first, I am really new I am just really trying to figure everything out.

I have been reading alot about mixing veggies and fruit. That it is unwise. I have been having a green smoothie every morning. Lots of greens and lots of fruits. Is this unhealthy?

How do I figure the % of my raw food intake? This may seem like a crazy question but I have a hard time visualizing things like this.

Also I need to vent, I am having the hardest time with emotional food addiction. I seem to be overcoming some of the physical addictions such as sugar and caffeine but I want the emotional comfort. It has been really hard. I know that this is a better way of life for me. I have been doing this almost a month now and feel great. But I keep thinking about all kinds of "comfort foods", any advice out there.

also I have been reading about candida and I think I am having a problem with that. I am so bloated and have been since before I started raw but I think I just realize it a bit more now.

Ok one more thing. I am having excuriating pain in my feet. The soles of my feet and have not hurt myself. Has anyone experience this in detox? I am really thinking that it may be a sympton of detox and I am not sure what to do about it. I can barely walk, and am a bit worried about it.

Thanks for reading,
Carla

hi!

fruit combines well with green leafy veggies such as spinach, lettuce, celery, herbs etc. Not good with harder stuff, eg brocoli, cauli.

don't bother figuring out % of raw food. just figure out % of how great you feel

yeah, the comfort eating thing is really hard. just take it slow and don't beat yourself up if you fail. A nice mashed up avocado can be good comfort food... Could also even look at techniques like hypnotherapy, EFT etc.

don't know about candida... maybe having more of your veggies in juice form instead of smoothies would help the bloating... also look at food combining...

bout the feet, like I just mentioned in a previous post, David Wolfe is talking a lot lately about the benefits of sea salt (adding a little to a glass of water) - seems it stops cramps and stuff like that.

good luck x

Hello Carla & Welcome. =)

You're definitely not alone with any of the frustrations you mentioned above. I'm sure all of us are healing from all or some of the same things you shared. I know I am. I am also an emotional eater, so it's been especially tough for me to go through the healing process when I am accustomed to turning to food to deal with my emotions. I have to keep reminding myself of how much BETTER I feel and how much weight I am losing, among all the other beneficial changes, when I am tempted to crash.

I was already on a strict vegan diet, so I was blessed that it wasn't a big adjustment for me to de-tox from sugars and other refined, processed foods. But I spent years commuting long-distance to my last job and was completely addicted to caffeine just to survive. I hated it and hated how it made me feel, but it was the only way to survive the long work and driving hours. Thankfully I switched jobs to a new one much closer to home, and I took a 2-week break between them to rest and de-tox and get my health in order. I literally SLEPT the entire week of de-toxing from caffeine. It wasn't easy, but I felt SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better just after getting that stuff out of my system, even before starting the raw diet.

I had not even THOUGHT of the raw diet a month or so ago, but while I was trying to recover my health before starting the new job, I was doing alot of reading and research and just stumbled upon Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes. Completely taken-aback with the idea of 100% RAW I suddenly realized that it was exactly what I needed. I literally made the switch over-night and haven't gone back ever since.

I've noticed ALOT of weight-loss, clearer skin, better sleep, less menstrual pain, less joint/muscle pain, clearer focus, no depression, happy moods all the time, lots more energy, and many other amazing benefits too numerous to mention. It's been a surreal experience.

I have absolutely no doubt that your pain and foot problems will improve with the diet change. It may not be immediate, depending on how much healing your body needs, or how much de-toxing you need, but it will definitely happen.

As for the greens-fruits-veggies question, I'm sure someone can explain it better than me, but the greens are in a separate category from "vegetables," and they can be easily combined with fruits. For example, my typical morning smoothies are a combination of things like: Grapes, Blueberries, Strawberries, Bananas, Apples, Tomatoes (a fruit), and dark greens like Spinach or Kale or Parsley, etc. That mixture usually works well for me and I've had NO stomach problems with those combinations. I've also noticed that I don't have any more gas or bloating anymore. I'm "satisfied," but not "full-feeling" like after eating a big heavy meal.

It's a been a learning process for me and I'm STILL learning as I go..... learning to customize my daily food intake to my personal preferences, lifestyle, and nutrition needs. You will learn the same things through trial and error. Take all the suggestions and advice you can find from forums like this one or others, and start putting them into practice. You will quickly find what works best for YOU and start making your own way. =)

Hope that is helpful. Keep us posted on your journey and I'm sure many others will jump in here with plenty of encouragement and suggestions. =)

*****************************
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

i had the feet thing happen to me the first time i got a juicer (9 years ago?) , when i went to the doctor he said it looked like gout but wasnt gout .. in his opinion due to my sudden juicing diet my body was trying to detox too fast , he suggest drinking more water to help flush the uric acid out
ive also read recently that celery juice is supposed to be an excellent uric acid flusher as well

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Oh yes I forgot about that. The feet is one of the body's biggest areas of de-tox and elimination, especially through the soles. It can absorb things very fast and also eliminate them very fast through the feet as well. So that's another good thought about the foot pain.

One thing that might help would be charcoal poultices on the bottoms of your feet at night while resting to help draw out the toxins. Also hot / cold hydrotherapy foot baths will increase the circulation to speed up the elimination process and also provide relief from the pain and inflammation.

*****************************
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

For the candida, I'd limit your intake of nuts, seeds, oils, and other fats, and increase your fruit (whole ripe raw/fresh) intake.

Hi Carla!
What you are experiencing sounds very familiar! Just be aware that Candida comes into the body for one reason...basicly to scavange mercury!! so beware of killing off candida without dealing with the huge release of mercury that will be released into your bloodstream from the cell walls of candida when it is dying off. Go to Dr. Sherril Sellman's site www.whatwomenmustknow.com to find out more about this. Mercury tends to store in your feet as far away from the heart as possible...you may also call International Health 1-800-974-1879 and ask for the CD 'Total Body Detox' By Dr. Sherril Sellman....it has information that I feel is absolutely essential for us health seekers of today!!

kris5194,

Candida albicans is a naturally occuring fungal oragnism in most mammal digestive tracts. It may scavenge mercury, but it precedes contamination and is necessary in small amounts for biotic homeostasis in the gut. The stuff about mercury detox is interesting, but I think gradually going all raw is detox unto itself, and not a huge shock to the system.