Tag Archives: Vegan

How Diabetics Respond to a Vegan/Plant-based Diet

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When we look at the basic diets of people from around the world we find certain populations tend to be slim and have very little diabetes. Good examples are Japan and China, whose traditional diets were based primarily on rice and other carbohydrate-rich foods. But now, with the introduction of a “Western” diet, which includes an overabundance of animal products (meat, dairy, etc.) everything changed and obesity and diabetes (along with heart disease and other ailments) came roaring in. A strong plant-based diet reverses this scenario. People lose weight, cholesterol drops dramatically, and diabetes improves – and in many cases is reversed.

Physiologically, if you could follow a glucose molecule in your bloodstream, you’d quickly see that it and all the other glucose molecules are headed for the muscle cells. Glucose is what powers your muscles, along with most of the rest of your body. Now, if you could inspect your muscles’ tissues closely, you’d observe that globules of fat have taken up residence there. In medical terms those tiny droplets of fat are referred to as intramyocellular lipids (IMCLs), and they interfere with insulin’s ability to carry glucose into the cells. Once you begin to make the change to a plant-based diet, eliminating animal products and other fatty foods from your diet, those IMCLs begin to dissipate and health is generally restored.

A vegan or plant-based diet has many other advantages too. Most importantly perhaps is how good it for the heart, and how it lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) more than any other dietary approach. Many of the complications of diabetes relate directly to the heart and blood vessels, so there is much to be said for eliminating animal products and cholesterol producing fats from of your diet. A strong plant-based diet also helps bring down high blood pressure. And your kidneys will function much easier because avoiding animal proteins help maintain proper kidney function.

Many studies have shown that the overall nutritional response of the body is greatly improved on a vegan/plant-based diet compared to a meat/dairy-based diet. Fiber and vitamin intake increase, while fat and bad cholesterol go down. No need to worry about protein, you’ll get all you need from vegetables, beans and grains, plus you’ll find plenty of calcium and iron in green leafy vegetables and beans.

And now, a few words about Dr. Gabriel Cousens…

Gabriel Cousens runs the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Arizona, USA, where he has been treating type 2 diabetes for several decades now. In order to spread the word, his center created a documentary called Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days (92 minutes, 2009). Six patients with diabetes were tracked for 30 days as they lived at the Tree of Life Center. They followed Dr. Cousens’ diet guidelines and daily exercise routines. Within days, all patients improved dramatically. All of them continued with their lifestyle changes beyond these 30 days. The documentary is uplifting because each patient showed remarkable improvement in health and spirit.

Gabriel Cousens stands out from other doctors who advocate plant based diets in two respects: he is highly spiritual and he advocates far more raw food than others. His writings tend to emphasize his personal experiences with treating patients instead of medical studies. He has written articles like Peace through a Sattvik Diet and Perspectives on Dairy where he explains why he advocates avoidance of dairy in the modern world even though it is advocated by ancient sattvik food guidelines. His response to Dr Mercola is a lengthy article showcasing his personal life journey and his personal experiences in treating patients for over 30 years. In addition, his spiritual leanings and writing style greatly appeal to like minded individuals.

*A few notes of caution for diabetics changing over to a plant-based diet.

Beginning this kind of diet, some people find that their blood sugars go up for the first few days. If you are very insulin resistant, it will take a little time for that to improve as those fat droplets gradually disappear from your muscle cells. Your blood sugars should soon start to improve noticeably.

Be sure to let your health-care provider know about your diet change. If you are on insulin or a sulfonylurea, you may well end up with symptoms of hypoglycemia, which is a sign that you have improved to the point that your drugs are now too strong for you. Work with your health-care provider to reduce (or eliminate) your medications when the time is right.

For people with type 1 diabetes, I would recommend the same diet changes. A plant-based menu will minimize the likelihood of cardiovascular and renal complications and may help you reduce your medications. It will not, however, eliminate the need for insulin for people with type 1 diabetes.

Whey Protein Supplements vs Plant-Based Proteins

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Whey protein products are regarded by most fitness enthusiasts as a supplemental staple for athletes and bodybuilders; claiming it’s the ultimate source of protein and they sometimes even go to the extreme of saying it’s the highest quality protein available.

On the other hand there are multiple studies which show that most athletes can easily meet their daily protein requirements from a plant-based diet alone. And for many people whey protein can cause bloating and stomach upset actually bogging them down.

It is unfortunate that most trainers, athletes and bodybuilders are persuaded by what they read in exercise and bodybuilding magazines. And, more times than not, this is worse than getting nutritional information from a comic book.

