Print Page - The real me

Hi all, ive been lurking this forum for a little bit, learning all i can about changing to a raw food lifestyle. It seems as good a place as any for an intro in the journals section so howdy.

First up i just want to say thanks everyone for creating such a wonderful place for me to learn and be inspired.

My story of what brought me to raw foodism seems long when i think through it in my head, so ill try and keep it as brief as possible.

A couple of years ago i was what i believed at the time to be a healthy happy person, worked lots, loved my job, went on holidays where part of my trips would involve hiking 20 or more kms in a day. I however was not healthy, lurking in the background my body was preparing to fall to pieces. I was a heavy drinker, thought nothing of eating large unhealthy meals and at the time really didnt consider a meal of cheesy pasta bad.

Ill step back a little further, in high school i was sick, not bad, i still functioned well enough most of the time, but i was one of those i believe it is 1 in 10 women to suffer with endometriosis. I was diagnosed young, my symptoms were bad so the doc was happy to give me a presumed diagnoses, put me on hormones, and several months later i had my life back. For 7 years i buried my head in the sand about this, i was better as far as i was concerned and no part of my mind ever considered that it would come raging back.

Sadly, it did, with a vengence. In Aug 2005 id been married a little over 6mths, was in a nice home, and my adorable niece had just been born, life was good. Within days of my niece being born, coincidence or not my body started 'misbehaving'. Starting as a few unusual pains that i brushed off, a little nausea, to constant deblilitating pain and constant nausea within two weeks of onset. I had to give up work suddenly, leaving my beloved casual night work as a nurse, a few weeks later i was offered the chance for part time office work. I wasnt well at all, i was making no improvements, the doctors had no idea what was wrong. My presumed diagnosis of endometriosis was no longer good enough and i was treated essentially, as a nutcase. My condition got worse and worse, i gave up on medicine and went down the natural path. Through this i got well enough for a little while anyway to manage a long overseas holiday, i was pushing myself really really hard. While id done some diet changes, supplements, herbs, i hadnt really taken things far enough, and i was still burying my head in the sand.

For a while after i got back from my trip i was still reasonably good, id changed to community work, better suiting my health as i was able to break up my days. As you can see, i never slowed down, despite how sick i was i drugged myself with hefty pain relief and carried on. As time went on, i gradually decreased my hours as i handled less and less. I kept trying new natural treatments but nothing was helping anymore, i kept getting worse.

Then the worst happened, my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness, it required intense treatment for him to have any chance at all. After his diagnosis my health issues spiraled out of control, my fatigue that was slowing me down was grinding me to a stop, i wasnt sleeping, i was barely eating. Eventually i had to give up work, the pain and the fatigue had become unbearable.

I decided at this point i had to take charge, i had to get better. At my worst my fatigue and pain was so bad i required a walking stick to get around the house, and apart from visiting my dying father i didnt leave the house, often i didnt leave my heating pad at my computer chair. I had reached rock bottom. I went back to the docs, they were taking me more seriously this time, but test after test showed nothing. In the meanwhile i was making drastic diet changes, had cut out gluten, meat (except fish), dairy (except yoghurt) and refined sugar. This was a success, i was getting improvements in my pain, my fatigue improved to the point i no longer needed my walking stick. I pushed myself to do short walks every day (this started as walking across the road with my walking stick on one side, my husband on the other and coming back).

I then found a good endometriosis specialist, he seemed like a godsent, he believed me, he wanted to help. His first attempt at treatment however made me really sick again, made the pain worse than it had ever been, all my progress was lost. At that point to make matters worse, my father died.

Once he was gone i had renewed determination, seeing his strength on the deathbed made me want to be better more than ever. I went back to the doc, this time i decided to go ahead with surgery, it was a success, all endometriosis removed and i finally had an official diagnosis. Within a month i had little or no pain at all, however the fatigue remained and hadnt improved in the slightest. I was also unwilling to have hormone treatment again, so i knew i had to be really good about my health to keep it under control.

I made more diet changes, got really strict with my therapeutic diet, this solved the pain issue and my fatigue was slowly, very very slowly improving. This brings me to now, i tried a few things to get more energy, olive leaf extract, coq10, they both helped me do more in a day, i was able to handle more, but i was still getting really bad days where i could barely get out of bed and was badly effected by any activity.

Thats when i read about green smoothies, they seemed a great idea, and my initial hope was just to reduce the amount of supplements i was taking, i felt i was getting no where with them and hated relying on pills. The smoothies were wonderful, for about an hour after i had more energy, but it wasnt lasting. This was around 6wks ago. Then my period came and it was incredibly heavy (ill compare it to postnatal bleeding, because thats what my sister compared it to when i described it to her) i looked for what id changed, i had increased my olive leaf extract of late, i had also forgotten to take my extra iron tablet on day 1, and of course id started the smoothies. Out of fear it was the cause i stopped having them. I remained really sick again after my period went, felt like id been set back 2months. After a while i realised i wasnt picking back up, id been reading more and more on raw diets and realised the heavy bleeding could have just been detoxing.

So i started them again, the energy i had after was addictive, it made me want more and more raw food. I wasnt able to have more than 1 smoothie a day often because of bowel issues so i started just eating raw all day. Wonderful things were happening, my appetite improved, my energy and stamina improved. I stopped getting energy crashes post activity or randomly through the day. My energy levels were stabilising. I was doing more and more every day and not getting tired.

Then of course i over did it, football finals meant pushing myself when i wouldnt normally. Surprisingly i handled being out at football reasonably well, was able to focus well on the game till about the 70th min. I of course ended up really sick that night and slept for a ridiculous amount of time, as i usually do when im really sick. But the next day i decided id be proactive. I had 2 blenders full of green smoothies that day, and was strict about raw food only. By the evening i was starting to feel ok, by the next day i felt good again. I could only attribute such a bounce back to raw food, normally it would take me all week to recover from something like that, this was incredible.

Im now eating about 90 - 95% raw food and feeling much much better for it. Im also just on my next period since starting my raw journey, theres minimal pain if at all, and ive found a wonderful thing, leafy greens completely eliminate any pain i do get. I had terrible nausea on day 1 and barely ate at all, but im recovery quickly, its day 2 now its already lightened right up, and im starting to get energy back again.

Im really excited, this is the first time ive been able to genuinely feel that i can not only get through this, i can come out the other side a stronger healthier person than ive ever been. My journeys been tough, but i feel that im really just coming into who i truly am, hence my title.

So my aims in my raw food journey are:
- eliminate any leftover pain im still getting
- lighten my period so its just a part of my life and not the disaster it is to my system now
- Regain energy and beat my chronic fatigue
- Eliminate acid reflux (have already achieved this one)
- Combining the bates method with my raw food journey, fix my poor eyesight
- Get back a normal appetite (this has improved, but i have a long way to go)
- Become so fit that i can do 20km hikes again and jump around at the football

I look forward to sharing my journey with you all :yahh:

Nice to meet you Kebbster,

Thank you for sharing your story in such detail :) It's great to read that you're already being helped so much by raw foods, and I'm sure it'll just get better and better.

I'll put my hand up as being another diagnosee of endometriosis.

To share my story: I was theoretically diagnosed at age 21, as much as they can diagnose by answering a checklist of questions, - as you know the only true diagnosis comes through visually seeing it in a surgery. Then I also went down the surgery path 6 or so years ago to have it properly diagnosed and have most of it removed. The swelling from the internal bleeding of it was pressuring some nerves along my spine and making it difficult to roll out of bed to the bathroom, let alone walk, for days at a time. So thankfully they cut those bits out, but left a lot of it along my bowel as I was not 'prepped' for bowel surgery it was too much of a risky procedure. So I still had white-knuckle gripping pain from that, pre bowel-movements, to live with. I went on hormone treatments for a while too... the drugs were so strong, I lost a good year of my life being swept up in side effects. It wasn't worth it to be a slave to feeling tired nauseous and downright bad, just to eliminate pain; so I decided to live with the pain. I stopped the hormone treatments and went on the contraceptive pill full time - trying only to have 2 to 4 periods a year (although my body never did cooperate with that). I was being told by my doctor that endometriosis worsens with the more frequent estrogen flushes that regular hormone changes submit your body to. Add to that, my natural cycle was 3 weeks not 4, my frequency of estrogen in the system was theoretically making the endometriosis problem worse than it had to be, thus: take the pill. Then the side effects of the pill were getting to me. Weight gain, nausea were the only phsyical - but I felt it more on a psychological level. It's a theory, but I think having a changing hormone cycle allows one to express different sides of themself and different emotions at different times. Experiencing life without these cyclical changes was perhaps making parts of myself somewhat pent-up, and again resulting in unhappiness.

After 2 years of that I decided to cycle myself on and off the pill. Stop trying to skip periods entirely - which wasn't working anyhow - my body was still bleeding a bit each month despite taking the pill constantly without the sugar pills. So I decided instead to just accept 4 weekly bleeds - which was better than 3 weekly bleeds. If I took the pill for 3 months, then stopped for 3 months, I could maintain the 'normal' 28 day cycle. If I went off for about 4 months it started to drop back down to ~20 days, although sometimes this happened earlier at the third month too - and would be my cue to take the pill again. Was never really happy taking it, but told myself it was stopping endometriosis from getting any worse. Was still getting endometriosis pains before using the toilet, as well as being frequently tired and lethargic. So it definitely wasn't making it any *better*, and there's no concrete proof that it stopped it from worsening, as maybe it would have stayed the same regardless of what I did... who knows.

