for how wonderfully-designed human bodies are. 

 

Think about it.  


When our skin tears, it bleeds to draw debris that was lodged in the wound during the point of impact, to expel it, then after a while, it forms a clot to seal the cut and stop the bleeding.


Our bodies’ existing cells then build a cushion supporting the clot, and the body makes new cells to repair damaged tissue.


Something created, that when damaged, heals itself?


Have you ever made a project which when accidentally damaged, can repair itself? 


In contrast, your body works together cohesively to utilize absorbed vitamins and minerals and your cells work to heal the damage. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Praise our creator!







Vitamin C Boost


Give your body awesome fuel to get such repairing work going. Use Vitamin-C-rich food. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C boosts cell repair. 



Not just in citrus fruit!


Daily intake of fresh raw ripe fruit is a wonderful source of naturally-occurring vitamin C. We are taught in school that vitamin C sources are primarily citrus fruit, such as calamansi. But did you know that non-citrus fruit can provide it as well? Papayas and pineapples are a few awesome examples. And guess what? They are available year-round in the Philippines! (For readers overseas, kiwis, strawberries, and oranges are excellent sources as well)


Here's a smoothie recipe for your vitamin C needs.




Have you tried the recipe? What other recipes are you looking for? Are you thinking of eating more fruit and veggies in 2022? Let's chat!





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