Americans, in general, are on a protein binge; brainwashed with misinformation that has been drilled into them since childhood. Ironically, most of the educational materials used in public schools have been provided (for free) by the meat, dairy, and egg industries, and this has been the case for more than seventy years. These industrial giants have successfully lobbied the government, resulting in favorable laws, subsidies, and advertising propaganda that generates huge corporate profits at the expense of our national health. As a result, Americans have been, and continue to be, programmed with dangerous information, and protein supplements (especially whey) are recommended for anyone who pursues any sort of athletic endeavor; this in addition to their recommended diet which already contains excessive amounts of meat, dairy, etc. Most of us were raised on tall glasses of milk, grilled chicken salads at restaurants, large omelets filled with cheese, and in some instances, whey protein shakes. (And that’s referring to the most nutritionally-conscious of us. Many folks still think vegetables mean French fries, or perhaps the single leaf of iceberg lettuce on a bacon double cheeseburger.)

One question that might be asked is just how many people don’t get very far in their athletic career because they spend much of their exercise time and energy burning off or eliminating all the toxic sludge they put in their body. Whey, which is the watery byproduct of cheese production used to be discarded and dumped into waterways until environmental concerns caused cheese manufacturers to take a second look at this practice. Once they discovered that they could actually profit by selling whey as a protein source, whey was no longer dumped, but became a food supplement and additive, backed by a massive ad campaign.

Plant-based eating is a relatively new and undiscovered territory for most North Americans. So, when deciding to add more veggies to their diet to be “healthier” or “more environmentally friendly”, that addition might include refined sugars and grains, highly processed soy-based meat substitutes, Twizzlers, pizza, beer and other unhealthy foodstuffs. While this kind of food substituting is beneficial for the animals, and (depending on how these pseudo-foods were produced) better for the planet, it might not be so helpful for our health, body composition and general wellbeing.

Many sincere, informed vegan and/or vegetarian’s diets include juicing and blending, primarily due to the nutritional density and ease of digestion of vegetables and fruits consumed in this way.

Other plant-based foods are also easily digested and absorbed, they consume less energy to produce more energy, and this allows for a healthier, more efficient gastrointestinal tract in the active athlete. Indeed, many athletes who switch to a plant-based diet report feeling an almost immediate surge in energy.

Additionally, many athletes who have used whey protein supplements as a part of bodybuilding or other exercise regime have noted that the muscles they build are not maintained, and disappear quickly when the whey protein is discontinued.  Plant-based proteins are different.

If you feel the need to further supplement your plant-based diet with natural protein, here’s a couple alternatives to whey and/or other concentrated animal–based proteins…

Chlorella, Spirulina and blue-green algae are concentrated forms of plant-based proteins.  They are 100% whole food from the ocean/plant kingdom. This type of complete protein is 100% assimilated by the body, is nutritionally dense, full of minerals and chlorophyll. Additionally, you will gain the extra benefit of it assisting your body in detoxification, including the elimination of heavy metals and radiation. This type of protein will build extremely strong, dense and long lasting muscle tissue.

And another is hemp protein powder.  This concentrated supplement closely resembles the protein of the human body.  It is easy to digest and contains all of the essential amino acids that the body requires, including Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, acids that whey protein is lacking.

Many trainers and other fitness enthusiasts, especially those interested in bodybuilding love to make the claim that a plant-based protein simply cannot promote muscle growth as effectively as animal derived protein (like whey).  However, it’s not difficult to observe how herbivores like cows, horses and even gorillas possess lean, strong muscles.  In fact, many bodybuilders who have changed from whey to a plant-based protein have noted that the muscle tissue built from plant-based protein is more solid, very dense and resists deteriorating over time.

For more on America’s obsession with supplemental proteins please read the following, click on: 3 Myths About Protein and a Plant-Based Diet

How Inflammatory is Your Diet?

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Are you aware that the foods you eat every day may be the cause of chronic inflammation in the body and put you at risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and even some forms of dementia?

Basically there are two types of inflammation that can be present in the human body: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is most often useful, but chronic inflammation is the root cause of many diseases and ailments.

Inflammation is one of the common natural responses the body has to the healing process. Acute inflammation works great for healing a cut or a bruise. The body’s white blood cells and their chemicals get into the affected area, do their job and get out. But too much of a good thing leads to problems. Chronic inflammation will damage, rather than repair, healthy tissues and cells. When inflammation is too intense and/or prolonged, it produces sickness and disease instead of healing.

When your chosen lifestyle includes an unhealthy or poor diet, you’re setting the stage for chronic inflammation to damage your body, establishing a constant irritation, quite possibly throughout the whole body; damaging arteries, which can lead to heart disease or dementia, aggravating tissues and cells, which can lead to cancer, diabetes, or irritating joints and connective tissue resulting in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

The sad part is chronic inflammation is a silent condition; you may even have chronic inflammation and not know it.