Mid last year, went raw - about 80%+. This coincided with an awareness that I didn't want to use my body as a chemical dumping ground anymore either, so I also decided not to go back on the pill, at all, ever. And hey, wouldn't you know it. I'm feeling better. There's not much lethargy left in me - when I'm sleepy it's just that - sleepy, or an earned tiredness... so I rest... it's not a draining unexplained lethargy that lasts for days. I'm sure this is the energy most people are feeling by eating live foods :) That and the downright bounciness/hyperactivity at times, haha... have even been getting the urge to RUN lately! This is unheard of! (& I must go buy a sports bra that fits so I can go indulge this urge).

Endometriosis pain wise... improvements, vast improvements. I am still getting some pains, but I couldn't even tell you how frequent they are. I think I remember some pain a few weeks ago... could have been longer, and it wasn't white-knuckle-gripping pain anymore either, more just a discomfort. I think it's been at least 4 or 5 months since I had white knuckle pain... which is AWESOME! Yay! I think this means it's healing! :D But I'm not going to have surgery to prove it ;)

Period wise - yeah, having to deal with ~20 day cycles. They were very very heavy when I stopped the pill, and sometimes/often lasted up to 10 days, ugh... way to spend half my life bleeding. Although last month I went for 25, with a a 6 day bleed, naturally. Maybe and hopefully this will normalise for me too.

I've only 'been raw' for 9 or 10 months, to have had such changes so fast, wow... I'm happy.

Thanks for the warm welcomes -_-

Thanks for the tip on wild greens raw sensation, will have to look into that. Wild spinach from the beach? how do you know what wild stuff you can eat? Hmm defo have alot more to learn. Unfortunately living on one income these days, organic is hard for me to afford much of, short of supplies from my mothers garden i can only afford some of my food organic, im working on it though. I figure is i get better i can grow more of my own, and when im back at work ill be able to afford dearer fruit and veg. So yeah in the meanwhile, wild greens could be a good solution.

Thanks for telling your story waterberry, its always helpful to hear what has and hasnt worked for other people. Glad to hear raws working for you. You definitely dont need surgery to prove your better, we know our own bodies i think, and can feel when things are right as well as we can feel when they are wrong. Do you take any herbs as well? I know herbs for me have been a great help in regulating my cycles.

I went shopping today and spent twice as much at the fruit shop as i did at the grocery store (still need groceries for hubby). Its the first time ive been shopping on my own for a very long time, i really cant remember when i was last able to do that, i was forced into the test due to a very very sick hubby. Im really surprised, until i was taking the food back to the car i was fine, am feeling it now but have filled myself up with a big green smoothie so hopefully will pick back up.

I think it will be hard to tell what are detox symptoms and what are just my health. Im not sure how bad my detox actually will be since for me ive been making changes bit at a time for so long, the step to raw food isnt really that big of one. Am getting alot of headaches of late, but i do get them on and off just with chronic fatigue.

Hi all, thought id update my progress.

Im still finding myself lurking bout this forum a bit because there is still so much to learn, and am spending all my time on here reading and learning new things. I thought i new alot about good diet but changing to raw is like learning how to eat all over again.

So far im really enjoying the raw journey, im enjoying my food more than i expected. Im finding the odd time i feel like breaking it is when im preparing my husbands food and am myself hungary, but its only when im hungry, as long as i eat plenty i dont want anything but raw.

Im settling into a nice 95% of my diet raw, i say 95 because so far i havent really looked hard into dressings im using, and am still using up some old foods that are open in the fridge. At this stage ive decided to keep the odd bit of steamed fish in my diet at least until i get better at the diet, later i may change this but atm i know im not eating nearly enough.

Today i had a really nauseas day, could barely stomach anything, this isnt detox this is something thats plagued me for a long time now, the days im like this are alot less frequent now, but as you can imagine alot of days like this in the past have led to some very serious and unwanted weight loss. So i decided to stick to smoothies, or i should say thats what my body decided because even they were a struggle. Despite feeling so off i did manage 2 green smoothies and one bananna, date and egg (i thought the raw egg would be a good idea since id eaten so little), plus one diluted orange juice. Im really happy with this, normally on a day like that id probably eat a little bit of rice with yoghurt and pick at nuts, and that would be it, so through smoothies i ended up eating a reasonable amount of fruit in the end, and still got some greens. Im already getting the comments that ill become anorexic doing this, but i know that i couldnt possibly lose any more weight than i have, and if anything i think ill put on weight, im also actually eating alot more now because i cant fill up on rice and yoghurt ive got room for lots of fruit.

I seem to have gone through a small detox today, super active in the bowel department and i feel alot better for it, feel lighter.

Its a steep learning curve, learning how to feed me and my husband at dinner has been difficult, but im making progress on working out how to keep him satisfied and still eat best for me.

Im finding at this stage i definitely feel better on high fruit and simpler meals, anything raw gourmet tends to make me feel tired like cooked food did so am keeping things simple now. Im enjoying simple fruit for what it is more than i used to enjoy gourmet meals that would take hours to prepare and cook.

Thanks rawconnection

I had a look at that, but ive lost alot of weight being sick, so not sure its a good idea for me to fast yet, but ive at least decided to take my bodies signals and if im not hungry not force myself to eat. Ill keep the fasting idea in the backburner though once im a bit more settled into the diet.

I ate a cooked meal today, well half cooked, had some fish and rice, but i balanced it with half the plate salad. I feel pretty good after it, not at all tired like i thought i might feel, so i think its a good meal option to have on the odd occasion.

Ive been feeling really wiped out still today, but did have about an hour where i felt pretty good and was able to do a few jobs. I think maybe im detoxing too fast, so thought id slow it down with the cooked fish. My body is simply too weak to handle a rapid detox. I know with the olive leaf extract i couldnt handle the therapeutic dose at first because of the detox symptoms, and had to have a break and slowly increase the dose i was taking.

For now ive decided not to take any of my herbs including my olive leaf extract, i feel like they might hinder the healing process a bit, and would like to see what my next period is like on just a healthy diet. Also i fear detoxing with raw food and olive leaf extract at the same time would simply be too much.

Im still learning with my diet, and have noticed in the arvo i crave fats, something with peanut butter satisfies those cravings but im left feeling tired after consuming the nuts. I may need to find a better solution to this, or maybe the cravings will just eventually dissapear the longer time goes.

My hubby is rather enjoying the daily fruit salads atm, since im making them for myself he wants them too, and he sees them as a treat, so its been really easy to increase his raw food intake.

Thanks BerryBliss

Am feeling a little better today although still not great. Though despite feeling off i managed to grocery shop with my mother taking me (wasnt up to on my own, she was visiting and was going anyway), and cooked hubby dinner.

Im starting to think me being off is not just purely detox but also im simply not consuming enough. I was looking today at the calorie content of fruit, and when i added up a typical day im lucky if im consuming 400calories. Theres no way that could be enough for a decent level of energy, so im going to try and eat more. To do this im going to start having dessert after dinner, i know alot of people do this, but i very rarely eat after dinner, so im thinking a small fruit salad after dinner might help me sleep better and wake up better, so tonights the test.

My problem is the same as its been for a long time for me, i rarely feel hungry, and when i eat i fill up fast. So im just going to try and eat often hungry or not to get up to a decent level of calories.

Feeling more and more like the 80/10/10 diet is better suited to me, im not enjoying vegetables much now that i have them raw, but am loving my fruit and greens. Its not feeling like much of a hassle to cook hubby a seperate meal like i thought it would, because my meal is so simple i can throw it together in no time.

Im also finding im not drinking as much water as i used to, i have alot at the end of the day, but otherwise drink very little, i suspect im getting enough water still through fruit and my love of tea, but this is a change. I dont feel dehydrated and am not showing any physical signs of it, so i must still be getting plenty of water.

Im now happily fruit shopping twice a week and its suiting me alot better, never run out of food that way. I will likely have to order it online a fair bit to keep this up, but i dont mind as long as i have plenty fresh. Despite buying so much fresh food my shopping bill isnt going up, we need far less groceries now, and my husband is eating alot more fruit for snacks anyway, since hes always wanting what im having.

I got a compliment on my skin yesterday, could have been random, but it could also be raw working for me. I know my skin is looking pretty clear atm and has good colour once im out of my just got up stupor that is, lol.

I think ive finally reached a turning point, the worst of my detox symptoms seem to be gone for now, yay!!!

Woke up this morning at 8am, which is weird because for weeks ive been sleeping till midday. Woke up feeling pretty good, even did some yoga which felt wonderful, and have just downed a delicious 3 bananna GS. I have real energy today, feel like i can actually get some things done around the house.

Ive noticed of late even on my bad days im waking up shocking sure im in for a bad day, and by 3 or 4pm im feeling ok. Am feeling really positive again, not just feeling like i can get better, but knowing i can.

I had half a plate of cooked food friday night, just a couple of baked veges and some boiled brocolli and corn, had it with half a plate of salad so thought it would be ok, yet the next day i couldnt get out of bed, not just feeling off, couldnt get up! That hasnt happened in a fair while, again i picked up and was fine in the arvo, but am tending to blame the cooked food for such a reaction. So from now on im not going to break the diet just because im out somewhere.

Hubby was wanting some cooked food last night, asking for 'good food like we used to eat', so i made him pasta. Actually worked as a good solution, i made a raw pasta sauce, heated it just enough and let it sit in the warm juices till the pasta cooked, and served mine on zucchini pasta. Was delicious, worked really well. Got the complaint that it wasnt 'saucy' but i suspect that its just him being used to jar sauces, because ive made cooked versions of homemade pasta sauce before and they are that same consistency. Might be something i need to work on.

Im going to have to start doing more raw gourmet for dinners, it will satisfy my love of cooking, and keep my husband happy that hes getting 'cooked' food. I dont like eating seperately, and i can understand him not wanting salad night after night. Ill still do simple sometimes, but for variety ill mix in some raw gourmet. Ive noticed as long as the food isnt too fatty the raw gourmet is energising. Ive purchased some nori sheets from my local organic shop and am keen to try them for a meal, and tonight plan on making a stir fry, i figure i can heat it with the same method i did the pasta sauce, by heating it so i can stick my finger in it still and then letting it sit in the warm juices for a bit. I figure once ive mastered some favourites, raw will become a way of life and not an effort.

