Hey everyone, this is the first time I'm posting, though I've been following some of the discussions with interest. I've been eating nearly 100% for about three weeks now, and overall it hasn't really been that hard. The only problem I've had at times is getting enough calories in me, but I'm starting to get better at this.

But I'm about to run into a problem. But first, I should explain what made me want to eat raw in the first place. I was getting some pretty serious gum disease, to the point where I had constant headaches from the associated pain and I couldn't sleep at night. Some research on the internet convinced me that I could drastically improve this condition by eating raw foods. So I gave it a go. My gums are definitely a lot better, much less pain/headaches, however, I'm starting to develop cavities, probably from the crazy amount of fruit I'm eating. Again, I did lots of reading on the matter, and the advice that's there is to eat tons for green for dental health, and to eat ALL your fruits during one or two meals and brush/rinse you teeth afterwards. Now, that advice is all nice and well, but it brings me to the dilemma.

In about a day I'm leaving for work. I work as a treeplanter in Canada, and essentially the job involves 10 hours of continuous physical labour, four days in a row, with one day off afterwards, repeat this for four months.  People have compared it to running a marathon each day (though that's not exactly how I'd to describe it) but certainly energy expenditure is rather high. I don't exactly how many calories I consume in a day while working, but for sure more than 3000, possibly closer to 4000.  Now, it's obvious to me that there are hardcore raw athletes, and therefore it should be entirely possible to do this job on a raw diet, but my problem involves my teeth.  From what I've gathered, raw athletes tend to fuel themselves by eating an enormous amount of fruit, whether fresh or dried.  However, fruit seems to give me cavities. There's also no way I can limit my fruit take to one or two large meals per day... having done this job in the past tended to involve a sugary snack every hour, to keep energy levels up. And I definitely don't have the time to brush my teeth after every banana I consume!

So, I was wondering, if anyone had any ideas on how to work around this dilemma? I want to be able to get enough calories, keep my energy level up all day, and in addition not destroy my teeth. I'd really really appreciate any advice anyone can give.

Oh, and sorry this post is sooooo long!

I think David Wolfe talks about "wadging" greens in his Sunfood book - how apes fill their mouths with greens, partially chew them then wadge them in their cheeks, then chew them some more and so on.  From what I remember DW advocates this for tooth and gum health.  Perhaps you could take a supply of greens, something you like the taste of, and after having something sweet chew a mouthful, making sure all your tooth surfaces get a good "brushing".  If anyone has the book handy maybe they could check this?  (Unfortunately I'm at work - supposedly working!  )

A good way to get more greens in as well. 

i replied to this post in my thread above...