Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

Too Much Fat?

I came across an article today by a old skool raw-food guy, and he made the claim that among 5000 raw foodies he interviewed for the book, like 70% of their calories came from fat: http://www.naturalnews.com/022837.html .

That would seem to jibe with what I’ve noticed on the recipies here. Is that just as harmful, given the methods used to extract most oils? Is it that hard to keep your weight up w/ veggies on a diet that contains about 10% fat, as the doctor recommends? Does anyone have experience trying to cut out the fat in raw food? Is it better to have something less than raw if it means saving on a bunch of oil?

Comments

  • I think it all comes down to the individuality of everyone’s body. I would waste away and dry up if I cut my fat down to 10%. I think I’ve always eaten a fair amount of fat raw or SAD and have had a tendency to be underweight all my life. Of course I could be toxic and not assimilating well. Although I think most of my life even cooked, my diet was above the average SAD. Maybe after a certain period of being raw your body adjusts differently and 10% fat might be ideal for you.

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    I think some of the richer meals on this site, should not be eaten everyday. They are more of a special Saturday, Sunday dinner. I do have 1/2 an avo. and olive oil just about every day. If I didn’t I would be famished!

    There is nothing wrong with healthy sources of fat! I don’t have time to go to the link you have supplied right now, but if he says anything other wise, he is full of it! Sorry!

    This is that 80/10/10 guy, Mainly fruit for the day and a big salad for dinner. Am I right?

  • worleyhimself2worleyhimself2 Raw Newbie

    I read the article I also listened to the interview. He does make sense and you really cant argue with the guy. Except for the fact that most people are just to sugared and carbed out. most of us are just to sensitive to alot of carbs. that it would take awhile to get everything back in par again to handle 80/10/10.

    So, just because I can. I cut down my fats. Nuts, seeds, oils, and avocados did dominate my diet for awhile. My fat now comes from acai100 (good therapeutic juice), maybe coconut oil, hemp seeds, little cacao and avocado. My fat intake is probably around 20%.

    I did it for my root canal infection which no matter what i did i couldnt get rid of it til i cut down my fats dramatically.

    Aslong as your not constantly fasting. you shouldn’t dwindle away as long as you keep your caloric intake up with raw food goodness.

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    It doesn’t seem to me that a doctor who has trained professional athletes on nutrition for the last 20+ years can be said to be “full of it”. Leafy greens contain omega 3 fats as well as some nuts and seeds.

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    I don’t want to argue, I just don’t agree with him. I simply don’t feel good cutting my fats back! I am doing this for me, I have obviously found what works for me. I was raw for a year and have done hours apon hours of research and experimentaion in that year and found the way I do things to be great for me! I also have taken quite a bit of nutritional training in my past. So I am no dolt. I am also no stranger to atheletes as I am one. Cyclist, marathon runner and ex body builder. (somthing I have decided to take up again!)

    I am sorry for saying he is full of it. I guess, diet is like religion, when someones says anything against what you beleive, you can get your back up! I guess that’s what I did! So, peace ok? I hope I haven’t gotten anyone too pissed here!

  • I would rather get my calories from fruit and sprouts (or even cooked veggies and legumes) than all that oil. Oil is super processed and does not even have all the nutrients of nuts and seeds. (Greens are great but of course not very calorie-dense).

    I don’t know that 10% of calories from fat is necessary, but there is a lot of research showing that very high-fat is not so great. 60% is not healthy IMO.

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    yup, I don’t think 60% is healthy either!

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    One thing being overlooked is the mineral content in nuts and seeds as well as fats. They are definitely necessary. For example, Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium and zinc. They’re also 69% saturated fats. It isn’t good to cut nuts out completely, but it also isn’t necessary to make them the largest part of the diet. I’m riding the fence on this one. I can see good and bad on both sides.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    I think it just goes back to the fact that we are all different. Why are there a million books/diet plans out there? Because they work. But that doesn’t mean that they all work the same for everyone. I know someone who told me about how her mother-in-law cured her Lupus, & it had nothing to do with raw food, or 80-10-10, or probably most of the other plans out there that are supposed to be the “best” for everyone. But she did what her body needed, & it worked for her. Whoever came up with the plan she followed could be counted as a genius, but it doesn’t mean I am going to follow that plan; I have found what feels right & best FOR ME, & although I eat raw, that was not my original intention. My decision & plan was to take in exactly what my body wanted, and that led me quickly to high raw, and although I wanted to eat all raw, I felt strongly that I couldn’t rush it & that my body needed meat for a period of transitioning. That is not the way most raw foodies do it, but I felt strongly that it was the best way for me, & it worked to heal a lot of my health problems, not to mention losing all my extra weight in just a few months & drastically reducing the amounts of insulin I used. I ate raw honey straight from the container with a big spoon once – 5 pounds of it in 3 days, and my blood sugar was fine. Honey has magnesium, and I didn’t know it at the time, but people with diabetes are generally deficient in magnesium. My body needed magnesium, and I didn’t have access to a magnesium supplement at the time. I believe that the reason my body healed so well & my blood sugar stayed balanced through things like that, or eating a pound of fish in one sitting, or eating a ton of fruit, is that I was focusing on trying to give my body the most nutrient-dense foods I could & not listening to anyone tell me what & how much of certain types of foods I “should” eat. How do they know what I need? I like to read books to learn principles of why & how things have been shown to affect the body’s parts & systems, and then take from it what rings true for me & my body. Everyone who writes a book or develops a plan for health does it based on what is true or works for them & other people like them. I am glad people share & publish their ideas, research & experience, because I don’t have time & means to do it all myself. Thanks for letting me say all this – not that you could have really stopped me, lol :D

  • Luna bluLuna blu Raw Newbie

    Angie, I am so with you on this! I eat what my body needs and what makes me happy. Isn’t that what it’s all about?! Joy? :)

  • roadrunnerroadrunner Raw Newbie

    Its nothing now for me to eat 3 to 6 avocados a day, small ones, but thats spread out over the day inbetween fruits. It balances out everything for me. I was eating a lot of bananas at first, 20 to 30 a day, now more oranges, about 15 oranges a day along with 7 to 14 bananas and 1/2 pound of grapes,and about 6 granny smith apples, all in a day, a TWELVE hour work day. I eat 1 to 2 avocados 3 times a day mid-morning,afternoon, and late afternoon.I feel great and thats all there is to it. Before i wasnt eating avocados at all or seeds just fruit and the avocados are definately needed for me maybe not others but for me. Besides I run 4 times a week, and Im very active. So I can burn the fat easily, besides its the good fat, not the bad and its definately better than the cheeseburgers and burritos i was eating daily when I was on the SAD diet. I no longer worry about calories and fats, I just eat fruit when hungry and thats it, the only problem I have right now is I still overeat, I need to cut back and Im working on that. I feel better now than I did eating fruit all day and big salad at night, I cut out the “leafy” greens and eat cucumber,tomato,and peppers instead. So a day for me includes bananas,oranges,apples,avocado,cucumber,tomato,and peppers,grapes. But I do feel my detox period is nearing the end because the fatigue, weakness, and feeling like crap every day is gone, the runny nose is gone, and my arthritis in my shoulder is gone, it hasent hurt now since last year when I went raw. And now fruitarian. The 3 to 6 avocados a day hasent caused any weight gain either, I am still 160 and Ive been 160 since December when I bottomed out at 157.

Sign In or Register to comment.