Well hello all you good people out there. this is streambeam with a little update for ya'll. Well actually its and update followed by a request for some advice. First off the update: as ya'll may or may not know, im for sure the heaviest guy on this forum and was really strugglin with my weight and sugar levels when i started this raw lifestyle 3 months ago. I had been so frustrated because no matter how raw i was my sugar levels were 300-375. Well finally with alot of patience and perseverance, im happy to say my sugar levels are finally 120-180, and I feel absofreakin great RAW RULES!. I must thank everyone who has provided me with kind words, support, and lots of great info, My hats off to you all!

So now for the advice request: some days i find being raw is a real struggle that i just cant beat. there are days when i fall off the wagon and will have some cooked food (vegetarian) for a meal and it totally makes me feel horrible. I know my weight and health should be more than sufficient to drive to me maintain a high raw lifestyle, but sometimes i feel that my old food addictions are there just under the surface waiting to bring me down. So I ask you, if you've ever struggled with food issues, what do you do to help deal with strong urges to not eat raw.

For me, food has been a life long struggle and I finally feel that I have found something that will work for me, and venting with you guys has really helped. Thanxs for listening.

Congrats on your improvement!

What do you eat when you "fall off the wagon", maybe you could just alter that from say a soyburger to quinoa & brocoli or something, gradually improving it & not beating yourself up for it & let the illusive "100% raw" happen organically.

Keep up the good work.

Congratulations! I don't have it all figured out either, but keeping myself from getting too hungry sure helps. For some reason when I'm too hungry what I want to eat is never raw, its something really heavy. Keeping snacks around in case of emergency is very important. Also, if you are about to go off the wagon maybe make a deal with yourself that you will first eat one apple (or an apple and a banana or whatever). Sometimes you might still go off the wagon (but not as bad) and sometimes you'll stay raw.

when you feel that way, make sure you are well hydrated, if not drink water

still feel off? eat as much sweet fruit as you desire...

or do both, but leave some time after drinking water to eat the fruit, or after eating fruit to drink the water. (if it's really sweet juicy fruit it will have some water in it so there ya go).

when we are craving cooked, condensed sources of calories, this can be the cause a large portion of the time, unless it is emotional/psychological craving, in which case, this may help too, or do some excercise, breathe, sit with the feeling and realize it is a feeling not a compulsion and you can overcome it, as you are not your urges.

Yes. Congratulations streambeam!

What keeps me raw is allowing myself to eat enough of a variety of raw foods. If I have appetite for fruit, nuts, seeds, or salads, that's what I eat.

I used to LOVE pasta. Now I've replaced that with sprouted grain or raw wheat germ. Raw wheat germ is very good for me to have around, since it never requires preparation time like sprouted grain does. Sprouted grain or wheat germ supplies the same nutrients (in a better form) than pasta would.

I have a theory that cooked food cravings are a combination of habit, PLUS a message from the body to the brain that the body is in need of some specific nutrient(s).

So, for instance: if the body requires a nutrient it's accustomed to getting from bread or pasta, then we have cravings for bread or pasta. BUT, once the body becomes accustomed to getting those same nutrients from raw sprouted grain (or raw wheat germ), then we have cravings for raw sprouted grain (or wheat germ) INSTEAD of cravings for pasta. It just takes a while to establish the new thought pattern.

The thing is, trust your body a little to let you know what it needs. Then find something raw instead that has the same nutrients. It's not so necessary to find something that imitates the LOOK of the cooked food you crave. It's more necessary to find something that supplies the same nutrients.

I have my sprouted grains or raw wheat germ mixed in with salads, and it's great. I usually only want it 2 or 3 times a week, but others might want it more often, and that's fine.

Another suggestion, try to avoid nut and seed BUTTERS, if you can. If you crave nuts/seeds, or if you crave some cooked food, but would rather eat nuts/seeds instead, then don't go for the butters. The butters are often not from the whole seed, or they are possibly cooked/pasteurized, even when labeled raw. Complete nutrients are often unavailable from butters, and you're just adding unnecessary fat.

If you sometimes find that nothing but something cooked will do it for you, the best alternative to raw is probably steamed green vegetables. Add some to a big salad, and that will help.

And don't worry, because you're not alone. Almost everybody goes through this struggle with their old eating patterns!





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/06/2009 07:10AM by suncloud.

I hesitate to say what I do when I am tempted to step off the raw path as I have mentioned it before and immediately have gotten comments about how keeping fats to a low % of the diet and I agree with that, especially the 80-10-10 ideas. However, I find that there is a time and a place for everything - even fats. When I find myself tempted to step off the raw path I eat an avocado. Then I wait a while and eat crispy apples or juicy grapes. I eat enough of the apples or grapes so that I feel satisfied but not full. If needed I will follow this with more apples or grapes or whatever fresh raw food appeals to me at that time. Usually the temptation to step off the raw path looses its pull on me after an avo followed later by some fresh juicy fruit.
The good news is that the temptations to stray have diminished slowly and steadily as I have remained raw. Eating the avo has been like a transitional food for me and as I said its diminished as I continue being raw. I think its the fats in the avo that provide that satisfied feeling that allows me to get past the pull to eat the SAD foods. The avo is about 75% fat by calories [en.wikipedia.org]. See the table on that link for more info - doing the math from that table yields the following: about 71% of fat from monosaturated, about 16% from saturated, and about 13% from polyunsaturated fat. IMO, people need some fat in their diet but its important to good health to get "good" fats. Here's a quote from another source [www.healthrecipes.com] "not all saturated fats are bad for you. The ones found in avocado and raw nuts are actually quite good for you; they’re uncooked and sealed from light and air, which means they have not been transformed in any way." I have also read that monounsaturated fats are healthier then other fats so putting that all together gets me to my point and that is -- people need some fats in their diet and the fats in avo are good ones mostly being unsaturated and healthy saturated (see second link). You may or may not want to experiment with eating an avocado the next time you are pulled away from the raw path. If you do experiment with this I hope that you will find what I have found and that is that the avo is a good transitional food and the need for it diminishes through time so that if 80-10-10 is your goal you can work toward achieving that goal and at the same time remain a raw food eater.

I am so happy for you. I know you are on the right path for healing.

I find it helpful to stay focused on my goals. I like to picture myself doing more and more as I get healthier. I try to think of food as fuel I need to get me to those healthy goals. It feels good to put it in my body, always remembering how important my goal is to me.

Results are quick and drastic with raw. Seeing the results has been a powerful motivator for me. I like to think back to three years ago when I was too sick to be the great mama I am being now, and how far I have come. The first week I went raw I could feel the difference. Great health is priceless.

I believe, like Suncloud, that variety is important. I need variety for emotional reasons as well as nutritional. I am sure the two needs are connected. I like to make food special. It is very simple to do this with raw dishes. I like to decorate. I think having fun with food can help with emotional cravings, like comfort cravings. Gradually I have replaced nearly every old dish with new healthy ones and I am trying new things all the time.