can I heal type 1???

Day 6...

am reading <b>4.8</b>. Has to be the best next-morning reading after Wokmania yet!

9am breakfast at the hotel. Was surprised that they were doing really nice bowls of fresh fruit - melon, kiwi, orange, redcurrents, blackcurrents, strawberries. Had one of those, could really have eaten two, so filled up on a couple more of those lovely big purple plums. Wasn't too sure how much insulin to use as find it hard to gauge when the fruit is all chopped up. Decided on <b>2 units NR</b>.

Mistake! 11am <b>BS 3.9</b>. Ate a banana as we decided to go for a long walk down to Brighton Marina - I would guess a couple of miles each way.

1:30pm lunch. Ended up in McDonalds!!! Didn't want to spend a lot of money on another restaurant meal, but there didn't seem to be anywhere cheap to get something quick. Being veggie I am tempted by very little in McDonalds, luckily, so found it quite easy to be restrained. Ordered two side salads and added a banana, three plums and some tomatoes on the vine which I had in my bag. Strangest McDonalds I've ever had, but actually very good. Rip off though...spent £3 pounds on those two stingy salad bowls and a bottle of water. Why is healthy food in such small portions in these places and why is it so expensive??? TOTALLY FORGOT TO MEASURE BS [:0]. Realised straight after eating but guessed by the loud rumbles in my tummy and the walk that I was probably on the low side, so no insulin.

Walked a couple of miles back into town to pick up the car.

5:30pm <b>BS 3.9</b> Just got home from Brighton and was starving after all that walking, so had an early dinner. First thing I could find in the fridge was the left over beetroot and fennel "rice" so had this with romaine lettuce and two big slices of fresh pineapple. Also had a handful of almonds. Decided on<b> 3 units NR</b> as generally end up too high when I eat pineapple so wanted to be on the safe side.

Wrong again! 8pm <b>BS 2.5</b> Fed up with all these hypos today, have not done a very good job really. Just wondering - I think I read somewhere that hot baths can bring on a hypo, has anyone else read that? Was in the bath and did not notice any hypo signs until after I got out. Or could just have been that I did a lot of exercise today. I'm sure that last time I had pineapple 2 units wasn't enough and that's why I tried 3. Ate a couple of sugar tablets and a banana to correct. Not happy - I was still full from dinner [!]

That "cold" disappeared in one day - but my partner still has it. Am wondering whether those little bugs got attacked by all the vits and mins I have been eating and decided not to mess with me.

Back to work tomorrow :evil:

See you later

Claire

Just got back from <b>my appointment with the dietician.</b>

All in all, not bad. I had quite expected to get the standard "base your meals on lots of starchy carbs" that we all get at the dietician (I wonder how many on this forum do this - most people here seem to advocate low carb).

She said that raw foods are not for everybody as some people find it very hard to digest raw and are much better off with cooked. Luckily I don't fall into that camp, although I have heard that some people get a lot of indigestion from raw veg in particular.

We went through what I am eating and she said I was doing very well on the vits and mins front but she would like to see some more beans for protein. Also I should not be scared to have quite a lot of nuts and seeds. We talked about whether I was eating enough given that I do quite a lot of exercise and decided that I could eat more if I wanted. I was weighed and I have only lost 2 pounds since my last visit in November, so that was OK and we though I must be getting pretty much what I need calorie wise otherwise I would have lost more. Am currently BMI 20 (5'4, 54.2 kg).

She felt that sugar tablets are better than bananas for hypos. So I will go with that although I have to say I am not convinced!

Then we discussed BS and agreed that I have been a bit on the low side (lots of hypos!). We agreed that I should use a ratio of 1 unit NR to 1 carbohydrate portion and that I should take my levemir down another unit to 3 units daily.

I guess in the light of this I still feel happy to continue with how I am eating. As I was aiming at 90% rather than 100% raw I will look at including some beans in my 10% cooked. I do like beans, although I have to say I have not missed them during the last week.

Will be back at the dietician in a couple of weeks for carbohydrate counting group.

Claire

Hi Lady J

Thanks for the link, was interesting to read

Claire

Hi Russell

Really enjoyed Brighton, thanks!

Sorry to hear about your stroke, it sounds like things have been hard. But amazing that you have recovered so well.

Is that really true about injected insulin destroying our beta cells [:0] That is shocking! I know we have no choice but to use injected insulin but how awful that cells getting along quite happily get knackered in the process.

Looks like the dietician agreed with you about the hypos!

