Tell me what to eat

I tried eating raw for lunch today and I just didn't like it.

I had a mango (it was ok, not crazy about fruit) and shirazi salad (tomatoes and cucumbers and parsley with lemon juice and olive oil).

Then I ate an enormous dinner of fettuccine and salad and dessert, all COOKED at CPK.

Now of course I have a stomachache.

I need ideas on how to keep this very very simple b/c I don't really like to prepare food at all. (My BF chopped everything up and made the lemon dressing).

I have to lose a lot of weight and I want to eat raw for the nice young skin benefits and I need to do something to fix my digestion.

And I keep reading that some people are doing the master cleanse or a juice fast or they eat mono diets and I would like some suggestions to make things very easy for me and also foods that taste good.

And I need a plan that will maximize vitamins and minerals,etc.

I am at a point where I truly feel quite hopeless. I am trapped in an unnaturally overweight body (am naturally thin) and I feel lousy all the time and I need help b/c I suck at not eating everything in sight and I am really frustrated and angry, esp b/c I feel so sick right now.

So if you think the master cleanse is my best bet or a juice fast or whatever, please let me know.

Thanks.

Comments

  • Welcome. I think you've found the right place. Step 1 is determination and setting your mind to make a change for a better YOU so congrats on making your health a priority.

    Now...I suggest you make a list of the fruits and vegetables that you do like. So maybe you didn't feel crazy about the mango..what about bananas? oranges? melon? berries? Eat as much fruit as you can! If you want to keep it simple, start there! Prepare fresh fruit by cutting it up ahead of time so that you can eat it whenever you need to. Same with veggies. Try starting with simple salads...whatever greens you like, perhaps some cherry tomatoes, you can buy brocolli slaw, shredded carrots...these are all ingredients you can buy that are ready to just toss together with no chopping required! If you like avocado, these are a great addition to salads to round them out and make them filling

    It may be good for you to ease into this change. Maybe you can eat "raw till dinner". For example:

    Breakfast: Fruit, smoothie (green smoothies are awesome!)

    Lunch: Large Salad with lots of greens : )

    Dinner: Well thought out nutritious cooked meal...whole grains, minimally processed foods, grilled lean meats/seafood

    Dessert: Dates (taste like candy)

    Snacks: Fresh fruits and veggies, dried fruits, raw nuts/seeds

  • KristensRawKristensRaw Raw Newbie

    Smoothies (especially green smoothies) can be very helpful and they're easy to make and transport. They make a great breakfast, snack, or dessert!!! As you add more greens to your life, you'll feel healthier and healthier. I would eat as much organic as you can.

    Don't beat yourself up when you have cooked food. I like Rawsaysrita's plan of fruit or smoothie for breakfast, salad at lunch, and dinner as a low fat cooked meal, but I'd make it vegan. Going vegan can be a big part in helping people lose weight and feel better right away. But, make it healthy vegan... not junk food vegan. And, having your desserts as raw is easy and delicious.

    You have to want this though. It sounds like you have some great reasons for eating healthier, but you're not into it very much. If that's the case, then just start with small changes until you get into the groove more. Once you start losing some weight and feeling better, you'll get more excited about it. I have plenty of recipes and tips and tricks on my blog to help people.

    Good luck,

    Kristen Suzanne

     

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    I think the above two give very good advice. Also don't let initial dislikes to some raw food discourage you. Some things take a couple tries before they become appealing. For instance, I used to not like cantelope but now I like it very much. It is also psychological and it might not be as appealing simply because its new. Eat variety, give things a couple tries, also try them in different combinations with other foods. I find it also helps to try them in pleasurable scenarios, such as in a peaceful room or with some friends. This helps build up the psycholocial factor. And like Kristen said, don't beat yourself up, just keep trying and you'll find raw foods that appeal to you.

  • Hi rawspice!

