I'm new to all this, and for a few solid days I was eating nothing but fruits and vegetables along with nuts and seeds and I did feel better.

The problem is I'm finding it really hard to stick to. Night Time is the worst, it's like I can go throughout the whole day keeping to the plan and then all of a sudden this intense pang of hunger overwhelms me causing me to lose all sense of rationality and gorge on what ever junk is available.

How do you guys do it and not feel incredibly hungry?

Here is the best part of my file from “Hunger VS Appetite or Cravings”:

“Instead of being eaten when we are physically hungry, food is now consumed to satisfy artificial cravings generated by a brain that isn’t working right and whose receptor sites beg for synthetic stimulation from chemicals. We eat, but we’re never satisfied. We’re full, but aren’t contented.” -Carol Simontacchi - “The Crazy Makers”

"Another common reason for lack of adherence to a raw food diet is hunger. This becomes an issue when insufficient quantities of fruit are consumed. The human stomach is designed with elastic qualities enabling it to expand and accommodate large quantities of high water content foods at a meal. Due to the lifelong habit of eating concentrated foods that are very low in water content, most people's stomachs have lost their elasticity. This results in them only being able to consume a small quantity of fruit at any one time, leaving them hungry soon afterwards. Part of the transition to a raw food diet includes putting the stomach on a flexibility training programme to regain the full extent of its natural elasticity! Gradually increase the quantity of fruit consumed at each sitting until you can proudly, and comfortably, boast an expanded tummy after each meal." -Rozalind Gruben

“The truth is that hunger is a normal, not an abnormal, sensation and all normal sensations are pleasant. It is an error to think of hunger in the terms of symptoms of disease, just as it would be to think of thirst, or any other of the body’s normal desires, as painful or uncomfortable. Normal hunger is indicated by a general bodily condition--a universal call for food--which is localized, so far as localization takes place, in the mouth, nose and throat, just as is the sense of thirst. There is no “hunger pangs” associated with genuine hunger; there is only a pleasant sensation in the nose, mouth and throat and a watering of the mouth. The hungry person is conscious of a desire for food, not of pain or irritation.

It is a false appetite that manifests itself by morbid irritation, gnawing in the stomach, pain, the feeling of weakness, and various emotionally rooted discomforts. The dissimilarities between such irritations and a true sense of hunger are quite sharp, the average person tied to the habit of eating at all hours of the day and night rarely permits himself to become hungry and consequently mistakes these morbid sensations for a valid call for food. As eating commonly relieves symptoms of distress, the individual becomes convinced that food was just the thing needed. Often it is a kind of eating binge; the individual eats to cover up psychological miseries, as the drunkard drinks to drown his.” Herbert Shelton, “Fasting Can Save Your Life” p. 32

“The statement sometimes heard that hunger ceases on the third day of the fast implies that true hunger is present during the first two days of the fast. This is usually not true. It is gastric irritation that ceases on the second, third or fourth day of the fast.” Herbert Shelton, “Fasting Can Save Your Life” p. 32

“The presence of normal hunger is regarded as one of the signs of health, while its absence is a symptom of disease. For us to accept this as a reliable criterion of the state of the body, however, it is necessary for us to recognize that there may be present, in disease, a fictional desire for food that is commonly mistaken for hunger. Herbert Shelton, “Fasting For Renewal of Life” p. 86

In our present consideration of hunger we shall discuss:
1. Normal demand for food, genuine hunger.
2. Fictional desire for food, a morbid craving.
3. Absence of desire for food, absence of hunger. “FFROL” p. 87

...when the well man goes without food he gets hungry before he gets weak; when the sick man goes without food, he gets weak before he gets hungry.” “FFROL” p. 87

One way to determine real from fictional hunger is to think of the time that has elapsed since the last meal. It is not possible to be “hungry all the time.” If one desires to eat while the stomach is still busy digesting the last meal, one is certainly not hungry. If the last meal was a heavy one, one is not likely to be genuinely hungry for several hours. “FFROL” pp. 87-88

The most important feature of genuine hunger is comfort. The hungry man has no pain, no gnawing feeling in his stomach, he suffers no “hunger pangs,” he is not weak and he has no headache. If any of these symptoms are present, one should suspect that the hunger is spurious. If he does not get to eat at once, he does not become weak. If weakness follows upon delay in eating, this is a sure sign that “addiction” and not hunger is troubling him. If the weakness is relieved by eating, this is but added evidence that it is addiction.