Had real strong cravings last night for sweet and fatty, i suspect its because i hadnt eaten enough again, i notice i dont get these cravings when ive eaten alot in a day.

Off to explore the forum for raw gourmet inspirations (the low fat and simple versions that is)

Ive been great last two days, having real genuine energy i dont remember feeling in a really long time. Yesterday i felt so well i spent hours cleaning and reorganising the kitchen benches, i just kept going and going without a thought, it wasnt till id been going hours that id realised what id done, and i only realised when i started to feel a bit tired.

So, im very very impressed with the success of this diet, how ive been the last two days have been incredible, i feel well enough to return to work, but scared im not stable enough yet to do so. So, im just enjoying the energy i get when i get it, and waiting for when theres more stability to my health before i return to work.

Today however im not so good, by my old standards this would probably be a reasonably good day, but compared to yesterday a huge relapse. Despite being unwell though i still managed to do a big fruit shop (desperately needed). I bought alot, because i need to learn to make bigger dinners, im atm making my dinner meals the same size as they used to be cooked, and thats my undoing, hubby is complaining his still hungry after every meal, and i end up cooking him garlic bread or something not so optimal to go with it.

Ive decided to do a short smoothie fast, just today until tomorrow dinner. It means i can cook hubby something seperate and satisfy his cooked food and cheese cravings, and will hopefully speed up healing a bit. It feels a good time to do it since today i dont at all feel like solid food. I like my foods whole so i figure smoothies are a good way to start, im no where near ready to do any other sort of healing fast, and am not sure my body would cope anyway.

I know i havent had nearly enough today, but havent felt up to consuming much. Had a blended salad when i got up with tomato, sprouts, lettuce and carrot, and a small amount of sesame seeds. Delicious actually, was surprised how satisfying that was. Ive just made a big smoothie of watermelon, bananna, strawberry and some flax seeds to slowly work through this afternoon. Ive decided to add the seed fats in this because my fat cravings atm can be pretty nasty, so i figure its better to have some, i clearly need them atm.

I found myself questioning continuing this today, it suddenly seemed so hard, i think it was just the realisation that my hubby is addicted to cooked food. But it was short lived, and i got home and made my smoothie and couldnt understand where that questioning came from.

Ive realised if the meals were a bit heavier he wouldnt want the cooked foods so much, my problem is my appetite is so poor its hard for me to judge his needs. So have planned some heavier meals im pretty sure i can make larger portions of.

On monday night, i slept the best ive slept in a really long time, solid deep sleep, went to bed early and slept for 12hrs, and woke up feeling rested and rejuvinated. Normally i wake up no matter how long ive slept as if id only slept a few hours. Id had a higher amount of fats that night, normally fats make me feel icky, but it felt very satisfying and to have slept so soundly after maybe shows i do need to be including more fats than i have been, at least at night.

Im using instinct atm, and its working well for me, im having exactly what i feel like when i feel like it, and its making everything i consume incredibly satisfying. Monday night i craved fats and they helped me sleep, today i strangely didnt want anything sweet when i got up, so had the blended salad, ive tried these in the past and hated them, but today i couldnt imagine having consumed anything more divine. Our bodies really know what there doing if we only take the time to listen, i just wish it didnt take me so many years to work that one out.

Been a while since i updated, going strong on the raw diet. Have had the odd occasion where im tempted to break it slightly but then feel like its working too well, i must stick with it.

Im finding it hard not to lick my fingers when im making something for hubby, or the spoon. Generally have been strong enough not to do that, but did it today with his egg mix for sandwhiches. Its really just habit to do that, not so much wanting the food always, but habit to pick like that while i prepare. Is something i need to pay attention to and work on.

Been a bit off of late, but today was really good again. I actually did alot today, surprised myself going for a walk with hubby how far i could go, i was far more willing to push myself when i wasnt alone and was impressed with how long i went. Even more of a surprise, went for a swim and did the walk back to the car all the way up a big hill despite already having been for a walk that day, i think the swimming helped rest my muscles alot so it was easier to walk again. Was buggered after all that, and can feel it now, feel my energy spent, but am so proud of how much i did.

Today ive eaten fairly simply, smoothies, wholefruit. Found i was craving fats, i havent eaten alot of late so eating an avacado half with a spoon really hit the spot. I decided to just eat a blended salad for dinner, i find it better to stick with smoothies when im tired, seems to be easier on my body, conserve my energy. Has worked well tonight, hubby cooking himself a bbq and i just had my blended salad seperately. (He had half a plate of salad with dinner too, so his was still healthy)

Been needing alot of sleep of late, feeling like i could sleep forever when i wake up in the morning, i guess i must need the sleep so just going with it atm.

Having alot of hiccups of late too, not long lasting, but often just after i eat wholefruit will get them for a bit, dont know what thats about. Maybe im eating too fast.

Am not certain but i seem to have lost more weight, which im not too happy about. Some of my pants that are new to fit right are now loose and hang on me. In saying that, everyone keeps telling me how great i look, seems being really thin is a very positive thing for women, i still feel healthy so not too worried, but dont want to loose any more weight. It seems the comments arent purely size but, get told i look really healthy not sick anymore, and my mother tells me i often look brighter. I think i have a long way to go, but the progress ive made already is astounding.

I feel ready to return to work, unfortunately i let my registration run out so am not really a nurse atm, lol. Ill fix that up this week but. Im going to start with 2hrs a week and build up slowly, my aim is for 10hrs a week by the end of the year, its a reasonable goal even with setbacks.

I occasionally seem to be getting sniffly of late too, it feels like allergies but i think its really detox.

Have taken to having a walnut stuffed date with a cuppa in the evening, am finding it really satisfying, so unfortanately am running out of them fast. Best be off and order some more dates (dried fruit is one area i make sure are organic, is an incredible difference in quality and taste)

Thanks for the beautiful message rawconnection, was lovely to come into my journal and read that.

I went out last night, and we ended up out later than i expected so ended up buying dinner out. Id been reluctant to do it but thought surely they can handle a simple salad. So i ordered a simple garden salad with some avacado, it was sooooooooo overpriced but man it was good and very satisfying. I enjoyed it more than i have many cooked meals! I think my taste buds are improving because everything is starting to taste fantastic, the flavours in that salad last night were amazing, and i had a tomato this arvo with just a little pepper sprinkled, and omg, was wonderful! So full of flavour. Unfortunately the kiwi fruit i followed up with have left my tongue all fizzy (is that the right description?) lol, ah well, live and learn, i think they arent really ripe enough but am running out of food and had to eat something ripe or not.

Am very proud of myself getting the salad out, was tempting to just get cooked but am so glad i did it. I learnt something from it too, the bowl i got my salad in was huge! Ive realised thats really my problem, thats why hubby isnt filling up, my plates are too small, if i just served it in a big bowl id make and eat alot more without thought, so i think i need to buy some big salad bowls.

Cant believe how well i lasted last night, considering i woke up feeling off by the arvo was fine, and ended up out the whole night till 1130 and didnt run out of energy, no wall. I lasted better than the others (who were all drinking so probs why, lol).

I am going to break the diet a little tonight, am keen for a good greek salad, and i cant imagine it without some quality goats feta (which has been sitting in the fridge calling my name), so ill be having some feta within the salad, and am not sure the olives i will buy would be raw (but hey a budget is a budget) but its a small slip. So ill see how i go with it, see if it effects my health. Its hard for me to give up feta, my family is greek, ive grown up with it, so is not so easy to give up, although i long ago gave up all other cheese, the feta has been there still on occasion. I figure at least its goats so not as inflammatory, could just be justifying it, but how i feel after will determine if it stays in my diet.

Ive decided during transition ill allow myself one minor slip up maybe once a week, i realise i shouldnt be so regimented, but i really have to be, this is my therapy, ive gone off all my herbs and supplements now so i feel id be cheating myself if i dont stick to it as well as i can. Giving it some regularity also allows me to see whats harmful and whats not.

Im still drinking tea, but have noticed i want it alot less, weird hey, i dont really feel like ive made an effort to give it up but am going to hot drinks less often. Socially i dont think ill ever give it up, but it would be nice to not need it in a day. Still, not going to make an effort on that one yet, for now im just going to herbal and green tea if i just want hot, and only having black socially or if i genuinely want it. I dont want to deny myself my one vice, but i feel the addiction is a bit emotional, so consider it part of my healing to stop the hot drink need.

Well my period is here yet again, its been a month where i havent taken any supplements or herbs and have used diet alone as my therapy. Ive been really curious how this period would be without the herbs and im impressed. Its lighter than normal, and on day 1 the pain was intermittent and mild, i knew it was there but it didnt stop me carrying on. I still had the wiped out nauseas feeling i always have on day 1 so took it pretty easy, but at no point was the pain bad so its definitely an improvement. The diet really is working for me.

I didnt end up having the greek salad because i didnt shop, but i did have poached eggs, and on the weekend i had some cooked eggs on the bbq. We put on a brekky for in laws, i made a big platter of fruit, and a jug of fresh squeezed juice, all of it got demolished, but it was such a cold morning and i felt awful when i got up, so the temptation for cooked was too much and i caved with the eggs. It didnt seem to make me feel any worse, but considering it was day 1 of my period that day, i doubt it was a good move. Im not beating myself up over it, i just enjoyed them, hopefully ill reach a point where im just not tempted at all. That night i had a lovely asian style salad with seaweed in it, made me feel so much better, i think i must have really needed the minerals, because after i had it the wiped out feeling went away.

