Diabetes Daily Voices

Gluten: Celiac Disease and Allergy/Sensitivity?

Ginger Vieira — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:34:17 +0000

Going “gluten-free” is all the rave these days, whether or not a person has been diagnosed or identified any particular symptoms. For people with diabetes, it’s important that you not only get tested for Celiac disease because especially type 1 diabetes can be coupled with other autoimmune conditions, but it’s also important that you listen to how your body reacts to gluten, even if the test says you don’t have Celiac, which brings us to the difference between Celiac disease and a gluten-sensitivity/allergy.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease which means the body is attacking itself. In this case, the body is actually attacking itself when gluten is present in the small intestine, creating antibodies that are detectable in the bloodstream. Overtime, this destroys the small intestine and impacts its ability to absorb vital nutrients and vitamins, leading to deficiencies.

Gluten Allergy/Sensitivity simply implies that the body has an adverse reaction to this food, similar to being lactose intolerant. While the antibodies are not present in the bloodstream, like they are with Celiac disease, the physical symptoms are still present.

What is gluten?

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barely, spelt, semolina, and a few other grains. (Remember, white flour is simply processed wheat, so that means it contains gluten.) Unless they’ve been specifically made with gluten-free grains, gluten can be found in bread, cookies, crackers, pizza, pasta, pastries, beer, cous-cous, many cereals, and more! Here’s a great list of gluten-containing items!

*Some people sensitive to gluten react to oats, too, but oats are naturally gluten-free unless you buy a cheaper quality oat that has been sprinkled with white flour in order to keep them from sticking together. “Bobs Red Mill” offers a great oatmeal that is certified gluten-free.

Symptoms of Celiac or Sensitivity/Allergy:

People with Celiac and gluten allergies can experience very different symptoms. (Personally, I was diagnosed with Celiac 15 years ago through a blood test but only experience slight bloating and subtle brain fog if I consume gluten; however, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t cause harm in my body if I continued to eat it.) Over the course of years, a person with Celiac who continues to consume gluten despite their diagnosis will greatly increase their risk of developing cancer within the small intestine, in addition to impacting their day-to-day well-being.

Common symptoms of Celiac and gluten allergy include:

headache
weight-loss
weight-gain
depression
fatigue
stomach cramps, bloating & other digestive discomfort after eating
brain fog
joint pain
inflammation that could lead to insulin resistance

To learn more about symptoms, read this full list.

* (You can also have ZERO symptoms and still be diagnosed with Celiac disease through a blood test, which is referred to as “asymptomatic celiac.”)

Grains that are naturally gluten-free:

Rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, flax and more! Here’s a great list of gluten-free ingredients.

The ADA offers a variety ideas for gluten-free meals.

Getting tested & Your own self-test:

While the blood test for celiac disease is fairly simple, your results might imply that you do not have celiac disease, it’s important to remember that you may have a sensitivity or allergy to gluten. Testing yourself for a gluten-sensitivity is simple:

Remove all gluten from your diet for 2 weeks
After 2 weeks, consume a meal of gluten-containing food
Observe how you feel

If you notice that simply feel better when you aren’t eating gluten, you certainly don’t need a doctor’s diagnosis in order to begin removing this naturally inflammatory food from your diet, but getting tested (before you remove the gluten) certainly isn’t a bad idea!

Ginger Vieira

Author of Emotional Eating with Diabetes and Your Diabetes Science Experiment, Ginger Vieira has lived with Type 1 diabetes and Celiac disease since 1999. In addition to freelance writing, Ginger is a Wellness & Diabetes Coach and video blogger. She's known in the greater online community for her work as a motivational speaker, setting 15 records in drug-tested powerlifting in 2009/2010, and serving as a diabetes advocate through Living in Progress.

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The California Salad: Low-Carb and Delicious!

Ward Alper — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:30:33 +0000

If you eat with your eyes first, this very easy side salad is just the ticket. It takes almost no time to make, gets better the next day, the colors explode on your plate, and the flavors explode in your mouth.

