I've been mostly raw for about 2 months now, and I've found that I still crave cooked foods from time to time. Whenever I give into the craving (it's usually bread or noodles) I feel heavy, sluggish and "blah" afterwards.

When does the craving for cooked foods generally go away? If I cut them out completely, how long could I expect the cravings to end? I know it's not an exact science, but if you guys could give me your opinions and what you've experienced that would be awesome :-) Thanks in advance!

There can be a craving for certain foods or textures for years actually, to a degree. It depends more on why or what you are craving to stop them. Yours sound very typical for someone who is undereating fruit throughout the day. But then again, if it comes and goes it may be a texture from a certain food is missed and it registers when you see or smell that food. It all takes time :O)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2008 09:13PM by tanawana.

Hmmm...interesting. It seems like I eat plenty of fruit, but I'll try to add a few more pieces and see what happens. Thanks

I stopped craving cooked foods when my goals utterly conflicted with low-grade fuel. LOL.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

In my experience:

The only way to stop craving cooked foods is to eat a 100% raw vegan diet.

I believe that we crave food according to its vibration and by putting only the highest vibration foods in our bodies (fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds), our bodies will soon crave only that vibration of food.

So the best way to eliminate all cooked food cravings is to eliminate the vibration of cooked food from one's body, which means to never eat cooked food.

I also believe that the inclusion of fresh juices in one's diet helps one to eliminate cooked food cravings, again by raising the vibration of the body.

Good luck.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2008 11:49PM by learningtofly.

You may want to examine to see if the craving is tied to emotional issues. Those items may have served as comfort foods for you in the past and your body could still associate them with solace, even though intellectually and physically you know they are not otherwise beneficial.

Wishing you vibrant health

I don't have cravings. I have old mental habits that I am sometimes not entirely aware of. I try and maintain an awareness of my body and mind and that helps.

Sometimes I think I want X.

I don't, really. I used to want that. I want something else now but I'm used to thinking in a certain way. My mind hasn't caught up with my body and soul yet.

I deeply resonate with what you said, Lee, thank you. It does appear to be more about a game of catch-up than anything. I enjoyed the other comments as well, they were very enlightening :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2008 01:33AM by blue_butterfly.

How about greens? My experience would seem to indicate that if we are not getting enough sodium (to balance the high fruit / nut potassium), you will crave it in the cooked foods you remembered having it. A quick way to figure out if this is your case would be a kelp test. See if it cuts the craving . . .

-Ryan
radicalvitality.com

blue_butterfly, thank you for your kind thoughts.

This thread got me thinking (again) about the difference between sensing what your body needs and craving something out of habit.

What Ryan says makes sense. It's a good way of thinking outside the cooked food box.

Many of us have been brainwashed by old habits, parents (probably well-meaning), society, commercials, commercial culture, etc. We accepted a lot of what we were told and reinforced it through years and years of habits.

An extreme example: My workmates who drink Diet Coke habitually. They have automated responses. They think, automatically, "Thirsty means drink Diet Coke" or "Tired means drink Diet Coke." And their brains keep repeating that message over and over until they perform the habitual action.

I don't want steak. I want that warm feeling over family gathering together for a meal. Or, as Ryan points out, maybe I just need sodium.


Lee

After about 4 years eating mostly raw, all my cravings went away. It was a gradual process of fine tuning my diet so I get everything my body needs from raw food.

Rob

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