I posted this to the fruitarian debate thread but then just decided to start fresh.

Fruitarian One, I am interested in your experience of eating citrus for a whole season at a time, and of not eating greens. What is it like? DavidZaneMason if you have comments too or anyone else, I'd love to hear it.

I used to think I really needed and enjoyed a lot of greens but after I just did almost 10 day of bananas (i thought i'd be really craving them during and afterwards!) i find that i don't want as much as i did before the mono-diet. I'm wondering how much of it is my mind.

Also I find it hard to eat large quantities of citrus unless they are very sweet without that acidic tangy bite, and even then i have only done a couple meals in a row of citrus.

Was this a process for you, being able to go so long on just citrus and with so few greens? Did you used to eat/need more greens? Or was like this from the beginning? It is inspiring to hear about.

Love,
Uma

Hi,

No it was like this straight from the get go...having citrus is very natural to me infact it's one of my major staples, it gets me through the fall/winter and spring, I was never attracted to greesn at all, I tried it out but it just wasn't for me!

Just follow your instincts...

Here's my story hope this helps:

[www.realgainz.com]

Thanks, I'm reading your interview now.

Love,
Uma

My experience:

-My transition was so gradual......it became very clear to me what my body wanted. When I started fasting......and trying out mono-meals.......it became totally clear what lifted my body up....and what ran me down. LOL.

-In the transitional years...I ate a WIDE variety of raw foods....and plenty of greens to be sure. Once I started eating mono-meals....fruit was much more appealing and energizing. I started feeling SO good on my mono-days....that I just made my whole life either mono-days...or fasting days. I have never regretted THAT decision! Ha! ha!

-Part of the reason my Raw Food Farm (check out my new website: www.RawFoodFarm.com) is located in Central Florida is the abundance of fresh citrus that literally just hangs from trees outside my front doors. Providing tons of sunlight energy, I find citrus to be VERY sustaining and filling. A few big glasses of Orange Juice can be almost TOO much for me some mornings! Ha! ha!

-In short, I find that they periods where I have done nothing but drink Orange Juice to be very pleasant.

-The thing to remember is that these are decisions that are made.....not through WILLPOWER....or DISCIPLINE......but by asking yourself what you are truly motivated and are prepared to do. What YOU think is right....and fully committing to it.....forever.

-Doing the right thing is always a great business philosophy!

-David Z. Mason

Mmmmm, OJ. I really want some OJ now. It's one of my favorite things!
I think I will start mono-ing on that. I became sick of the watermelon, and frustrated with getting a few non-sweet ones, so I have a strong desire for the OJ instead now. Your experience sounds great, David! I'll have to check out your website.



harmonyraw.blogspot.com

One thing I wanna add is to only do these things if you feel strongly guided to and not because it sounds cool or advanced.

F1

Uma, My knowledge is limited since I have just recently(2months) became a 811 raw foodist. But I too have begun weining off of big salads at night and sticking to more mono-days! I feel more energized and clean. Also I have a fresh farmers market that has the best Grapefruit, I have personally ever tasted, really close to my house. So I can see me in the near future going weeks at a time on Citrus!


> Myspace: [www.myspace.com]
> Blog: [chefdemocha.blogspot.com]

Helloooo. I'm new btw. Raw since Feb. I have this thing Satsuma (a type of naartie) addiction right now. I don't think it's very good for the teeth tho, but I make sure I drink a green smoothie with garlic every day. Btw whats the deal with the mono diet? why would you do that? Isn't that a bit pointless? And you wouldnt get all the nutrients you need. And Uma hehe I glad your aff the banana thing hehe couldnt that make you gain fat?

Lukkraw:

Mono eating allows you to get full absorption/digestion of each food at the time you need it. The body puts together all the pieces later.

