By Guest Blogger on December 18, 2009
Michelle Sorensen & Family
I am a vegan mom to two daughters (aged 1 and 3). In addition I am self-employed as a therapist. I have another identity that is invisible to many people: I am a Type 1 diabetic with a couple of other autoimmune problems thrown into the mix. In the 11 years I have been diabetic, I have learned not to fight this disease but to live more peacefully with it.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which your body turns against itself and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells on your pancreas. It is often confused with the more common Type 2 diabetes, which can be managed with diet, exercise, or oral medications. Type 1 (previously known as juvenile diabetes) usually strikes children or young adults who seem otherwise healthy. Without synthetic insulin injected into the body, Type 1 diabetes would be a terminal disease.
I was diagnosed when I was about to turn 25. I was in the middle of graduate school and when I look back, I had been running on adrenaline for some time. The previous year I had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, which is an autoimmune problem with the thyroid gland. It never occurred to me that my body was warning me to slow down. I continued to take care of others and to juggle school, work and social commitments. I felt tired all the time, and sometimes would get weak and shaky. I was hungry and thirsty, no matter how much I ate or drank. And still I pushed myself to accomplish more. When I felt exhausted I thought I was being lazy. Finally, I ended up at the emergency room. My sugar was too high to register a reading on a glucometer. I was told they had never seen a sugar so high outside of someone in a coma and I was put on an insulin drip right away. I remember asking a resident the question that I had been pushing out of my mind for months: Am I a diabetic? Of course, the answer was obvious, but for a few weeks I honestly believed it would all turn out to be a mistake.
It surprised me what a juggling act diabetes management was. I spent my first year trying to be the perfect diabetic and I struggled with feelings of guilt and shame. I was convinced that somehow this was my fault and now I could never fix it. My days were filled with insulin injections and sugar checks… suffering from blood sugar lows that left me guzzling juice, shaking, sweating and confused or highs that made me dehydrated and fuzzy-headed. I could never take a day off from diabetes without substantial risk to my safety and well-being.
It became difficult to maintain the people-pleasing life I had lived for so long. I started to realize this was a problem at the first anniversary of my diagnosis, but it took me much longer to actually change my behavior. So my body kept saying NO. No, I will not let you destroy me. No, you deserve better than this. Since the first few diagnoses didn’t slow me down, my body sent out more signals. My digestive system began to crumble. The specialists stuck tubes down my throat and scanned me but had no answers. So I gave up on them and it took me another four years of feeling sick and fatigued before I discovered my path to health.
To heal I had to take responsibility for the fact that my health problems were my responsibility. I had to face up to the fears I buried deep down that something I did caused me, in the prime of my life, to develop all this disease. When I fell in love with my husband (6 years ago) he was able to help me see how little I nurtured myself. He made me feel happy and helped me to slow down. My body recognized its window of opportunity and increased my digestive distress, finally sending me to a naturopath. I discovered the food allergies related to my leaky gut (destroyed by stress and lack of nutrition) and quickly devoted myself to adopting an allergen free diet. During my twenties I did not take time to prepare the vegetables and fruit I had always eaten growing up. I consumed way more wheat and dairy than I had in my parents’ home. Now, with my body failing, I needed to spend more time on me.
When I discovered a wonderful raw food restaurant during my first pregnancy four years ago, I began to realize the importance of adding in even more plant-based foods (versus just cutting out the food I couldn’t tolerate), and had an ah-ha moment: food itself is truly medicine! Two years ago my husband and I started making green smoothies every morning and then craved plant-based foods all day. Last spring, I decided I did not enjoy meat anymore, and thought I may as well cut it out altogether for a trial period. The ACT cleanse was starting here on CSL and I decided to follow along. Everyone’s tips and ideas were so helpful. I started using the juicer that had been sitting in my cupboard, did a little dry brushing, got back to hot yoga, and shook the last few gastrointestinal symptoms I had! I completed my transition to veganism.
There is nothing more empowering than taking control of your health. I may still need my insulin pump and thyroid medication but I believe I have halted the autoimmune cyclone hitting my body and I will continue to eat a plant-based, vegan and gluten-free diet for the rest of my life! I know these changes could help many people… in fact, my husband’s asthma of 25 years vastly improved from eating a less rigid version of my diet at home. I hope someone reading this is helped a little on their own path to good health.
Michelle Sorensen is a clinical psychological associate in Ottawa, Ontario. She practices cognitive behavioral therapy, teaching her patients to change the way they feel physically and emotionally by changing the way they think.
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By Kristen Suzanne on December 7, 2009
It may seem more difficult to stick to Meatless Mondays during the holiday season, especially if you’re striving to add more raw foods to your diet, but we’ve got some tips to keep you on track. Kristen Suzanne is here to share her game plan for making this winter a delicious, healthy, and kind one!
When the colder months arrive, I think of two things: staying healthy and staying warm. There are many ways to accomplish both – with a raw vegan diet!
