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

Not sure if I can do this...

Hello

I just started going "Raw" Yesterday (haha). I just wanted to see how long I could do it and see if I could actually see the health benefits.

As I sit here, eating my no-so-hot corn "chowder"which is kind of gross... I'm not so sure if I want to continue...

All day I think about "regular" food... I just want a quick snack... but not a strawberry, or banana, or any fruit or vegi...

I feel like there is SOOO much preparation in order to eat anything ... unless it's a fruit or vegi...

I'm going to my camp this weekend... I really don't want to spend 3 days preparing foods, or live off just fruit and vegis...

I thought this was supposed to be healthy for the fact that's what we ate in the beginning of the Human race... but I don't think they knew to grind nuts and dehydrate stuff...

I'm TOTALLY NOT dissing "raw" at all, I'm just having a really hard time... already...

Please help!

Comments

  • OH and I haven't really felt satisfied after any meal... always feeling a little hungry, although I am eating A LOT...

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    there is a big crowd of raw fooders that just eat fruits and vegetables. and we do fine! you can learn about more options for your raw food journey at www.30bananasaday.com

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    I think the hunger is normal in the beginning. Make sure you eat plenty of fruit for breakfast and lunch, even dinner, but then some greens with your dinner. Greens can combine with fruit just fine.

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    When I say "greens," I mean leafy ones, like spinach, collards, kale, chard.

  • I feel like it's such a pain though to take out the juicer (my blender goes to the speed of about 2 and I can't afford a new one right now...

    I really want to succeed...

  • And I got two hives on my hand... could that be from this?

    I've never gotten hives before

  • Anyone? :(

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    We can't guess what your symptoms are from. I'm sorry......if anyone answers, they can list possible causes, but nothing is for certain/confirmed, esp. over the internet.

  • You're right.

    Sunday I ate pizza, chips, pretzels filled with peanut butter, soda, candy...

    Ok. I'm a junkaholic.

    Any suggestions??

  • Abbie,

    Just some thoughts that I'm throwing out at you. If they don't help, ignore them.

    First off, you may want to consider what kind of diet you "came from." Before you went raw (a few days ago?), where you vegan, vegetarian, much of a healthy eater (already lots of salads, fresh fruit)? What did you eat before? You don't have to share if you don't want to. But, it may help people give you suggestions.

    If you are coming from a burger and fries kind of diet- you may want to back off and try a more gradual approach? Just something to think about. Eat high amounts of fruits and greens for breakfast and lunch. Then a cooked dinner. Do that for a while.

    I tried going "cold turkey" raw a couple years ago from a pretty junkfood vegetarian diet (yes, that is very possible to be vegetarian and still eat junk!) I felt about the same way two days into eating raw- and quit. I tried a more gradual approach and it has worked better for me.

    The goal (at least for me) was long term health. I'm not saying 100% raw cold turkey won't work- it does for some people. But, it also can be very discouraging for some people who think it's all or nothing- and then they give up and go back to burgers and fries.

    Also- why did you go raw? Your motivation. To loose weight, get healthier, hopefully fix a health issue? These are other things that may be important too.

  • Ah ha:-) A junk food junky. Seriously though, here are some thoughts. What fruits and vegetables do you like? I would start with those. If you like bananas, apples, and grapes- try having a fruit salad for breakfast every morning. Just try changing that one meal each day for a week. Try different fruit too.

  • Well I've been making juices in my juicer of like carrots, greens, and a fruit. i could do that everyday no problem

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    Oh gosh...indeed there is a very low rate of "stickiness" for people who go from a Standard American Diet (junk food) to 100% raw overnight. No wonder you don't know how to feed yourself!

    Sisterbecky is right on in my book. As Kathy Freston says, try to "lean into it." Go vegetarian. Get comfortable and secure with that. Then go vegan. Get comfortable and secure with that. Learn about food...real food, whole food, good food. I can almost guarantee that if it's improved health you're after, even a cooked vegan diet will be substantially better than what you are starting from.