Foods that commonly cause inflammation:

Are you wondering if your diet is high in inflammation-provoking foods yet? Dietary foods that trigger chronic inflammation in the body include many of the fats in meat and dairy products, refined sugars, saturated and hydrogenated oils, processed and fast foods, bleached and enriched grains, fried foods, pastries, plus processed meats like hot dogs and deli items. A specific omega-6 fat, called arachidonic acid, found in most meats, is a particularly potent inflammation promoter. Check your kitchen supplies and throw out these inflammatory foods, then eliminate them completely from your diet.

Additionally, those who are overweight have an increased risk of chronic inflammation. Most possibly this occurs because the body’s fatty tissues store arachidonic acid, increasing the supply of this damaging, inflammatory chemical.

The solution:

Make antioxidant-rich plant-based foods a staple in your diet and eat more vegetables and fruit. The more phytochemical-rich fruits and vegetables you eat, the more you boost your immune system which naturally defends the body against inflammation and disease. Once you develop an appetite for antioxidants, you’ll feel more energy and notice an almost immediate improvement in overall health. Antioxidants are the key to disease prevention and the reduction of inflammation. Extra-virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, whole grains, things like green tea and certain spices (e.g.; turmeric and ginger), prevent much of the tissue damage that would otherwise trigger an inflammatory response. Proper food selection insures that you’re getting the best dietary sources of antioxidants, like vitamin C, beta carotene, and thousands of essential phytonutrients. Antioxidants block free radicals (highly reactive oxygen fragments) that if allowed free reign, would damage the genetic code, cell membranes and proteins, leading to heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.

Additionally, you should also know that no amount of dieting will drastically improve your health unless you also adapt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. You’ll find it very helpful to exercise daily, cut back on stress and reduce your exposure to toxins as much as possible; if you do this, your body will repay you a thousand-fold.

So…What are you waiting for?

My Hero – Birke Baehr…

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An Internationally recognized speaker and youth advocate for sustainable food and agriculture, Birke has visited and volunteered at farms around the United States and recently published his first book, “Birke on The Farm”.  Birke has spent the last four years traveling around the United States and Italy visiting organic farms and learning from the farmers who steward those farms. He has attended numerous organic agriculture seminars and workshops; including one with renowned farmer and author, Joel Salatin who Birke looks up to in his pursuit of new thinking about food and agriculture. Birke continues to educate himself in this genre and intends to be a sustainable organic agriculturist in the future. He has a passion for educating others, especially his peers, about the destructiveness of the industrialized food system and the enlightening alternatives of sustainable and organic farming, food and practices. At 11 years of age, Birke was the youngest presenter at TEDx Next Generation Asheville (Aug. ’10) where he gave the talk entitled, “What’s Wrong With our Food System” which became an internet sensation with close to 2,000,000 views.

Here’s the video…

And – young Birke has a website, visit it here…https://www.birkeonthefarm.com/index.html

Raw Vegan Holiday Salad Recipes

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Rawsome Salads

Orange, Avocado, Spinach Salad

This salad recipe kind of sounded like an odd combination, but the flavors actually mesh pretty well together. The sweetness from the orange goes nicely with the tanginess of the lime and creaminess of the avocado.

Ingredients:

  • 1 orange
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • Dash of sea salt
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • Black pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Section the orange and use a knife to cut off the skin from the sections. Try to drizzle any of the remaining juice into a small bowl.
  • In the small bowl containing the orange juice, whisk together the remaining juice, olive oil, lime juice, and sea salt.
  • In a serving bowl, add spinach and sliced avocado. Pour dressing over top and gently toss. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Creamy Sea Salad

Dulse is a popular sea vegetable that is good in soups, salads, or even sandwiches. It has a soft chewy texture and a rich reddish brown color. It can be bought in flakes or as whole stringy leaves. Dulse is a good source of protein, B-12, chlorophyll, enzymes, and fiber.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups mixed greens
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1/4 cup dulse flakes
  • 1/2 cucumber, diced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1/2 cup sprouts
  • Dash sea salt
  • Dash black pepper (or to taste)

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a bowl. Gently toss. Add your favorite raw dressing.

Coleslaw

Coleslaw always seems to be the salad you take with you on picnics. When using the purple cabbage, it’s definitely one of the prettiest salads. Try it and see if it’s also one of your favorites!

Ingredients:

1 cup purple cabbage

  • 1/2 cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 tomato, diced
  • 1 small carrot, shredded
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  •  1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a bowl and gently toss.

Simple Green Salad

This recipe is super easy and honestly, you can substitute any of the greens for ones that you like in this or any of the salad recipes. This just has a variety of greens and variety is good for your body! A list of scrumptious salad greens to insure colorful variety…

  • Arugula
  • Cabbage (green or red)
  • Chard, Swiss (green, red or rainbow)
  • Dandelion Greens
  • Endive
  • Escarole
  • Kale
  • Radicchio
  • Romaine
  • Spinach
  • Watercress

It’s easy to pick just one type of green to eat in your salad daily (baby spinach is my choice!), but it’s also nice to give your body a variety, here’s a simple suggestion to get you started.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup red kale
  • 1/2 cup mustard greens
  • 1/2 cup spinach
  • 1 cup arugula

Directions:

  • Remove ribs from kale and mustard greens.
  • Chop all greens into bite size pieces and toss.
  • Add your favorite vegan raw dressing.