Still otherwise going strong on the diet and learning more and more. I sprouted lentils, my first sprouts ever today, was so proud of myself, i went and showed them off to hubby, lol, he didnt seem as impressed as i was. So now im trying with chickpeas, and see if i can be as successful with them. Made a curry salad with the lentils, but hubby hated it and ended up having toast, so now i have plenty of leftovers for lunches. I used coconut oil on it, and thats what he hated, he really hates the taste of coconut, ive used it before in cooking, but clearly used too much this time for him, will have to be more careful in future using it.

Ive broken my blender about a week ago and have been making do with a hand held blender, but ive been using it so much and working it too hard, and now have burnt out the motor on that one. So again down to no blender! I cant keep replacing my cheap blenders every few months when i keep breaking them. I dont know if its time to bite the bullet and buy a good vitamix so i wont keep breaking them, or if i should just accept that im hopeless with blenders and by rights should never own one. My blender was only from christmas time when i broke the last one, argh!!!

Ive borrowed my mothers juicer, but considering the hand held blender i wrecked was hers am not sure i should use it, lol. Ive also borrowed her mortar and pestle, so maybe with that and the juicer i can somehow make do for now until i decide what to do about my blender dilemma.

Howdy fellow rawbies.

Well going great on the raw diet, really getting good at it now, lol, and yeah it does seem to be something i need to get good at. Have learnt more about what products are truly raw, what arent, still learning on that front but getting better. Am learning how much i need to eat, and am learning tasty dishes.

I find myself now preferring simple foods alot of the time, even down to just eating fruit whole rather than a fruit salad all the time. Have been going fine without a blender, its taught me to enjoy foods as they are alot more. Ive also learnt that alot of dips and sauces can be made with a mortar and pestle effectively (more work of course).

Great news but, i went and bought a water filter yesterday, and the water tastes amazing. I got a really pretty stoneware one, i love it. So glad i bought it, feeling like im really looking after myself now, have felt that the tap water was holding me back from full health.

Ive also started purchasing most of my food organic, only occasionally getting avocados or oranges for juice from the shops, but i think even that one ill start getting organic. The cost is becoming less and less of an issue, now that i dont spend money on supplements and herbs, i have the money for organic produce, and i still spend less than i used to.

Im still getting better and better, bit by bit. Often feeling detox symptoms, headaches on and off, feeling cold, feeling like i have the beginning of a cold or allergies that comes and goes. But apart from that, my energy levels are more and more consistent. Im still unwell in the mornings, but the time it takes to pick up is getting shorter.

Im going back to work a couple of hours a week on the 22nd, hopefully i wont relapse like i did last time i tried to return. But i feel much stronger this time and sure i can handle it.

Bought some guavas recently, ooh they are delicious, whoever said rawbies miss out, what a fantastic treat!

Have started making fruit and nut balls and keeping them in the fridge, they make a good sweet in the afternoon or late at night.

Oh thanks Beau, im so glad its inspiring, so many others have inspired me, would be nice to give some of that back.

Yeah i dont have a food processor either, but i do have a round two handled blade, it does make the work easier, still takes longer than a food processor, but at least its easier to clean. So worth it but for the fruit and nut balls, so weird my hubby doesnt like them that much, i just dont understand his taste sometimes, hmmm, he'll eat the dried fruit but or nuts if i put them in a little container as they are.

Im making hubbies lunches now that im a bit better, has felt wonderful to be doing something for him after all these years of him doing so much for me. I dont think i could ever truly repay what hes done, lucky he loves me, haha -_- As an added advantage, i get to make sure he takes some fruit every day (he likes fruit, isnt too much of an issue, has always been my problem not eating enough fruit, not his), and can make sure his sandwhich is wrapped in lunchwrap paper rather than glad wrap, lol, yeah im evil :wacko:

Went through the pantry today and tossed alot of stuff that i no longer eat, most of it was out of date, i even had an old gravy packet that went out of date in 03, lol. I kept some stuff that was new, for hubby to use, but in truth i know he wont use most of it. I tossed things i knew he defo wouldnt use, like icing sugar. Felt great to clean it out, and now can easily see all the stuff i do use, my stacked containers of seeds and nuts, next to my stacked containers of dried fruits look great in my cupboard. Also it freed up alot of containers, which ive been really needing to put leftover salads in, and pre cut up things.

Ideally, id like to only use glass for storage, but fact is i have lots of plastic containers, and very little glass or ceramic for storage (i have one very little ceramic container and the lid doesnt seal properly). Later i might invest in some good stackable glass storage containers, but for now, ill make do. These changes take time. Took me a long time to change over from all the nasty paraben filled products for my body too, baby steps :mellow:

Lately the cream my hubby uses on his hands has been driving me bonkers, i just cant stand the smell of it when he first puts it on. If only i could talk him into using something else, have tried getting him onto more natural stuff, but he claims they dont work. I guess for now ill have to live with the smell.

Well its confirmed, cold weather defo flares up my cfs. So im being much more careful now to stay warm, and not being frightened to use the heater.

Have added honey back in my diet, raw of course, and am loving it, no problems from it either so far. Have trialed goats milk yoghurt, no harm coming from it, but unsure i really want to eat it, doesnt feel as if it digests as well as other foods, hmmmm. Will have to think on that one, might keep dairy out again for a while in any form and trial it again later. I felt really sinusy the first time i had it, but was fine the second time. Sinuses could have just been a coincidence and detox. Still, i feel better just on fruit and salads.

Gravitating towards more simple eating, and simply loving quality fresh fruit. Dates have become a passion, absolutely love munching on a few dates, feeds any cravings i get for anything other than raw.

Even with raw im still crashing easily after big events, have a long way to go in healing. Nonetheless my progress is obvious, getting compliments often on how healthy i look. Feel like my progress is a bit slow atm, wondering if i need to include more greens or if i just need to be a bit patient.

Havent been very good about exercise of late, the cold weather has slowed my progress and havent felt well enough for exercise. Will have to work on that one, am thinking of starting a yoga class rather than just doing it on my own at home. Have been reluctant to do classes since they go for 1 1/2 hrs, unsure if i can handle such a long session, but it may be time to brave it.

Start work tuesday, was meant to be last tuesday but it wasnt organised in time. Fingers crossed it doesnt flare up my fatigue.

Have discovered that i can dehydrate things on my heater, works really well.

Well i survived work, the whole 1 hour, lol, one client wasnt home (community work) so i didnt have much to do. Still felt good to do it, to achieve something, contribute to society. Really want to be able to keep up work for the routine more than anything, i feel the routine will be good for me and help me recover. Unfortunately after working i did crash once i got home, but i recovered within a reasonable period of time.

Forgetting work, its that time of the month again, comes so fast it seems, lol. I dont feel particularly fond of being a woman atm. Its again light, and only had mild pains on day 1, but i still yet again am greatly affected by it. I think now its no longer endometriosis problems, but just the havoc the hormone changes have on my cfs. Its not good enough to me that i should be so greatly affected by my cycle, its one thing to feel a little tired, its another thing to feel so wiped out once a month, it feels like i take massive backward steps every time and spend the other 3 weeks fixing the damage. I know im making progress but its disheartening to be set back so regularly, it really slows down my healing.

Im again not sleeping well, having trouble falling asleep and sleeping in late. I feel like im falling into a bad cycle again. I wont let it happen, i wont go backwards.

Ive decided that i need green smoothies back in my diet, i feel like i could be doing better and that green smoothies are the key to achieving that. So since im poor, im just going to purchase another cheap stick blender to use for the time being, i figure if it breaks after a few months its no big deal since they are so cheap. Smoothies were what got me started on this, and when i was having them i was doing better, walking frequently, sleeping better, im sure they help balance hormones which is exactly what i need right now.

Anyway enough sad sack sook stuff, lol, alliteration (hmmm is that how you spell it? My sisters an english teacher she wouldnt be impressed, lol)

Made my first yummy raw soup tonight, have made one early in, but it didnt work that well and i tossed it. This one was delicious, pumpkin soup, and was lovely to have something warm for once, i dont feel i need food warm often, but it was nice for a change.

To make it i juiced half a butternut pumkin, added back in the squishy pulp (not all of it, some of it wasnt that squishy), mashed in an avo, added enough water till it was the consistency i wanted, added some chopped parsley, dill, and chives (not alot, just enough to enhance). Was soooooooooooo yummy, i heated up the bowls with kettle water first, so when we picked up the bowl it warmed up our hands. Made a green salad to go with it and hubby told me it was the strangest dinner id done yet, lol.

Was really bloated tonight (oops sad sack stuff, lol ill keep it brief), suspicious of the pumpkin, have noticed i bloat after more difficult to digest veges, am concerned my digestion isnt quite up to the challenge of all foods raw, have noticed it with brocolli too. Im unsure if maybe some veges are better eaten lightly steamed, but am just keeping foods like that to a minimum for the time being and hopefully my body will adjust and start digesting all foods well in time. If not, i may have to have the odd bit of cooked for the benefits of foods like brocolli, will have to see, no decision on that one yet.

I tried sprouting yellow split peas a few days ago, but not all of them sprouted! Some went all white and icky so i tossed the lot. Hmm, was dissapointed, meant the produce wasnt quality i guess, or maybe split legumes arent a good idea for sprouting. Is a shame i have heaps of them, used to use them alot to cook dahl, maybe ill just have to cook them up, am sure hubby wont complain about a dahl supply to himself, lol.

My constant yabbering about my fantastic diet has influenced someone, my mother is now including more raw foods and is working on changing her diet slowly to high raw. She rang me today to tell me about her big fruit shop and how she ate 7 pieces of fruit today and surprisingly felt better. Shes been really off of late, tired alot so she was impressed to feel well.

My mother has a copy of fit for life, so ive decided to borrow it and read it, ive noticed alot of people seem to have been influenced by this book and its got me really curious. Id especially like to read it to learn more about food combining.

