I am so new and foreign to the "rawfood" life style that I will probably sound completely ignorant to you - every other word. That being said, I will take my chance and ask you, the experts, for some general opinions and advice because I simply have no clue as to where and how to begin.

I am one of those people who THINK they've always eaten somewhat healthy. Well, healthier than others ...whose idea of "eating" consists of frozen meals, pre-packed everything and generally junky food.

I've always liked raw salads with some olive oil and fresh lemon juice - simply because my parents worked all their lives for some major green houses in Europe and we always had fresh veggies at home as they could bring them fome for free (they were the producers). However, we also had meat, bread and of course, cooked food in our diet.
I also naturally like fruits. So far, whatever I ate raw came to me naturally, not because I have made some life-changing commitment but simply because I've always done that. When I eat greeen salads, I tend to eat lots of it, not just a few little leaves covered in ranch sauce like so many people seem to do in the US.

Recently I found out that there is a possibility I may have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Whether I have this or not it is not clear, I have an appt with a specialist in 3 weeks; but one immune system-related test run by my GP was a tad out of normal.
I have also suspected for a long time that my immune system is not stellar because I have this "candida albicans" overgrowth. I know about it because (warning, may sound gross to some) when I wake up in the morning my mouth feels cottony and heavy and when I spit in the glass, there is some white, thick substance (no, not saliva) that grows legs and sinks slowly at the bottom of the glass. It's been like this for years. I mentioned it to a health care provider once and she shrugged it with a "some people have more Candida than others" or something like that.

Overall, I feel that my immune system is crying for some help before some major tragedy happens. I am afraid that if I keep going like this, I might soon hear about some "C" word or God knows - something that has frightened me to no end my whole life (I might be a bit of a hypochondraic, I don't know).

My question is: how do I even start on something that frankly, sounds almost impossible to me...
Never eat anything cooked??? How in the world will I be able to achieve something like this? I love my raw salads and fruits all right - but how does one NOT ever eat anything cooked?

These are some of my concerns:

1. First, I know for sure I would not be able to keep up with any life style that requires dried fruit/seeds/extract of "Kumu-Kamu-Kimu" or anything along those exotic and out-of-reach-for-me lines. What does a normal person eat and be OK?

I have seen a site (www.blindguru.com) that pretty much shoots down even foods that conventional wisdom and research say are very good for you. That includes carrots, many nuts, bananas. If you read close enough, thr author shoots down just about anything an average Jo(esse) would be able to eat under the best of intentions. The author of that sites consumes only the "Kumu-Kamu-Kimu" type foods and says that you cannot eat your way into health ...it just has to happen in a "mumbo-jumbo new-agey" kind of way.

That was disappointing.

2. Do people who eat raw prepare mainly soups and salads?

3. Is fish (ok, low/no mercury) even remotely acceptable?

4. Is juicing good or not? The same aforementioned author was fiercely against jucing and only pro-blending. But...how much of that blended raw stuff can one eat without actually preparing something with it?

5. Does anyone have a list of what is acceptable to eat and what is not - to a rawfoodist?

Any other opinions as to how to start on this lifestyle slowyly would be immensly appreciated.

With many thanks,

siracusa

Read from more raw food sites, like this one.

Eat raw fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds.

Eat mainly fruits, and veggies. Prepare raw recipes if you like.

No fish.

Juicing is good.

You've just started. Take your time, read lots, visit raw food websites, buy or borrow a few raw food books.

Love,
Prism

1. Not everyone adheres to the same set of beliefs in raw food. It's sort of like a political party that everyone deviates from in their own way. You are free to eat whatever raw foods you'd like as long as, obviously, they're raw. Plenty of people eat bananas, carrots, and raw (usually sprouted) nuts. I would advise that you eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible and less items that come from bulk bins (seeds, nuts, grains) or bottles (condiments, oils). If you don't want to spend extra on things like goji berries, mangosteen juice, and assorted superfood powders (none of which I consume, and have been raw for a year and a half), you can simply incorporate more organic produce in your diet, which is easier and more reliable as a benefit to your health.

2. A lot of people do, because they're the easiest options. You can make fruit salads or soups, a wide assortment of dressings and add-ins (sun-dried tomatoes, seeds, tahini, etc.) if it's more comfortable for you. If you go to raw recipe sites, you'll find a lot of quick and easy dishes that you can make in lieu of soups and salads, like lettuce wraps, nori rolls, dips, and the like. GoneRaw.com is a good one.

