Well its really two questions! I've been fully raw since christmas except for salted pstachio nuts. I love them and feel I need them. Are salt craving natural and is it good to awnser these cravings or should they be ignored?
&
I became a vegetarian and then a vegan over animal cruelty issues. I am planning on moving back to the country soon and want to get a dog but don't think I can realistically haul tinned dead animals back to my house every week and stay true to my idealistic tendancies. I've already given up buying shoe leather which has been a bummer. Is man's best friend the next to go? Is it a bunny wabbit for moi?
Seriously though, has anyone made peace with similar issues?
Thanks. :-)

hehe your question reminds me of a good friend of mine back in the 70's begged adn begged his vegetarian parents to let him get a dog ... they ended up giving him a rabbit called Rex lol

he was always sorely dissapointed about not getting a dog but i reckon they muddled over the same thing you are asking now

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Dogs are omnivores and you might choose to feed your dog a vegan diet. There are several vegan dog foods on the market or you can prepare his or her meals at home. However, I would suggest you do your research on dog nutrition as to make sure yo are making an informed decision.

ROIRRAW,

This is my feeling about this, which I have come to after a decade of consideration: I am very concerned about animal rights, but do not feel it ethical to foist my lifestyle on my pet dog. It isn't moral parsing to feed your dog meat now and then, it is species-compassionate. I hope to transition my dog to a totally BARF diet by fall, as he seems to thrive on raw vegetables and fruits, and to prefer raw meat and eggs to kibble from meat harvested goodness knows how. He does not seem to do well on soy, beans, and grains, but I don't believe most "omnivores" truly do. The bulk of my dog's BARF diet would be vegetables and fruits, which I would supplement with "humanely" raised and slaughtered organic meat that I would break down myself into small servings. I do not relish having to do this, but it is preferable to watching him develop a horrible disease from malnutrition, or tear a helpless rabbit to pieces to meet his requirement of raw visceral fluids for the week. Sorry to be gross.

That said, herbivore pets are wonderful, so a bunny, especially a rescue rabbit that might have been socialized to humans already, might make as boon a companion as ol' Fido.

As for salt: are you eating enough sodium rich greens and things? If your body is craving salt, your body needs it, so I'd say try to eat celery and mature leafy greens, and maybe add some Celtic or Himalayan sea salt to your meals and see if your cravings don't abate.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2009 10:47PM by Tamukha.

If you want the nuts, eat the nuts. If you want to be 100% raw, then be 100% raw; it's up to you what you want to do!

Dogs are easily fed a vegan diet, and the commercial pet foods aren't what dogs should be eating in nature, anyway, but we have taken them from their natural environment and therefore must make the best choices. I think that's probably vegan rather than the nasty other byproducts in omni dog food, but again, it's up to you.

i agree with Tam about foisting our beleifs on other speices .. perhaps an (naturaly) vegan animal would be more suitable ..pot belly pig?

i keep dogs and they are fed natural omnivore (like BARF) i feel this is as close to their natural needs. my butcher packages up my stuff for me so there is very little handling besides thawing.

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I know of people who caused their dogs to get health problems on an omnivore dog diet, then fed them vegan food only and the dogs are healthy.

Pet rabbits can do okay inside, just don't let them chew on the electrical cords which it is reported they enjoy! Not exactly a salt craving there! Manolie

Thanks for the responses everyone.

We had a dog called 'Gunga', and from a pup only fed him what we ate. Vegan both cooked and raw vegies'n' beans. His had a beaut temperament, full of energy and a shiny coat. A very healthy dog all round.

geo

My experience:

#1 - You have to go with what YOUR cravings are...which will be specifically unique to you....but my experience is you will do fine without added salt.

#2 - It certainly is a noble experiment to get a dog and raise it Vegan. Many others have done so...with varying success. As posted above....just do the thorough research. If in doubt...I would keep no animal at all.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

davidzanemason Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My experience:
>
> #1 - You have to go with what YOUR cravings
> are...which will be specifically unique to
> you....but my experience is you will do fine
> without added salt.
>

I agree with this statement about cravings. In my experience, any attempt to deny a craving will end in one of two ways, it will either build pressure until the strength of it breaks what ever strength of determination was holding the abstinence in place, or it will create alternative problems born from the disharmony in the mind. IMO the trick is to allow everything, and just keep the focus on what you REALY want and why.

As for dogs, I love animals, but don't see killing them as wrong . I have been vegan for at least 8 years out of consideration for animals, but flesh eating is a part of life, and so is death. I believe that thinking negatively about such things is like hating pain when you feel it, the hate is the only REAL problem. Dogs naturally eat meat.. it will suit them best when eaten as they would get it in the wild.

As for salt... I'd like to know the experiences of some of the long term rawers on that. Anyone ?