An individual with normal nutrition can omit a meal or more at any time without ill-feeling or loss of strength. If discomfort follows missing a meal, this is the surest evidence that the individual is in need of a fast and a change of eating practices. Genuine hunger (a normal demand for food) is never accompanied by any disagreeable feelings whatever. There is no pain, no distress, no weakness--real or stimulated--no gnawing in the stomach. The demand for food is not felt in the stomach, and we are not aware that we have a stomach. an awareness of organs is a sure sign of disease. “FFROL” p. 88

There are great numbers of people who will assure you that they are hungry before every meal and that if a meal is delayed for a single hour they will grow faint and languid. They often describe pains and discomforts in the abdominal region and some of them say that they suffer with headache. Even physiologists have accepted the popular notion that hunger is a disagreeable sensation, one verging on actual suffering. These symptoms are strikingly like those manifested when a drug addict misses his accustomed dose to which indications has been given the name, withdrawal symptoms. Dr. Page called these “hunger symptoms” a species of “poison-hunger,” thus identifying them with addiction.

Observations reveal that these “poison-hunger” symptoms are most marked in heavy eaters of highly seasoned viands. The more one is addicted to salt, condiments, coffee, tea, etc., the more severe are these symptoms. The man who eats simple fare escapes them entirely. We also know that these sensations are likely to be most severe in the diseased.

Dr. Susanna W. Dodds insisted that “The sense of all-goneness in these cases is not from a lack of nutrient material, but owing to the absence of the habitual stimulus.” “No person,” wrote Dr. Chas E. Page, “feels faint upon passing a meal, or has a gnawing stomach, except it be occasioned by an irritated and unduly congested state of that organ. It is a sure proof of dyspepsia. Strictly speaking, the term is a synonym for indigestion.” Dr. Page well says, “A craving appetite should be treated as a morbid symptom, and should weigh in favor of abstinence.” “FFROL” p. 89

The “hunger” of the poorly nourished person is seldom genuine. It is more often of the same nature as those symptoms of the drug addict who is deprived of his drug that are erroneously called withdrawal symptoms. They are such symptoms as gastric distress, pains in the stomach region, a gnawing in the stomach, weakness, headache, etc. “Hunger pangs” would seem to be cramps and these are certainly abnormal. Normal muscular contractions, even if vigorous, are not painful. On the contrary they tend to be pleasurable. Hunger is not a pathological state and is not manifested by symptoms of disease. “FFROL” p. 90

We now know that hunger is felt in the mouth, throat and nose, and to some exrent, in the whole body. “FFROL” p. 91

The depraved stomach, he (Graham) held, its integrity impaired by previous abuse, may give rise to sensations that are mistaken for hunger, but which are, in reality, demands for irritation or stimulation. “FFROL” p. 91

This alleged demand for food is more properly termed a “perverted appetite.” ...The food addict is in the same boat with the drug addict and suffers similar “withdrawal symptoms” when he does not receive his accustomed meal.

Much of this supposed demand for food is a craving for coffee, salt, pepper, or other irritant and poison to which the stomach has become accustomed. Much of it is simply irritation of the digestive tract resulting from overeating, wrong eating and eating of stimulating foods. A toxic state of the digestive tract, resulting from indigestion, can set up symptoms galore that are mistaken for hunger. Although true hunger is never manifest in the stomach, always in the nose, mouth and throat, it is common to mistake distress in the region of the stomach for hunger.

What I have just said should be interpreted to mean that the morbid symptoms that are commonly mistaken for hunger are symptoms of food poisoning. “FFROL” p. 92

While it is true that the presence of a desire for food is not always a sign of health (this is so, because the demand for food is not genuine) it is true that when hunger is lacking for any great length of time, this manifests a lack of health. One of the first symptoms of acute disease is a suspension of the demand for food. It is a signal that rest of the digestive machinery is needed, a warning that no food is wanted and that, if taken, the nutriment will not be digested and assimilated. ...

If the acutely ill person, the person with severe inflammation, severe pain anywhere in the body, discomfort in the abdomen, etc., eats, the food decomposes in the digestive tract. If it is not thrown out by vomiting or hurried away by diarrhea, it remains in the stomach and intestine to poison and irritate the invalid, increasing both his discomfort and his danger. Feeding should not be resumed in these cases until at least twenty-four hours after all acute symptoms have subsided.

