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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookOk, this is somewhat of a sensitive topic and I have debated posting this but how do those of you who have, or have had eating disorder issues deal with eating nuts, seeds and avocados that you know are high in fat or fruits, veg and oats that you know are high in carbs?
I am new to being raw and am used to eating virtually no carbs and also avoided nuts because of the high fat content. Yes, I know its the good kind of fat, as is avocado but its the whole ‘fat’ word and what goes with it. I made myself a lovely granola yesterday with a variety of nuts and dried fruit and some oat porridge the morning before but then had to deal with the fact I had eaten it and immediately reached for the laxatives as I couldnt deal with the fact I had fats and carbs in me. :-(
Has anyone else had this issue and how did you deal with it? I am paranoid of putting on any weight.
Comments
What’s 811?
I believe 811 is a raw food diet thats about eating 80% carbs from sweet fruit and some greens 10% protein and 10% from fat. (I don’t have the book I’ve just read about it online) 811 isn’t the only raw food diet-and while I think there’s lots of good stuff about it, and also pointing out that I certainly don’t know enough about it to say thats it is ‘the best’ raw food diet [if that even exists…] I want to point out that moving towards a diet like that because of one’s disordered eating pattern that results in a fear of eating fats and carbs and not because you feel that it is the best diet for your body will just cause waay more trouble in the long run and be really unhealthy emotionally and mentally.
While it is important to realize what EDs do to your body, I don’t believe that having a negative motivation for ones recovery will do much good.
Whenever I get stressed I start to feel any old ed’s creeping back in, what I try to do is focus on how what I’m doing for my body-the food I’m choosing to put in me-is so wonderful and healthy and nourishing and how much it positively affects me physically, emotionally and mentally. Try and come at it from a place of positivity. Its tough to make it stick and drown out the panic you can feel about being ‘fat’ but once you do its so worth it.
I’m sorry that the first response to your query came from durianrider, as he is anything but sensitive. However, he speaks the truth, on both counts. Eating disorders will kill you, period. It may take a long time, but then again, it might not. I know this firsthand. I had to get to a point of nearly dying to realize just how seriously I was harming myself. I know of your fears of eating high fat foods. High fat foods really aren’t good for you in quantities higher than 10% or so (no more than 20%). The human body isn’t equipped to handle a high fat diet. That includes the best quality fat sources, which are avocadoes, durians, akee fruits, nuts and seeds. They should only be eaten in small quantities.
The carbs, however, are another story. Whole fruits and vegetables are chock full of vitamins and minerals, along with the carbs, small amounts of protein and fat. Those carbs are the very ones we need to give us the health we seek and the energy to stay alive and thrive. Don’t fear those. Whole grains are fine, in small quantities. They are not as ideal as fruit and vegetables, because we can’t really eat them as they occur in nature. We have to soak and sprout them before they are edible for us and even then, they can be difficult to digest. The same is true for nuts and seeds. We have to break through their outer shells to get to the edible part. Even then, it’s best to soak and sprout those to release their enzymes and make them easier to digest. Note that soaking high fat nuts and seeds lowers their fat contents somewhat, as some of the oils are soaked out and the composition of the germinating seed changes.
I haven’t started practising 811 myself yet, but I’m working toward it. Rest assured, your body weight will absolutely stabilize at what is ideal for you and your health. You will not get fat if you practice 811rv (raw vegan) properly. I believe you will re-learn how to eat for health and not for emotional reasons, and how not to restrict for fear that eating will make you fat. I’m not sure which eating disorder is the one that plagues you, but it doesn’t matter. They’re all essentially the same at their cores. 811rv is an ideal way for you to transition from a disordered approach to food and eating and thinking, to a productive, healthy and satisfying way to be the best “you” possible.
BTW, if you ever want to speak privately about overcoming ED, by all means, email me at jweiser68@gmail.com
You need a trained person to talk to about your ED, because too many of us here have our own agendas and might tell you to not eat fats, or not to eat sweet fruits, or to eat tons of sweet fruits and avoid fats, etc. We’re not equipped to talk about EDs and give advise on what to avoid. I think it’s dangerous and irresponsible for anyone to tell you to starve yourself of carbs or fats, for example, and to be honest, it pisses me off to see a raw fooder try to pimp their diet choices to someone who is ill. It really doesnt happen often.
Please don’t be afraid of proper carbs or of fats. Me, I don’t indulge in too many dried fruits or concentrated oils. But I load up on fatty fruits like avocado. You’re going to find what is good for you and your lifestyle, so don’t set any rules with yourself now. It took many months to get over my horror of fats and fruit carbs, after years of self-abuse. I think for anyone who has a real ED, it’s a constant battle. If you can, get a therapist who embraces your choice of raw foods to help you out. Good luck, and hugs.
Thank you as after the first response I got to this post, which was v hard to write, I was pretty much ready to not post here anymore but I dont want to give up on trying to get healthier and not die! I already have an irregular heart beat from My eating disorders but have managed to get off the ephedra diet pills I was taking for seven years and I want to try to get My body back into some sort of healthy shape before its to late.
yaaay!!!!! thats soo cool! i’m sooo glad that you’re doing something positive for yourself, i know how hard that can be, and I forgot to mention this before but thanks for actually writing your post, I thought it was really brave of you. Its definetely a topic that doesn’t get discussed in raw communities as much as it should.
Thanks. It was hard to write that post but I was sure I wasnt the only person here who deals with eating disorders and how they relate to the raw food diet. Especially when we are dealing with some high fat items like avocados and nuts.