[Leeroi]

I was a raw-food vegan for a while and I understood what the hype was all about. My whole body felt great, much noticeably my skin and weightloss. Except it was rather expensive to keep up with so I had to turn back to eating cooked foods, but still vegan. My skin didn't become bad or anything, it just didn't have the same glow to it as when I was a raw foodie.

[JenD]

Front Page on tFS today: 10 Beauty-boosting Foods You Should Be Eating (including several raw food options)

[Neely]

^Great article JenD, larabars.
I'm trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet and I found the raw vegan recipes by Jonsi and Alex to be extremely easy and tasty. I already posted the link the vegan/vegetarian thread, but here seems more appropriate. Here is the website of their videos such as their nammi nammi recipe (nutty coconut ball), so yummy it satified my sweet tooth and it was a cinch to make

[Georgi]

I try to eat raw as much as possible. Just seeing how my skin improves with it makes it a reinforcement to go to the trouble to plan ahead for it. Sushi and tabouli and pickled herring are easy to fix/find and work into my schedule.

Carol Alt has a great website explaining the principles and giving recipes.

[Fabulyss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leeroi I was a raw-food vegan for a while and I understood what the hype was all about. My whole body felt great, much noticeably my skin and weightloss. Except it was rather expensive to keep up with so I had to turn back to eating cooked foods, but still vegan. My skin didn't become bad or anything, it just didn't have the same glow to it as when I was a raw foodie.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm trying to gradually go 90% raw myself. I'm wondering what makes it so expensive though? Are you referring to the necessary kitchen appliances? The supplements? The abundance of fresh fruit & veg (I would have thought this would make it cheaper)? Or are you referring to dining out at raw food restaurants?

[xFashionfollower]

So recently, say 4 weeks ago I decided to go raw, not completely yet but I was gradually making the change in my diet and life in general. I've always loved eating healthy and exercising immensely, feeling extremely fit, light and energetic and having an altogether improved mood and spirit when actively engaging in a healthy lifestyle.

However, the last 3 years I sort of went off track. I became part of the night crowd and spent a lot of time partying. I ate very irregularly and stopped exercising almost completely, except for dancing for a couple of hours in the weekends.

Strangely, this paired with a certain apathy that came over me and during this time I would rarely feel strong emotions. I stopped the extreme behavior since July last year though, only going to parties once every two weeks if not less and going straight home and to bed after, pretty normal I'd say.

Since I started eating raw a couple of weeks ago though I've started feeling really, really sad, lost my desire for social activities and generally have been feeling kind of.. Depressed almost? I also suddenly felt the need to eat processed foods again.

I'm really curious whether anyone here has tried the raw food "diet" and knows if this could be caused because eating processed foods can be used as a way to suppress emotions and by eliminating these foods i'm starting to feel the emotions that I've been suppressing all along? Is this a normal feeling when you're just making the switch?

I'd love to hear some stories by others who are familiar with this, but any help is appreciated.


Also, i'm not trying to lose weight by going raw, i'm trying to make a lifestyle change so this thread is not breaking any rules.

[strawberries]

I don't follow a strict raw food diet but I do know that processed foods often contain things to make people feel "addicted" to them.

Maybe you are having withdrawal like symptoms? If it gets worse I would see a doctor.

In the mean time, what about adding extra vitamin D, outdoor exercise and a small amount of dark chocolate?

[xFashionfollower]

I think it had to do with detoxing, it seems you're getting a mental detox as well as a physical detox.

It vanished after a few days and I feel as positive and happy as usual again.

[daniellat]

I found this recipe a few days ago and it looks really yummy..I'm curious about the cheez thing.



radicaleats.blogspot

[BonesAndOil]

^ That sounds incredible. I have always hated lasagna, even when I did eat cheese I couldn't stand the vegetarian baked ones. I must try this, seems pretty simple as well.

[Fabulyss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xFashionfollower Since I started eating raw a couple of weeks ago though I've started feeling really, really sad, lost my desire for social activities and generally have been feeling kind of.. Depressed almost? I also suddenly felt the need to eat processed foods again. [/SIZE]

First and foremost: make sure you're getting enough vitamins and minerals. Even though there are an abundance of Vitamins A, C, D, K, etc in many fruits and vegetables, B vitamins, Iron, and Protein are tricky to imbibe in substantial amounts from raw food alone. B vitamins are especially elusive; a good source is nutritional yeast flakes (though they don't naturally contain b vitamins, they are fortified).

Being a raw foodist can obviously effect your social life in terms of social drinking and eating, so that's understandable. Don't feel guilty about cheating every now and then - a lot of raw foodists actually advocate 80%-90% raw (100% is truly difficult to sustain and is arguably not a healthy ideal). Honestly, I think everyone's health would significantly improve if they just swapped one meal a day for a green smoothie. Do what you can and don't be too hard on yourself.

With regard for kicking your processed food addictions, I've heard that sugar addiction can take approximately 30 days to go away completely. I've also heard that sugar is just as addictive as heroin so expect it to be a rough 30 days. After that you should be feeling better, if not see your doctor!

On a side note, my favorite raw food recipes are from Mimi Kirk - her raw caesar salad is just as good if not better than the real thing!