California Italian Salad
(Artichoke Tomato and olive Salad)

Servings: 2
Carbohydrates: 8 grams per serving

1 can of artichoke hearts in water or brine (but not pre- seasoned)
1/3-1/2 pound pitted calamata olives (or any good black olive in brine)
2 large tomatoes
½ Sweet (Vidalia) onion sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut tomatoes in half across the equator of the tomato. Squeeze out excess jelly and as many of the seeds as you can. Cut tomatoes in chunks. Place in bowl. Rinse the artichokes in water. Cut in half and add to the tomatoes. Cut olives in half. Add to the bowl. Add onions, vinegar salt & pepper. Toss. Let sit at least ½ hour but the longer the better.

I often add diced Feta or Mozzarella cheese to this for extra flavor!

Ward Alper

Ward Alper is a type 2 diabetic and chef who lives and eats DECADENTLY in Portland, Maine. Since his diagnosis more than four years ago he has refocused his recipes and eating to support his diabetes health. He has maintained a consistent A1C of 5.2-5.3, while still enjoying the pleasures of eating. Ward shares recipes and more at his blog, The Decadent Diabetic, encouraging fellow diabetics to expand their choices. His articles and recipes appear in Diabetes Daily, as well in medical newsletters across the United States. He is working with a major publisher in New York on a cookbook to share that message that you can take back your life and your table while still eating a diabetic diet and be DECADENT to boot!

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PODCAST: The Stress of Diabetes and What to Do About It

Ginger Vieira — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:00:01 +0000

Perhaps you’re one of those people who never finds type 1 or type 2 diabetes to be stressful — if so, then this podcast really isn’t for you. Most of us, though, have those days or weeks or months where the responsibilities and challenges of caring for our diabetes — on top of whatever else is happening in our life at that time — can build and build and feel unbearable. And lonely.

Asha Brown has been there, too, which is why she created WeAreDiabetes.org — a community where you can express and share your frustration, your anger, your sadness, and hopefully, in the end, you’ll feel at least a little bit less alone. Asha has also experienced and overcome diabulimia, so she (and her website) has a particular place in her heart and her wisdom for those who may be struggling with diabulimia themselves.

Ginger Vieira

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Getting Tested for Gastroparesis

Andria Houghton — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:00:15 +0000

I have experienced “tummy troubles” for the last year. In May, I traveled to Colorado to spend time with family and came down with a severe case of gastroenteritis that included a short stay in the ER for IV fluids and anti-nausea drugs. A month later, I was still nauseated. My endocrinologist and my dietician suspected a complication common to people with long-standing type 1 diabetes: gastroparesis, in which the main nerve that pushes food through stomach does not function well, if at all, and food can languish in the stomach. I started the recommended diet until I could have the stomach-emptying study performed to verify the diagnosis: six small meals a day consisting of easily digestible food: no fiber, which means no fresh fruit or vegetables and only white bread. No salads. No cherries (just as they are starting to come to market).

The day of the test dawned. While I was waiting for my radioactive meal (they place a delicious barium tracer in the scrambled eggs so they can watch the stomach empty), I played the “If Only” game for perhaps the thousandth time in my diabetic life.

If Only…

If only I had something besides urinalysis to see how low or high my blood glucose levels were the first 20 years of life with my type 1 diabetes. If only I did not have serious hypoglycemia unawareness and have to keep my A1c no lower than 7.5%. If only I had noticed that my new kitten chewed through my insulin pump tubing in the middle of the night ten years ago, resulting in a fasting glucose of 529 mg/dL (a personal best). If only I was not fat. If only I had bet enough in final Jeopardy! to have won instead of coming in second. If only Napoleon had B-52s at the Battle of Waterloo.

If only I had done a thousand different things, well, differently, I could still dare to eat a peach. If only…

The day of the test dawned. I wasn’t hungry because, once again, I felt sick to my stomach. I got the eggs, dry white toast, and water down and Lisa, my Nuclear Medicine Technologist, took the first picture. She explained that she would take two pictures at an hour apart, and then a final picture four hours after the last picture. She then walked me back to the waiting room with strict instructions not to eat or drink anything. She came back an hour later for another picture. Then another hour. And that was it. My stomach was completely empty.

I do not have gastroparesis! WOOT!