I tried to make a sweet today, with carob and honey, and almonds, coconut oil. I used too many almonds and its crumbly, but it does taste nice, a little like chocolate crackles. I felt a bit sick after eating some though, im not used to eating high fat anymore and it seemed to sit badly in my stomach. I dont think ill make it often.

Thanks Angefish and berrybliss for coming in my journal, is wonderful that its inspiring, so good to be able to give some of that back.

Ive been so unwell over the weekend, could be detox, id prefer to tell myself it is, that way at least it feels like feeling bad is doing some good. Slept so bad sat night, didnt fall asleep till after 5am! When i got up i looked and felt like death warmed up, was an awful day. I couldnt even think about food, so i fasted, by the evening i was getting hungry but decided i may as well see out the day, fast track some healing, so spent the day sipping on warm honey and lemon water with plain water in between.

Today ive only had juices, im thinking about seeing how long i can last fasting, but am unsure now, i might break it tonight with a green smoothie. My sinuses feel terrible, is like really really bad allergies, i woke up feeling certain i had a cold but it hasnt gotten any worse over the day.

I actually feel better today than i have in the last week, but still really unwell. I feel like i might be detoxing a bit too fast, which is why im stuck and dont know what to do, keep up the fast and just battle out the detox, or slow it down and at least have a smoothie. Hmmmm, decisions decisions. Either way if i cave tonight, ill have gone 2 days, which is the most ive fasted before, so is probs a good start. Next time will aim for more.

The green smoothies have been great, are helping heaps, ive been having one or two a day since friday and it is helping alot. Friday i woke up really sick, and 2 smoothies later i wasnt 100% but was feeling alot better, had energy again and could function, unfortunately it seems these smoothies (i again had 1 sat and a green juice) are forcing some detox, but i guess its needed, so i shouldnt complain. Grrrr, cant wait till i have a healthy body, 100%.

My mother is in love with the green smoothies, she started having them about a week ago after i told her about them, and now shes addicted. She tells me she feels like shes come out of a fog, her minds clearer, eyes brighter, and her arthritis that had been getting worse has gone away.

Evening fellow raw foodies :ph34r:

Well, been a while since posted in my journal. Ive been sick with a nasty cold which has now finally gone (well almost, still some niggly sniffles coming and going), lasted a long time this one, been 9 days all up i think, but its going around and seems to be effecting everyone the same (cept for my hubby who in his determination to beat it consumed copious amounts of fluids last night to try and flush it out before it set in and it worked).

I have my energy back now, and today got out to do a big grocery shop, and still had energy to wash dishes, bring the bins in, and prepare dinner. I made a delicious raw pasta tonight, i heated it because hubby was wanting hot food. Made it with a cherry tomato and sundried tomato sauce, and added in some smoked fish (yeah not vegan) and olives, yum. Didnt make enough though, really underestimated how much zucchini i need to slice up. Heres an interesting thing, hubby at first screwed his face up and said it tasted weird, then 5mins later told me actually its not bad just had to get used to it. So, that was promising, must be getting better at making raw food, i dont often do anything gourmet, so its encouraging when something works.

Been debating alot about making changes in my diet, if i need to add back cooked food, if i need to add in raw goats milk, if i should eat low fat or just eat them to my hearts content. Hmmm all tough decisions.

Well for now ive decided not to be too hard on myself and allow the odd bit of cooked within a salad, but am not going to eat a meal of all cooked. Im willing to eat steamed fish or veges for the sake of being able to eat more of a vege i may not otherwise eat until my absorption and digestion improves. So i guess im saying maybe 90 to 95% raw, this also allows me to use non raw dressings if i want to sometimes. I figure it takes years to truly achieve 100% for many, so im ok with the journey taking a while. 90% is still super healthy.

Ive ordered some raw goats milk to pick up next wednesday to try. Ultimately i just want to be healthy, and if it helps me achieve that all the better.

Im a little stuck on the ok with cooked fish and steamed veg thing, out shopping today i intended to buy fresh fish, and ended up buying a small portion of smoked. I intended to add steamed vege, but a steamed pumpkin soup caused a bad tummy upset earlier in the week. So, again, hmmm. I guess the steamed veg im going to allow might be to have some brussel sprouts as a side dish, or steam some pumpkin to put in a salad, but not in large amounts. Although i say this, but really, i like raw, and will end up rarely doing this, but i feel better since ive given myself permission to do this.

I made a salad with tinned tuna last night, and felt no worse for it, was good to be able to have it and feel no guilt, and to be able to use mayonaisse with no guilt. Interestingly though today my vision hasnt been very good, it has seemed of late to be clearing up, but today seems super fuzzy. My vision is up and down, so could be coincidence, but i thought it was an interesting thing to note. I try not to wear my glasses too often, only for driving and watching tele, in the hope of improving my vision.

Been having a green smoothie every day now for a while, and its made me feel alot better. Really enjoying berry smoothies of late, last night made one really thick with frozen berries, like ice-cream, yum, real treat.

Have been indulging in lots of custard apples, which up until yesterday had never tried, now ive spent two days eating heaps of them.

Have bought some fuyu's today, again never tried them, so looking forward to trying them. Also bought a coconut, unfortunately its an old husky one, but thats what my fruit shop sells. Going to wait till the weekend and get hubby to open it for me, cant wait.

Well since my decision to allow some cooked food, i havent really done it, im still eating predominantly raw. I did eat a bite of a gluten free pizza base to try it a few nights ago (the bit with no meat or cheese on it). I did actually really enjoy that bite, seemed so wonderful in my mouth, but i quickly went back to my salad and was enjoying that again.

Strange thing today, having the last few days increasing cravings for coffee, and today it was intense, i cant really figure out why. I havent had a coffee in a real long time, and had really not been wanting it at all, so this was bizarre. But i decided well ill just have it and im glad i did, it got rid of the intense craving so i could move on, i didnt enjoy it all that much, it was just ok so it possibly proved that im not missing out by not having it. It gave me a caffeine high which im not used to, and frankly i didnt enjoy the feeling which took hours to wear off and when it did i was incredibly tired. So hopefully that killed my strange coffee need.

Made a tasty mexican thingy tonight (have to call it a thingy since i made it up), with soaked rice that i lightly pulsed in a food processor before soaking) with corn, capsicum, spanish onion, and a salsa i made with lime juice, a small slice of a jalapeno, and cherry tomatoes, little bit of olive oil, and let it sit all mixed up for a few hours. Warmed it for serving (i accidently let it get too hot, but it didnt cook, i dont have a dehydrator, so doing this in a pot on a stove is risky, so i only occasionally do this). Served it on a bed of greens with some guacamole (pureed avocado and juice of half a lime), yum.

Am feeling kinda lost of late. Feeling the need to change directions with work, i think its mostly because im so disallusioned with medicine, continuing to work amongst it feels empty. I really want to work in nutrition, ideally private practice specialising in chronic illness clients. Or, head into research within nursing. Either way studying right now seems to make sense, if nothing else to keep me active so i keep improving. Just wish there werent so many options of how to go about what i want. Too bad there isnt someone that could just say this is the way, i hate decisions, especially important life changing ones.

My raw journey seems to be an ongoing challenge, having to relearn how to eat (yes still learning), and tweaking things till i get it right.

My cooked temptations arent around much anymore, finding it really easy now to be around cooked food and have no desire for it, often i dont see it as food. Sometimes however i still want things, mainly if im chopping stuff up. Like a sneaked bit of cheese making hubby's lunch, or licking the mayonaisse off the knife. Its a habit really more than cravings i need to break, i otherwise dont want cooked at all.

Ive been considering cooking some rice up to make a rice salad. I wasnt overly impressed with soaked rice, it was ok, but kinda chewy. Considering, but still havent done it. Also been considering scrambled eggs for dinner with a salad, again considered, havent done it. Seems like when i think about what to do for dinner tonight cooked options still weight in, but i never seem to choose the cooked option. Its a positive thing that id rather the raw options, but still miles to go if cooked options are popping into my head when im planning.

Woke up real sick this morning, slept badly last night and thats likely the cause. But unsure, could have been a bit of detoxing too, have had some slight signs (a pimple, little bit of odour, that kind of thing, mild headaches that go away when i drink a heap of water). So had to start the day with a couple of cups of warm ginger tea, i thought to follow this up with an apple based green smoothie, thinking the apple would sit well, but nooooo, didnt, made me feel worse and tipped half out. So i made a honey banana and cinnamin smoothie which settled my tummy right down and i picked up. I actually felt good again by the arvo, so maybe was just detox.

Went and bought a few jumpers from the op shop today, so im armed now for my raw winter. Plus stocked up on a few bits of clothing (the lady seemed to think i spent heaps, but it was just the cost of one store bought item really, only 60bucks). It felt great to get some clothes, have lost more weight and i find it disheartening putting on clothes that hang on me, i feel better about myself and my progress when clothes fit and look good.

I was thinking alot on my reaction to the apple smoothie this morning, and then thought back of all the times id had an apple in a smoothie, and i always end up with gut pains, hmmm. Id previously thought it was the raw brocolli, but this one didnt have brocolli, so ive come to the conclusion its blended apple thats a problem. Its weird, because an apple as is is fine, i dont have apples often, not my fav of fruits, but from now on my odd occasion apple will be sliced up not blended.

So ive worked out two problem foods for me, blended apple, and pumpkin. So, both are easy enough to avoid, so no problem.

On the other side of things, the foods that make me feel really good are bananas (in any form and any amount), avocados, seaweed, blended greens. These seem to be my super foods, are what my body responds to really well. Sometimes a meal with seaweed i feel as if i can feel the nutrients soaking into my very cells (if thats possible, lol).

