30 Days Raw (Blog)

[Michelle]

I would definitely enjoy frequent updates!

[takkaria]

I'd echo other people here, having been around when you did the polyphasic sleep stuff-- a few posts for the first week, fewer the next week, then one a week, or thereabouts. Uninterested people can always ignore it. I am also very interested in cost and how it compares to other diets you've had.

[bart]

Originally Posted by takkaria

I am also very interested in cost and how it compares to other diets you've had.

That is an interesting way of putting it. Cost or price? Would you be able to determine what other diets actually 'cost' you based on the 'price' of the food? To me that would not be a simple calculation. Eating SED (Standard European Diet which does not exist but you get the point) costed me my health at a very low and affordable price. Well I hope I got my English right on these terms but you get the idea. And I only calculated what it costed me, not the world.

I think the raw diet he suggests will not be cheap if using the right ingredients, biologically healthy vegetables not the crap you buy in supermarket. But then we do not actually pay the cost for most of the food we use, especially not for meat, nor for air trafic, gasoline, what else, we just pay the price.

Bart

[Tobias Zimpel]

Originally Posted by bart

As you may have seen in my previous post my condition is quite different from what you describe about your girlfriend.
...
I am really sorry I do not have more information.

Bart, thanks for your answer. However, I were not asking you in particular, or even Steve, because I already thought that you might not be of much help here.

If anyone else feels they could help us, however, I'd really appreciate if you contact me here in the forum or via PM.

However, I am perhaps better off starting a new thread in the proper forum.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Tobias Zimpel

...because I already thought that you might not be of much help here.

Since you quoted me it felt a bit personal, my mistake entirely.

PS: retro edit, dont worry I was not offended in any way.

[Rose of Cairo]

Originally Posted by bart

As I stated, making the change to so much fruit now might not be a good idea yet, it could actually kill me.

Bart, I don't quite understand. I thought fructose gets proceeded independently from insuline? And it has a GI of 22, which is very low. So where's the problem? Fruit normally shouldn't affect your insuline level too much, especially if you also eat veggies and nuts.

I don't have diabetes, but I have glucose intolerance and insuline resistance, and I've never felt better than with a fruit+veggie+nuts diet.

[Andath]

Hi, I'd greatly like to hear your results and food logs, ect. What I'd be more interested in then that are grocery lists and costs. I've tried upping the fruit in my diet and always felt alot better afterwards but it seems like everytime I try to my grocery bill skyrockets. Now this is partially 'cause I'm still getting everything else as well (my other half would never be willing to try this, but I suspect I could trick him into it by eating the fruit in front of him lol, he always wants some) but being a college student I'm especially aware of the effect my diet has on my pocketbook.

[Emjay]

Hi Steve,
I'm very excited to follow along with your raw adventure. I've been completely raw for over a month now, with a month long transition period prior to that. I can not imagine finding anything that could have transformed my life and health more profoundly.

I started out feeling generally unwell with a long list of complaints symptoms. Ironically, I considered myself a moderately healthy individual. But the aches and pains, inability to sleep, and particularly a foggy-headed feeling were seriously affecting the quality of my life. I had also been on Nexium on and off for a few years for a very painful condition in my esophagus.

Within a week into a raw food diet, all of my complaints went away and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I have no stomach aches or digestional upsets. I'm losing weight that I want to lose, my complexion is lovely, my skin is glowing, I can sleep, and I feel much more energetic and alive.

The contradictions in information in the raw food world could drive a person insane. I decided early on that I'd only do what feels right for me. The measure of success will be: how I look and feel, and my lab results at my annual checkup. If blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc are excellent, then I know I'm doing what's right for me. I won't have these tests until March 2008 but judging by the way I'm feeling and the new level of mental clarity I'm experiencing, I'd bet good money that my lab results are going to be superb.

At this point I have no interest in cooked food and intend to remain a raw vegan.

For readers interested in more information, there are a number of raw food videos on YouTube, as well as some great discussion boards like
Give it to me Raw

For anyone interested in overcoming Type 2 (and sometimes Type 1) Diabetes, there's inspiration at RAW FOR 30 DAYS
and a great introductory DVD set about becoming raw.

