Raw Food Forums

Journal Entry 1-

okay. this is it. i AM committing myself, because I keep being drawn back into the utopian dream of a RAW lifestyle- but then I break it after a fortnight, by bad moods and bread. I've stuffed my face full of junk the last couple of months (not compared to the 'average' persons junk- but junk nonetheless) ...and I need to do this, i WANT to do this.

I will do this.

I will break my bread addiction, and my semi emotional eating and everything else that makes me give in too easily.

I will become RAW.

 :wacko:

SE,try focussing on what you want,not what you don't want...perhaps focus on the wonderful raw foods,not on trying to break the bread habit...

start saying,i am raw...live how you want to be...be the change you want to see...go for it,all the best yeh!oh and make sure you are eating enough juicy fruits and other raw wonders,so that you aren't feeling "hungry" and then tempted to break the raw food way of living...

Hey SE, I agree with Neet - Focus on what you DO want, and strive for it!! There is so much to enjoy about living foods that you will soon not even consider bread a 'food'.

And remember -  we are all born as raw foodists!!  Its not so much that you have to tell yourself to BECOME a raw food eater, but Go Back and discover your origin of raw  :)

Ditto Jen,we are meant to be raw foodists ,by nature...and it is all about recognising that and getting back to nature...mmmm! bread? what's that,don't remember that being on my raw food pyramid,LOL... :wacko:

Thankyou both Neet and Jen for the encouragement and also the advice. The power of the mind is an amazing thing, and therefore I really must try to accept it.

I hope bread is no longer in the ‘food pyramid’ too- haha. It’s a rotten addiction, I think it replaced my chocolate one when I went vegan.

Journal Entry 2-

The last two days have been quite lovely, got over the stress of starting Uni *finally*  by deciding to drop down to part time until I settle in. I'm feeling rather passionless regarding learning right now- I think because it all seems out of my depth and my attention is wandering elsewhere. I keep thinking about sun and tropical fruits and summer. I want to go for long walks in the bush and get in touch with nature- I find that the better I eat, the more I let go of societal expectation and get back to basics...the better I will feel.

I've been mainly eating fruits and almonds because I'm too lazy to make salads, which I must start doing. I've grown attached to oranges at the moment, and wheatgrass. I LOVE fresh wheatgrass....I tried a powdered version and thought I would throw up. Never ever go there.

I think because I haven't been focusing on staying RAW that I am finding it easier to stick to it. My stomach has been so-so, I've been a bit ill and then feel fabulous for the rest of the day...which I expected with my IBS.

bread is sneaky, one piece of good rye and you think ,"well,that wasnt too bad" then you have another piece the next day and before you know it you're eating some dodgy piece of wholemeal for breakfast!Have you tryed the Pure Life essene breads?They aint't 'raw' but they are simple,yeast/dairy/flour free and satisfyiying(don't make the speling to good but)so you don't pig out on it an feel like you've just fallen off the food pyramid!  Keep eating those oranges,winter navels are one of the best fruits invented! :ph34r:

Mmm, rye bread. Actually I'm not craving bread at the moment which is fabulous! I may have tried the bread you are reffering to- it was sprouted but cooked...and I can't say I was fond of it, haha. You're right though, it's a healthy alternative. Thanks for bouncing some ideas around!

Oranges do indeed rock.

Much love to you stmpy...

Ive had the same troubles, so i can sympathise with u on it. When u crave what u need/want enough, u will get it!

x

Thankyou so much CarrotGurl!!

Journal Entry 3-

So far things have been going really great, I’ve been adding a lot of nuts (walnuts, almonds) and avocado with my salads to suppress any possible ‘hunger’ issues that may arise. I tend to feel queasy and ‘uncleansed’ when I eat a lot of nuts, but it seems to be doing the trick- however it takes the attention away from all the yummy greens.

Currently my diet tends to be fruits for breakfast, salad for lunch, juice and fruits in the afternoon and at night, salad for dinner.

I have been feeling terribly tired though. Today I woke up really late and had to leave straight away for uni- therefore I didn’t have time to eat anything. On the train I honestly felt as though I was too exhausted to move a muscle, and could hardly keep my eyes open (even on NINE hours sleep).

Due to sleeping in, I only had enough cash on me to buy a pineapple/orange/wheatgrass juice which really zapped me awake and erm…stimulated my bowels, which was what I needed…since I had been feeling funny all morning (and was worried about my IBS).

