Howdy all, Well My mother passed several years ago. After seeing her cancer growing visably on her chest and all the information my father had discovered I had the desire to be a raw foodist. After my mother passed away I couldnt eat. All the food looked like seeds of cancer to me. I tried to eat just raw foods and wheat grass juice yet I became ill. I went to a doctor and he took a blood work test and it showed something about my liver. I was still grieving for my mother and I just broke down and started crying in the doctors office. I think the doctor was as understanding as he could be. I explained my attempt to eat just raw foods and why. He was willing to look at the books I had, He was curious about the diet. Eventually I just gave up on trying to eat raw foods but I always had the desire . I think I eventually got busy with life and all that was happening at the time and just plainly numbed myself with food, I can't explaine just how I have the strength to be a raw food eater now and not so many years ago. I think a lot has to do with this web sight and the support I feel from all who have helped me on this path I have ventured on. It helps also to read other peoples stories. Life has its twists and turns but the older I get the less I desire change. This change has been the best thing for me, almost like a salvation. I have become not only a much healthier me but I have a grip on finally losing weight amd for some reason a grip on my life.
This last June before I became raw I was in dispare about various situations in my life. My health was in trouble. I was very over weight and still am. I just wanted to give up and die. My blood preasure was so high that the doctor wanted me to take meds for it. I tried taking anti depression pills but that did not take care of everything. The doctor kept raising the strength of the pill and even giving me different pills to take. I was still depressed though and very sad. Since I have been raw for over three monthes I realize that I was sicker than I knew. I was on the fast road to ill health.

Now after over three months being raw I can't go back to eating cooked foods. This has changed my life. My perspective on life has changed so drastically. I now look forward to a future of better health.
I want to thank all who are part of this forum for their input in my diary and what they have shared in this site.

Every sincere person on here adds a lot of warmth to everyone else, I think.




RE: the baby-bathing - I read that the littlest bathed first and Dad bathed last, since he was the dirtiest from working in the fields or whatever!! Confusing.

pam, wow that is a touching story and I'm so glad you have found your path to natural health. Your mom would be proud of you.

You are an inspiration to me and help keep me on track too. So, thanks for all your help!

Hmmm, interesting aquadecoco. I always heard it was the other way around, and just once a week on Saturday, of course. So everyone would be nice and clean for church I guess. Then the bath water would be so dirty that the joke was that you might not be able to find the baby in all that dirty water - so, Don't throw the baby out with the bath water! But, my dad could have told me wrong.

Hmmm, let me google for it.

This is what I found:

TRIVIA FROM THE 1500`s
Next time you are washing your hands and complain about the water temp isn`t just how you like it think about how things used to be... Here are some facts about the 1500`s... Most people got married in June because they took their yearly baths in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However,they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body adour. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men,then the women and finally the children. Last of all was the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it, hence the saying "Dont throw the baby out with the bath water".

I havent been writing much about what I have been eating. I have been just eating fruit today. I have been eating lots of bananas lately. Usually I dont care for bananas much but right now I like them. I like apples too but I have to chew them gently. I have been leaning towards the soft foods. I went to the store today and found some bananas that were getting a little spottey they marked them down to 19 cents a pound. I wish other produce were that cheap. I have been looking on craigs list for a fridgerator. The produce takes so much room in the fridg so I would like to get an extra one.
Life is good today. I am not feeling well though. I have been having some sighns of a cold. sore throat runney nose burning eyes ears filling up. Its just very mild though. I am still able to function. Actually my left side of my throat has been sore for a long time. Whatever it is I am confidant my body will take care of the problem.

Maybe you are going into a healing crisis for a good detox! That would be a good thing, in the long run. Of course, sucks in the short run.

well detox or not I have sighns of something. headach runney nose sneezing cold. burning eyes. achey back. Just plain not feeling to well. I slept most of the morning away. I havent done that in a while. I just feel like yuck.

You know where I think I read about bathing order was in a Laura Ingalls book.... but I'm not sure. Probably LHITBigWoods.