3. Some people follow strains of the raw diet that include fish. Their philosophy is that if it's eaten raw, it's okay for you, and often apply the same theory to eggs, dairy, and other meat products. They use raw, organic products because if you eat conventional ones they could be loaded with antibiotics, hormones, and all that bad stuff. I know a few long-time (over a decade) vegetarians and vegans who have been convinced that fish's components are essential to the human body and consume supplements or small amounts of fish in their diet. So, do what you feel is best for yourself, but I don't eat any of these things.

4. I don't juice, so this isn't really my area of expertise. Juicing is generally used as a method of extracting the nutrients from whatever you put in without the bulk, so that you don't have to consume the extra fibrous material of the fruit or vegetable(s). Blending is usually used in smoothies, dressings, etc. I'm not sure what you mean by your question, but some people take the pulp of carrot juice and mix it with avocado & spices to create "mock tuna", for example.

5. David Zane Mason's site has an extensive list of edible fruits and vegetables. [www.rawfoodfarm.com]

If you want to get into this lifestyle slowly, just cut out the worst offenders in your diet. Highly processed, roasted, baked, fried, foods. Breads. Cereals. Hydrogenated oils, chips, SWEETENERS (I have a HUGE hatred for these), and if you hadn't asked about fish, I would say meats and dairy. You can start off by still eating basic grains (brown rice, oats, couscous) with cold-pressed oils, while eating salads with lots of veggies and fruit to help introduce the lifestyle to you. You can steam some vegetables and use spices to eliminate your want for condiments (which are, in most cases, extremely unhealthy and loaded with additives). There are tons of articles on transitioning so I'm not even going to get into it, but, much love and I'm glad you decided to get into raw foods.

(P.S., it is very good that you already like green salads! I forgot to compliment you on that one.)





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2007 06:10PM by rawfrancois.

siracusa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Never eat anything cooked???

Don't think about it like that. As long as you are moving forwards. Just add more raw food to your diet and the other stuff will disappear naturally.

>
> These are some of my concerns:
>
> 1. I have seen a site (www.blindguru.com)...

Have a look at all the other more balanced raw food sites out there (and probably completely disregard that site)

> 2. Do people who eat raw prepare mainly soups and
> salads?

I eat a lot of fruit too.

Rob

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

I know this will sound primitive to you...but really, where do rawfoodists get their protein from?

If nothing can be cooked, I assume that beans or lentils are not an option either because I can't see how one can eat raw beans or lentils.

Are nuts and seeds supposed to be the only source of protein?...

What is a "julienned" vegetable?

Is Romaine lettuce OK? The author I mentioned above "poo-poo"-ed this one too.
If even Romain lettuce is bad, there's definitely no hope for me.

If I can only afford conventional and not organic - is that still OK?

Are the regular, frozen blueberries from grocery stores any good? I love blueberries but I find them to be horribly expensive in their fresh form, even the conventional ones, let alone organic.

Where does one find fresh, good, tasty, not-forced-into-growing berries?

What does it mean to "buy local"? The most "local" I know about is to go to the local farmer's market but I have not seen anything "certified organic" there. That produce does seem tastier, more natural, less "waxed", more ripe and less "picture perferct" than the grocery store type.
I don't see any little, fresh, "European-ish" type produce markets in my area (right outside of metro Atlanta).
Would anyone be able to recommend anything?



Generally speaking, where do you guys buy your daily food from?

Siracusa,

That website you saw, blind guru, too bad it's the first one you saw. This one is better;

[www.rawfoodexplained.com]

Thank you so much, Dulset. The site seems so well organized and...clean.
The blindguru was...ALL ...OVER...THE...PLACE. And just plain disheartening.

siracusa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know this will sound primitive to you...but
> really, where do rawfoodists get their protein
> from?
>
> If nothing can be cooked, I assume that beans or
> lentils are not an option either because I can't
> see how one can eat raw beans or lentils.
>
> Are nuts and seeds supposed to be the only source
> of protein?...

all foods contain protein, siracusa, including fruits and veggies.

