eating greens and gaining weight

May 4, 2004

I must not have worded what I was trying to say correctly. Greens don't

make me lose weight either. Fruit does. Fruits are more of a cleanser than

vegetables. I think it was Tone that I was addressing what I said to. I

did comment on that I thought she might not be eating enough, and I think

she is eating mostly greens, so that is probably where the confusion came

in. What I intended on saying was that I thought she should add some fruits

to her diet.

~Wendy

> I know that many people think this is true (greens

> will cause you to lose weight) since many of the early

> promoters of raw food diets were men who ate large

> amounts of greens). however, my experience has been

> that this is not necessarily true.

May 4, 2004

Hi Wendy,

Hope this finds you well Hon. I know I should be eating fruits but how do I

do that when I just do not like them? lol I am one picky pain in the butt I

tell ya

I can handle a banana here and there and I know that is not the way to go. I

have not eaten anything in a couple of days because I truly do not know what the

heck to eat. I tried making a smoothie and blech! I am sure there has to be

something I like. Unless I just force myself to eat it but so hard when you just

do not like it.

Thankyou so much for the advice. I do so appreciate it.

hope you are having a wonderful day

I suffer from insomnia so have not slept any since Sunday so I hope I am

comprehensible.

Hugs,

Tone

-

ky_wendylynn

rawfood

Tuesday, May 04, 2004 4:51 PM

Re: [Raw Food] eating greens and gaining weight

I must not have worded what I was trying to say correctly. Greens don't

make me lose weight either. Fruit does. Fruits are more of a cleanser than

vegetables. I think it was Tone that I was addressing what I said to. I

did comment on that I thought she might not be eating enough, and I think

she is eating mostly greens, so that is probably where the confusion came

in. What I intended on saying was that I thought she should add some fruits

to her diet.

~Wendy

May 5, 2004

Hi Tone~

I would say just make yourself do it for awhile and see if it is an acquired

taste! I dont love fruit either though to be honest. But I am able to eat it

when I am really hungry.

I am sorry you are having problems sleeping. Until this diet I have always been

the opposite..wayyyy too much sleep

Take care

Angela

Tone <tone102 wrote:

Hi Wendy,

Hope this finds you well Hon. I know I should be eating fruits but how do I

do that when I just do not like them?

Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs

May 5, 2004

Hi Mary,

So very glad that you have stayed with us. Your knowledge and insight on so

many things are so educating and incouraging. I thought about trying to make

myself eat fruit. Thing is that I look it up and down and walk away without

it...lol I cannot stand Apples so they are totally off my list What sort

of fruits did you start with? I will make the effort though as I believe that

something done long enough does become habit. I have not eaten in a couple of

days because I simply do not know what to eat. I still find it ironic that

greens would cause me to gain weight when I went through a long bout of

starvation and lost. Not saying this proudly at all but just making a point or

rather questioning it.

Thankyou so much again

My prayers for your health

Hugs,

Tone

-

mary

rawfood

Tuesday, May 04, 2004 11:30 AM

Re: [Raw Food] eating greens and gaining weight

Tone,

I was not a fruit eater before I started my

transitions. I learned to like fruit by making myself

eat one piece of fruit per day. Then, when this was

normal, I made myself eat a piece of fruit before

every meal...even cooked meals. It took me several

years to really enjoy eating fruit.

a..

May 5, 2004

Tone,

I suggest you take a few steps back and get used to

eating cooked veggies again. Here is some info you

might find interesting.

When I was young (many years ago when dinasaurs roamed

the earth), my grandmother not only cooked our fresh

grown veggies in lots of water but then used this

water for various vegetable soups. Then, when I was

in my early 20's (in the days of the covered wagon),

we were told by the health gurus that it was bad to

cook our vegetables in water. So people stopped doing

this. We started steaming our vegetables and throwing

away the water. Or we ate them raw. Then, when I was

getting my degree in nutritional herbology, I learned

my grandmother was right!