    In the process of transitioning, consider your emotional and cultural and political and spiritual issues around food. Understand the difference between being nourished and being "full." Consider the impact of your diet on animals, the environment, other humans, and on your connection to what's outside of yourself. Food is such a powerful force and source for change...welcome to it!

  • kellyannekellyanne Raw Newbie

    hi abbie! you will LOVE a raw diet after you experience all of the benefits! i really recommend reading a few books while you're getting started so you know what to do and what to expect. forums are great for asking questions and learning about other peoples experiences, but there is so much confusion and misinformation (a lot of people genuinely want to help but don't always get their information from the best sources), and if you're new to the diet it will be hard for you to discern sound advice from the bogus. don't take anything as fact, always do more research. always question and find the truth for yourself. even what i'm saying right now ha. i've tried every diet and i've taken a lot of different advice. i've ended up with horrible candida by following people's advice on a forum and not listening to my intuition. be very skeptical of anyone telling you the health benefits of something while they're selling or pushing a product. beware of the costly, useless "superfood"! i really wish that someone had told me all this when i first started. it would have saved me months of misery and a lot of money. with that said, the following books are what really helped me with my transition. if you're interested in getting them, i suggest looking for used books on amazon. they're really cheap!

    -the china study by T. Colin Campbell

    -Your natural diet: alive and raw foods by t.c. fry and david klein

    -the 80/10/10 diet by doug graham

    -natural hygiene: man's pristine way of life by herbert m. shelton

    -the basic health library volumes I, II, and III by various authors

    here's a really helpful website too:

    www.rawfoodexplained.com

    hope this helps :)

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    Hi Abbie, try not to be too disheartened by your first few days raw. The above posts have some great advice in and I'd slow down a bit and start gradually. It's great you've chosen to make some changes but going from eating junk food to raw is a huge leap and you're bound to find this difficult. I would start including much more fresh fruit/veg into your diet and slowly phase out the junk. There are loads of great recipes on this site which are helpful in the transitioning phase.

    Good luck!

  • Hey Abby! I tried going from a really bad SAD to all raw in a day. It totally didnt work for more than 3.

    I read Natalia Rose's "Raw Food Detox Diet" for $13 dollars at Borders. (its cheaper on Amazon). I read it in one day! She helps determine your transition number and then gives you raw and cooked ideas that are best, plus explains food combining. Its def. a great book to read- tons of recipes and she doesnt include ANY dehydrator recipes. I too, dont use the dehydrator, i mainly eat fresh. Just remember, its not good for your body to go 100% raw in a day. You need time to adjust, if your not hungry in the am, drink a smoothie or juice. Eat alot alot alot of fruit for lunch. enjoy a large salad for dinner... eat some cooked fish, or whole grain pasta with organic sauce. Try Luna Bars, they are delicious. Steamed veggies are good with organic butter or organic sauce. Get some Ezekiel bread or other sprouted bread, to add some more weight to your dinner. Eat some dark chocolate cocoa for dessert, like real dark chocolate over 70% like endangered species cocoa.

    Dont deprive yourself, and make the transition slowly. even if you change one meal a week or two, just add tons of fruit and veggies into your diet and nix the junk food, or drastically limit it. That will make you healthier even if you cant do 100% right now.

  • Lobo, Im with you! You have to transition gradually, it makes it painless and you learn about how your body wants to eat. I am still in the process of transitioning. I usually go raw 'til dinner and have some brown rice or sprouted wheat bread at dinner. There are also "junk foods" that are acceptable for transitioning. Try finding organic brands of cookies and chips that are whole grain and don't use refined sugar or chemicals. Also, don't worry so much about doing it right, if you eat some pizza today, but keep plugging at making good choices and bringing more raw into your life, youll benefit!

