Hi all,

I need some advice. I am going to Nepal this summer for a 21 day trek in the Himalayas. I have to admit that part of my motivation is weight loss as all the girls I know who have gone to Asia for an extended period of time, have all lost weight even if they were thin to start with. (I am very thin so calculated weight loss is somewhat difficult). My problem is
1) How do I stay raw -or at least only on fruit and veg in the mountains where we will be staying in primitive tea houses?
2) I have heard they serve a lot of rice. If I am forced to eat this after so long away from processed carbs, is this gonna make me put on weight?
3) Is eating fruit in third world countries dangerous? My parents are originally from Asia and they warn me whenever I travel not to eat fruit as if it is washed in local water, I will get diarrhea (unless it needs to be peeled in which case I am ok... they wont let me on a plane with a friggin lip balm, they probably wont let me on with a fruit peeler). I broke this once in Turkey and hey presto, the most awful food poisoning I have ever had. I don't fancy treking up and down mountains with debilitating cramps. Any advice from other world travellers?

"3) Is eating fruit in third world countries dangerous?"

It really depends on the country...

Technically speaking, I come from a "third world country" (I dislike this term though) and it is perfectly safe to eat the produce and drink the water here. I have not traveled in Asia but I do have a friend who spent several years there as an AP journalist and he never had any problems in Nepal (he is vegetarian not raw though!)



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

Veggie is fine but I don't want to eat rice or bread or anything. It is going to be weird not having my every gourmet whim delivered as it is in London.

And yes the term isn't ideal I agree and there is a sense of heirarchy in it. So perhaps we should replace it with 'developing'.... ok that doesn't work either. How bout 'rapee nation' as opposed to 'raping nation'! Lol. Any suggestions?

Oh where are you from BTW?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2007 09:51PM by SiennaInLondon.

"How bout 'rapee nation' as opposed to 'raping nation'! Lol. Any suggestions?"

LOL that is too funny!

I am from Jamaica. Your trip sounds like its gonna be amazing... Hope you post some of the pictures here!



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

OMG, I'll show you the photos when (the inevitable when) I come visit you. Last place I went to was Cuba and I am now hooked on the Caribbean!

Random -POOR ANNA NICOLE

Come visit anytime! I will get you local rates on hotels (I do alot of work for the major ones) and take you touring .

I know! I was just watching it on CNN and it breaks my heart!! I wonder if the courts will go through with the paternity testing. My heart just breaks for this little girl... first her older brother passes away and now her mum...



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

It is just so eerie with the dying before 40 (like Marilyn and Diana) and the overdose... and just her whole life.

I hope the baby's father is a stable person I really do.

gals-i was so shocked....about anna.i re-checked the channel cause i thought i was on some kind of sick comedy channel.so so tragic.well when i lived in the philippines,we had to soak all our fruits and veggies in the sink with bleach water.then hubby went to china a few yrs back.He was afraid to eat anything.he lost 30 pounds cause all he would eat was fruit.so there is that hope.good luck on your trip...sounds exciting.hugs taylor

what a wonderful aspiration. if its not too personal
may i ask what are the other parts of your motivation?
i ask because i have always dreamed of a pilgrimage
to the Himalayas and Buddhist Holy Lands.
i once tried to make the journey but it just was not
in my karma. maybe later though.

im also curious what your weight loss goals are?

fruitgirl

<< 21 day trek in the Himalayas. I have to admit that part of my motivation is weight loss as all the girls I know who have gone to Asia for an extended period of time, have all lost weight even if they were thin to start with. (I am very thin>>

"well when i lived in the philippines,we had to soak all our fruits and veggies in the sink with bleach water.then hubby went to china a few yrs back.He was afraid to eat anything.he lost 30 pounds cause all he would eat was fruit."

Thats good advice taylor... better safe than sorry I always say!



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

if you are very thin why are you going on a holiday to lose weight. do you have an eating disorder?

"if you are very thin why are you going on a holiday to lose weight. do you have an eating disorder?"

Thats a really personal question... in my opinion anyway...



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

yes it is, but why collude?

How on earth am I colluding by simply stating my opinion?



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

You can put a fruit peeler or a fruit knife into your checked-in luggage.

I want to wish you the best of luck with your trip to Nepal but I too was concerned that part of your motivation is to lose even more weight if you're already very thin. As someone who almost died of anorexia, I feel sad when I see signs that another beautiful human being might be going through that hell.

I want to add that getting to a super-low weight would not be healthy for trekking. When I was extremely thin I could hardly walk for any length of time, and if I did I would have to sleep for a _long_ time to recover.

I'm all for being thin but just want to lovingly suggest that if you're already very thin you may not need to get any thinner.

In answer to the rest of your question, I spent time in Thailand and Cambodia and ate only fruit when I was there. Sometimes there were days of just rambutans and bananas (both of which can be peeled), especially in the 'trekking' kind of setting. But in Thailand I sometimes ate fruits that couldn't be peeled without even washing them and I was fine.

Again, if your system is overall healthy (which it can't be if you're too undermuscled), you're going to do just fine on fruit!

Have a wonderful time.
love
Ela



seeing is freeing
hearing is clearing
feeling is healing

I always travel light so I buy my fruit peeler and knife when I arrive.

