EXTREME Diet Challenge anyone???

[swayzepetsitting]

Did I get your attention?

Hey guys! I haven't visited the forum much lately. I have been really busy with work and school. I have also been doing a lot of research on nutrition. As a result, I have decided to try a raw food diet for 30 days. There are many different versions of a raw food diet, but the one I want to adopt is a low-fat diet consisting of a large amount of fruits , a moderate amount of vegetables and a very small amount of fats (i.e. raw nuts and seeds, avocado). This will not be a 100% raw diet, as I will consume some steamed vegetables (I have not found convincing evidence that shows why eating vegetables such as corn, broccoli, edamame, and peas steamed/boiled is unhealthy) w/ a little bit of salt.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone wanted to join me for the 30 days. I know that this is pretty EXTREME and most people who consume a lot of animal products will not want to try this. Also, I recommend doing some research on the topic. There is more to it than just eating raw, such as food combining (which is really easy, but it has made a big difference in the way in which my body digests food). Anyway, I think it will be fun!

A little more info on what I would be eating throughout the day...I have concluded that I need between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. So, a day's worth of food would be:

Breakfast: 3-4 pieces/cups of fruit and a smoothie (2 bananas, 1 cup blueberries, 2 cups romaine lettuce)
Lunch: same as breakfast, with the addition of 2 ounces of nuts
Dinner: 5-6 pieces of fruit, a big salad, some steamed vegetables

I have chosen to stick to 3 meals a day, but you could easily choose 5-6 meals instead.

So, has anyone on the forum been considering doing this? If so, we could set up a Daily Check-In for 30 Days. I think this would make the 30 days a little easier, knowing that there was at least one other person suffering as much as you!}(

 

[DParker]

Hi!

I'm game! I'm already vegan and have discovered that my local organic grocer stocks a lot of raw-food friendly items (raw agave nectar, raw nut butters, raw seeds, nuts, legumes, cacao nibs, etc). I already incorporate a lot of raw foods into my diet as is, but I'd like to join you in the 30-day challenge.

This is a great way to focus on whole foods, too...even as a vegan, I tend to rely on a lot of prepackaged vegetarian foods, like gardenburgers and nutrition bars. I'd like to get away from that.

And you're right, there's no real reason not to steam your veggies. In fact, some foods, like spinach, actually become more nutrient-available with cooking.

What literature have you been exploring? I have "The Raw Foods Detox Diet" and "Raw Food Real World".

Dee

 

[swayzepetsitting]

Hi, Dee! I'm glad that you are on board. Hopefully some more people will decide to join as well. I was thinking of starting pretty soon, after Halloween of course. Maybe even the lst of November???

I also eat a lot of raw foods. For the past couple of weeks, I have been eating completely raw for breakfast and lunch, but then dinner is usually another story. I did do all raw for about 5 days, which was great. I only had one day of feeling bad (I had a headache the whole day). However, I was used to eating a good amount of fruits and a moderate amount of veggies before that. Anyway, I am really ready to do it or a good 30 days. We will see after that...

I have been a big fan of Dr. Fuhrman for about a year. He advocates a raw food diet, along w/ cooked veggies and grains. He also recommends a low-fat diet, which I think is very important, but often missed among many "raw foodies." I have also heard some good things about The Raw Foods Detox Diet, but I have not read it.

I have recently come across Douglas Graham's book The 80/10/10 Diet. It advocates a diet consisting of 80% carbs, 10% protein, and 10% fat, hence the title. This translates to 3 meals of fruit w/ a very big salad (1 head of lettuce for women) in the evening. Again, it's a very low amount of fat. I know he also focuses on food combining, like don't consume sugar and fat together, which I like. I have implemented this over the past couple of weeks and it's great! I no longer have tummy rumblings or gas!

Also, I did try a raw food diet based more on recipes designed to mimic cooked recipes, like lasagne, pizza, etc. I only did this for a couple of weeks because I felt sooooooo bad. I had no idea why until I calculated how much fat I was consuming...600-700 calories a day!!! It was way more than I was consuming before I switched. This realization was what really led me to search for a low-fat raw diet.

Anyway, I am really excited about the challenge!

