I'm currently on day 18 of the 'Master Cleanse' (I'm doing it to detox narcotics, chemo and aspartame) and I've decided to transition from the cleanse, to a raw vegan diet.

I was hoping for your expert opinions on a few things:

-raw food preparation is foreign to me so I'm wondering what you all think about buying everything from the raw section at Whole Foods (or someplace similar) until I get used to this lifestyle. Do you have recommendations for any particular brands or prepared things you think a newbie would enjoy?

-my husband is very concerned about me not getting any meat protein. He wants me to agree to eat 4 oz of cooked salmon every day (taken with enzymes). Is there a downside to having 4oz of salmon every day, but doing everything else totally raw/vegan?

Thank you so much I've been poking around here and this is a great forum

I say skip the "raw" section, if it's anything like the one at my WF it's way overpriced and all dehydrated. The staple of the raw lifestyle is (should be) fruit, vedge, and greens! Some nuts and seeds are ok too. Hit up the produce section, get all organic if you can afford it. Some dehydrated stuff is ok for transitioning, but shouldn't be a staple.. living foods are best as they are so hydrating, complete and natural. Steer clear of anything processed and packaged if possible. Drink lots of water and get as much rest as your body wants.

Try green smoothies, those are a tasty way to get a mega dose of nutrients. I like them simple: 3-4 bananas, 1.5cup water and a head of romaine (or as many greens as you can handle). A good ol' huge salad is good too, for a dressing I either just use an avocado, or I blend an orange with 2T of homemade tahini. I recently got a salad spinner too which I rather recommend.

Yes there are downsides to eating salmon every day, and meat protein is totally unnecessary. Fears of not getting enough protein are common but really unnecessary. Mother's milk has ~6% of its calories from protein. Who grows faster than babies?! Are you a bodybuilder? Remember too that the body recycles its proteins and amino acids. When cells die they're recycled, etc. Animal products are actually too high in protein, causing the body to leach calcium from the bones to buffer the acidity caused from all the protein. You might also want to read The China Study. A vegan diet has plenty of protein. There actually really is no such thing as a protein deficiency, it's only really seen in extremely starving people. As long as you get enough natural raw vegan calories, you're getting enough protein.

I say skip the salmon for a while despite your husband's fears, and all animal products altogether for 30 days, and see how you feel! I promise you won't get deficient in anything in that time

My own experience is that for those that have no particular health or nutrient absorption issues - then they will do fine on a diet without meat. For those on an all raw diet, you should have no problem with protein or nutrients.

That said, the emotional side and a desire for 'comfort' foods is what usually gets folks.....not a protein deficiency! heh..heh.

At first, I would allow yourself a generous time frame, cheat days, and healthy-er transitional snacks, juices and foods that allow your changes to be permanent and pleasurable....rather than some sort of heinous sacrifice.

Focus on eating as many of the fruits and vegetables that you LOVE. Supplement if you feel it is necessary.....but often it will not be.

You will still, of course, have to be very honest with yourself in regards to the raw foods that 'agree' with you and those that do not - you know?

Just some tips.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

You might want to look at the recipe forum here for some raw food ideas.

Start with eating fruits and salads, since you probably already know how to do this.

The prepared raw foods at the market are expensive, and you are better served eating simple fruits and salads. But if they help you go raw, then go for it.

As you increase to raw foods in your diet, you might also want to look at improving the quality of your cooked foods. By this I mean reducing the amount of processed foods in your cooked foods, and eating whole vegan foods whenever possible.

As for the raw salmon, eating it because your husband wants you to it not the best reason. If you must eat for your successful transition to a better lifestyle, that is a valid reason. But to eat it because your husband has unwarranted fears, I don't know.

I personally feel you will detox more and have better health if you omit the salmon. But you have to do what you feel is right for you.

use digestive bitters rather than digestive enzymes, substituting your bodys own enzymes can cause your body to shut down production, where as bitters stimulate the release. Also certain enzymes break down fibre and the good flora feed on.

