Raw Food Diet - Day 1 (Blog)

[Steve Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

Raw Food Diet - Day 1

[MasterPo]

Thanks for another good blog. I have been thinking lately that I'd like to change what I eat, to something more healty (already vegetarian). And the other day I found the Raw food diet blog/article.

For me you have choosen the right level of detail. Keep posting what you are eating, at least for the first week. I'm thinking about following the same food schema, will probably need to modify it some. But if you are posting what you eat, that will make my switch a lot easier =)

[koke616]

I've given some thought to a raw food diet and your trial is a huge affirmation to me. I previously made a half-hearted (or more like 1/10-hearted) attempt to try it out, but I floundered. This log will be a very useful resource when I finally do commit to trying it again.

[Frans]

If I would follow the same fruit diet in this time of the year in this climate (it's freezing here) with my body constitution (less than 8% bodyfat), I would not survive a week.
In the Summer, I can give it a try.

[Rose of Cairo]

Wow Steve, that's haute cuisine you're eating! I admire. I just take the whole veggies in my hand and bite into them...

I don't spend much time eating, but that's because I graze instead of having meals I guess.

Very interesting to compare! Thanks for sharing.

[Fullcrum]

Nice job Steve.

If you want quicker and more calorically dense foods just supplement with more bananas. Put some more in your green smoothies.

I find when I go raw for a day I'm never thirsty, it's like the fruit provides all the water I need. Maybe you'll find the same.

[Natsu]

Whoa!! That looks delicious... As a general rule, a piece of cake "calls" my craving more than fruits or vegetables (it shouldn't, I know). But seeing those dishes, one wonders how can someone eat anything else...

I'll have to substitute blackberries for something else, they are extremely rare where I live. But I may be able to copy the rest. An image speaks a thousand words. I think most of the info about the health benefits of raw food won't speak as much as the images of the food itself. One thinks raw and sees a lonely lettuce leaf, not those dishes.

I guess the best way to eat healthy is forcing yourself to cook more and better. I'm not a bad cook, but I'll have to get better and specialized in vegan meals some day. I guess what makes sense is to learn to cook raw first, and go on the trial later. Trying the diet without knowing how to prepare the food is a call for failure.

[shiva777]

I just finished my first year of raw foods. It is fantastic! I look and feel great. One thing that has been tremendously helpful to me is to take daily superfoods. These are nutrition-dense/low-calorie foods. Every day I make a shake with the following foods: raw cacao, maca, goji berries, bee pollen, mesquite, lucUma, papaya, raw honey. I get them all powdered and make a big mix up that I can dip in to every day. I generally make a nut milk (usually with cashews) and make a delicious chocolaty shake out of it. It gives me tons of nutrition and tons of energy. It has also lowered the cost of my food bill as I eat much less since I am getting so much nutrition. I highly recommend superfoods to anyone whatever there diet is, but especially to raw foodist.

~shiva

[chilove]

Hi Steve!

Congrats on day one! You did great!

My favorite dressing is avocado blended with orange juice or tangerine juice. Yummy.

I also like a sweet dressing that I make by blending orange or tangerine juice with tomotoes and dates.

Here is a yummy soup that I love: Here is my verson:
five or six medium size ripe vine ripened tomatoes--substitute any tomatoes you like

two-three stalks of celery

10 dates (start with less (maybe 5) and taste as you go-I like this really sweet)

the juice of one to two medium to large limes

half of a yellow or orange or red bell pepper

Blend until evenly mixed.

Thats it! Super easy and quick and delicious!

Enjoy!


Did you know that Dr Graham has a message board on Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes, Articles, Health Resource

Here is a forum board devoted to 80/10/10 and NAtural Hygeine type recipes:
Optimal Mixtures

If you haven't already you should subscribe to Dave Klein's Living Nutrition Magazine. He has a lot of articles featured by Dr. Graham and is totally supportive of NH and a fruit based, low fat approach to raw. He also has a lot of great articles about meditation, spiritual growth, other aspects of health and healing, and environmental issues. HIghly recommended! He has a new issue coming out soon. You can also purchase all of the back issues for some great reading. His site is Living Nutrition raw food diet magazine and Natural Hygiene books

Blessings!