-There is also the philosophy that its what you are NOT eating that brings true health. Just my opinion.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

<<-There is also the philosophy that its what you are NOT eating that brings true health. Just my opinion.
>>

davey mason

that's a profound statement
i agree

Thanks for all the input and the personal experiences.

I am excited: It is becoming so clear how many leaps and bounds I feel better when I mono-eat. So cool. But I don't want to force it before its time so I am trying to let it show up naturally, gradually.

Do you successful fruitaholics ever eat dates? Or is this too dry/heavy for you?

FruitarianOne, I really appreciated reading your personal story, the challenges you went through (which I could relate to) and your passion for what you're doing. It was uplifting to read.

David Zane Mason, thanks for your sharing too--I also feel so much better on mono days. It crazy! It's almost TOO simple. So you fast sometimes out of necessity or just because you ran out of ripe fruit or just for the heck of it?

Mocha, it's good to hear of others playing in the same place as me, starting to explore monkey mono and feeling the befenits.

Lukkraw, you know, if someone had told me 6 years ago when I first started dabbling in raw, that one day I would be fully satisfied to eat bananas only for a week and a half, or even to just eat mangos all day one day, I would not have believed them. It just sounds TOO WEIRD!

Love,
Uma





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2007 04:40AM by uma.

davidzanemason Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lukkraw:
>
> Mono eating allows you to get full
> absorption/digestion of each food at the time you
> need it. The body puts together all the pieces
> later.
>
> -There is also the philosophy that its what you
> are NOT eating that brings true health. Just my
> opinion.
>
> -David Z. Mason

Modern fruit contains less nutrients so mono eating defeat the purpose of optimal eating. The instestinal flora is the key to optimal health, it is not mono eating.

Quote

On a raw food diet, variety is even more important because raw fruits and vegetables provide nutrients in a less concentrated, more diluted form. Thus, a certain vegetable may lack in many important nutrients, which are compensated by what other vegetables can provide. It is not enough to look at the charts and calculate our nutritional intake because these numbers are wrong. A tomato grown in a farm in California doesn’t have the same nutritional value as another tomato grown in a local garden or one grown in a hothouse. The only way we can insure proper nutrition on a raw food diet is by constantly varying the foods we eat according to the season. Let’s review a few pieces of advice and add some more:

[www.fredericpatenaude.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2007 07:25AM by djatchi.

Ha! Thank you Uma for your great posts. I always CHOOSE to fast very consciously. I pick the days and times. It gives my digestion a rest.

DJ: It's my opinion that there is no ONE optimal way of eating for individuals. Each person is on a spectrum - and needs to address their personal needs in a very personal way. There are tools available for each stage of that journey. What is working for you? Whatever it is - I support it 100%.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I agree that every person is a special case and thank you for your support but the value of the forum is in the sharing based on the evidence and the value of the argument.
Raw foodist like you and Bryan who have been on this path for a long time can live on a mono diet without pb because your body is cleansed and you have built up reserve but for new comers it is not a good advice. If I mono eat on oranges which are high in vatimin c, then how would my body stores those nutrients and wait for another food to compensate for the missing nutrients?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2007 12:06PM by djatchi.

Evidence/science can only go so far....for instants when I started out I had no one to guide me so I went off on my own and learnt what worked for me, then when I gained access to the internet I researched all the eveidence and none of it was true for me, I couldn't relate to any of it, infact all the eveidence said that I couldn't survive when infact I was thriving, all we can do is share our own experiences and hope that someone can relate to it, this is not a one size fits all thing, you cannot go by what some other guru/expert says because they are not you!