Once I was done with uni, I decided to get off the train a few stops early and walk the rest of the way home. Therefore I was able to be around the lovely trees as well as the Yarra and the sun. Thankgod for sun…I think I am craving it because I had a blood test awhile back and found I had low Vitamin D levels-since I’m vegan. I’ve been placed on supplements as a result…. until my levels improve.

Back to the walk- The walk started off so pleasantly…until the fact “I only had a juice and some water between the hours of 9am and 4am”- began to kick in. I honestly thought I was going to collapse after that, and would have eaten anything…even meat (gasp!!). When I made it home I was able to make up for such an unbalanced day- lots of fruit and a huge salad with loads of fat- ha. So of course, now I am alert and active.

I’ve also been avoiding gassy related foods- not so many apples and no broccoli. I used to eat huge slabs of steamed veggies and mounds of apples…but my tummy is more settled at the moment (partly because I’m not so stressed out). I should look into foods to avoid for IBS, I also need to check out food combining. RAW doesn’t always agree with me and I don’t want to get cranky with it because of any IBS issues.

SE,thanks for sharing...as one who has suffered IBS all my life....controlled beautifully on raw...it takes time to heal your body,a long long time...raw food combining is very important,esp in the transitioning phase...and even now for me,i can bend the food comb "rules" a little,and get away with it,but not much..the more simple i eat the better...green smoothies have been a huge healing help,to my IBS and my whole body....perhaps try to have just the one kind of fat in your salad at a time,have the avo,or have the (soaked)nuts or the (soaked) seeds,otherwise this would be hugely heavy for you to digest,and can put you right out've balance...

you may eventually get to a stage where you can do a heavy workout,on an empty stomach,and there will be no fluctuation in your blood sugar as i can now...which i am still amazed at,after years of wavering blood sugar,nausea when i wouldn't eat for 3 hours,dizziness and what not..

persistance pays off,keep doing what you're doing,you will fine tune and work things out,as you progress...

all the best..

Thankyou for the advice 'Neet, it is always so helpful. I def think you're right about the fat combining...not a good idea, plus I completely forgot to soak my almonds. AY!!

I'm hoping the tiredness will go away because it's starting to worry me a little. I'm also finding that I feel kind of queasy and nauseous...especially after I eat fruit or salad....wonder if that's normal.

SE,fruit is very cleansing and detoxifying, are you eating it with other slower digesting foods,or on a completely empty stomach...with IBS and when transitioning to raw,this can happen...you will work through it..believe me,i am still learning,i liked the idea of trying goji berries as something new in my eating plan,but alas,they are not good for my constitution,terrible bowel pain,and my energy is being sapped..i had them again today,and i feel awful...so if it isn't whole foods,i need to stay well away from it...they are dried,and wonderful food for alot of people,just not this people :rolleyes:i will be fine again in a couple of days...if i felt this way 3 years ago,this would've been a good day..looking at it that way doesn't(quite)frustrate me as much...my husband is shaking his head,why oh why he says do i do this? i tried them in queensland,and the same thing happened,but i thought oh no,will try again...and after 2 days straight of having them,well,i feel like i'm poisoned,argh! and after my fast on monday too...3 years all raw vegan,still learning things the hard way!

keep us posted on your progress.... :wub:

Oh my! I hope you are okay now!!! It can be fustrating sometimes when many people are raving about certain foods (such as Goji Berries) and yet IBS prevents one from being able to join in. I hope the fast will help to clear out the Goji Symptoms. It's so horrible when you make progress with IBS and all of a sudden you have a flashback to how it used to be like- it makes you feel rather miserable and depressed. So take care!!! And I do see what you mean, we never stop learning.


Re: fruits and digestion. I eat food that should be consumed separately too close together with other foods, that's my problem. I need to be more careful..and less lazy.

Thanks SE,i actually felt good knowing that feeling as i did today,even though wasn't pleasant,reminded me of how far i have come and healed, by eating all raw vegan...already i am starting to feel better,i bounce back real quick these day,yay!

yes,best to be careful how you combine your raw foods,esp your fruits,esp in the transitioning/healing period,however long that will be...just go with it,and keep on learning as you go...

i found it was helpful to find raw snacks that replaced cooked snacks.

ie fruit meals instead of rice meals.
raw nut butters instead of 5 year old rancid shop nut butters
flax crackers instead of corn chips
dates n cacao instead of rancid commercial chocolate
fresh juice instead of 'bottled' juice
dulse or quality sea salt instead of commercial salt
etc etc

but at the end of the day, the body will always crave cooked carbs if we dont eat enough fresh fruit throughout the day.