Swayze

 

[Govtgirl]

>Breakfast: 3-4 pieces/cups of fruit and a smoothie (2 bananas,
>1 cup blueberries, 2 cups romaine lettuce)
>Lunch: same as breakfast, with the addition of 2 ounces of
>nuts
>Dinner: 5-6 pieces of fruit, a big salad, some steamed
>vegetables


The huge major thing I see (and I'm a vegetarian, have been for 30 years) is that you have hardly any protein at all in this. Your only protein source here are the nuts, and that only gives you about 12-15 grams total. You really truly need to have protein at every meal. All that fruit at once without any protein or fat will make your blood sugar go crazy, and not in a good way. If your only protein source is going to be nuts, I'd have at least an ounce at every meal, with the fruit.

Again, this is coming from a looooong term vegetarian. You've gotta get the protein in (I eat a lot of tofu products, beans, and milk)....and I haven't even gotten started on the lack of well-rounded vitamin sources with just fruit and nuts either! Just my opinion!

 

[DParker]

Hi again;

Govtgirl, I agree that more variety would probably be better; the raw meals that I usually assemble include some sprouted grains or legumes and raw nuts or nut butters...although the author of "Diet for a Small Planet", who advocated protein complementing ("completing" the "incomplete" proteins in some plant foods) has said that anyone eating enough vegetarian calories in sufficient variety probably deosn't need to be too neurotic about it. Of course, that doesn't address the particular needs of a raw diet.

There's a bread called "Manna Bread" (http://www.naturespath.com/products/breads) which, although not strictly speaking, raw, is pretty dang close. And it's delicious! It has about 4-5 ingredients.
Also, Ezekiel Bread is often included in raw foods diets. It earns points for being made with sprouted grains. Either of these topped with some raw peanut butter offers some of the 9 essential aminos that complete our proteins.

Health-food stores frequently offer sprouted grains and legumes that can be ground into meal and "cooked" (below 115 degrees, or dehydrated, if you have the tools) into bread. Sprouted, raw chickpeas make delicious hummus (with raw tahini, lemon juice, garlic and parsley). Or, they can just be included in your salad, with some almonds and sunflower seeds, pepitas, or whatever and voila...complete protein.

Anyway...yes, November 1st works for me! For those of you thinking we all sound totally crazy, you should try it! You'll learn a lot and feel fantastic. It's actually much easier than you think. And my Chinese grandmother always said that every new food you try adds three years to your life!

Dee

 

[swayzepetsitting]

There is a lot of different information out there regarding the raw food , and nutrition in general. That's why I like to experiment myself when trying new diets. So far, I have learned that meat, dairy, cheese, pretty much anything from animals, makes me achy and makes my skin break out. I also know that eating grains, even in small quantities, gives me gas and makes me tired (which is unfortunate because I love grains). While 30 days is not a long time, I have done it with other experiments (like no more TV) w/ great results. Even in the past couple of weeks of eating raw for the 1st 2 meals and about 3/4 raw for the 3rd I have seen major improvements (i.e. no more naps in the afternoon, loss of extra weight, much better digestion, better workouts, and overall better mood).

As far as protein, it is definitely a lot less protein than most people eat. Again there are many different view points on this. Protein does exist in vegetables and even in fruits. However, it is much harder to eat these foods in large amounts, unlike meat and beans which are much easier to consume. That's why I like eating smoothies w/ greens and blended salads, easy to eat!. Anyway, it's only for 30 days. I'm not someone to follow what some "doctor" or nutritionist says. I would rather try it for myself.

 

[swayzepetsitting]

Awesome, Dee! I will begin the thread on the Check-In Forum tomorrow morning, starting off with the stipulations for my version of the experiment. Any thought on a title for the group???

Maybe we will see some more people join by the end of the day

 

[DParker]

Hmmm... title for the group..."30-Day Raw Food Challenge"? "Raw for 30"? "A Month of Living Raw"?

I also wanted to share some good on-line resources; you may have run across these already, but just in case:

http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forum.php

This is the link for the Raw Freedom Community, lots of good recipes there...

http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/

Also has some great ideas, and a very informative FAQ section.

I'm so glad you posted this idea. Yes, I also hope some of the others will hop on the bandwagon!

Dee

 

[kathryn]

Some observations:

>I have recently come across Douglas Graham's book The 80/10/10
>Diet. It advocates a diet consisting of 80% carbs, 10%
>protein, and 10% fat, hence the title.