I have blogged about my transition to raw at
RAWintuition: My transition into a raw food lifestyle

I'm really looking forward to following Steve's adventure. I think of all the people making New Years resolutions who will torture themselves on various nutrient deficient diets. The raw diet is about abundance, choices, and a true enjoyment of food, natural and unprocessed, while providing every nutrient the body needs to thrive.

~~Melissa
RAWintuition

[Tobias Zimpel]

Originally Posted by bart

Since you quoted me it felt a bit personal, my mistake entirely.

I just quoted you in the first place because I felt a connection from your "this diet would kill me" to the state of my girlfriend, although I already guessed that your issues would be not the same.

However, I'm affraid that you might have taken my reply personal, as with "I don't think you are of much use". If this is the case, then I want to apologize.

Tobias

PS: Since this gets off topic, I suggest that if you want to further discuss our misunderstandings, that you PM me.

[M.J.Walters]

I would love to hear the progress of this trial. I tried a vegetarian diet for a number of years but didn't do it correctly and my health suffered. I have had an interest in returning to a healthier diet for years but have been afraid to. With my recent deployments to the middle east, my diet options were severely limited. I think I am now in a better situation to try again. Thanks, Steve.

Michael

[Iamsuperman]

Fascinating. I'm looking forward to the results. In my opinion it would be worthwhile to hijack the blog for a month.

[Trezker]

Happy new year and good luck! I hope you will learn much next year and that you'll finally find the raw diet to stick with. You've had enough trials already.

I'm considering making a big fruit increase in my diet, I barely eat any at all in my SSSD (Standard Swedish Student Diet, pasta every day).
Lots of fruit for breakfast sounds like a very good idea. The first meal of the day is basically what decides what I'll feel hungry for the rest of the day. Plan the breakfast and the rest plans itself...

I grew up on meat and potatoes on a farm. From what I remember that's what I ate almost every day. Very little veggies or fruit, such things weren't encouraged unless I was restless or snacking on cookies.

I probably currently have the worst diet of anyone posting in this thread... I see people have had worse diets but have moved on. I haven't gone passed the junk food stage of my life yet.

[mikeschu]

Originally Posted by Stormhierta

Hiya!

My suggested "spread" would be 3 updates the first week, covering the first 7 days, 2 updates on the second week and then one weekly with a final summation. I think this would cover the biggest "changes" and the most intense emotional period for such a dietary change - the things which would interest me (and alot of others I think), the most.

I second this. I like what you did with the polyphasic sleep updates - frequent in the beginning and light at the end.

You can also start a separate, potentially locked thread in the forums if you want to have daily updates so people can live vicariously through you every day.

[Fortune]

Very interesting. I've been trying to be 100% raw for the past year but haven't been able to keep it up the whole time. This past month particularly was a disaster.

The first time I heard about raw was from Steve back in the Dexterity days and then I thought: "That is crazy!" Well, it isn't. For me, even just the improved digestion is already worth it.

Anyyway, I've been drawing similar conclusions to Steve in that I've been eating too much fat. I already committed to starting January on a low-fat raw diet, so this blog post was a nice synchronicity. The only fat I'll be eating for the next month is from avocadoes. No nuts, seeds, or oils.

P.S. People who are really interested in this diet can check out the raw diet community site at Give it to me Raw

[Jake Birkett]

Yeah please blog about, I'm very interested in it. A friend of mine is an experienced raw fooder and loves it. Also a friend of his recently beat the world "staying awake" record on a raw food only diet, something like 11 days...Tony Wright (sleep deprivation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Cat Dancer]

Originally Posted by Andath

I've tried upping the fruit in my diet and always felt alot better afterwards but it seems like everytime I try to my grocery bill skyrockets. [...] being a college student I'm especially aware of the effect my diet has on my pocketbook.

