Newbie raw foodist with many problems and questions

[Guest guest]

I have been on an all raw food diet for the past eight months, and

there have been many times when I doubted that it was a wise move. I

would be interested in hearing from anyone willing to offer advice as

to what I am doing wrong, and how to make raw foods work better for

me.

 

This is a long message, for which I apologize in advance. I provide a

lot of detail on purpose, so as to provide a more complete picture of

my diet and lifestyle. By doing so, my hope is that any advice I am

offered can be more specifically tailored to my situation. If you

read it all, I thank you for your time.

 

About me: I am a 48 year old unemployed bicyclist living with my

parents in a suburb of Asheville, NC. I used to be an engineer and

computer programmer. Most recently I was with a small start-up

supercomputer company, but they went bankrupt as an indirect result

of 9/11/2001. Around that time, my father's health began getting

worse. He has had Alzheimer's disease for many years, but it has

gotten to the point now where he needs assistance with all daily

activities. One year ago, I moved in with my parents so I could

better assist in caring for him. When I can find the time, I still

ride my bicycle, though not as much as before.

 

I have been increasingly vegan for most of my adult life. I tried raw

foods once before, but made the usual neophyte mistakes of overdoing

it with fruit, nuts, and dried or dehydrated food. I am now trying it

again, hopefully this time in a much more informed and serious way.

My reason for doing so is to remedy long-standing digestive problems -

- mainly burping, bloating and gas. These have been diagnosed by a

nutritionist as symptoms of candidiasis. It seems to have helped, for

which I am grateful.

 

My references include a variety of books by such authors as Frederic

Patenaude, Gabriel Cousens, Brenda Cobb, Norman Walker, and Bernard

Jensen. However, I am mostly going by David Wolfe's " Sunfood Diet

Success System " . I went to see him once at a talk he gave at Earth

Fare, and was very impressed. I really like his concept of the

Sunfood Triangle as a way to balance your diet.

 

In general, the switch to all raw has not been as difficult or

eventful as I had expected. That is probably because I had eaten

primarily raw foods for several years, with the exception of grains

and potatoes. I don't have the typical cravings for cooked foods.

However, I have had a few of the classic healing crises, when I felt

horribly sick for a few hours.

 

Not as much has changed as I might have expected, either. On the

positive side, my skin tone has improved, and my normally rough, dry

hands are smooth again. But other things that have been nagging me

for years have gotten worse: I have lost yet more weight, I am even

more tired than usual, and my insomnia has developed into an almost

chronic case.

 

My weight has dropped from 130 pounds to 106, which puts me on the

verge of anorexia. As a young adult in high school and college, I

weighed about 150 pounds, and had a much more normal physique. Being

as light as I am now worries me greatly, and I would really like to

put on some pounds. I have tried lifting weights, but I find it too

exhausting. I have promised my mother that if I go below 100 pounds,

I will resume eating cooked food. Though I don't really crave it, a

big bowl of steamed broccoli and brown rice sounds tempting.

 

As a bicyclist, I used to really enjoy long bike rides in the

country. My favorite was the century ride: one hundred miles in a

day. I did ten of these in the past two years, as well as 17 metric

centuries (100 kilometers). I averaged over 5000 miles per year for

the past two years. But this year, I am riding much less. So far this

year, my total is barely over 1400 miles, and not likely to increase

much. Though I still have a passion for the sport, I just haven't got

the energy for it.

 

I rarely sleep through the night. I often wake about three or four

times, and can't get back to sleep. One of these times is usually due

to hunger. I know I should not eat at night, but I cannot get back to

sleep otherwise. So I have something light, like fruit or juice.

 

Other annoyances: I sometimes get dizzy upon standing, and my vision

fades; once I actually passed out. I have a loose front tooth from a

car accident in my early twenties, but it recently became so loose

that I was afraid to eat solid food for awhile. (Fortunately, it has

firmed back up some.) My gums, while always problematic, are more so

now. Food accumulates in the space between my teeth, to the point of

causing pain and forcing me to floss in the middle of meals. Lastly,

my eyes are red, and tire easily. Reading late at night becomes

painful after awhile.

 

As to the specifics of my diet: I try to emphasize alkaline foods as

much as possible: at least two vegetable meals per day with lots of

leafy greens, non-hybrid seeded fruit, nuts, seeds and avocados. I

practice food combining, eating proteins and starches at separate

meals and fruit by itself. Most of what I eat is organic, except for

things that are only available commercially. I especially like exotic

fruits: durians, cherimoyas, mameys, sapotes, guavas, and many more.