In chronic disease there is a frequent complaint: “I have lost my appetite.” It is complained that “nothing tastes good,” “I have to force myself to eat.” What a lot of suffering these people could avoid if they refrain from eating until they get hungry! This rule is also good for the chronic sufferer who is “hungry all the time.” “FFROL” p. 93

Indeed, genuine hunger is such a delightful sensation that it is worth going on a fast merely for the pleasure of experiencing it. Herbert Shelton, "Fasting For Renewal of Life" p.95

It is a spurious hunger, the only appeal for food a great number of people have ever known, since overfeeding, frequent feeding by the clock, and between-meal eating were started in infancy and continued throughout their lives. They are deceived by it and are honest in believing they are hungry. They remember a certain pleasure of taste and the sense of appropriating food to themselves and call it hunger, eat until food palls upon the taste, and in the course of two to six hours, whether agreeably occupied or not, begin to think of the pleasures of eating again, and consider themselves hungry.” Herbert Shelton, “Fasting For Renewal of Life” p. 96

THE CONCEPT OF “TOXIC HUNGER”

“Losing your ability to sense true hunger sets the foundation for obesity. By feeding them so much caloric-rich food so frequently we have trained our children to disconnect eating from hunger. After enough time goes by continually consuming more calories than they need, they will feel discomfort when they do not have food constantly in their stomach. They must keep their digestive tract going all the time, because the minute it empties, they feel uncomfortable. By the time they become an overweight adult, they are true food addicts.” -Joel Fuhrman, M.D., "Disease-Proof Your Child" pp. 137-138

“When food addictions drive intake via toxic hunger, we are never satisfied with an empty stomach, because it feels too uncomfortable, so we eat more and more and invariably become overweight. The more unhealthy the diet is, the more toxic hunger drives the person to overeat and put on additional pounds.” -Joel Fuhrman, M.D., "Disease-Proof Your Child" p. 139

Peace and Love..........John

in other words, if you eat cleanly for long enough, that feeling will go away.

it takes time. drink water to insure it is not thirst also.

Question7732, this actually is a common question that people new to raw ask, and it is a common issue to deal with, as adjusting to new ways of eating takes some learning and unlearning.

One of the crucial lessons that I learned is that the quality of food matters. I learned to be very picky and choose only fruit that are yummy, ripe and satisfying. My preference is for JUICY fruit and I learned that they are the most satisfying type of food.

Another lesson I learned is that feeling comfortable is important. So when I follow my body needs, eat when hungry (and when hungry, eat), eat foods that taste delicious, allow myself to experiment with different foods rather than stick to preconceived ideas, then the chance of doing well, and felling comfortable is a lot higher than otherwise.

If you are feeling uncomfortable at the end of the day, and you have had enough fluid during day, in the form of water or juicy fruits, then the chances are that you have not eaten enough. Reaching for lots of nuts could be a sign that your last meal was less-than satisfying, and so you try to satisfy your hunger with energy-dense (but also high-fat) nuts.

What helped in my initial year of raw was making banana-based smoothies, which I found very satisfying. Also, mono eating is great, as mono meals are a lot easier to digest and so are more satisfying too. These days I like mono meals of juicy fruit. I have been having daily salads lately, as it is winter here, and so there is less yummy fruit to choose from.

All the best,
Gosia


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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2014 12:12AM by rawgosia.

Include those high in protein like nuts (almonds,walnuts, macadamia etc.) these will definitely add to making you feel full and less cravings.

Get Fit from Within
Nazafit Online Fitness and Nutrition - CHEK Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, Master personal trainer, IPAC Physique conditioning coach and whole live food nutrition expert

[www.nazafit.com.au]

Nuts and seeds are very good, very healthy foods, as long as we don't overdo it! Contrary to the advice of some, I eat them along with fruits all the time, and I find this combination very satisfying and also very easy to digest (Macadamia nuts and bananas - bliss!)

There should probably be no fear of getting fat from any specific type of raw food (like nuts or seeds) - as long as a person is exercising sufficiently and regularly, which everyone should do anyway. (After decades of nut/seed-eating, I weigh just under 90 lbs. at 5'1" ).

Kind of important: IMO it's best to eat nuts and seeds before evening time. This could help for eating less at night.

Throwing some sprouts into a salad can add nutrients that could be lacking. I like sprouted black lentils - sprouted short. If you haven't started sprouting, google some info.

It takes time to get used to a raw food diet and to start craving only the raw foods when we're hungry. That's especially true however if we're overly restrictive of certain types of raw foods that are actually perfectly good for us.

Whatever the case, it's probably not realistic to expect perfection overnight. There's a transition. I used to keep some frozen peas in the freezer. If I had a huge urge for something different, I'd steam up a package of peas and add them to a great big salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice or Bragg's Aminos. Didn't happen real often, but I felt OK the next day - not like I'd stuffed on junk. It was a good compromise to make, and proved to be very helpful.

