A 30 day experiment: 30 days of a raw food diet

reply to post by StrangeBrew



Thanks so much for all the information....I really appreciate it!

I'm actually amazed that I'm feeling so well. I kept hearing stories about people who felt great at first then...SLAM....they hit the detox wall, and felt like a mac truck ran into them. I haven't hit that yet, and I'm hoping I won't.

Yesterday, I subsisted mostly on bananas and avacados and tomatoes. No kidding....I ate 2 bananas, 2 avocados, and 2 tomatoes. Plus, nuts...brazil nuts. Oh, and some more peanut butter on celery and apples.

Today was day 5, and I am so very proud of myself that I did not cheat on my "diet" today at work. Ok, well, I sort of cheated, but not with food, but rather with an coffee drink. For some reason I felt totally dead tired today around 10am (I wonder if THAT was the detox crisis people talk about??) and I was practically falling asleep at my computer. In the past, I would go to the vending machine for some soda or candy bar to pep me up with sugar, but today, I got an energized coffee drink (Starbucks double shot) that they have in the hospital cafeteria where I work.

Now, I know that's not much better than going to a vending machine...in fact, it might be worse, but at least it got rid of the cravings for the rest of the day at work.


So, today, this is what I've had so far:
-1 small glass organge juice
-2 bananas
-1 small nectarine
-1 bunch of grapes
-1/2 to 1 cup of raw sunflower seeds (didn't measure exactly)
-small salad with garbanzo beans on top and balsamic vinagarette dressing
-2 cups unsalted, unbuttered microwave popcorn


So, the two items today that I had that were NOT raw were the popcorn, and the Starbucks coffee drink. Oh, and I suppose the organge juice was not raw, because it was store bought, and probably made from concentrate....but I am slowly, but surely....learning.

Tonight, I'm going over to a friend's house for dinner, and I told her I'm on a raw food diet, so I said I'd bring over a huge salad, one of my favorites at the local pizza joint.

I realize I need many, many more veggies in my diet than I am currently getting, so starting tomorrow, I'm going to start making "green smoothies" so I can start getting my veggies. I can't imagine how blended veggies are going to taste, but I'll try it!

-N

oops, double post!

[edit on 25-6-2009 by nikiano]

Usually the unpleasant detox effects has to do with the bathroom area and how your digestive system feels during the transition.

The idea is that we basically force our digestive systems to re-learn how to use the majority of the foods in our stomach instead of the usual "fumble around in the muck" it's been doing for a long time. Rather than our stomach just passing the majority of it's "fake food" content to the large intestine (colon), it is dealing with new nutrients and enzymes that it's getting from the food for the first time in a long time. Our bodies have become accustomed (forced) into producing the vast majority of our enzymes (hence our pancreas being twice the size, per ratio, as any other animal on the planet) and therefore overworking ourselves, making our bodies run certain organs and glands into permanent overtime and taking a toll on us over the years.

Depending on how bad, (fake foodwise) we ate before, this detox process usually factors in accordingly. Some people may not experience much that way.


I want to make it clear, (as if it wasn't already) that I completely disagree with the diet Zosynspiracy posted in this thread. It's some type of early hunter/paleolithic diet full of raw animal protein. The fact remains that there are animal proteins and animal rendered fats which we cannot digest, cooked or raw. Since this is the case, it means we have to hope to "pass" whatever our bodies can't use. Inconveniently enough as it is for us, animal proteins can get stuck, remain snagged for some time to putrefy and rot, on it's exit journey. A feat impossible for raw vegetables.

Here's a recap of what I disagree with:

- Zosynspiracy
Anyone can lose weight eating like that. In fact that diet is not very healthy and over time will not build health and vitality. I'm a raw foodist ala Ajanous Vonderplanitz protocol i.e. mostly raw meat, raw fats, and raw dairy. V-8 is highly processed and pasteurized. There is nothing healthy about it. Peanut butter as well, although organic is a highly processed food. The key to eating raw is actually eating raw, enzymatic rich and bacteria rich food i.e. fermented dairy products and things like kombucha and kefir. Raw eggs and raw milk are two of the most potent and health building raw foods you can put into your body. If you are interested in truly eating raw and healthy drop me an U2U and I can give you some advice. Vegetarian raw food eating is i.e. veggies etc. is not truly health and vitality building way to eat "raw".