Claire

Hi fergusc

That's interesting that you were a vegetarian for so long. In what ways has your health improved since you went back to meat?

I have had a couple of periods since my teens when I have tried meat again. One was a couple of years ago when I made a really determined effort to go back to meat because I felt very tired. I was tested for anaemia (and diabetes interestingly) but everything came back fine. I carried on with the meat for quite a few months but never enjoyed it and ended up back on veggie because I just preferred veggie foods.

Then I tried to go back to meat again at the start of last year because I felt really awful. I now know that I felt awful because I was diabetic!!! Although I wasn't diagnosed until August I realised then that I had been having symptoms such as blurry vision as far back as February. I only stuck with the meat for a couple of weeks because it didn't make me feel better, I felt worse! That was obviously because vegetarian eating was not the issue, diabetes was.

Claire

Hi Fergus

Your HbA1cs are really impressive, I hope I can achieve those kind of levels one day!

Claire

Day 7...

I was hoping to celebrate the end of my first entire week on 90% raw...but it was not to be :evil:

I am not even going to post what I have eaten today because I am too embarrassed!

Started off OK with a nice veggie juice for breakfast, melon and blueberries mid-morning, bananas and salad of grated carrot, turnip, sweet potato and iceberg lettuce for lunch.

Then the junk bug attacked and got the better of me this time :twisted: Really not too sure why. I am a very emotional eater and there must have been a trigger, but still trying to work out what.

I guess the important thing is to use this as a learning point - it takes a while to transition to raw foods. I can honestly say that none of the junky foods I have eaten today tasted as good as a piece of ripe fruit, and that my body is giving me clear signals that it prefers raw - I ache, especially in my calf which is healing from a tear caused by running, my nose is bunged up, I have a headache, I feel very sleepy and I have a bloated, sore tummy. Even if I eat way too many nuts I do not feel anything like this bad. I did not enjoy the taste of what I ate today or the way it has made me feel, but I guess emotional eating is a habit which needs time to unlearn.

Interestingly, I usually crave sweets/chocolate but today I craved starchy junk. I am with fergusc on the starchy carbs - I also don't believe they belong to our natural diet. And also the kind of junky starch I was craving does not contribute anything nutritionally to the body so it can't be that my body needed something from it. Maybe starch is another habit which needs time to unlearn.

Did a search on dealing with starchy junk food cravings on the raw food forum and there seemed to be two main opinions - the first was eating more carbs from fruit and the second was including more fat. I'm not sure I can eat more fruit, but I could try some more nuts/seeds/avocado. Apparently detox can cause cravings as toxins acspamulate in the bloodstream waiting to leave the body. You can end up craving whatever it is you are detoxing until it is totally flushed out by the body. That idea makes sense to me.

Have also done no exercise today - was my rest day as I have done quite a lot in the past few days.

Did debate whether to post at all today , but I guess part of the point of doing this was to review the effects of diet on BS/health and share my findings honestly with you all.

I will be back tomorrow, new and improved

I feel though that I can still draw some conclusions about the good things and bad things regarding raw at the end of the first week:

Good things

- tastes very good
- looks very good (very colourful)
- don't feel heavy, bloated or sleepy after meals
- more energy, especially for exercise
- reduced levemir by one unit this week
- less washing up
- less time "cooking"
- fewer mood swings
- no more puffy face in the mornings
- sleeping better...not waking in the middle of the night and more able to get up early

Not so good things [!]

- seem to be in the loo a lot! (water-rich foods and water cravings!)
- quite difficult to eat out raw as salads come in very small portions and always have meat/dairy in them.
- healthy foods seem to be very expensive when eating out
- too many nuts in one go make me feel bad, constipate me (sorry!) and make me acidic

See you tomorrow for the start of week 2! A bit of junk is not enought to defeat me

Claire

Hi LadyJ

Thanks for the encouragement. Once I have finished up my sugar tablets I probably will start experimenting with orange juice

Hi Dennis

That is really interesting...didn't think about serotonin. I definitely think you're onto something there. I have been in the habit for many years of overdosing on junk once I get a taste of it. So the fact that I completely got rid of it for virtually a week very likely would have started "withdrawal". Did I read once that bananas are good for serotonin? That would also make sense because I have been eating loads lately as they make me feel better!

Thanks for your comments!

Am doing well again today so far

Claire

Thank you so much, Dennis!

Am just doing a big of googling on serotonin and it makes SOOO much sense. I have struggled for years with cravings no matter what type of diet I am eating, how healthily I am eating or how much I am exercising.