I know low fat is what should be done, but i seem to feel better eating fat, around 2 or 3 serves a day (half an avo, handful of nuts, bit of olive oil or ground flax is average), sometimes less, sometimes more, but seems essential for me. On really cold days i go crazy for fats, might be a bad thing to do, but seems to make me feel better, so for now, im going with it. I do know cold weather makes my fatigue worse, and fats seem to somehow counter that to a point (i still need to just keep warm, but it helps).

Tested raw goats milk today, had a whole glass (little glass, but thats still alot of dairy for me) and no allergic reaction! Was shocked, couldnt imagine doing that with pasteurised cows milk, id be drinking it waiting for the migraine, i was still expecting a migraine from the goats, but felt i had to test it. So im going to trial a litre a week for a little while, see how it goes. I did feel better after having it today, gave me some energy. Mainly im having it so i have a source of b12, im a little concerned about that little nutrient, the info on it and raw diets seems conflicting and confusing, i dont want to supplement, i want to only eat whole foods, so i went with the raw milk as an option. Ill see how it goes having it a few days in a row, if no reactions, well ill keep at it. Will also have to watch to see if my health improves or gets worse on it, that ultimately will determine if i continue it.

I ate some cooked food today, and ewwww, lol.

Had a family function, real big event, was feeling kind of rude not eating, plus i was so sick in the morning i didnt prepare any food so i decided to have some plain veges thinking it would make me feel better.

The veges tasted like canned peas and corn, ick, and the potatoes were salty, so i left most of it and settled for two potatoes. I really thought id enjoy eating cooked potato, but i didnt at all, it didnt feel nourishing, felt no satisfaction in eating it whatsoever, hmm maybe would have been ok if they were nice potatoes, but when i told hubby they were too salty he told me im too fussy and i noticed everyone else seemed to be enjoying them.

Woke up real sick today, as bad as i could possibly feel and had to be on a day there was a big event. I ended up sleeping in the spare bed and missed most of the party. Was so sick i just didnt eat for ages, had tea and water until the potatoes, and had a sleep. Had nasty pain after lunch, unsure if it was the potatoes or not, it felt more like my period was coming but it hasnt. Unsure if the goats milk is causing some inflamation, have been having pain on and off the last two days, not bad, but enough to bother me and worry me. Will have to see what my period is like when it comes and decide if the milk is worth it or not.

After i woke up today i had two mashed bananas, yum, and got some very strange looks and questions at the party eating that one, lol. Personally i enjoyed them much much more than lunch.

If today has proven anything its that raw is the way to go, didnt think i would be so dissapointed with cooked food on this rare bout with it.

I did find the smell of garlic bread tempting tonight when pizza was ordered, but i think its just because ive been so sick all day and havent eaten nearly enough. So i munched on a fresh orange and mandarin while the others ate pizza.

Hopefully will wake up better tomorrow, have movie plans with my mother and dont want to pike.

After that awful sunday, ive been reasonably well this week, been a bit off but still functioning, so sunday seems to have just been a random one off.

Well ive decided to go ahead and study nutrition, just need to get my application done now. I feel better now that ive made the decision, like my life has direction again.

I tested some cows milk yoghurt today, and no problems from it, so it seems my digestion has improved. I must say i did love having fruit and yoghurt with some ground flax today, was very satisfying and made me feel good. I know not strictly raw, but is defo living, and a favourite food of mine.

Was super hungry when i woke up today (well for me anyway, lol). Had a pear green smoothie, followed by a blended salad with last nights leftovers, followed by nuts and a warm carob drink. That was one after the other, and not something i normally do.

Ive done something ive been wanting to do for ages this week, i finally joined the local organic co-op, so now ill be getting my box once a week for $15, it means ill be buying some foods i dont normally eat, like potatoes, but i figure i can either cook them for hubby or share with my mother the things i dont eat. Also, have been considering eating the occasional meal with a few potatoes. Hopefully will save some money, in the least it will ensure some of my food is organic. I have stuff growing (mixture of greens) so thats all organic now, but havent been able to fit all my fruit into the budget organic. I bought some this week so i could get some dried fruit from an online delivery service, but dont do it all the time now. Unfortunately the reason i stopped buying online is again proven this week. Spent some online, but then spent the same i normally do at the grocery store and fruit shop. Grrr, live and learn i guess, still learning when it comes to shopping.

Was able to buy some walnuts in shells today at the fruit shop, am heaps excited to try them. Plus got a mixed bag in shells from a bargain bin. If there easy enough to open, might be the way to go in the future.

Yay! Got my box of organic co-op produce today. All looks fantastic, not alot of fruit though, which is a bit dissapointing, but all quality, and did get some nice greens that arent growing in my garden. Also picked up some delicious organic olives from the co-op, and damn they are good, dont know if i could go back to coles deli ones after them, fantastic!

Made a delicious greek salad for dinner with my olives, yum, without doubt a greek salad is still my favourite meal, no matter how good i make anything else, hard to beat the good old greek salad (minus the feta of course).

Have been craving some cooked foods of late, strong cravings, now normally my willpower is exceptional, but havent been able to fight it as well of late, so ive had some cooked eggs and some cheese lately, hasnt made me feel worse, made me feel better.

Been really sick again of late, i guess must be a heavy detox, but luckily seems to have passed, so yet again have survived another detox stage (ive had so many now, lol). Dont want to dwell on the woes of detox, so ill just talk bout today.

Felt great today, had real energy, and got quite a few jobs done around the house, on top of making my trip out to the co-op. Plus did some yoga today, and the stretches felt fantastic, really hit the mark with it. I did yoga yesterday even though i didnt feel well determined to get back into exercise, which i easily fall out of the habit of when i feel sick, so i did it feeling bad, just not for long, and wouldnt you know it, i started showing signs of improvement yesterday arvo. So new goal, stick with an exercise routine, yoga at least 4times a week (i wont aim higher, i am slack on weekends because im busier).

Im starting to become a little sensitive to sprayed foods, sensitive as in taste, and can sometimes taste residues in my food, ewww gross. Not sure if im imagining it, but the non-organic produce seems to leave me a little unsatisfied, yet i ate one organic apple tonight when i was starving after being out, and felt satisfied, hmmm. So im trying to buys more organic again, i figure with the co-op, and 30bucks on organic stuff from the online shop, i should be able to eat most of my food organic.

Have been falling behind on the forum of late, so ill just update here whats been happening.

My period was 2 weeks late, eeek!!! I freaked of course, thought i must be preggers, turns out im just late. Anyways, am surprised, wasnt expecting changes to my cycle so soon, thought it would be ages. Plus been doing things wrong still, am not 100%.

Anyways, period came, and its so light, have had very little pain. Day 1 i didnt have my normal wiped out feeling, in fact i felt good, had energy. Have been going fantastic overall, have had some days where ive had heaps of energy. Even went out for a friends birthday and danced! for hours!!!! Was crazy, and i was fine the next day.

Been craving some old favs lately, and well have been giving in. Been really wanting real coffee and cheese. So ive been having the odd black coffee, when ive had cheese, its a few small slices which ive also had with chopped up fruit or dried fruit, eating the fruit first. Ive been going with it, figuring my tastes will change eventually and i wont want it. The small indulgences dont seem to be causing any harm.

Been also having cooked eggs occasionally, again, i figure this craving will fade in time, i dont want to stress about my diet, so im just enjoying it when i have it. Ive made a point of when i have eggs not to just have eggs, but have it with sliced tomatoes, avo's, and some sliced fruit to the side. Yum.

Despite these cravings, and giving into them without guilt, ive also been eating alot more simply. Quite often just having fruit of maybe one or two types at a time. Fruit often being all i want. Im craving nuts less often now, which is great.

Me and hubby went for a drive, day trip on monday, and drove past orange farms, i was so excited seeing the orchards, i had to stop when i saw a stand selling some. They are soooooooo delicious, i bought a few bags and have been indulging in them. They taste incredible, have a real tang, are bursting with flavour, can tell they are fresh straight from the orchard.

I made a salad last week for a bbq that was really popular, had to give the recipe to a few people, gave it gladly. Was a beetroot salad.

It had grated beetroot, carrot, and apple, plus some soaked walnuts and sultanas. With a light dressing of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Was really good.

Ive been trying to find ways to use my pumpkin raw i got from the organic co-op, goes such a long way when its raw. Anyways made an unusual salad with it a few nights ago that got hubby approval, so must be good.

Made it with grated pumpkin, sliced banana, chopped macadamia nuts, roughly chopped dill and parsley, sultanas, and a dressing of orange juice and honey (can use agave).

Also made a delicious smoothie this morning with pumpkin, banana, and a little nutmeg. Was a revelation to realise that pumpkin is sweet, and goes hand in hand with other sweet stuff.

Been a bit tired this week, the weekend caught up with me (not that i care, so worth it). But nonetheless am still getting alot more done than normal, best of all, have been practicing my yoga every day, its really helped some body aches ive been getting, and pulled me out of my morning grogginess so i could get on with the day.

Ive heard that old problems can come to the surface when healing, but this one suprised me. Ive been getting toothaches where my wisdom teeth used to be, weird hey, like phantom pain. Just like it was before they were removed. Some simple mouthwashes with tea tree oil soothed it and its now settled. They were removed several years ago, so was a big shock.

Also my reflux has come back, was bad for a little while, but has settled down now. Ive solved it temporarily by sleeping with my head elevated, but its pretty much settled back down now.

Been so up and down of late, have had a bad run again, but mostly its because ive been overdoing it. June's been a busy month, alot on.

It took me 4 days to recover from a weekend at my sisters, but only 2 days to recover from a big football day which i thought would have been worse. The big football day i didnt handle at all, talk about overestimating what i can cope with, not really sure now what part of me ever thought id manage it ok, but lesson learnt, harsh reminder that even though ive made huge progress im still sick.

