Eating Raw

So I am experimenting with raw foods. I have read the countless benefits of eating raw food. Initially I was appalled at the thought of a raw diet but its not as bad as I thought. I have only added raw foods for about two weeks now and do notice less bloating a bit more digestive regulation. I added 50% raw foods to my diet so far as to gradually adapt to this huge dietary adjustment. So my sample day looks like this:
Breakfast- 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 apple chopped, stevia and cinnamon (about 1/2 tsp each)
Snack- Raw almonds
Lunch- Veggie and chicken soup and raw broccoli
Snack- Raw protein bars(recipe below)
Dinner- Green salad with raw veggies and diced cooked chicken with apple cider vinaigrette(1tsp each- a.c.v, soy sauce, dijon mustard, garlic, maple syrup)
My theory is to make sure each meal is 50% raw and all snacks are raw. So far so good.  The pros = less prep and cook time, smaller portions due to no shrinkage of veggies during cooking, satiety (since my body had to break down raw food and leaves me feeling full longer). The cons= kind of bland(good thing I love veggies), costly, and increased shopping to assure fresh fruits and veggies are available.
 My goal is to eat 75% or more raw food and see how my body responds. It is more mentally challenging than physically. i have this notion that all my food should be cooked and eaten warm. Starting in Fall may not have been the best idea as I loooove warm soups and cozy food this time of year. I decided to give it a try anyways. There will always be some excuse that could prevent me from pursuing healthier choices. Well that's my 2 cents for now :) I will be posting some research information on the benefits of raw food diets soon. Hope you had a wonderful day!

Raw protein bars or balls:
Ingredients:
4 scoops of protein of choice
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
2 tbs natural nut butter (I used almond butter)
1tsp stevia
2 tbs raw cocoa powder
3-4 tbs water
 Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients, set aside. Mix nut butter and water until smooth and add to dry. mix until blended and shape into balls or press into 8x8 dish if you prefer bars. Cool mixture until firm and cut into bars. Makes 8 depending on size you cut bars or shape balls

Apple Cider Vinegar

So today I am sharing some research I have been doing recently on a natural treatment for insulin resistance(IR). My goal is find a natural replacement for the prescription for Metphormin. I had previously taken Metphormin for almost two years with no results. I am not 100%  convinced I have IR but to comply with treatment my Doctor has prescribed, I will try a natural remedy for IR. I have posted one of many studies below that provide evidence of apple cider vinegar treatment and the success rates that followed. I am happy to know I am not putting chemicals in my body and hoping the vinegar will control any possible insulin spikes.


Source:http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full
Recent large-scale trials (the Diabetes Prevention Program and STOP-NIDDM) have demonstrated that therapeutic agents used to improve insulin sensitivity in diabetes, metformin and acarbose, may also delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in high-risk populations. Interestingly, an early report showed that vinegar attenuated the glucose and insulin responses to a sucrose or starch load (1). In the present report, we assessed the effectiveness of vinegar in reducing postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in subjects with varying degrees of insulin sensitivity.Our study included nondiabetic subjects who were either insulin sensitive (control subjects, n = 8) or insulin resistant (n = 11) and 10 subjects with type 2 diabetes. Subjects provided written informed consent and were not taking diabetes medications. Fasting subjects were randomly assigned to consume the vinegar (20 g apple cider vinegar, 40 g water, and 1 tsp saccharine) or placebo drink and, after a 2-min delay, the test meal, which was composed of a white bagel, butter, and orange juice (87 g total carbohydrates). The cross-over trial was conducted 1 week later. Blood samples were collected at fasting and 30 and 60 min postmeal for glucose and insulin analyses. Whole-body insulin sensitivity during the 60-min postmeal interval was estimated using a composite score .

Fasting glucose concentrations were elevated ∼55% in subjects with diabetes compared with the other subject groups (P < 0.01, Tukey’s post hoc test), and fasting insulin concentrations were elevated 95–115% in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes compared with control subjects (P < 0.01). Compared with placebo, vinegar ingestion raised whole-body insulin sensitivity during the 60-min postmeal interval in insulin-resistant subjects (34%, P = 0.01, paired t test) and slightly improved this parameter in subjects with type 2 diabetes (19%, P = 0.07). Postprandial fluxes in insulin were significantly reduced by vinegar in control subjects, and postprandial fluxes in both glucose and insulin were significantly reduced in insulin-resistant subjects

These data indicate that vinegar can significantly improve postprandial insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant subjects. Acetic acid has been shown to suppress disaccharidase activity (3) and to raise glucose-6-phosphate concentrations in skeletal muscle (4); thus, vinegar may possess physiological effects similar to acarbose or metformin. Further investigations to examine the efficacy of vinegar as an antidiabetic therapy are warranted.

I have started consuming 1 tbs prior to my main meals(breakfast, lunch and dinner) or a meal that contains a higher carbohydrate. I never really feel a spike or lull in blood sugar so I cant say I have seen direct result. As a precaution I will continue the practice and post any changes that may occur.  

Have a wonderful night and smile because tomorrow if Friday!!! TGIF