I like a little seaweed - a nori roll, or some dulse or kelp flakes in my salads - instead of salt. And of course, fresh seaweed is best, when it's available.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2009 10:25PM by suncloud.

I have an eight year old Afghan bitch that I feed with raw meat, vegetables and supplements but without grains. The internet is full of good information about BARF. Personally I don't like the idea of feeding dogs vegan.They are omnivores with the emphasis on o m n i. Nobody would feed a cow with meat so give your dog a bone!
If you have the funds buy organic meat and before you serve it to your dog be grateful and apologize to the animal that gave its life to feed your pet. The red Indians did it that way when they had to kill their prey.

Regarding salt cravings...

Having recently removed all salt from my diet...

First of all why not try fining raw (unsalted) pistchio nuts. I keep mine in the freezer so that they don't go rancid and they are great.

The other thing I noticed is that when you do remove all salt (meaning added salts) my cravings went away. Additionally, foods began tasting much better.

Good luck hun.

Two days ago I had a really bad day of dia..... you know what I mean! Runny @#$%&! lol. Thats sounds funny. Anyway, it lasted all day and I had several dizzy spells too and felt weak and drained. I'm back feeling strong today but have lots of craving in the past 24 hours. Shepards pie. And now cheese. I would die for a a cheese pizza right now and a glass of milk. I really would. I've been raw since christmas so this sounds like detox but are cravings for cooked foods likely to emerge after 3 1/2 months?The first 3 1/2 were pretty much a brezze btw.I continue saying no I take it and any raw vegan substitutes for cheese or that cheesy , tangy taste? Thanks.

You can make cheesy sauces yourself, and there is a raw vegan cheese you can order online, www.dr-cow.com.

Omnivores can eat plant and animal matter, but that doesn't mean they HAVE to eat both plant and animal matter. "Omnivore" is referring to what we are capable of digesting. O M N I.

Add: You can make hard cheeses yourself, too, like Dr. Cow, but you probably need to add probiotics or use a dehydrator.

It's okay to have cravings. Are you female/menstruating? Are you eating celery or anything?

NO, I'm male. I don't like celery. Thanks for the Dr.Cow link.

Sure. Yeah, you can see the Dr Cow is just cashews, probiotics, and pink salt, so you can also experiement at home.

IT seems most cheesy recipes have a nut or seed, lemon juice, water, maybe red bell pepper, salt, etc.

Is pink salt used by the body in the same way as salt that has become one with the plant (plant salt) ? or is it like the chemical salt or sea salt that has some water mixed with the chemical salt ? IMO the body recognizes and uses plant salt but not chemical salt. What is your opinion ?

Cheese and toast I crave this evening. And its strong. Mmmmmnnnnn,I can almost taste it. Its like I'm standing at the edge of a very tall building, a building 3 months and 9 days tall and I need to be talked down.I want to be talked down. But that doesn't say I will be talked down. one of the crowd might just say the wrong thing and I'll go F*** it. Woooopeeeeeeeeeeeeee and end up with a big block of cheese amd bread and be like a bear in hibernation with it.Please tell me this is normal.does my body want something it should have that its not getting or is this just a delayed withdrawl symptom.

teeeter

teeter.

sorry for being nuts.

:-)

ok. I've talked myself down with a big smoothie.
Apple.
orange.
2 bannanas.
plum.
grapes.
spinach.

I'm using the logic that if I keep stuffing my face, I won't have room for anything else.

make it through tonight.
Thats the matra.

toast 'n cheese........like a majic carpet...............

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...............

S O R R Y.....!

whilst I'm being nuts , i must share a song.

[www.youtube.com]

I love this lady.

ROIRRAW,

Thank you ever so much for mentioning toast and cheese. Several times. In a titillating way.

No, really. Thanks.

: )

cheese was one of the hardest things for me to give up

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks guys Today was easier.

"Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners."

William Shakespeare

ROIRRAW,

"Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners."

I was listening to CBC Radio2 yesterday afternoon and they were playing this love song that had a beautiful chorus. It went something like, "it's not my willpower that keeps me true to you, it's just my love for you." So, with apologies to Sweet William, I will orient my attitude toward staying raw in those terms:

It's not my willpower that keeps me true to it, it's my love for myself!

But godspeed you, however you may go : )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2009 02:34PM by Tamukha.

Its not my willpower that keeps me on my Raw journey, its my love of health & wellness.

In my opinion, the purpose of everything is to add more joy to life.
I have found that a lifestyle based on living foods adds more joy to my life.

If you post a reply to this message and would like my feedback, it would be best to send me a private message to that effect. Otherwise, I may not check this thread for a while.

***Info from the advisors at HealthNVitality***