Does anyone else remember that book......maybe her family was nicer and more considerate than average.....I thought they had to keep adding hot water after each bather, thereby adding volume to the bath.

If I didn't read that, my memory has become very sketchy.



My daughter has been feeling like you pampam and is tired. She pushes herself to go to school anyway, against my judegment. Hope you're both better soon.

pampam, are you in full healing crisis now? Hope you come out the other end feeling better than ever!

Well, looks like I was wrong about the time period for the origin of the baby and bath water quote. That website said it came from the 1500s. American pioneer days would be the early 1800s. So, I think I had the bathing order right for the 1500s which was what led to this saying. But it doesn't necessarily apply to the American frontier days. My dad thought it did, but he could have been wrong and he's no longer around to ask.

Hey, I am feeling great today. I woke in the morning and my eyes were real red but I feel much better now. My eyes have been bloodshot for a long time though. My nose is not as runney and I am feeling way better. That is so odd. Karen I don't know what you are saying about "full healing crisus" Is that a phase to go through. kind of like walking through the fire and all that? lol.....

Today I weighed in at my weight loss group and I lost 9 1/4 pounds in two weeks. I was surprised with that because My home scale didnt say that much of a loss. I still have a long ways to go in the weight loss thing but finally have a control on that. yea............. I have been reading about emotions and weight loss reall interesting and helpful. I have been trying to meditate but havent got the hang of it yet I think just trying to be prayerfull lately.

About the bath and the baby it makes me laugh because while growing up we had to share bath water when I was a kid. I think the water heater didnt work that well or something like that or maybe just to save a penny but I had to share water with my brothers.

I had a lunch with my tops group and had a salad with some store bought salsa on it. I couldnt eat the store bought salsa. It was in a jar and not to tasty. Thats o.k. at least I looked like I was eating. I really get anxious when I have to eat around people. I have been eating olives lately. They have so much flavor. I dont think they are considered raw though. I really dont know much about the olives but they taste real good and I am not pigging out on them. I still prefer to eat raw. I am feeling like I am getting a better understanding of my body.

When I was eating cooked foods I would usually drink coffee and milk all morning and usually get real hungry so hungry I would feel sick. Now that I am raw I can go for a long time without eating any food. I still feel real good. I use to think I was hypoglycemic and need to eat a piece of bread when I felt weak. Now I dont even have that feeling of high or low blood sugar. I feel real even.

I am beginning to make plans of starting to exersize. I am concerned with the loose skin I am getting. Some skin had tightened up but I don't want to be pam no muscles. One of my dreams was to have noticable muscles kind of like body builders have. I think that is doable. I can still have that dream and make it happen. So I need to make a plan right. If I can go raw and quit smoking I can be a body builder. I just have to have a plan.
life is good raw

Some healing crisis last 3 to 5 days and can really knock you out, that's all. I'm glad you are feeling better.

I can so relate to that feeling real even statement. Way to go.

healing crisis, interesting, I am not sure if I want to go through that. For some reason I am able to breath deaper today. I am not sure if it was because of the cold or not. I ate very sporatic today and just ate some bananas and these yummey oranges. I had a salad with the diet group and nibbled on some real good cucumbers. I also ate some olives. Thats about all I ate today. I don't think I am eating enough callories but I feel o.k. It seems that I can go o.k. and then there are days I just want to eat everything. I think I am not going to worry about the amount of food I eat. I have enough fat on my body to feed a nation. I am sure my body is not lacking anything as long as I feel healthy. I am trying to listen to what my body is saying. I think the mind can be very deceptive but our body will tell us what we really need.

I love being a raw foodist....

I need to eat more greens.

Still looking for employment and all. Today is not a good day for me Its so hard to break off a relationship that has been going on for so long

Sounds like you are eating some yummy healthy stuff.

