Hi all,
This forum is such a relief... I've been exclusively raw for three weeks now (with the exception of vegemite which I'm weaning myself off of). My diet before wasn't horrible and I've been conscious of my eating for some time now. I did a stint of macrobiotics a few years back, and was also raw for about a month a few years ago; so I'm not a total newbie.

I've been eating mostly seaweed, lettuce, avocados, sprouts, some fruit (which I don't seem to crave much), raw nuts. I sprouted quinoa for tabouli but felt unwell the next day (maybe too much for my digestion?). I exercise about three times a week and am at a normal (perhaps slightly lower than normal) bmi.

My question is how long did it take you guys to feel amazing? Right now I feel fine but not incredibly different from when I was eating the SAD. I'm waiting to wake up in the morning to have the energy and clear headedness that so many raw foodists describe. I believe strongly in the benefits of eating raw but I wonder if what I'm eating is the best, in terms of ratios, what to eat, and when. I try to mono eat fruits, and have not delved in to nut butters or dehydrated foods yet.

Any advice would be appreciated!!

How many greens do you consume in a day? In a week? Greens=energy for me. Making a green smoothie every morning for about three months has greatly improved the quality of my sleep and made me almost jump out of bed in the morning. That in conjunction with everything else raw I ate gave me that energy, and I noticed it in how improved my stamina was when I bike, too.

Green smoothies are the easiest way to get your greens (for me) so try making a smoothie in the morning. I use about a cup of finely chopped greens (collard, spinach, dandelion, kale, whatever), some water, ground flax seeds, a banana and maybe one or two other types of fruit. I say give it a go for a week and see if your energy improves.

I don't have any brilliant advice for you, but I was struck by your vegemite attachment. I only know about vegemite because of Men at Work's song. I don't even recall what it was made of and I am not sure I want to know...But what is hilarious is that SAD could stand for Standard Australian Diet! LOL!

This is true, Banana Who! I actually live in Boston these days but am still an Aussie at heart!

Cyclopsicle: thanks for the word about greens. I haven't eaten any leafy greens since going raw :-(. One of my problems, I think, is that I've gotten into the habit of eating only once a day, usually after 6pm. I am going to try to transition into eating breakfast but habits are tough to break...

I looked back over my journal and read that I felt a boost of energy on Day 3 of going raw. I eat a lot of fruit, though, so maybe that has something to do with it? I eat fruit throughout the day. It keeps my blood sugar up. And I feel good throughout the day. For my evening meal I eat a HUGE lettuce salad (with lots of other goodies in it). It has been 10 months and I'm still loving it.

You'll get different advice from different people. Lots of greens, fruit, and water is my advice. Perhaps my best advice is to keep experimenting to find out what is optimal for you. (Oh, and I'm sparing on dehydrated foods.)

As a side story... when my husband and I first visited New Zealand, we often stayed at bed and breakfasts. This was pre-raw, of course. At one home there was toast and several different spreads. John slathered on a lot of what he thought was apple butter and took a big bite. You guessed it - it was Vegemite. After gasping and downing a huge glass of orange juice, he asked what the spread was. After hearing that it was Vegemite, he announced that it should be renamed Dynamite! Lesson learned. Like the old commercial goes: A little dab'l do ya!

Good luck tweaking your diet!


My favorite raw vegan

Trive,
Thanks for the response. I guess it's all trial and error. I waiting to "get the glow" so to speak.

I have to ask you, are your favorite raw vegans yours? Those miniatures are adorable!! I'm a huge animal lover, which makes sense for this lifestyle.

Yes, we have two lovable, playful miniature donkeys - one chocolate brown and the other traditional grey. (The rear in the photo is Fernando's mother, but she is not ours. I took that photo at the breeder's farm.) When we got them, I knew I was going to like having donkeys as pets, but I had no idea how much I'd love them.
I mean - I even enjoy scratching donkey butts. Now that's love!


My favorite raw vegan

I second the idea of a green smoothie. You don't want to deprive yourself of calories when switching, unless you really don't feel hunger, because that can cause discomfort and doubt. A green smoothie is a good way to pack in the mineral rich greens, but also high carb fruit for energy. In any case, three weeks may not be long enough for you to feel the effects. I have heard that the worse one's diet was before one switched, the more obvious the benefits. Makes sense--if you're going from one extreme to another the difference would be pronounced. If one wasn't an awful eater before, on the other hand, the signs of health on raw might be more subtle.

Ah, Vegemite . . . when I was in the fourth grade, we had a teacher who'd vacationed in Australia the summer before she taught us. She'd brought back a few jars of Vegemite as souvenirs. When it came time to cover Australia in Social Studies class, she served us Ritz crackers with Vegemite on them as part of the lesson. Everyone but my friend Jeff and I, who looooved it, threw theirs out after one small bite, grimacing all the way to the garbage can. To our teacher's credit, she wasn't miffed and just laughed that Vegemite is an acquired taste. That's putting it diplomatically! I tried some a few years ago, and it tasted terrible; I suspect that, when I was a kid, it didn't have caramel coloring or the other unnatural stuff that's in it now. I mean no offense : )