The only thing that I wouldn't argue with is the benefits of Kombucha and kefir (kefir being one of the "better" yogurts out there). Yogurt prices can climb sky high by the way as they advertise their "billions of live cultures". Raw food diets don't consist of yogurt. Since the body will be running optimally, the friendly flora in our stomach and digestive tracts is all we require, bacteria-wise. We use our own in otherwords.

Cow's milk, raw and especially pasteurized, is one of the most mucus forming foods available. It causes a defense response from the immune system creating mucus in our bodies. The reason is because cow's milk is not digested properly or completely under ANY circumstances. Our body creates it's own casein (milk has a high content of this protein) from the foods we eat. The casein in cow's milk is 300% more concentrated then a human's milk. Yet we are told (by the agricultural industry and their agents) to drink up, "It does a body good!" It doesn't. Raw cow's milk included.

The average American diet includes 100 - 130 grams of protein which is absolutely through the roof of what a healthy body requires. Most of that protein is animal protein. In no way shape or form are there nutrients we require that can only be found in certain animal meats and fats. This is a very important fact.

For the record, 15 - 30 grams of legume/nut protein, is more than enough for a body working properly. (That fact alone I would have never believed a couple years ago).

Flax oil and other oils derived from nuts are literally the most healthy fats available and provide EVERYTHING we require in that department.

In no way shape or form are there nutrients we require that can only be found in certain animal meats and fats. This is a very important fact. There's an extremely wide range of food choices that exist for raw food eaters and vegetarians. All nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. can be obtained through raw, non-animal based foods and when this is done the body can operate optimally with minimal effort and minimal caloric intake (the opposite of what we are made to believe).

We're taught calories mean food energy. Calories are energy alright, but it they're empty then for the most part they're useless. Welcome to the average North American kitchen.

The last quick thing I wanted to say was about the importance of enzymes. Some people say enzymes in raw foods are of minimal consequence because A) our bodies produce enzymes on demand already and B) most of the raw food enzymes are destroyed by the acid medium of the stomach. These are both very wrong opinions and really undermine how the body works efficiently. Enzymes are what make use of the vitamins, minerals and hormones, etc in our body. So without them, all of these would be useless to us. Raw food allows us to reduce the burden of enzyme creation to the level our bodies want to function at.

Applesandoranges posted a great suggestion from Victoria Boutenko (a raw food expert/chef) the green smoothie. Being able to use a blender (common in many homes) to make something like this is nice. Another option, which is more pricey but worth it, is a good vegetable juicer. Time and time again, "Champion" brand juicers comes back as being the best bang for your buck and is actually one of the higher end juicers available. When we can start reducing 6 carrots, 1 beet, and 1 cucumber into a quart of juice and have our body start digesting it within 10 mins, then we really start to feel live, food energy.

Well, today was day 5 on my raw food journey, and I am happy to say that the only "junk food" I had today was half a diet coke tonight at the movies.

I am actually finding that today was the first day that I didn't have massive cravings for something sweet. For the last 4 days, I haven't indulged in those cravings, but today, for the first day, the cravings were much, much, much less. I wasn't even tempted today. So, today is a really good day.

For breakfast, it was orange juice and a banana, my snack at work was grapes, lunch was a salad at work with hard boiled egg on the side (not raw, but within my 25% allotment), after work snack was roasted cashews (not raw, but within my 25% allotment) and my dinner was a salad. Then, I had a diet coke at the movies, which is not good, but still not much better than the junk food I usually indulge in when I go to the movies.

I'm finding that I'm not needing as much food. I think my body is realizing that I'm now eating more nutritious food, so my hunger level is decreasing. I once read a book that said once you go "raw" your body doesn't need as much calories to get nutrition, since you're not eating so many empty calories anymore. Must be right, because it's happening to me. (At least, that's what I think is happening.)

But what else could be happening is that maybe I'm realizing how much of an addiction that food (mostly sugar) was becoming for me, and now that I realize how addicted I was, I'm not eating as much now. (The first step, with any addiction, after all, is admitting you have a problem!)