if in doubt of what to have for a meal, eat fresh fruit, ideally one type , when hungry till full. ie 12 oranges, 34 bananas, 1kg of pears, handful of sultanas, a paw paw, or whatever is readily available and appealing.

ive learnt that if i couldnt eat a meal of bananas, then im not hungry. and therefore am better off not eating.
this applies only to bananas. no other fruit. not sure why.

drinking a glass or 9 of filtered water upon rising is great too. infact thats my secret weapon for life! get up and glass up!
im nothing without my morning cuppa!

read some books on food combining. it will take you an hour or so and you will remember it for the rest of your life.

when we seek the (heartfelt,instinctive,logical) knowledge, believe it and then take action. we are set up to win!

i use to be writhing on the toilet floor, bleeding and in massive pain.
today im a raw vegan and have perfect digestion.

Neet- it's so good that you bounce back quickly...makes things less stressful! I shall continue to learn..haha

Durian- It's good to know that you feel much better these days, and I like the fact many people here have cured digestion problems through RAW.

You're right about water- apparently it's very common to mistake hunger for dehydration. I try to drink at least 2 Litres a day. Water is good at filling you up and making you refreshed.

Thanks for the ideas regarding replacement snacks, if I begin to have a large craving I will make sure to use your suggestions. I have yet to have cacao...when I get some cash I must try it! The banana idea does make sense, sometimes we want to eat but we are not hungry, yet we keep on eating to fill some kind of void.

Journal Entry 4-

I'm very close to having completed a week RAW, which isn't much of an achievement, however, usually around the next week or so I have tended to fizzle out in the past. Yet, this time I feel very strong and secure with my current position. It will be interesting to see if RAW becomes testing for me.

I'm actually not very hungry but I continue to overeat...methinks this might be due to being used to eating large servings or the fact that I like feeling full. I'm not too sure. I've just been eating lots of oranges/apples and pears today, plus some walnuts and almonds...mainly because I'm being lazy again. I've been very good with my salads though, usually having two a day..and salads always make me feel very cleansed, and pretty much the best I can feel. Fats make me feel icky and too much fruit makes me feel sickly sweet and pumped full of sugar.

Tummy update- Well, I will spare making this entry TMI and only allude to the fact that I am 'going' alot...I usually feel great although there are many times in between where everythings not quite so peachy. It really depends on a few things, but I am used to the rythym of my IBS now so I have a understanding of what it all means.

Thinking of buying a manual wheatgrass juice because I'm sick of wasting money buying wheatgrass/citrus juices from the shops. I'd love to buy a electric juicer to make all kinds of goodies but I can't afford to do that right now. Maybe later on. Uni is not too bad, I'm so behind though, because I do not want to sit down and do work...at this rate I will fail. I need a kick up the backside and must get to it. That's all for now.

buddy SE you are rocking,so proud  and happy for you.... :wub:

getting in touch of our emotions in regards to life, food and how we deal with comments from other people, is a big step on the path of a progressive lifestyle.

sounds like your bounding along!

Stmpyelephant - I disagree that it isn't much of an achievement.  It's a huge achievement.  If I was one week raw at this time of the year, I'd be tempted to place a full page advertisement in a national magazine.  ^_^

A week is made up of days, hours and minutes where choices are made, cravings are fought etc. etc.  At any given moment there is the possibility to go either way.  And you DID IT.

It goes back to the oft used saying about 'a journey of a thousand miles starting with one small step'.  Don't underestimate the small steps.

Bravo to you, I say.

miss g

Oh thankyou so much all!  :wub:

Your positive comments and encorougment really make me more determined. Plus knowing you have all gone through the same thing and understand where I am at is very comforting. It's like having a safety net.

It's great to be around likeminded people who have been so successful when it comes to RAW :)

Congratulations on the week StmpyElephant! I agree with MG about the choices you made and stuck with it. -_-

Thanks Mae!!

Journal 5-

Well, I ran out of vegies and fruit on the weekend, and henceforth out of hunger I ate something in the fridge called 'Organic Apple Butter', which was 'kettle simmered' (yes, that's a new one) apples and apple juice concentrate. Healthiest thing I could find (comprising two fruit ingredients only), but cooked and as a result I felt pretty crap. It's the only cooked thing so far,but there was zero food available. I think I was able to manage the last of the salad ingredients that day too. With the 'Apple Butter'-Interestingly enough it wasn't a craving issue. So anyway, come Monday there is abundance of fruit and veg in the house again....which made me giddy and pig out. YUM YUM. Been heaping on the parsley in my salads because it's that time of the month, although I'm taking an Iron supplement as a extra boost right now. I'm going to cut out my supplements once I finish the bottles and then see how I hold up without them.

