So it’s been 1 week since I really committed myself to eat a higher raw diet. This doesn’t mean I am any where near able to call myself a raw foodist but my percent of raw foods is gradually increasing as time goes on. Last Monday I weighed in at a whopping 146.5 lbs (I am 5’8) – the highest I’ve been in YEARS. Much to my delight – the lbs are just melting away. This morning I am 142!!!! I really think I can get to my goal weight in no time and do it in the healthiest way possible – do what’s best for my body. One week and so much positivity from eating a higher percent raw!

I sleep better, I feel better, I know when I am actually hungry. When you all talked about learning what your body needs I didn’t know if I’d ever know that feeling – but I know I am just beginning that journey. I feel lighter, not bloated (when I eat bad food I am constantly bloated), and overall happy! I just bought a juicer and I am really excited to see where this takes me! My next purchase will be a dehydrator – I love dehydrated fruit!

Anyway -I just wanted to thank you all for all your help so far. I have been learning so much from all of you!

I have one question – is there a resource where I can find a list or a guideline to what fruits and veggies are actually FRUITS? I like the idea of being a fruitarian – it fit’s more my lifestyle and my habits already.

Thanks so much,

Rachel

Right on

The botanical definition of a fruit is the part carrying the seed, so tomatoes, capsicum peppers, cucumber, courgette, squash, peas (in their pods, the pea itself is the seed), etc, are all fruits.

Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, etc, are not fruits.

Rob

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Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Also eggplant, okra and the non-sweet melons (squash family).

But I think sometimes these botanical fruits violate the true intent of fruitarianism because the plants die every year. Contrast this with the fruit tree that lives and continues to produce after the season ends.

Not that I am promoting an even more restrictive fruitarian diet: I eat a lot of greens. But I don't know of any edible leafy tips of tree leaves. Somebody please post if they do know.

I'm slowly learning about edible tree leaves - hawthorn, beech, lime (not the citrus fruit) and ginkgo biloba are a few I know about. It seems most tree leaves are best to eat in the Spring, they are nice and tender then, later in the year they can become quite tough.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Congratulations, Rachel!

I am somewhat new to Raw Foods, myself.

Funky Rob

do you think that there is any kind of detrimental effect to the tree ... to eat the young leaves in spring?

Hi Vegan John,

I just finished getting my science degree in horticulture. In one of my classes, I believe it was a pruning class or maybe it was a fruit tree short course, I learned that the tree stores carbohydrates in the leaves and that during the summer monthes the tree takes from the banked storage to complete its energy levels. I know that pruning out more than 30% of the interrior canopy can rob the tree of its needed vital carbohydrate storeage.

In the fall, the deciduous trees drain the stored sugars back into the root structure and stores them for the spring foliar emergence. If you eat the leaves of trees, it seems logical that the highest concentration of carbohydrates and phytochemicals are present in the spring months.

Timot

Congratulations Rachel.
To look for fruits and vegetables you could use [www.nutritiondata.com] it is a good resource, it tells whether food is inflammitory or anti-inflmammitory, nutrient content, amino acid score etc.

You can choose fruits or vegetables as categories and then type 'raw' as the keyword so you don't get all the cooked foods.

I find it useful.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2006 03:16PM by jadedshade.

vegan john Wrote:
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> Funky Rob
>
> do you think that there is any kind of detrimental
> effect to the tree ... to eat the young leaves in
> spring?

Well, yes of course! But probably only minor as long as you don't pick too many. A mature tree may have hundreds of leaves, picking a couple here and there is not going to hurt it.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]