"fruitarian one" on this site is a bodybuilder who eats fruit only.
where does he get his protein, you might wonder...

the protein myth is fostered by inflated protein needs
and by a tendency to acknowledge only the foods with the "highest"
amount of protein.

consider that excess protein is very injurious.

start asking your friends what happens to all the excess protein they eat!

we don't possess uricase,for one thing, which causes problems in the body with breakdown of excess protein.

Protein is in many different foods. I've just recently learnt that parsley contains 22% protein! www.nutritiondata.com is a great resource for finding the protein content of various foods (and other nutritional details).

I would agree though, that lettuce contains limited amounts of nutrition. It's not bad for you or anything, but you might be better off eating more nutritious greens like watercress, spinach, arugula (rocket) and to a lesser extent kale.

Rob

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

siracusa Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you so much, Dulset. The site seems so well
> organized and...clean.
> The blindguru was...ALL ...OVER...THE...PLACE.
> And just plain disheartening.

Oh. Never knew that. I told you I am pathetic.

Siracusa,
I am only one month raw myself and at first, felt overwhelmed but really had a deep rooted desire to be healthy. Facing some health issues myself, I was convinced that going raw was the only way to go, but I truly was scared that I couldn't do it. I decided to take it one day at a time and implement gradual changes....celebrate successes and not beat myself up if I slipped up.

From June 6 - July 4 I was about 80% raw...experiencing little falters here and there. I quickly noticed a pattern. When I ate bread, oatmeal,tortilla chips etc.(my weakness) I would feel really badly...body aches and lethargic. When I ate meat (even grilled chicken or sushi) my stomach would feel bloated and my digestion was disturbed. On July 5, I decided to go 100% raw and because I also want to lose weight, I decided to use the following guideline (80% carbs / 10% fat (this one is hard) and 10% protein. Today is my 5th day and I feel great...no aches or pain, no lethargy and I've lost 3 lbs. After I lose all my weight, I might decide to eat a more varied raw diet to maintain...I do enjoy nuts & avocadoes!

I am the only one in my family eating raw. I buy a lot of fresh fruits and a few veggies. I love my juicer, food processor and blender...and find the juicer is a great way to get in a LOT of fuits or veggies that I otherwise couldn't eat in one setting.

There is a thread on this website talking about 80-10-10...and those involved are listing what they eat each day, which may give you some ideas about what to eat.

When I first started, I checked out about 6 books from the library...found out what I liked and then purchased those. Some are very helpful.

There are many raw food websites out there with free recipes. When I started out, I was trying the more complicated recipes in order to replace my desire for cooked. But now, I keep it simple most days with lost of fruit and a big salad...no cooking...its really pretty easy.

Try this page for a lot of raw food inks...[rawguru.com] (sorry...I don't know how to make a live link).

You can do this...just keep focused on improving your health every day and remind yourself that you are eating to live!

Since you live near Atlanta, search for any raw food restaurants in your area...you might be surprised. I shop at the farmer's market whenever possible. I find that I usually get double the produce for my money. Most are "pesticide" free, although they may not be organic...but ask! Sometimes I can't find organic so I have to eat commercial. You can only do what you can do. That is still better than nothing.

Hope this info helps.

siracusa wrote:

My question is: how do I even start on something that frankly, sounds almost impossible to me...
Never eat anything cooked??? How in the world will I be able to achieve something like this? I love my raw salads and fruits all right - but how does one NOT ever eat anything cooked?

I thought the same thing at first. I frankly thought I'd be bored and unsatisfied. After a while one begins to wonder how anyone eats cooked everyday without feeling like holy o hell. And cooked, believe it or not, eventually loses its appeal and becomes the more boring alternative.

One of the easiest ways to begin is to eat fruit in the morning, either whole or blended into a smoothie, a large salad with lots of mixed greens and lettuces and anything else you want thrown in as long as its raw for lunch, and then a simple, healthy vegetarian/vegan cooked meal in the evenings -such as lightly cooked vegetables (I prefer dry sautee'ing to steaming as less enzymes are lost), brown rice or baked yams or sweet potatos (white potatos are really not that good for ya), beans and so forth. It's also a good idea to have a raw vegetable or two to accompany this meal. You may want to have a raw dinner one or two nights a week, if you are feeling particularly motivated, and then just keep going from there, adding more and more raw until the cooked is squeezed out. That's pretty much how I did it and many here are still doing it that way.