I could well just have taken a very long time (over a month!) to recover from the gastroenteritis.

Andria Houghton

Andria partnered with type 1 diabetes in 1971. She lives on 10 acres of paradise outside of Seattle with her husband, two dogs, and two cats. She takes her Labrador Retriever, Boudicca, to the veterans' home, where the dog brings joy and Andria fixes computer problems. Eventually, Andria will have a blog and a web page when she has something unique to say.

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The test you describe is the most common diagnostic test used ... by BSC
I love your down-to-earth writing style, Andria! And am so very ... by Debra Harrington

3 Things I Wish My Doctor Would Ask!

Ginger Vieira — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:46:16 +0000

The biggest challenge our doctors face today — I think — is that they aren’t really allotted very much time with each patient. I’ve heard it’s 7 minutes…maybe 10 if you’re lucky. I think my diabetes healthcare team definitely spends 10 minutes with me, but that’s still not very much time to cover life with diabetes during the past 3-6 months. I believe we could make better use of that tiny time-slot if doctors focused on at least one of these three questions (and skipped the guilt-tripping, shame-blaming comments and assumptions).

1. What have been some of the biggest challenges for you around your health lately?

This question is purposefully open-ended. A doctor might look at our blood sugars and think they can pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, but the numbers are only half the story. It might look like I need more basal insulin during the night because I’m waking up with high blood sugars when what’s really causing the highs might be binge-eating before bed because I’m going through a divorce or struggling with depression or really stressed out at work. Whatever it is, the number doesn’t tell the whole story. Asking this open-ended question gives the patient room to say exactly what’s been the hardest, and that will often directly explain why his/her blood sugars are out of whack in a particular area of the day.

2. How can I help you today?

This open-ended question addresses the same issue of assuming what we, the patient, need rather than letting us tell their doctor. Using the same example of high blood sugars in the morning, I might know exactly why they’re high (because of overeating late at night or forgetting to take my insulin, etc.) but what I really wanted to talk to my doctor about might be something completely different, that is possibly much more important!

3. Do you know you’re doing a really great job?

This question should be asked to everybody…even the patients whose blood sugars might not look so stellar. Too often, we feel judged and guilty when we’re at the doctor. The focus is always on what we aren’t doing well, which numbers aren’t in range, how we’re not exercising enough or we gained too much weight, etc. But before all those details is this disease. And this disease is hard, hard, hard work! Every day. To hear from our doctor that they understand we’re doing the best we can (even when our best doesn’t look all that great) and that they understand how immensely challenging diabetes and healthcare can be, could easily change how open and eager we as the patient are to open up and talk to our doctor. It doesn’t matter what our A1C is, if we’ve been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 or type 1.5 diabetes, we deserve a pat on the back just for showing up every day.

Check out Riva Greenberg’s tips for talking to your doctor here!

Ginger Vieira

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The Dawn Phenomenon in Type 1 Diabetes

Dawn Papp — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:55:56 +0000

Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at any age is life changing. As a infant, parents are having to do even more work in taking care of their precious little life, a young child is confused and doesn’t understand why they have to be stuck several times a day with a needle, whether it is for checking blood sugar levels or giving insulin. Being diagnosed as a teenager, well life is just over, they no longer feel normal and definitely feel as if they don’t fit in. As a young adult, life is hard enough learning how to be on your own and now you have to learn a new way of living. Going into full adulthood, well many of us are stuck in our ways and don’t want to change.

I was diagnosed at age 39 and I loved my carbs. It definitely has been a life changing experience for me. One of the things I struggle with most is morning highs, not morning lows. It didn’t make sense to me that I could go to bed with a pretty good blood glucose number and wake up so high. I started researching all the possibilities and discovered it could be this thing called the “Dawn Phenomenon.” I then learned about the continuous glucose monitor and asked my endocrinologist if I could get one so I could see what my sugars were doing during the middle of the night.

