JORDAN Price is not your typical 19-year-old.

Instead of gorging on chocolate, drinking at weekends and ending the night with a customary kebab – he prefers to follow a raw food diet, eating dozens of portions of fruit and veg a week, to ensure he is in ‘optimum health’.

Having always been sporty, Jordan never worried about the high sugar foods and high-energy drinks he consumed, until a shock diagnosis last year forced him to re-evaluate his lifestyle.

After going to the doctor for a recurring infection, the Totton teenager was sent to hospital for an emergency blood test.

“I got a phone call the same night telling me my sugar levels were 19.6mmol/l – a normal person’s would be between four and six.

“I think it’s fair to say something was wrong.”

He was told he had type 1 diabetes where the pancreas does not produce any insulin, a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels, so sufferers have to take insulin injections to stay alive.

However unhappy, and unwilling, to accept the diagnosis, Jordan turned to herbalist David Broom, of The Hurn Clinic, in Ringwood, for a second opinion who his relatives have visited for years.

He told him to cut out sugar with immediate effect – but it wasn’t easy.

“I knew about the content in fizzy drinks, chocolate and alcohol. But after doing some research, I started to realise the task may be harder than I first thought.”

Though initially his glucose levels had only dropped by one, to 18.6mmol/l in a week, he persevered and scheduled an appointment with the herbalist days later, despite his GP’s concerns.

Mr Broom found Jordan had vitamin deficiencies and suggested he start taking supplements, juicing and increase his intake of organic, green leafy vegetables and raw foods.

“Juicing is a great way to get your five-a-day, but it also eliminates toxins in your body. In my case this was sugar.

“After just six days of juicing, eating raw foods, keeping meat consumption to a minimum, drinking plenty of water and completely cutting out all forms of sugar, I went back to my GP for another blood test.

“To my amazement, my blood glucose levels had dropped from 18.6mmol/l to 9.5mmol/l!

“I was absolutely astounded and couldn’t believe what had happened.”

Though Jordan’s sugar levels continued to drop, Mr Broom suggested he introduce GREEN Wonder Oil, a cold pressed selection of oils, he said could lower and stabilise his sugar levels.

Two days later another test at Jordan’s GP revealed his glucose levels were 5.5mmol/l and within the normal ranges.

“At this point my doctor was happy to sign me off and said he no longer needed to see me unless they were to suddenly increase,” he explains. “But, since my last appointment, my sugar levels have reduced even more to 3.9 mmol/l.

“I was very unsure about my diagnosis – as is still the case today.

“But what is not in question is the fact my glucose levels were four times higher than they should have been – and now they are not!”

Since discovering the powers of fruit and vegetables, Jordan has been inspired to complete a course in health and nutrition and has set up websites to help people share their raw food stories.

A typical day for Jordan includes eating a green juice for breakfast, salad for lunch and a small portion of wholemeal pasta or sweet potatoes with meat or fish for dinner. He snacks on nuts with a small piece of fruit.

“To begin, I wasn't sure if it was going to work,” says Jordan. “Now, I believe raw fruit and veg have the power to help any condition.

“They’ve worked wonders for me. I feel like a new person. I’m much healthier and happier now, and I have far more energy than when I was eating a high sugar diet.

“More people should eat fruit and veg.

“After all, since I started this – I feel better than I’ve done for a long time.

“I’ve not even had a cold.”

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