I don't know who to believe anymore. How did you decide to go raw and stick with it and, maybe most importantly, stop worrying about whether the diet is truly healthy over the long haul? There are so many different opinions on how one should eat, and of course raw veganism is always being attacked. It all makes my head spin.

I've been raw before but failed to stick with it. I've also done paleo and couldn't stick with that either. I did better on raw than I did with paleo, but I always felt deprived and never lasted long before I was eating cooked foods, which led to eating old comfort foods - aka, crap.

I watch You Tube videos of raw foodists claiming how wonderful life is since they've gone raw, but the majority of them are young. I can't trust that they will stay raw and still feel how they do now when they are 50. Anyone who is young and gives up processed foods is going to feel better, which is why I'm sure a lot of young paleo folks make the same claims. I do see some videos of older vegans that have been vegan for 20, 30 years or more, and some of them are truly impressive, but they are few and far between (at least in the You Tube video world). I suspect at least some, if not a lot, of the young people who are raw now and making videos of how great life is, might not feel that way some day, but I don't know. There are a lot of ex vegans in the video world wars. I watched some videos of one young woman who had been raw vegan for many years and, strangely enough, still promotes it even though she is no longer vegan or even vegetarian because of B12 deficiency.

I see the same thing with people doing paleo. There are videos of both ex vegans and ex paleos that have switched sides to get healthy. It all makes me wonder if it's all mental. You make a choice you feel good about and the mind accepts it and brings the body along, but I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

I listened to a guy on a video today that was down on greens and nuts and seeds and probiotics and fish oil and vegans and paleo, but talking about non-vegan broth as if it was a gift from god and cured all ills, when used correctly. His knowledge of science and especially human physiology was impressive. Still, greens are bad? Only cows and other ruminants should eat them? I swear, the more research I do on the optimal diet, the less I know and the more confused I become by all the so-called experts. I have to stop watching videos and reading articles and websites and make a decision and stick with it. What did it for you? How did you decide to go with this diet and do you ever have doubts? I saw a video today from someone who was raw for a few years and claims she had healthy teeth and them suddenly developed a mouthful of cavities and of course blamed it on vegan raw foodism.

I tried to be raw for about 3 years, but I didn't know what I was doing and felt deprived, so I left the raw community and gained weight eating more and more SAD, felt horrible and sick with acid reflux and low body temperature and some fatigue, so switched to paleo, lost a bit of weight but had no improvement to my health, been all over the map since, and am back to thinking about raw. I tried to do 80/10/10 once and felt horrible. I think my body can't handle that, whereas others, such as Gabriel Cousins, if I understand him, would suggest a diet heavy on greens because of my health issues, but that diet just doesn't satisfy. I love fruit and lots of it, but the last time I tried to live mostly on fruit, it didn't love me back.

Sorry for the long rant. I know everyone here will be pro-raw food of course and that's how it should be, but I'd be interested in your thoughts if anyone cares to comment. Thank you.

Hey Keen,

In the beginning, one can make an intention to go all raw vegan, and like the theory of it, but when it comes to implementing it, it's another story. This is because the body is used to many foods that have other effect other than nourishment. Many foods in the western diet will make a person feel less, so if they have some pain that is held in the tissue, this person is going to experience this pain and may decide that going raw is painful. The reality is that the pain we feel is stuff we stored. Going raw, as one loses one's extra insulation, makes the person more susceptible to energies that may not feel good. This can take some getting used to, and certainly having some kind of spiritual practice will help.

Also, because of the loss of insulation, the first winter can be hard to manage. What I did was turn up the heat in my space, and I found the 2nd winter much easier. Nowadays, I like the winter.

Then there are all kinds of social difficulties. These can be all worked it, but it takes commitment.

Don't force yourself to go raw if your body is rebelling. Just give it some time, and make your transition longer. I've always found it's easier to let foods fall away than to try to push them away.

Also check out this article I wrote called Success on the Raw Foods Diet.

