My new diet path

[Andrew Gubb]

I wrote this for my blog, but I'm copying it here as I think it'd make an interesting discussion. Enjoy!

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I've decided to stop my raw food diet after almost six months. In future I'm going to be trying out a mactobiotic style of eating.

Six month trial complete! Ahem...

I started out the diet with pretty much the intention to do it for the rest of my life. A bit like how I thought for about a month that I'd be with a certain lady for the rest of my life. The thing is, you tend to see what's attractive about something before the complications come up.

So from now on I'll take more of Steve Pavlina's attitude of trying out things from the inside for periods of time and then stepping back to see if they worked or not. When you take action you have to make the assumption that you know what you are doing, but we never really can be certain of anything. So for six months I totally believed in Raw Veganism, and though I'd do it differently if I had to do it again, I think that was fairly sound. I've learnt a hell of a lot from this experience. Now, though, I've decided to drop everything I thought I knew and go back to the drawing board. The next thing I'll try, I'll try with the expectation that I may have to do so again - but that I'll grow from whatever happens.

I see this as a question of the principle of Authority in my life. I have to find the diet that works for me. To do so, I need the help of others who present themselves as having the amswers for me. The challenge is to take everything with a pinch of salt and avoid getting suckered into being a follower.

Raw food diet postmortem

I didn't feel the incredible emotional highs and mental clarity some people report. I did feel really light, and really connected with my living food. I also really started to love fruit. After stuffing myself with fruit in the morning, I enjoyed a great feeling of warmth and wellbeing that spread out from my stomach area - a "fruit high". (On the other hand, I felt a similar wonderful sense of wellbeing after my meal of lentils and integral rice today. So it's not just raw food that does it, though I'd say it does have to be a minimally processed and pure plant food).

A lot of people have reported much improved mental clarity and psychic ability eating raw. I actually experienced the opposite, I think. Since I started the diet my sense of connection with Universal Intelligence has actually gone down. I didn't want to see it, because I was too much of a believer, but actually it's pretty remarkable just how much clarity I lost. Is it for sure the diet? I can't say 100%. I remember I felt like I was confusing too much faith and delusion and that it would be better just to forget my connection for a while. It could still be the diet, but it could also have been my change of focus during this period (or both). I've let my spirit guides know that I want to connect more deeply now, so I hope I'll see my abilities return to before, and better.

Another problem has been ego. Raw is a very different diet, so it's easy to feel seperate and superior, even, if that floats your boat. If I'm honest I think I believed in the diet so strongly because I wanted to be just a bit smarter than the herd. Cooking is devilry! Food-murderers! I spent a huge amount of energy nitpicking and stressing over getting the diet right, following rules, and I didn't enjoy the experience much. I often felt like I was forcing myself to eat.

A lot of people report feeling light-headed or spacy on this diet. For me this was huge. I can be spacy at the best of times. Recently I have been in Mars. And it was getting worse, I reckon. I was depressed and feeling lost, lacking focus, etc. It's definitely not just the diet. But the diet was supposed to help me in my spiritual journey, and I don't think it really has.

I talked to a friend who is into macrobiotic style nutrition and he told me that I was totally yin (relaxed/cool/expansive/scattered/feminine/water/air). That was why I was depressed and purposeless. I had been working on that recently to good effect - finding my life purpose and starting to organise my life - but there was still a long way to go. The Raw food diet, is a very yin diet. Just when I needed it and was ready for it, I found out about the possible grounding effects of the right food. A second macrobiotic friend told me that I was too yin as well, just the day after. It looked like a sign. I felt tired of all the work I was going to to hold up my set of rules and judgements about food, and this new framework looks like a way I can feed my body on love, rather than ego, so I decided it was time to change.

Yin/yang

Macrobiotics is based on these principles. Heat is yang, cold is yin. Vegetables and fruit are yin, grains balanced, salt and animal foods yang. If macrobiotic philosophy is correct, then the raw food diet could only work for someone with a lot of yang energy that needs balancing out. My needs are the opposite.