Still sleeping like HELL...I have some kind of fear of bed. I hate getting in it and I can't sleep for ages, so instead of lying there attempting to relax I get up and do something stimulating, which is the wrong thing to do. I love sleeping but I just can't get to sleep...I've always been a night person but going to bed at 1am is getting draining. Plus I'm too on edge to do my readings for uni so I'm falling behind. No idea what is going on. I'm so passionless, I wonder if I should go see someone. Hmmm.

I'm thinking about taking up Yoga if my stomach settles down, I do hope it does because I'd like to test out Ashtanga in the Spring...I'm ready for some warmer weather.

Two changes on RAW:
- My skin seems to be looking better, I don't know whether it's because I'm not in the city (the pollution and tiredness don't agree with me) OR it's the beginnings of RAW...stay tuned I suppose.

- My weight has gone up. AUGH!!! When I went vegan I put on weight and a week and a half into RAW I'm putting on weight again- I'm now around 65 kilos. Why do I go in the opposite direction to other people? This is a pain in the bum. It's probably coupled with the fact I am shoving alot of fats into my mouth and not doing any exercise. How I do miss running. I'd love enough time to go running and swimming and all kinds of outdoor activities.

Anyway that's it.

Oh, PS. This is probably common logic but don't drink three shots of wheatgrass in one day if you are not used to it. I thought to myself- what could it hurt for one day? My god, I was wrong. At least I got a huge veggie hit for that day.

ah my friend SE,keep going,perseverance pays off,esp with a funny tummy..will take you time,but you are healing as we speak...weight gain=higher fat intake,but don't worry too much in the transitioning...when i first started with raw,i was madly stuffing down nuts and seeds and anything heavier...put on some weight...found my niche...changed to low fat,high fruits and the wonders of green smoothies,and dropped down 2 sizes...it all pans out,it all takes time...it has taken years to get any dis-ease in our bodies,it takes our bodies awhile to heal,years really for some(me being one of those "some")....

is your bedroom a peaceful haven,make it your sanctuary,a place that you only come to be tranquil and sleep,and other fabulous fun loving things too of course(lol)....perhaps if you feng shui (sp?) your room,could help too..is it nice colors that you enjoy and resonate with you..are you sleeping in something comfortable,(if anything?) is your room a good temperature...I had chronic sleep issues when i was so ill,pre-raw...
are you waiting at least 3 -4 hours after your last meal,before you go to bed,heavy tummy,too full doesn't really make for the most wonderful nights sleep...and makes you feel sluggish and hungover in the morning...better to go to bed,actually feeling as empty as possible...

Hi SE,


I recently quit honours after going raw. I went through my Degree and first half of honours with so much passion but once I had been raw for a couple of months I also started to become unsettled. Without my cooked treats I began to have so much trouble making myself sit down to study (or do anything that I really didn't want to do). I just wanted to hang out in the sun. I decided that, at least for a while, I would only do what I felt inspired or excited about and hoped that that would help me find/rediscover my path. I started ballroom dance teaching full-time and feel pretty great. I am loving the new friends I am making (both teachers and students) and feel like I am able to express some of my gratitude for life through my daily interactions. I made the right decision for me at the time but everyone is different. I cant give you any advice except that which the other people on the forum gave me - follow your heart and don't feel afraid, everything is certain to work out for you!

Perilla.  -_-

Neet- Thank goodness it all pans out, thanks for that insight!! Makes me feel better about what is to come :) My bedroom isn’t fun loving unfortunately, I do all the things the experts say not to do and I seemed to have developed a fear of it because I’ve had so many sleepless nights that have not helped the next days activities. Have to try and reform this too, thanks for the ideas.

Perilla- That’s really fascinating, good on you for doing what you want and not what society tends to push (school-work-retirement ugh). We only live once so why are we so constricted when it comes to seizing the moment? It’s great to see you have the courage to set your own path. Thanks for the advice!!
BTW, What were you doing honours in?

Journal 6-

Phew, okay I haven’t written for a while but I’m happy to say that I am still RAW.
I’m coming up to the end of week three, which means I will have soon been RAW for a month. Time flies- sort of.