Herbs (stems, leaves, and flowers of plants) are

nature's healers. If you eat herbs raw, you get the

fiber but NOT the MEDICINAL benefit. Heat is needed to

extract the medicinal part of these plants. By gently

boiling herbs in water for about 30 minutes (or more),

the medicinal part of the plant is extracted from the

fibers into the water. Of course, if you throw away

the water, you lose. If you use this water (either to

drink or for a soup), you get the medicinal benefit.

Simmering an herb is called making a decoction. In

the 'olden days', it was not unheard of to put several

herbs and roots in a pot of gently simmering water for

a period of time to extract the medicinal nutrients.

When the plants were soft, they were removed and the

broth was seasoned (with additional herbs) and let sit

for about 15 minutes (herbal infusion). The added

herbs are then strained out and the broth drunk!

If your body is nutrient starved, this is an excellent

way to help heal and rebuild it. While you could also

eat the veggies that you simmered, keep in mind that

the nutrients are in the broth. One particular broth

is termed a 'potassium broth' because the veggies

simmered are high in potassium. It is used to treat

one form of arthritis.

Tone, it is too easy for you to not eat. However,

this kind of 'fasting' is not healthy. It will only

further harm your body. It would be better for you to

go back to at least one cooked meal per day with

snacks of raw veggies and veggie broths until you have

developed a taste for fruit. If you never develop a

taste for fruit, at least you can eat a healthier diet

than the SAD by making herbal broths. Also, if you

lost a lot of weight and lean muscle your body may

well be nutrient starved. If this is the case, you

have to allow your body a chance to rebalance itself

before trying to make too many new changes.

I assume you plan on being alive in 10 years, 20

years, or even 30 years! What will be lost if you

take a year to allow your body a chance to rebalance

itself with steamed veggies and herbal broths. If you

lost lean muscle, you will need extra protein, along

with exercise, to rebuild lean muscle. You may need

fish for this. Once your body has been rebalanced, it

will be ready for round two....more raw veggies!

I get most of my protein from cold smoked Alaskan

Salmon.

I know some, if not many, would disagree with me.

However, IMHO, it is more important to eat a healthy

diet than it is to jump into a 100% raw diet before

your metabolism can handle it. From your posts, it

would seem that you do not yet have a wide enough

selection of fruit and veggies (that you enjoy) to

have all your nutrient needs met. Even though raw

food has enzymes for its own digestion, you body has

to be able to extract the nutrients from the fibers of

the raw food. Be kind to yourself. The destination is

not as important as the journey and what you learn

about yourself on that journey.

Botannically, fruits are the ovaries of plants. They

contain the seeds of new life. Using this definition,

peppers, tomatoes, squash, etc are also fruits. Do

you like any of these? How many different veggies do

you like?

mary

--- Tone <tone102 wrote:

> Hi Mary,

>

> So very glad that you have stayed with us. Your

> knowledge and insight on so many things are so

> educating and incouraging. I thought about trying to

> make myself eat fruit. Thing is that I look it up

> and down and walk away without it...lol I cannot

> stand Apples so they are totally off my list

> What sort of fruits did you start with? I will make

> the effort though as I believe that something done

> long enough does become habit. I have not eaten in a

> couple of days because I simply do not know what to

> eat. I still find it ironic that greens would cause

> me to gain weight when I went through a long bout of

> starvation and lost. Not saying this proudly at all

> but just making a point or rather questioning it.

> Thankyou so much again

> My prayers for your health

>

> Hugs,

> Tone

> -

> mary

> rawfood

> Tuesday, May 04, 2004 11:30 AM

> Re: [Raw Food] eating greens and gaining

> weight

>

> Tone,

>

> I was not a fruit eater before I started my

> transitions. I learned to like fruit by making

> myself

> eat one piece of fruit per day. Then, when this

> was

> normal, I made myself eat a piece of fruit before

> every meal...even cooked meals. It took me

> several

> years to really enjoy eating fruit.