Juicing, in my opinion, is excellent. It's extremely hydrating to the body, maybe even more so than water alone, and provides a quick and amplified dose of nutrition that one can really feel, especially when just starting out. And there seems to be no end to the delicious smoothies and blended concoctions one can make with fresh fruits and vegetables. And again, in my opinion, one shouldn't restrict themselves from any raw foodstuffs in the beginning. 80/10/10 as an example, would be too restrictive for any but the most motivated newbie. I've been transitioning for a good year now and am 100% raw more often than not (I keep fudging with bread) and still restricting healthy fats to 10% of the daily intake is too ambitious for me yet.

I don't use a lot of kamu-kumu-kimu either, but mostly because it isn't in the budget. Otherwise, I like trying the different things and so long as you don't expect any one food to work like a magic pill, I see no harm, and have experienced some benefit from the so-called superfoods. I'd just rather buy good quality produce and as much organics as possible, so that's priority for me.

Having fun with this way of eating is probably the most important thing, and believe or not, it can be a lot of fun...especially when you start feeling so good you can hardly stand yourself! ; ) and that won't take as long as you might think. Even around 80% raw, which is achievable eating the way outlined above, will make you feel a LOT better.

And, siracusa, if you do have rheumatoid arthritis, the proteins found in animal products are contraindicated. These things may even be the cause of inflammatory illnesses and that not just from the kamu-kumu-kimu imbibers either.

best of luck,

khale

Hi, Siracusa
When I began raw foods two years ago this month, I had
obvious signs of rheumatoid arthritis in my fingers
especially - swollen joints, pain.. It so upset me
hands in good shape are vital to my profession. I also
had a lot of mucus and annoying infections. First I
cut out dairy(was eating yoghurt at that time) and grains,
anything sauteed, used olive oil sparingly.
One month into switching to mainly green juices, salads,
and fruit, all symptoms lessened dramatically. Another
month and they were gone! Now I am completely cured.

The few times I slip in something processed and salty,
the symptoms return and I break out in a rash all over.
Very unpleasant - thank goodness I've managed to stay
raw.

Understand I was a baking queen, known for my scones,
biscotti, muffins, tortes that I would invent and turn out
like a factory. At first, it was inconceivable to me as
well to eliminate rice, bread, etc. At the very beginning,
I still craved them. Then, after three months or so I
craved them only mentally. When I tried to eat them I
just couldn't bring myself to swallow. Felt too dense and
starchy. Now I still enjoy the aromas of cooked foods
but it all looks like plastic to me (and in fact cooked
food has a kind of plastic in it- can't recall the name
right now) and have no desire for it. I really enjoy the
subtle variations in the fruits and greens and feel no lack,
only abundance. Too many benefits to list. It gets easier,
it does!

Don't be alarmed at detox symptoms. I had frequent breakouts,
needed to rest a lot, etc. It's just the process of cleaning
out.

I just wanted to say don't worry, it's possible to rid
yourself of the arthritis this way. The previous posts
are wonderful advice. I'm so thankful for all the support
I received here the first months beginning. I know you'll
enjoy the same help. It's a great adventure. Cheers
to your continued transformation. Please do keep researching
reading about how to transition to raw in the way best for
you.

Enjoy

Thank you so much everyone for your kind welcome.

I knew long time ago that giving up meat would not be too hard for me. Meat is something I don't mind having, here and there, but I never craved a lot of it and when I don't have it available, I just shrugg it off. I can do fine without. Compared to other people, I was already not a major meat consumer; except for a few years ago when I was still in graduate school and my daily lunch was a sandwhich with lunch meats...which I sort of regarded as...healthy! Imagine that. A few years later I was to find out that nothing gets more carcinogenic than those nasty lunch meats. What a bummer.

HOWEVER, when it comes to carbohydrates - anything that gives you that sensation of "fullness" - including bread, pasta, potatoe, rice, a cracker, whatever (of course, all "whole", not "refined" - I swear on what I have dearest that I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO WITHOUT ANY of those things.

I just can't. I get so dizzy, hungry and insane when I only have leaves/fruits/veggies in my stomach and no solid carb, that I simply HAVE TO incorporate A LITTLE bit of that, no matter what.

When meat is absent - I won't give it a thought. Wnen all solid carb is absent, I cannot function period.

Today at lunch, for ex, I had a big raw salad with tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, flax seed and parsley (yes, mixed with a bit of olive oil, salt and fresh lemon juice). But I HAD TO - HAD TO - HAD TO!!!!!! add a little pasta with it. It was very little pasta - but that little is what made the difference.
Otherwise, with raw salad only, I would have been left hungry and dizzy like nothing else.