F1

DJ:

I agree that mono-eating is a refinement tool for those that are more comfortable with a simpler form of eating. Keep in mind that there is still MUCH that is unknown in the realm of nutrition science. Nutrition science as we know it is a VERY recent invention. Science was saying how absolutely NECESSARY it was to eat 'complete' proteins until very recently (and promoting meat eating). Those who were long-term vegans....or even those who are long-term fruit eaters (like myself or the irrepressable Fruitarian One!) are testament to the fallacy of that particular axiom.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I think dj makes a decent claim that a mono-cleanse isn't the greatest advice for someone starting the raw diet, which F1 alrealdy summed up simply "not because it sounds cool or advanced". People are very dogmatic when it comes to 'hygiene' on this board. its important for people to understand that ANY raw diet is an EXTREMELY cleansing diet as long as certain things are gradually and progressively left out. In fact any such diet - including the high fat 100% raw diet - is far too cleansing for most to see as simply a dietary change without taking into account other factors IMO. people can get very sick on a high-fruit diet just as easily, or more so then on a high fat diet for this very reason. Are there problems with too much fat? with spices/ condiments etc...of cource! but if someones comming from twinkies and fluffanutters, sorry...carrots are a 'natural food' whether they have a grubbers snout or not eh.

the part about modern fruit containing less nutrients. and the idea of 'running on a reserve of nutrients' I agree are false concepts. if anything the statistical data provided by the fda or whomever would be low, not to mention oranges contain much more than vit C. BUT even that is irrelavent. just as the food pyramid/RDAs are based on what everyone is already eating, If you are at least practicing rawfoods in one way or another I would think you believe in some way that cooking destroys or at least alters micronutrients, and that humans as we've come to be are dam cesspools of sickness, whether we have symptoms or not. So why would what applys to Joe Cesspool apply to someone who has cleansed?

Going mono is something that you naturally are drawn to do when your body is ready.

I agree that mono eating shows up when/if someone is ready. Because until I had gotten to this point, yeah, I was still steeped in all the belief systems that it would be malnourishing, that I need variety all the time, or the FDA/RDA doesn't support it, or whatever. I was still interested in the arguments and evidence about how modern day fruit isn't as mineral dense or whatever zillion arguments there are that you can't live on mono fruit. I was still trying to do my diet from my head (and still am most of the time but dare I say it's starting to shift!).

I am so grateful right now for those sharing here who have explored this realm before me and are experiencing such phenomenal results! And for those who, like me, are playing with it and starting to see the benefits. And, for those who are totally skeptical of the whole thing and think we are crazy!

Love,
Uma

DJ and anakan,

Read David's and Fruitarian's posts again. They are not suggesting that you do a mono diet, just stating that it suits them. They're describing their experience, not prescribing something for you.

Notice the difference in their focus from yours: You are thinking about the optimum diet; they are listening to their bodies, being present with what feels right moment to moment. Personally, I find that when I can trust the wisdom of my body, and follow the diet, rest, and activity that feels right moment to moment, I feel best.

greenie,
You must be kidding. Listening to the body is the one thing you have to do to be successful on raw food diet in the long run. I have been doing this for 20 years, I may not be vegan and 100 percent raw but I am very very healthy and it came from listening to my body. The reason I responded to this topic was for what david wrote

Quote

Mono eating allows you to get full absorption/digestion of each food at the time you need it. The body puts together all the pieces later.

I do not understand how the body put pieces together later.
Let's focus on the strength of the argument not on the cult of the personality.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2007 09:01AM by djatchi.

DJ:

-I think your concerns are legitimate and intelligent. I encourage you to seek all the nutrients you feel you need...and follow your goals.

-One either believes/practice that the body is INHERENTLY broken....and requires constant fixing....via nutrients and vitamins.....and a constant seeking of something external........or you believe that only wrong practices and ways of thinking have created layers of habit/varnish/thoughts/and eating habits that just need to be released.....and a new level of simplicity will come rushing in to fill the gap.

-Or you believe/practice that the body in inherently all right! Ha! ha!

-Example: When we stop eating....and say....fast on water. Some people are HIGHLY uncomfortable...and feel like they are starving...after only one meal. Many folks are in actual PAIN. Is this because the body NEEDS food?