What is the Dawn Phenomenon:

Usually occurs between the hours of 2:00am/3:00am-5:00am/6:00am, some say as late as 8:00 a.m.
Natural body hormones — growth hormone, cortisol, catecholamines — are released during the early morning times to bring our body to a normal state (homeostasis).
The hormone glucagon is also produced in the early morning, which tells our body to release stored glycogen (which is eventually glucose) simply to give our body fuel after having not eaten any food throughout the night.
Insulin resistances occurs during this time of hormone output, therefore blood sugar levels go up.
This process happens in non-diabetics as well, except they produce enough insulin to compensate for the hormones and therefore do not experience a significant rise in blood sugar levels!

Okay, so what do you do about it? First of all, I wanted to know what those hormones do for the body. Many of us know that cortisol is a stress hormone and so are catecholamines. Too much stress on our minds puts a lot of stress on our bodies causing an influx of stress hormones within our system, which is why stress in general throughout the day can also lead to higher blood sugars.

At first I was just doing insulin shots and then did some research on the pump (I like to do a lot of research when it comes to this disease). I read by many that the pump helps with morning highs because you can program the pump to give more insulin at certain times of day compared to a long-acting insulin that is stable all day long. So I decided to go on the pump. It seemed to work real well in the beginning but as time goes on I am being challenged again with highs. * There are a few reasons why this still occurs and I will share those with you in my next blogs. (And no, it’s not about eating too many carbs before bedtime, although, that is definitely a cause for some people!)

For now, try taking a look at your morning blood sugars and determining if they need some closer attention!

Dawn Papp

I am a wife, mother, business owner (Lic. Massage Therapist, Cert. Health Coach), & a volunteer in the community. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 39 (LADA- Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults). I workout on a regular basis, running 5k occasionally throughout the year. I am very passionate about teaching others about diabetes.

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Yoga and Me (someone who does NOT like stretching!)

Gillian Forsyth — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:56:58 +0000

I was given the go ahead to take some yoga classes again.Until now I was to stay away from any forward bending activities aside from what I do in training. The reason for this obviously is that EVERYTHING I do pretty much involves forward bending – biking, working and to a degree, running. This causes shortened and tight hip flexors, which is the cause of my forever tight hamstrings and gluteus muscles whilst running. Luckily no impact on biking!

For a few months now I’ve been concentrating on doing cobra stretches and hip flexor stretching. I had been prescribed to do it 10 times a day. To be honest I do it 2-3 times but at least I am doing it! I’ve also been having deep tissue massages. These are the most painful massages I have ever had. Picture someone trying to dig through layers of muscle but through your skin. Ouch! So when I tell people at work I’m going for a massage and they say “oh nice” I flinch.

Lastly I use the treadmill to stretch out and work my muscles in different directions. I set it for 7 minutes and walk lunge for 2 minutes, walk sideways on each side for 1-2 minutes each side then walk backwards on the treadmill for another 2 minutes or so. This gets my muscles moving in different ways other than always going forward. I have improved with all this albeit very, very slowly.

3 reasons why stretching is important for me:

I’m seeing improvements: I have and always will have an aversion to stretching. Although now that I know I shouldn’t be hamstring stretching and I’m seeing some improvement it has gotten better.
Because I have diabetes…: As a diabetic my muscles may not necessarily be as pliable as a non-diabetic. Something to do with protein in the blood attaching to protein in the muscle causing some weird reaction… I’ve tried to research but have not really found anything exactly on point. I asked my endo about it and he didn’t really seem to know.
My muscles are tight! I am naturally not flexible (and with all the cardio exercise, I need it!).

So I went to yoga today and it went as well as expected. I could have spent 20 minutes stretching on my own and it would have just been as effective but for some reason getting out of my chair to go stretch is a challenge but going to a “class” is not.

I have a great yoga studio around the corner which I really like. It’s small and simple and I don’t feel out of place without my lululemon gear. I went to the hour class today and did half of what the class did and half of my own stuff. It still makes me feel like I can check “yoga class” off of my list for this week. I think if you are going to participate in something that you don’t necessarily love that at the very least you should do it in an environment that you like. For instance I have tried to take it at my gym but end up really frustrated. It is far too crowded and you don’t get any special attention.

We are almost half way through the year and I’m not sure that I’m any closer to my goal of being able to comfortably sit cross legged but it is not for lack of trying!

