Is it dangerous to eat so little?

[Amberly]

When I first started eating raw I ate a TON of food. All day long I was eating. At one time I was eating 10 avocados ALONG WITH all the other regular stuff I was eating (3 or 4 bananas, 2 green smoothies, grapes, carrot juice, olive oil, 2 big salads). You may remember my concern about eating too much.

Now I am wondering if I'm eating too little. This week I've had:
tuesday: nothing
wednesday: half a watermelon (that may be alot)
thursday: 1 cup spinach, half a nectarine blended
friday: 1 cup mushrooms, 1 tsp Nama Shoyu
Saturday: 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1 tsp Nama Shoyu, 1 cup spinach, 1/2 nectarine

I'm not big on counting calories, but thursday was only 50 cals, friday 28, sat 67. That's no where close to the probably 2500 I was getting, more like 4000 when I was eating all those avocados.

Is this safe? I read that Victoria Boutenko's son sometimes gets by on 2 oranges when he goes snow boarding for the day, so maybe it is okay. ?

[vgloveforlife]

It is absolutely not okay to eat that little. Your body will develop defiencies very quickly.
Please eat more!

[Conscious Midwife]

I think our bodies are quite efficient when it comes to storage and alerting of its needs. A one week decrease in intake could be the bodies way of forcing a fast, and resting fro the surely taxing process of digestion and assimilation. Your body won't let you starve when food is readily available. Deficiencies possible, maybe over the long hall but not from a week or so of redirected intake. Just keep the variation going and enjoy the break in the grocery bill.

The first time I tried raw I went to the store like 3 times in 4 days, assorted nuts all kinds of greens plus avacado. Expensive! But worth it, after a few days my wants tappered, thank goodness 'casue I don't think I could afford to eat a pound of pecans daily :D , plus 5-6 avacados, and everything else.

Just my thoughts :)

[Lunar*Fey]

I don't believe that is healthy at all. Your body cannot possibly get all the nutrients it needs on so little. He may eat two oranges that day, but the next day he'll probably be hungrier and end up eating more than usual. Please try and look inside and see if there isn't something deeper that is causing you to eat so little. Like, before you were concerned about eating too much and maybe you scared yourself so much that you can no longer see what is a lot of food or a little. Strange thought, I know...but let your body be your judge (not your mind/eyes). Like when SOME people have eating disorders they'll eat a couple bites of something and think it is a LOT of food. I'm not saying that is what is happening to you its just, half a watermelon really isn't that much food at all.
Our bodies NEED food for fuel, that is how we survive and thrive. (along with adequate exercise, happiness, sunlight, etc.). People could not live a long and fulfilling like on ONLY exercise or only happiness, or only sunlight or only food or without one of these things...you know?

If you don't think you could possibly eat more, try making a green smoothie with lots of greens and fruit that you could drink throughout the day maybe? Or add more of your all time favorite raw food. Just some suggestions. I would say please try to eat more for your health and happiness...without enough calories our bodies start to shut down and our ability to function properly and truly be wonderful ourselves is lost. Believe me, I have been there, it may seem fine at first...but when your start actually forgetting what you liked to do and how to be yourself and such it is truly horrible and hard to recover from. Sorry if it seems as if I am being a bit over the top with this but I just want to be helpful.

love,
Lunar*Fey <3

edit:] although, if this is just a short term thing than I believe it is fine, as long as you are listening to your body and not your head if you know what I mean....if it is just for a week or so and does not become a habit than I believe it is perfectly fine, a message from your body!

[ljannise]

wow, you're really listening to your body, but I am s worried about you!!!

I am afraid when your body is over this rest, you wont understand the need for the lost nutrients it's not taking in now.

If I were you, I would force a balance. I've noticed a change in hormones can lower an appetite. When I make myself eat a little more, I feel so much better later for it.

[Lunar*Fey]

Thanks Ljannise, thats pretty much what I was trying to say! lol, I am just horrible at getting things across sometimes

[Sunshine9]

why are you eating so little? Are you busy? Are you not hungry, and are satisfied with just a small amount of food? Are you trying to lose a lot of weight? Where is your weight right now?

I think it is quite healthy to listen to your body and EVENTUALLY practice minimal eating. However, a cup of mushrooms and 1/2 a watermelon absolutely don't have the nutrients and minerals that you need. Deficiencies won't appear overnight, but they will show up. For a period of time I think this kind of eating is alright, but not in the long term.