Tummy update- still up and down, and a lot of the time this depends on how I am eating. I need to reform my eating patterns; I will make it a goal to be more balanced this coming week.

Sleep- I’m still going to bed late (1-2am) and while I set my alarm but can only manage to get up after 8 or 9 hours sleep. Even then I feel so EXHAUSTED for the first half of the day. On Thursday I pulled myself up and I wanted to die, honestly, I felt so wrecked and I’d had the required amount of sleep. I’ve been sleeping on the train into uni and I don’t seem to start waking up until 5pm, and even then I am still in a lull. I don’t know whether it has to do with my bed time cycle or that I am just that tired.

Skin- My skin has been very good, because the city is so polluted my skin can sometimes break out a little after four days of being in there. So this is an improvement I am favouring. The excessive dryness and peeling of my skin on my hands, knuckles and other little areas (near my ankles) I am not. This started when I went vegan, it seems to have intensified under RAW. I really hate it and I don’t know why my skin has become like this. It can’t be related to water (I drink enough) or fats in the body (I’m ploughing through those) and my doctor didn’t seem concerned by it.

Cravings- I only get cravings when I don’t eat properly or I haven’t eaten for a while, which happens a lot of the time. Again, I need to do some serious food reforming. I just seem to lack effort when it comes to doing anything these days, even making a basic meal. I used to be vigilant with beautiful green salads back in the day. How I miss thee. If I crave bread, I eat nuts.

I’m just thinking of this as a time when my body is sorting itself out, detoxing and healing up all the scars. As long as I’m eating RAW (even if I’m not eating balanced as of yet) I am still doing more good than harm. I’ll also be proud if I can stick to this until summer, because you eat lighter in summer and there are more varieties of fruit available. It will be my reward for beginning this on the last month of winter.

Well done SE, you are doing so fantastically.

Its great to get your updates. I hope your sleeping patterns sort themselves out soon.

Regarding increasing salads, me and roarphood find that starting the day with a green smoothie is good coz then we know we will at least have had one serve of salad for the day (sometimes we are too busy to make the salads at meal times). We also find that having a pot of tahini dip (tahini, water, lemon and soy) on hand aids in the consumption of salad vegies and greens, i.e. we usually dip celery, cos lettuce, parsley or kale into this dip as our 'fast-food' or food-on-the-run.

I too mainly have cravings for cooked when I have let myself get ultra hungry. This is the time I need to be really careful to stop and think of raw alternatives to the craved item, once I get that far I am usually fine. I tend to slip up when I take a let my 'I want, I want...' train of thought go wild and just act instead of calmly considering my options.

Keep up the amazing raw effort SE.

Perilla.

ps - I did my honours in environmental management with my project focussing on the community design of public spaces.

good guns stumpyelephant, just keep treating each day as the next day u treat ur body with the best it can get. It'll thank u in some way for doin that...

Thanks for the info and replies Perilla and 21Carrotgurl!

I wish I could write more to you both but I'm really busy this week with essay writing. I shall try to get back here by next week.

Just a brief note, I've been RAW for over a month now. Can't believe it!!! Still tired as hell BUT I had my first 'cooked' dream last night, that is I ate chocolate in my dream and felt guilty about it. It's replacing my non vegan dreams where you eat meat in them and wake up feeling guilty even though you did nothing wrong.
Have been wanting cooked food a bit lately but nevermind that. Anyways, write more next week!

hey SE,well done on over a month RAW,that's RAWsome indeed...hey you know you can make RAW chocolate,that could replace your chocolate eating dream quite nicely *grin*

make sure you eat plenty,this will leave no room for cooked ideas to pop into your head,raw is so nutrient dense it will drench your cells in nourishing nutrients there will be no room for sludge..

how's the essay writing going?

great to read your update.. :wub:

Your picture is just adorable Neet, very cute.  -_-
The essay writing sucks! And I wish I could afford some stuff to make chocolate, yum yum.

BUT OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just logged on quickly to tell everyone I DID SOMETHING NAUGHTY.
I'm close to getting my period after being raw since the last one (this is the end of week 5 or so) and I've been craving food, I was SO CLOSE to eating bread yesterday...but I held on. Anyway I've been feeling hungry today and there was what looked and smelt like delicious spaghetti....and I had a craving. I didn't have any earlier this evening but I was feeling so hungry right now and wanted something filling (after having a salad not that long ago)...that I binged on it, really quickly and I don't even feel guilty yet, hmm.  :huh:

I am disapointed and I'm VERY worried all the work I have done in 5 weeks has been undone in ONE NIGHT. AUGH!! I have to admit, i feel like I needed it, but I assume that must be because I'm not eating as much salad as I should (time constriction bleh), anyway back on the horse tomorrow but OH NO!! I have to say the spaghetti tasted so sweet...strange, it's amazing how sweet constructed man made food tastes when you don't have it for so long. Must be the artifical crap that it is.

