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I did feel amazing – for about a week. I began this whole adventure almost 4 weeks ago. I started with Natalia Rose’s detox, but soon realized that alternating the cooked and raw was making me feel gross. I actually spent a night throwing up non-stop! So I went all raw. I felt amazing, was eating mainly green juice for breakfast, a salad for lunch and then some sort of veggie dish for dinner (zuchinni pasta – yum!).
THEN, I dove in. I got my dehydrator and started trolling the web for recipe concoctions. My meals began to get more and more complicated and now I feel like crap! I have determined that there could be one of these two reasons to blame: Over the last week I have eaten dried fruit/nuts at least once a day; over the last week I have eaten a dehydrated meal at least once a day. Some days I’ve done both.
Yesterday I had no green juice, because my kids wanted crepes (I dehydrated pear puree and then filled them with the apple crepe filling from Raw Food, Real World). Afterward I felt really sluggish. I taught an aerobics class that afternoon and had the worst headache about an hour after I got home. So I started chugging water, assuming I was dehydrated. It worked!! My headache disappeared and so I thought I’d treat myself with a bowl full of dried figs. Bad idea! Now I feel like sluggish crap again this morning.
So now I just need to find the balance. I’m going to forgo the dried fruits and nuts today and see if I feel better.
I felt great, for that one week – lost 6 lbs, went cold turkey on coffee and energy drinks that I’d used for my class (Energy drinks have nothing on veggie energy!), was clear headed and happy…then blah…so I gotta figure it out. I know you can feel great – I think we just have to figure out our own body’s needs.
I definitely feel totally different and I would say amazing since I started my raw food journey about 3 months ago. I would say I’m 75-80% on a given day and I feel like so much of me has been affected: great sleep, no more dry scalp, no more moodiness/anxiety—a general sense of peace, weight loss, no more gas/bloating (unless I eat lara bars or some other poor food combo—I hear you on the dates and nuts LibbyB! I am now avoiding that combo), and just feeling like I don’t need to eat as much to feel good. Currently I start off my day with 12 oz. of Natalia Rose’s Green Lemonade, then I eat some cantaloupe 3-4 hours later, then I have a Green smoothie, and today I am trying as an afternoon snack an avocado with some grape tomatoes and a little sea salt. Dinner is usually raw hummus, carrots, and a vegan (not raw) soup. If I’m hungry, I’ll have some raw goat cheese (which I plan eventually to cut out completely). Anyway I feel really good and just really proud of myself and my wife for what we are doing and I’m just excited to continue on this journey.
I will also say this: although we ordered a dehydrator, we haven’t used it yet and the more I read about other people’s experiences with adding in a lot of nuts, sees, dried fruits to their raw diets, I feel really good that we ended up approaching raw from the lots of greens, some fruits perspective. Right now i’m not eating any nuts/seeds in my day. I know I will eventually, but I would say key to raw success is definitely the green juice and green smoothie everyday. And tons of water of course.
in general yeah i feel pretty good. but i take adderall every day and haven’t for a while so i am feeling kind of jittery and sick from that and it’s giving me a hard time on eating, but i definitely have had more energy on raw food, and have been dealing with a break up from a guy i was with for a year and kind of almost feel like i would have died without the raw food, like it helped me and is still helping me deal
Do I feel truly amazing? Yes and no. But mostly YES!!!
Raw food has cured, in my opinion, my rheumatoid arthritis and fibro. I’ve lost 80 lbs and my year anniversary isn’t until May. I found, under all the pain and fat a light body and spirit that’s been wanting out!
But it hasn’t all been perfect. I was so sick, on so many meds that the detox took a few months. And for quite awhile I actually felt worse. And yes, finding a balance of what to eat that works with your body takes time. I have trouble with dehydrated foods of any kind, not that I don’t like them or sometimes eat them, but that they make me feel, well, not as great. I can eat a whole bag of chili lime mangos but I’ll feel terrible the entire next day. Doesn’t seem to stop me though. lol!
And there are other things about being raw. It’s brought me out of me, if that makes any sense. Being raw has awakened thoughts and feelings in me that I’d hidden years ago or didn’t know existed. Not only does being raw detox your body it will detox your spirit. And the people around you might not be as happy with that as you’d think. Or at least, I was surprised. If you’re interested in how raw has changed my spirit check out my blog: www.rawcowgirl.blogspot.com
It makes me feel alive, utmost educated about food issues health wise. My health has improved majorly.
