30 Day Raw Foods Challenge

There is a cure for diabetes!

Gabriel Cousens, MD, claims that diabetes is a curable disease that may be reversed through dietary and lifestyle changes. In There is a Cure for Diabetes, Cousens outlines the causes of diabetes as well as a program for eliminating it.

The book was inspired by a movie that was based on documenting the effects on diabetes of eating a raw food diet for thirty days. Five diabetics were involved in the film and by the fourth day, four of them were off their insulin medications. By the end of the month all of the participants had achieved normalization of their blood sugars without medications.

After realizing the powerful effect of this approach Cousens created a program that could be successfully applied to all diabetics.

Diabetes Cure Diet Basics

At the commencement of the program dieters are advised to undertake a seven-day supervised fast on green juices. This greatly accelerates the improvement of the physiological imbalances that occur with diabetes.

Following this dieters undertake a low glycemic index diet that includes a very high proportion of raw foods and a fat intake of 15-20%. Many foods are to be avoided including most fruits, dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, refined grains, sugars and natural sweeteners, alcohol and caffeine.

The basic diet is to be followed for three to six months. When your physiology has stabilized you can adjust the diet to include a slightly higher intake of fruits and grains, however you can stay with the basic diet if you prefer.

Leafy green vegetables are an important component of There is a Cure for Diabetes with 1-2 pounds being the recommended daily intake. Greens can be consumed in salads, blended green soups, green smoothies or as juice.

Other foods that are included in the diet include all vegetables with the exception of cooked starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds, avocado, whole grains and legumes.

Cousens also conducts a 21-day program at the Tree of Life Center, which is designed to introduce dieters to the program and to learn the skills necessary to maintain it as a lifestyle.

Recommended Foods

Green leafy vegetables, tomato, avocado, cucumber, red pepper, sea vegetables, cabbage, bitter melon, nopal cactus, garlic, onion, huckleberry, goji berries, millet, brown rice, oats, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, string beans, olive oil, almond, walnuts, avocado, flaxseed, chia seeds, coconut oil, bee pollen, spirulina, stevia, carob.

Sample Diet Plan

Breakfast:
Green smoothie with leafy greens, chia seeds, carob and stevia

Morning Snack:
Green vegetable juice

Lunch:
Broccoli with bell pepper and sunflower seed cheese
Flax wraps
Salad with spinach, lettuce, red pepper, avocado, olive oil and lemon juice
Herb tea

Afternoon Snack:
Green vegetable juice

Dinner:
Velvety red lentil soup
Seedy tomato herb crackers
Kale salad with chipotle
Herb tea
Dessert (once a week)
Cinnamon bars

Exercise Recommendations

Exercise can be a vital component of a program to address diabetes because it improves insulin sensitivity and assists with weight management. Cousens says that the best exercise is jumping on a rebounder for up to 16 minutes a day, four times a week. Walking, jogging and swimming are also acceptable cardiovascular exercises.

Muscle building exercise is also recommended because the muscle tissue is responsible for 80% of blood sugar uptake following a meal. Muscle tissue also increases the rate of calorie burning.

Costs and Expenses

There is a Cure for Diabetes retails for $19.95. It may also be necessary to invest in kitchen appliances such as a juicer, high-powered blender and food dehydrator.

Diabetes Cure Pros

* Program has achieved success in allowing diabetics to achieve balanced blood sugar without using medication.
* Allows diabetics to take responsibility for their condition and to make dramatic improvements in their health.
* Based on scientific research as well as practical experience.
* Addresses lifestyle factors involved in diabetes such as physical activity and stress management.

Diabetes Cure Cons

* Highly restrictive and requires elimination of many foods.
* May be socially isolating, as it will be extremely difficult to eat acceptable meals away from home.
* May be difficult to stick to the program without adequate social support.
* Requires a large amount of time to be spent on food preparation.
* Many of the recipes are complicated and contain uncommon ingredients.

Conclusions

Although it requires a complete diet and lifestyle overhaul, There is a Cure for Diabetes has been proven to be highly effective for the treatment of diabetes.

Maintaining adequate support from friends and family is likely to be a vital element in achieving long-term success because the diet is so restrictive and the plan requires a high degree of commitment. (This article was borrowed from EveryDiet.org  and the original can be found at http://www.everydiet.org/diet/there-is-a-cure-for-diabetes.)

About the Film

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days is an independent documentary film that chronicles six Americans with diabetes who switch to a diet consisting entirely of vegan, organic, uncooked food in order to reverse disease without pharmaceutical medication. The six are challenged to give up meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, soda, junk food, fast food, processed food, packaged food, and even cooked food for 30 days. The film follows each participant’s remarkable journey and captures the medical, physical, and emotional transformations brought on by this radical diet and lifestyle change. We witness moments of struggle, support, and hope as what is revealed, with startling clarity, is that diet can reverse disease and change lives.

The film highlights each of the six before they begin the program and we first meet them in their home environment with their families. Each participant speaks candidly about their struggle to manage their diabetes and how it has affected every aspect of their life, from work to home to their relationships.