Also, something I used a lot was raw wheat germ (best purchased in a package, not bulk). I sprinkled it on salads (mmm, with lots of collards), and dressed the salads with olive oil and lemon juice, or I'd put the wheat germ into a nori roll with greens, avocado, and lemon juice.

Neither raw wheat germ nor olive oil are whole foods; but again, this was a good compromise, and I found it very helpful.

This may at first seem like a regression, but actually, it's not. It's multiple steps forward and one step back - PROGRESS! and a vast improvement over 2 steps forward and 20 steps back (binging at night).

You could try the above, or come up with your own ideas. The sky is the limit! Main thing is though that if you don't have enough nutrient variety in your diet, you can eat till you're blue in the face and never feel satisfied!!! - because your body is trying to tell you something. Better listen!

If what you're doing isn't working for you NOW, do something different. Now is the essence of is, as they say.

Raw soup is good for that full satisfying feeling. Try something like Ann Wigmore's energy soup, or experiment with your own. Start with a base of tomatoes, add avocado, some fresh herbs, etc, and you're on your way

I'm going through a little phase of loving soups lately, in fact I'm just about to make a creamy butternut squash one now



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Wow Naza,

I visited your website. Some pretty amazing stuff happening over there!

lisa m

how do u make utternut squash soup

recipe?

Hi La V, here's the recipe, approx, I didn't write it down at the time

1 cup butternut squash (chopped)
2 cups almond milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Handful dried coconut
1/2" chunk of ginger root
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric

you could add salt and pepper to taste as well if you wanted.

Blend.

As for feeling full, I literally felt full all day from this soup! I have been giving a lot of 'gastric-band' type hypnotherapy sessions recently though, so I might have experienced a backlash from that, haha!



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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2014 12:23PM by lisa m.

I'm also new to this and am gradually adding more raw foods to my diet. As too many nuts/seeds give me stomach issues, I'm learning to sprout legumes for added fullness. I also still eat steamed vegetables and cooked bean soups at lunch or dinnertime -- this is just what works for me.

Eating more small meals or snacks throughout the day also helps. I've always had a big appetite, so even with with steams & beans I still eat ALOT!

I noticed I always felt better eating more small meals throughout the day (aka grazing) than having 3 large meals. I never liked the feeling of fullness (or feeling stuffed) after a meal, so I choose to have more small mono-meals of fruit during the day and a medium meal of zucchini spaghetti with sauce and a salad on the side in the evening (or just another fruit mono-meal).

I recently noticed that I no longer need very large meals to feel satisfied, I feel better with less food (not restricting, but just listening to my body). I love this natural mechanism of feeling satiated after a certain amount of food, no need to pack in the calories if the body doesn't need them.

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Raw vegan for life. Vegan for the animals. Raw for my health.

Look I am never hungry. I have lots of raw food all around me. Fresh, bulk fruits, bags of greens, and also foods processed at raw vegan restaurants take out style, I dehydrate, always have a raw pie around for my family. I make them raw stuff, salad everynight, like recipe followed, and its a lot of work I know. But I have bananas all the time, everywhere too, and dates, oranges, and I spend alot of money on food, $250 a time twice a week sometimes. When I go out its to a raw juice bar, and I take home all their goodies in the fridges too. I get raw black nori sheets in bulk. Always have bags of nuts around for recipes or for pies/raw cakes. I get 7 or so thai coconuts at a time when I buy them. I am definitely the sugar mommy/ madam of the brothels.. when it comes to raw vegan foods. From sweets to nut meats to fruits, cakes, pies, juices, I have a garden too..to melons...etc etc..sprouters running on electricity..dehydrators going daily, I make a cracker, a big one ..man





Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2014 04:56PM by coconutcream.

I don't know a ton about it, but especially if you're a past meat eater, I've read a lot about how parasitic worms can cause hunger. So, besides the body getting used to a raw diet, that may also be a problem for some... worms are a common problem, and most people have them. So it'd be a good idea to go on a diet against parasites along with the raw diet. Though the raw diet does help with them.


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Ew that is so gross. I did a $200 parasite cleanse once, I thought I had worms because I got talked into it. And dont be scared of the worms, be scared of the cleanse! You pass a tube of gelatinous @#$%& like a giant worm out your ass!! I didnt see any worms. Then later my mom told me a native cure to her country is to swallow a whole bunch of papaya seeds. I did that too. No I do not have any worms. Its official.