Raw foodists tell you that vitamins and enzymes are lost when you cook. Macrobiotics doesn't talk about enzymes or vitamins, which I'm actually more comfortable with, because you should remember that biologists don't actually understand very much at all, especially when it comes to the meaning and context of things. Science makes observations, but traditions like macrobiotics are made for living and are more holistic.

As I was saying, in Raw we hear about the loss of nutrients from cooking. Macro doesn't talk about that, but in its context cooking is about bringing in more yang energy. We who live in cool climates, which are almost certainly not what humans evolved living in for most of their history, have to get extra yang energy. Eskimos live off meat, for instance. Meat is not sustainable for large populations of settled people who want to get the most out of their land. So cooking is necessary for us. I've been thinking, actually, that if raw is the "natural" diet, then perhaps we were just not ever meant to leave the tropics. The rainforest is the only place which has fruit that is naturally big enough to live off for a human (northern climate fruit are mostly inedible wild and reached their current size and sweetness through intensive breeding which possibly had undesireable side effects). It also has no winter, so they'd be available all year round. Perhaps this was the garden of Eden.

Meat?

I've been vegan for about a year now. It started out for health purposes and added a bit of ideology afterwards. I'm sick of having an ego for being vegan, actually. I don't want to hurt animals unnecessarily, but on the other hand, I don't believe that killing is inherently wrong. It's the circle of life. And we kill plants too when we eat them; they have consciousness, if less of it. Animals that are raised for meat are given their livlihood by humans. They wouldn't exist without our help. Humans have power. We can't shirk that. We can't run away from the fact that our actions have effects on the world.

On the other hand, animals in big factories, animal concentration camps, suffer a huge amount. Debeaking of chickens, as just one example - barbaric. Quite apart from the bad karma there, the growth hormones and antibiotics given to intensively-farmed animals actually remain in the meat. So if I do eat meat, I'm going to be very careful to buy something that has been treated well in life and killed humanely. Best of all would be to know the farmer personally. I would also eat with a very great reverence. What really disgusts me is the people that eat meat like they were trying to beat up their stomach. Do they realise the depth of the love and sacrifice that went into what they are consuming? Pablo told me that animals feel grateful that their bodies are of use to us. Will we give ourselves so fully to the earth, to feed other beings, when it is our time?

What about the health effects of eating meat? The argument against is that meat accumulates a lot of poisons. An animal digests a lot of food in its life, and the poisons build up over years in the fat. This problem could be aggravated nowadays by the pesticides in the feed animals are given. Fish is worse, because fish eat fish, which means that they build up not toxins from plants which are relatively little, but toxins from other animals that have been building up toxins. We don't eat carnivore meat, generally, for the same reason.

Carnivores are specialised for eating meat: they have very short intestines for a fast digestion which doesn't take in toxins so much. Humans are omnivores, but are much closer to vegetarians. One figure I read is that we are about 1 part carnivore to 7 parts herbivore.

There's no totally innocuous food... which is why fasting works. The question is one of weighing the pros and cons against each other and finding the right balance for things.

Chopsticks

This isn't such a heavy thing but my friend Shanti told me that it's bad to put metal in your mouth, so I've tried eating with chopsticks and wooden spoons instead of normal utensils. It sounds crazy, but I actually really do prefer it. It does feel like I'm using better energy. Macrobiotically I guess that would be another thing on the yang side.

[Andrew Gubb]

Eating what feels good

Diet is about making us feel good. Avoiding diseases, well, if we are healthy and feel good we don't get sick. For my diet I intend to focus more on long-term feelings of wellbeing than taste, though in my experience they go together, since the body is a remarkably intelligent thing. The trick is to distinguish it from cravings and emotional eating, as well as the foods which have a biochemical effect on us which later causes a crash.

Whole grains, particularly rice, pulses, particularly (sprouted) lentils and chickpeas, fruit, and vegetables are what does this for me. Proper combining and good hydration are important too.