Raw Pad Thai Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 zucchinis, sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler
  • 2 large handfuls of bean sprouts, approx 2 cups
  • 3/4 cup chopped nuts (use almonds, peanuts or cashews)
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 4 green onions, diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • Juice from one lime
  • 1 tablespoon raw, cold-pressed olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Preparation:

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl until well coated. Add a dash more salt if desired and enjoy!

Vegan Holiday Snack Recipes

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Olive Tapenade

Olive tapenade is a great spread to serve with crackers for an easy gourmet appetizer or hors d’oeuvres. This recipe, which uses two kinds of olives, making a nice color combination, adds to the appeal of the dish. This olive tapenade recipe is both vegetarian and vegan, and can be prepared in just a few minutes. You might also want to try this recipe for olive tapenade with sun dried tomatoes, or if you like spicy food, try this version of olive tapenade with peppers and hot sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup black olives
  • 1/2 cup green olives
  • 1 tablespoon capers (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Preparation:

In a food processor, simply process all ingredients for a few seconds, being careful not to process too finely, since tapenade should not be too smooth.

Serve with crackers, flatbread, baguette, or slices of toasted artisan bread.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

This easy vegan bruschetta is made with fresh tomatoes and basil and drizzled with olive oil. No cheese is needed if you use fresh red ripe tomatoes and flavorful basil. As for the salt, any kind will do, but sea salt or kosher salt will give the best flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 12 slices French or Italian bread, lightly toasted
  • 3 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Preparation:

Combine tomatoes, oil, basil and salt in a covered bowl and let marinate at least 4 hours (do not refrigerate; tomatoes will lose their flavor).

Use a slotted spoon to layer on to bread. Serve immediately.

Spicy Vegetarian/Vegan Bean Dip

A classic vegetarian bean dip with spicy chilies and Tabasco sauce. Vegetarian bean dip is great for a casual vegetarian Super bowl or party appetizer. This vegetarian bean dip recipe is also vegan.

Ingredients:

  • 1 – 28 ounce can vegetarian baked beans, drained
  • 1 – 4 ounce can green chilies, diced
  • 3 tbsp vinegar
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp Tabasco sauce (or your favorite hot sauce to taste)
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • Tortilla chips
  • Preparation:

Drain beans and add to blender. Add chilies, vinegar, chili powder, Tabasco, onion powder, salt and garlic powder blend until smooth. Pour into bowl and garnish with green onions.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Vegan Holiday Dessert Recipes

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Brownies (egg and dairy free):

Brownies are a classic and simple treat and this recipe makes it easy for the lactose intolerant to enjoy them just as much. The recipe comes from a dessert spot in New York City.

  1. Mix 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
  2. In a second bowl, mix 1/2 cup of applesauce, 1/4 cup of canola oil, 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 1/2 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips.Mix both bowls together.
  3.  Bake for 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

Gingerbread Cookies:

Take a traditional holiday recipe and turn it vegan with this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons coarse sugar (turbinado or demerrera or “sanding” sugar)
  • 2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/4 cup almond (or soy) milk
  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

  1. Sift dry ingredient (except sugar) into a bowl and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine wet ingredients, including the raw sugar and whisk or beat on medium until blended.
  3. Stir in the pre-sifted dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
  4. The dough will be quite sticky and you may need to dampen your hands to work with it. Roll the dough into little balls (about 1 Tablespoon) and flatten out to your liking.
  5. The thinner the cookie the crisper it will be – a slightly thicker cookie will yield a crunch on the edges and a slightly chewy interior.
  6. Press the coarse sugar onto the tops of the cookies and bake about 10 minutes at 350 on a greased cookie sheet.

Pumpkin Pie:

The holidays wouldn’t be the same without a pumpkin pie. Here’s a vegan version of the old standard recipe.

  1. Mix 2 cups of pumpkin purée, 1 cup of almond (or soy) milk, 3/4 cup of raw sugar, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1/2 tablespoon of molasses, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ginger, 1/3 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of allspice.
  2. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Banana Ice Cream (dairy free):

All ice cream has dairy in it, right? Well, not so, here’s some awesome ice cream made from a frozen banana.

It’s simple…freeze a banana, put it in a food processor, and that’s it. It takes a little bit of time to get creamy. But, that’s it. Add a teaspoon or so of peanut butter and just a  bit of cocoa powder (optional).