-Example: Some folks....when they stop drinking......actually become highly ill....uncomfortable...and even in PAIN. Does this mean they are alcohol DEFICIENT? Do they need more of Vitamin-Alc?

-Or is it a purging of the toxic varnish inside and out that causes this discomfort. What happens when there has been a complete purging? LOL. Do you INHERENTLY need a constant infusion of foods? This is a question a person must ask themselves. For sure.

-As I mentioned, science has shown the body easily builds complete proteins from incomplete - allowing vegans to eat from several different sources of protein and put together what they need on the fly. I am NOT trying to prove it to you....only to offer you an alternative....which you can continue to research on your own.

-Don't adhere to any guru.....or even what your own brain is telling you. But DO pursue your goals with all your strength, passion and joy!

-Have a great day!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

greenie: I wasn't saying they were, I was just agreeing that the particular statement DJ made was valid, and that it was already echoed with what F1 wrote. I HAVE seen people suggest going mono as a 'cleanse' quite often, and although I don't think its harmful for the reasons of lack of nutrients etc.., I simply think its a bit overkill for someone comming from SAD when an progressively raw diet would be plenty cleansing. Sorry if this was not clear.

BTW I don't 'think about the optimum diet', in fact I agree that health comes from what you leave out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2007 10:39PM by anaken.

It is a fact that we have the tendency to overeat, in most places there is plenty of food so it makes sense to periodically fast to let the body cleanse itself from excess food and nutrients. A water fast for a week or two will force the body to eat itself and cleanse us from excess fat and nutrients and we feel very good at the end of the fast but just because we feel good does not necessarly make it that we can live on water alone for the rest of our lives.
If I mono eat on citrus fruit my body will be floaded with a dose of vitamin c but with little calcium, iron, and b12, the body has to get that from its reserve and this will work for a while not in the long run. Thus mono eating is a type of short term fasting, you cannot do it forever. If there is no known evidence of long living fruitarian, then why would we think there will be evidence of long living mono eater when mono eating is even more restrictive.

DJ: My understanding is that the first man to run a 4-minute mile had absolutely no evidence to support the fact that this was possible. He might have extrapolated, but it was certainly not within the realm of accepted physical performance at that time. After he did it, many others started doing it as well. Ha! ha! Might there be a new level of performance for those that wish it? No one is forcing those that want to walk to run a 4-minute mile! Ha! ha! History is no great indicator of where scientific discovery will go....or what the human mind and body are revealed to be capable of!

-I don't remember advocating for anyone to mono-eat forever. I have for many years and am in the best shape of my life - this is just my experience. It's ok if it's not your bag....LOL.

-My own experience is that folks can enjoy increasingly longer periods of not having to worry about eating if they wish it. The tools, knowledge, and experienced individuals are here.....if they want it. This is truly a gift.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Mono seems a bit too simple for me right now. Sometimes I try with citrus or mangoes, but I always end up finishing off with a banana or two. I seem to need to include a banana with every meal, but I don't like eating a meal of only bananas.

Simpler is best, however, I must wholeheartedly agree. I got heavily into very complex salads for a while there, eating them at every meal. I would use 4 kinds of fresh herbs, 5-6 different fresh fruits, 3-4 different dried fruits, 3 kinds of greens, 3 kinds of sprouts, a juicer and a blender (for the dressing) just to make one of them. It could take well over thirty minutes to make, especially if I was using a new pineapple or mangoes.

Oh and David Mason, thanks for inviting me to visit your farm when I was in Sarasota this past January. It seemed a little far to drive at the time (if I could do it over I would have totally come out), but I just want to say I appreciate the offer. Having looked at your website it's pretty awesome how you've changed your life. You have one of those "follow your heart" stories, for real.

Oh: Thank you Forrest! You're certainly welcome. I realize that actually visiting the Farm or going on a Weekend Retrat is not for everyone! Ha! ha! I'm still in the beginning / organization stages! But you certainly have a standing invitation!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com