Now here's a guy who has tons of experience in the raw lifestyle. So how about it, fresh? Will you allow us to put the spotlight on you and give us a peek into what makes a successful raw foodist and the way you go about doing raw? Thanks! All Qs are optional, of course, and you can choose to partially answer any of them.


What made you go raw?

When did you go raw?

have you been continuously raw since you first started or did you leave the lifestyle for a while and then came back?

Your age (optional) and gender?

What climate were you in when you first went raw and what climate are you in now?

Can you say briefly how the climate you’re in affects, whether positively, negatively or neutrally, your raw lifestyle?

Do you recommend any place or places that are more conducive to staying raw?

What did you eat when you first went raw and what is your diet like today?

Approximately what percentage of your diet is raw?

If you know then what you know now what changes would you have made when you first started raw?

What’s your view on supplements and do you take any?

Do you do regular health tests, e.g. blood and others?

We know there are many kinds of raw diet so this question is specific. Do you have any advice for raw fooders who are leaning towards eating or eating the raw diet you eat?

Do you have any advice for raw fooders who may have find themselves in a rut?

Any other thing you’d like to add?

you first!

Fresh is terrified.

fresh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you first!


I will, sometime this week. Does it really matter though who goes first? I'm sure all of the people I ask won't do it but they'll gladly devour what other people wrote. That won't stop me from posting mine though.

Anon 102 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fresh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > you first!
>
>
> I will, sometime this week. Does it really matter
> though who goes first?



No, it really doesn't, but fresh has an elementary school mentality so it's understandable. "You first!" like it's his first time going ding dong ditching with his friends. He may also be getting ready for graduation and doesn't have time to answer questions. Stay tuned.

Hey jt, would you do one for us? You know, give us your take and experiences so far and what you feel one should do and eat to succeed on the raw diet? Thanks!

There are many ways to succeed on a raw food diet and they depend on a variety of factors. However, I think it's important to make the distinction between simply succeeding (as in no deficiencies or physical/mental health problems) and striving for what's optimal. Nobody's perfect so there's always things we can all do to take our health to the next level.


What made you go raw? The strive for optimal health

When did you go raw? I went 100% raw mid-December of 2013 and was 90%+ raw vegan for six months before that.

have you been continuously raw since you first started or did you leave the lifestyle for a while and then came back? Continuously raw

Your age (optional) and gender? 22, M

What climate were you in when you first went raw and what climate are you in now? Wisconsin

Can you say briefly how the climate you’re in affects, whether positively, negatively or neutrally, your raw lifestyle? Negative most of the year except for summer. The cold weather has a negative impact on blood circulation, local foods are limited and non-existent for much of the year, D3 supplementation is a must, and lots of time is spent indoors due to extreme cold.

Do you recommend any place or places that are more conducive to staying raw? Probably tropical places like Hawaii or Florida.

What did you eat when you first went raw and what is your diet like today? Lots of fruit (including pounds of goji berries weekly), raw cacao, nuts and seeds. My diet nowadays includes lots of hemp seeds, berries, algae's, and sprout salads w/ various super foods such as turmeric extract (95% curcumin) and panax ginseng.

Approximately what percentage of your diet is raw? 99+%, some herbal extracts I use aren't raw.

If you know then what you know now what changes would you have made when you first started raw? None, I think I made a smooth transition which gave me very little desire to go back to the way I used to eat. I'm glad I never really bought into the low-fat movement or I'm sure it would've been more difficult.

What’s your view on supplements and do you take any? Various herbal extracts and medicinal mushrooms on an on/off basis.

Do you do regular health tests, e.g. blood and others? No but I plan to get tested maybe once every year or two in the future.

We know there are many kinds of raw diet so this question is specific. Do you have any advice for raw fooders who are leaning towards eating or eating the raw diet you eat? Do lots of research, listen to your body and maximize phytochemical intake. My diet is probably 35-40% fat.

Do you have any advice for raw fooders who may have find themselves in a rut? It would depend on what type of rut they are in but I would say don't worry about your fat/carb percentages, eat as much fruits as you'd like and as your body can reasonably handle, get on the algae's, and find a homemade salad dressing recipe you really like so you can enjoy a nice huge salad every day. If you're feeling extra motivated, start growing and juicing your own sunflower greens and wheatgrass.

Any other thing you’d like to add?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2015 06:21PM by jtprindl.

The reason that I was asking you to go first, anon, is that I feel that if you are going to ask questions of others, you should answer those questions yourself. it shouldn't be such a big deal that it takes you till next week to answer. this is really a problem here, that people are afraid to be open and say what they are doing, or what they might need advice with, etc. makes for a closed up community. even if it's eating mcdonalds, a healthy group of people should be free to share whatever, without feeling like they are going to attacked. (of course even if we are attacked, we don't need to worry about it, but it can make one less open) i don't feel like i push back or am critical to anyone unless they are so over the top that i feel compelled to say something. as in the perfect example of jtprindl in this thread.

it becomes quite clear why i sometimes am harsh back to prindl, and a couple others here, when he says such idiotic things as he just did here. apparently i am "terrified" to answer your questions. hilarious.

i was not delaying because i did not wish to answer, i was delaying because i wanted you to answer first as i said above. otherwise, you're just going to get other people to answer, and then go away...and we don't want that to happen do we?

anyway....with that said, i will answer


>
> What made you go raw?