Carry on luggage the less the better you can buy everything you need there well almost everthing.

As for Asia I am here about 8 months of the year last year spent a 6 weeks in Southern India the easiest place in the world to be raw was there during mango season.

As for Nepal I have never been there I am sure there are markets everywhere and you will be able to buy fruits fresh and dried if you are going on a long trek.

As for veggies it could be more of a challange if you are trekking.


Cherimoya

Love Peace and Happiness,

No I will take a fruit peeler -I was joking about travel restrictions! Thailand and Cambodia aren't as high or as isolated as Nepal and India is a superpower and you can get pretty much what you want -that was my concern. BUt the dried fruit thing is an excellent idea.

And just to make everyone else feel at ease -I am not anorexic but I have ALWAYS been underweight naturally. I now just want to lose 5kg more to be a little lighter than normal because I want to do runway modelling, not just print. Also I don't feel physically comfortable with the extra mass on my hips and stomach (as in it isn't a pleasant feeling to carry it around -I am sure people who have put on a bit of weight in the past can empathise! Or girls with bigger boobs than they'd like) and considering I was once a million times skinnier, I want to find a middle ground.

Everyone calm now?

taylor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> well when i lived
> in the philippines,we had to soak all our fruits
> and veggies in the sink with bleach water.then
> hubby went to china a few yrs back.He was afraid
> to eat anything.he lost 30 pounds cause all he
> would eat was fruit.so there is that hope.

Taylor... BLEACH? That can't be good. Unless you mean something different. Ok so fruit was safer for your husband? That is good to know. I suppose the fact that I avoid meat and dairy and wheat will keep my tummy somewhat safe

i just saw the tv news and some model in spain just died and it was cause she was anorexic and she died weighing 88 pounds.now spain and maybe other countries are making models have a certificate of health before they let them be on the runway.not in america so far.if u are not a certain heavier weight,the tv news said-they will not let you on.i thought this was very interesting.not that u are anorexic or have any of these issues.but the news i heard sort of fit into this theme we are talking of and it was interesing.have fun on your travels. hugs taylor

> i ask because i have always dreamed of a
> pilgrimage
> to the Himalayas and Buddhist Holy Lands.
> i once tried to make the journey but it just was
> not
> in my karma. maybe later though.
>
> im also curious what your weight loss goals are?
>
> fruitgirl

Oh no, not religious experience I am afraid, I am a sometimes religious dabler, often Abrahamic, often anything that goes, but at the moment i am very atheistic! But hey, if the spiritual gets me, I am open minded.

As for the weight, I am usually about 53kg at 174cms. If you look at me, I am thin, but not oddly so. I want to be 48kg or at least make it to 50kg and see how my body feels.

well-u sound just fine to me. traveling and being open minded to different spiritual ideas and i don't know what your weight is in pounds and your height but u sound like u are doing just wonderful.u are very lucky to get to travel and see the world and to do what u do.taylor

Yeah, a fruit peeler, a knife, dried fruits and see if you can find some dried vegetables.

I live in South Korea at the moment and dried vegetables aren't hard to find. Actually, I don't know that they're dried and not lightly cooked somehow.

If fruit that you can peel isn't available, you might want to have a small packet of baking soda that you can use to soak your fruit in for 20 minutes. One teaspoon of baking soda to several liters of water. But if the water's contaminated ...! I don't know, you might try that, then towel-drying the fruit.

If you can bring along some sesame seeds, they'll be a bit heavy though.

"Weeds" are a good vegetable. If you have a local available who can point out edbile weeds that can be eaten raw, this'll give you some nutrition. Weeds with roots, if they're available. Since you'll go in summertime, there'll be more weeds available than at any other time of year.

Yeah, how about a few pictures from your trip?



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Thanks Troy that was very helpful. I am not sure if the water will be contaminated but I'll have to do some research. I hear we'll be coming across some sources in the mountains so that is preferable to anything that comes out of a tap. Baking soda -check. I'll assume I can get seeds in Kathmandu. Apparently there are monkeys everywhere in the city! How cute is that? Also the weed thing is another brain wave. YAY! I might not starve after all.

I will post some photos but I am not going for a while and when I am done with Nepal I am going to visit a friend in Brazil so don't hold your breath!

It is very sad about these models isn't it Taylor? It is hard to balance the superficial and the spiritual these days. Most people tend to be one or another. But I am going to be one well dressed raw foodist dammnit and I refuse to lose my soul! LOL!

good for u gal-u sound like u have the right ideas and ideals-good luck.hugs taylor

Cherimoya, I would love to go to southern India for a raw vacation! It's funny, when i did travel in india i was most definitely not raw at all! At least I got to enjoy all the greasy heavy local food which was so yum. But I'd like to return one day and experience India raw.

Love,
Uma

i just recieved a once in a lifetime opportunity
to participate in a biking tour in holland!!! i've always
wanted to visit the neatherlands for the liberal
way of life.

however the itenerary mentions lots of cheese, pasteries, waffles....
the meals are included in the package. i think i'll
cross my fingers and hope the restaurants have raw exchanges.

it's not til july but im way thrilled.

Oh fun!! You'll survive on fruit and nuts easily. I don't know Holland but I know Belgium and France and yes they eat lots of bread and dairy but you don't have to do the same.