I am so glad I started this thread, I am learning a lot. Hope others are finding it useful for them, too.

Claire

Day 8...

Back to raw!

Yesterday bedtime <b>BS 7.7</b>
8pm 3 units Levemir

Felt like someone had stamped on my head when I woke up this morning, not helped by getting up at 3am to sleep on the sofa due to partner's beer-feast induced snoring :evil: Also looked very white, puffy and had big dark circles under my eyes. So all in all that nasty junky food left my body in a bit of a state. Yuck. Also had huge cravings for jam doughnuts!

Am BS not too good either, <b>7.4</b>, but that was to be expected.

Was supposed to get up early and go out on my bike, but couldn't be bothered to get up due to food hangover. Getting up late also meant I didn't have time to do my yummy veggie juice, so grabbed a couple of nectarines instead. <b>2 units NR</b>, allowing for bringing my BS down a little bit extra.

Managed to make the journey to work as long as possible by raiding the chemist for more test strips (was down to last two, emergency situation [:0]) and then stopping at Sainsbury's to get more supplies. Raw is a good excuse to go shopping lots because you can't buy too much in bulk - you end up with manky veggies come the end of the week. Managed to spend £8 on not much. That is a very expensive shop! Will stick to Morrisons in future as I am a cheapskate.

Managed to find my way to work eventually. 10am <b>BS 3.9</b> three quarters of a whole galia melon! <b>1 unit NR</b> Always find that I am hungrier the day after I eat too much junk...

12:30pm <b>BS 4.4</b> one banana, two little yellow plums and a big salad with the rest of my carrot, turnip, sweet potato mix from yesterday, iceberg lettuce and a handful of flageolet beans for the dietician [] <b>2 units NR</b>

3pm <b>BS 3.1</b> one sugar tablet, two small bananas, handful of walnuts and a green pepper. No insulin.

7:30pm <b>BS 5.9</b> Went to Wetherspoon for dinner. Lots of raw options on the menu as you can imagine and had forgotten to bring fruit with me, so went for a tomato soup instead. Tasted good but definitely had gunk in it because I felt really bloated afterwards and my nose bunged up again. My nose is starting to be a good indicator of whether something is good for me...Came with some brown baguette which I tried and intially decided tasted fake and yucky. Then I went back and ate it for some reason, really don't know what is wrong with me. Am definitely addicted to starch and I DON'T WANT TO BE. Evil starch :twisted: <b>4 units NR</b>

Am feeling quite dubious about this 1 unit NR to 1 carbohydrate portion thing. I personally think I need more like 0.5:1. Will keep an eye on this...

8pm <b>3 units Levemir</b>

Having spent most of my working afternoon looking into serotonin have decided I need more of it and bought a 5-HTP supplement at H&B after work...thanks Dennis!

Am also considering getting a colonic after a tip from a type 1 on the raw food forum. He mentioned that candida gives you cravings, and I quite definitely have candida overgrowth - have not managed to get rid of thrush since I was diagnosed, no matter what the doctor gives me. Anyway, this bloke said that he had a couple of colonics and it actually cleared his system of candida. Can't say I like the thought :x but would pretty much do anything to get rid of this constant thrush...hmmm will have to look into it at the natural health place in town.

See you tomorrow, sorry my posts are getting so long. I enjoy writing!

Claire

Day 9...

Yesterday bedtime <b>BS 10.8 </b> [:0] Too high! Got that Wetherspoon meal wrong. Gave myself <b>1 unit NR</b> correction.

This morning <b>BS 6.7</b> [:0] Too high again! Don't like it when my BS is high, much prefer to be on the low side :evil:

Had the day off work so went for a nice long bike ride at 8am. Ate a couple of dates beforehand to keep me going. <b>No insulin</b>. Stopped by at the Natural Health Centre to ask about colonic hydrotherapy treatment...£62 a session!!! That is expensive. hmmm...will have to think about whether it is worth it. It is supposed to be very good for you, but that is a lot of money Especially as you are likely to need a couple of sessions at least to get a good clean out.

Also stopped off at the gym to do some weights.

Was starving when I got home, so ate three more dates. I love dates! Gave myself <b>1 unit NR</b> - would usually do 1 unit per date but I seem to gobble up BS after exercise.

