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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI posted a similar post on another forum, but it seems like this forum is more suited to my questions. So does anyone else have trouble staying 100%? I really want to do 30 days raw, but I find myself bingeing on cooked foods (bread, cereal). Also I have struggled with eating disorders (all of them!). I have a very dysfunctional relationship with food, that’s why i went raw in the first place. Any feed back would be much cherished.
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I’d say from my ownexperience that it’s easier the more raw you go. And be sure to check that all your ingredients are really truly raw. I was trying to be 100% for about a year and I kept finding out stuff I was eating wasn’t really raw, like pecans, brazils, olives, ground almonds etc anyway…when I removed these things from my diet it made a huge difference in the cravings I got. After weeding out the cooked items, if I had anything which was not raw, immediately I would get cooked food cravings again. This was such a big thing for my husband and I to realise and try to overcome that we made a “dead food list” on our website, to help other people stay 100% raw. Here’s the link: http://www.purelyraw.com/deadfoodlist.htm
After making sure everything was truly 100% raw, the only cravings I got were triggered by emotional upsets and stress. I was so used to stuffing away unpleasant emotions with food that is a hard habit to break, and stuffing emotions away with raw food doesn’t really do the job! So I found other ways to balance out my moods. Yoga, rebirthing breathwork, energy healing, Inner Talk CD’s, concious bathing, sitting with an open fire and meditation are some of the things that I have found help me to stay consistently happy. It is great fun to look into all these kinds of therapies and spiritual practices and experiment, I have been really surprised with some of the things I have found which work for me. I think it’s important to support your raw lifestyle with other self loving self caring activities.
Also, PMT, or PMS in the USA is a tricky time, so prepare by getting in a big stash of raw food treats, or make some scrummy desserts.
When I first went 100% my husband and I had a rule that if we craved some cooked food item for over 6 hours then we would have it and not feel bad about it. At first we’d be “cheating” every week but eventually the cravings got less and less and further apart. I think it was good to be kind to ourselves in that way. By keeping what we ate every day truly 100% raw kept what we ate day in day out the best for our bodies. And kept us detoxing and feeling better and better every day.
i say this over and over again, but i really feel it works. JUICING is the answer. vegetable juice is ideal, and fruit juice occasionally. keep your belly full all the time and you won’t crave. the craving is psychological but also has a biological component to it. if you keep the offensive things out of your diet completely after a week or so, your body should stop craving. i also agree with zoe about keeping munchies foods at hand at all times. pack you cabinets full. the longer you stay raw, the easier it gets, and if you do slip and eat something cooked, you will feel the ill effects almost immediately. also the effects of this diet happen fairly rapidly, for me this has been the biggest motivator—my health has improved by leaps and bounds, as well as my mental state. since you said you have a history of eating disorders, i want to mention to not be afraid of having good fats in your diet. just know that as long as you follow this diet, you can eat as much as you want, especially in the beginning when the cravings are the worst. your appetite will naturally level off after a while.
good luck!
As I have been transitioning to raw, I have had cooked food cravings that I have allowed myself to give in to. But lately I have found that the more raw I eat, not only the less cravings I get, but the less I enjoy the cooked food when I do eat it. For example, my parents were in town for the weekend and we went to my favorite vegan restaurant for lunch. I gave in to my craving and had the tofu burrito that used to be my favorite (I used to get it for lunch at least once a week!). It wasn’t that good. It didn’t taste nearly as good as I remembered, and I felt sick to my stomach afterward. The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago when I went out for Thai food with friends. I felt so sick afterwards and I was miserable the next day. I am starting to develop aversions to cooked foods that I really used to enjoy, which is actually helping me move towards my goal of 100% raw. (Not that I would recommend binging on cooked food until you feel sick!) I think the social aspect of eating out is what has been the most difficult part of the transition for me, since at home I don’t have cooked food available, and I only prepare raw foods for myself and my boyfriend.
Rawrider – do you have a dehydrator? I have found that making a big batch of raw crackers, yam chips, cookies and other snacks to have around has helped, like Zoe & Stylist said. For me the cravings are strongest right after work when I feel hungry and want to eat something NOW rather than taking the time to prepare a raw meal. Having raw dehydrated crackers in the snack basket and dipping them in nut or seed cheese really hits the spot for me!
I sometimes have a major problem with being told I can’t have something. Perhaps you can set a period of time to transition. During that time, you could wean yourself off the cooked things you love by allowing yourself less and less of them. Some people do better with more gradual transitioning. Green smoothies are great for killing cravings, especially is you make them to your particular taste. Kristen has some ideas for going 100% on her site. http://www.kristensraw.com
That being said, if you want to jump in 100% (which I think is awesome for those who can), Raw cereals with banana mylk are so much like the cooked version that they’re very satisfying. There are recipes for cereal on this site and Raw cereals ready-made to buy. Same for Raw breads.
Good luck achieving your goals. Try to have fun doing it!
i have only been 100% for five days, and actually this happened because i had a reaction to cooked food! after two days raw, I had some boiled yucca root and woke the next morning feeling achy all over and with a headache and sore throat. Five days later (last night), i ate some rice with my dinner thinking i should be fine, except i had the same sore throat and aches this morning. i have inadvertently forced myself to remain raw. as with all things i have had to quit in my life, even though i am still cooking for my family sometimes (my children are adapting slower than i) i am able to avoid the temptations simply by keeping in mind that I DON”T want to feel like crap! so, that’s that.
I am with Renoir on the dehydrated foods. That really can be a boon,