Diabetes is on the rise in our populations today. The CDC estimates that about 8% of all Americans have diabetes, and in Canada estimates are at about 5% of diagnosed cases. In both countries estimates of undiagnosed cases range much higher.

Amidst those numbers, almost double the numbers of people quoted above have pre-diabetes and in some populations, like the Native Americans 20% of the population, that is 1 in 5 people have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Over the past few decades one thing is clear, type 2 diabetes is on the rise. According to Dr. Bisci, in the past decade alone, the numbers have tripled. What else is certain, is that type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease and it is a disease that not only decreases the quality of life, but often ends it prematurely.

Many diabetics today think they have no choice and that pills and insulin shots are their only hope, but that is not true. Today science has proven, that diabetes, especially type 2 can be greatly decreased in its effects and often eradicated all together by diet. And it is for this reason that I am thrilled to share with you a valuable resource that can not only prevent diabetes for you in the future, but also perhaps save your life or the life of someone close to you today.

That resource is the amazing movie called “Simply Raw – Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days“. It is a movie that takes 6 Americans with diabetes and performs nothing short of miracles where their health conditions are concerned.

The Background

Simply Raw is an independent documentary film that was created by Mark Perlmutter and produced by Aiyana Elliot and Leda Maliga. The executive producers include: Keith Lyons, Scott Mader, Alex Ortner and Nicolas Ortner. It was released in 2008.

It features 6 diverse Americans, who have diabetes (2 have diabetes type 1 and 4 have diabetes type 2) and have decided to participate in a diabetes reversing challenge.

Amidst the 6 patient case studies, it features interviews with some of the most respected, world renowned and leading health experts, as well as other personalities with experience in the raw lifestyle:

• Dr. Gabriel Cousens

• Dr. Joel Fuhrman

• Dr. Fred Bisci

• David Wolfe

• Anthony Robbins

• Woody Harrelson

• Karen Knowler

• Rev. Michael Beckswith

• Morgan Spurlock

The purpose of the movie is to show people of all walks of life that diabetes is not a death sentence. On the contrary diabetes is reversible – the secret simply lies in what support we give our body through the foods we eat, not the drugs we take.

The American Diabetic Association states that “diabetes is a chronic disease that has no cure”, but the participants of Simply Raw clearly show otherwise.

The Content

The movie starts with an introduction to the disease known as diabetes and presents the viewer with some undeniable statistics that are hard to ignore.

It then goes on to introducing the 6 participants, who have up to this point lived on the standard American diet, giving us a little background of who they are, where they came from and their story of diabetes. In a quick summary:

Participant 1 is a 26 year old African-American male who has type 2 diabetes, which was actually misdiagnosed and he actually had type 1 diabetes.

Participant 2 isa 58 year old Caucasian male who has type 2 diabetes.

Participant 3 is a 36 year old African-American female who has type 2 diabetes.

Participant 4 is a 68 year old Native American male who has type 2 diabetes.

Participant 5 is a 62 year old African American female who has type 2 diabetes.

Participant 6 is a 25 year old Caucasian male who has type 1 diabetes.

These 6 participants all meet at The Tree of Life Rejuvination Center in Patagonia, Arizona. This is where they are to spend the next 30 days. Away from all friends and family, they participate in workshops, cooking seminars and medical assistance, but most importantly they live for 30 days on a complete raw and vegan diet. That meant no meat, dairy, refined sugar, alcohol or processed food of any kind.

The movie then chronicles the highlights of the 30 days and shares with the viewer the challenges, set-backs, joys and successes that the participants experience.

In between their stories, are the expert interviews that are presented on various topics when it comes to the raw, vegan and diabetes-free life.

The final results are shocking in a nutshell and nothing short of a miracle as some may see it. Without spoiling the movie for you, let’s just say that there are some unexpected twists and turns in the 30 day challenge, but ultimately almost all of the patients got off completely from their meds and improved their health in so many more ways then just beating the diabetes.

“Let the garden be your pharmacy.”

Simply Raw

Personal Commentary

I personally am not diabetic, but I have to tell you, I enjoyed the journey of these 6 participants and the Simply Raw movie a lot. The biggest reason for this is that in less than 30 days, all of the participants health had improved drastically and the only main difference was their diet.

It is an amazing movie, because it shows us the power of food – good, wholesome, natural food, and in this case to be even more exact the power of raw vegan food. This is food as mother nature intended and it is proving time and time again to be a superior choice for a healthy life.

It was absolutely incredible and astounding to see how fast some of the participant’s bodies responded to the raw food lifestyle, literally within days they were able to be removed from their drugs. Drugs that up to this point came in the dozens and they could not function without. I think that speaks volumes.

What was really awesome about the movie too, is how real the stories were. You can tell these are not people scripted or made to say or do anything they do not want to. I am sure it will help a lot of people out there relate to at least one of them. Although I would have liked to have seen a slightly bigger test group, perhaps at least 10 people. I understand the costs involved when the movie is not made for the big screens of Hollywood.

I am not a fan of reality tv, but watching this was different. It was like a medical “Big Brother” with a purpose. And where, the emotion and the drama were heartfelt, deep and most importantly meaningful. However, for anyone who does like reality tv, I imagine they will love this movie even more.

Finally, one cannot but walk away impressed and empowered with all the research and helpful information presented in the movie. I am a huge fan of Anthony Robbins – perhaps the greatest motivational speaker ever, and it is so amazing to see the balance that he promotes. To him it is not just about one area of life in order to be successful and happy – it is about the whole package, and you can bet the right diet leading to great health is one of the critical components of that.

Raw food expert David Wolfe’s interviews were equally stimulating. For anyone who is familiar with his work – he does not disappoint. His passion and enthusiasm for the raw lifestyle is contagious to say the least.

I was also happy to have met some new faces like Dr. Bisci and Dr. Cousens, both of whom provided a wise and scientific approach to this whole experiment.

And in the end, did the experiment work? Where the people with diabetes 2 and even 1 able to reverse their disease and get off of their insulin? For the most part you bet! The results were amazing and as I have stated earlier, some would even call miraculous.

Conclusion

So even though I do not have diabetes and at the rate I am going with my diet and general lifestyle never will, I still wanted to see this movie because what it shows is not just about diabetes. It is about the amazing power of the raw lifestyle.

People’s bodies are transformed on this lifestyle literally from head to toe. Whether it be diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, digestion, vitality or you name it – the raw food lifestyle is truly remarkable.

And the best part is, it does not include or involve any expensive supplements and is probably the cheapest way to eat, most environmentally friendly, not to mention perhaps even the healthiest. Some people may think that this is not a realistic way to live, but I cannot think of anything more realistic than not killing animals, not eating chemicals and living off of the bounty of plants mother nature provides in their natural form.

Hence, if you want to learn more about diabetes, whether how to cure it or prevent it for yourself or someone you know, I highly recommend this movie. And if nothing else, watch it to expose yourself to the wonderful world of raw and the benefits it can offer you.

Check out the trailer below:

About the author:
Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.