Audrey
Raw Food Coach, Raw Food Diet, Emotional Eating, Weight Loss

[seeker5]

Wow - you make going raw very appealing. I love fruits, so I definetely wouldn't have a problem eating a bunch of fruits.

I'm currently a meat-eater so I'd probably have one heck of a transition to switch to raw. I've given up meat though before for a two year strech, so I know it's something I can give up. Anyway, I'm excited you're giving this much details about your experiement. Keep the pictures coming!

[Honeywith4bees]

You've inspired me as well. I'm not going all the way raw, though. I'm still eating yogurt in the morning and a cooked (low fat) meal at night. My biggest downfall are sweets. I eat very well 90 % of the time but I still eat candy or cake EVERYDAY! (More than once too! ) So, this is a good change for me and one that hopefully will influence my growing children!

Thanks for the update!

[mikeschu]

Steve, how long did it take for you to eat breakfast? I assume that the prep time is near zero.

[Ninja]

I'm wondering one thing though: can you get enough salt with such a diet? I'm considering giving it a try, but I have fairly low bloodpressure. Not dangerously low, but I do need a tad more salt than the average person, or I hit the carpet. Does ordinary 'kitchen salt' count as a raw food?

Also, I heard that water lessens the effect of sugar, could that be why you're feeling drowsy? There is already so much moisture in fruit, maybe you don't need (as many) glasses of water?

[WilliWibald]

I always eat my chewing intensive raw meals in front of the PC and read my mail or the Steve Pavlina Blog/Forum :-) (so it is no waste of time chewing for half an hour).

I read in a book, that drinking to your meals thins the stomach acid and therefore makes digestion more difficult. Probably the reason for your drowsiness on your second sugar-low meal.

Thanks for the detailed info. I like it very much.

[martin]

I'm so happy you've gone raw again. I just turned raw not too long ago, and the benefits are incredible.

[Tobias Zimpel]

Steve, what a great post - and what a huge amount of fruits you eat there. I can't imagine putting such amounts of fruits into my stomach - I already feel full when I ate one apple and one tangerine or so - but not for a very long time.

I still wonder whether calories are a good measurement of the amount of food that I should eat, but I simply can't believe that this is considered normal even from nature's point of view. Although I really like the idea, this somehow scares me away from it.

[nownow]

That is a unhealthy diet in my opinion, not suitable for humans. You are lacking Protein intake. Its a great diet to boost energy in the short term but you will burn yourself out. At first your body will extract the necessary amino acids from your muscles bones and tissues but you will have to repay that debt eventually or your health will decline. I am not sure why you decided to start such a diet but if it was because you felt your health or energy were declining this diet will make it worse in the long run. According to the experts, you need about 30% protein or your body/self will not operate optimally.

[Andrew Brunelle]

That looked like a gigantic breakfast. I've tried fruit in the morning and it works for me pretty well. I chose mostly apples and bananas and sometimes some Bosc pears. I also do strawberries/blueberries combo smoothie with a banana. Sounds like a decent first day. Good luck.

[DRK]

Wow, Steve, that's too much variety for me to handle in one day. But I can monomeal pretty easily and not get bored at all. I'd recommend some monomealing days during your trial.
Regarding feeling tired: I've experienced that as well the first several days of switching to low fat raw vegan meals. One theory is that it's from lowered blood pressure due to the lessened sodium & fat intake. In any event, it clears itself up in a few days. I'm normally insomniac, but when eating this way I fall asleep more easily and don't seem to toss & turn nearly as much. I do seem to need more sleep for the first several days, but then need slightly less than usual. (I've gone back and forth on eating this way for the last year or so, but have been sticking with it for the last couple days, so it will be interesting to compare my experiences with yours.)

[chilove]

Hello there,

You can plenty of sodium in your diet without eating any salt. Tomatoes and celery have sodium. Lots of fruits and veggies contain sodium.

