Hi everyone,
Just to note I am in love with this forum! I have been researching raw fooding for a few years and slowly becoming more and more serious about it, but not until I found this forum have I learnt so much and had soooo many of my questions answered! THANK-YOU!!!

I have been a very "healthy" eater for a number of years now and am quite active (teach pilates and run and weight train most days) I've always found I need a fair bit of protein to keep up my energy levels which I have done with cooked beans, tempeh and the occasional bits of meat and fish. I don't want to reley on those anymore. I have been sprouting beans (but not continually making enough) and eating lots of nuts & seeds- but I am concerned that all these nuts and seeds will make me put on weight? I am also eating a date before going to for my run, will the high sugar/carbs of this be a set back in my training?
Anyone else out there with any tips on fitness and raw food, and protein?
I am concerned that if I don't know what I am doing I will not be giving myself the right balance of everything my body needs. I know that my body will tell me if I am doing anything wrong- but any tips &/or advice would be awesome!

On a seperate note all together.....Olives from the deli? Are they raw or processed? (I assume they are pickled in some way??)

welcome ss! i do strength training and yoga, and i like a green smoothie about 30 minutes after a workout with bananas & kale/spinach/sprouts and hemp seeds. greens and seeds for protein, banana for quick fuel (but more dense and filling than some other fruits). i don't know the scientific basis behind it, that just feels right to me... if you're getting enough greens, you're getting enough protein.

i would think a date before your run might give quick energy than cause a drop, but i'm just guessing on that. have you noticed anything?

olives from the deli are probably not raw. check this article out: [www.rawfoods.com]

Green leaves and solid green vegetables are pretty high in protein. If you have trouble eating a lot of them you could invest in a juicer, it's a good way to get more down provided you are already getting enough fiber.

Another thing you could invest in is hemp protein powder or one of the low temperature processed rice protein powders (they use enzymes to separate the protein from the starch) like Nutribiotic, you can make a fruit shake with these. Hemp protein powder is 37% protein and Nutribiotic rice protein powder is 80% protein. There are other brands that are in the 70-80% range also. The hemp is less processed than the rice protein but is much more expensive per g of protein. I haven't seen it for less than $10/lb.

I do best when I am doing 1 hour of resistance training and 1/2 hour of cardio, but this takes about 600 extra calories per day. I was getting these extra calories by:

1. a tbsp of rice protein powder per cup of coffee (about 12 g protein) in the morning
2. 2 cups of green juice in the morning (about 10 g)
3. another tbsp of rice protein in my fruit salads (another 12 g)
4. 3 tbsp rice protein in my fruit shakes (36 g)

This was on top of my normal intake of very large salad (which had some cooked beans) and moderate sized fruit salad. I also used moderate quantities of soy milk and soy yogurt.

If you want to be truly all raw and all natural and high protein then probably the best thing to do is to find a way consume massive quantities of lettuce, like several kg per day. These are the only greens you can eat a lot of without ill effect and they are pretty mild tasting, going well in smoothies and juices with fruits.

Thank you. I love my greens so I shall upping the ante on them and try some rice protein powder. (I've been using hemp protein, but find I need too much of it to fill up.

I am training for a half marathon and find that I can run 12 miles on a pint of carrot and apple juice a couple of hours before the run and a handfull of dates and a sharron fruit or two an hour before the run. I sometimes take dates with me too. Then I usually have a big juice when I get back including celery which I always seem to want - replacing lost salts I think.

i don't want to take powders and such like - I am upping my training to marathon later in the year so I will work it out as i go. I find sweet fruits give me lots of energy

Philippa