  • Well today I ate all raw and then had a cooked dinner

    I feel really good in the morning, but then towards the afternoon, all i do is think about cake.

    and it doesn't help when there are always candy bars and m&ms on the lunch table at work...

  • Lots of great advice. I've tried approaching raw eating in so many different ways (gradual, instant, raw 'til dinner). This time around I'm beginning to really understand that it's not really about the food, but what I think about food. My advice is to read alot. Depending on where you live, libraries are incredible for exploration.

  • It's going to be HARD to break my major emotional habit towards junk...

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    ...maybe, maybe not! Maybe you'll feel motivated not by your own health/body but by something external. Maybe you'll choose to eat organic as a way to stick it to "the Man" of big Agribusiness. Or maybe you love animals and want to stop harming them through your diet. There are a number of reasons to get off the "junk" that aren't solely about you and your emotional needs.

    But it's something you will have to explore at least. Good luck!

  • Hi Abbie- My 2 cents is to start with a smoothie for breakfast- anything you're in the mood for, just so it's raw, and then some heavy salad foods for lunch, like greens, tomatoes, marinated eggplant, onion, garlic, sliced avocado, olive oil based dressing. Fruit for desert if you want. I'd ease into dinners raw, but wish you the best as you find the best way of transitioning for you. I feel so much better when I'm mostly raw than mostly not, so it's pretty self reinforcing.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    Abbie! It took me three weeks of solid cravings to start loving raw food but once I did I can't tell you how amazing it was. It's hard to break the habit of junk food and don't expect it to be easy but it's awesome once you do.

    Keep pluggin' away! We're all rooting for you!

  • Abbie! First off, asking for help is the right step because it says you really want to make this work. There are tons of great ideas from other people here too.

    I USE to eat all junk too, meat, chips, ice cream, etc. because my ex-boyfriend ate all those. I gained about 30 lbs. in 2 years! I worked out almost everyday and wasn't making enough of a difference in my body. After we broke up, I realized I wasn't seeing results because of my portions and food choices. I completely cut out soda, candy, chips, and turned to chicken or fish and salad for dinners. I ate fruit with yogurt for a delicious and filling snack at night. I felt a little bit better, but I started having digestive problems and that's why I switched to a vegetarian diet. I felt like my body was asking me to just start fresh and I listened. I have been a vegetarian for almost a year now and vegan for almost 3 months, not fully raw yet, but in transition, and it's a lot easier after being vegetarian.

    The book that personally helped me keep on track was The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier. It worked for me because Brendan is an athlete and he is completely vegan and he does an awesome job of explaining why your body needs certain vitamins and what foods you can get them from. He has a 12 week meal plan and recipies for every meal of the day. Once your body is use to eating fruits and veggies, you will find you have very little cravings for salty or fast foods. I get cravings for crisp bell peppers and sweet mango salsa now! Another thing that can be difficult to comprehend is that you DO need to eat 5-6 small meals a day. I know that in my mind, it was difficult to rationalize eating every few hours because my brain was telling me that I felt like a pig even though I was eating bananas or almonds! I keep my veggie drawer stocked and I make a few dips or spreads (many I have found on here) and keep them in the fridge so it's less time when I become hungry. I also keep almonds in my bag because if I get hungry, I don't have an excuse to get fast food. Plus, if you really feel like you are faultering and might give into those cravings, just visit the Gone Raw Web Site! If you are seeing all these awesome meals then you probably won't choose something different. But just remember, it takes time and don't feel bad if you fall off the wagon. Jump back on and stick with it. Good luck! We are all here for you!

  • i just went raw about 3 weeks ago but i was coming from a mostly vegetarian whole food type diet.

    their is soooo much good yummy food.

    Dates. Figs, mangoes, young Thai coconuts (my new favorite).

    i love to cook too so i've been having a blast making all these new and delicious dishes.. this site has some great recipes.

    my other rule is if i want something bad enough i eat it.. but i do question the craving and attempt to satiate the craving with something else.

Sign In or Register to comment.