Lunch 1pm <b>BS 8.0</b>. Could have done with another unit of NR with those dates after all! Had a bit of a feast on the train to London - big bottle of veggie juice (cuspamber, lots of spinach, celery, a big red pepper, bit of fresh ginger, half a lime), a whole box of physalis fruits and a nectarine. Thought I would try out the dietician's 1:1 thing. So...veggie juice 5g carbs (for the red pepper), physalis 20g according to packet, nectarine 15g = 4 carbohydrate portions. Plus a little extra for correcting the high BS. So minimum 4 units insulin -50% to allow for exercise = <b>2 units NR</b>.

I really don't think that insulin:carbs ratio is right for me! Had a massive hypo at 2:45pm, right in the middle of a museum! <b>BS 2.2</b>
Ate four sugar tablets and a banana to correct.

Felt like I was hypoing again at 4pm, but wasn't after all <b>BS 6.2</b>. But ate a nectarine, a plum and a head of romaine lettuce anyway because I felt hungry.

Spent the afternoon wondering around Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Chinatown and ended up in Pizza Express for dinner at 7pm. <b>BS 4.7</b> Had a "Bosco" salad with extra avocado instead of the mozzarella. Was very nice, not quite raw though because there were cooked mushrooms and tomatoes. Didn't eat the breadsticks although I have to say they were very tempting! Was a bit worried when it came to the table that it wouldn't fill me up, but actually felt quite stuffed afterwards, must have been all that avocado. <b>No insulin</b>

8pm <b>3 units Levemir</b>

Felt really tired on the train home - hope I am not coming down with anything. My partner has been ill all week so I am waiting for it!

Bedtime <b>BS 6.2</b>

Will be back with day 10 (wow, ten days already!) later today...

Hi Fergusc

I liked your story about the chocolate!

Congratulations on killing the chocolate demon :twisted:

I would so love to get off the sugar/starch addiction. Like you say, it is such a good thing for your health. I am at the stage where I can think of far more disadvantages than advantages to eating these foods, and also I don't enjoy the taste like I did. I think I posted before that a piece of really ripe fruit is far nicer than any junk food I could eat, and I really do think that...but somehow I give in to those cravings far too often. :evil:I always regret it - it is never worth it.

The serotonin thing makes a lot of sense. And I guess the only way the brain can normalise its serotonin level is to go cold turkey.

I have to say since starting this raw experiment the effect on my body of processed stuff is very, very noticeable - much more than before. And I don't like the effects I have seen!

I am totally convinced I have to get off these foods and to hear your chocolate story has definitely helped motivate me...it can be done!

Thank you!

Claire

Day 10...

Yesterday bedtime <b>BS 6.2</b>

This morning <b>BS 5.1</b> A bit higher than I would have liked...I like it when I am in the fours when I wake up. I have to say I am really noticing the difference in my BS now I have reduced the Levemir from 4 units to 3. Everything seems higher now. I think it must mean that I am getting to the right dosage now, though, as every time I have changed my dose before (started out at 12 units levemir!!!) I have not really noticed any difference at all. I always had to aim for 8 or higher before bed to allow for the big drop in BS overnight, but now I think I need to adapt for going to bed at around 5 or 6 so that I wake up at a nice level. That's good, though, never was comfortable going to bed so high.

Before I carry on, <b>I HAVE TO SHARE MY NEW DISCOVERY WITH YOU ALL</b>. Had such a boring day at work (can't wait til I'm back in school next week, can't stand sitting in an office all day [!]) that I spent a lot of time on the raw food forum. http://www.rawfoodsupport.com. Anyway, a lot of members there enter their daily food intake onto an online nutrient calculator to check that they are eating a good level/distribution of nutrients. Check out <b>www.fitday.com</b>...I had so much fun on that this afternoon [] It tells you everything - a total breakdown of nutrients, % carbs/fats/proteins, number of calories needed and calories burnt, really fascinating. And I noticed a couple of nutrients I need to target if I am to stay healthy on raw vegan. Found that today's food was really very low in niacin, zinc and selenium and that good foods to raise my intake of all three would be nuts, seeds, mushrooms and dried apricots. So I really need to make sure I get a good handful of nuts and seeds everyday. Also found out that sprouted beans have more protein than cooked, and they're raw, so I will increase my intake of those to keep the dietician happy rather than go back to lots of cooked beans.

Also noticed when played around on fitday.com that greens/veg are the most important for getting all the vits/mins, but fruit is really important for getting calories. My calories seemed very low, especially given that I usually do quite a lot of exercise, which could explain why I have been having cravings. Will try to get more fruit and nuts/seeds for calories in addition to the veg. Surprisingly, there is actually fat in fruits and veg too!

