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Cleansing for Diabetics!

During the past few days I've shared some respected cleansing strategies from around the world, which are used at renowned cleansing retreats. Now I want to share strategies for diabetics and for those who are better off chewing than drinking their food. While I enjoy drinking "high nutrient drinks," such as vegetable and fruit juices or smoothies from time to time, they are not a primary feature of my diet. When I do enjoy these drinks I sip and savor them over two or three hours, interchanging with drinking water as well.

It is best for everyone, but especially diabetics, to sip and savor such drinks. They have relatively high carb loads and enter the bloodstream at least five or six times faster than nature designed them to enter the bloodstream if you were to simply chew the food. Gulping and guzzling juiced and blended drinks leads to elevated blood-sugar levels for diabetics. In working with overweight diabetics we routinely see blood-sugar levels eclipse 600 mg/dl and stay there for over 4 hours. This spells death to cells that do not require insulin to allow sugar through the cell wall, such as optic nerves, organ cells, and cells of the nervous system in general. Thousands of these cells are destroyed when blood-sugar levels remain chronically high. Over time this leads to blindness, organ failure, amputations, and so forth.

Therefore, if you choose to use juicing of fruits and vegetables, or the blending of smoothies and you are diabetic, sip and savor such drinks over a couple of hours or longer, depending upon the carb load of the drink. These drinks simply enter the bloodstream far too quickly for those whose bodies do not efficiently and swiftly move excess blood-sugars out of the bloodstream. Be wise and don't get caught up in juicing or smoothie hype, unless your body can enjoy high-nutrient drinks without creating dangerously elevated blood-sugar levels.

How should diabetics and those who prefer to chew their food conduct a powerful cleanse?

Breakfast!
During a cleanse or anytime a fruited leafy green salad with some berries and nuts on top is a great way to start your day. I enjoy this dish topped with unsweetened, homemade greek yogurt, and if I am going to be doing something physically demanding I will enjoy some additional fruit and/or good ole fashion oatmeal or some other great grain dish. I can hardly wait to try the new granola recipe that was recently contributed to our site under Desserts and Fun Extras in our recipe forums.

Lunch!
Yep! You guess it again. There is just something extraordinary about filling up on raw vegetables and enjoying them with a wholesome and all-natural dip that can be whipped up in seconds, like the one seen here. Don't forget that even though they are not shown in this picture, you can also enjoy enough fruit to satisfy your midday sweet tooth. If I were not cleansing, I would add a simple bean and/or grain dish on the side. All of these options are friendly to the diabetic, provided you don't over do your intake of whole fruit.

Dinner!
Go all out to make a salad worth eating, which includes tasty and bold contrasts that keep a salad darn enjoyable and interesting to eat. This salad includes some leafy green lettuce, some Napa cabbage, beets, carrots, cucumbers, red onion, sweet red peppers, and kalamata olives. Now I'm sure that if you think hard enough you can figure out a wonderful natural dressing to compliment these flavors. If you do, please share the dressing in the comment section below! If you cannot, then visit our salad dressings and dips forums and/or see our show-me-how salad dressing videos. These include bold, mild, and in between dressings of many kinds and features sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy dressings.

If you are not cleansing, but want to enjoy this awesome salad for dinner, then try topping this salad with beans and rice or beans and quinoa, or chili. If you don't want to top your salad in such a manner, then enjoy any of our Main Dishes on the side (see videos here and forum recipes here for Main Dishes).

If you choose to enjoy 10% of your calories as animal-based foods, you could put a daub of coconut milk in the bottom of a stir-fry pan, add to it some onion, mushroom, and julienned zucchini and a bit of water (not much) and let these saute together until the onions are just right. Then toss in some rice and a couple of organic farm-fresh eggs! Stir it up continuously as the eggs cook and voila, an amazing topping for your salad.

I appreciate the requests by diabetics for an approach to cleansing that works wonderfully also for diabetics.

