Well, what a coincidence! Just as I am starting on a rawfood diet there was a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism saying that fruits and veggies can strengthen your bones.
The study, done by Tufts University, explored the connection between the acid diets that are common in the US and bone loss. Grains, meats and dairy, plus processed food in general, tend to make our systems more acid.
The study included 171 men and women aged 50 and older who were randomly assigned to receive a placebo or doses of either potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or potassium chloride for three months. The people who took bicarbonate showed significant reductions in calcium excretion and bone resorption. I have been telling women for many years to take a drink of sodium bicarb with lemon juice at night before bed to cut down on bone loss and to add to the alkalinity of the body. You’ll find that info on my pH balance page.
So the study didn’t actually test any veggies or fruits because it is already well known that they will also add to the alkalinity of the body in a more natural way. Your body will create sodium bicarb out of them itself.
I heard about Dr Douglas Graham and his “80-10-10 Diet” several weeks ago when I read an interview he had done on a raw food site.I have been using more raw foods lately because I am unhappy with the long-term results I was getting with my low-carb diet.
There are two doctors who I have been listening to, via books, to keep the diabetes under control, Dr Rosedale and Dr Bernstein. They both say we don’t need any carbs at all and should take as little as possible so our blood sugar numbers stay stable. Well, when you cut down on carbs then the only thing you are adding is fat and protein.Long term, that is a nightmare for the body. The liver and kidneys can’t deal with all that fat, even the good fats. And too much protein is just as toxic to the system.
So I have been longing for fruit for the two years I have been trying to stick to this diet. As with all new diets, in the beginning you always feel better, and I did. But for the last 6 months I have been feeling increasingly toxic and sluggish. I found out that my blood was in a rouleau pattern typical of people who eat too much fat. The blood cannot do it’s job of oxygenating the body from that pattern so I was increasingly tired and weak.
So when I read what Dr Graham said about fruit and diabetes and fruit and candida, I was very intrigued. He says that fruit has gotten a bad rap, that it is fat that causes diabetes and candida. The fat eaten along with the fruit coats the sugar in your intestines and prevents the insulin you take or make from being able to react with the sugar and push it into the cells. So I was convinced enough to give it a good try.
This diet is considered radical even in raw food circles because he says that 80% of our diet should come from carbohydrates, 10% from protein and 10% from fat. Interestingly these numbers are supported by the World Health Organization. Since leafy greens and fruit actually have about that much protein and fat in them, it means you rarely have to eat anything else at all, a few nuts a week maybe. Most rawfooders eat huge quantities of nuts.
People who do not like fruit would have a hard time on this lifestyle because you can’t get enough calories from greens. I love fruit but you have to eat an awful lot of it. I am actually eating 5 times a day because I can’t eat too much at once. Some athletes are eating a dozen bananas at one sitting, or a half gallon of fresh orange juice. Dr Graham has coached Olympic level athletes and is an amazing athlete himself so he has a lot of credentials for superior performance on this lifestyle.
My immediate reaction to the diet – one month -has been profound.
- I’ve got my energy back to where it was before I got sick so many years ago.
- I’m sleeping less, wide awake at 5 and ready to go.
- I’ve cut down on the thyroid and adrenal meds.
- I am calmer, my mental chatter seems to have gone away.
One last interesting thing – I have never been athletic in my life. Work has always been my exercise. Now that my work takes place on a computer a lot of the time that is not good for my body. So I am actually starting to look forward to my rebounding and walking and even considered running or jogging!
Have a wonderful Holiday Season and don’t worry about 2009. Depression starts in the mind, don’t let it take root in yours.
Live in Abundance and Joy, Pam