Raw Food Diet - Day 17 (Blog)

[Steve Pavlina]

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

Raw Food Diet - Day 17

[basak]

Hi Steve,
I wanted to voice some appreciation for what you're doing. Thanks to seeing all that fruit pics on your posts I've been gradually craving for more myself. I've increased my fruit intake at least a 50% and I feel very good about that.
Steve I'd like to encourage you to continue some more after the 30-day trial without any weighing or reporting. Intake tracking is a very cumbersome business. Blogging about also taxes extra. Like this I feel I'm stealing from your experience somehow. It would be a pity if you were to quit this on the basis that it takes longer time to prepare. At the moment it is a 30-day trial of blogging every single item that's passed through your system and some more.

[mitch2]

Hello Steve from Downunder.

I am also one of the many thousands (?) who are following your current trial with interest. Initially I was extremely attracted to having raw foods in my day to day diet when you began and also had "cravings" for more fruit because of your blog I confess though that it didn't really last as a solid effort on my part to "go raw". My fridge nevertheless looks VERY healthy with all the fresh produce I am purchasing recently though *grin*

A quick thought in regard to your itchiness. Many fruits and even a lot of vegie contain Salicylates which is a naturally occuring chemical similar to the pain killer "Aspirin". Some people can develop sensitivities to this and also Amines - another food chemical.

One of the most significant symptoms of Salicylate intolerance in people is itching and urticaria. I suffered severe bouts of this when I was on a medication for glaucoma once and had to eat a very restrictive diet. Thankfully its much much more manageable now since changing my medication

here is a wikipedia entry re Salicylate Sensitivity for your interest.

[codefreeze]

Steve,

Did you change your clothes washing powder by any chance? That can lead to itching especially when combined with sweating. It could also be because your skin is getting drying and starting to flake a little. You could try adding E45 bath oil to your bath (or other moisturiser).

I noticed with interest you went through some low patches on this diet. I gave up bread, cheese, cereals on 1st January in order to reduce my salt intake and went through some similar low points. I seem to be out the other side now - I wasn't sure what was going on at first but I now believe it was related to the change in diet.

One positive side-effect I've had is that because I stopped eating cereals I also stopped taking milk - this immediately cleared up a problem similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) I've had for a couple of years. I tested by taking milk with some oats and the problem came back immediately - as well as leaving an unpleasant creamy taste in my mouth! I'm now off milk+cheese completely and am not missing it at all.

It does seem like I developed some kind of milk intolerance - which surprised me. I've since read that some people develop this later in life (I'm 45).

My weight also dropped too, from 12'6 to 12'3 (as checked this morning). I also feel I have much more energy, bloating has disappeared and feel somehow cleaner.

Because I'm eating fewer carbs (no bread/cereal) now, I'm eating more fruit and veg to compensate (although I still eat rice/pasta) and this is turning out to help with my running too - I feel lighter and more energetic on my runs.

Well, my diet isn't raw (too cold here for that) but is working out quite well in just 3 weeks.

[LauraC]

I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH STEVE !

I have been following you everyday through your trial and I'm totally inspired to begin my own raw food trial.

I'm all the way down in Tasmania, Australia (I think I'm the only one) and I wanted you to know how encouraging you are.

Thank you so much for being you and changing people's lives ALL over the world - what a priviledge!

[WayToTwilight]

Hey Steve

I may not be doing a raw food's diet but I do want to eat my fruits and veggies. I have question (for you and anyone else), where do you buy inexpensive fruits and veggies? I always go to local supermarkets like Ralphs/Vons/Safeway/Luckys but I feel like I could get them somewhere cheaper, especially for fruit. Are farmer's markets usually less expensive?

Anyways I appreciate your 30 day trial, really inspiring, I'm doing an early riser 30 day trial myself right now. Peace!

[debbiedoesraw]

Hi Steve
Congrats on your amazing journey.. I found you on we like it raw.
That said, I feel for your poor hands and skin. My favorite cure is virgin coconut oil, found in your Whole Foods cooking oil dept. Also, dry brushing your skin each day before bathing will help and then scrubbing in the bath. Then apply the coconut oil all over. It melts into your skin and will really help your hands.

Your laundry soap and bath soap need to be pure too. Check those areas to make sure you are not irritating your skin further. You can also add coconut oil to your diet to help your skin too.

