Too much potassium in raw diet?

[Foggy]

My guess is that if this was a serious issue it would probably have been addressed but when talking about the raw diet with my mom she suggested that the amount of potassium in the diet from the bananas might be unhealthy. Aside from the obvious cost reasons (we are not located conveniently for finding good deals on raw fruits and veggies), I haven't really been able to convince my parents that this diet is really healthy and my Mom thinks Steve is a quack since I showed her the blog on why never to get a job. That's not stopping me from trying the diet, as I have the resources, but I want to find out about any possible problems from this diet. On top of that, I'm a senior in High School so I'm concerned about the potential effect of the detox period on my ability to focus in school.

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Foggy

and my Mom thinks Steve is a quack since I showed her the blog on why never to get a job.

Meanwhile Steve is Laughing all the way to the Bank

My quest to be Jobless is just beginning.

~Chrys

[DRK]

There are several good resources for info on the sort of raw diet that Steve is doing. Dr. Graham's foodnsport.com is a good one (check the faqs), and there are others around.
Dr. Graham recently answered the potassium question on his Raw and Sports Forum on Vegsource.com. His answer was that our kidneys are great at removing excess potassium, so there are no worries about that if your kidneys are healthy. And if your kidneys are not healthy, then you've got a lot more to worry about than excess potassium.
Good luck on trying this diet. I highly recommend the 80-10-10 diet book as a resource. Also, Roger H. (sorry, don't remember how to spell his name) seems to really know what he's talking about - Steve's mentioned him in his blog, and he's posted several times.
As for the worries about focusing, I'd recommend starting at some point when you have a long weekend. The worst of the foggy-headedness (for me, of course) happens about 3-5 days in. So start on a Wednesday or Thursday so that the worst is during the weekend. And plan ahead - do any big reports or projects in advance, for example.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Foggy

My guess is that if this was a serious issue it would probably have been addressed but when talking about the raw diet with my mom she suggested that the amount of potassium in the diet from the bananas might be unhealthy. Aside from the obvious cost reasons (we are not located conveniently for finding good deals on raw fruits and veggies), I haven't really been able to convince my parents that this diet is really healthy and my Mom thinks Steve is a quack since I showed her the blog on why never to get a job. That's not stopping me from trying the diet, as I have the resources, but I want to find out about any possible problems from this diet. On top of that, I'm a senior in High School so I'm concerned about the potential effect of the detox period on my ability to focus in school.

I haven't completely finished my nutritional studies to get my nutritionist diploma yet, but from all my studies in the last 2+ years I'm pretty sure the raw fruit diet Steve is doing is not healthy long term. I imagine Steve's just doing it to try it out, generate traffic, and because it's controversial in a way. If he said "I'm doing a 30 day trial of eating no meat." nobody would blink an eye because that's already boring.

I wouldn't be surprised if one day he does a 30 day no food, just get energy from the sun trial.

I'm done with trials myself, I'm just building a better diet/exercise program for myself long term. It's not sexy, or controversial, but my primary concern is health and energy.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by DRK

There are several good resources for info on the sort of raw diet that Steve is doing. Dr. Graham's foodnsport.com is a good one (check the faqs), and there are others around.
Dr. Graham recently answered the potassium question on his Raw and Sports Forum on Vegsource.com. His answer was that our kidneys are great at removing excess potassium, so there are no worries about that if your kidneys are healthy. And if your kidneys are not healthy, then you've got a lot more to worry about than excess potassium.
Good luck on trying this diet. I highly recommend the 80-10-10 diet book as a resource. Also, Roger H. (sorry, don't remember how to spell his name) seems to really know what he's talking about - Steve's mentioned him in his blog, and he's posted several times.
As for the worries about focusing, I'd recommend starting at some point when you have a long weekend. The worst of the foggy-headedness (for me, of course) happens about 3-5 days in. So start on a Wednesday or Thursday so that the worst is during the weekend. And plan ahead - do any big reports or projects in advance, for example.

Thank you for answering my question DRK. After considering this for a while I've decided that I'm not at the right point in my life to try it. Monetarily it would take most of my extra spending money to supplement the amount of money my mom is willing to spend on food. Socially I'd have to bring my own food whenever I leave the house. In terms of health if it doesn't work out for me it would probably distract me from school work.

All in all I've decided to put the idea on hold and try it when these things aren't as big an issue.