Judging the long-term effects of the diet is harder, but I hope that focusing on short-term feelings of health will be the most important thing for the long term. If not, I'm pretty screwed for a reliable measure of what to do. It's too easy to drown in information and theories, and I need simplicity as a baseline.


My new food path

Spirituality is rooted in the physical plane, and so I'm passionate about finding the right way to nourish myself. From now on I'd like to reduce rules to as few as possible and start LISTENING more - more to nature, more to intuition. Logic only captures one viewpoint but health is a juggling of a thousand little things. I want something more holistic.

One question is how much room for error should I give myself? Working with the raw food diet I tried to be perfect, which just wasn't happening. I failed to hold up to my standards and binged occasionally with a lot of feelings of guilt - or worse, didn't binge, but WANTED to. I don't think I should be so hard on myself. My emotional needs are worth listening to, as well. So for this diet, I'm going to give myself a "5% room for error". This means I give myself permission to do things which are blatently unhealthy 5% of the time, within reason. I like beer, for instance. I'm not going to give up the occasional.

I think the most important thing for any diet is consciousness. I have eaten too fast and too nervously, and haven't appreciated the sacredness of the act of eating. We feed ourselves from living beings, who then become part of our energy. It's easy to forget that with modern processed foods. So I've decided that I will sit down for anything I eat, put it on a plate, and really feel into my body, my food and the flow of the day to see whether it is worth eating. Then I have a ritual: to commune with, and mentally thank each of the ingredients as I eat them. In the case of fruits, and nuts, which are a special gift to the animals of the world, I thank the trees which chose to give them. This reminds me that I am eating a being that gave itself up to feed me, and forces me to take my food as seriously as it deserves. It also means that I can't eat processed or excessively complicated foods, and will learn to be grateful for the simple perfection of humble things.

This is the real challenge. I haven't been perfect at it - I've eaten several times today when I had to stop half way through and remind myself to go slowly and be mindful. But I am proud of the progress I've already made, and I'm confident that consciousness and gratitude is the foundation for any diet I undertake.

Food is sacred!

[Dimond]

Andrew, it's great that you've got some insight into yourself and are exploring what works and doesn't work.

I think it's very important to find a way to enjoy any type of special diet. One of the main reasons I've been able to be raw for years is because I kept it simple. My main rules for the first couple of years was that it needed to be raw and organic. It also couldn't be time-consuming, so I stuck with recipes that usually took about 5 minutes to make and used few ingredients. If I needed to, I would supplement with pre-made foods. For the past few months I've been modifying the diet more and more. The running theme throughout has been enjoyment and simplicity and this is important whenever you start something new that could be challenging. I love the raw diet/lifestyle now more than ever.

Good luck with figuring it out.

[ginkgo]

Here is what I know about the macro diet: Raw food diet Vs Macrobiotics

[rose A]

Andrew, I hope you find a balanced diet that works for you. I can relate to some of what you wrote and enjoyed reading it. I too didn't go through any great detoxing side effects other then a head ache for a couple of days, but then I stopped my alcohol intake as well. The only side effect I get when I have a meal of cooked food (vegetables and meat) is instant heartburn.

I totally enjoyed being raw for about 85% of the week. I enjoyed how the raw food tasted. I enjoyed trying new food combinations. I loved the health effects it was having on my body. The only thing is that I think I became bored. And you are right in the thinking that we shouldn't beat ourselves up emotionally because we stray from the diet once in awhile. I did purchase a cookbook on raw food. (ha ha cookbook on raw ) and have to make a better effort to incorporate more variety into the diet.

another good point of chop sticks is that it forces you to eat slower. My youngest daughter uses them all the time. She has mastered them, me..no, not yet. I also believe that the meal is a ritual. We don't eat at our table anymore, which I miss so much. My oldest comes home from college and is off to work in a matter of ten minutes. My dinning room table is now being used as a work surface for my kitchen remodeling. But after that I want to diligently get back with sitting and enjoying our meals,sharing the days events and connecting with my youngest daughter.