I have heard about carb addiction but honestly, I do not feel comfortable calling it this because I do not need a lot of carb. I just need A LITTLE of whatever is made of some grain and its flower.It is hard for me to believe that even whole grains are enemies.

Whatever happened to "Lord, give us our daiy bread!" ????????.
I really think that bread must come from The Lord or some sort of "very nice person". Otherwise it didn't feel so life-affirming and just plain awsome when I eat it.

Also, what about lentils, beans, etc? Are those OK? Anything that could keep me functioning? Because with veggies only - it just "ain't gonna happen".
I will HAVE TO find some acceptable carb that I can include in this new lifestyle, in small quantities (guilt-free) or else...I am out of this lifestyle before I even got in.

Could anyone give me some advice as to what such a carb might be?

Thank you so much.

People do soak grains and make dehyrdrated items from them like bread, crackers, etc. You might want to order some of those things you think you can't do without and try the raw versions.

It is hard, and you think that at first you can't do without certain foods, but eventually much of them do fall by the wayside. Some foods I thought I'll never give up, and one of them was a piece of toast in the mornings, but I did give that up when I got to high raw and or very close to 100% raw.

I'm struggling myself right now, trying to get back to that very high raw place, so I know how difficult it is.

Don't do anything that is going to stress you out, relax, and eat as much raw fresh produce as you like.

Love,
Prism

You definitely sound like you need a dehydrator and some raw bread recipes (they actually have the texture of hard crackers rather than being like a sponge) - I don't know how I would survive without a dehydrator.

tropical Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You definitely sound like you need a dehydrator
> and some raw bread recipes (they actually have the
> texture of hard crackers rather than being like a
> sponge) - I don't know how I would survive
> without a dehydrator.


Is there a place where I could buy such ..raw breads, crackers, etc, ready-made without having to deal with a dehydrator? I work a full-time job, commute 2 hours daily, have an impossible 2 yo and have never been Miss Efficient, I will admit to that.

I once committed to making my own regular bread because...ironically, I thought the decent-priced bread from grocery stores was like...exactly, a sponge! That mushy, nasty thing they sell in plastic bags. I am from Europe (came to the US about 10 years ago) so I was not used to the typical bread people here consume.

Well...so here I decided to use a bread maker that someone gave us as a wedding present. The whole entreprise did not last for too long because it was simply inconvenient and the bread did not come out good anyway.

So I am aprehensive about commiting to making my own bread again.

Maybe I can find some places to buy some of those...raw crackers?...

siracusa Wrote:


> I just can't. I get so dizzy, hungry and insane
> when I only have leaves/fruits/veggies in my
> stomach and no solid carb, that I simply HAVE TO
> incorporate A LITTLE bit of that, no matter what.

you are not understanding how to do this diet, so i would suggest you read up on it some more...
there are many books available.


> Today at lunch, for ex, I had a big raw salad with
> tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, flax seed and
> parsley (yes, mixed with a bit of olive oil, salt
> and fresh lemon juice). But I HAD TO - HAD TO -
> HAD TO!!!!!! add a little pasta with it. It was
> very little pasta - but that little is what made
> the difference.
> Otherwise, with raw salad only, I would have been
> left hungry and dizzy like nothing else.

of course, there's nothing special about you, there were no calories in it.
most people here focus more on fruits, which contain more calories so you are not hungry.



> Also, what about lentils, beans, etc? Are those
> OK? Anything that could keep me functioning?
> Because with veggies only - it just "ain't gonna
> happen".

nobody eats veggies only here.
so yes, i would agree with the above

> I will HAVE TO find some acceptable carb that I
> can include in this new lifestyle, in small
> quantities (guilt-free) or else...I am out of this
> lifestyle before I even got in.

banana? mango? watermelon?
cherries, berries, etc...
do you like any of those?

>
> Could anyone give me some advice as to what such a
> carb might be?

if you're not into fruit, you could have lentil sprouts,
buckwheat sprouts

Prism Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You might
> want to order some of those things you think you
> can't do without and try the raw versions.
>
Where would I order them from, Prism? Would you have any recs?
Thank you for your help!

fresh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> i would suggest you read up on it some more...
> there are many books available.


reference some please : i too am a newbie and gathering info is one of my things so would you name some websites and/or books that haven't been mentioned yet? thanks in advance
patty

There are tons of websites on raw foods. Here is only one page, but it has a lot of links on it.

