Guest guest Posted December 14, 2003 Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 hi i'm new to raw foods, jumped right in about a month ago, went from bread, campbells soup, beer, eggs, ect to strict 100% raw without transition, no grains, ect.. and i don't know anyone who is on this diet, i was really counting on going to one of the weekly support groups but now they're cancelled till feb, don't think i'll last that long. i'm very worried about my teeth, the bottom half of them are going from white to clear, and my gums are getting caved in too. i read on this forum that this can be from too many nuts and avocados, and i've really been overdoing it on those i guess, but i just get too hungry-- at this point I'm not thinking i can keep this up, since i dont know anyone (learned everything from books at natural food stores) and my digestion is way worse than it was before i went raw because of the bingeing on nuts and seeds, and i don't really know enough about sprouting things, i think that might help..., maybe i need to do a bit more research, but i would like to keep going if i can, since i already started. so tonight i finally broke my 'no grains' credo and ate wheat free organic granola, one of my favorite all time foods, its rolled oats, i dont know how bad that is for me on this diet, but after reading that about limiting nuts and avocados being bad for teeth, well i was eating a hell of a lot of avocados (avocados and zuchini for dinner usually) and lots of apples, grapefruit, kale, cabbage, carrots, almonds, filbert nuts. not sure i can keep this up, but i would at least like to transition to something healthy. i was also wondering about the whole 'complete proteins' thing, and whether that is just hype to raw foodists or whether there's some way of still getting complete protein, or maybe some middle ground... how about quinoa or something? can you soak and sprout black beans without cooking them? i got lots of questions like this. thanks for listening-- lucca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2003 Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 Lucca, Welcome to raw foods. The potlucks and other events, such as the classes or upcoming feast on Saturday, are great places for community and support. You can always get some phone numbers of people interested in being there for you to help. Of course, you can always post to this list. Re: Teeth: That is a concern of some raw foodists. Too much unripe citrus and other fruits, which are acidic to the teeth can do harm to the teeth. Nuts and seeds are high in concentrated proteins and can make the blood acidic, which then causes the body to steal calcium from the body (including the teeth and bones) to neutralize the bloods pH. I'd suggest limiting the nuts if possible. In the early stages of raw foodism, the heavier foods certainly help one stay raw, but may not be ideal. Nuts and seeds should be only a small part of the diet. Greens are loaded with calcium and minerals, so have plenty of them and eat lots of fruits. On sunny days, get lots of sun. That will give you vitamin D which is also necessary for your teeth and bones. If you want to stay 100% raw, stay away from commercial granola. It's cooked! If you make some yourself or it is marketed as completely raw, then it probably is raw. Regarding complete proteins. You don't actually need " complete " proteins in your diet. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Fruits and veggies are loaded with amino acids. It's actually easier for the body to assimilate amino acids than complete proteins. If, for example, someone eats meat. The body needs to break down the proteins in to the component amino acid, pass them through the intestinal walls, then reassemble the proteins (that's my layman's interpretation). Every food we eat (every NATURAL food we eat, contains amino acids and proteins, as well as fats and other nutrients, so don't worry about that. As long as you are eating plenty of whole ripe organic foods, you should be fine. For concerns of the teeth, you may want to focus more on the greens. Chew them well and let you teeth absorb nutrients right from the greens (that works best without oils or dressings.) Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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