In my personal opinion, most people fail at raw because of problems with glands. Glands affect everything from sugar metabolism, to body temperature, fat, etc. A raw food diet, due to being detoxifying should help in the long term but other factors of the lifestyle also matter. It is a learning experience. For me, it is about listening to the body more than following books (diets) or applying other people's ideas.

I think I definitely have some emotional insulation to shed. Yesterday I got so frustrated that after a day of eating well, I ate free samples of garbage at Whole Foods, and once my body gets a taste of those refined grains and sugar, even a morsel, it just wants more. I gave in and then I feel as if I am back to square one.

I think my rant last night might have helped. I needed to let that out somewhere (sorry for polluting the web waves here). I know I need to progress slowly. Commit to whole foods only first and move on from there, and start to let go of those emotional ties.

The good news is, is that I don't react as negatively to that indulgence as I used to, so somehow along the line I have made progress.

I think my biggest concern right now is the metabolism/body temperature issue. I've had low body temp for a long time now, and when I was raw in the past it didn't help that issue. I've seen comments from other raw foodists that they too have low body temp but they accept that as normal. I don't believe this. Has anyone been able to rev up their temperature and metabolism on a raw diet?

Keen, I found your OP to be very interesting. Is the body temp issue (along with other possible ones) so pressing in your life or do you think you fixate on how your body feels? I don't know if that came out correctly. The larger point I am making is that the more I think about it, the more I feel that most of the raw fooders I see are coming from serious issues. I had a revelation this morning that perhaps acute and chronic health issues prompt people to take such drastic measures and stick with them. Maybe you (and I) don't have these problems and therefore find it hard to start and/or stick with it.

I think you are agonizing too much about what you're eating. If you are gonna do something, enjoy it but be conscious of it. If you want to change how you eat, I think you have to love yourself today. I don't think a person can successfully change their habits otherwise. Being mad at "indulgences" doesn't help. It creates resistance.

There's no doubt I've been in an agonizing phase lately. Yesteday was a frustrating day. Today I seem to have let it go. But I've been here before and need to break this cycle. I am amazed at how some can stick to long juice fasts to overcome issues. I never last long at such attempts. I wish I could. It would be tempting to go 100% raw for a few weeks (which is relatively easy for me) and then do a long juice fast with hopes of healing these ailments, and then settle afterwards into a more balanced approach, but maybe that would be a mistake for me. Maybe a sustained balanced approach would be better and then maybe the more drastic measures would be easier to do later on. As of today I'm going for that balanced approach. As for tomorrow, who knows?

Thanks

Keen,

Hello, and welcome! I hear your complaint, and sympathize. There is so much information out there, and so much of it is controversial, that it is impossible to sort it out without subjectivity. And this is my point: do your best with whatever your body tells you. Select the raw plant foods that you know are good for you and that you like, and eat them to satisfaction--whether that's a little or a lot--then stop. See how you feel, meal by meal. Really consider, separate from everything people you don't know but have seen on the intertubes have said, how that meal and those foods make you feel. Try to make the best, healthiest food choices meal by meal, day by day, and make alterations as necessary. Don't worry about going back to junky food: your awareness of its being detrimental will take over your thinking about, it over time. When you slip up, be OK with it, and do better with the next decision. Focus on trying to do better according to what you sense you need.

Most of us on here aren't 100%, though many of us have tried it. I think the key is to go as far and to do as well with raw plant foods as you can at any given point in time.

Remember: You are doing this to be a friend to yourself; don't treat your failures as treason!

Welcome Keen
You asked how some of us went to the Raw Lifestyle. Yes, to me it is a lifestyle and not a diet. Last year at this time I weighed 205 lbs and I was unable to drop the weight. I tried for years and it just kept creeping up. I'm 40+ and I was miserable. I went to a band clinic with my son, again last year at this time, and I felt tired, miserable and yes FAT. I was taking anti depressants, synthroid for my thyroid and I was getting worse. When I got home from the band clinic, out of the blue i told myself I'm only going to eat what the good Lord put here for Adam and Eve. Unprocessed food. After a couple of months my weight dropped. Woo Hoo! I got my Mountain Bike out and actually started to exercise. It felt great and the weight came off faster. Today, I weigh 149 and I've maintained that easily on Raw foods because the weather has been aweful for me to bike and I don't want to do anything else. I'm addicted to the trails.
Now I no longer take anti depressants, no synthroid and my cholesterol is 96.
My advise. Take it slow. Think of it as a Lifestyle not a diet. I think people who use that word may feel deprived. A great book for me was Green for Life.