[rawguru.com]

I started by going to the library and checking out everything they had. I have purchased several books. Borders, Books a Million, Amazon.com, etc. has MANY!

I have one cookbook I love for gourmet type raw foods that give me the sense of eating something cooked, but the recipes are time consuming and they make ALOT of food. I use it only occasionally and my husband loves the desserts (he is still eating the SAD diet...I'm trying to transition him slowly).
Living on Live Foods by Alissa Cohen. I also purchased Raw Food Made Easy for 1-2 people by Jennifer Cornbleet. These recipes are pretty easy and don't require a lot of equipment, plus the portion sizes are more manageable. I just recently purchased Raw in 10 Minutes by Bryan Au, because I want something good and easy.

Before I first started raw (about 6 weeks ago) I was definately a carbohydrate junkie. I could do without meat easily, but struggled giving up my breads, etc. I went through about 2 weeks of heavy detox...lightheaded, no energy, aches and pains...like I was hit by a truck. Then one more week of the same, but less intensity. It wasn't until I started eating LOTS OF FRUIT and gave up bread that I started feeling better. I've done that now for one week. It doesn't sound like much, but its been a process.

Give yourself time for transition. Decide what you can live with (or without) and try to be committed to that. During my early weeks, I experimented with added this and removing that and closely monitored how I felt.

If it doesn't work for you or its something you don't want to do...it won't work and you won't do it. It's got to be your decision and your commitment. For me, feeling good is worth it!

I'd wager that EVERYONE on this forum was once carb addicted, and that a large percentage of us are still battling it (me! me!). As Fresh pointed out, in his own inimitable way, there is nothing unique in anything you've said.

There needs to be a strong attraction to this diet and lifestyle, and even then, staying motivated is a full-time job - but this is true of any great, and difficult endeavor. Apart from an attraction to the diet/lifestyle there is, of course, being sick and tired of being sick and tired. This is the greatest motivator of all (aside from the motivation one gets from feeling splendid after feeling like crap warmed over for so long).

You may be doing what I did at first and that is anticipating the end before you've even begun yet. Don't try and give up bread now. Get rid of the stuff that you are not so attached to first, like meat in your case, and then keep moving out from there. It's a process. No one does this overnight (or not many).

Something tells me that you are going to be around awhile ; )

welcome

khale

siracusa,

The secret to getting by without eating cooked starch is to eat enough fruit. Bananas work really well. The problem for newbies is that one needs to eat much more fruit than is normally eaten on a typical cooked diet. One medium banana is only about 90 calories. And most people eating cooked foods are eating a minium of 700 calories a meal, and for some people, they are eating a 1000 calories per meal. To eat a 1000 calorie meal of only bananas, you need to eat 11 medium bananas, which seems like to a lot to most people.

In addition, people eating cooked foods have really small stomachs, because cooked food is so calorie dense and has so little water in it that a little space can give a person 1000 calories. Being new to raw foods, you might only be able to hold space for 3 bananas, which is only 270 calories. So how do you accomodate more bananas?

With practice.

If you play with this, you can over time be able to hold more fruit in your stomach to get enough calories. In the meantime, you just eat more smaller meals. So if I could only eat 300 calorie meals, it might take 7 meals a day to get your 2000 calories.

siracusa

welcome

Hi Siracusa

< raw newbie ;-)

If you go to your local health food store, you should be able to buy a small loaf of sprouted hemp bread or something similar. I'm pretty sure this bread isn't raw, but it's a good in-between food for getting off of white carbs completely.

With your salads, try having a mega salad of lettuce, diff. coloured peppers, baby tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, olives, marinated mushrooms, cucumber pieces, beetroot, nuts, seeds and houmous. If you make it filling enough, you wont miss the pasta! If I'd had the salad you ate, I'd be wanting more too ;-)

I'm personally a tofu-maniac- nearly every favourite dish of mine had tofu in it. Since going high-raw, I've managed to get to the state where I barely touch the stuff and don't crave it. However, yesterday I came home and all what there was in the fridge was tofu and some veg, so I ate both. Later, I felt like I'd stuffed my belly with bubble-wrap! Made a mental note: tiny amounts or not at all.

