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Login Here Signup Here Signup using Facebook...leaving me sad and doubtful. I just saw her yesterday, and told her I had gone raw (heehee) from 80-100% on any given day.
I thought she would be supportive and I was really excited to tell her about my new discovery, but she poo-poohed it, bringing up the matter of protein (oi), the fact that all raw food is too demanding on the body for enzymes to be digested (wait a minute—isn’t that really what raw food is about, it supplies the body with way more enzymes than a cooked diet??) and also that raw isn’t sustainable in the long term (I brought up the facts: there are thriving people who have been raw for decades, and not to mention athletes!)
I’m just feeling blue because I found a gem and one of the people I thought would be excited tried to dull it for me :(
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yeah my naturopath isn’t too in to it either. she said it was too detoxing for my body right now (although since I am sick, shouldn’t I be detoxing?) she said it wouldn’t be nourishing enough (what could provide more nutrients than a green smoothie?). so I said I would consider what she said and then later, i said to her if I craved cooked food i would eat it, and that i was listening to my body. she wants me to have some ginger tea. she also comes from a chinese medicine background and says that raw food is too unbalanced for the cold damp weather in seattle. but, she can’t argue with the fact that i am feeling better!!!
Just remember that you know your own body’s needs best!
Hey thanks :) I am just worried that since I believe this is so right for me, and we disagree, that maybe her judge ment on other things isn’t the best for me either.
Wow, that’s too bad. So she even believes the protein myth? I can’t believe how dense some people are about that! But don’t let her change your mind. Raw is a great thing and you should do what you want to do.
Get another naturopath.
I was turned on to raw many years ago by a naturopath. He wasn’t against occasional cooked grains, beans, or steamed veggies, but he felt you get your vitality from raw.
My doc (not a naturopath) told me today that my protein & albumin were low when I was hospitalized for diabetic ketoacidosis, and he told me that it can be that way when blood sugar levels are out of control (which mine had been for months!) or because of not enough protein in the diet “like if you’re a vegetarian” (said sorta looking down his nose at me, heehee). I just told him that I eat a lot of nuts and stuff that gives me protein, and he ended up by saying that if I feel comfortable with it, I can increase the amount of protein in my diet? I realized later in the day that maybe that is why I have been craving nuts & seeds so much since I’ve been home from the hospital (besides they are high in phosphorous, which I was also extremely low in). Anyway, I also figured out that 2/3 cup of hemp seeds contains about the same amount of protein as a half-pound of meat, so I know how I can get plenty of protein, even if I never ate a nut, and even if bananas, goji berries, wheatgrass juice, etc. DIDN’T have all the essential amino acids! Sorry, I know that wasn’t completely answering your topic, but I guess I have been frustrated by docs not listening/understanding when I try to communicate with them, too.
Personally I have a tendency to look down my nose at doctors. Naturopaths not so much. So I totally feel for you but I’ve seen a lot of fat, smoking doctors so I tend to make up my own mind about my nutritional needs.
Today is my one month anniversary of transitioning to raw and I cannot believe how much more in touch with my body I am today. In the past month I only had three bad cravings that I gave in to, twice I had veggie pizzas and once I had cheese and crackers. Those were my only craving days. After indulging the cravings, I felt so much stronger about being raw. I am considering starting a juice fast for two weeks once I clean out my refrigerator of the stuff in there I do not feel like juicing.
Everyday I add more and more greens to my smoothies in the morning. And boy do I love those. When I first heard about greens in with my precious fruit on this website, I kind of balked but once I tried it, I loved them. My favorite greens in a smoothie is spinach.
If you want to stay vegan and have reason to believe you may need more protein, just start drinking a few hemp smoothies. Hemp is a complete protein and it always makes me feel great. I think I am one of those people that needs more protein and there is no other plant that makes me feel as well as hemp does. I don’t think that resolves the iron, CLA, B-12 and other things doctors/naturopaths may be concerned that you aren’t getting.
ugh, I know how this feels. My colon hydrotherapist, with whom I have a great relationship, does sooo not approve of eating raw vegan, she just doesn’t believe in it and won’t give it a chance. I don’t even try to convince her! She is of the population that believes in eating organic free-range everything (including meat) so that it is acceptable…double ugh.
How is her personal health? How long has it been since she changed her own personal regime? Stuck to her own teachings? Does she change what she believes often? How many success stories can she give you from her methods? How can she call herself a naturopath and think you need cooked animal foods for protein?
bitt: “too detoxing” That is hilarious!
angie: greens are an even better source of protein than nuts and seeds.
A very wise man (Leonard Orr) taught me of the failures of Certification. A job title or degree, never cured anyone of anything.
My naturopath was for it for me and the kids but also warned me that this diet lacks “complete proteins”. She recommended doing a protein shake (like hemp) every so often to get that protein.
chriscarlton – I’ve heard people say that about greens, but wouldn’t you have to eat an insane amount of greens? I know that wheatgrass juice has all the essential amino acids, but are there other greens that have them all, as well?
chriscarlton – Okay, so I went and checked it out, and although I didn’t find any green that had a complete protein, I found out that the greens ARE closer to complete than some of the nuts I checked. Raw cashews have all the essential amino acids, kale & collards have most of them, romaine lettuce not so much, but almonds & Brazil nuts not so much, either. I didn’t check all of the greens or all of the nuts, but this was interesting – Thanks!
Several of you made a good point, chriscarlton, cavegal—how is HER health? I don’t know if she smokes, but she is a little overweight and mentioned high cholesterol. Funny though, she also mentioned she used to be vegan. I think she switched because of ‘getting sick’ like a lot of vegans do when they don’t eat enough variety for all the nutrients. I was vegan (not raw) when I first went to see her, and I was sick because of that, and also from adrenal burnout (ouch) and hormone instability. So in no time, she scared me into eating meat again, which for some reason scared me all the way into SAD.
This part is kind of funny though: she sent me out the door with a bottle full of enzymes—to eat with RAW food because she said that eating raw puts too much stress on our enzyme organs. ???
Hey,Aziah and Meditating, those hemp smoothies sound nice :p Do you use hemp oil or the seeds?
Thanks to everyone who responded, I don’t feel as unsure anymore :D
The enzyme supplements are for when people aren’t getting enough in their food, and taking them can make the pancreas lazy. If you’re eating raw, you shouldn’t need them – SHE has it backward. My friend has a painful health condition which is only relieved by either taking enzymes OR eating raw. When she eats 100% raw, she doesn’t need the enzymes…duh!
buckwheat, chia seed, and hemp seed are all complete proteins.
When I start doubting, I remind myself that humans (and their pets) are the ONLY creatures on the WHOLE PLANET who ever eat cooked food.
elizabethh – thanks! I just found out about hemp seeds, but I didn’t know about the others – funny; I have been thinking I need to use my chia seeds since I got out of the hospital (but I really didn’t know how to use them), and then a couple of days ago, I went and bought 2 pounds of hemp seeds :)