Any raw foodists here?

Healthy Food Nutrition
#1

Hi,
I’m new to the forum and am wondering if anyone is a raw foodist here. I have been following a high fruit, raw diet for about 3 years now and feel great!

I’ve started a directory of raw foodist or raw food friendly, vegan teachers (the ones who won’t slam you for not eating ghee!) and would like to invite anyone who would be interested in being listed to email me their contact information and 2-4 sentences describing their teaching style and also what style of raw diet they follow (high raw, 100%, low fat, high fat, juicing, sprouting). My email is lindsaylou9 at gmail dot com

I haven’t made 15 posts yet, so for now just google search “fruitnyoga” and you’ll find it. Or email me and I’ll send you the link.

Thanks! If you’re not a teacher but just want to chat, that’s cool too!

#2

Can you add more detail as to how different you have felt in comparison to before? What sort of benefits have you noticed? Did you go from being a meat eater to this or were you vegetarian eating cooked veggies as well as raw salads etc? Were there any problems at first that you can remember? Thanks

I’m not a teacher just interested x

#3

Hi Kareng,

It’s been a slow transition for me to nearly 100% raw, although I do eat some steamed veg in the winter. I went vegan nearly 5 years ago and noticed immediate differences in my health. For one, the intense seasonal allergies that I had always suffered since childhood diminished and that first year I didn’t need to take my allergy meds for the first time since I was 5 years old.

I went raw in response to a different health problem. I’d had problems with iron deficiency anemia for years, and after one year being vegan (and not the healthiest vegan either), my iron levels were so low I had nearly no iron left in my body. My doctor suggested I begin drinking green smoothies - fruit blended with leafy greens such as spinach or kale - because vitamin C doubles the absorption of iron. By googling ideas for green smoothies I came across Victoria Boutenko and her book, “Green Smoothie Revolution”. I learned about the raw food diet and decided to give it a go.

Three years later I have been sick a total of once, while traveling in Cambodia. The fever lasted 24 hours. I traveled in India and was the only person in my group not to get sick, while everyone assured me that if I didn’t cook my food I would get sick.

I noticed the difference in my practice immediately, and especially in my flexibility. I am more focused, calmer, enjoy greater energy and mental clarity, and am happy, where BV (before vegan), I often felt depressed, angry, and powerless to create change in my life.

There are definitely ways to do the raw diet wrong. If you are interested in introducing more raw foods into your diet I would be happy to speak to you more about it in a private message.

Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

#4

Raw foods are great. That is how God meant us to eat. However, it is not that simple nowadays. There are so many factors involved. Educate yourself:

http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/sitemap.html

It is a lot of reading. You can skip directly to Introduction to Nutritional Science.

#5

[QUOTE=Frugini;73724]Hi Kareng,

It’s been a slow transition for me to nearly 100% raw, although I do eat some steamed veg in the winter. I went vegan nearly 5 years ago and noticed immediate differences in my health. For one, the intense seasonal allergies that I had always suffered since childhood diminished and that first year I didn’t need to take my allergy meds for the first time since I was 5 years old.

I went raw in response to a different health problem. I’d had problems with iron deficiency anemia for years, and after one year being vegan (and not the healthiest vegan either), my iron levels were so low I had nearly no iron left in my body. My doctor suggested I begin drinking green smoothies - fruit blended with leafy greens such as spinach or kale - because vitamin C doubles the absorption of iron. By googling ideas for green smoothies I came across Victoria Boutenko and her book, “Green Smoothie Revolution”. I learned about the raw food diet and decided to give it a go.

Three years later I have been sick a total of once, while traveling in Cambodia. The fever lasted 24 hours. I traveled in India and was the only person in my group not to get sick, while everyone assured me that if I didn’t cook my food I would get sick.

I noticed the difference in my practice immediately, and especially in my flexibility. I am more focused, calmer, enjoy greater energy and mental clarity, and am happy, where BV (before vegan), I often felt depressed, angry, and powerless to create change in my life.

There are definitely ways to do the raw diet wrong. If you are interested in introducing more raw foods into your diet I would be happy to speak to you more about it in a private message.

Hope you’re having a wonderful day![/QUOTE]

thank you…I will post you, Yes I am interested…we can keep it on here if you like, I am sure many would benefit form your experience do far…

Question coming up…I was reading somewhere that in ancient Hindu beliefs there are three types of diet one should consider.