    A few things strike me about your post: you would like to lose weight and you are unsatisfied immediately switching to a raw diet. Now, I am not 100% raw so I'm sure others will disagree with me, but I think that you should focus on transitioning into raw. If you jump directly from a regular "SAD" diet to a raw diet, it will be exactly that: a DIET. It will be hard to stick to because your body is not used to it, and you might have a greater chance of cycling back and forth between your old and new lifestyle. I used to eat with regard only to calorie (white breads, snacks, desserts that were "low fat" and had a reasonable amount of calories). However, when I switched to whole grains and whole, cooked foods I not only felt healthier, but lost weight! It was a super easy transition! I only eat whole grain bread (100%, preferably sprouted "Ezekial" brand), I totally cut out processed foods in favor of making my own (granola, oatmeal, even cookies--with whole wheat flour, coconut oil (instead of butter), etc), and I began to have a new food philosophy that made it way easier to integrate raw foods into my diet. You do not have to immediately jump to a 100% raw diet to have results--both in weight and how you feel. You must learn "why" eating healthier is good for you. Your body processes whole grains differently, as well as raw, sprouted foods, etc. Here are some suggestions for transition:

    For breakfast:

    If you are not vegetarian, I would suggest eggs. I've heard that your body burns up to 60% more calories throughout the day if you start off with a good protein source. Your can add veggies (onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and feta, goat, or shredded cheese --a little!) if you make it into an omelet.

    Cereal if o.k. if you find the right type (low sugar, whole grains, etc.) I really like granola (easy to make with oats,nuts,honey or agave, etc--or raw with nuts, buckwheat groats, etc.)

    And with that, homemade milk is lower in calorie than regular milk (just blend almonds or oats with water + some honey or dates or agave with vanilla and then strain)

    Smoothies are great for a quick breakfast (but should ideally go with eggs, toast, etc.) Add frozen fruit, some almond/oat milk, etc.

    I sometimes make waffles with Bob's Red Mill whole grain waffle mixes (use coconut oil for the oil)

    I also have some whole grain toast with Almond butter if I'm in a rush.

    Lunches and dinners were a super easy transition for me. I eat whole wheat pasta instead of white. Whole grain bread instead of white, and whole wheat pizza dough (you can make it yourself to be sure its 100%). I eat tons of fats still, but the right fats (olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil). I toss strawberries and walnuts in a salad with some balsamic vinegar dressing, I cook spinach with garlic and olive oil, make a roughly chopped broccoli salad to get my veggies in. Yesterday I had a whole wheat tortilla with hummus, bell pepper, carrot, avocado, and sprouts, and you can substitute a whole grain pita for the tortilla.

    There are so many options! Sorry for making this long, but I really think its important to change your mindset before changing your diet. Sure, a raw diet is a quick fix for losing weight, but if you treat it as that, you will most likely stop after losing weight or if you cave in to other foods. Remember to hydrate, possibly start drinking some green tea (iced is delicious for hot summer days). And remember, you can mess up, and you probably will. But just know that the next day you can start back up. Healthy foods are so interchangeable with SAD foods (meaning, you can still have pizza, sandwiches, desserts, etc. -- just with whole grains, the right fats, etc.). Once you realize how easy and how satisfying a healthy diet is, you can then move on to tweaking and refining your diet by adding raw recipes.

    Oh, and exercise is a key component to losing weight and feeling better all over. Even if it means walking around the block, add some exercise into your lifestyle if your are not doing so already.

    Hope this helps : )

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    I agree with brontesaurus approach, however it seems there could be a little more raw foods in that meal plan. There are tons out there, though. Here's another: fruit / smoothie / green smoothie for breakfast, big salad for lunch, low fat cooked meal for dinner (whole foods, perhaps still with some raw foods). If you're going to transition, there's tons of approaches and ideas out there, investigate it. But yeah, you want to set yourself for long term success, don't overachieve and then put too much pressure on youreself.