Thanks all, very nicely expressed thoughts. Some days, like today, it's all good and seems easy. I'm a baked goods addict, however, and know a tray of devilish scones are lurking around every corner waiting to attack. I do feel as if I've hit that low point where I can say enough is enough. Fruit should always win the day if I need something sweet. Several years ago I did a raw foods detox, and at the end of those 30 days I felt the best I ever had, and I want that feeling back.

My addiction for sugar makes me wonder if that's evidence of my body's desire for more fruit. I know paleo types would disagree with that, but the low fruit philosophy has never made much sense to me.

Anyway, something has to be done, and I think raw foodism is winning the day. Probably why I posted my original post here and not on a paleo site...

Arawnut, if you're willing, can you tell me if you follow a basic raw diet (not sure what else to call it), or are you doing the 80/10/10 approach?

Thanks

Sure, I don't follow any plan and that is the key for me. No 80/10/10 plan. I like to keep it very simple and the less I think about it the better. I'm what you would call Predominantly Raw. Like, if I want to eat out with my family, which doesn't happen very often, I will order what I want. And don't feel bad about it. That way I don't feel deprived. Next day smoothie for breakfast with a smile.

Now that I've been raw for a year, I don't tolerate breads, sweets, dairy, or meat that well anymore. My family now notices if I eat any of those foods because they tend to send my mood south. So, it's not worth it to me. I hope this helps, there is a web site if you google raw food s.o.s. It lists what you are craving and what you can eat raw to curb it.

I think positive/negative thoughts greatly affect how we perceive ourselves. Like the saying, "If you think you can't, you won't. If you think you can, you will."

I find a raw food diet (high in fruit (sweet and not) and leafy greens, some nuts and seeds to be the most nutrient dense. I don't know of any paleo plan that actually focuses on vitamin/mineral intake.

Thanks. Your non plan sounds like a good approach for me, arawnut. A plan of no plan...

No doubt, Utopian, my attitude is something I have to work on more than anything. I think I can...not plan...

arawnut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sure, I don't follow any plan and that is the key
> for me. No 80/10/10 plan. I like to keep it very
> simple and the less I think about it the better.
> I'm what you would call Predominantly Raw. Like,
> if I want to eat out with my family, which doesn't
> happen very often, I will order what I want. And
> don't feel bad about it. That way I don't feel
> deprived. Next day smoothie for breakfast with a
> smile.
>
> Now that I've been raw for a year, I don't
> tolerate breads, sweets, dairy, or meat that well
> anymore. My family now notices if I eat any of
> those foods because they tend to send my mood
> south. So, it's not worth it to me. I hope this
> helps, there is a web site if you google raw food
> s.o.s. It lists what you are craving and what you
> can eat raw to curb it.


I like your approach. I just need to find some good veggie raw dishes that work well for me. I am still wanting to eat the fish to curb my cravings..

Hi Michelemm,
I made Stuffed Mushrooms yesterday. This is quick, easy and if I want meat, it seems to fill the void. I try the recipe and if I like it I copy it in my spiral. I forgot were I got this one but I thank the creator. Here it is.

Stuffed Mushrooms
1/3 pine nuts
3 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup cilantro, packed leaves chopped
1/3 cup basil packed leaves chopped
1 Tbs Lemon juice
1 cup tomato chopped
2 Tbs Bragg to taste

Put all ingredients into food processor, except the tomatoes & pulse chop several times. Add the tomatoe & pulse chop until just blended. Keep texture apesto, not puree.

Remove stems from mushrooms & stuff the filling into the cap.
Note: I like the baby bella mushrooms the best.

Place on a dehydrator sheet & dehydrate @ 105 for 2-4 hours.

They are great right away too if you're really hungry.