Hey in exactly ONE week I shall

[Guest guest]

have been basically on a raw food diet for a

whole year.<br><br>I stated 21st Oct 2000. For the

first three weeks I was 100% raw. Since then I would

say I have been 90% to 95% raw on average.<br><br>I

AM SO GLAD I DID THIS. THANK YOU LADDYBUGG FOR

PERSUADING ME. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISSIONS I EVER

MADE. MY HEALTH HAS BEEN SO MUCH BETTER. I AM LESS

STIFF, HARDLY EVER GET PAINFULL WIND, FEEL YOUNG AGAIN,

AND HARDLY EVER HAD A COLD. I WAS USED TO THREE colds

A YEAR BEFORE. I HAD ONE MILD ONE THIS YEAR. I

THINK MY TEETH ARE BETTER TOO. MY TONGUE IS BETTER. The

only downside is I get cramps in my feet sometimes,

and (hope people don't mind me saying it my sex drive

is not as strong) I don't need vitamin suppliments

now either except B12. <br><br>So there it is for

me.<br><br>Chris (After 51 weeks)

[Guest guest]

Congratulations on a year of being raw. That's

fantastic. Have other people been positively influenced by

your example?<br><br>A question pops to my mind. Was

it worth giving up cooked foods for the benefits you

have received? <br><br>I'm sure you would say yes

since you are still doing it. You've probably found a

way to eat that you enjoy and your health is so much

better that it's ok not going out to a previous favorite

restaurant.<br><br>I love eating raw and have less and less desire to

go out to a cooked food restaurant. I've found

alternatives. I'm eating a banana right now and getting a

spiritual high just from eating. I couldn't say that about

my cooked food meals. I think also my taste buds are

changing and becoming more refined so that I can better

appreciate the taste of raw foods. <br><br>I also want to

comment on a couple of other things you mentioned in your

post about apparent drawbacks. I hope you don't mind.

Just thought my insights could be of some use to

you.<br><br>When I first went 100% raw for an extended time about

5 years back I had many problems. I had those foot

cramps as well. They were not pleasant and definitely

not normal. After further reading I discovered

detailed information about acid alkaline balance in the

body. Dr. Gabriel Cousens goes into great detail about

this in his book " Conscious Eating. " If you are either

too alkaline or too acidic you may experience

cramping. I'm at least 99% raw now and am experiencing no

cramping whatsoever. <br><br>Be careful about believing

that eating any fruit will leave you an alkaline

residue. That is not necessarily true. When I was having

the cramping problem I was eating lots of oranges.

That may have had something to do with it. They also

made me very cold.<br><br>As far as sex drive

lowering. That is normal if you are eating mostly fruits

and greens. If you want to increase that then simply

eat much more nuts and seeds.<br><br>What about the

B12 issue? Have you experienced any symptoms of B12

deficiency? According to Dr. Graham if you don't experience

any symptoms of deficiency then you shouldn't be

taking any supplements. YOu can quickly correct the

deficiency after discovering symptoms of

deficiency.<br><br>Also that 95% of people who have B12 deficiencies are

actually meat eaters. To get more B12 into your body you

should eat organic produce. If possible don't wash it

off as well. That apparently will give you more B12.

Also our bodies produce B12 with the help of bacteria

in our digestive tracks. Another issue is to not eat

foods that have B12 analogues. Analogues are things

that block proper vitamin absorption. I'm not an

expert on this but apparently regular Spirulina (non

Klamuth Lake) and some seaweeds have B12 analogues. So by

eating them you may be blocking the absorption of B12.

Most of this is covered in Dr. Cousens book that I

mentioned before or by the writings of Dr. Graham at

www.doctorgraham.cc.<br><br>I hope this was useful to you. Congratulations

again on being on the raw diet for a year.

<br><br>Roger<br><br><br>Unleash Your Infinite Potential: Discover how to

Harness

" The Force, " for Self-Improvement. Go to

<a href=http://www.superbeing.com. target=new>http://www.superbeing.com.</a>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Roger for that interesting reply. Yes is

the answer to the first Question. I very rarely have

a completed cooked meal nowadays. Usually when I

have to stay at a hotel (for work) or we have guests

(When I cook!)i may have one meal cooked in a day. No

one has actually gone raw, in spite of my enthusism.

My Wife Dilys did try it for 4 or 5 days. But she is

against it on environmental grounds (Though she has other

reasons as well) To obtain raw food in this climate we

cannot reply on locally produced food (nor can one using

cooked food!!!!) but importing masses of fresh fruit is

damaging the environment as most has to come by plane,

which is the most unfriendly form of transport.

<br><br> I will certainly try increasing nuts and seed

consumption.<br><br>After a few months I did visit my doctor re B12, after

I had stopped takeing any vitamen pills, my b12

levels were for the first time low but worrying low. So

I know take B12 (just a little) and have to have

another check soon.<br><br>Thanks Roger for you message,

much appreciated<br><br>Chris