Raw Healing

[Vitya]

hey guys,

just today, i finally switched over to raw foods to heal myself from some serious digestive problems i've developed over the past few months.

i've been sticking mostly to green smoothies (they're predigested, and easier on my system) with plenty of good nutrition in them.

my question to all you raw foodies out there is how do you maintain your weight during a raw lifestyle change? i'm 154 right now, and would like to stay around there.

i have heard that exercise is key because it builds muscle, which adds weight, but what other suggestions are out there?

currently, i use lots of avocados and ground flax seeds for fat and protein.

[missbhaven]

I found you kinda have a weight you plateau at.
In the beginning it more a dramatic change because, well, I ate significantly less. For me skipping meals because I simply don't like my options was enough to kill my hunger. But then, that is one the qualities of sugar addiction. After, the game of flavor/texture selection starts. Learning substitutions.

I say listen to your body. I believe your body also craves what it needs at the moment, so find raw versions that satisfy that flavor/texture craving of the food you want.
Like I always crave greasy fried carby foods after a workout. Soo I up my fat with nuts like granola bars and healthy oils in a fruit heavy (carb) greens smoothie.

Exercise is good because do more so you eat more but it also focuses where it's spent.

[Vitya]

missbhaven:

all good ideas, thanks.
so how long have you been raw, and what made you go there?

btw, i love the quote in your signature!

[FelineNostalgia]

Id be really interested to see how this pans out, I keep dabbling which the idea, but I have got much of a budget to work on and I'm pretty much like a 5 year old in terms of fussiness with vegetables

I agree missbhaven! body knows best

[missbhaven]

Thanks, I'm currently not raw. I'm a binge and stop type of person. Repeating the cycle until I have found a balance I like.
I did a month and a bit all raw, then got back into my usual routine.
Made me realize how much pre made items are in my diet and how much planning really helps you stay on plan (and budget according to my friends).
I wasn't able to be successful gaining weight on it but I now think that would be a 3 -6 month process.
It would be nice to do a year raw and get a couple nut hard cheeses and other fermentations in stock. I wonder how long (and much) it would take to establish a foodie's version of a complete pantry of raw items. To the point that you don't the need to slip back into comfortable shoe cooking a "quick" 30 min meal of many pre made items you can quickly pick up in a store.

Also, I chose to eat raw fish, high end beef (a tiny chunk of expensive as sin wagyu beef and a chunk of some of the freshest organic beef I've ever had.)
and raw cheeses. Which now makes me think of doing jerky on my next binge, yummy....


I had 30 books from the city library, yet my favorite resource was Rawmazing Raw Food Recipes and Information ?Raw Food Rawmazing Raw Food. All my favorite recipes came from there. I've decided to buy her books and simply use only them in my next binge to make my life easier.

I went raw for health reasons also. I had a very restricted diet and aside from a couple of specific fruits and veggies, a raw diet would have eliminated a lot of them. So I binged.
If you plan on staying raw long, I have one suggestion. Buy high quality professional tools (mandolin, blenders, dehydrators... The ones that count) because it will Simply save you a lot of time and frustration and provide a much better product at the end.

[Bonadea]

Curious how it's been going.

I picked some weird auto immune condition a while back and I was thinking of trying it to put things back in order.

[Vitya]

FelineNostalgia and Bonadea:

i would highly recommend it, especially for you, Bonadea, if you are searching for a way to heal.

pickup this book: Amazon.com: Green for Life (9781556439308): Victoria Boutenko, A. William Menzin M.D.: Books

Victoria Boutenko is pretty much the raw foods/green smoothie pioneer. she converted her immediate family over because they were all in such a poor state of health. and guess what? their bodies healed. her son, a type one diabetic, even healed his pancreas to the point where it now produces insulin again!

it takes time, and i'm seeing very gradual changes in myself, and my digestive system is beginning to restore itself.

you definitely have to have patience with it, and be prepared for the detox symptoms. i've been getting terrible migraines that wake me at night, but have been sticking with it. also, it's interesting how you begin to lose that craving for cooked food after a while. it's almost like your body is recalibrating to craving what it really needs.

currently, i'm actually drinking 3 green smoothies a day, loading them up with mostly leafy greens (very important to rotate them), some fruit, and soaked/ground nuts and seeds. that way, you get the best assimilation of all nutrients.

i'm saving up for a vitamix, which supposedly pulverizes anything so you get the maximum amount of nutrient absorption.

anyway, i highly recommend checking out that book. it got me turned on to green smoothies as a healing modality, and a way to properly sustain the body.

remember:

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
― Hippocrates

let me know how it goes for you guys.


Peace,
Vitya

[Bonadea]

Thank you...

typing 1 handed

[maxinatlanta]

Great for you. Me and my wife do it once a month for 7-10 days. Her menstrual cycle is going much better then usually. So, we try to time it so she does not have any crams as they seem to dissapear on Raw Food Diet.

[Bonadea]

maxinatlanta

How do you guys do it? Like run me through a typical day.

[Verotrish]

This site explain some of the benefits from Raw food
you can use it as diet or for detox.

raw food diet weight

Vero

[Vegan Raw Food]

I am very thankful I decided to try raw foods. My digestive issues are no longer as long as I stay on raw foods.
Vegan Raw Food

[cheesedip1]

i'm almost afraid, (sort of) of going raw long term. I'm afraid of giving up tasty foods. (LOL!), such as.... cookies, cakes, ICE CREAM, bean burritos, breadsticks, red curry tofu, baked tofu, kung pao tofu, BBQ tofu, etc.

It's such a big change....

However, I think the health aspect would be worth it, in my eyes. (input smiley face here)

[missbhaven]

Cheese1
I am pastry chef. In terms of ice cream, cookies and cake, The Raw side is plentiful and DEEEEE-LISH!
The only issue I have is texture, my fondness with things like bread and sponge cake. That soft chewy texture has eluded me thus far. But, I haven't played around with kombucha cakes and breads yet.

I've been to a few raw food places and though some are plain and I can say that the raw food lifestyle is MUCH MUCH more flavorful. I've taken a few friends to my favorite raw food place and they are often very surprised how intense the flavors are. Very few things increase with flavor the longer you cook it, and most of them are slow cooked (which I do at 200-225 f).

Also another aspect of raw foods I would like to point out. Is FERMENTED products.
I was watching tv last night and Jamie Oliver was talking about Sweden. He said that people there live a really long time. Even though they do eat things like duck confit and fry things in duck fat. Many of their foods are preserved in fermented and smoked ways because of the cold winters. I found this similar to the Korean and Japanese cultures which also have a lot well aged humans.
I think of the the top 4 items I would like to make at home because of their health benefits and I noticed all are fermented. Kimchi, Saurekraut, Kombucha, Rejuvelac. I also notice 3 are cabbage LOL.

The other popular movement is the slow food movement.
As I am gearing up to plan for 2012, I think I may push the raw food (when produce is cheap and plentiful) and slow food (in the winter) lifestyle.
Both slow cooked food (like pull pork, stews ect) and smoked meats rarely cook over 250f (with Smoked meats not going over an internal temp of 200f, click for a chart of smoked meat temps). Which is also helpful for those that have the need to have something HOT once in a while.

If you are thinking of trying a new food lifestyle. These maybe options to consider.