Keep us informed on your macro diet and how you are responding to it.

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by Dimond

Andrew, it's great that you've got some insight into yourself and are exploring what works and doesn't work.

I think it's very important to find a way to enjoy any type of special diet. One of the main reasons I've been able to be raw for years is because I kept it simple. My main rules for the first couple of years was that it needed to be raw and organic. It also couldn't be time-consuming, so I stuck with recipes that usually took about 5 minutes to make and used few ingredients. If I needed to, I would supplement with pre-made foods. For the past few months I've been modifying the diet more and more. The running theme throughout has been enjoyment and simplicity and this is important whenever you start something new that could be challenging. I love the raw diet/lifestyle now more than ever.

Good luck with figuring it out.

Thanks very much for your kind words Diamond And yeah, simplicity... so important. I decided to make rice my staple so I have something for whenever I can't think of anything better.

Tell me, you don't find that Raw makes you too spaced out like I did?

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by rose A

Andrew, I hope you find a balanced diet that works for you. I can relate to some of what you wrote and enjoyed reading it. I too didn't go through any great detoxing side effects other then a head ache for a couple of days, but then I stopped my alcohol intake as well. The only side effect I get when I have a meal of cooked food (vegetables and meat) is instant heartburn.

I totally enjoyed being raw for about 85% of the week. I enjoyed how the raw food tasted. I enjoyed trying new food combinations. I loved the health effects it was having on my body. The only thing is that I think I became bored. And you are right in the thinking that we shouldn't beat ourselves up emotionally because we stray from the diet once in awhile. I did purchase a cookbook on raw food. (ha ha cookbook on raw ) and have to make a better effort to incorporate more variety into the diet.

another good point of chop sticks is that it forces you to eat slower. My youngest daughter uses them all the time. She has mastered them, me..no, not yet. I also believe that the meal is a ritual. We don't eat at our table anymore, which I miss so much. My oldest comes home from college and is off to work in a matter of ten minutes. My dinning room table is now being used as a work surface for my kitchen remodeling. But after that I want to diligently get back with sitting and enjoying our meals,sharing the days events and connecting with my youngest daughter.

Keep us informed on your macro diet and how you are responding to it.

Nice to hear from you Rose, I'm glad you enjoyed my writing, it's a real confidence builder to hear that

I agree, the meal is a ritual. I never liked it as a kid because I couldn't connect with my parents and I felt like socialising with them was a charade. But now I'm independent, I should start getting friends over to eat more etc. Strikes me a good way to relax while you are eating.

[Dimond]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

Tell me, you don't find that Raw makes you too spaced out like I did?

Nope. I wasn't into eating high amounts of sweet fruits like most do and then have problems. I was more into savory foods and the veggie fruits (like tomatoes, avocados).

But now that I've been doing this for awhile I can keep my diet very simple and I do eat much more fruit. It's not something I would recommend for the first year or two. A beginner's raw diet should have more food, more often, and many should be heavier. The main reason is very few people can succeed on simple raw or high fruits, especially at first.

If you try all raw again, you can do things differently to see if it works better.

[SaySay]

"Pablo told me that animals feel grateful that their bodies are of use to us."

That is the most disgusting, selfish, self-righteous tripe I've ever heard. I'm sure rape victims are grateful to give themselves to their taker, too, right?

Welcome to denial, enjoy your stay. Most people seem to . . .

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by Dimond

Nope. I wasn't into eating high amounts of sweet fruits like most do and then have problems. I was more into savory foods and the veggie fruits (like tomatoes, avocados).

But now that I've been doing this for awhile I can keep my diet very simple and I do eat much more fruit. It's not something I would recommend for the first year or two. A beginner's raw diet should have more food, more often, and many should be heavier. The main reason is very few people can succeed on simple raw or high fruits, especially at first.

If you try all raw again, you can do things differently to see if it works better.

So what did you get your energy from if you were low fruit? Fat/protein sources?

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by SaySay

"Pablo told me that animals feel grateful that their bodies are of use to us."