Anyway, back to today...

Breakfast: no surprises here to those of you who read my posts pint of veggie juice (cuspamber, spinach, red pepper, celery, broccoli, fresh ginger, half a courgette, half a lime). Had to drink in the car as I spent so much time this morning preparing a gourmet lunch <b>No insulin</b>

10 am <b>BS 8.6</b> bit high...ate 5 oranges because I am still worried about getting this cold my partner has had. Woke up this morning with a sore throat and bunged up nose. <b>5 units NR </b> taking into account a correction for high BS.


12:30pm <b>BS 3.9</b> Really enjoyed this: ate one banana with a lunchbox full of veggie slices ...beetroot, sweet potato, cuspamber, celery, carrot cut with a crinkle slicer so they looked nice and pretty. Dipped these in a courgette "hummous" - 1 courgette, bunch of fresh parsley, tablespoon of tahini (not raw, though you can buy it raw), paprika, black pepper, water all whizzed up in the food processor. <b>No insulin</b> Looked very green and slimy! Had to put up with an ignorant colleague at work commenting "WHAT is THAT??? Does it taste as bad as it looks?". But that's pretty normal really. Will make a point of sniffing round her when she gets out the same old cheese sandwich which she has had for lunch every day of the three years I have been working there and making some rude comment about it. I am finding the negativity of other people quite draining. What really bugs me is that if I sat there eating chocolate, crisps and drinking coke no-one would bat an eyelid because that's "normal" :evil:

Be prepared for a lot of stick if you eat healthily in public!

3pm <b>BS 4.6</b> felt quite hungry, so ate 3 oranges, 2 sharon fruits and a handful of brazil nuts (good for selenium!). <b>4 units NR</b>.

Haven't eaten anything else because that really filled me up.

8pm 3 units levemir

Am going to a "pamper event" tomorrow. Hopefully I can get an aqua detox treatment to speed up my detox, I'm so excited

Day 11...

Didn't get to my pamper event for my detox treatment as something else came up :evil: Will go next month...

Yesterday bedtime <b>BS 7.2</b>

This morning <b>BS 5.3</b>

Tried out OIL PULLING before breakfast! (http://www.oilpulling.com) This is a technique which is supposed to be really good for your teeth and gums because it helps to remove bacteria and nasties from your mouth. You take a tablespoon of sesame or sunflower oil and swish it around your mouth (don't swallow!) for 15-20 minutes. When you spit it out, the oil should be white and should be loaded with all those bacteria which cause you problems! Then you just brush your teeth as useful. Was a bit strange but not unpleasant.

8am walked up to gym, did some weights, walked back. Ate a banana to keep my BS up. <b>No insulin.</b>

10:30am <b>BS 6.3</b> Pint of veggie juice (cuspamber, lots of kale, handful string beans, celery, ginger, half a lime) and 3 dates YUM. that really gave me a lot of energy. <b>2 units NR</b>

1:30pm lunch BS <b>3.8</b> half a bag of sprouted chickpeas/lentils/aduki beans/mung beans, (these taste REALLY good and you can get them in Asda or health food shops), 5 plum tomatoes, 3 dates, half a romaine lettuce, handful of almonds. <b>3 units NR</b>

3:30pm <b>BS 2.7</b> whoops, got that lunchtime dose wrong! Ate two sugar tablets to correct, then a banana, a sharon fruit and a big purple plum. <b>No insulin</b>

7pm <b>BS 4.8</b> Went out for curry! Have eaten out so much this week as it has been half term, will have to cut back again now Ate a side dish of spinach, yum, one and half little bhajis and a big green salad (chinese leaf, peas, tomato, cuspamber, onion). That was really good, but oily. Debated whether to have some pineapple for dessert but was actually pretty full. don't usually have dessert anyway. <b>No insulin.</b>

8pm <b>3 units levemir</b>

Bedtime <b>BS 7.8</b>

Typed all my food into fitday.com again to check the nutrition. It's so much fun! Did better today on my zinc and selenium, but could still do with some more. Will do this everyday for a week then get it to calculate the average levels of all the nutrients - that should give me a good idea of whether I'm doing OK. Did it for my partner as well, that was funny! He eats as differently to me as you can get - lots of meat, crisps, snacks, very few fruits/vegetables. He was also low on several nutrients. Just goes to show that people who eat "normally" need to keep an eye on these things as well as the "normal" diet is not necessarily nutritious.

Back soon for day 12...