-----------------------------------

On Fish-

People seem to think it's okay to eat fish but not other animals. If fish screamed as they suffocated to death the way an animal cries in fear, there would be no such thing as a pescetarian. Scientists have finally admitted fish feel pain, it's just silent, making their suffering easy to ignore.

That aside, despite some nutritional benefits of fish, fish is rapidly becoming a health risk due to pollution. There's probably some extremely useful nutrients in a death cap toadstool, but that doesn't mean it's the best option for dinner ;-)

Bryan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> siracusa,
>
> The secret to getting by without eating cooked
> starch is to eat enough fruit. Bananas work really
> well. The problem for newbies is that one needs to
> eat much more fruit than is normally eaten on a
> typical cooked diet. One medium banana is only
> about 90 calories. And most people eating cooked
> foods are eating a minium of 700 calories a meal,
> and for some people, they are eating a 1000
> calories per meal. To eat a 1000 calorie meal of
> only bananas, you need to eat 11 medium bananas,
> which seems like to a lot to most people.
>
> In addition, people eating cooked foods have
> really small stomachs, because cooked food is so
> calorie dense and has so little water in it that a
> little space can give a person 1000 calories.
> Being new to raw foods, you might only be able to
> hold space for 3 bananas, which is only 270
> calories. So how do you accomodate more bananas?
>
> With practice.
>
> If you play with this, you can over time be able
> to hold more fruit in your stomach to get enough
> calories. In the meantime, you just eat more
> smaller meals. So if I could only eat 300 calorie
> meals, it might take 7 meals a day to get your
> 2000 calories.


Dear Bryan,

This was really interesting info. Three things I wanted to ask you about:

1. As a matter of fact, I am a huge fruit lover and believe me, I CAN EAT fruits. What is really ironic is that I have always tried to keep my love of fruits in somewhat of a...check because I had read that fruits - as good as they might be for you - are full of sugar and if you eat TOO MANY of them you will load your body with too much sugar which, according to general contemporary wisdom, is a mortal, horrific, ballistic, "nuclear", terrible enemy of just about anything alive in your body. True or not? What do rawfoodists believe?

2. I am afraid that the too much sugar from too many fruits will fuel the candida growth I am trying to get rid of. As I described in my OP, I have had this for years and I am deeply convinced that it has something to do with the general symptoms of non-health my body has been putting out for years, including:

a) Year-round allergies, post-nasal drip (I live in the Atlanta area - an allergy kingndom, but still... most people here don't struggle with what I do).

b) Overall Fatigue, low energy, mood swings, often verging on depression which I typically blame on being home-sick (which I am).

c) More recently...strong symptoms for Rheumatoid Arthristis which my GP suspected vaguely, he ran tests, one test came back slightly out of range...he still thinks naaahh, it's not, but said that I can see a rheumatologist if I really want to - which I will go see on July 24th.
At this point, I am 90% sure I will be diagnosed with RA - officially.

3) When I eat fruit, even lots of it, I still don't feel full. Only when I eat some grain-based something, I can move on.
How about some fresh oats? Still bad?

4) Some rawfood websites blast bananas - especially the kind routinely available to people - like you would not imagine.
I read there's nothing worse than a banana. Supposedly it's high in sugar, has little juice/water, it's a hybrid, it's a non-food, etc, etc.
These sensational statements aside, I could say I love my occasional banana OK, but I would be a tad aprehensive about delving into a 4-5 bananas/day type lifestyle. I mistrust these bananas a little bit.

Thanks so much. I am learning a lot. The part about small stomachs and cooked food makes a lot of sense.

rawnoggin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Siracusa
>
> < raw newbie ;-)
>
> If you go to your local health food store, you
> should be able to buy a small loaf of sprouted
> hemp bread or something similar>...


Would Whole Foods have something like that? I have one right across the street but have not seen anything like that there.


> With your salads, try having a mega salad of
> lettuce, diff. coloured peppers, baby tomatoes,
> sundried tomatoes, olives, marinated mushrooms,
> cucumber pieces, beetroot, nuts, seeds and
> houmous. If you make it filling enough, you wont
> miss the pasta! If I'd had the salad you ate, I'd
> be wanting more too ;-)

I know what "marinating" is but I am not exactly sure how to do it. What goes into that marinade for mushrooms?