Hang in there, pam. I feel for you. But, just think, you would be feeling even worse if you were eating junk during this bad time...

karen, I don't think I am eating interesting stuff. I am bored with the food I am eating. I think I am going to have to start being serious with the green smoothies and just find out how I feel with mass green in me. I have read that the green food is helpful for bones and teeth. Maybe I need an experiment for myself. I am just frusterated and struggleing with situations in my life. Those ghosts from the past are haunting me. I am at fault for draging them up especially when I feel down. I think it is interesting that the cold I had was so mild. I am breathing real well now and my ears are clearing up. I feel so much better.
This is not easy sometimes to be raw.
Tomorrow I am going to some place that helps people with jobs. Perhaps I can get some sort of guidance and direction. I am hopeing for some sort of help. It sucks to have not worked steadly throughout all these years. I find myself feeling bitter and frusterated and regretful.

hey pam have you read the green smoothie experiment? [greensmoothieexperiment.blogspot.com] valerie winters logs 125 days on just green smoothies ..its a great read. sadly she stopped blogging as she was getting tired of talking about herself and food but the 6 months is a great read

hang in there .. you can do it

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks jodi. I will look it over. I was just having a bad day yesterday. I am my worst enimy and just dont help myself when I get down.

I have those down days too, I can totally relate. One day I posted that sometimes I hate my life. I am sad for you and hope things turn around soon for you.

How was that place that helps people with jobs?

Well guys today I ate popcorn. The air poped corn with brewers yeast sprinkled on it and some olive oil but that did'nt make the brewers yeast stick. I gues you wuls say today I am not 100% raw but I still am raw I didnt freak out and eat everything in the house but I just caved in to a craving and didnt block it right when it came in my head I toyed with the idea and it just grew and I couldnt get the desire to eat popcorn out of my mind. I justified it and than ate it. It was'nt all that great though. I think I am going to have to just start eating more raw foods and all but today I wasnt raw because of the pop corn.

i admire that you weren't tempted to eat everything just because you ate the popcorn (not sure if i worded that right.) my biggest problem is the urge to binge if i go off track one little time (and i am a perfectionist...my "on track" is ridiculously stringent.)
this is why i am not trying to go 100% right now...i know that if i say i will go 100%, i will mess up one tiny time and throw away everything...if i say i will go 90%, and TRY for 100%, i will succeed, and not beat myself up over little things.

i think detox has my head in the clouds...sorry

I second y_c in that if I fall off the wagon, I use it as an excuse to binge - or at least I used to. So I admire that you limited it to air popped pop corn - which isn't THAT bad.

I used to be 'all or nothing' but it was part of my irrational thinking and eating disorder, I think.

Oh yeah..that's a great way to think about the eating of something not raw. I do the same thing, if I toy with it, and it stays in my head, if I eat something raw and the craving is there, I will eat it sometimes. But while I used to get upset about it 'cause it ruined my perfect day or something, I don't do that anymore..I take it more in stride.

Popcorn, not so bad really, has lots of fiber, and you get some of the good oils when you use coconut or olive oil with it.

I'm at this stage where I'm kind of sick thinking about food. I've been shopping, and cooking or around my son cooking for a couple months now, and with him not working or providing much in way of money for the food, I'm really about done worrying about cooked foods or other than raw type foods being plentiful around here anyway. I think just having some fruits and veggies around is nice, and I have been making my smoothies again daily. I'm really sick of the smell of cooking garlic..which he uses a lot often times.

I wish we didn't have to eat at all!

Love,
Prism

You guys are so reasuring ((((((((thanks)))))))))))) I understand what you are saying yogichi. In the past when I would try to go on a diet I would go for a time and then break the majic of the diet and then I would end up eating everything around me. I really am trying to figure out why I don't do that in this situation. To me it is like a miracle that I dont get into the guilt cycle. I don't feel guilty. That is actually a very rare for me not to feel guilty. I just feel that each day is a adventure in eating and how I feel. I feel kind of like reborn in a way because I am my worst enemy and can be real mean to myself.