Thank you so much for your feedback everyone I'm currently reading the 80/10/10 nutrition book and I feel like I still have some time to figure out how I want to do this. I (happily) already have a vita-mix blender and I haven't eaten anything processed in over a year (except for Newman's fig cookies.... oops).

I checked out the recipe section and WOW, you guys know your stuff, I'll definitely be trying some of those recipes (and I'll post pics if I get brave)! It's great to be here.

Thanks again

The salmon issue is a tough one. I was vegetarian for 3 years and I LOVED it. Thank you for the raw food for thought

Congrats on your decision to go raw! I would echo what everyone else has said, and I would also add -

If you do not have a juicer, I would suggest you consider getting one. It is one of the best ways to get mega doses of nutrients into the body, especially since you mentioned having chemo and the other drugs, which is really hard on the body.

I am also a fan of the master cleanse. Have you read the precautions about doing it if you had chemo? Sometimes the detox can be especially harsh, but if you are on day 18, you are probably over most of the rough stuff.


As for the Salmon - I would vote "no" on that as well. Many raw food gurus feel that consuming meat largely contributes to cancer. Maybe you & your husband can have a heart to heart talk about it.

As you do more research into this way of eating, you will come across much negative information about the consumption of meat.


The meat/protein thing is a myth, just like the lie about milk & calcium/strong bones & teeth....


Good luck in your raw quest for optimal health!

Juicerkatz I don't have a juicer, but I do have a vitamix. Do you recommend getting a juicer too? I love the vitamix because I can get a ton of fiber, and if I want to make wheat grass juice I can blend it with water in the vitamix and then strain it to remove the 'pulp'. If I do need a juicer, is there one that people would recommend?

I'm leaning away from eating salmon...

I'm on day 23 of the cleanse and holy crap those first 15 days were ROUGH. I felt more sick than I was on chemo. I actually did 3 days and got so sick I quit and ate, then realized I still felt sick, so I started over. The upside is that I feel healthier than I have in years- yay! AND I not only kicked caffeine and sugar, this is the first time I haven't wanted to take narcotics in YEARS. I started taking them for pain and then I just wanted to take them (I didn't take them, but the desire never went away). WOOHOO for nutrition! Food really is God or the Devil, depending on our choices!

Is there a down side to eating animal protein. Yes, first to the salmon (not being flippant here, very serious) and second to you. Animal protein as far as we know stimulates cancer. Dr. T. Colin Campbell demonstrated this in the The China Study. Beyond that, most salmon is Atlantic "farmed" Salmon, fed whatever in captive conditions. Even if it is wild uncontaminated Alaska salmon that you can pay $13 per pound for, why? A little flax seed and a reliable DHA vegan source should ensure no Omega 3 deficiency. I'm not vegan because I think it's necessarily the diet I will do the best on (though I do). I do so because I care about all living creatures (including people ) and our planet. Eating or wearing animal products have no place in my life. Short version, think for yourself, don't eat the salmon.

Paul

If a juicer is in your budget, then I would say yes, go ahead & make the purchase. Smoothies/fiber is all good, but pulp free juices are absorbed on a much different level.

Juices are absorbed much more quickly & efficiently since there is really no digestion going on while drinking them. If the body is not busy/hard at work digesting, then it can concentrate those energies on rebuilding your weakened system.

As far as which juicer? Look through the juicing threads on here, there are many good posts & personal experiences. Most folks lean towards the twin-gear Greenstar, others like the Omega single gear.

For the most part, I use a Norwalk press juicer like in my sig pic...however, they go for $2400.00 new, can be found for $800.00 up used. A bit pricey, I know...

By the way, I know many folks who continue to consume the master cleanse lemonade even after the cleanse is over. It makes a great morning drink, or anytime of day refresher for that matter.

Congrats on 23 days - I never went that far.

I'll check out the juicing threads The used Norwalk sounds like a steal!

I can't imagine giving up the cleanse lemonade after the cleanse. I LOVE hot/sweet together. That cayenne gets my juices flowing like nothing else