I've done quite a bit of reading on raw foods diets (including Graham's book), and Graham's diet is very controversial, even within the raw food community. Most think that while it may work for him, it's far to heavy in fruit sugars and lacking in balance to be a healthy long-term diet for most people. Though a lot of raw-food diets go another way, and are, IMO too high in fat from nuts and avocados.

Joel Fuhrman does does recommend eating a lot of raw foods, but doesn't advocate a raw-food diet: When asked the question directly, he is actually against a completely raw diet. (I think a 'high raw' diet like this--though he doesn't refer to his diet recommendations as 'high raw' is probably best in the long run).

I haven't read anything to lead me to believe that 'a lot of raw fooders' eat Ezekial bread, and I'd be interested to know where that impression comes from. In fact, raw fooders don't eat bread, except for specially made bread from raw sprouted grains that's been dehydrated rather than cooked.

Just a heads up: Fall/Winter is maybe the hardest time of the year to go raw, both from the availability of fresh produce, and the fact that often you may feel a bit colder than usual when eating raw foods (some raw fooders eat 'warmed' foods when the weather is cooler: heated in a dehydrator set at no higher than 105-degrees, or warmed on the stove just to the point where it feels warm to the touch).

Some good raw-food resources:
www.alissacohen.com (she has both a book and DVD: though she's really into the more 'processed' raw foods, and does lots of dehydrating and uses lot of nuts. And I saw her recently on the Tyra show, and she doesn't look very healthy to me: rather strangely puffy in the face--different from when the book/DVD came out).

I really like the recipes in "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people." It doesn't use a dehydrator, mostly just quickly prepared foods (I particularly like the Garden Wraps with chard leaves), and not so much of an emphasis on nuts and grains like some books (I personally concur with Steve Meyerowicz (sp?) the "Sproutman," that raw sprouted grains and sprouted legumes are best to keep to a minimum, as they are hard to digest).

Another yummy recipe book (this one with more prep) is "Raw Food, Real World" which contains recipes for the yummy macaroons that the autor sells at her site www.oneluckyduck.com . (I made two batches once: one chocolate, one vanilla, and took some of them to work. They disappeared lickity split!).

http://raw-foods.com/ is another site that has books and material


Definitely try some raw nut milks (soak raw nuts overnight, then drain, blend with water and strain. Almond is good (though there are really no 'raw' almonds available in the US anymore---they have to be 'fumigated'---with some nasty toxic stuff if not organic, and steamed if organic. www.livingtreecommunity.com has info on this, as well as some pre-fumigation, actually raw almonds). Also good is macademia. I haven't tried it yet, but brazil-nut milk would be a good source of selenium. You can also make nut milks by blending a tablespoon or so of raw nut butter with some water in a blender cup.

Enjoy your 30 days of raw! If it were summer, I'd join you! (I do think doing the raw thing for a while is a good way to get back into eating more raw foods--I try to have something raw with every meal and snack, and when I feel that I'm getting into too many cooked foods, I like to step back and go raw for a while, then get back into eating more raw and less cooked. I do think that a high raw diet (80% or more raw) is an excellent idea, and allows for a certain amount of grains and legumes--which I think should be cooked---in the diet for protein.

 

[DParker]

"I haven't read anything to lead me to believe that 'a lot of raw fooders' eat Ezekial bread, and I'd be interested to know where that impression comes from. In fact, raw fooders don't eat bread, except for specially made bread from raw sprouted grains that's been dehydrated rather than cooked."

You're absolutely correct that Ezekiel Bread isn't raw; but I know a number of people who eat 70-80% raw and include Ezekiel in that other 20-30%. You're absolutely right that anyone eating only raw foods wouldn't eat Ezekiel bread...because it's cooked.

Both Manna bread and Ezekiel bread are widely considered "transitional" foods on raw foods diets. I'm pretty sure both are mentioned in "Raw Foods Detox Diet". Sorry if I was unclear earlier.

Dee

 

[swayzepetsitting]

I ate Ezekiel Bread for a while and really liked it. I ate it toasted w/ guacemole and romaine lettuce. Delicious, but made me sleepy

Anyway, looks like it's just you and me, Dee. I will post early tomorrow. I also decided to start a raw food blog, Raw Food and Me. I will be posting there frequently. Check it out!

rawfoodandme.blogspot.com