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Anyone worried, concerned about the long term (say in 20 years time ) effect of being 100% raw?

I have read so many positive feedbacks about raw food diet, and I am a believer in it myself. But I do sometimes wonder what 100% raw food life style will bring me in the long term. I mean it is still relatively new trend and there are not many researches and living examples that I can look up to. ( I read Dr Norman Walker lived up to 118! and love his book!)

Comments

  • SarahJSarahJ Raw Newbie

    I wouldn’t say that I’m worried per se but I do believe that when you decide to commit to a raw lifestyle, you also need to commit to paying attention to your body, making sure you are consuming all of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. I would be concerned for anyone who isn’t taking that into consideration. Long-term vitamin deficiencies can cause all kinds of problems. I do believe that when ‘raw’ is done properly, it is the best way. IMHO. :)

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Yes, I too wonder about the long term affects…

    I agree with SarahJ about getting our nutrients from raw foods… but, long life is not just about nutrition… it’s about all the other good things for you… excercise, water, sunshine, rest, etc… n.e.w.s.t.a.r.t

  • The last few weeks have convinced me that I can (and should) be raw long-term. I downloaded this free software called “Diet Power” which gives you the nutrition (calories, macro- and micro-nutrients) for everything you eat. What I do is, as I go through my day, I write down what I eat on a piece of paper, and at the end of the day, I input it into the program. Without even being conscious of what I need or might be lacking, I’ve been getting at LEAST 100 of most of the vitamins and minerals each day. The only ones I ever fall short for are calcium (usually get between 50-80% RDA), Vitamin D, and, obviously B12 (I use spirulina and bee pollen as sources, but the program doesn’t have info for these foods). I don’t even eat nuts on a regular basis, and I’m getting everything I need without being overly conscious of it. I was surprised when I saw how consistent my results were each day. But I guess that just goes to show, as long as you’re getting a variety of foods while eating raw, you really WILL get what you need.

  • SarahJSarahJ Raw Newbie

    Kathryn, do you have a link for the software? That would certainly make things easier.

  • http://www.dietpower.com/try/download_now.php

    You only get 2 weeks free, but if you’re handy enough with the computer, you could probably work around that rule

  • thanks for the suggestions i will def try the software

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    i’ve made a decision to get a yearly blood test. test for iron, magnesium, calcium, B12, etc. i’m much healthier than when i wasn’t raw or vegan. and my brother (who eats meat) had lower iron than me.

    other than that, i’ve stopped “worrying” about the diet because i’ve come to realize that the question of enough of such and such a nutrient is a PARADIGM that our culture supports. raw plant foods are a lot more well-rounded than we are led to believe (i.e. oranges don’t JUST have vitamin C in them!). as long as you keep it varied, you should be covered.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I am looking forward to what i will be like in 20 years time. The last 3 years have taken about a decade off the way I look, I’ll be like a baby by then! I am a great believer in you are what you think. Raw food+positive thinking+good relationships and community+healthy spirituality=amazing health forever! No worries :)

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    It’s funny; I think that subconsciously, I thought I could do raw for a few years, only until my most serious health problems are healed, & then I can be “normal” again. A couple of times going back to healthy cooked food, and I realize that there is nothing to compare to the way I feel when I eat raw! So, yeah, now it is a permanent thing for me. I don’t “worry” about any deficiencies, because I have also noticed that I crave the foods that have the nutrients I am needing. I use bee pollen sometimes for B12, and I know I can get a sublingual B12 supplement (recommended by Dr. Gabriel Cousens for anyone who is vegan) and I use a vitamin A supplement because people with diabetes can’t convert the beta-carotene to vitamin A. I am getting better at gardening, and it is so fun to be able to grow my own food, and just go pick it and eat it fresh! (My mom always had a garden when I was a child, but she always cooked the vegetables and bottled or froze them.) Now, a bigger percentage of my food supply can come from my garden, and it is exciting :) I also love the joy I get when I make food for others and help people learn that they can really enjoy eating fresh, living foods!

  • I am often provoked to think about what the long-term may bring, in part due to my job (working in a senior care home.) In a perfect world, we will all remain in charge of our own circumstances, but if, heaven forbid “sonething” should happen, in which we would become incapacitated, or simply get too old…well, my intuition tells me I better reach the pinnacle of raw well before I am classed as a senior citizen, because if it were to be mine or any raw fooder’s misfortune to land in a nursing home, there really aren’t any living foods to be had there, in my experience. So I better be able to live off of one piece of fruit and a salad per day! I say this jokingly, but seriously, if someone gets dementia or something and can no longer voice what they need/want to put in their body…well, that makes me really sad.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    Nope.

  • I agree with Alix1962! I feel like I DON’T worry about death and cancer and all of that stuff anymore because of going raw.

  • juicyjuicy Raw Newbie

    substitute “worried” with “overly excited and giddy”. raw food is the best thing to have behind you when thinking ahead.

  • KevlarKevlar Raw Newbie

    I’m not worried, because I eat raw meat and eggs occasionally (organic / free-range / grass-fed, of course.)

    You need to make sure you get plenty of sunlight too, because you get no vitamin-D from a vegan diet.

  • I have no doubt that I’ll still be living 100% raw and loving every moment of it…. I worry more so about the factory farms in the future. One, that they’ll wipe out most of our local guys. (as if they haven’t already) Two, that they’ll be able to get away with labeling produce as organic when it integrity doesn’t match the organic standards. Three, that there won’t even be organic produce available within our culture of rapidly growing GMOs!!

  • blujett8blujett8 Raw Newbie

    no….I don’t worry about this b/c I trust that my body will tell me what’s best for it and I’m excited to keep learning and change as necessary.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Kevlar – sunflower seeds are a good food source of vitamin D. I usually have had trouble with depression in the winter, but last winter I started eating tons of raw tacos made with sunflower seeds & my mood was better. Later on, I found out that they have vitamin D. It’s still hard to get enough – even if you spend a lot of time in the sun in the summer – if you live north of 38 degrees latitude (Denver), so supplementation is still probably best. I said my mood was better, but it wasn’t perfect until this year when I started taking a vitamin D3 supplement.

  • KevlarKevlar Raw Newbie

    I just checked the nutritional info for sunflower seeds, and it didn’t list any vitamin D:

    http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20…

    It could be wrong though. I’ll have to check into that further.

    Even meat-eaters get most of their vitamin-D from sunlight. Supplements are better than nothing, but you can overdose on them, or you can be deficient in one type and overloaded in another. so it’s best to just let your body make it, even if you have to resort to using a tanning booth or full-spectrum lamp during the winter. Vitamin D is stored in your fat cells too, so if you charge yourself up a lot during the spring/summer/fall, you should be fine.

    SPF-8 sunblock or above, prevents ALL vitamin-D production in your skin. Also, whatever you put on your skin gets absorbed directly into your bloodstream. Read the ingredients on a bottle of sunscreen sometime and ask yourself if you want that crap in your body. Coconut oil supposedly blocks 20% of UVA rays and prevents your skin from drying out, so I’ve been using that.

    So, yeah, it’s best just to wear a hat and leave your body exposed. Sun is good.

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    Am I worried? Simply, nope!!!!!!!

    I am doing this for vibrant healthy old age! Isn’t that the point?

    You just have to make sure you are getting all you nutrients! I am certain that I am!

  • we do not need to worry about nutrients at all… especially if we eat leafy greens. the people who should worry about nutrients are the ones who eat fast food all the time!

  • oh also, norman walker didn’t really live that long… he died in his 90’s… http://chetday.com/normanwalker.htm

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