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So many questions..!!??

Hi there. I am 24 years old and have been a vegetarian since I was about 8 or 9. About two years ago I added fish and egg whites back into my diet and have been trying to eat them quite often, due to my nutritionist’s wishes… truthfully, I don’t really enjoy them, but it makes my life easier at restauraunts! I was having some severe G.I. issues so I recently cut out dairy and wheat/gluten and it’s made a HUGE difference. A family friend peaked my interest in raw foods, and I have been experimenting for the past week or so. I have read a couple of books, but still have some questions… maybe someone can help?? 1. I currently eat relatively low-carb (fish, egg whites, LOTS of veggies, some fruit and nuts). Will switching from this diet to all raw cause me to gain weight? 2. I keep seeing “food combining” mentioned. How important is it to properly food combine? 3. Is it okay to eat the majority of food raw? For instance, I love a cup of coffee with soy milk, although I have found that I have been drinking MUCH LESS this past week. 4. Booze-beer-wine… are ANY acceptable?? Thank you SO MUCH for your help.. I don’t have anyone around me that eats this way!!!

Comments

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    Hey ejowett! You are not alone. Most of us here are on our own when it comes to raw food. We have non-raw partners and friends and we learn from sites like this and recommended books. As far as your questions go, you’ll get different answers depending on who you ask. Everyone has a different experience. Some are 80% raw, some are 100%, the best you can do is listen to your body and what feels good to you. As far as weight goes, some people gain, most people lose but generally people level off to what seems to be a comfortable weight. Exercise will always be a factor in your weight. You won’t see a lot of discussion of carbs here.

    I know nothing about food combining so I can’t help you there.

    I can’t tell you whether being 100% is THE right thing to do, there are members here who are 100% and are thriving, and those who find it too difficult for our lifestyles. I’m in the latter group, but I’m what you would call “high raw” meaning most of what I eat is raw, but a love one or two cups of coffee a week.

    As far as alcohol goes, what I’ve read is that wine is raw (not heated) which I think includes sake. Obviously alcohol is a bit more complicated healthwise, but there are raw foodists who drink wine.

    It’s great for you to have found this site early on because the real-life experiences shared here are extremely helpful and uplifting. If you dig back through the threads you’ll find just about any question you could come up with has been addressed by someone, but you’ll have unique experiences which we hope you’ll share. Good luck!

  • Hi

    Amysue is right, but i have some other things to add. Regarding the food combining: if you are eating fish or eggs you have to be very careful with food combining othervise you’ll feel very bad, but raw foods are different. Some raw foodies don’t care about combining properly and feel fantastic, but some are maybe more sensitive or need time to transition from a SAD diet, after transition it may gets better. So try it, eat some not properly combined raw food and see what happens. I like to experiment on myself with this lifestyle. That’s the real way to find out what is good for me. If you want you can have your coffee here and there, raw lifestyle is not about regulating what you can eat, you decide, you will still do much beter than 90% of people!!

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    wine is not vegan unless it is organic.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Why is your nutritionist wanting you to eat the fish & egg whites – protein? Or something else? Hemp seeds, buckwheat, & goji berries are all sources of complete protein, meaning they have all the amino acids our bodies can’t produce, and they don’t require the body to first break down protein to make the amino acids available (animal proteins have to be broken down first so our bodies can then use the amino acids to build the proteins we need in our bodies). Green leafies have a lot of amino acids, too, so they are also good to eat to give your body what it needs for protein – even though no one green is complete, a lot of them come very close.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    eliminating the fish and egg whites can only make you glow. animal products are devoid of fiber and get stuck in the grooves of our corrugated colon (which resembles that of an hervivore, NOT a carnivore, whose colon looks more like a smoothe pipe).

    also, one thing that i learned, which is SO SO helpful to me is WHAT detox really is and why ANY amount of “better food” will start detox: (the blood gas theory)

    a natural bi-product of digestion is some gas. depending on the food, it will produce more (animal products, processed, and refined foods) or less (fresh raw veggies and fruits) gas. the cells in our body also contain gas. when we eat something that produces more gas than the cell already contains it absorbs that gat to create an equilibrium between the inside and the outside of the cell wall. likewise, when we eat something that produces less gas, the cell releases gas… THAT is detox. your cells become tighter and cleaner, making it more difficult to eat the foods that were once not a bother at all.