>

> a..

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

=====

Mary, Luvie, Ranger, & the flying brigade

A smile is a silent 'hello'.

owner of

'The Fully Trained Working Dog'

'Avian Health: Holistic Approach'

'Yoga for Therapy'.

Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs

http://hotjobs.sweepstakes./careermakeover

May 5, 2004

Tone,

What foods did you used to eat before you decided to try going raw?

Maybe people can help you find foods that you might like based on

the crap you used to eat, LOL. Like Pizza is a favorite - maybe

tomatos with some seasoning until you get used to them? I used to

hate bananas, and for some reason now I like them depending on the

day.

Apples - hated them, but like the Fuji apples a lot. Hate eating an

apple by hand, so I'll put it through the slicer. Strawberries?

Maybe with some dip to make it taste better or cool whip? Something

transitional, maybe?

Mel

rawfood , " Tone " <tone102@p...> wrote:

I know I should be eating fruits but how do I do that when I just do

not like them? lol I am one picky pain in the butt I tell ya

May 5, 2004

I " ve found that ground up flax seed keeps things moving veeeery

well. -a

May 5, 2004

I went raw cold turkey at a raw institute. HOWEVER, we spent the

first 3 days eating nothing but greens and apples blended into

a " soup " . Then we transitioned slowly into salads and eventually a

little fruit. I watched many people go through this over 8 weeks. Few

suffered, usually having only slight discomfort on day(s) 4-6.

However, I am not arguing the point of how to transition. I did not

meet anyone who I think could do it on their own cold turkey. IT's

too much of a shock to the system. The very first day of our stay

they started us on enema's. From what little I " ve read I would think

the body would give a person fits unless there was help with enema's.

I believe the body is going to try to detox on a raw diet and it

needs to have clear elimination channels. IF not, I understand that

this is what causes the bad detoxing side effects that people talk

about. I would think it could get dangerous if not handled well.

Transitioning is important on all levels, such as attempting water or

juice fasting. It is not suggested without slowly adapting the body

through raw foods and such. Healing crisis may seem desirable as a

sign that one is detoxing, that is, until you get one. I would rather

avoid healing crisis all together. IT would definitely give me a bad

taste (pun intended) for the raw food diet. -anne

May 5, 2004

Hey Tone~

If you are not wanting to eat greens, greens, and more greens..and are also

not into fruit..how about a bowl of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, with diced

cucumber, diced bell pepper, red onion sliced thin, chunks of avocado, sunflower

seeds, olive oil and apple cider vinegar with sea salt and black pepper?

Also..do you own a dehydrator? I know what you mean about getting in a place

where you are " stuck " and cant think of anything good sounding to eat!

Take care

Angela

Tone <tone102 wrote:

I have not eaten in a couple of days because I simply do not know what to eat.

Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs

May 5, 2004

How about blending the fruit in a Vitamix as a smoothie?? I rarely

eat fruit but will drink it.

As for boredom, what are your sources for recipes? Boutenko's books

are good as she uses a 5-taste seasoning recipe: sweet, salty, sour,

bitter, spicy. By adding a touch of all 5 tastes in any recipe you

get depth that is very satisfying. Try is with any kind of recipe. It

may be confusing to know which is what. The book by her kids lists

what herbs and spices fall into which categories.

What about fermented food? You need to have that. And green soup. And

nut pates. As for the almond milk, even at the institute we did not

drink it without dates added, and even vanilla. YOu need variety, and

you need 'seasoning', a blending of tastes. Again, what are your

sources of recipes? --a

May 5, 2004

Try blending leafy greens, sprouts and an apple or pear. Or an

orange. The greens will overpower the fruit with just a little

sweetness. When I was at the raw institute I ate little to no fruit.

Didn't want any. I didn't know they added apples and pears to the

green soup. Later I craved oranges occasionally and still do. -a

May 5, 2004

Hi Mary,

Thank you for all your great advice and knowledge. Someone in the group (I

believe it was you) had mentioned that you should have a bowl movement 1 hour

after you've eaten. Also, drinking 1 glass of lemon water in the morning before

consuming anything else helps with digestion. I began drinking the lemon water.