Anyway, signing off *sobs*

HEy BABE,SE....don't worry,all your efforts aren't undone with one little pasta slip,lol...you're doing great guns,and you know it's only cos you haven't been eating enough to satiate your hunger...

keep it going...you don't need to wonder where the guilt is...it's all in the past now,today is another day...

Thankyou so much for the reinforcement Neet!

Okay after my mini food breakdown (spaghetti, 3 pieces of bread and organic corn flakes with soy milk- NO KIDDING!!) I woke up and resumed my RAW lifestyle, feel nourished and better today. I think it was a period related thing. Had some pineapple, oranges, cherry tomatos plus a lovely salad with avocado today. Oh and two apples and a banana as a treat. MY GOD, bananas will own me once they are cheap again.

Feeling happier, stimulated today. Noticed that when I went on my carbs binge in the space of a few hours that my mood felt down and I didn't feel satisfied. It all felt as though it was redundant. Realised being RAW is better than this and I'm too used to it to swap back to old habits. Have to admit I enjoyed the spaghetti though, the bread and corn flakes I did not. Tummy held up well after the cooked food incident, thank goodness. It still loves me!!

Anyway, that's about it. Starting my 6th week or so RAW (besides the cooked food incident) this week. I don't think one bad night will ruin all the good patterns. Ohhh AND I heard World Vegan Day in Melbourne may be catering for Raw foodists this year...October 29th? I will be there!!

oh my god. what a week.

RAW is fine, had lots of fruit today.

-Wheatgrass, Pineapple, Mint, Orange juice.
-Watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, banana juice.
- Some leftover blueberry, apple, banana juice.

Had quite a few apples and such...wish we had some avocados, I shall go check!

Going to make a banana, blueberry smoothie soon as I have two bananas in my posession, HAA!!!!

My sleeping WILL be back on track as of tonight...why? In three days I've had five hours sleep. Couldn't sleep on Sunday night so I stayed up until 7am Monday, working on my essay and then slept until midday. Woke up and felt like death, decided to write my entire essay that night and subsequently haven't been to bed yet. It's now Tuesday night.

YIKES! Essay is done, two week essay writing break is coming up...sun, gumtrees and wheathgrass time!!
Somehow went to a lecture today and took nothing in, I have no idea how I stayed awake...my eyes were rolling around.

Things are reforming for the better:)

Wishing everyone best wishes and kisses and lovely lovely warm happy days!  ^_^

We have yummy cherry tomatoes.........mmmmmmm, want to eat them all!!!

HEy SE,,i will share the cherry toms with ya...love em,tomatos of all shapes and form,juicy red plump little delights they are...

glad you are doing so well,yay for you!!

Cherry tomatoes are yummy!!  but I got them mixed up..they were Roma! Thought it was too early for cherry tomatoes too!

---

Ok so update. Well it's been a shocking ten days. I fell off the wagon very badly because things are very scattered lately. Don't get me wrong, I've been eating raw EXCEPT I also started eating quite a bit of bread (and a couple of times some dry organic corn flakes). Anyway, the breads the only cooked food I've been having but UGH...the good thing is, once you've been raw for a month you basically can't fall off long term because let me tell you, the stomach problems and the loss of a general sense of wellbeing have been altered by a more purified eating regime. Therefore, you learn that you are punishing yourself when you eat something cooked because your tummy cannot handle it any longer. So, lucky for me, the bread eating is on the way out again. I had some wheatgrass and greens and felt so much better last night. Even eating RAW during the day and then combining it with eating bread at night (and with peanut butter or vegemite spread on the bread..eek...no vegan butter or anything) just undoes everything. I've been eating fruit salads lately...YUM YUM. It's hideous fruit combining but it tastes so good with the few bananas in the household right now. Still loving the avocado, but I got into the habit of adding salt to it...as I was craving salt or something of the sort. Will have to cut that out but boy does it add to it. Hmm that's about it. A bit down with things but not yet out. I'm not too fussed because obviously there are setbacks and trying too hard to be perfect makes it impossible...point is to keep going until you can sustain yourself long term. :)

MORNING SE...great to hear from you...

try eating some yummy cruncy celery,great natural salt...or use a good quality Himalayan sea salt,but sparingly...that should satiate your cravings..once you get your balance,you should find your cravings disappear..

no point trying to be perfect,that is too exhausting,just doing what's right for you is your ideal...keep going,you'll never be "out"..