Gillian Forsyth

Gillian Forsyth was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 30. Today, TeamWILD running coach and Fitness Formula Club endurance coach. She has completed two Ironman races and has run over 20 marathons including qualifying for Boston 5 times. Gillian is also a certified Newton running coach. She blogs about her experience as an endurance athlete living with diabetes at EnduranceDiabetic.

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Can You Trust Your Test Strip’s Accuracy?

David Edelman — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:00:50 +0000

You put a drop of your blood into a test strip. The meter shows you how much sugar is your blood. Can you trust that number?

In the United States, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires the following level of accuracy to approve a new product:

Results Over 75 mg/dl – At least 95% of results must be within 20% of your real blood sugar.

Results Below 75/mg/dl – At least 95% of results must be within 15% of your real blood sugar.

This is a pretty significant margin of error. When your meter reads 200 mg/dl, the real result could be 160 or 240. That’s an enormous difference if you’re going to take a dose of insulin!

But it’s worse than this. Once a product is approved, there is no independent testing to confirm that products continue to meet those standards. And what has happened? A series of new papers have shown that many brands, particularly those manufactured abroad and imported, are failing to meet even the minimum FDA standards.

See these papers: System accuracy evaluation of 43 blood glucose monitoring systems for self-monitoring of blood glucose according to DIN EN ISO 15197 and Lot-to-lot variability of test strips and accuracy assessment of systems for self-monitoring of blood glucose according to ISO 15197.

It’s About to Get Worse

This July, we will enter the world of Medicare Competitive Bidding. In an effort to reduce costs, the US Government solicited and accepted bids for suppliers of test strips. The result: the low-cost manufacturers from abroad, some of whom have questionable levels of accuracy, have set the price so low that those manufacturing in the US may be squeezed out of the market.

This will hit companies that provide phone support and robust product quality tracking the hardest. It will also dramatically reduce research and development budgets at the impacted companies. Most importantly, it may be that many people on Medicare are forced into buying test strips that don’t meet the FDA’s minimum accuracy standards in practice.

Competition is a good thing. Low prices are a good thing. But it is a step backwards to allow low-quality products to undercut the market and force out those that are providing more accurate results. Do we really want to save money by putting people with diabetes in greater danger?

We Need Independent Testing

It is long overdue for us to start systematically monitoring test strips. An independent lab must regularly purchase off-the-shelf test strips, verify they meet accuracy standards, and report that information to the public.

Next, the FDA needs to use that information to hold test strip manufacturers to the FDA’s own standards. The FDA accuracy rules are loose enough as they are. If a manufacturer can’t meet those standards, they shouldn’t be allowed to sell their product.

There is an open question about who would pay for such testing. By removing low-quality test strips from the market, it may pay for itself. One less hospitalization due to incorrectly dosed insulin can pay for a lot of strip testing. If that’s not enough, an extra fraction of a cent of each test trip sale could be earmarked for testing. Would you pay an extra penny to know that the number of your meter is accurate before you make a potentially life-threatening treatment decision?

There is another question about how the FDA should determine what penalties apply to those that fail testing in the independent lab. This is important to answer, but is not nearly as important as getting the data out there in the first place. You need data to make good decisions, and right now we simply don’t have any.

In the meantime, we should pause implementation of the Medicare Competitive Bidding decisions around test strips. We need time to take another look at the process and include test strip accuracy in addition to cost.

David Edelman

David Edelman is a passionate diabetes advocate and entrepreneur dedicated to using social technologies to help people live healthier and happier lives.

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Some years ago, my educator had a list of the accuracy of ... by nobody special
Once a safe diet is established the blood sugar level should ... by melvin polatnick
I know my strips are messed up (Accu-Chek)…Often I test & ... by Phil Moore
I'm more concerned with the accuracy of the meter than if the ... by SFC Morgan
Justin, this is a great point. The control solution can be ... by David Edelman
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Gastroparesis: A Diabetes Complication You Need to Know About

Ginger Vieira — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:00:49 +0000

In life with diabetes, we often hear about diabetes complications like retinopathy in the eyes, neuropathy in our hands, legs and feet, and nephropathy in our kidneys, but “gastroparesis” in the stomach is a complication of diabetes and high blood sugars that isn’t talked about enough.