Blessings,

Audrey
Raw Food Coach, Raw Food Diet, Emotional Eating, Weight Loss

[chilove]

It is entirely possible and actually very easy to get all of the protein humans require on a vegan diet including a raw vegan one.

Check this link:

PCRM >> Health >> Information on Vegan Diets >> Vegetarian Starter Kit >> The Protein Myth

Think about it, where do cows, horses, buffalo, elephants, gorillas and other huge, heavily boned and muscled vegan animals get their protein? From the plants that they eat!

All fruits and vegetables contain protein. Many vegetables actually have more protein on a calorie per calorie basis than beef does. Plus humans do not need that much protein to begin with. It is a complete fabrication. Many very successful professional and Olympic athletes have been long term, strict vegans.

Protein is simply not a concern. If your eating enough calories, you are getting enough protein.

Blessings,

Audrey
Raw Food Coach, Raw Food Diet, Emotional Eating, Weight Loss

[Jacko Green]

Wow, you're eating a ton of fructose every day. I read your blog and you talk about sugar but didn't even address the fructose issue. Fructose needs to be processed by the liver and you should limit consumption to 50 g a day. You should do yourself a favor and get some blood work done before and after this 30 day trial to gauge how much damage your doing to your body by consuming 200-300 grams of fructose each day.
Good luck! You're going to be a mess if you can stick to this thing.

[geekchic9]

I'm personally concerned about what I see as Steve's push to persuade people that his diet is best. The message comes across to me that it's best to choose the diet that's right for you -- as long as it's vegan! Don't believe me? Look at all the people trying out this diet on the board. They take Steve's word as gospel that raw-foodist is the way to go if you want to be healthy.

If I were in Steve's position of influence, I'd be a bit more open-minded toward other diets. I personally know from experience that eating a high-fruit diet is personally bad for me, but I won't go into any more personal detail than that.

I've also done some research on diets, and I have found that I do better on a high-protein, low-glycemic index diet. It helps me focus, which is especially helpful since I have ADHD, and it strongly decreases the severity of my bipolar mood swings. I've also removed most caffeine, dairy and gluten from my diet, as I am sensitive or allergic to all three. I avoid alcohol, as it cancels out the efficacy of my medications. Finally, I take supplements daily to make up for any deficiencies. Would I recommend my personal diet to anyone? NO! Why? It's personally tailored to my body and my health issues -- just like everyone else's diet should be.

Steve, I'm glad you've found a diet that seems to work for you right now. But it's not a gospel-truth, end-all and be-all diet. Your diet does not work for me, and I'm betting that other people will learn it doesn't work for them -- and that's perfectly OK. We all have our issues and our special needs, and our diets should be customized as such.

[seeker5]

Steve,

By the way, in addition to posting how much you spent buying groceries, perhaps at the end of the week, you could also list a grand total for the cost of all the consumed food for that week. It'd be helpful for us to know that number as it's the best way to estimate how much a diet cost rather then how much money is spent going on a one time grocery trip.

[greyman]

Hi geekchic9,
I personally don't feel pushed by Steve that raw food diet is the best, and I also don't feel he isn't open-minded about diets. He stated clearly that it is an experiment he is doing on himself.

It seems to me, that what you did to yourself is to tailor your personal diet around your health problems and now you call this a best diet for you. But it may be that you just *fixated* your current health condition with medications and high-protein diet.

While with the raw food, I suppose, your body would start cleaning, so what seems to you as "this diet is not suitable for me" was maybe just a detox of your body, which will make you feel uncomfortable, because that would actually *change* your health condition. But if you are satisfied with your state as it is now, you of course don't have a reason to change it.

My experience
My father is also a fan of raw food diet (he is about "90% raw"), and he also prefers the "lots of fruit" alternative. I can testify that his health condition improved a lot - his diabetes and overweight disappeared after a few years and now he is pills-free and more energetic.

But on the downside, he became a bit fanatical about persuading others to go to raw diet, which produced the opposite effect and is a bit annoying sometimes. ;-) But anyway, I am happy that raw food diet helped him.