I would say I feel amazing too. I started out drinking green smoothies for breakfast everyday with another raw snack sometime during the day. After about a week I added raw soups at dinnertime. I’m still not 100% raw but I would say I’m at 80%. I’d like to go 100% but its hard when my husband isnt raw. But he’s starting to like some things and he has been noticing how it makes him feel. I had hypoglycemia and PCOS. So I steered clear of too much fruit. Just becuz its healthy doesnt mean you should eat tons of it. My balance comes from small amounts of fruit periodically during the day with lots of greens and veges mixed in. As some of the people said above, its all about balance. Good luck to you, hope it makes you feel as good as it does for me!
Going raw in May 07 marked a complete renaissance of spirit and energy.
The weight ‘melted’ easily …about 14 kg or 30lbs (congrats Aleta!)
My skin improved enormously including losing miscellaneous lumps and lesions
Even a severe scoliosis is untwisting itself.
Mood lighter, happiness more simple and constant, sleep less.
There have been ups and downs energetically. Currently a bit back to pre-raw states of mind and energy – possibly due to detox…..... there are mega thyroid antibodies in my blood and high levels of mercury. Maybe it’s old stuff coming out and getting a bit thin recently has dumped more stored toxins into my system?..... I also lessened the amount of omega 3 I was consuming which I am about to change!
Ultimately I know the raw diet is a chance to heal at the deepest levels but I also believe it’s very important to listen to your body wisdoms, and also recruit a few complementary therapists and even a supportive doctor if possible! Plus there’s heaps of brilliant information in these forums :)
In 2004, when I went raw for 10 days, I had energy, no cravings for sweets, cravings for oranges, and mental clarity by day 10. I only did this for 10 days.
In 2005,I did the same diet, and I didn’t get any results.
Then, I went raw ~95% on a different diet for two months straight… it did not help me at all! I actually felt worse! I think my food combinations and lack of greens were my problem. Toward the end of the two months (followed by a cleanse), I felt great… I needed less sleep and had so much energy. I would like to be “there” again. I’m not anywhere near 90% raw now… but, we will be mostly raw in the summer compared to winter. My husband prefers this over 100% raw.
I have been eating mostly raw most of the time for two and a half years. I lost 40 pounds in the first four months and then maintained that weight. I have type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes, and within a few weeks I was using only one-third the insulin I had previously been using. I never ate salad much; I had green juices sometimes instead, or made lettuce wraps, to get my greens. Now (as of a week and a half ago), I am finally eating all raw, and I am eating huge green salads every day – I can’t believe the difference in how I feel – amazing, and I have more energy as my body is cleansing more with all the raw food and salad. I also quit wanting much dehydrated food. The important thing is that you have to want to. If you are trying to force yourself to do something you are miserable doing, you may be doing yourself more harm than good. Start with the things that work for you – for me, I had to emotionally be ready & want to do what was good for my body. Then I found ways to make things taste good, and life is good. I made a sweet basil salad dressing that I love ( I will go post it now), and I drown my salad (greens, avocados and whatever other cut-up veggies I have on hand) with the dressing. It is so good! I just had to do what I was ready for and not push myself to be like someone else; no matter how good they felt about what they were doing, I knew everyone is unique. Enjoy the journey, and see where it takes you!
I wake up in the morning happy, rested and ready for the day. I can go without D.O. for the B.O. lol and love the way my breath smells in the morning. I eat freely and without guilt. I have learned to love greens fresh and ready to go. I am alive! There are days when I fall and eat something I know will pollute my body, and I pay dearly for it in the following weeks. This is worth it and I strive to hit 100% raw daily.
Addendum to my last post…. Fully back to feeling amazing ….and all it took was a B12 injection! This is really something that raw foodists should keep an eye on!! In the past three hours I have felt like a dehydrated plant that has suddenly been watered and – according to the blood tests – the B12, while low, was still within ‘normal’ range.
I feel like a new person. A raw fooder in Shazzies book said that being raw was like “Reincarnating without dying.”I think so too.
I always saw myself as a very healthy person. I was never ill or overweight. But I had a real lack of energy, which I just thought was my natural laziness. I had very pale almost blueish skin. I found it hard to get up in the morning, I always woke up feeling sad and not looking forward to the day, and I had to talk myself round before I got up, so I could get up. I put that down to some other thing, which had nothing to do with my body or physucal health at all.
I went raw because I love to experiment and it seemed like a pretty interesting experiment to try. Later when I read up all about it fully I couldn’t fault some of the ideas behind raw food either and stayed with it.
So now after 3 years, all of the things I listed above have gone. My skin is a flesh tone instead of bluey white, I said to Chris last night – My skin is a weird pink orange colour what have I eaten to cause that? he had to tell me that it was just normal flesh tone, I had never notinced it on myself before!
