Today is my first day of going completely raw.

Since last November I lost about 60 pounds through diet and exercise. Unfortunately, this past August I had a bit of an emotional crisis resulting in a 30 pound weight gain. I simply began to binge , at first it was once a week and progressively I completely lost control and would do it 3-4 times a week.

I've been reading and investigating this raw-food lifestyle for about 2 months, and finally this past October I attended a 4 day raw food retreat. Going on this retreat made me realize that going 100% raw would a. reduce my cravings b. help me lose those 25 pounds c. provide me with a better and a healthier solution to deal with my emotional problems.

I have essentially cut out all gluten, dairy and meat out of my diet ( haven't consumed them in over a month or so). I love fruits and vegetables and hope that this will ease my transition into this raw food style.


A few questions:
1. Seeing as it is incredibly difficult to find fresh blueberries, mangos and papayas' during this time of the year, is it okay for me use organic frozen fruits? They are unsweetened and contain no preservatives.

2. Would consuming organic low-fat, store bought almond milk completely destroy my diet?

3. In terms of condiments and spices, is it okay for me to consume curry, chillis even if they are not organic? If not, which store bought spices will be okay for consumption?

4. As mentioned above, I am looking to lose around 30 pounds, would consuming nuts, avocados, etc. jeopardize my weight-loss aspirations?

5. I've tried going raw for a few days in the past and ended up with massive cravings, what are some ways to control my cravings?

6. I am anemic, aside from consuming large quantities of greens and taking light iron supplements, what are some other foods that will be able to provide me with sufficient amount of vitamin B12 and iron?

Your help and advice is highly appreciated!

I use frozen blueberries (just frozen - no added anything) a lot. Although fresh is best, sometimes fruits in stores can have been there a long time and have lost nutrients. I figure it's better to get variety. As to frozen blueberries, I often make a sorbet by blending them with a banana. De-lish!

I find that I have to avoid nuts and really limit seeds and avocado for weight loss. (Of course, exercising helps too. I walk-jog.) Somehow some people seem to do fine eating fancy raw nut desserts, etc., but not me. Maybe it'll be fine for you too. Fortunately, I LOVE fruit and don't feel deprived. You'll see what works for you. You might want to enter what you eat on a site like fitday.com to monitor your fat intake. Now and then I find it helpful to see the nutrients, fats, proteins, etc. that I'm getting in graphic form. It can help you to have a logical basis for the food choices you make. That said, I have become a fairly intuitive eater and like to pick what inspires me when I choose what to buy at a store. Oh, well.

I eat whenever I am hungry - not just at standard times. That way I don't get low blood sugar which would cause me to have cravings. If I do, I just eat something I like - like blueberry sorbet!

I didn't answer all of your questions, but hope some of this helps.


My favorite raw vegan

This is what I've had today ( would love to get your feedback):

I am aiming for 1200-1350 calories a day ( in order to lose 2 pounds a week).

Breakfast
Smoothie:
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of frozen papaya
1/2 cup of frozen mangos
1 banana
1 apple
1 cup of almond milk
Tot: 321 calories

Snack
3 medium apples
Tot: 215 calories

Lunch
Salad:
1 tomato
2 cucumbers
1 medium red pepper
1 medium red onion
2 cups of mixed greens
3/4 cup of sliced organic carrots
6 mushrooms
8 uncooked string beans
1 squeezed lemon
1/2 tbls of the following spices; curry, cumin, hot chillis ( no preservatives just pure organic powders)
Tot calories: 263 calories

* All frozen fruits are organic, unsweetened with no added preservatives.
* All veggies are organic and raw.

There are others here with much more knowledge about raw foods than I have, but it looks to me like you have a good variety which covers a lot of nutrition-wise.

The longer I eat raw foods, the less I want strong spices. I have eliminated hot chilis, but still use dashes of curry and cumin.

I have never tried almond milk, but since I am avoiding nuts until I get to my desired weight, I use equal amounts of orange juice and water in my smoothies instead its place.

Did you see on the weight tracker section on the fitday.com site? Check it out for your BMI, progress toward your goal weight, etc.


My favorite raw vegan

I concluded my day by having 2 more apples+1/2 package of frozen papaya.

My total calorie intake for the day was 1,249.
90% carbs 5% protein and 5% fat.