Good Luck to you
debbie
debbiedoesraw.blogspot.com

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by WayToTwilight

Hey Steve

I may not be doing a raw food's diet but I do want to eat my fruits and veggies. I have question (for you and anyone else), where do you buy inexpensive fruits and veggies? I always go to local supermarkets like Ralphs/Vons/Safeway/Luckys but I feel like I could get them somewhere cheaper, especially for fruit. Are farmer's markets usually less expensive?

Anyways I appreciate your 30 day trial, really inspiring, I'm doing an early riser 30 day trial myself right now. Peace!

Sometimes farmer's markets are less expensive, sometimes not. It depends on the vendor and the produce. You can also try haggling, especially near the end of the day or if you're buying several items.

If you live near a Costco or other warehouse store, you can often get decent produce in bulk at low cost.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

I’m still spending more time in the kitchen than I did before, and I’m definitely spending more time eating.

Hmm, I'm surprised. I thought a RAW Vegan diet meant less time cooking, thus less time in the kitchen. Are you spending more time now in the kitchen because you're simply eating a lot more, so you have more preparation? Or is it perhaps because you're doing this by yourself, thus you and Erin aren't sharing in the cooking (I don't know what arrangement you guys have on that)?

[Rob Gilpatric]

It's possible your dry hands may be your diet's lack of certain essential oils -- for example, fish oil, flaxseed oil, the Omega 6 oils.

What's my story? I suffered from very dry skin my whole life until I started taking Borage oil in supplement form. It didn't take but two days of heavy doses of Borage oil (like 1000 mg twice a day) to begin alleviating these irritating symptoms. At that time, I had a nasty case of eczema, which had plagued me for six months, and it cleared up within two weeks. Now, I can go through an entire East-coast winter, which is very dry, without any skin lotion. What a relief!

But is Borage Oil something you can eat on your raw food diet? I don't think so, but maybe you can get it naturally somehow.This is something to think about anyway.

PS: Your raw foods trial is fascinating! : )

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Hmm, I'm surprised. I thought a RAW Vegan diet meant less time cooking, thus less time in the kitchen. Are you spending more time now in the kitchen because you're simply eating a lot more, so you have more preparation? Or is it perhaps because you're doing this by yourself, thus you and Erin aren't sharing in the cooking (I don't know what arrangement you guys have on that)?

It's all the washing and chopping and pulling items in and out of the refrigerator. The smoothies are fast, but to make a big salad, a plate of cut veggies, and a glass of mixed veggie juice for lunch can take about 45 minutes of prep time. It doesn't look like it, but preparing all those different ingredients can add up. This includes cleaning the juicer afterwards -- it's easiest to clean right after it's been used.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

It's all the washing and chopping and pulling items in and out of the refrigerator. The smoothies are fast, but to make a big salad, a plate of cut veggies, and a glass of mixed veggie juice for lunch can take about 45 minutes of prep time. It doesn't look like it, but preparing all those different ingredients can add up. This includes cleaning the juicer afterwards -- it's easiest to clean right after it's been used.

Wow, didn't realize it took so long. Thanks for the answer.

[MrsCogan]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina's Blog

Dry Hands. . . I don’t think this dryness is related to what I’m eating but rather due to handling and preparing so many fruits and veggies.

You might be right if the dry skin on your hands was in isolation, but it's not.

Itchiness . . . Several times today I felt itchy all over my body.

This is almost certainly due to the extreme low fat nature of your diet. On the other hand, some uncooked foods are mildly toxic. They are fine eaten sprinkled in a salad now and then but in large quantities they must be cooked to be safely eaten. Mushrooms fall into this category.

Freezing fruit does cause some reduction in the nutritional value, but it’s far less damaging than cooking and doesn’t introduce any new toxins.

cooking doesn't introduce toxins. It destroys them, in addition to killing pathogens and making the food more digestible. For example of the latter, it's difficult for the human body to extract lycopene from vegetables unless they are cooked.

I had some minor cravings for cooked food today, but they passed once I ate more raw food.

of course you are "craving" cooked food. Your body is starving and its pleas are falling on deaf ears. The diet you have shown us is extremely poor. It's lacking in essential nutrients, has too little fat and the little protein you get is extremely low quality. Fortunately you are young and healthy and the body has a lot of built in resiliency. You will survive 30 days of this.

