Health Medical Information

See the You Tube Video Raw for Thirty about diabetics using this program to cure their diabetes.

I find it amazing that of the reviewers that say they have diabetes- every single one said this program lowered their blood sugars and it works. Yet, people give the program a lukewarm review because it is too hard, or there aren’t enough recipes, nor an exact diet given. Do you want a program that will help you cure your diabetes or not? This program gets you perfect blood sugar.

I am also a fan of Dr Richard Berenstein’s Diabetes Solution. Berenstein says eat enough meat to feel satisfied. I see a lot of overlap between what these doctors are saying- yet one is a vegan rabbi and the other is an advocate of meat eating. That should tell you something. (Eat tons of vegetables, avoid most fruits and starches. Coffee is bad. You need to exercise to control blood sugar and build muscle. All those fake sugars are very bad. Berenstein says most of them don’t work to control blood sugar, and Cousins sees them as toxic. )

But Dr Cousins program also brings in a spiritual dimension. You will be physically healthier if you don’t eat meat, but especially you will be doing the ethical thing.

The raw foodists might hate my bringing in Berenstein because they believe that cooking food itself is bad (and Cousins gives a lot of research to that effect.) (And most raw foodists are vegan.) But both of these doctors will tell you that as a diabetic you cannot consume the starches, sweet fruits, sugar-free drinks and candies, coffee, etc that the American Diabetes Association recommends. Both will tell you there is big business profiteering on your diabetes. Both will tell you the standard medical approaches to diabetes care usually do more hard than good.

OK- the program is hard. Follow it only if you want to live a long healthy life.

As for not giving a specific program: he gives you formulas and patterns because then you can create endless menus and variety in your meals. He tells you which foods to eat, and which to avoid. He tells you how to juice-feast, four ways to get more greens, how to make green soups, how to make crackers and pates and wraps. He gives some recipes. There are tons of recipes online once you have these guidelines.

And- if your friends think this diet is too “extreme” then please consider that you deserve more support from the people you love. (My friends and family have given me complete support.)

This book is NOT an ad for his workshops. There are about 450 pages and only 10 describing the workshops. Those ten pages explain something that I think is very true- to live on a raw vegan diet, you need to learn about more than just food. (Honestly, to commit to curing your diabetes through any diet, one would probably need to learn about a lot more than food. It is a spiritual journey.)

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Rating: 5 / 5

I bought this book 3 weeks ago and I devoured it. I was totally inspired to convert my kitchen to raw foods and within 5 days I was off my oral meds following Dr. Cousens protocol. 3 weeks later, my FBS’s are reliably under 80 and I feel like I am 25 again. Plus I am LOVING the food! There are some good starter recipes, but I would also get Dr. C’s other book which has more recipes.

This book is FULL of great information that I found both empowering and accurate. I work in alternative health and appreciate Dr. Cousen’s sane approach- he is not just talking about raw foods, but about mitigating mycotoxins that create disease. I have not found other raw food authors who understand and/or address this aspect of the disease cycle and I believe it is critical to maintaining/reclaiming vibrant health.

Although converting to raw IS a commitment of time and can feel isolating because it seems extreme to some, the benefits are undeniable, the food is fabulous and I can’t understand why anyone would NOT want to eat this way, unless of course, they are OK with being unhealthy for the rest of their lives, going from medication to medication, injecting, and ultimately suffering the downstream consequences of chronic disease, amputations, blindness, and more. I know- I watched my brother die of diabetes complications. For me, that was an unacceptable future and I am so grateful to have found a key to turning my course around.

I feel like someone just handed me my drug free, healthy future on a silver platter. And THAT is indeed delicious!

Rating: 5 / 5

I read through this book in two days. This book is definately geared toward type-2 diabetics. There is a lot of good information, and unlike a lot of other books its not just a marketing ploy for Cousen’s retreats/products. The raw food diet does seem to restore healthy functioning, but I cannot see living “the culture of life” )as Cousens calls 80+% raw vegan) forever. I began eating 70-80% raw about 2 months after being diagnosed with type-1 (insulin dependent) diabetes and after just 1-week of eating this way my insulin needs dropped way down. You can buy the book if you want to- as I said, its informative… but living and eating 80+% raw is EXTREMELY difficult without A LOT of support.

**The book is OKAY, 3-stars means OKAY. I was eating raw before I read this book. But honestly, people shouldn’t buy this book expecting an easy solution. They are going to need a ton of support from family, friends and their doctors in order to make the raw food diet work. I don’t think that most type-2 diabetics have the strength/desire to live the culture of life without support (their poor SAD and lack of exercise is the reason they have diabetes in the first place). Cousen sites a study where people were offered $1000 to stop eating meat for a week- most declined the $. Cousen’s approach is an ALL or NOTHING approach. I think that MOST people need more flexability than this solution offers.

The good information contained in this book was a rehashing of things I’ve read over and over elsewhere… if you haven’t done much research, this is a good condensed version.

I do think that raw has an advantage over the early 1900 diabetes diet, but I don’t think its the best or only solution. Did you know that before insulin was discovered, diabetics ‘lived’ on low-calorie, restricted carb diets? They didn’t live very long after diagnosis… they died of starvation.

Eating raw I don’t feel like I’m starving, my body is doing well, I take 1 unit of humalog for ~20g carbs and 5-7 units of Lispro daily. Before going raw, I was on 12-13 units of Lispro & 1:15 humalog:carbs. I’ve always been in decent shape, an okay weight and fairly active. My dr is not supportive of my decision to eat 80%+ raw, my husband accepts it (though I wouldn’t say he goes out of his way to support me in it), most of my friends think I’m crazy because of how I eat. I’m willing to do what I need to do to take care of my body, regardless of these things.
Rating: 3 / 5