Ive applied for my postgrad course in nutriton, and now just have to play the waiting game to see if i get in. Really excited to be studying again, so fingers crossed.

Went for a walk today for the first time in ages, and crazily i wanted to run, which is bizarre because ive been pretty tired the last few days, but today i feel good again. Unfortunately the wrong shoes meant i couldnt run far, am going to have to look at finances, i think its time i bought some proper running shoes, might encourage me to attempt running sometimes. I used to run regularly as a teenager, so would be good to do again, but i used to live near the beach and could run there, but am thinking the odd drive out to the beach for a good run may be worth it if im having a real good day.

Apart from feeling good today, have been really feeling my limitations of late, i think ive had it in my head im better, because ive had a few fantastic days in the mix, but its been some harsh lessons to realise that those days are not yet the norm, but a treat. The treat days are inspiring, and make me feel like i can take on anything, so its a big comedown on the bad days to realise i cant do much at all.

Im still getting nothing from work, it looks as if ive been given one chance too many and have burnt that bridge, so have to start looking elsewhere, but am realising its still too soon to really be working, so im focusing on the fact that ill be studying (hopefully) soon and can get back to work later.

The cheese cravings i was having have dissapeared, but the coffee cravings have not, so ive purchased some good quality organic decaf so the coffee isnt so bad for me at least. On the plus side its helping me get off caffeine, as im going to tea less and less. I am concerned this addiction to hot drinks is slowing down my healing, but am trying to keep reminding myself its a small sin, and my body should be strong enough for it now. Still hopefully i can eventually deal with this addiction.

Im again trying to buy more organic, but budgets mean i usually only end up eating about 50%, but thats better than nothing i figure.

I ate some cooked pumpkin and sweet potato last night, mostly because i had alot sitting around and it was going to go bad, and the easiest way to use alot was to cook it. So i steamed it and put it in a salad, so it was still super healthy, just not all raw. I cant say i felt bad afterwards, in fact i felt fine, however i did have a strange feeling of imbalance that didnt go away till later when i had some raw seaweed. Had a strange craving for the laver i had in the cupboard that you can apparently eat as is, i ate 3 quarters of the bag, just munched away on it, and felt alot better after.

Definitely still on a high fruit diet, id say im at an average of about 15-20% fat, but am wanting nuts less and less. Often choosing a banana and some dried fruit over nuts to go with a cuppa, so am getting there. Really loving my greens, and dont feel quite right if i go a day without them, doesnt necessarily have to be a GS, but at least a very green salad.

I did what i consider a small shop at a fruit shop the other day, one id never been to, but i think its still a big shop by fruit shop standards, because the guy insisted on taking my stuff out to the car even after i assured him i didnt need help, and told me he likes to look after people like me because its clear i go out of my way to purchase from a fruit shop rather than the supermarkets, and how eventually all the small fruit shops would be gone if more people dont start doing what im doing. It almost made me feel guilty for purchasing organic stuff online and not giving more to the small businesses, until i realised they are all small businesses, even the online one. It gave me a nice warm feeling to know that my lifestyle change was helping so many. Its become a strange hobby of mine to 'check out' new fruit shops if im in the area, rather than just supporting one, ive noticed certain shops have better and cheaper of certain produce, it does mean not all my food is organic, but it is all at least quality.

Well peoples the good news is in! I got into my course! :yahh: So excited, cant wait to start.

To keep up the good news, i made an appearance at work, not just calling and am now getting some work again, just a little, but thats all i want. Have some work tomorrow arvo, my boss suggested some arvo medication runs, which was a great idea, so will be doing that on fridays.

So things looking up.

On the health front, needing heaps of sleep atm, needing at least 11 or 12 hours every night of very deep sleep. Im really enjoying such deep sleep, but not enjoying spending the day feeling half asleep from that. Guess i need it, so will take it as a good thing. I think its another detox (they just keep on coming), its frightening how many ive already been through and im still not healed, it scares me to think how sick i truly was to need this level of clean up.

Despite being sleepy and unwell, i have still been functioning, lately even though i feel sick and sluggish i can keep going and do more than i feel up to, this isnt how it used to be so its a good sign. Unfortunately it means im not exercising regularly, but atm exercise isnt making me feel better and is expending energy when i dont have alot, im doing it when i feel up to it, but its not often. Im not being too hard on myself though, i can feel i need to be resting, so thats what im doing, but still balancing that with trying to get some jobs done in life, seems important i do this. Am feeling a strong need to get back into life, so am working much harder than ive previously been to get basic jobs done, to start developing a routine. Its been good for me psychologically to be doing this, just have to be careful not to overdo it.

Onto food. On the coffee front, probs the worst thing i could have done was allow myself to have it again, its becoming habit to have coffee now, and im having regular coffee out, which makes me jittery and i feel its a hinderance to my health. Isnt soothing like tea is yet i keep doing it. Need to make more of an effort not to drink it, i think unfortunately it means i have to go back to tea as a staple, coffee is just too addictive for me.

Ive noticed that when i have more cooked i start getting cravings again. Doesnt take alot either, just a little steamed veg in a salad, so i think i need to stick to as close to 100% as possible. Ive also noticed my bad habits come back when im cold. Oh i feel cold, which in turn makes me feel sicker and nauseated. Solution? Dried fruit and nuts, coffee. I feel worse after i do it too, when im not cold i have sultanas or banana and herbal tea. Its something im aware of, but it still seems to happen to me too often.

Ive decided to stop going to the co-op, it means a waste of my membership, but the produce doesnt all lend itself easily to raw, and thats how i ended up with a little cooked. Id rather just have food i love in salads in the house. So i did a big shop today, not organic, but i feel happier with whats available to use. Ill still buy organic online, but im going to drop the co-op out of it, its too hard to budget anyway shopping from three diff sources.

Bought a big case of oranges from the shops too, wow! what a cheap way to buy them, am excited coz it means i can eat oranges and juice freely without restriction, i usually restrict my juice because otherwise i run out too fast. Theyre really nice ones too, super juicy and sweet, mouth waters just thinking bout them.

Also bought some big salad bowls from the shops ive had my eye on for a while. The perfect size for a big green salad. Will make it alot easier when i make greek salad (which i do most weeks, my fav), because i like to make a really big one, but on a plate its just overflowing and hard to eat, this will make it much easier.

Been drinking alot more GS of late, usually making a litre of it first thing, i suspect its why im detoxing again, it certainly seems to speed up healing when i do this, but usually i cant handle how much i detox, so its good its at a level i can handle it this time.

Ive got some chick peas sprouting atm, got plans to make a tabouli type salad with it, yum :mellow:

Enrolled into my subjects today, doing lifespan nutrition and obesity prevention first. Unfortunately my subjects will be out of order because the basic nutrition subject is only avail first semester, but i think ill be fine, i already have a very good understanding of nutrition anyway from my own self directed learning ive done in the past year or so.

Excited to start, already started brushing up on my biology, and tonight went on to the uni site to learn a bit about the learning platform ill be using. It seems pretty easy.

Onto raw. Mmmmm raw food, ive come to the realisation that this diet is no longer work at all, i dont even consider cooked options anymore. I crave raw things more than i crave cooked, and when i crave cooked its generally because i can see it, smell it, or im hearing about it not because ive thought it up myself.

The part thats work is eating whats best for my body, meaning eating what makes me feel better, and avoiding what leaves me bloated or feeling off. I seem to have more gas after eating sprouts, but i dont eat them often, so not a huge problem, and i like them in my diet. They dont make me feel unwell or anything, but defo something best kept as not every day.

Been going crazy for bananas lately, and now i am actually a little sick of them. Unbelievable that i could ever get sick of them, fav fruit for sure, but ive had my fill lol, and i think a little time away from them might do me good and get me eating more variety.

Been having a litre of GS most days lately, am wondering if its why ive been so sluggish of late. Its been a fair while since ive had a really good day, just average days or feeling a little off, hmmm. Hopefully just detox but am really sick of feeling off, would love one of those treat fantastic days.

That time of month again, always a good point way to measure how im going, and well it seems still going good. I was unwell yesterday on day 1, but still better than usual, not as good as last time but better than previous times before that. The unwell was pretty mild but, just felt a little under the weather and not able to do alot, the pain was mild if it was there at all. Interesting find but, whenever i had citrus what pain i had pretty much dissapeared, the vit c must have been working like a real good anti-inflammatory. Needless to say i ate alot of citrus yesterday, lol.

Again very light flow.

Im trying to keep my fat consumption down, its easier than i thought to minimise fats, or at least easier than its previously been. Alot of salads i thought needed olive oil to taste good dont seem to need that anymore. However i still like to munch on a handful of nuts often, im trying to keep eating nuts for later in the day though, so im less likely to be eating large fruit meals after. Im hoping this will reduce my bloating, im still getting bloated, but it is less than it was. Today i didnt eat my nuts till well after dinner, so nothings sitting on top of them, its the best ive done yet, and i had no overts the rest of the day. I think the nuts thing really comes down to wanting something crunchy more than being about the fats, i dont have a dehydrator so it is the only crispy thing i eat (i rarely soak them, dont enjoy them soaked when ive tried).

Im wondering lately if i should get a dehyrdator to expand my options, but i know it would be a waste of money, since anything complicated i make now doesnt digest well and hubby never likes stuff like that anyway. So i guess is probs best i dont have one, still the occasional nut meat balls does sound appealing, or making the odd batch of biscuits, but am probs best to make do for the rare times id want to do that, i could manage. I can dehydrate on my heater, but im lazy and rarely bother.

Have a big order of organic fruit coming tomorrow, including an organic pineapple, which ive never had before, and kale which ive also never tried. Also some more tamarillo's, man im going to be upset when the seasons over for them, probs one of my fav meals lately.