That is the most disgusting, selfish, self-righteous tripe I've ever heard. I'm sure rape victims are grateful to give themselves to their taker, too, right?

Welcome to denial, enjoy your stay. Most people seem to . . .

You don't seem interested in a debate but thanks for replying to my thread, anyway. I wish you lots of love and light.

Hugs

Andrew

[SaySay]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

You don't seem interested in a debate but thanks for replying to my thread, anyway. I wish you lots of love and light.

Hugs

Andrew

Definitely not interested in debate.

I do wish you love and light as well. You seem to be very troubled, and I do hope that you find your way. Good luck.

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by SaySay

Definitely not interested in debate.

I do wish you love and light as well. You seem to be very troubled, and I do hope that you find your way. Good luck.

Thank you, I'll need it

[Herbivore]

Andrew, that was an interesting read....lot of insight and intelligence.

People tend to go 100%(or nothing) too soon. Can't you just find a "happy medium"? I've been into raw for 7 months, and found that 75% is a good place in my "transition".

It seems you had the ego issue before veganism. Wayne Dyer would say to address the ego problem instead of avoiding it. You gotta follow what you know is right, not follow the herd.

Your upsides to meat are not accurate.

...but... I don't believe that killing is inherently wrong. It's the circle of life.

There are different circles for different species. The circle for us herbivores is: We eat plants, we spread fertilizer and seeds, when we die, we put everything back where we got it. I get tired of saying this, but it's the bottom line: meat is a substitute for when plants are scarce; and there's no health benefit.

"Pablo told me that animals feel grateful that their bodies are of use to us."

I don't find that sick, like someone else did - because I know that is an excuse some people use to justify their lifestyle. Habits can to crazy things to a persons' logic.

Happy explorations.

[Dimond]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

So what did you get your energy from if you were low fruit? Fat/protein sources?

I guess so, but I've always naturally had energy. Food never really did anything for me. I've was immune to things that give others energy-caffeine, sugar, etc. However, now that the diet is becoming more simpler and I'm eliminating health issues, I do expect that to change.

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by Herbivore

Your upsides to meat are not accurate.

There are different circles for different species. The circle for us herbivores is: We eat plants, we spread fertilizer and seeds, when we die, we put everything back where we got it. I get tired of saying this, but it's the bottom line: meat is a substitute for when plants are scarce; and there's no health benefit.

I don't know whether there's a benefit or not, but I'm willing to consider the possibility now. And humans do have the ability to digest meat. Our close animal cousins do. Should we? That's another question.

I don't find that sick, like someone else did - because I know that is an excuse some people use to justify their lifestyle. Habits can to crazy things to a persons' logic.

Well, you should know (I wrote this for my website, whose readers know a bit about my life) that Pablo is one of the best psychics and chanellers I've ever even heard of, and an incredibly spiritual guy. I argued a lot with him about the ethics of eating meat, in fact. But if he said that about animals, I expect that it is true. Pablo has a way of channelling information like nothing. He'll just come up with information about me out of nowhere, on a regular basis, without any meditation beforehand or anything.

Happy explorations.

Thanks

[Gazi]

Good article Andrew. . . some points are very good.

[Andrew Gubb]

Originally Posted by Gazi

Good article Andrew. . . some points are very good.

Thanks a lot

[Herbivore]

And humans do have the ability to digest meat.

So do cows, to an extent. But look at the results - Possibly mad cow. Cows have a bunch of health problems.

There are plenty of animals(and some people) who never eat meat and have never been sick. The idea that humans may get something only from meat is false....meat is just second-hand plants.

Our close animal cousins do.

Most primates do Not eat meat.

[Andrew Gubb]

The idea that humans may get something only from meat is false....meat is just second-hand plants.

Generally I think so too. But with the macrobiotic philosophy, I'm willing to rethink that.

Hey, I still haven't said I was eating meat yet I'm trying a little fish for now. I don't eat a whole fish in one sitting though... that, to me, feels decadent. You only need a little for the energetic effect.. like a garnish.