The fact that you are making this insane and pointless exercise look attractive to thousands of people is extremely disturbing to me. It's irresponsible. You are endangering your health and the health of hundreds of people for the sake of feeling superior and virtuous--in other words for the sake of sheer vanity. If you can't read nutritional information based on science and evaluate it rationally it calls everything else you write into question.

This is not intended to be merely a flame. I like most of your ideas but this is nuts. I don't want to read the "character" section of the forum for fear I won't be able to stand the irony.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by MrsCogan

This is almost certainly due to the extreme low fat nature of your diet. On the other hand, some uncooked foods are mildly toxic. They are fine eaten sprinkled in a salad now and then but in large quantities they must be cooked to be safely eaten. Mushrooms fall into this category.

Steve isn't eating mushooms on this trial.

The fact that you are making this insane and pointless exercise look attractive to thousands of people is extremely disturbing to me. It's irresponsible. You are endangering your health and the health of hundreds of people for the sake of feeling superior and virtuous--in other words for the sake of sheer vanity.

That's a pretty bold attack, saying he's doing this to feel superior and virtuous. I don't get that sense at all from him.

This is not intended to be merely a flame. I like most of your ideas but this is nuts. I don't want to read the "character" section of the forum for fear I won't be able to stand the irony.

Remember, simply because someone tries something you think is stupid and dangerous, doesn't mean they are doing it for the wrong reasons, or lack character.

[Angela]

Don't worry, seeker5 -- MrsCogan is just unsheathing once again the sword of freedom against yet another form of tyranny over the minds of men. It's her passion, and it's for our own good!

[Joeschmoe]

Originally Posted by MrsCogan

Random Attacks on Steve's character

Do you suggest that going through weight loss surgery (As i read from one of the blogs you posted in our sig file) is a safer option than eating lots of good fruit and vegetables?

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by Angela

Don't worry, seeker5 -- MrsCogan is just unsheathing once again the sword of freedom against yet another form of tyranny over the minds of men. It's her passion, and it's for our own good!

Ah, good. About time someone comes to save me from the tyranny of Steve.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Ah, good. About time someone comes to save me from the tyranny of Steve.

I know. I was just starting to recover from putting myself through university in three semesters, and then there was my polyphasic sleep debacle, and now I'm forced to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, and nuts! When will he stop!?!

Perhaps I’ll soon be joining the ranks of the undead.
-- Steve Pavlina

Great. Now I'm gonna be a zombie. Why did I ever start reading this blog. If only I was responsible for my own life, this never would have happened!

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

I don't understand why you think it's too low in fat, MrsCogan? Just because the USDA says it's fine to get 30% of your calories from fat? Do you have any data that shows we need more than 10% of our diets from fat? Also, why do you believe the protein is low quality?

There are lots of people who are perfectly healthy following a raw diet.

[Steve Pavlina]

Originally Posted by Angela

I know. I was just starting to recover from putting myself through university in three semesters, and then there was my polyphasic sleep debacle, and now I'm forced to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, and nuts! When will he stop!?!

From my About page:

Steve is one of life's runaway experiments who challenges people incessantly until they ascend to a higher level of consciousness... or flee naked into the desert screaming, "The horror, the horror!"

Death by 30-day trial -- not a bad way to go. Try before you die.

[Rob Gilpatric]

MrsCogan -- I liked your example of how lycopene must be cooked before eating it -- I've read this too -- but please be more specific when you write "[Your diet is] lacking in essential nutrients, has too little fat and the little protein you get is extremely low quality."

What nutrients do you see missing? What's wrong with his protein?

I also question your comment about StevePav "making this insane and pointless exercise look attractive to thousands of people". Please, let the reader gather up the facts and make the call for him/herself. I don't see Mister Pavlina glorifying this adventure of his, or selling it. He's been very frank about the ups and downs, and this is part of what I find interesting about all this.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

From my About page:

What?!? Yours is the most popular personal development blog in the world, with basic values of intelligence, contribution, unconditional love, honor, effectiveness, joy, and prosperity????!!!!????

What good is that gonna do me when I'm a zombie?!?

not to mention the 1.8 million other people who are also turning into zombies, thanks to you.