You might find a food co-op helpful. When you buy food in a grocery store, you're paying for a large parking lot, a big, well lighted store, to have everything you might like to buy enticingly arranged and easy to get to, the ability to just see something and buy it without planning, and advertising. I not saying grocery stores are evil or anything, just that all the convenience they offer you adds to the price of the food you buy. A food co-op may be less convenient: for example, you may need to list your purchases a week in advance, but the food can be a lot cheaper.

[DanielFelkins]

Steve,

I am very interested in learning from your experience with the Raw Food Diet. I have been vegetarian for five years and am interested in moving to a Vegan or Raw diet, so your experience would definitely help me decide how I will proceed. In agreement with several posts before me, I would like to track the daily feed in the forum and see the highlights in your normal blog. That way folks like me can see the daily info and others who are less interested can just read the highlights and store it in the back of their minds for the future.

Thank you very much for all you share with the universe.

Warmest regards,

Daniel Felkins

[Alex]

Hi Steve. Here is an idea to make more people happy without hijacking the blog. Set up a newsletter, where you could put in your daily log/journal of the experience and have it e-mailed to us. Do a weekly review on the blog. Instead of the newsletter you could set this up in the forum and have it be read only so that it doesn't get too cluttered.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by bart

Your statement however suggests that you have read information from diabetes patients that have done similar. Could you please tell me where you found that information?

Yes, I've seen many testimonials. They can be found on the web sites of the raw foodists linked in the original post and in their books.

I've never had diabetes (at least not that I know of), so I can't provide any insight from personal experience. But the theory behind it and the results others have reported makes a lot of sense to me.

Erin and I actually have a blood sugar testing device, like what diabetics use. I've tested my blood sugar a few times in the past several days out of curiosity and have never had a reading above 87 (I think the ideal range is supposed to be 80 to 120 or so), even though I'm eating tons of fruit sugar. So apparently my body is doing an OK job of regulating my blood sugar. I may keep testing after I convert to all raw just to see what happens, since then I'll be eating even more fruit. I just find it interesting that no matter how much fruit I eat, it doesn't seem to spike my blood sugar.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by SteveR

Hi Steve.

What about the cost? Tons of fresh fruit sounds like tons of dollars. Do you have an estimate of what you'll spend to make this diet happen?

SteveR

There's a Costco close to my house that sells decent produce in large quantities for reasonable cost, much of it organic. The rest I get at Whole Foods.

Cost is not a major concern to me, but my #1 staple is bananas, which are very cheap (less than $1 per pound for organic).

I've also read about other ways to buy fruit in bulk which can reduce the cost even further.

Also, if I blog this experiment, I may even be able to justify deducting the food cost increases for the 30 days, since every post I make in the blog is actually an income generator. Consequently, this experiment will end up paying for itself. I'll have to ask my accountant about that.

I understand the cost of this diet could be prohibitive for some, so perhaps I'll share what I'm spending on food. Obviously I have an unfair advantage in this area.

But in the meantime, I'm fully willing to put my money where my mouth is.

[jvbalaji]

Go on Steve, very interested to find out how u get on...a summary update fortnightly would be ideal.

[Alex]

After reading this blog post I e-mailed one of my good friends. Her mom was good friends with Dr. Atkins.

My e-mail read as follows:
---------

I just read an interesting statement about Dr. Atkins. Seeing how your family was well acquainted with him, I was wondering if you had any feedback on this.

One of the strongest proponents of a high protein diet was Dr. Atkins, who had a heart attack, slipped on the sidewalk, and later died of kidney failure. At the time of his death he was also obese (255 lbs, 116 kg). Later his company declared bankruptcy. If you want to look like your skin has died on your body, then yeah, high protein is the way to go.

---------

The response:

Dr. Atkins never followed his own diet. Just like a scientist who discovered face cream, but never used it on themselves, Atkins discovered this diet and never tried it out. The reason why this diet worked for my mom was because she is yeast-intolerant (bread, sugars have yeast). This diet is not for everyone in my opinion (just like it wasn't for Dr. Atkins), and it is often followed incorrectly -- low carb candies, etc. should not be a part of the diet -- Protein and natural carbs (like fruits and vegetables) should. According to my mom's diet, one is supposed to cut out ALL carbs and sugars ONLY for the first 2 weeks, at that point the body goes through a process called ketosis (to speed up ones metabolism -- a state after which one can eat a lot and still lose weight).