I also like the more available uncommon fruits, such as papayas,

mangoes, plantains, and figs. Though I don't snack between meals, I

try to eat several small meals throughout the day, instead of three

large meals. One of these is usually a mug of fresh juice from my

Omega juicer.

 

As a daily supplement, I take a heaping tablespoon of Vitamineral

Green from HealthForce Nutritionals. (This product is very similar to

Nature's First Food, from Nature's First Law. It was formulated by

the same doctor: Jameth Sheridan, N.D.) I sometimes take an enzyme or

an HCl supplement, but not often. I used to take vitamins C and E, as

well as Eco-Green, a multivitamin tablet from Now Foods. I stopped

because I kept hearing that only food based supplements are

beneficial, and that isolated supplements can actually be harmful.

 

When I switched to all raw food, I gave up my only deviations from

pure veganism. For about two years, I drank a daily mug of kefir made

with raw goat milk and real kefir grains. This seemed to give me much

more energy on the bike. I also ate small amounts of raw honey. And

on rare occasions, I would have an ounce or two of raw wild tuna or

salmon.

 

In order to gain weight, I am thinking about including some animal

foods in my diet again, such as kefir, seafood, eggs and honey. I was

doing better energy and weight-wise when I did. Of course if I do,

they will all be raw, fresh, naturally produced and of the best

quality I can find. Despite the claim that a vegan diet is complete

in itself, I still have the feeling that my body is missing

something. I am considering joining a gym and starting a weight

lifting program. The trainer there says that if I do, I will need to

increase my protein intake substantially in order to see results, and

he recommends animal protein as the best source.

 

As I said earlier, I am trying to do this in a serious and informed

way. I constantly remind myself that it is more than just a food

program. I try to make sure I get some sunlight and exercise every

day, maintain social contacts, think positively, drink filtered

water, and breathe more deeply. I read everything I can find that

looks helpful in books, magazines, and on the internet.

 

Even so, I have lots of unanswered questions. So many authors give

conflicting advice. First, the questions about food. Which is best

for me: a relatively pure, simple natural hygiene type diet with no

added oils or spices and minimal protein, or a rich diet with some

oils and spices, and more protein? Are moderate amounts of spicy

vegetables -- such as garlic, leeks, onions, hot peppers, mustard and

beet greens -- helpful or harmful? Which parts of plants are edible --

what about apple and pear seeds, citrus fruit rinds, carrot tops,

and other usually discarded parts?

 

I also wonder about water. For years I used a distiller, but recently

I heard that over time, distilled water will absorb acid from the

air. So I switched to filtered water instead. Which is the best

water -- filtered, reverse osmosis, or distilled? What about so-

called 'structured' water?

 

And last, more questions on a variety of things. Should I be using

supplements -- and if so, which ones? How important is gaining

weight, and what is the best way to go about it? Is animal protein

necessary in order to do so? Should I have colonics or other forms of

hydrotherapy? What about oxygen cleansers, such as Colosan, Homozone,

and Oxy-Powder? I have heard they are addictive, and have been afraid

to try them. Are they safe? Most of all, have I severely compromised

my health by going all raw? Will I live through the ordeal? Are my

current problems only a phase, leading up to something better? Will

living foods live up to their promise of greatly improved health that

I keep reading about and wishing for?

 

Again, thank you for reading this whole long account. I would be most

interested in your thoughts. Maybe what I need even more than that is

to hear from people who have succeeded with raw food. Other than Kris

Pletschke, I am the only person I know who is doing this. It is one

thing to read about how wonderful it is from books and websites; it

is quite another to hear it from a real person. I appreciate your

support.

--greg

 

 

Gregory C. Wilcox

31 Overlook Drive

Candler, NC 28715-9260

(828) 665-7531

(828) 665-7887 (parents)

(775) 255-1617 (fax)

Email address: gwilcox

Personal home page: http://buncombe.main.nc.us/~gwilcox/

Greg's Grains: gregs_grains/

Blue Ridge Bicycle Club: http://www.blueridgebicycleclub.org/

UUs for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: http://www.uua.org/ufeta/

Mass Extinction Underway: http://www.massextinction.net

 

" If present trends continue, the result will be irreversible

impoverishment of species. At the current rate, we will lose half the

plant and animal species on Earth by the end of the century. " -- E.O.