I have plenty of energy and am doing so much more with my time, I must have been wrong about being a lazy person because I’m not any more.
Im consistently, constantly happy. There’s a lovely wholesome feeling which just won’t budge as long as I stay on raw food. And I wake up happy and excited now, for no reason most of the time.
I feel amazing. I thought I would have to do years of yoga or martial arts, or therapy to feel like this.
Look at my husband, http://www.purelyraw.com/ourstories.htm
how do you think he feels?
That is soooooooo lovely to hear people. Sniffle! I was getting a little bogged down in some of the many tangents of raw:- cashews/too much fruit/enemas/dehydrators etc! I think I only had a small taster of what some of you describe when I was 100% raw for a month. Methinks I want some of that back!
I feel pretty good. I’ve been 100% for about a month and a half. So far I’ve had impressive changes which have encouraged me to keep going. First my skin has really just gotten smoother and my eyes much brighter, and I can tell my body is changing shape. My face seems slim, and yet full with health. I struggle with unmedicated mood disorders and anxiety and as long as I am RAW (especially greens) I don’t suffer too much anymore because I feel a greater sense of peace within myself. I also notice that during my most recent period I did not have any cramps or PMS! My period just snuck up on me and that never happens, so I feel I owe it to RAW for readjusting my menstrual cycle and making it so much less unpleasant.
I do feel like I am slowly but surely gathering more vital energy, even with detox. Since I’ve been raw I’ve started running and I just feel like I want to make the moment out of every moment, and since I have more energy, there is a greater opportunity to get things done. I still have some habits I am attempting to transition away from (I enjoy marijuana but want to let it go) but I know once I finally do that my energy is going to skyrocket. Quitting alcohol was easy…Mary Jane I still have attachment for at the moment. But as long as I quell my munchies with raw, I’m okay. ;-)
MOTH, David Wolfe says that drugs create a false sense of alkalinity, and that if we alkalize our bodies (especially with green foods and green juices), the drugs will then create a low instead of a high, and we won’t want them. Who knew that drug rehab just needed to consist of raw greens? Thanks to all for sharing your stories; it helps me.
Amazing is truly an understatement. The energy is endless. Raw foods have made me so fully aware of my internal body, mind, and spirit. I never question any signals my body gives me. I feel invincible, though that may be a dillusion, I really don’t care because I love the way I look, and feel!
I feel great and energized! This raw diet is truly a miracle. I’m 26 years old and i really wish i would of known about this diet years ago, cause i would of changed my life around then. I feel wonderful knowing that I’m not eating any animal or its by-products.
I come from an obese family and down my mother’s family line everyone is dead, the only ones that are alive is my mom and her older sister. My mother is only 46 years old and she is on dialysis, can barely walk, has had a stroke, a heart attack, a flesh eating disease, is diabetic, high blood pressure, and is on over ten medications.
My aunt is also diabetic, is on dialysis, has had one of her legs amputated, and takes over ten medications.
I vowed to change my life and not end up like the rest of my family. I have struggled with my weight, also. I am 26 and i weigh about 200 pounds and I’m 5’3. I have a muscular build, but i am still over weight. Thank god I have learned about this raw diet and what it can do for me. And living animals. Since I became a raw foodist, I have lost 17 pounds and counting. I feel great. I FEEL ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!
I feel balanced. I believe eating dairy and things that are bad for you makes you hunger for more bad stuff.
I am 132. Being mostly raw for a year and a half, I haven’t lost weight. I have lost sizes (just walking regularly).
I have been losing cellulite. But I was thinking how long it has been taking me to drain the excess fluids. I still have some. Well I stopped sodas a year and a half ago. I don’t drink dairy. But I still was adding artificial sweetener and recently stevia to my coffee.
I was getting minor headaches recently. And I thought that I shouldn’t be. Last week I stopped the stevia (I guess I didn’t do it earlier because it was one of my last indulgences. And I only consumed 4 packets. And they advertise that stevia is good for you…right) And woosh, there has been some fluid drop. I saw a show on Good Morning America saying that artificial sweeteners actually slow the system…..And I guess I should have known that it is harder to detox the system while you are ingesting toxins.
Hope that helps any people struggling with weight issues. No, no artifical sweeteners.
