I just started my 100% raw- vegan diet and I am getting used to the constant eating every 1-2 hours. I was already used to eating every three hours before this as a vegetarian, so that is a minor adjustment, but my question is:

*How many avocados and nuts can I eat in one day?*

Because of my other lifestyle diets I was on, I hardly ate any and so this is very new to me and I definitely do not want to feel bad or gain weight. What is considered a maximum amount that I can consume without it being unhealthy for me in a typical day?

I really would appreciate your advice. It would be wonderful to learn more about this from experienced raw foodies

-Malena

Malena,

Everyone is different; you should eat as much fat--avocadoes and nuts--as you feel well on, and adjust the amount should this prove too much or too little. Take your time and listen to your body!

Tamukha,

If you re going to encourage her to eat as much fats as she can, you should also explain to her that mixing large amounts of fats with large amounts of carbs will have negative effects on her health. One should prevail over the other depending on Malena's life style.

Also Malena, I have learnt recently that Avocados are a high source of Omega 6 fatty acids and you must watch not to disturb the balance between Omega 6 and Omega 3 in your body as this will also cause health issues to you knowing that the life style and diet you're following might not have the best bioavailable sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

Just a couple of things i wanted to add.

Oh and eating every 2 hours isnt good, but perhaps you're doing that because you're still knew to this life style and your body is adjusting to it, but if this continues and your cravings dont disappear, then you should modify your diet; also think about exercising as this will reduce your appetite.

Good Luck



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2012 06:14AM by Duke.

Malena,

When I first started my raw food transition, I needed to eat 5-6 times a day to get enough food, as my body had not adapted to eating raw foods. Over the years, this need to eat so often went away, and nowadays I eat twice a day. In the beginning, the body really likes all the raw foods, and wants to rebuild the body using the superior building materials. Once the detoxing and rebuilding is done, the need to eat so much disappears. Also, your stomach is able to hold more raw foods over time, which helps.

Its is helpful to see how much fat you are eating the the beginning, A small volume of fat can translate into a large percentage of calories in terms of fat. Most beginning raw foodists don't think they are eating a lot of fat, but in fact many of them are consuming 60% or more of their calories from fat. The only way to know your fat percentage consumption is to put your daily menu into a nutritional calculator. In the beginning, its best to keep the fat intake at 30% or less, and over time, perhaps get the fat to 20% or less.

Like Duke stated, many of the raw fats are high in omega-6 fatty acids, and this will throw your fatty acids out of balance. Hemp seeds have a good balance of omega-6 to omega-3, and all the leafy greens have an excellent balance of the fatty acids.
The nutritional calculators will show you how much fatty acids a particular food has.

RawM82... Doug Graham advises to eat no more than 1/2 - 1 avocado a day or a handful of nuts (on average).

Wow! Thank all of you so much for this information. I am so thankful to have people like you who care and are experienced enough to help guide me on the right track. I am doing the things that you ar recommending so far, and just listening to what my body is needing as I go throughout the day. I just wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing. Take care and have a great day

-Malena

i recommend 1-2 avocadoes a day at most. if you are trying to detox and lose weight then don't eat more than 1 avocado or even a half per day. I was losing a pound per day in the early phase of raw by eating next to no fat. This all depends on how much you want to detox/lose weight. I use hemp seeds, and nothing but half an avocado per day during weightloss phases. Other wise 1-2 avos per day and no more than a handful or two of nuts.

The Raw Lion 440 pounds to 225 pounds!

great advice prana... i am also at an early stage and eating ALOT!!! at the moment. I am trying to be aware of having gaps between food to digest each meal properly, But its nice to hear you talk about that the body wants to eat alot at first while its detoxing/sorting its self out! and its nice to hear, over time your body adjusted and now you eat 2 meals a day and thats good for you now. at the moment i am eating sooooo much! ha! but my weights maintianing, just get very bloated.

i am not worried about weight, i want to allow my body to do what it needs to do, and am concentrating more on how the food makes me feel... and hoping as time goes on, as i listen to my body more, it will find its own right balance of what it needs to eat and how much... at the moment im just being a pig! but a happy one!

Hahaha a happy pig They make good pets too lol. Yes, all the above is correct, and eventually you'll find that you will feel satisfied without eating very much at all.

Cheers, geo x

Rawlion: Thanks for the tips. I am more concerned about my long term health benefits and lifestyle with this diet than specifically weight loss. Losing wieght would definitely be a plus. I will not complain when that happens I mainly want to see where my body wants to be weight- wise. I have never been this healthy before in my life and therefore have never really allowed my body to truly be the size it feels comfortable being. You look like you are doing great! I am so glad that I found this site because it really puts things into perspective. There is so much great advice here

-Malena

Prana,

You mentioned you eat only twice a day now. I find that interesting because on Dr. Fuhrman's board, many are doing "intermittent fasting" where they only eat during a 5 to 6 hour window and not at any other time. If you wouldn't mind sharing, are your two meals during a 5-6 window (e.g. breakfast and lunch) or have you found for you spacing the meals further apart (e.g. 8 am and 6 pm) is more helpful? Or does it vary?

Paul

The avocados are wonderful and I am beginning to feel that i don't need to eat as much. I have already lost 2 lbs at day 4. Very cool. I love this diet!!!

Paul, I typically eat my first meal at 2pm and my last meal at 7pm. But my 2nd meal might start with a first course of fruit, and I let it digest a bit before eating a salad afterwards. I really don't get hungry before 2pm, so its definitely no hardship to eat that late.

Sometimes on my days off I might have a small fruit meal in the morning, but on days that I am working, it lowers my energy to digest food during the morning hours.

That's a healthy intermittent fasting schedule. I'm currently eating in a 7 hour window and feel great (11 am to 6 pm). My sleep has especially benefitted.

Prana Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Paul, I typically eat my first meal at 2pm and my
> last meal at 7pm. But my 2nd meal might start with
> a first course of fruit, and I let it digest a bit
> before eating a salad afterwards. I really don't
> get hungry before 2pm, so its definitely no
> hardship to eat that late.
>
> Sometimes on my days off I might have a small
> fruit meal in the morning, but on days that I am
> working, it lowers my energy to digest food during
> the morning hours.

HH, agreed. Prana, thank you for sharing. Fuhrman talks of a anabolic phase where we consume and then a "catabolic" phase where we live off of what we eat in touch with our natural hunger. I find it interesting that this eating pattern seems to exists sometimes naturally across a range of nutritional strategies.

Listen and learn I guess. Or experiment and see if it works for me!
Paul