[Up LEAP 100 Billion]

Talking of calories, how many are needed per day? Is it different when on a raw diet? I've seen 2000 calories as the standard before but now I keep saying 2500 calories cropping up..

[SNMB]

I'm wondering if you had to force yourself to eat this food. Like you really didn't feel like eating but felt like you should? In that case, I'd go all the way and do a juice or water fast, to give your body a rest like it seems to want.

[rawpriestess]

I feel listening to your body is the best, however, are you listening to your body? or are you listening to a belief that little food will make you thinner, prettier etc.?


Sometimes it is hard to listen to your body, instead of your thoughts.

Please understand that there was an entire week or two that I ate almost nothing but melon, honeydew melon, I was very ill and didn't feel well at all, but I only wanted a little melon each day, and a bit of water, I didn't do this on purpose It is all I could eat, and I slept all day and night, I figure it was detox, and when I was finally done, I felt really great.

I wish you health and healing and hope you find the perfect balance for your body.

[EmeraldGlow]

Hey Amberly,

How long have you been raw for? I ask you this because, your appetite will change over a period of time and you won't get as hungry as you used to. I don't know how long that period of time is because it's different for everyone!

Also, I've been sick all this week and all my body wanted was liquids, water, and green smooties watered down. But even when i drank those my body only wanted a little bit. I remember when I told myself i would just finish the glass (after the fact that my body said that was enough...I didn't listen) and my body made sure it didn't get to far down my throat... :o and that was a good enough "No More" for me!

If this is what your body has been telling you to do, then I suggest that you follow and continue to listen to it. If you try to force it into doing something that it doesn't want to do like eating more than it wants to, then your body will have some sort of reaction to it. Plus, when you are listen to your body you are also doing to best for you! Nothing that is good for your body is bad for you! What your body wants is what your body needs!

If it doesn't sound like your already listening to your body then try to listen to it and see how much, and what it does need (or doesn't) to be eating! Is there anything you are craving? I noticed that you ate mostly spinich, nectarine, nama shoyu, and mushrooms....maybe you could make some lettuce or collard wraps packed with all of that? Maybe a nama shoyu dipping sauce to go with it?

No matter what the situation, if you learn and start to listen to your body you will be able to get whatever nourishment you need! I wish you the best!

Love,
Di :D

P.S. Are you drinking plenty of water? Make sure you're getting alot of that!

[EmeraldGlow]

oh wow, I took a while typing that! I really like what RP and SNMB said.

Best Wishes!

[Amberly]

Thanks guys. I think it may be temporary. Maybe the heat. When I was younger I didn't eat much more than watermelon in the summer because I was in the heat riding horses all day.

I thought I may be calling for a fast, but what I really want in watermelon EVERYDAY. It's all I really want but I tried to eat something different and get some green in. I am drinking a TON of water too. Not trying to, but just wanting it.

I want a watermelon NOW.

Oh, about the change in hormones affecting your appetite: I just remembered I am switching BC methods. Maybe that's it!

[denisedeland]

I would keep an eye on the amount you are eating. I know I watch what I eat everyday. I had severe vitamins problems before starting raw. I hope that at my next blood draw my levels will be better.

Denise

[madmel]

Amberly,

I DO think you are eating too little, but I also believe you should listen to your body. Stuffing yourself and feeling bloated/unwell afterwards, wouldn't be a wise choise either. You said at the beginning of raw you used to eat tons of food, maybe now your body is simple adjusting and needs less after being overfed?

Keep watching yourself and check every couple of days how your intake is progressing. Keep us updated ;)

mel

[Tirza]

Besides the "thin and pretty" thing, we are now being told that fewer calories mean longer life. Is that what is motivating you? I have to remind myself that if I really want to buy that ideology, then those fewer calories had better be made to count for the best-balanced nutrition I can manage.

I also think that if you are not in some kind of denial and are aware and concerned about your real health, you will more than likely weather some fluctuations.

Just stay aware. We're not in this because it is the newest Hollywood fad or merely for surface results (I hope), but for the long-term benefits for our health. Which means we are doing this in an intelligent manner. With your questions, I feel confident that you are displaying the correct attitudes.

Keep us posted. I am sure many of us will benefit from your observations.

[lissomllama]

I have something similar very recently. I was fasting and have only been eating again for a few days and I just haven't been really hungry or felt like eating too much. Just some fruit here and there but today I craved some greens again and I think I'm starting to want more now so I think it was just a recover from fasting. I believe that if you truly aren't hungry and you don't physically feel like eating then it is no problem for the short term but if it is like this for a prolonged period of time, I would begin to worry. Bottom line though, if after a while of eating a certain way, you feel well and healthy, then you're probably fine. If you don't feel well, there are problems, obviously.

