Hello all you wonderful raw foodists out there!

I've come to this forum for some advise. Just found out I'm diabetic and am on metformin. I'm also hypertensive and have high cholesterol. I need to lose 30 pounds of fat.

Oh, boy, what an introduction....I could have lied and said, I'm a 5 foot 9 inch model who is seeking a boyfriend...hahahaha...but, alas, it is just me.

Where do I start? I want to go raw and have already started just recently, but really am stumped on the protein. Any good recommendations for protein for somebody with my medical condition?

I'd love to get my hands on some reasonably priced DVDs or books about the subject and meals especially designed for my diagnoses.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate any feedback.

What do you mean you're stumped about protein?

It's in food - every single food that you would eat. Just eat enough calories and you will be consuming enough protein.

You don't have to take my word for it - just plug your food in Fitday.

Here's a good start -- "Raw for 30 Days - Documentary On Healing Diabetes with Raw Foods":

[www.treehugger.com]

Welcome! EVERY raw food has SOME protein. I have been eating all-raw for about 10 years....all fruit for the past 3 or so......and I'm certainly NOT protein deficient! Ha! ha! If you are concerned, eat plenty of sprouted sunflower seeds!

-Find a pattern of eating.....a process of improvement....that you can maintain for your entire life. Focus on the long-term.....and make small changes....that are comfortable for you.

-Power and success!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement, and advise. I've already benefited from joining this group!

HMOL,

You can start by eating more fruits and salads. Eat fruits for breakfast and lunch and snacks as you transition, as well as eating salads. As you eat more fruits and salads, this ought to displace other cooked foods you are eating.

By the way, you can heal from diabetes without going all raw.

Check out these articles:

Too Much Fat Causes Diabetes

Type-2 Diabetes – the Expected Adaptation to Overnutrition

McDougall Program Success Story:Obesity, Type-2 Diabetes, Hypertension

A starting place is to put your current typical daily menu into a nutritional calculator like fitday, nutritiondata, nutridiary, or Cron-o-Meter to monitor your fat intake. See how much fat you are currently eating. 40% fat is a very high fat diet, 30% is high fat, 20% is moderate fat, and 10% and under is a low fat diet.

From your current diet, see about getting away from high fat and moving towards low fat.

Protein requirements, as well as other nutrient requirements, are less of an issue on raw food, both because they are not being destroyed by heat and also because their enzymes are still attached so the digestive system does not have to manufacture ezymes to digest them.

Enzymes are amino acids, amino acids come from protein, so if your digestive system is not using lots of protein to digest foods then your actual protein needs are a little less than when you were on cooked foods.

I was really mystified, when I first encountered fruitarians, as to how they could live on this relatively low protein diet. But when you realize, that by doing this they are also reducing their protein needs for digestion, then it makes sense. The ripening process that fruits go through is actually a pre-digestive process, which lets fruits digest in the stomach in minutes instead of hours!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2008 08:31PM by Lillianswan.

Hi heal_me_o_lord,

You may be familiar with the journal 'Diabetes Spectrum' [journal.diabetes.org] ?

I just skimmed thru the topics and didn't realize there may be increased requirements for protein for diabetics depending on type, metabolism specifics, diet etc.. It's a good study for me, who eats about 6% calories from protein.

cheers,
loeve

I've just done alot of research on Alkaline water. You can see for yourself here:

[www.phionbalance.com]
[www.detoxifynow.com]
[glowing-health.com]

The man in the first video on the third URL had diabetes in addition to the Gangreine.

You might consider it in addition to the raw food incorporation. I, myself, am going to start drinking alkaline water once I receive it. Since I cannot afford the machine, I'm going to buy the drops initially.

Good luck. Therese