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    Everyone has great suggestions.

    I would stick to lots of fruits and veggies.

    Smoothis and blended soups are really good and easy to digest.

    You can still include some cooked foods in your diet (i do for health reasons) i like baked sweet potatoes, im sure that complex carbs like millet and quiona would be good on your stomach too.

    Just take baby steps :)

    I wish you all the best!

     

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    For optimal digestion, if you are going to eat cooked foods, try to do each meal (not just your day but each meal or snack) as 50% raw.

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    I mostly agree with Brontesaurus - transition. People who go from the standard American diet to raw overnight tend not to stick with it very well. It's hard, it's unsatisfying, it's time consuming, it's labor-intensive, it's alienating...these are the typical complaints. Doing a radical diet like the Master Cleanse or a juice fast is setting yourself up for even more dissatisfaction and feelings of failure.

    I hate to tell you, but you will have to become more confident in the kitchen. You have to take responsibility for feeding yourself - unless you are an heiress and have the cash to have all your meals shipped to you. We have teenagers in high school on this forum, and students living in college dorms, who prepare their own meals. So you can too.

    If you must follow a "plan" see if the library has Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness and the follow-up Quantum Wellness Cleanse. Freston (who is not raw) is big on transitioning, or "leaning into it," as she says. Over time, you give up meat, dairy, egg, junk food, etc., and get more healthy, plant-based nutrients into your diet. Her goal is to get you to look at your diet as a part of your overall happiness...not just a way to fix your skin, your digestion, or your weight. Vanity is not usually a sufficient motivator. Vanity doesn't stop us from eating things that are bad for us, so it won't help us eat things that are good for us. However, I practically guarantee that omitting meat, dairy, egg, junk food, soda, refined sugar, etc. will make you feel and look tons healthier.

    If you really need extra help getting rid of the chum in your current diet, watch "Earthlings" - your own suffering seems pretty minimal when you see what animals must endure so we can eat them.

  • springleafspringleaf Raw Newbie

    Rawspice: Before I started trying to be raw I hated bananas, even the smell of a ripe banana grossed me out! now I love them. I weaned myself onto then by buying small not over ripe ones then after a while I just started to enjoy them. You feel so much better after a banana than a chocolate bar! If you don't like much raw stuff just play about with food until you find what you like, don't feel bad about not liking certain raw foods and If you think a certain food (like bananas) should be in your diet just eat it every now and then to get used to it. Your taste buds will change as become more raw too, and previously unpalatable foods will start to taste better. Good luck!

    - Also kirstens raw (a higher up post) is a brilliant blog, everything I have ever made of her's is incredible!

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    Hi Rawspice, I agree with the advice above. It's definitely important to start by concentrating on the raw foods you really DO like. You will find that after time, your taste will change and you'll start liking things you never did before.

    Slowly keep introducing more raw food into your diet and you'll be surprised by the enjoyment you get from foods you never thought of before.

    I can honestly say that I get far more pleasure from eating dates or rasins than I ever did from eating chocolate or sweets. You can always find a raw alternative.

    Good luck, start slow and never give up!

    PS. This site can provide such great support.

  • macanoogiemacanoogie Raw Newbie

    Hi rawspice!

    There's already lots of great advice here so I'm going to try to keep this short. I think you should read The Raw Food Detox by Natalia Rose. It was my first raw book and helped me tremendously. Plus, it's inexpensive and qualifies for free shipping on Amazon! ;)

    Natalia puts it on the table - if you want to lose weight, feel and look better, this is what you do... and lays it out. She also offers meal plans with recipes, including chocolate and wine (two of my favorites). I highly recommend this book because I believe it will help you. It is fantastic for the transition (which she also emphasizes to take at your own pace).

    The first step is the hardest and it sounds like you're there. Stay positive - it is hard to change but it CAN BE DONE!!! I've lost 30 pounds and am still going... Good luck to you!!!!!

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