I was sick in many ways, skin problems and many other things, and I was tired a lot. I didn't drink coffee so I didn't have something to mask my fatigue and may have been more motivated because of that. I remember thinking that to feel this way was crazy, even though i was functional. started reading all the health books i could find and there was a trend to vegetarianism that i saw, so i started eating more fruit and veg and rice, etc. After years of that, high raw, info started showing on the internet about fully raw diets - maybe it was nature's first law (although that was later) or ehret or n. walker or many other books, that may have gotten me to drop the rice and such.


>
> When did you go raw?
>

started high raw around 30 years ago.

> have you been continuously raw since you first
> started or did you leave the lifestyle for a while
> and then came back?

yes. refined and increased raw over time.
decade in the middle i was "all raw vegan".
now a little less than all raw vegan all the time.
although all raw vegan is better health wise, there is a little
bit of lack of freedom and sociality that exists with all raw
so i just backed off just a bit. it's not that i am recommending this, it's just what i do. it's easy for the short timer to get out of control with cooked, gotta find out what works for you so you're relaxed and not guilting yourself whether all raw or brkfast and lunch raw and cooked dinner.

> What climate were you in when you first went raw
> and what climate are you in now?

warm

>
> Can you say briefly how the climate you’re in
> affects, whether positively, negatively or
> neutrally, your raw lifestyle?

cold makes it a little harder, but depends on your motivation,
as 40belowfruity shows.

>
> Do you recommend any place or places that are more
> conducive to staying raw?
>

i only know fl and cali are very good

> What did you eat when you first went raw and what
> is your diet like today?

fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, rice, potatoes

now

fruits, leafys (no crucifers anymore) and celery, minimal nuts/seeds, potatoes when the moon is blue.

>
> Approximately what percentage of your diet is
> raw?
>

100%, since some days are 101% and others are 99%. I'm joking...

about 99% meaning almost all days of the year are all raw vegan. say 5-10 days are not.


> If you know then what you know now what changes
> would you have made when you first started raw?

maybe skip the crucifers although they're not "bad", just not as good for me as leafy's and celery.

>
> What’s your view on supplements and do you take
> any?
>

was in northern hemisphere and took a few vit D once.
only thing else is b12 once in a while


> Do you do regular health tests, e.g. blood and
> others?
>

I've had a couple tests and everything looked good.

no tests regularly.

> We know there are many kinds of raw diet so this
> question is specific. Do you have any advice for
> raw fooders who are leaning towards eating or
> eating the raw diet you eat?
>

i buy in bulk. i either eat fruits and lettuce one at a time or blend 1-3 things and usually when i blend bananas i put in a head of lettuce or a bunch of celery or both and or berries and water/coconut. i use a lot of coconuts and whatever fruit in season and i work hard on finding quality fruit. i can tell by picking up a mango by the weight and shape and color and pressing it slightly if it's the type i like -almost identical looking mangoes can be quite different. same for avocado and other fruits. i don't eat avo for half the year since they are garbage during the off season. i find wild fruit when i can. i am not much different from arnstein or kohler or lockhart or many others.

> Do you have any advice for raw fooders who may
> have find themselves in a rut?
>

that's a very big question. plus i have no idea where a person is at.
but....

- force yourself to go one day all raw without undereating or don't eat any cooked until later in the day.
- find an sport or exercise that you enjoy - you will want to eat better so you can perform better
- don't be afraid of fruit
-question the accuracy of the rda
- question the nutrient calculators
- eat simply
- find healthy alternatives to your "problem" foods
- have a smaller amount of your problem foods
- actually look at how disgusting cooked food is
- think about how it's not the cooked food you like, it's the salt you're adding to it.
- eat enough veg, whether celery/greens or whatever
- seek out farmers markets - buy in bulk - increase your variety - try new things.
- find raw snacks - like if you want a brownie, find a raw one. but not too much dehydrated foods can be worse than cooked.
- make savory soup- tomato, basil/lettuce blended soup with avo/cukes on top
- vanity can motivate - look at the difference between when you eat higher raw compared to cooked - circles under eyes, more wrinkles, paler skin, whatever
- get sun
- breathe deeply
- don't focus so much on food. stay busy, yet get enough rest.
- have a lot of sex.

> Any other thing you’d like to add?

gotta find out your own motivation, your own path...
don't look too much to others.

get enough sleep
make sure you're getting b12, d, and check your nutrients in a calculator even though it's not too accurate, it may point you to problems that are way out of whack like considering low selenium or iodine.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2015 06:30PM by fresh.

Thanks, fresh. Very informative and resonates with me..

especially..

"- have a lot of sex."


ha ha !!