You always make me feel reassured Neet, and looking at your lovely glowing skin that is radiating RAW goodness, in your user picture, reminds me why I am excited about RAW.

I did have quite alot of celery yesterday, what a coinicidence. I know you have to be careful about the salt used, I have been using natural sea salt or something of the sort (never table salt) but I did read on a raw website that you have to use a specific kind as you have kindly pointed out :)

Hope you are well and all is good. Thanks for the concern.

random 5am note- HOLY CRAP I LOVE THE EBOOK.

I feel like I've had a big kick in the backside.

I will make a green smoothie tomorrow, I will not be an insomniac, I will get out in the sunshine and love my  privileged and blessed life. I will treat my body the way it deserves, with utmost respect and hope to extend this to all areas in life.

SE,you are priceless,yep HOLY CRAP the e-book rocks....he hehh ehhh,glad it has jump started your raw battery my friend,LOL *grin*

I don't know if this is a problem, we're told to listen to or body and if it wants it ...

In 'raw food, real world' the authors have no problem with the correct kind of sea salt, they add it to lots of things to bring out flavours.

I used to get cross with my kids for showering their food with Herbamare
The logic was they were training their taste buds to need a taste sensation before eating anything
That may or may not be valid, but the Herbamare was probably the most nutritious thing on their plate
so it may just be their body demanding it.

It's interesting.. most of the anti salt research is done on processed table salt, not any of the natural salts on the market. Piers was reading the book called Nutrition and Physical Degeneration last night. In there the author said of all long lived cultures he studies in the 30's and 40's (I think that's the time period) all used some form of natural salt. In the wild animals use salt too and will travel very long distances to get to it.

I think the issue is more overuse of salt, and the processing and huge use of salt in our culture.

We still use salt, but always a high quality one.

Cheers,
Sheryl

Natural hygiene says NO SALT. However most of the early work was done in Europe, where salt was mined. Plants take up salts and break it down for human consumption.

However modern day pioneers like David Jubb, comment how the ocean water and our blood are almost exactly the same composition, pointing to aour amrine forebears. He says that highly mineralised Celtic Sea Salt is the only one to buy and is safe to use in a rawlife diet.

Now this makes sense to me. To hear this comment goto www.patricktimpone.com and click on previous radio shows. Look at the headings and dopwnload the one on salt, or just listen on your computer.

Joss

Gosh Sheryl, Piers reads some great books.

Had to do a bit of digging to ressurect this again. BTW, Thankyou for the salt information everyone- even though the thankyou is nine months later. Yikes.

So I'm starting to look after myself again, I haven't been- I haven't been eating well as a cooked vegan due to stress, medical problems, uni...lots going on. I've been offered conventional substitutions which has put me back to exploring the natural pathway. I'm seeing a naturopath, planning on trying acupuncture...going to hook up with a psychologist...going back to loading my body with nutritionally dense food and going to lay in the sun/exercise. It's just hard to keep it up...or even go back to everything because of my feeling state...but I really need to do it, I'm at the point I know I have to because otherwise I'm going to degrade my body and internally crumble.

Got up today and ate raw food only, god I've forgotten how good you feel on the initial first day (before cravings set in) of raw plant food only. Soothing...and what a high. I'm not sure how I'll stick to this since I'm still essay writing for uni, but if there's setbacks then that's okay...I wasn't planning on starting until after assesment but there's no reason to hold back.

I'm going to try and find the energy to load myself with greens, I'm craving them...I'm also taking alot of supps at the moment because I've been lacking the maintenance skills, so I will continue on them while I feed my body naturally and resume it to full potential. Naturopath is good, fine with a vegan diet...gets everything I say...wonder how the raw talk will go though, might put it off for a bit to see how this all unfolds. Cease venting.

Hi Stmpy, I just got to this section and thought 'oh my, Stmpy has a four page journal! How did I miss that?' and then I realised it was from last year and you have been around for aaaaaaaaaaages! Goodness... I thought I must have been slack!

