Giving Up Salt

[Guest guest]

Hi, Every One --<br><br>Thank you, OrionsDad, for

letting me be a member of your Club. For a long time I

haven't posted anything because when I first joined I

wasn't a Raw Foodist, but now I've been one for 44 days

and it's a happy experience.<br><br>I gave up salt at

the beginning (44 days ago) and I thought by now I

would be over the desire for it. But I still find food

a bit bland without it. I try Spike, garlic, etc.

but just can't seem to enjoy the plain taste of

avocado and plain salads yet. (I'm trying.)<br><br>How

long does it take? Any suggestions for substitutes?

Many thanks.<br><br>-- Barbara

[Guest guest]

Barbara,<br><br>Good for you and congratulations

on giving raw food a try for as long as you have.

After about 3 months you will not WANT to go back to

your previous eating habits but it can be tough going

that long. Get a good raw food recipe book if you

don't already have one. That will make it easier for

you too. The recipe book at www.hacres.com is a good

one to start with.<br><br>I know it is hard to do

without salt. <br><br>From recent readings I have learned

that your body does not digest the salt you eat. It

wants to gets rid of it as quickly as possible because

it is not good for you. That is why your skin tastes

salty when you sweat. You body is flushing it out to

maintain your health.<br><br>Also from eating salt, spices

and other condiments for so many years our tastebuds

have become perverted. Most people can not " taste "

their food unless they add the condiments and then they

are really tasting and liking the condiments and not

the food.<br><br>The best thing to do if you can is

have NO salt, spices or condiments of any kind and

eventually your taste buds will go back to normal. You will

start tasting your foods again. You will know when that

happens when the raw fruits and vegetables start tasting

delicious plain. I've been mostly raw for 15 months and I

definately can taste and enjoy my raw foods more now. For

lunch today I had several raw and unshelled macadamia

nuts, two leaves of kale, a carrot, a tomato, a 1/8

wedge of green cabbage and a stick of celery. I dipped

each item into a small bowl of good olive oil before

eating. If you really need some salt with it you can stir

in a few drops of tamari into the oil and that

should do it. Count the drops and then tapper off as you

seem capable of doing so. I found the lunch filling,

delicious and satisfing.<br><br>In the recipe book I

mentioned you will find some good salad dressings using

avocadoes and oranges.<br><br>Also, the " Florida " avocadoes

(bigger) can be very watery and not very tasty without the

salt. Probably because we don't get them fresh and

ripe. I have found the haas avocadoes to be so much

tastier that you don't really need the salt. They have a

smokey flavor to them. They are a lot more expensive for

the size but look for them on sale, stock up and

enjoy. If you can find them for under a dollar that's a

good price!<br><br>-OrionsDad

[Guest guest]

Hi, OrionsDad --<br><br>Thanks so much for your

kind letter and GREAT advice! <br><br>I stopped with

the salt when I went raw because of a book by Max

Gerson (I think that's his name, my husband and I moved

recently and a lot is packed away). He said salt was a

poison and also said some tribe refused to eat salt

because they said it compromised their sense of smell,

which became acute without salt!<br><br>I don't want

any tamari or anything, I very much like what you're

doing, the way you're eating raw, simple and just a few

items at a time. That's my ideal, and what I've mostly

been doing. I got off by eating too much fruit, so now

I'm going to the green side for awhile. Started some

wheatgrass (I hope it grows O.K.), and alfalfa sprouts, etc.

It's fun!<br><br>Thanks very much for telling me what

to expect -- that it takes 3 months to never want to

go back to S.A.D.<br><br>I will try the olive oil

dip for veggies, and look at the website you

recommended.<br><br>I got a nice " uncook " book by Nomi Shannon, but

like you, I don't want a lot of combinations in my

meals, they don't agree with my digestion.<br><br>I lost

40 pounds and many inches since I began RAW. It's

wonderful to be thinner and feel cleaner inside, and have

that great RAW FOOD glow!<br><br>Yes, as for the

Florida avocados being watery and not very tasty -- I

live in Florida and that's what I've been eating!!

That's when I miss salt the most, when I'm eating those

avocadoes! (How did you know!?!) I will try the

Haas.<br><br>Right now I'm going through " the novelty's worn off "

and I'm realizing a Raw Foodist is a " Stranger in a

Strange Land " ! But I know it's one of the best things a

person can do for themselves.<br><br>Thank you for your

wonderful reply and advice. Thanks for your Club, too!

[Guest guest]

You are very welcome Barbara.<br><br>Gerson is

right. Salt is a " poison " . Everything we put into our

body is either food (the body can metabolize it to

build cell structures) or poison (the body can't use it

and must expend energy to get rid of it).<br><br>If

you can pass on the tamari then you will reach your

goal that much sooner.<br><br>I probably said this

before but I lost about 30 pounds eating raw foods

before I finally bottomed out on the scale. I didn't

want to go any lower. The body " knows " when to stop

losing the weight. It will be the " wrong " kind of weight

you don't want any way. Eventually your weight will

stabilize and maybe then you will put on a few " healthy "

pounds if you are exercising too. That's what I have

read and it is working that way for me.<br><br>Yes, I

know. You don't meet " Raw Foodist " on every street

corner. You might not find any at the vegetarian

restaurant either for that matter! One thought to keep in

mind is that we are actually ALL " Raw Foodist " by

design. It's only that you and I have started to ACT and

eat like one. Everyone else is NOT eating the way

their body was designed and they will unfortunately

suffer the consequences because of their choice. You and

I will just have to be different as we grow older,

wiser and HEALTHIER through the years. I'm now easily

race-walk 5-6 miles daily .. something I never thought I

would be able to do.<br><br>-OrionsDad