Wilson, Salon Magazine, January 14, 2002

[Guest guest]

Greg,

 

Thanks for your very honest post about your situation. You've made

very similar choices to mine. I've been eating raw for nearly two

years, and I think that eating this way is going to work for me, but

I'm always learning and making adjustments. My eating has been

somewhat compulsive for some of the time I've been raw, and I've

binged on nuts/seeds and sweet fruits, so I can't say what my weight

would be if I consistently ate the way I think I should eat. Right

now, I weigh 150 lbs. and I'm 5'11 " .

 

The striking difference in our lifestyles is the amount of cycling

you're doing or would like to do. While I exercise daily, I do hot

yoga (Bikram), run, and lift weights, for about 90 minutes a day. I

starting lifting weights again when it seemed that with only doing

yoga I was losing quite a bit of muscle mass, even though the style

of yoga I do is fairly intense. Your thought about adding more

protein to your diet may be on target, and I'd also think about

carbohydrates.

 

I know you said you've read a lot of different authors, as I have.

For a lot of the time I've been eating raw, I've felt pretty torn

about which path to follow. The place I've finally come down is

with Gabriel Cousens' Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine, which allows

tremendous diversity of eating among raw foodists, depending on how

we each metabolize food. While I don't seem to need a lot of

protein, other people need more. There is room for considerable

diversity with fats and carbohydrates too. This makes sense to me,

because we're not all the same type.

 

I'm now eating a fairly restricted diet suggested by Gabriel Cousens

called Phase I. It excludes most sweet fruits and veggies, in order

to cleanse the body of fungus and other parasites. After that, I'll

need to figure out a maintenance diet that will support my body over

the long term.

 

This isn't a direct answer to your question, but it may be a

direction to look. Good luck in your journey, and keep us posted

about what you decide.

 

Steve

[Guest guest]

rawfood , " Gregory C. Wilcox " <gwilcox@b...>

wrote:

>

>

> I have been on an all raw food diet for the past eight months, and

> there have been many times when I doubted that it was a wise move.

I

> would be interested in hearing from anyone willing to offer advice

as

> to what I am doing wrong, and how to make raw foods work better

for

> me.

 

 

Hi Greg,

 

Thanks for your post. You've done a lot of research and

experimenting with different things, so I commend you for your

perseverence. I've made many similar decisions in the nearly two

years I've been raw. I can't say I've always eaten the best. Like

you, I've had periods of overeating nuts, seeds, sweet fruits, dried

fruit, etc. Right now, I'm eating fairly well, and I weigh 150 lbs.

at 5'11 " .

 

The biggest difference I see in our lifestyles is the cycling you've

done and would like to do. I'm not attempting anything that

rigorous at the moment. Instead, I'm doing Bikram (hot) yoga, 90

minutes, 3x per week, and running/weightlifting about 90 minutes 3x

per week. My energy is good, and I'm enjoying my workouts.

 

You mentioned Gabriel Cousens as one of the authors you've read.

I'm intently following his Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine,

including the diet (Phase I) now. It's based on the principle that

each person's metabolism is unique, even on a live foods diet, and

that we all need to adapt our diet to our bodies. It includes

significant variations in the amounts of protein, fat, and carbs

that we eat. He believes strongly that some type of raw vegan diet

can be created for every metabolic type and has the experience

working with a broad range of people to back it up. See his site at

www.treeoflife.nu if you're interested.

 

For myself, I've found I don't really need a lot of protein. But

you might be someone who does. If that's the case, he recommends

plant sources of protein, such as spirulina, Klamath Lake algae, and

hemp seeds, if I remember correctly.

 

I also wonder if you need additional carbohydrates for your

cycling. I'm assuming your diet already contains adequate

quantities of fat.

 

I don't feel I'm in a position to offer advice, since your body type

sounds really different from mine. But you might want to read

Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine if you want to explore raw vegan

alternatives to cooked food or animal products.

 

Of course Doug Graham and the natural hygiene folks would have a

completely different take on this, which could work for you too -- I

don't know. I just have to report that a fruitarian diet had a lot

of negative impacts on my body, including gas, bloating, and other

digestive problems you also mentioned. It may be something I'll be

able to enjoy a few years from now, but right now it just doesn't

work. Their mono meal concept is growing on me though.

 

Good luck to you muddling through this all. I wish it was easier

too -- I've been completely beside myself trying to figure it all

out several times. But the power of raw vegan eating keeps drawing

me back. I hope whatever you decide works for you. Look at Jack

LaLanne -- 90 years old and definitely not a raw vegan! But still

active, alert, and in great shape with a great attitude.

 

Steve