Something new that I started to do today to keep myself motivate was that I took a permanent black marker, and in the palm of my hand, I wrote two numbers on top of each other. The top number is my weight now, the bottom number is the weight I want to get to. Whenever I would ask myself today: is this diet worth it.....all I had to do is look at my palm, look at the two numbers, mentally subtract the bottom from the top, and that was instant motivation!!

General feeling of well being: I feel good. (think "James Brown")

Ok, everyone....g'night. Tomorrow is weigh in day again! (Gulp!)






[edit on 26-6-2009 by nikiano]

reply to post by Zosynspiracy


Settle down.

Just because it's what you do, doesn't make it right for everybody, or right period. Anything organic that leaves a mammal body is rapidly decomposing creating millions of mycotoxins that bind to healthy cells, thus enveloping and eventually destroying them via decay. It's like that with anything from meat to eggs to milk. In fact, eggs produce more mycotoxins than beef, and even if you killed an animal and downed it's meat while it's heart was still beating, you would still be ingesting millions of mycotoxins that are the cause of "aging" or really... "ripening." The difference from raw vegan lifestyle and whatever you're doing, is that you're not ingesting several hundred million aging bacteria compared to that of the vegan counterpart, giving what is deemed by some "vitality." It's all preference, and it's all what works for the individual.

Coming from a vegan, absolutely full of himself...

Originally posted by StrangeBrew

Originally posted by Zosynspiracy
You should do some more research because you are f'ing clueless!

Raw milk is one of the most nutritious most health building foods you can put in your body. It's loaded with probiotic bacteria and healthy enzymes. To put it into the negative category shows your true ignorance on the subject and it's very annoying.

So to paint all "milk" products as negative without distinguishing between raw and pasteurized says to me you are clueless.

Where the hell are you buying raw milk? And by the way, the only animal's milk that ISN'T a burden on the human body is raw goat's milk. Raw cow's milk, as much as you'd like to believe it, doesn't help the human body - as our digestive tracks are not made to digest another species infant formula. This is despite what Cletus and his farm says. But thanks for chiming in.

This is right on, Strangebrew. A lot of people from I understand have an issue with ingesting all the chemicals that are used in dairy production, but even then our body isn't made to digest another species excretions. We can, because we're hundreds of thousands of years deep in survival evolution, but that doesn't mean that the majority of us aren't lactose-intolerant to another animal's milk. Weird how it's accepted as a staple food, even though the hype on animal derived calcium and vitamin D is weak at best, it does more harm than good, and is one of the largest environmental burdens in the world today.

America!

Day 6

Today is the beginning of day 6 on my raw food journey, and I must admit, I'm frustrated. I'm not losing any more weight. In fact, I am back up to 143.3 lbs. Grrrr!! I thought the pounds were supposed to just melt away with this type of diet!

Maybe my body is still in shock and holding onto the fat with all it's might. Of course, it's also the time of the month where I usually gain a few pounds of water weight, if you get my meaning...so maybe I'm just retaining water. Grrr...still very frustrating.

For those of you who have done this before me, how long did it take for you to begin losing weight when you started eating "raw"?

Well, even if I'm not losing weight, I'm not going to quit, because this is a 30 day experiment, and 6 days really isn't enough to see if something works....and honestly, I must admit that I'm a very impatient person.

I'm probably eating too many nuts and fruits, and not enough veggies. So, now that I'm getting over my junk food addiction, it's time to start eating the RIGHT kinds of raw food. Tonight, after work I'll go to the grocery store and stock up on veggies to make green smoothies.

Blech...honestly, green smoothies sound terrible!! But, if I'm going to do the raw food diet, I might as well do it correctly.



[edit on 26-6-2009 by nikiano]

I heard that broccoli is really good for you when raw, even better than when cooked.
I believe that it also gives off a lot of energy, I always have broccoli with my dinner and I train relatively hard.

Hope it works out for you.

I would really appreciate if you could create a massive header (using the SIZE) drop down to state the day like:

Day One

This way I can wade through the responses (no offense to people) and focus on the results

reply to post by nikiano


Interesting lil experiment you have going!

I'm just wondering if you'll be excersising throughout all this? Do you go to the gym or regular walks or anything?

I'm actually on the opposite side of things to you. I need to find ways to GAIN weight. According to my BMI I am a few points into the "underweight" category. I just can't seem to get above 60kilos no matter what I try!