Remember, You Cleanse and Renew 24/7!

Finally, too often we look at cleansing as a special event. It can be, but never forget that your body is built to cleanse 24/7. This means you can adapt any of the principles we've been demonstrating to your own needs, desires, and circumstances. For example, if you want to include beans or rice in an otherwise nearly all vegetable and fruit cleanse, that is fine. You will cleanse, although it won't be quite as intense as a high-nutrient liquid cleanse or a cleanse such as that discussed herein. But that doesn't matter for most people and it does do the job, so don't get too caught up in the hype; rather, determine your needs, your willingness, and your capacity and adapt your approach accordingly.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Greenman on March 22, 2012 at 3:52pm

What does coconut oil and coconut milk do for someone who is cleansing. I have heard that it is a fat that the body readily recognizes...but can it still slow down the cleanse considerably depending on amounts eaten?

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Permalink Reply by Cinnaminnies on March 22, 2012 at 4:24pm

As a type 2 diabetic who also has had three heart attacks one of which I died and came back and two minor ones just a month ago...I also have high blood pressure...half a thyroid and an enlarged heart. When the two minor heart attacks occurred last month I decided I needed to make food the healer in my life.

First I tried the typcial low carb way to eat which worked for me years ago but this time it was not working for me...than I tried the raw foods diet and that was not working for me either...I thought I was going to have to live on water for the rest of my life.

After prayer it came to me that my body was in such a weakened condition that I needed for a period of time to live on a liquid diet and that is what I am doing and it is working for me. It has not been easy...and every once in a while I will eat some cheese (organic).

I have cut out all meat, grains, white flour and white sugar and most solid foods. I make green savory drinks that I drink throughout the day and will eat seeds and nuts and drink water. I will make gently warmed broth based soups once in a while.

I am in a healing situation giving my body the time it needs to restore my health. One month ago I could hardly get up from the couch without having to catch my breath...breathing was labored most of the time.

We do not have health insurance my only option was to feed my body live foods so it could live and live more abundantly. It has turned out that not having health insurance was the best insurance of returning to health.

I know that one day I will be able to gradually add more solid plant based foods to my diet but for now as I allow my body to heal (and it is healing) I need to honor it by consuming mild liquid vegtable green drinks. I also take vitamins and herbs.

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Permalink Reply by James Simmons on March 22, 2012 at 4:39pm

Every person has a different condition and must respect the inner intelligence of the body. It doesn't sound as if the savory vegetable drinks you are making are high in sugar, which would generally problematic for both type 1 and 2 diabetics if carb loads were high. Vegetable drinks are friendly to diabetics unless larger volumes of fruit juices are added. I added a vegetable broth in the cleansing and renewal drinks that I quite enjoy for its flavor and just how good I feel when I drink it. It is loaded with minerals and would probably go down well for you. Best to you!

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Permalink Reply by James Simmons on March 22, 2012 at 4:44pm

Coconut is not really a cleansing food per se. It helps to slow down digestion, which can be a good thing. For someone who needs to slow down cleansing it can be a good addition. As mentioned above, it is being used for the non-cleansing options that were described.

Julie Greenman said:

What does coconut oil and coconut milk do for someone who is cleansing. I have heard that it is a fat that the body readily recognizes...but can it still slow down the cleanse considerably depending on amounts eaten?

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Permalink Reply by Cinnaminnies on March 22, 2012 at 5:05pm

Thanks I appreciate the link to the vegetable broth....you are correct we need to listen to our own inner intelligence of our bodies. One day I will beable to enjoy solid plant based foods.

James Simmons said:

Every person has a different condition and must respect the inner intelligence of the body. It doesn't sound as if the savory vegetable drinks you are making are high in sugar, which is generally problematic for both type 1 and 2 diabetics. I added a vegetable broth in the cleansing and renewal drinks that I quite enjoy for its flavor and just how good I feel when I drink it. It is loaded with minerals and would probably go down well for you. Best to you!