Today I went to the healthfood store and had 4 oz of wheat grass juice I miss the grass juice and am going to start growing it again. I had my little one year old grand baby with and shared the green juice with him. He loves it and had a green mustache. He gets reall happy after drinking wheat grass juice. Its fun to see his eyes sparkle after wards.
I also got some health chocalate yum I just nibble on it every once in a while its better than hersheys.
I tries to marinate some mushrooms but I am not sure how it tasts I put tamari soy sauce in a boul and the mushrooma and onions and garlic. oh I have been craving garlic and was talking with a woman at the health store interstingly she said that garlic is actually a antibiotic of sorts and I may need it for my tooth problems so I will start eating more garlic.
I am trying to work on my depression issues. It is easy to just allow myself to be depressed so I am going to have to just get busy and keep busy. I have been depressed long enough I am tired of it. Even though I am having to deal with a seperation and all I have to rise above this I just dont want to be a depressed person any more.

I have been praying throughout the day just keeping my mind on God. I use to be a fairly religious christian but had some real bad things happen to me I still love God but not the religion. Why do I feel so thought full about God since eating raw foods? I am also very open about other beliefs I always have been but now I feel sort of in touch with spiritual things. Its kind of wierd.
I have never meditated though and am trying to figure out just how to do it.

Life is good raw I don't think I ever want to have this change. sure there are times when cooked foods are tempting but I don't want to lose this feeling that has come my way.

if popcorn was your only vice id say its a pretty good vice to have dont worry about it !

i think as we cleanse ourselves of all thes food issues we tend to connect / feel more spiritual somehow . wether it be god or allah or bhudda or ET's

we make food such a huge part of our lives when in fact ther are so many peices to health .. diet health, spirtual health, financial health, physcial health, emotional health , relationship health .. to ignore one while indulging in another to me leaves us inbalanced

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I am still raw and very happy to be. I really didnt like the marinated mushrooms I made they were kind of salty tasting. Oh and about the salt I seem to be craving it lately. That and zucinni. Interesting. I don't know why though. I am feeling more energetic.
I went to some place that guide you to a job. I am so tired of the low paying jobs. I feel so stupid for not taking care of myself in that respect. I became so involved with taking care of the children I did'nt even consider a carreer for myself. I just thought I would be with my mate for ever How stuped is that??????? I go in and out of anger hurt and depression from this but I hold on to being raw. I guess being raw is my ticket to better health and losing this weight. It seems to pull me out of depression better than sugar. I have always had a desire to be a body builder. I wonder if I can still so that at my age. Its worth a try but I got to start working out no matter what because the skin is becomming real floppy. I just have to do it.
I also have to start eating more greens. For a while I was concerned with my calori intake because I was'nt eating enough calories now I think I am going to just wing it for a while but keep a better log on just what I am eating because it is good to look back and see just what I have been eating.

i hear ya aobut the jobs pampam ...i was 33 when i went back to school after being married 13 years and relying on my husband i could hardly find anything over minimum wage

there is light at the end of the tunnel just keep moving forwards

if you desire to bodybuild it is entirely possible there are many 40+ bodybuilders out there and if you do it naturally you will be even further ahead i did a local bodybuilding show 2 years ago lol .. i didnt evenplace not even close lol but it was alot of fun trainingfor it and alot of fun just trying i never expected to win anything i was just in it for the fun

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

So, jodi you don't think it is to way out there? . I will definately have to lose more fat lol. I got a ways to go.

That's very doable, if you really want it. You can transform your body into a bodybuilder type and do it naturally. They don't get as big of course as the regular bodybuilders that use drugs..but there is a movement of natural bodybuilders. Maybe find a Golds Gym or someplace that are serious about bodybuilding.

I'd just like to be more flexible, and not have stiffness after doing stuff like yard work, or painting. I used to take aerobics and that kept me very fit, that and going to the beach often and swimming.

I can't lose my belly fat..it's very hard to do that. I know if I'd stay all raw, I would lose more weight, but getting it off my belly is tough. I even went to belly dance classes for a couple months! I did have fun though!