I've learned a lot here. Keep writing!

xoxox

Haha, yes welcome to the queen of on -again for a month, off again for eight months raw/cooked diet. Alas, beginning is all that matters haha. :)

On again off again! If you keep trying you will get there. I started smoking at 9. By the time I was 12 I knew that I needed to give this up. I kept trying and I last had a cigarette at the grand age of just turned 26. It's been 8 years. Just keep focussing on what you desire and it will happen. Never give up! Hopefully it won't take us as long to go 100%. I fall off the wagon too.

xoxoxo

Hey stmpy, great to see u back again !! :)
x  x

Welcome back SE!

What are you studying?

Raw sensation- that’s so great, well done! I know that smoking is so hard for people to give up, especially when they have been doing it for so long- can't speak from personal experience about how hard it is of course. The human body is v. adaptable with the right willpower, and willpower you have. Good on you!

Thanks Jen and Kelly! Good to be back.

Kelly- I’m studying Arts (Media & Comm) right now :) Love that picture of you btw..I should change mine since everyone has a pic up.

SE your new avatar is stunning. Your glowing skin and hair are awesome. You glow girl!

xoxoxo

haha, aw thanks- I'll imagine what raw could do for my skin/hair then!

DAY 2-
So Day 2 is alright at the moment. Last night was a little painful, I started to get worried as to whether I was doing the wrong thing going back on raw. This was followed by stress regarding my life situation/where it is heading as well as uni work that is almost due and I haven't started. So my anxiety flared and by 4am I was in bed and upset and emotional about everything. Woke up and felt a little funny, detox is kicking in. Running out of food already which doesn't help the cause but at least I am feeling good, as I am focusing in on my last assignment more than yesterday. I think I may be more worried about my hair- oh my god...why did I water wash it prematurely?!...I'm already wanting to give it a good scrub. I woke up this morning and since it is short now I looked as though I had been electrocuted. The front was light, but the back was dark and still wet(!!)...as though it had dried but not dried properly...dense and damp. Hair is starting to feel heavy and waxy and strange.

Ahhhh I'm detoxing everything and it's all messy haha...*channels inner peace*. It's all good, I think I'd be coping alot better if this bloody assignment was done, so that's what I'm off to do. xo

UPDATE: Mmm, food has arrived. All this green leafy stuff and I think most of it is organic, I'm gonna have a party with it tomorrow. Ate LOTS of nuts...trying to lift my fatty acids because I'm not getting enough...plus I needed some protein/zinc/mag etc. Organic apples and mandarins..i hate conventional mandarins...taste like crap, and you really know it when you get the organic ones. Mm, feel more lifted right now.

Hey SE,

I can sympathise with your uni assignment stresses, especially while trying to look after your diet, assignments can send me into a blank panic especially last minute ones.  Once I get into an assignment though I can keep going for 12 hours straight, no food, just water and bathroom breaks, its just a matter of getting into the ZONE :mellow: 

The best way I've found to diffuse my stress and relax is to put it into perspective and remember that my sense of wellbeing is my priority, the assignment comes second, this helps me feel more calm and at peace in the moment and allows me to concentrate on the work at hand.  Maybe you're not as neurotic as I am though, but judging from your total freak out over the hair thing maybe you are!

I love that feeling you get when you buy a whole bunch of organic fruit and greens and prepare a meal that smells, tastes, looks and feels beautiful inside and out, its like a breath of fresh air. 

Good luck with your assignments!
xx Gina

thinking about trying to go raw again. this came to me in the middle of being incredibly stressed, for some reason when im stressed- i'll research how much i need of certain foods in order to eat raw and get the right RDI.

think i struggle with raw, but always want to come back to it, because i'm so unhappy. dealing with depression, generalised anxiety disorder and ibs makes you not want to look after yourself. sounds odd, but that's the effect. lack of absolute motivation. this year is a mess and right now i feel like im almost imploding and im not coping at all. need to try raw again, hope i can do it properly this time, hope i can look after myself before they end up putting me on medication and i give in. natural is best.

i've been doing so badly, nutritionally and everything else this year... that im craving veggies. lots and lots of veggies and fruit. its soothing.

hmm.

Hey Stampy. I'm so sorry to hear you are going through a rough patch. it's been a rough year for many people. I'm sure you can't have been doing badly at everything this year even though it may feel like it just now. Big deep breaths. Some serenity is what you need. When was the last time you were able to take some time out for yourself and just BE?

If I can help in some way please don't hesitate to ask.

xoxoxo