Thanks missgiggles

Yeah i do love a good cup of chicory and dandelion, just plain dandelion isnt as nice black, and thats how i have my coffee now (that was an unexpected taste change on raw, dont want the creamy milk taste any more, love it black!).

I buy it from the health food shop, yeah i should defo go to it more often that i go to the decaf, but ill be honest im lazy and the decaf is easy, not tea pots involved (yeah im a snob with tea, has to be tea pot), whereas decaf can be made instantly, plus so much easier for hubby when he makes it for me.

But i do need to have that more often, its a habit i know, the decaf is organic free trade water decaf, so is pretty good, but still going to be acid forming in my body, so not ideal.

I caved last night on my no caffeine run, they had chai at a restaurant i went too, and i just love a good chai, so i had it with some honey, mmmm, was yum too, but back to caffeine free today. Ive taken to having raspberry leaf and peppermint as a herbal choice, so im not having the decaf too often. The raspberry is a great just got up cuppa, love it first thing. Peppermint is great if i have it with a date before hand, the sweet taste washed down with peppermint is reminiscent of mint choccie biscuits.

Im going to break raw tonight, were having a fire drum in the back yard to get rid of some dodgy looking wood (we keep stores for camping/backyard firedrums), so it seems a good excuse to indulge, i love the smoky flavour, no potatoes in the house to tempt me, but i do have pumpkin so going to have a chunk cooked in foil with my salad, so its a minor cave.

Lucky really, been wanting pasta for some reason all day, old school cheesy and tomatoey, but fortunately this has distracted me having the fire and i dont want it now.

Had a delicious salad out last night, just a regular garden salad but i asked for some cashews with it, since i saw they used them in a moroccan chicken salad on the menu, was a really good salad, not too many onions like it normally is in salads out, not too much dressings, good mix, perfect, and best of all was massive so it really filled me up.

Doing much better now on the coffee and black tea front, am making myself the odd dandelion and chicory, having raspberry leaf, maybe another random herbal, and am going to the decaf less and less, which is great!

Ive stopped worrying about my fat consumption and am eating raw fats liberally now. Rather than eating an enormous amount of fruit in a day, im having a big fruit salad when i get up, munching on the odd piece during the day, and a little more after dinner, and having fatty snacks between, and am liberal with avo's and nuts in my salads.

I actually feel alot better for it, i thought high fruit was good, but it actually was making me feel worse the longer i did it, plus bloating was an endless problem, this way im very rarely bloated now, if at all.

This has also meant i dont need to purchase as much fruit and am able to keep a much higher percentage of my diet organic.

Im being a little less strict on the raw front too, allowing for healthy items like tempeh, miso, and some delicious rice and black sesame crackers i got at the health food shop, all of these foods make me feel good. Im also allowing myself to have eggs once a week with a salad, and the odd meal with grilled fish.

I feel much more relaxed now about my diet and am loving the food again. Also, ive stopped getting the cravings for pasta, breads, bad foods as often, on high fruit i was starting to want these things again and i couldnt figure out why.

I made a yummy snack yesterday, like chocolate only better :yahh:

It had coconut oil, grated coconut (i keep some pieces in the freezer, its an old coconut but), sultanas, honey, ground flax, and carob powder. It tastes sooooooooooooooooo good, i just cant stop eating it.

Made a salad last night that i loved, hubby hated. Hmmm, i cant figure him out sometimes, our tastes were never that different on cooked foods, yet on raw he has foods and combos he just wont touch yet i love them. Is wierd really. Kinda frustrating too, coz when that happens, he ends up having toasted sandwhiches for dinner or something less than ideal. Im getting better, this isnt happening as often as it was, but still frustrating.

My bad run seems to have ended, im able to do yoga again, and am starting to get a little more done. Most importantly got some focus back and am able to get through some readings im trying to get through before uni starts. Im a little freaked by the expectations of the course, but thats normal for me, lol, so now im doing extra stuff out of paranoia before the semester starts, haha.

Still on the decaf coffee, but am not too worried about it atm.

Im still enjoying my herbals, and find more often than not choose white or green tea over black, and am generally happy with a decaf if i really want a coffee.

Im sooooooooooooooo sick atm. Got a nasty tummy bug, its evil!

Can barely eat, so am on low fat like it or not right now. Have been surviving on fruit juice, fruit, and dried fruit (so hasnt been all bad :mellow:). Solid foods are tending to aggravate things, but every so often find myself hungry and am eating anyway. Juice has been a good solution, but i have little energy and its more work to make juice than to grab a piece of fruit.

Yesterday was very naughty, had 2 glasses of coke! Crazy really, dont go near the stuff anymore, but couldnt even stomach water yesterday, strangely coke went down. Needed water, needed sugar, so ill forgive myself for it.

Ive taken two doses of probiotics today, and the second dose seems to have helped, my stomach is strangely calm right now, and thanks to the probiotics have been able to eat some solid food.

On the raw front, im not sure how i feel about going for 100% anymore, it was always my ideal goal, but lately have been feeling happy at 90% - 95% and dont feel inclined to go further. Im no longer sure i want to give up my hot drinks, especially tea, i really enjoy them and want to keep them in my life.

I dont know that i ever want to feel so restricted that if i want brown rice with dinner, or some scrambled eggs i cant have them. I think ill always eats predominantly raw vegan, but not sure if i ever want to be raw vegan if that makes sense.

Lol, these truly are the ramblings of a sick person.

I had to call in sick obviously from work, they werent too impressed, my status as 'unreliable' has now gotten even worse. Kind of annoying, because this time it wasnt my chronic illness, just a standard run of the mill stomach bug. Im hoping once over the bug ill feel well again. Havent been good for the last few weeks, so the thought that maybe i was harbouring a bug is a positive one, coz it means it hasnt been my chronic fatigue getting worse.

Uni has started, and so far i love it. Its completely self directed which is fantastic, i just do my readings on my terms in my own time whenever it suits. Is perfect. All the stuff im learning is really interesting too.

Its been most interesting to discover that the healthy eating guidelines arent really against a raw diet at all. In fact they promote eating a good proportion of plant foods raw. The really interesting thing is that the recommendations are based not just on nutritional needs, but economic needs and social and psychological. So even though a raw diet might be optimal, its not economically possible for everyone to eat that way (is debatable, but point taken), and socially there needs to be room for less than healthy options (hmm, well, thats a changeable thing, but i accept we live in the real world, and not everyone is strong enough to face the challenges in making these changes). Vegan is defo not promoted, but in saying that there is a strong emphasis on a plant based diet.

The dairy stuff annoys me, but that isnt going to change in a hurry, many people truly believe that dairy is the best source of calcium.

Well, enough ramblings for today, might go and see if i can manage to focus on some study, not too worked up about it though, likely just end up watching mindless tv, lol, defo invented for people that are too sick for anything else.

Im really really sick again.

Ok so tummy bugs gone, but im not recovering, in fact i seem to be getting worse. Now that i think about it my health has deteriated significantly over the last few weeks.

Ill admit lately ive said to hell with food combining and low fat, but no i dont think this has made me feel worse, if anything my digestion is better when i dont worry about these things.

Also, added back in some cooked foods, not alot, just the occasional eggs, yoghurt and lately some roo steak (only twice but have really wanted it and havent had direct side effects). Thing is though my health was deteriorating before this.

I said to hell with food combining and low fat because doing that seemed to be making me worse, and i realised i was doing better before i started worrying.

I know the truth, im overdoing it, and my diet has nothing to do with my again failing health. So now begs the question, was the diet really what made me get better in the first place? I think yes, but clearly it worked because other factors were also ideal.

To add insult to injury ive also been really stressed with a few hiccups in hubby's health, so now doubt there are many factors. In a short period of time i went back to work, started uni, and hubby started getting frequent migraines.

The problem is now that im so sick again, sticking to raw has become really hard. I cant always make the food and its not as easy for hubby to prepare all raw meals. Telling him he can cook eggs and salad or steak and salad seems to be easier for him. Making green smoothies is out of the question atm, i often feel too nauseas and the thought of blended greens is more than i can take. Im still eating 90% raw, but i dont feel the diet is helping me anymore.

I dont think its the diets fault, maybe id be worse now if i wasnt eating so well.

The yoghurt thing, which im eating alot of is because of the tummy bug, my digestion is so terrible now that one thing that makes me feel really good is yoghurt. Its high quality biodynamic plain yoghurt, but still probs having too much. The only comfort is it has 4 types of probiotics and does seem to be helping.

The eggs thing, again not having them alot, but are becoming a bit of a once every one or two weeks thing. I think in the case of eggs, they were an old favourite and it seems to be giving me a rare cooked treat that makes me happy. I dont blame the eggs.

The roo steak, hmm now this is a weird one, really craving it for a while, unsure why. So one night decided why not, ill have a small piece and see if i have pain. The whole reason i stopped eating it was because of pain, and well i didnt have it. Tonight was the second time ive eaten it, it didnt make me sick, i already was. Basically i was so tired i couldnt think, was incredibly frustrated and emotional. I think i rebelled, lol. Well, heres the oddity, this time i have had a little pain, very mild, but clearly a little discomfort in the uterus region. Hmmmm.

Im eating alot more organic now, so thats the one positive im doing.

I dont know where to go from here, but things are looking worse and worse for me. My sleep pattern is again well out of whack, my morning nausea is ridiculous again. Is the small amount of cooked causing problems? I dont think so but honestly i just dont know.

My first step is going to be to slow down, and face the reality i cant work much. Im going to take a few weeks off and re-evaluate. I dont want to drop uni as the thing to cut out, its going to help me long term be able to work from home even when im sick.

Well done and thanks to anyone still reading. Its a long rambling post but im just trying to nut things out and decide what i need to do from here.

Raw Food Forums

Go RAW! The Testimonial Section! => RAW Journals - Your RAW Experiences => Topic started by: kebbster on Sunday 02 March, 2008