Diabetes Self-Management magazine recently published an extensive article on the diagnosis and challenges of gastroparesis, but below are a few of the nuts and bolts:

What is gastroparesis:

The NDDIC defines this condition as, “Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine.”

Causes:

While gastroparesis can occur in people who do not live with diabetes, the primary cause for diabetics is from high blood sugars, just like most other diabetes complications. The NDDIC says, “Over time, high blood glucose levels can damage the vagus nerve. Other identifiable causes of gastroparesis include intestinal surgery and nervous system diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. For reasons that are still unclear, gastroparesis is more commonly found in women than in men.”

Symptoms:

Talk to your doctor soon if: you often feel nauseas after a meal, feel very full after only a few bites, sometimes throw up after or several hours after eating, have regular acid-reflux (a burning sensation in the throat from stomach acids be regurgitated), or pain in your stomach after eating. The symptoms can also have “flare-ups,” which means they can be worse during certain periods of times or after eating certain foods, and less severe during other periods of time.

Another issue with gastroparesis for people with diabetes is that the normal rate of digestion combined with today’s fast-acting insulin doesn’t apply in this case. This makes it very difficult to manage your blood sugar after meals and to ensure the insulin you dosed will equal the food that is actually being digested within the time-frame that the insulin is peaking and active.

The NDDIC adds, “Symptoms may be aggravated by eating greasy or rich foods, large quantities of foods with fiber—such as raw fruits and vegetables—or drinking beverages high in fat or carbonation. Symptoms may be mild or severe, and they can occur frequently in some people and less often in others. The symptoms of gastroparesis may also vary in intensity over time in the same individual. Sometimes gastroparesis is difficult to diagnose because people experience a range of symptoms similar to those of other diseases.”

Testing for gastroparesis can be done through a variety of ways, none of which are particularly painful.

Treatment:

While there is no specific treatment for gastroparesis that can eliminate the symptoms, learning about key nutritional changes is one of the most important things you can do if you have been diagnosed. Here is a great sample menu and list of foods that will benefit a person with this complication!

The NDDIC describes a few specific foods that should be avoided: “A health care provider may also recommend avoiding high-fat and fibrous foods. Fat naturally slows digestion and some raw vegetables and fruits are more difficult to digest than other foods. Some foods, such as oranges and broccoli, contain fibrous parts that do not digest well. People with gastroparesis should minimize their intake of large portions of these foods because the undigested parts may remain in the stomach too long.”

If you suspect that you may be struggling with gastroparesis, contact your healthcare team soon and make an appointment to be tested!

Ginger Vieira

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Thanks for writing about this. Gastroparesis is my only ... by Tammy

Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free Desserts for a Raw Food Diet

Ginger Vieira — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:00:42 +0000

The idea of eating entirely “raw food” every day is pretty overwhelming to the average person — I certainly wouldn’t know where to start! Regardless of whether raw food becomes 100% of your diet, there are benefits to simply increasing the amount of good, whole, raw food we eat each day, especially for those of us with type 1 or 2 diabetes. In her new eBook, Kayleigh Anderson shares her best recipes for gluten-free, sugar-free, raw desserts in this eBook. You can also follow her at her raw-food blog, picklebiotic.

(If you don’t already own an e-reader device, you can download a free Kindle reading app to your computer.)

In our interview, Kayleigh and I talked about what a “raw diet” really consists of and how you can ease into eating more raw foods without feeling overwhelmed!

Ginger: Okay, so what is the definition of a “raw” diet? Are simple things like roasted nuts not even allowed in a raw diet?

Kayleigh: A raw diet would be considered by some to be literally 100% RAW. That would mean never consuming anything heated above 120 degrees fahrenheit, that means no roasted nuts, and not even things like hot herbal teas! I’m not that strict, in fact, I usually follow an 80/20 proportion, and eat mainly raw foods, around 80% raw, and 20% properly prepared cooked foods. For me, my diet is mostly: a whole lot of superfood snacks, salads, smoothies, sugar-free raw desserts, and a little slice of true fermented sourdough bread, or a scoop of quinoa here and there. I think a lot of people within the Raw Food movement have realized that a one-size-fits all dogma of 100% raw is unrealistic because we are all unique and have different needs. We should always listen to our bodies, first and foremost!