How is your raw humous made? I suppose the regular humous people eat/the kind available in store is completely N/A, right?

How do I know something is sprouted? For example, someone mentioned lentils. Not any lentils - but SPROUTED lentils. Where do I get something like that from? Do I have to plant my own?

There are at least two schools of thought represented on this board regarding natural sugars (found in fruit), and both are represented by rather passionate people, so ultimately you'll have to arrive at your own conclusions.

I am currently eating much more fruit than I originally thought that I would (though I still tend to avoid it afternoons and evenings excepting orange and lemon juices for dressing salads.) with no ill effects, but then I have no candida overgrowth symptoms either. All in all I'm in favor of a balanced raw food diet, which denotes something slightly different from the balanced diet of yore, which includes sweet fruit, plant fats and leafy green veggies.

The high-fruit people tend to be low-fat. For myself, I prefer to be moderate fruit/moderate fat, at least for now, and in my experience plant fats such as nuts, seeds, olives and avocados are a better "fix" for carb cravings than is fruit...but that's just me.

I also think it good, and adhere to to some extent, the "technique" of combining sweet fruits with leafy greens to "balance" the fruit sugars and to slow the transit time that the sugars take to hit the blood stream. If you've never had a banana and baby spinach smoothie you are in for a treat. Kale mixed with oranges is also a favorite of mine (add some pine nuts and yummy), then apples and celery and so on...

What I am seeing more and more siracusa, is that there are no fixed dietary truths with a capitol T. Your body will adapt and adjust and change as you progress. What works for you on Day 1 will likely morph by Day 2, figuratively speaking. It's a very interesting process indeed.

There are plenty of people on this board who have Candida overgrowth symptoms, so it may be instructive to know how they are doing on fruit, high or low, before you make a decision.

khale

khale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are at least two schools of thought
> represented on this board regarding natural sugars
> (found in fruit), and both are represented by
> rather passionate people, so ultimately you'll
> have to arrive at your own conclusions.
>
> I am currently eating much more fruit than I
> originally thought that I would (though I still
> tend to avoid it afternoons and evenings excepting
> orange and lemon juices for dressing salads.) with
> no ill effects, but then I have no candida
> overgrowth symptoms either. All in all I'm in
> favor of a balanced raw food diet, which denotes
> something slightly different from the balanced
> diet of yore, which includes sweet fruit, plant
> fats and leafy green veggies.
>
> The high-fruit people tend to be low-fat. For
> myself, I prefer to be moderate fruit/moderate
> fat, at least for now, and in my experience plant
> fats such as nuts, seeds, olives and avocados are
> a better "fix" for carb cravings than is
> fruit...but that's just me.
>
> I also think it good, and adhere to to some
> extent, the "technique" of combining sweet fruits
> with leafy greens to "balance" the fruit sugars
> and to slow the transit time that the sugars take
> to hit the blood stream. If you've never had a
> banana and baby spinach smoothie you are in for a
> treat. Kale mixed with oranges is also a favorite
> of mine (add some pine nuts and yummy), then
> apples and celery and so on...
>
> What I am seeing more and more siracusa, is that
> there are no fixed dietary truths with a capitol
> T. Your body will adapt and adjust and change as
> you progress. What works for you on Day 1 will
> likely morph by Day 2, figuratively speaking. It's
> a very interesting process indeed.
>
> There are plenty of people on this board who have
> Candida overgrowth symptoms, so it may be
> instructive to know how they are doing on fruit,
> high or low, before you make a decision.
>
> khale


Dear khale,

I agree with you then. If I am to go down this road, I will probably be a moderate sugar - moderate fat type too. I always feel safer when I adopt a philosophy of moderation in just about anything.

And yes, I also agree with the nuts as a better replacement for starchy carb crave and for feeling fuller. This morning I had cantaloupe. If I had not added some nuts with it, I would have been waiting around to faint by now.

For candida overgrowth, I decided to try plain, raw garlic. Just like that. There are a million of commercially available Candida remedies out there, I have attempted some in the past, have not stuck to it - anyway, all in all, I felt like I wasted money.
We'll see if I can pull off the raw garlic thing. As soon as I come back from work, when there are as few people around to offend as possible, I will take a few blended cloves. I will smell like Hell but if I see that Candida spit test in the glass for much longer, I have a feeling things are not going to turn out OK for me.

Thank you for the juice suggestions!