Let’s start with the immune system. If there’s a time to stay healthy and keep the immune system strong, it’s now. While people are congregating more indoors to stay warm, traveling more because of the holidays, as well as letting their diets slip with sugar-laden foods and alcohol from all of the parties and gatherings, it can become an easy breeding ground for illnesses like the flu. Apart from the obvious hand washing, getting plenty of rest, etc., there are a few tricks for helping to keep the immune system nice and healthy.
Go Organic!
In addition to being better for the environment, organic produce contains more nutrients than conventionally grown food and this is the time of year to make sure you’re getting just that. Some people spend extra money on medicine, doctor visits, and being sick. Not me… my health is my priority so I don’t mind spending extra money for organic food, which helps me stay healthy and avoid spending on those other things in the long run.
Get Extra Greens!
Greens help alkalize the body and they’re loaded with superior nutrition. The easy way to get extra greens in your diet is to drink fresh organic green juice and green smoothies during the holidays. I sometimes add a green powder to the mix for extra oompf! Getting your greens in liquid form helps give the digestive system a rest, which can be beneficial for healing and rejuvenating the body. Go Greens!
Stay Hydrated!
When I’m drinking plenty of green juices and green smoothies, and eating a High Raw (or all Raw) diet, then staying hydrated comes easily. However, it doesn’t hurt to keep the fluids coming. A great way I easily add more hydration to my daily diet is to start and end every day with a nice cup of warm water with a squeeze of fresh organic lemon in it. Always filtered tap water (through a high quality filter), and never in plastic bottles. (I carry my water on-the-go in a reusable glass bottle or aluminum sports bottle.)
Probiotics Are Great!
During the holiday seasons, when everybody finds themselves a little busier, possibly more stressed, and surrounded by hordes of sniffling, sneezing, busy, stressed people… I take precautions and take probiotics. This gives my digestive system plenty of friendly bacteria… helping me stay healthy.
Fermented Foods Rock!
Fermented foods such as raw (unpasteurized) sauerkraut and kim-chi (pronounced “kim chee”) are quite popular around the world. They’re a staple in my diet year round and I generally consume about a 1/4 cup per day, or at least every couple of days. Fermented foods are low in calories with plenty of fiber, and they’re filled with a rich supply of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they help build up and maintain friendly bacteria in the body. All of these benefits are important… especially around the holidays.
I make my own sauerkraut from organic cabbage that I get from the farmer’s market. It takes about a month (or longer if desired) to ferment in my stoneware fermentation pot, so I make plenty of this when cabbage is in season. Then, I store it in my refrigerator for the months to come. If you don’t want to make your own, you can purchase delicious raw, organic, unpasteurized sauerkraut online from Gold Mine Natural Foods or Rejuvenative Foods, and sometimes your local Whole Foods Market has it.
Want to stay warm during the colder months while eating a raw vegan diet? No problem!
Here are a few tips:
1. Warming Spices!
During the colder months, it’s a great time to start spicing up your life in the food department. Some easy ways to do that are with spices like ginger, garlic, horseradish, curry, and cayenne pepper. Add some to the next green juice, green smoothie, raw soup, or salad that you enjoy. See how it gets your circulation flowing. Yowza!
Another favorite trick of mine for warming up is with organic miso soup – yum! (There are soy-free varieties of miso, too. My favorite brand is South River Miso.) Miso soup isn’t Raw, but miso has living components that are excellent for digestion and healing. Every time I have a warm cup of miso soup, I feel the lovely warmth spread in me from head to toe, literally in minutes.
2. A Dehydrator Warms Wonderfully!
Dehydrators are a great kitchen appliance for warming up your Raw foods. Dehydrating takes a little planning, of course, because you’ll need to warm your food for a couple of hours to get a nice soft warmth without destroying nutrients. One of my favorite raw vegan meals to warm in my dehydrator is raw vegan lasagna – Mmmmm.
3. Whirl a Little Longer in Your Blender!
Your blender (especially a high-powered blender) can be used to warm up Raw foods such as soups, nut/seed milks, and can even be used to warm up smoothies a bit to take the chill off. All you have to do is blend the ingredients for longer than you normally do, paying attention not to let them get too warm. A good temperature test is using your finger. Make sure your blender is OFF(!), and dip your finger into the mixture periodically to check the temperature. If it’s not too hot for your finger, it still has its nutrients.
Get Your Booty Movin’!
Exercise is great for getting blood circulating and warming you from head to toe. I keep a rebounder near my desk and jump on it every few hours for about 10 minutes to warm my body. Stay toasty in the winter and burn calories – a win-win! Another great (and cheaper) option is to use a jump rope.
Dress Warmer!
Sounds obvious, but it’s true! Treat yourself to a pair of fluffy organic cotton (or hemp) socks and an extra sweater. Layer up with your clothes. We keep extra blankets around the house this time of year, too, so staying warm is nice and easy – without having to keep the thermostat too high and wasting energy.
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By Sarma Melngailis on July 21, 2009
Sarma’s One Lucky Duck goodies (raw and vegan crackers, cookies, truffle butter, nuts and more) are now in the Crazy Sexy Shop!
