This is really new to me to not be eating any grains, dairy or cooked vegetarian food. I feel really good, but it's only been about 2 weeks, so it's hard to tell if what I'm doing is providing everything I need. So, I'll tell you what my diet is like, and then can someone give me an opinion as to whether or not it seems balanced? I want to continue eating raw, it feels really good.

breakfast-
24 oz green(ish) smoothie- sweet fruit, cucumber, lettuce, pollen, berries, spiruilna

lunch-
raw vegan protein drink mixed with nutmilk (sunflower, pumpkin or almond)

snack-
sweet fruit and crackers made with green vegetables and the seed pulp

dinner-
another similar smoothie or green salad
unually another protein drink

redstar nutritional yeast is sometimes in the crackers
and i have supplemental herbs for my underactive and now improving thyroid condition. i'm female and 51.

it seems so simple, but i'm satisfied and really don't want much more to eat. what do you think?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2011 09:30PM by marsh.

I think it looks very good!

If you're not supplementing with B12, you probably should. Red star has a nutritional yeast brand that's B12-fortified, but they also sell it unfortified. Having some in a cracker is probably not a reliable enough B12 source.

To get a more accurate picture of where you are with your nutrients, you might check [nutritiondata.self.com]. You can do lots of stuff at the site, but for starters, you can just enter each food (far right "search" on the top of the page) to get the charts for that food, adjust the serving size at the top left of the charts page, and scroll down to see the charts and find out how much of the RDA for that day was supplied by that food.

Once you figure out the nutritiondata website, you can put everything you eat for the day onto the website calculator (under "My ND/my tracking" ) and analyze your total nutrients for the day.

Way to go marsh!

If i remember you take an iodine supplement marsh so you have that covered if your produce is deficient and no seaweeds etc.

You should run it through a daily food calculator such as fitday.com or the cron-o-meter to get an idea of how your doing for most essential nutrients.

Selenium and Zinc are other commonly low nutrients on raw diets. Selenium plays a big role in thyroid health so with your underactive thyroid problems you wouldn't want to go low in that one.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

I've never used those online food calculators. Hopefully it will be easy to figure out...

Powerlifer, yes, I'm taking iodine and the particular supplement I'm using has selenium, so I'm covered there. I think sunflower seeds have a lot of zinc, which is my primary choice for seed milk. I probably have the equivalent to 1/2 cup a day. Maybe the nutrient calculator thing can figure out how much zinc that would be for me.

I feel like I should be getting more greens, but with all the goitrogen challenges, I'm kind of limited there. I do have spinach, and I forgot to mention that I'm getting 2-4 oz of wheatgrass juice most days.

Anyway, thanks a lot for helping me feel ok about this- it's definitely a new way of eating. I don't want to worry about becoming deficient in anything, especially while I rebuild my health.

And thanks for the encouragement suncloud!

and I think I'll have to supplement b12. I can only eat so much nutritional yeast (mine's fortified). btw, how much nutritional yeast would I need to eating, anyway?

B-12 supplement
Iodine from sea vegetables

Hey Marsh, apart from B12 sup, you're going to be getting way more nutrients than your previous diet. I think I've said this before somewhere, but it's all the misinformation that the meat, dairy and grain industries put out there about what we should be eating, and how much etc. that has everyone who deviates from what's suggested panicing. So don't worry, as long as you are eating a wide variety of fruit, veg, nuts etc, you're going to feel and look great. And be vibrating with energy to boot.
Cheers, geo

That's great. Thanks Geo!

Have you ever tried raw organic virgin coconut oil for your thyroid issues marsh?

I know quite a few who have had good success with it.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

It's interesting that you mention coconut oil powerlifter. Just lately a friend said that someone told her that coconut oil will cure everything if taken in large doses, and will even reduce the withdrawals symptoms from an opiate addiction. It that so? what do you know about it please?

Cheers, geo

Hey Powerlifer,

I LOVE coconut oil. Strangely, I was totally craving it a few months ago, and was taking at least 4 tablespoons a day. I just couldn't seem to get enough. Soon I was starting to get concerned about all the fat, so I came back to this board, after a couple of years off, to see what you guys thought. That very thread that I started was where I met you and a lot of other great people, and ended up listing all of my symptoms, and you know the rest of that story. Now I'm all raw and feel so much better.

So, back to my original question from a few months ago:
I really like coconut oil, the raw,unrefined, virgin, etc, and I've read about the benefits for thyroid function (and candida), but that is so much fat. What do you think is the therapeutic dosage? I've read 4 tablespoons or so a day. That is a ton of fat. I'd like to start taking it again. I backed off for a while.

