Insulin and green smoothies

[CMK2009]

I certainly see the huge benefits of green smoothies, but my question is what about the large proportion of fruit used? Doesn't this cause an insulin surge, which in turn can cause weight gain because of the fat storage function of insulin? I am trying to lose some weight, hence my interest in preventing insulin surges (except after a solid workout). Any suggestions, please?

[Suz58]

The problem with insulin and fat is due to excess fat in the diet not fruit. Read Doug Grahams book 80 10 10.

[snoops]

That is the point of the greens - they balance out the sugar in the fruit.

[lovenlife]

When I went on green smoothies over two years ago, my sugar balanced right away and fruit was never a problem.

[katchmoleen]

If you have problems with insulin resistance, it might be too much fruit. I was prediabetic and the first few weeks going raw I avoided fruit a la Gabriel Cousens. However, after a couple of weeks, my blood sugars really dropped and I added green smoothies. That is usually the only fruit I eat and it is only one or two pieces in each smoothie. My blood sugars remain low and I have dropped 40 pounds. So I do think it is not a problem. I should also add that for the first few months I always added nuts or seeds to my smoothies to slow down the sugar absorption, but I no longer do that either.

[cara4art]

katchmoleen has some good pointers - I'll add a bit more here. First of all, fruit sugars don't act the same in the body as refined sugars, despite all the fear tactics and anti-fruit sentiment that's out there in both some of the raw food community AND the SAD one("OMG - fruit has so much sugar in it - you mean you're eating all that???" - kind of thing). Another one being that due to biochemical individuality, some people will be more sensitive to even fruits than others. It takes some experimenting to get the balance of fruits, fats/protein, greens that works for you. Alissa goes into the blood sugar thing in her book, very well I might add.
One can tweak the amount and type of fruit in the smoothies, like using lower-sugar fruits/less fruit than greens. According to a wonderful set of DVDs that an old practitioner friend of mine sent me about food and healing, chard leaves in particular, especially the stems are supposed to be awesome for blood sugar issues, which many of us have to one degree or another, especially as we get older. Also, another GREAT thing that's recommended for diabetics(implicating anyone else with blood sugar issues)is chia seeds - high in healthy fats and quality protein, and a real slowing-down action on any sugars present in foods. So it's a natural companion to fruit and greens - I use these all the time in my green smoothies! Hemp protein powder is another great thing to add. Generally, some source of healthy fat and protein will slow down the release of sugar and lower the glycemic index of a food. Again, just how one responds is an individual matter. Anyhow, the green smoothie can be tailored to just about any issue. You might also experiment with savory greens smoothies AKA green/veggie blender soups too.
A few last comments to the original poster - are you actually diabetic, or seriously pre-diabetic? I'm hearing a good bit of apprehension about FRUIT in your question, and stressing out about insulin, etc. That stress in itself can do a number on blood sugar, so finding ways of de-stressing is wise anyway. Another great thing one has going for one on the raw food lifestyle that another big offender as far as blood sugar/insulin resistance, etc goes, starchy foods are not present. A lot of people out there in SAD world don't know that although they never let any refined sugar past their lips, they are still taking in large amounts of starch and grain products(which are so commonly recommended on the regular food pyramid which is exactly the same one used to fatten up cattle - another fact that a lot of people don't know), which can spike blood sugar just as bad as overtly sugary foods. This is how people on a starch-heavy(even whole-grain)vegan diet can end up with blood sugar issues and overweight. It isn't until the offending foods are removed that this starts to turn around, and in more advanced cases, medications get added to the mix. Some people DON'T respond to dietary measures alone, and have to get on medication. However, there are indeed many people who HAVE been able to turn around blood sugar stuff with a raw food diet - check out the DVD Raw for 30 Days. A final note, the right kind of exercise can help as well - it used to be that long slow cardio 5-6 days a week was recommended - but newer findings show that a concerted program of cardio that's done with high-intensity interval training works even better and faster than the traditional long-duration - so it's good to mix it up. Weight-training helps too. Plus you have the added benefit of dropping some extra weight that might be contributing to blood sugar issues. Even losing 10 pounds can help, and katchmoleen(waves here!) has done an awesome job with losing 40 - way to go! She's definitely on the path to improved health and healing as many are here! Hope this all helps!

[Green_Woman]

Alissa goes into the blood sugar thing in her book, very well I might add.

And how!!! :D

If you can get a copy of Alissa's book: LIVING ON LIVE FOOD... it will help you answer alot of your questions, definitely!

But until then, there's always Katchmoleen. ;)

[blenditallguy]

I have to agree that the sugars in fruits are not the same as "refined" sugars like those from high fructose corn syrup etc. It seems to me that the fear and hype in this situation is much like that of fats 10yrs ago. I remember when everyone was terrified of fats only to learn that it wasn't fats by necessity that were unhealthy but the type of fats and quantity. Never-the-less many people found themselves trying to avoid any fat what-so-ever and even turned to artificial hydrogenated fats for a time thinking that would help them get their weight gain under control.

As we now know and are learning even more, Natural raw foods in the right purportions ON A CONSISTANT CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE will cure many of the health problems we face.

Enjoyed the feed! thanks