I personally think that other diet companies tried to sabotage people by writing things that influence people to think that Atkins was evil. Yes, a bunch of low carb candies all day is not healthy, but 6 full meals filled with lots of proteins, veggies, and fruits is not going to make anyone " look like your skin has died on your body."

---------

Steve,

It sounds like neither his heart attack, his slipping on a sidewalk, nor his kidney failure was a direct result of the Atkin's diet.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Alex

It sounds like neither his heart attack, his slipping on a sidewalk, nor his kidney failure was a direct result of the Atkin's diet.

Interesting... never knew that about him. Did he eat a SAD diet instead?

My comment about skin dying on the body was from watching extended family members follow the Atkins diet themselves. They looked like undead zombies. I used to joke that it looked like their skin had died. They eventually stopped, and their skin returned to normal.

[run_fly]

Steve, I am genuinely interested in hearing how your 30day trial goes. I enjoy how you wrote in good detail exacly what you ate, your plan of attack for this trial, and references from different books you read.

I am currenly on a 30day vegan diet trial. Your post gave me some good pointers!

Thanks!

[WilliWibald]

I've been reading several books in the last months about raw food and this SP-30-day-trial comes at the perfect time.

[msplow]

This is my first post on these forums. I am very interested in this. I am fascinated by the sheer amount of fruit you ate for those 2 meals you described. I am a type 2 diabetic but only in the beginning stages of the disease; I don't take insulin or even any meds. I have always known that I eat too much protein and I am very interested in knowing if a high fruit diet would make your blood sugar spike if you weren't eating as much protein and/or fat. I am interested to know how the whole thing works out for you. I am soooo sluggish and tired all the time, and very overweight.

[nickynoodles]

Steve,

I'm interested to know your views on getting enough Vitamin B12 in a Vegan or Raw diet. My (possibly naive) understanding is that B12 is important for cell division and blood formation, but the only good quality sources of it for humans are meat, dairy or man-made products. All of the Vegan / Vegetarian sites seem to say that you should either take supliments or eat fortified foods.

From http://www.vegansociety.com

"If for any reason you choose not to use fortified foods or supplements you should recognise that you are carrying out a dangerous experiment"

My wife is veggie and I considered going veggie, but I wanted to see some 'proof' that a vegetarian diet is a natural state for a human. To me, this seems to suggest the opposite and that we're natrually omnivores.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? ....

[Cat Dancer]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

There's a Costco close to my house that sells decent produce in large quantities for reasonable cost, much of it organic.

Buying produce at Costco hadn't occurred to me! In fact, I don't think I've ever been in a Costco store. I knew they sold in bulk, but not that they had fresh produce. So, I rode over on bicycle just now and checked it out. Hey! Organic apples, oranges, bananas, pre-washed salads... I won a smile from the clerk when I said I wanted the nickname printed on my new Costco membership card to be "Cat Dancer"

[Fullcrum]

I'd be curious about this diet not from a weight loss perspective, but a weight gain perspective.

I won't lie to myself. I want 15 inch arms and bench 400 lbs. I'm 5' 7" and 120 lbs., like really thin. Slowly but surely I gain weight, I just started. However, all the bodybuilding (sans steriods, natural bodybuilders mind you) wisdom out there states you need to put your body into a caloric surplus throughout most of the day, and also a positive nitrogen balance, which is done by eating at least 1 gram of protein/pound, which translates to 120 grams for me, and many more for other people. I don't see how 10 to 20 grams of protein would ever be sufficient for weight gain and muscle building.

From the way your workouts sounds, you do a lot of cardio and conditioning but not a lot of weight training and muscle building. What have you found your diet does to you with regards to muscle building?

Despite it all, this sounds like a fun experiment and look forward to seeing how you do!

[Rosie]

I'd definitely love to hear more about your 30 day trial!!