What do you think?

Hey Marsh, ahh yeah i remember that now. The recommended dosage ive read about is 3 tablespoons a day, in my opinion ive seen those with thyroid disorders respond to much lower dosages but taken more frequently.

The fats in coconut oil act differently than other fats on the liver and digestion which is why many who have problems digesting nuts/seeds can often get on well with coconut oil as a fat source. Coconut oil also digests very quickly which is why it increases energy/metabolism and in turn thyroid health.

I would personally see how smaller teaspoon dose works out and testing basal body temperature first thing in the morning if you haven't already, which gives you a good gauge of how the thyroid is working.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

You know I wish I had taken my temp early on, to get some perspective and see improvement, but I never did. Maybe I'll start now anyway, since the gland is still pretty enlarged. I feel like the symptoms have all gotten so much better, though.

So, that's a good idea about smaller, more frequent doses. Do you think it matters if the coconut oil is taken with a meal or on an empty stomach?

Either or, fats can increase the absorption of some nutrients when taken with food.

Ive been meaning to say but forgot in that b12 deficiency can also cause goiter, have you had your b12 levels checked.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

I used to eat quite a lot of dairy, up until really recently. Do you still think I might still be deficient? I don't know that much about b12.

I don't know, marsh. i think your diet sounds very healthy but also low in protein. i'd be worried too about your complete lack of grains. wheat, oats, rice.. they are traditional staples, probably for a reason. I mean, as a reducing strategy, maybe, but not for the severely long term. if i remember correctly, grains like wheat are very important for proper brain functioning and the endocrine system. i think that's why being a 100% raw is so difficult for me. i mean, my sprouted wheat raw breads are great, healthwise, but they are nothing like a nice freshly baked crusty loaf. i might be a little superstitious with taking the "give us our daily bread" a little too seriously, but, still.. in any case, I'd add another protein drink too.

Hi rawalice-

Thanks for your thoughts. Actually, grains are highly over rated nutritionally, and also highly addictive. One thing I do know, is that I do not need any grains.

Because of a health challenge I'm working on resolving, I'm adding extra protein, otherwise I would be more than satisfied that a raw vegan diet would be adequate without supplementation. I am taking probably around 30-50 grams (in protein) of raw vegan protein powder daily, which, I think along with my regular diet, is plenty for me. I'm 5-5, 135 lbs. I am a good weight, don't want to lose any.

I've only been 100% raw for a couple of weeks, and my diet just seems so simple! That's why I posted this thread. I guess I just wanted feedback that what feels right to me, makes sense to others who have been on this path far longer than I have, and is nutritionally sound.

marsh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I used to eat quite a lot of dairy, up until
> really recently. Do you still think I might still
> be deficient? I don't know that much about b12.

I would definitely try to get it tested just to put your mind at rest. Your doctor should be able to do this, if he is reluctant say you have been 100% vegan for the past while and interested in your b12 levels.

Also excess b12 can cause goiter also. Best to find out either way as it could be your root cause of goiter.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Excess b12 can build up?? I thought it was water soluble and you just pee out what you don't use? And according to the 80 year old vegan doc that suncloud posted a video of here the other day, he says you really can't max out. That guy takes a lot everyday. Hmmmm..... I'll read more about it. I really don't have a doctor right now.

B12 is water soluble, sooooo . . . . me also confused

marsh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Excess b12 can build up?? I thought it was water
> soluble and you just pee out what you don't use?
> And according to the 80 year old vegan doc that
> suncloud posted a video of here the other day, he
> says you really can't max out. That guy takes a
> lot everyday. Hmmmm..... I'll read more about it.
> I really don't have a doctor right now.

It is uncommon as excess is removed via the urine, although a few disorders such as liver disease can cause excessive vitamin b12 to accumulate and one of the common symptoms is goiter.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2011 03:32PM by powerlifer.

hmmm..interesting. I think my liver is happy, though. I think it's more of an iodine issue for me, because I have seen a lot of improvement with the supplementation.

The most common cause of goiter is iodine deficiency, but i thought i should say about the vitamin b12 just in case. Personally i would still get some blood work done just in case.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]

Thanks pl, Really, I appreciate all of your ideas and theories.

Does anyone know if coconut oil helps with the withdrawal symptoms of opiate addiction?

Also, the liver can store enough B12 to satisfy your needs for around 3yrs. That's assuming that you can absorb B12 normally.

geo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know if coconut oil helps with the
> withdrawal symptoms of opiate addiction?

Not that ive heard of Geo.

[www.vegankingdom.co.uk]