The first few days, I was just really gassy. However, now I get very healthy

movements. I actually get them about 1 hour after I've eaten and input does

equal output. This has been going on for about 1 week, so we'll see how it goes.

Although I did somewhat go raw cold turkey, I feel like my body wanted it. I was

never a real red meat eater and always loved veggies and fruits, so it might not

have been such a shock to my system. As I had stated previously, I haven't gone

through severe detox symptoms as others and I feel that part of the reason for

this that I have eaten relatively healthy for the majority of my life. My

biggest fear right now, as you stated, is that many people are not aware for the

variety of fruits and veggies. I might not be getting enough nutrition sticking

to bananas, oranges, and salads. I don't have a kitchen or a very big fridge. I

put my produce by the window to keep it chilled. Now with the sun coming out,

it's getting a little harder, but I consume what I can buy around here and

store.

My mother, brother, and myself all suffer from constipation and intestinal

issues, and I've always been more of a food (salty) eater, then a sweets person.

After I started the raw diet, I would get constipated and wondered why since I

had done so well on the fast I had completed. Just last night I read that wheat

grass is not digestible for humans! That was such an eye opener. I don't like

wasting anything. So after I juiced the wheat grass, I mixed it with other

veggie pulp and made crackers. That might have been why I was having such a hard

time " going " . One of my favorite dinner is spinach soup with celery as my

" spoon " . I am a fan of celery with almond butter or as my spinach soup which I

munch on as I scoop.

Sorry this is so long. Ultimately what I wanted to say is thank you so much for

everything you've said. As you speak (or write) I continue to learn.

*Smiles*

Ariana

May 5, 2004

Hi Angela,

Thanks so much for being so thoughtful and helping me out here. This is such

a wonderful supportive group. When it was brought to my attention with the

greens and the weight gain, to me that signaled all veggies. So then your

suggestion would be okay? I don't have a dehydrator. The recipes that everyone

makes in them sounds good but I am not one to go way out for myself and also not

one to leave an appliance like that unattended. LOL If I want something, I want

it now and not a day or two later But who knows, maybe someday.

I thought that ACV was not acceptible on the raw diet? I have not used that in

sooooo many years. I will pick up some little tomatoes and maybe a cucumber (not

my fave but I can eat it) no bell pepper and definitely no seeds will go into my

salad..lol Anyway, there is nowhere to find raw seeds around here though the

supermarket has raw nuts...well I am sure everyone remembers my " blech "

experience with the nut milk. And darn..lol what am I supposed to drink? The

Italian in me loves my coffee and I drink a couple of glasses of water a day and

that is pushing it. I'll do my best and see what I can pick up later on. Not

really all that hungry after not eating for a couple of days anyway but know

that it is not good so I will jiffy up something good.

Thanks again Hon

Hope you are having a great day

Hugs,

Tone

Hey Tone~

If you are not wanting to eat greens, greens, and more greens..and are also

not into fruit..how about a bowl of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, with diced

cucumber, diced bell pepper, red onion sliced thin, chunks of avocado, sunflower

seeds, olive oil and apple cider vinegar with sea salt and black pepper?

Also..do you own a dehydrator? I know what you mean about getting in a place

where you are " stuck " and cant think of anything good sounding to eat!

Take care

Angela

a..

May 6, 2004

Hey Tone~

Hope things are going well for you today. I am Italian too, and somedays I

get so nostalgic for my grandmother's pasta..It tasted like Love. It s hard to

forget the artistry and passion that went into her cooked foods. But they make

me feel bad.

I thought ACV was the one vinegar that was ok on a raw diet. I dont own a

dehydrator either. I am saving for it though. I borrowed one for a couple of

weeks and it was great to have it on hand.

Hope you find something tasty~