But yes, I wish you luck in your experiment

reply to post by nikiano


Both nuts and peanut butter are fatty!

Skip them if you want to lose weight!?

reply to post by nikiano


This is a "single bullet" cure for weight loss over time, it's not meant to be a quick fix. I've always flucuated in my weight until veganism and now my body has found it's natural carrying weight, which is 15 pounds less than when I was vegetarian. I hope you're not treating this whole thing like a fad, or you will be sorrily disappointed. You also need to open your horizons and discover the whole "spectrum" of raw food eating. We're talking salad dressings, zuccini pastas, cashew cheesecakes.

And do not take nuts out of your diet like suggested above. Make sure you're eating a lot of almonds through out your day. You should be focusing on a lot of seeds, too. Always make sure you buy as much organic produce as you can, because the nutrient value isn't compromised by poor traditional growing methods.

You also can't live a sedative lifestyle. This is more than eating. Your body will shed weight when you start living closer to the way our bodies intended. Make sure you're walking or running plenty, and the most important key is water! Stay hydrated, especially before and after meals so your body has a chance to flush all those nutrients to the right spot.

I know we're used to things "NOW!" but with this it just isn't the case. Give this the full 30 days and I promise you'll be as thin as you can remember. I went completely raw for a few months following a 14 day fast and I was more lean than I had ever been in my entire life. The results were more like what all those lame exersize and diet commercials promised than anything I ever expected just by cutting out all dairy and being a "deliberate eater."

This isn't easy at first at all. It's like a little cultural revolution and will take some time getting used to. But know that if you take it seriously and really learn what makes your body tick and what works against it, getting to a point where you can "eat dliberately" to supplement those strengths and weaknessess, you'll never feel better.

Don't be discouraged, start getting creative.

I think its great your giving raw food a try but heres some tips to help u make it work over the long run

-Balance! You need a good balance of fruits, greens and nuts/seeds
-Avoid hybridized fruit, this includes any fruit without seeds, bananas, pineapple and most date varietys. These fruis contain excess sugars and can cause the body to leach nutrients
-Don't overeat, less is more
-Don't buy bulk bin raw nuts! these are not raw 80% of the time, the cashews and almonds are never raw in the bulk bins(even tho they say they are). Stick to brands like nativa and david wolfes brand
-nama shoyu, apple cider vinegar and fermented foods(imo) are poison for your body, don't let any rawtards tell u otherwise(especially about the first 2)

Also in regards to the poster advocating raw milk, its fine in small quantitys as a little treat every once in awhile(i would never drink it ) but its very mucus forming and can create alot of problems over time if u over indulge . Anyways have fun with the diet, your gonna love it!

[edit on 26-6-2009 by Rawhemp]

Day six continued:

Well, today was a terrible day for my diet. I totally blew it....but, I'm going to have to use the excuse of "it's that time of the month." Because honestly, it's not just an excuse!! I SERIOUSLY needed some chocolate today, and I needed it bad. This is terrible, but tonight's dinner was a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. (I know..bad Niki. Bad, bad Niki.)

Anyway.....

Score: Niki - 5, Dairy Queen - 1.

Oh, well, nobody's perfect. All I can hope for is that this little slip-up will only happen once a month. After all, it IS an experiment, after all. So, I'm finding out that I, too, am flesh and blood and require chocolate, at times, too.

My plans are to go back on my raw-food diet tomorrow. (I hope.)

Okay, so you took a step back... it's okay. No need to over react or quit.

Drink a lot of water and then start again tomorrow... You have a ton of support here!

reply to post by nikiano


I did the raw food diet, but just nuts and berries the food was already prepackage and ready to eat, it was very good actually.

But I had not clue that I was very sensitive to the nuts and berries in high quantities like I was eating them as the only source of food and protein for a month.

I end up with kidney stones (oxalate) due to the high concentration in berries and it was not pleasant the pain was incredible and it took two rounds of antibiotics to get rid of the infections

I still can eat berries and nuts but not as a sole source of food.

The diet overall was very good my hair and skin started to glow and look very healthy after the initial week of cravings I just could crave anything else but the raw food.

