Hello, im new here and im from Israel. im new to the raw vegan diet as well.
I have some questions about it that concering me. so please help me out here.
thank you in advance.

1. How do you manage to stay on the diet ? How do you manage not to loose wieght and staying in shape (not loosing weight) ? Because its only vegetables and vegetables are very poor in calories. you need aprox' 1700 calories per day so not to loose wieght ( and even with this 1700 calosries some can loose weight).

2. Where do you get the protein from ? protein is very necessary. (if from nuts then see the next concern/question.

3. I heard that in this diet you should'nt over eat fats like nuts, olive oil, avocado. Is it true ? how much do i need to eat of this per day ?

4. Im not able to do meditation what really frustrets me, I really want to but i have to much mess in my head its hard for me to concentrate. Can the diet help me with this ?

I guess thats all for now.
Thanks in advance.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2009 10:53AM by Semyon.

My answers/opinions:

1) Metabolism is not fixed - and most folks will adjust to a reasonably lower calorie diet.
2) All foods have protein in varying amounts, and raw foods are more usable than most. Eat sprouts if you are concerned.
3) ANY diet should have only a reasonable amount of fats like you mentioned.
4) ANYTHING that you ARE doing CAN be a meditation. Set a goal withing what you normally do....and do it better. If it's laundry...do it with concentration and joy. If it's dishes...then do them with care and put them away meticulously. If it is interaction with co-workers, then show them greater care and concern. You get the picture.

-Great questions!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Meditation takes practice. Check out this site:

[www.il.dhamma.org]

I hope this helps.

1) Staying raw usually is no problem for me as I love the radiant taste of fresh raw foods. However, I have "slipped" a few times when I let my guard down and my cooked food addictions got their way with me. If this happens to you be sure to stop and learn from the experience so that you don't "slip" on the same thing again. I lost a lot of flab at first and then stabilized at a very comfortable and lean weight that feels very comfortable. I eat about 70% fruit and 30% veggies (by volume). IMO, the calorie requirements are written for SAD food eaters who are nutrient fasting while eating their SAD foods. I find a much better approach to use instead of counting calories is to simply tune in and listen to my inner coach body signal messages -- eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry.

2) Protein is no problem because there is protein in all (I can't think of any exceptions) raw foods. Again just get in touch with your inner coach and let that be your guide and you will be eating what you need when you need it.

3) I have never heard anyone say that the human body does not need any fat ? We all need some fats in our diet to be healthy. Again tune in to your inner coach to satisfy your (everyone's different) body's requirements. Your body's requirements may change from day to day so keep listening to your inner coach.

4) I have found most of the "static" in my head has steadily quieted like a brain fog that has been lifting away more and more as I have provided my body with fresh raw foods. I think this may be due to the fact that the brain runs primarily on glucose (except when fasting) and of course the raw foods provide a much more usable fuel then cooked dead foods do.

I think everyone should take a test drive on raw and decide if eating a diet of fresh raw vegan foods is right for you -- it is for me. Happy trails.

Hi

This article could help with the protein thing:

[debbietookrawforlife.blogspot.com]

Re 'over-eating' fats - very much debated. But if you're new to raw, I'd say don't worry too much about that, at least not at this stage.

Many people have transformed their health (and lost lots of weight!) by eating freely of avocados, nuts etc within a raw food diet.

As you progress on your raw food journey, you may decide to refine your diet to a lower-fat one, especially if you eat lots of fruit, as high fruit + high fat don't mix well, digestively, for all sorts of reasons that time precludes my going into here!

Hi debbietook,

Quote

As you progress on your raw food journey, you may decide to refine your diet to a lower-fat one, especially if you eat lots of fruit, as high fruit + high fat don't mix well, digestively

The avocado is a fruit. I wonder if the avocado digests any better with fruit then other fats do ?

Avocado is a fruit but its considered as a fat.