A person with on-going disease in them say… should only eat cooked food and avoid certain spices and heavy herbs in their diet.

That a person in good health can eat raw and cooked foods and any spices/herbs.

That a person adhering to a spiritual path, should only eat raw foods.
(this is from memory perhaps someone can help me out with the full details)

Well, my question is that if you have green smoothies, does this make them easier to digest as easy as say cooked vegetables?

I am assuming that if a person is ill and has soft cooked food, it means their body is spending less time digesting the food thereby giving their body more time to heal itself. What do you think is this correct?

thank you xx

#6

Dear Kareng,

Interesting question, as most people who switch to raw foods do so because they are battling some kind of ailment.

I don’t know what the Hindu texts say, but it makes sense to me that those who are pursuing spiritual enlightenment would have a similar diet to those who are sick. Both require a diet that is incredibly easy to digest, so as not to distract spiritual seekers with tummy gurgles, and to allow sick people to easily assimilate the food. Spiritual seekers also desire to get the most essential nutrients for the least amount of food. This means that they need the most nutrient dense foods available. I don’t see why sick people would require less nutrient dense foods (as nutrients are lost through cooking).

So I would think that a person seeking spiritual enlightenment and an ill person should have a similar diet, and not polar opposite recommendations.

Given that, there is a huge range of raw foods just as there is a huge range of cooked foods. I would not suggest that a sick person eat raw broccoli, for example, or a lot of nuts. Fruits, however, are just as easily or more easily digestible than cooked grains, and provide the same calories from carbohydrates with a lot more nutrients.

I am certainly not an expert in Ayurveda or Hindu beliefs, but I would take all recommendation with a grain of salt. One of my teachers in India told us that according to Hinduism, women should drink cow manure mixed with water after their menstrual cycle to “cleanse” them. I don’t know many women who think this is a valid recommendation.

#7

the tongue is POWERFUL… the sensation of taste is POWERFUL… having been raised on cooked and processed foods there is somewhat of an addiction to them… I have noticed that I feel much lighter, clearer, and inspired eating raw foods and I definitely prefer them but I sometimes eat cooked foods and though not always, I sometimes experience less than best after effects… I am still the same soul no matter what happens or what I do or how I feel so I don’t hold it against myself or judge myself harshly… I just simply do my best to take responsibility for what I put in my body and reflect on how it makes me feel… as I continue to become more conscious of my unconscious, gradually it aligns itself with that which feels better and better… raw foods is a great “idea” but like every idea it is a limitation no matter how good an idea it is… be gentle with yourself in taking on a new approach, idea, or lifestyle… try to eat more good stuff, more raw foods, and eat whatever you want to eat… I remember once I was eating all raw for a few months and one night late as I was working on the computer I got a craving for salty potato chips, I bought a tiny 99 cent bag and when the chip touched my tongue it tasted like cardboard, there was no taste! my tongue had completely rearranged its sense of taste and did not like that stuff… the longer you do it the easier it becomes as your body rearranges itself… blessings ~*~

no matter what you are eating, always remember to be conscious while eating it, to bless it with your love and gratitude, what you think of your food is far more powerful than the material form itself… mind over matter… everything is energy

#8

I like this threat. Raw food is best food for body because it contains lot of fiber and minerals that are useful for a healthy body. We can say that raw food is best diet food for losing weight. I am a great lover of raw food.

#9

I’m probably repeating something that everyone knows already. The website nutritiondata.self.com is quite useful in providing information about the minerals and vitamins each food contains, whether it raw or cooked.
Hope this helps.

#10

Hello Frugini, I?m a ?Raw Foodist? and a vegan, and a high fruit one at that!

Are you by any chance following the 80-10-10 diet?

I don?t think that all cooked food is ?bad for you? in the same way that I don?t think that all raw food is ?good for you?, but I choose to eat a raw diet because overall I feel so much more energetic on it.

When it comes to diet it is just as important what you DON?T eat as what you DO eat and although certain cooked foods like rice and potatoes may not be that bad for you by themselves most people don?t eat them plain and instead feel the need to add salt, spices, and other things to them in order to make them taste decent, which of course makes it less good for you.

A lot of raw fruits and vegetables taste amazing on their own and there is no need to add sugar to a watermelon, salt to celery, or butter to an avocado.