Ginger: What motivated you to start a raw diet?

Kayleigh: My partner, Ray, had been living on a raw food diet for a couple years before we met. When we first started dating, I thought that he was so strict about his diet! He was eating totally raw and sugar-free. It seemed limiting to me. I was a chef at an organic vegetarian cafe at the time, and I thought my diet was healthy! But we ended up eating together more often and he makes amazing meals and is a very healthy and vibrant person, and was (is) very passionate about raw foods. So I decided to try out a raw based diet. It wasn’t nearly as hard or limiting as I thought. Now I couldn’t stop if I tried, I’m loving it so much!

Ginger: What kinds of changes in your health have you seen since you started eating raw?

Kayleigh: I had digestive issues before changing my diet, and I didn’t even realize it. I thought living with stomach aches and constipation was normal. My menstrual cramps became less painful. The constant dry skin I’d had ever since junior high is completely gone. I think that’s partly because of the raw probiotic fermented foods that help with digestion and detoxification, which just beautifies inside and out. My energy levels are much higher, I feel more motivated and balanced. I think one of the things that really makes people happy when they switch to a raw food diet is that they start eating with intention. Before changing to raw, at lunchtime on a busy day I would have thought to myself, “Okay, I’ll drop by Whole Foods and get whatever they have that looks good,” but after switching, I started consciously planning meals, and noticing how each food made me feel after eating it. That causes a huge ripple effect, and its the same thing that many others have enjoyed when transitioning to a raw-based diet.

Ginger: The idea of transitioning to a raw diet might seem pretty overwhelming to most people, if someone is interested, how do they even get started?

Kayleigh: I would say, first of all, don’t worry about being 100% raw. Strict regimes, dogmatic rules and restrictions are what turn people off about everything that’s healthy. Just planning on eating at least one big salad every day, and snacking on some raw almonds in between meals, or enjoying a fresh green juice more often is a good way to start. The odds are good that you will just love how you feel, and the more you love how you feel, the more positive associations you have with raw food. Pretty soon, raw food becomes a habit and a celebration. Getting plenty of good fats, raw nuts like walnuts and macadamias, and good cold-pressed oils such as coconut oil and olive oil are extremely important for raw nutrition. There are a lot of great resources out there that can help you make the switch to a more raw-based diet. My ebook, A Coveted Mini-Guide to Superfoods goes over my top 19 favorite superfoods in detail, and shares resources on finding them at the best price for the highest quality. These are the foods that made my transition so much easier and continue to make my raw-based diet delicious and healthy!

Ginger: Thank you for spreading the knowledge, and for your endless inspiration for simply treating the body well.

Ginger Vieira

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Great! 1 missed… “Kayleigh and talked about” by Me
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“In our interview, Kayleigh and talked about a “raw diet” ... by Me

Diabetes Daily Voices

Gluten: Celiac Disease and Allergy/Sensitivity?

What is gluten?

Symptoms of Celiac or Sensitivity/Allergy:

Grains that are naturally gluten-free:

Getting tested & Your own self-test:

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The California Salad: Low-Carb and Delicious!

California Italian Salad (Artichoke Tomato and olive Salad)

Directions:

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PODCAST: The Stress of Diabetes and What to Do About It

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Getting Tested for Gastroparesis

If Only…

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3 Things I Wish My Doctor Would Ask!

1. What have been some of the biggest challenges for you around your health lately?

2. How can I help you today?

3. Do you know you’re doing a really great job?

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The Dawn Phenomenon in Type 1 Diabetes

What is the Dawn Phenomenon:

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Yoga and Me (someone who does NOT like stretching!)

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Can You Trust Your Test Strip’s Accuracy?

It’s About to Get Worse

We Need Independent Testing

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Gastroparesis: A Diabetes Complication You Need to Know About

What is gastroparesis:

Causes:

Symptoms:

Treatment:

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Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free Desserts for a Raw Food Diet

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California Italian Salad
(Artichoke Tomato and olive Salad)