Love,
Prism

Well it may be a bit to drastic to be a body builder but I think I want more defined muscles. I still have a ton of fat to lose maybe thats why I don't eat to much because I have enough fat to keep me alive for a year lol.
I have noticed a different feeling I have energy and am jokeing around. That is fairly new for me because I usually am real depressed. I don't want to sit around and watch tv any more. I get iritated with what is on the t.v. For a while I would sit on the couch and just feel a little frusterated because I have this energy and I just did'nt know what to do with it. I am not real organized. I also am getting up early. about 5 am now and I usually get to sleap around 11 to 12. I am feeling no stress from this. I am now making plans with my time and hope to get my garden area worked out. It will need a fence and I need to build the green house that I got free on craigs list. Over all I am feeling more able to pull myself out of depression and dispare which is a very good thing.

Here is some facts and it is not real pretty in fact it is real hard for me to share this.
I started eating raw foods weighing about 360 pounds. I am not sure just how heavy I was because the scale I have did not go up that far. When I started I weighed myself and the scale did not move for several weeks then finally it started moving yet I noticed I was losing weight. In july I started a weight loss groups called tops and I weighed 320 on july 9th. now on Oct. 8 th I weigh 279 pounds. So when I say I have a lot to lose I have a whole person to lose. During this time I have not been exersizing much at all. I want to kick it up a notch now and start exersizing and doing more activities. I dont think it will be added stress now I feel it would be stressfull if I did not exersize now, if that makes sense. I feel so much more energy that I need to use it now.

Another thing is I am going to have to log what I eat better because I like that kind of reacord to look back to.

Today I ate two pears and an apple
I had a green smoothie with an avacado and some mixed vegies from 0yest0erdays 0salad and thyn I put in some mustard greens. I dont0 think that was a good ida because the mustard greens wer very strong tasting and it made the drink unpleasant. I feel real good when I drink a green smoothie. I have to remind myself to eat my greens. I heard that is good for bones so I want to try it for a while. also I want to add the wheat grass juice. I do feel the differance when I drink the green stuff.
Another thing is I got some hemp seeds at the health food store. I really like the texture of the hemp seeds and enjoyed some today I also had some chocolateI have tried this kind called endangered species chocolate and really enjoy it. I know I will have to take care and not over endulge with it though.

One more noat is about the nuts. I think one thing I was trying to do by eating the nuts is make that heavyness happen that I was so use to by eating cooked foods. I have given it much thought and really think that is one reason I am so drawn to the nuts. I think the foods that contain fats make me feel that heavy feeling kind of like cooked foods. Bananas sort of do that also but not as much. I cant eat the nuts due to my teeth I am relieved with that but now I dont miss them.
For a while I was concerned with the fact that I was not eating enough calories but I think I just need to go by how I feel rather than a rigid rule of eating a certain amount of food. I feel more comfortable about this.
I am still not sure about the protien issue. Whenever someone finds out I dont eat meat they always ask something about how I get my protien and look at me as if I am crazy. or make some wise crack about how they could never to that because they like their protien. In some ways I feel like saying to them to go kill that chicken and cow and maybe they would feel a little different about eating it. I love chickens they are really nice creatures. Well maybe hens We still have a hen walking around but the rooster got killed by the neighbors dog. He was a real mean rooster the hen is nice and friendly.

My teeth still hurt but sometimes it is tolerable. I am preying for a miricle or some way to go to a dentist. which ever happens will be a miricle to me. I would like to be able to chew.
I have been long winded today but I hope whoever reads this realizes how wonderful life can be when you eat raw foods.
Life is good raw

You are doing so great, eating raw food and losing so much weight and with everything that is going on in your life.

Btw, do you like the black, soft, squishy avocados? They probably wouldn't hurt your teeth and might help to occasionally give you that fuller feeling. I read that David Wolfe ate 9 avocados a day for quite awhile when he first switched to raw foods. Doesn't that sounds crazy? But it worked for him and then he got past that stage eventually.