    (people will stretched distended cells have no more room between the cells, so their cells “work” in non-oxygenated environments causing acidity and, according to some, a propensity for cancer cells)

    so, although a good long term goal is to release all that gas, it is not a good idea to do so all at once.

    1) you don’t want your system to get too sensitive before you are actually psychologically ready to make the commitment to a raw lifestyle because going back to cooked food will be harder on your body than before you detoxed.

    2) you just can’t logically release all that gas accumulated over 24 years in a couple of weeks.

    hope that helps.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    sake is made from cooked rice. not raw. “nama” or “raw” sake means it hasn’t been pasteurized. since most bottled things are pasteurized i suppose that makes it a novelty item, but it’s still COOKED.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    pianissima – thanks for the info. – where did you read/hear about the gas thing?

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    it’s in matt monarch’s book “raw spirit.” there’s a section called “the science behind it all.” i HIGHLY recommend this book, esp. for the interview with dr. fred bisci who is a 80-ish year old (and BEAUTIFUL) raw foodist.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    Okay, I have seen Fred Bisci – on the Raw For Life DVD - He IS a beautiful raw foodist. I wouldn’t have put him at 80! You’d think I would learn :) I also have never seen the book anywhere. Thanks for the info.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    hi ejowett, welcome. i hope you find the support you need here. i am glad you figured out that you can’t eat gluten. if you are sensitive to it, it can make your life miserable! you did not say how long it has been since you are off gluten, but FYI your gut can be very sensitive if you were having digestive issues. if you had celiac disease, it is quite possible your small intestine was being destroyed in reaction to the gliadin protein in gluten. when I first went off gluten my nutritionist was eager to get me back on fish as well. most nutritionists are schooled in the SAD diet and have no idea about the benefits of raw foods. As far as what you should give up, you have to decide for yourself. If you are feeling quite ill and sluggish, you will find getting rid of all cooked food and dramatically increasing your intake of greens and other raw foods you will feel amazing after a few weeks. coffee can be hard to detox off of but you will not regret it if you do. yes, it tastes good but nothing tastes as good as feeling good feels.

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    pianissima – haven’t read Matt Monarch’s book, but I hope to soon. that cell/gas idea was one i haven’t heard of (but then again, i haven’t read Gabriel Cousen’s books which might have that information).

    i agree with what Bitt said and increasing greens intake and giving up coffee. it’s better to replace coffee with tea for a while, then you can switch to non caffeinated herbal tea. you can do this when you’re ready… don’t worry, these things will get easy over time. just take baby steps and stay excited about trying raw recipes and reading about raw foods. the more excited you are, the easier the transitioning process will be.

    and don’t forget to give plenty of attention to other areas of your life. wellness is composed of many facets, including sleeping plenty, meditation, exercise, serenity, cleanliness, stress free, etc. being raw is easier when you sleep a lot! that’s a very important tip that i learned.

  • waterbaby12347waterbaby12347 Raw Newbie

    Bitt I love your statement and I’m going to use it…Hope you don’t mind… (NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD, AS FEELING GOOD FEELS!!!)

    Pianissima You amaze me with your knowledge!!! Thanks for sharing the gas theory, it was a nice refresher for me… How’s the album doing??? Super I hope!!! :}

  • Awesome!! Thanks for all the info—after less than 2 weeks eating about 80% raw, I have absolutely turned away from both seafood and egg whites. I just can’t even stomach them. I am doing a lot of research and reading and taking “baby-steps” towards a vegan raw food lifestyle. Thanks again for all your help!!

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    winona- i hadn’t ever heard it before either. i read gabriel cousens’ book. he takes a cellular approach too, but he doesn’t explain how gas is behind it all. i’ve been asking friends who do biology to get a deeper perspective on it…

    waterbaby—why thank you! it’s going very well. i actually haven’t played any shows yet, today is my first with my shiny new item. =)

    and BITT—that IS a cool phrase. i couldn’t agree more!

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    i didn’t come up with the phrase, i heard it somewhere but it helps. i used to have it posted on my cabinet when i first gave up gluten.

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