This diet is not for everybody so be very careful before you start any diet that is only base on certain foods.



[edit on 27-6-2009 by marg6043]

Originally posted by nikiano
Day 6

Today is the beginning of day 6 on my raw food journey, and I must admit, I'm frustrated. I'm not losing any more weight. In fact, I am back up to 143.3 lbs. Grrrr!! I thought the pounds were supposed to just melt away with this type of diet!

For those of you who have done this before me, how long did it take for you to begin losing weight when you started eating "raw"?

This is terrible, but tonight's dinner was a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. (I know..bad Niki. Bad, bad Niki.)

I'm not quite sure I understand everything you're doing here...

reply to post by nikiano

This very good in some ways, but you need to try not give into your cravings.
The raw nuts are incomplete protein, the raw nuts alone will not substain you, though there might be some more exotic types of nuts that are complete.
The peanut butter contain Aflatoxin not real good, Smuckers is suppose to contain the least amount, of the popular brands.
I agree with the raw goats milk, but would try to keep away from animal products, it's also hard to come by fresh.

I myself am more in to the fruit, nuts, and seeds, and have lived for very long periods on just that for substanace, with no ill effects.
The only side effect I had was extrem good health, I could work someone half my age into the ground, but tried not to.
At resting my heart beat was in 50s, good health except for body parts that I have riped or torn.
I am not really a vegatable person, but will sometime consume at less a half pound of medjool dates in one sitting. Sugar good sugar.
I do like vegatabe juice, but in juice form, is more like a fruit.
Some stange things happen when you eat that way, was told is easies way to raise level of awareness.

I've gone 10 days with no food, you lose a lot of weight that way, I just need to lose about 220 now and I'll be all set, but that's how much I weight 220

sometimes you feel like a nut

Day 7

Oh, my god....my body feels like it's going to die today from eating that ice cream yesterday. Ugh.

In the past, that never would have bothered me. But after eating 5 days (mostly) raw, then having that terrible junk food, I feel like crap today. I have a headache, stomach cramps, and I just have basically NO energy. Blech...

Well, I have to work 10 hours today, so I'm going to stop off at the store and grab some organic juice, and just drink that all day today at work, to try to make up for yesterday....

Blechh....

Reply to post by nikiano

Just want say thank you for this thread. It has given me that foot in the bum I needed to change my eating habits. I am looking forward to the change I am about to undergo and wish you luck. Any suggestions on what fruits or veggies to eat or avoid or what combinations of either would be appreciated.


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reply to post by max.is.awake

To me it's all good,but if you have been eating normal diet, it could be shock to your system. All those years of eating crap food things tend to get clogged up, a radical change in diet can make these things start to move to much all at once.
They say don't mix fruit and veggies, but if I'm juicing I will juice what ever I have, usally apple as base, then any thing, carrots, pineapple, kale, what ever else I have, beets will flush liver. Parsley will flush kidneys, but it you have stones you might end up at hospital if one gets stuck.
Sometimes when I am jucing a friend will come over, they will want taste, at which they say how good it taste. I then inform them they can drink all they want, but it may cause them to barf, as it is to much of shock to person eating junk food. Most do not believe me till they are barfing.
When I first started I ate noting but apples, this was a mistake because it equals power washing your intestines, needless to say, but for several days all I did was lay on my side and fart, lucky I did not explode and no one was around at work.
Unless you want to feel full effects it is better to start off slow.
And some people think you would have diarear maybe at first a little, but I could eat 5 pounds of prunes now and everything would come out fine.
Oh yea, I wash and or peal everything, you don't want to get sick while getting better from those pesticides, organic cost to much for me. You can use veggie wash, or like a couple drops of that peppermint oil soap, one other thing yogurt will kill sam and illa , e-coli in a matter of seconds.

Don't forget machine's need oil, you need oil for your body to process this stuff, cold pressed olive oil is best, a couple shots aday is good. Some may worry about calories, just eat less, instead of ten bannanas only have nine.

The part in Bible, where said only eat food with seeds, being pratical if eat food without seeds, at some point you will not have food. Old Days

Another side effect is you feel so clean, fresh and fruitie, not like two big whoppers a fry, some onion rings, a shake. better get some pepto.

[edit on 27-6-2009 by googolplex]