It’s been six years now that I’ve been a mostly raw-vegan, most of the time. In my books, blog, and elsewhere, I openly admit to being relatively open-minded when it comes to what I eat. But sometimes being very relaxed about it—particularly in the context of stress and other distractions—leads to the formation of habits before we even realize what’s happened. My own example of this: coffee! What a hypocrite I am. A whole page in my first co-written book Raw Food Real World is devoted to how bad coffee is.
My transgressions started a few summers ago as one of my early oneluckyduck.com investors was frequently drinking coffee around me in my office. I wasn’t sleeping much then and particularly freaked out about a lot of things going on, and the smell of it was very appealing! First I’d ask for a sip, then I’d have a few sips, then I’d just grab the whole cup from him and he’d have to go get another for himself. Before I knew it, I was hooked again. It was that easy.
I felt like an addict with a secret. I’d run to the coffee shop for an iced coffee, then head back towards the restaurant thinking that I really shouldn’t walk in this neighborhood drinking coffee! What if one of the regulars from the juice bar saw me! What then? Making it easier for me, my assistant at the time became my “enabler” offering to fetch me a fresh iced coffee anytime I wanted. I truly felt like a “user” when I finally bought my own ground coffee. At least now it’s organic, I rationalized. Still, alone in my own kitchen filling the filter (made of unbleached recycled paper, of course!) with the aromatic grounds, and waiting for the water to boil, I felt a bit like a crack-head with the spoon and lighter.
My conflicted and tumultuous on and off relationship with this substance has led me to a few conclusions. I simply do not do well on coffee at all, tempting as it is. Not to mention, it gives you yucky coffee breath if you don’t brush your teeth right away. I also have a theory that it makes me sweat and in an odd funky kind of way. Not sexy! But the worst issue is the dependency and crashing. I might feel uplifted for a bit, but then before long sluggishness sets in. Is it not also widely known that it dehydrates you and inhibits the absorption of iron and many other minerals, and is acidic in your body? Further, it must certainly be the case that when you get to the point where a massive migrane is the consequence of trying to stop suddenly, something is really wrong with this very popular habit.
Luckily, I finally feel I’ve weaned myself off for good. If I get very little sleep and crave a sweet and creamy jolt, I mix in my VitaMix some raw cacao powder, nut milk (or, heaping tablespoon of cashew or almond butter + water = milk), stevia or agave nectar, vanilla, ice, and some frozen banana if I have any, and pour it over more ice. So refreshing, much better than iced coffee, and its breakfast too. There also seems to be something magically energizing about the combination of goji berries and raw cacao. My favorite breakfast is One Lucky Duck chocolate crispies with a handful of raw cacao nibs and goji berries, maybe some sliced banana, and hemp or nut milk. It’s crunchy cereal power breakfast.
Superfoods may be a very overused term these days. I love goji berries and they seem to keep you full for hours. A famous New York cosmetic doctor was quoted in a fashion magazine years ago saying that the goji berry is the number one anti-cellulite food, because of how loaded they are with antioxidants. I read this and immediately wanted to hoard them as I expected a sudden worldwide surge in demand and subsequent scarcity, but luckily they still seem readily available and affordable.
I’m also completely in love with green shakes. I’ll always love green juice, particularly when I don’t want to get really filled up. But when I want to get filled up, I make a green shake. Fresh cucumber in the blender makes an excellent base, to which I add grapefruit or pineapple, lemons and limes, sometimes a little mango. To that I add a whole bunch of fresh cilantro, kale, chard or spinach, sunflower sprouts if I have them, along with stevia, a pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla. I like shakes because they make for the ultimate superfood party. I love to add a splash of aloe vera juice, a toss of tocotrienols, a spoon of blue green algae, some green tea extract, and yes, maybe some more goji berries—which blend easier than you might imagine if you have a VitaMix.
Aside from being so nutrient dense, what I love about these crazy concoctions is that they taste really good. Sometimes I add strawberries or blueberries, or nectarines or white peaches. And if I don’t feel like having it in a glass, then I’ll chop a fuji apple into a bowl, pour my amped up green shake over it, sprinkle it with bee pollen and some whole goji berries and eat it with a spoon like cereal – superfood cereal. When this is what I’m taking in, I feel as if I could not eat for days and I would feel fine. As if I’ve truly nourished myself and am a well oiled machine.
With so many variables, it’s always tricky to evaluate how something specific is affecting you. I have given up coffee only to fall back into the habit enough times that the overall conclusion is clear to me. I might crave that initial high and the flavor, but it’s a quick fix that quickly makes one dependent. The funny part is, I would slip back into drinking coffee with a full awareness of feeling very unclean about it, and I think in some way that was part of it – I was being almost rebellious, or thinking that I just needed it to get me through a particularly sleep-deprived and work crazy period of time. Now, when that urge for a cup of coffee – even just one – starts to gnaw at me, I take a deep breath and think about the characters in Trainspotting. That always does the trick.
Sarma
*This article was originally published in Get Fresh! Magazine.
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