Hey angie! I read the EXACT same thing about drugs and raw food! I am definitely experiencing a dramatic lessoning in my desire to use MJ since I went RAW. The “high” I get from being raw and exercising seems to be replacing my drug use, which is AWESOME because I self-medicate a lot and I’d like to be able to face the world “on my own” without “needing” anything extra, ya know? :-)
Today I feel FANTASTIC. I only got three hours of sleep last night, but after breakfast (water, nectarine and banana) I was bouncing off the walls! I couldn’t believe the SURGE of energy I felt, so much that I went to the gym and kicked butt, ran 5.3 miles straight through and then hit the weights with a vengeance. I’ve also lost five pounds in a week and a half, when for weeks I didn’t experience much weight loss with RAW at all. (raw 2 months now)
What can I say…raw is DEFINITELY helping me rediscover my true self! :-)
Good luck everyone!
I have felt wonderful thus far EXCEPT for the last two days. I thought I was hungover from the pizza I ate, but I have a real cold. I’m not sure how this happened?? I’ve been juicing oranges and grapefruit for more than two weeks…...................... I hope it goes away soon, so I can enjoy the benefits of the raw food diet!!:)
itourist, interesting about stevia. I myself have used it before going raw. Stevia powder (or liquid extract) is not raw. It is highly processed.
Here are a few clip ‘n pastes from FAQ stevia website
Q) Does Stevia contain vitamins and minerals?
A) Raw herbal Stevia contains nearly one hundred identified phytonutrients and volatile oils, including trace amounts of Rutin (from the Callus) and B-Sitosterol (from the leaves). However, in the quantities typically consumed, the nutritive benefits will be negligible. The extracts of Stevia, being more refined, will contain far fewer of these phytonutrients and volatile oils.
Q) How are Stevia extracts prepared?
A) Extracts of Stevia leaves can be prepared by a number of methods some of which are patented. One researcher states: “Production of Stevioside involves water extraction from the dried leaves, followed by clarification and crystalization processes. Most commercial processes consist of water extraction, decoloration, and purification using ion-exchange resins, electrolytic techniques, or precipitating agents.”
Q) Can I make my own Stevia Extract?
A) Yes. A liquid extract can be made from the whole Stevia leaves or from the green herbal Stevia powder. Simply combine a measured portion of Stevia leaves or herbal powder with pure USP grain alcohol (Brand, or Scotch will also do) and let the mixture sit for 24 hours. Filter the liquid from the leaves or powder residue and dilute to taste using pure water. Note that the alcohol content can be reduced by very slowly heating (not boiling) the extract and allowing the alcohol to evaporate off. A pure water extract can be similarly prepared, but will not extract quite as much of the sweet glycosides as will the alcohol. Either liquid extract can be cooked down and concentrated into a syrup.
P.S. I HAD chronic shoulder pain, but it is gone & I’ve lost almost 14 pounds:) I don’t feel ancient when I wake up in the morning either. The energy I have is awesome (except for today of course:)
I have been raw for almost a year. I have felt amazing for most of it.
However, sleep has started to make or break my mood.
If I oversleep it has a more noticable effect on me than it used to.
If I get out of bed when I first wake up and feel alert, I feel great all day.
My body over the last year has slowly started to become more sensitive to certain things.
I’m finding it quite fun to work out what is right and what is wrong.
The last year has been tough going but I give myself a huge pat on the back =)
Angela33, I have always had a weak immune system, so I still have gotten sick, but I am noticing it is not as severe & not as often the more I eat raw. Also, I just thought of something. When a person is cleansing (which definitely happens by eating raw), old illnesses can come up because they have been stored somewhere and are now getting kicked up & ready to be eliminated. Often when this happens, the illness is worse this time than it has ever been. Don’t get discouraged; it will get better!
MOTH, that is awesome! I have wanted to help people learn to overcome addictions; it’s good to know this is working for you! Good luck!
Angie~ Thanks for the encouragement:) It could be detox symptoms? I guess you can have detox symptoms 1.5 months into it. I didn’t think of that. It’s funny b/c I can count on my two hands or less the number of times I’ve been sick in my life. I am rarely ever sick. Day number 3 and I’m not sure how I feel just yet.
Thanks again.
Well, I’m not 100 percent raw yet and have only been doing this a month but i am horribly overweight and in that one month I have lost about 20 lbs and I haven’t done anything different except change the foods I eat. I don’t exercise more or less than I did before and I feel great! I hope to eventually go 100% once I can handle getting everything to survive a week.The first, oh. 3 weeks of doing this i felt horrible. I was thinking of how much this is costing me and my friend, how everything is so hard to make and needs expensive ingredients and things I’ve never heard of like Nama Shoyu and Agave Nectar. I know what they are now but it was so intimidating and made me wonder about the choice I have made. Stick with it, you’ll be glad you did. It’ll make you feel so much better than you did before knowing you are eating healthy and keeping your body healthy.