[Smiley24_7]

You knwo what I always feel like I have to eat mroe... liek Im not eating enough.. but Im never hungry.... I dont udnerstand it....

[levamssg]

Eat the watermelon. Drink the water. When your body wants something else, it will let you know the same way it is letting your know about watermelon and water now. As long as you are feeling good -- listen to your body and do what feels and tastes right. It has wisdom beyond what we can comprehend.

[rawnora]

Terry's comments are excellent. If eating lightly causes whatever is feared (deficiency, etc.), how on earth would fasting accomplish all that it does? The fact is that eating lightly is the second quickest way (besides fasting) to heal your body. The ONLY reason it is not adviseable for many transitioning raw fooders is because eating very little occasions symptoms that are mistaken for hunger. When people get desperate to stop the symptoms, they sometimes find that raw foods won't satisfy them and they go overboard and eat the wrong foods. In addition, the recommendation to eat very lightly does NOT apply to anorexics or recovering anorexics, because psychological issues prevent them from listening to their bodies if/when reserves are used up and true hunger strikes. For all others, eating lightly is a wonderful gift you can give to your body, and a way to accelerate your journey to optimal health.

Best regards,
Nora
www.RawSchool.com

[dreamrawalwz]

Sounds like a little phase of detox, especially since you've been craving watermelon. It has A LOT of water in it. Sounds like your body is really doing its best to cleanse itself, perhaps the kidneys more specifically? I say if you're feeling ok with it and continue to have energy just follow your instinct and waht your body wants.

[rawpriestess]

My hubby Dragggon is naturally thin, and I am not, LOL

He sometimes eats nothing for one or two days, I have noticed this, and used to think he wasn't feeling well, because to ME, not eating meant you had to be really ill.

but to HIM, it means he isn't hungry.

There is a difference in naturally thin people, and people, like myself, who have battled with our weight all our lives, natually thin people often don't eat all day, or even for a couple of days and don't take any notice of it, where people who have food issues, like myself, freak out if we don't eat or don't feel hungry.

One time, when I was dieting, (I was ALWAYS dieting), they had this process that we had to go through, that made us realize what true hunger was, we were not to eat for 3 days, at first, we all were starving the first few hours, LOL, how strange is that? Well, it wasn't strange to someone with an ED, but for us, we felt we were starving, we had to journal our thoughts, and mine were pretty intense, I remember doing some mailing and wanting to lick all the envelopes because they tasted sweet, and that was my only "food" besides the water.

Now, I've only fasted that one time, on purpose, and I hated it, but it did get me in touch with my body. I was really surprised how I was so much more hungry the first few hours, than on the third day, when I broke my fast, all I wanted was orange juice, I thought I would have wanted a steak, (I wasn't even vegetarian at the time)

Anyway, just to let you know, that naturally thin people think of food and eating in an entirely different way that people with food issues.

I don't know if this relates to you or not, just thorugh I'd toss it out there.

You see, I'm not a drinker, oh there was a time, in my late 20's and early 30's that I was dancing every night (I was a professional Belly Dancer for years) in the bars, so I'd let the customers buy me drinks, and I was drinking about 3 foo foo drinks each night, then we were very social, so I'd have drinks with friends, always those cute yummy ice cream drinks, but I really would have been happy without the booze, because I wanted the dairy.

I stopped without any issues, at all, but I don't have an alcohol challenge, I was given a bottle of Ameretto for my house warming, it sat on my bar for 10 years, I had someone stay at my house, when I was away, and they drank it in one weekend while I was gone, I didn't care, because I wasn't going to drink it, but it was strange to me that she drank it all in two days. Where I'd had it for 10 years and didn't even think about it.

So, she had some alcohol issues, I had food issues. this is what makes her want to drink, and me want to eat, and NOT drinking was weird to HER, and NOT eating was weird to me. LOL

just what we focus on, I suppose. So, I do my best to NOT focus on the food, or the amount of food, or lack there of, I just eat what I want, when I want, and some days, like yeterday I eat alot,and some days, I don't eat so much.

[SNMB]

My hubby Dragggon is naturally thin, and I am not, LOL

He sometimes eats nothing for one or two days, I have noticed this, and used to think he wasn't feeling well, because to ME, not eating meant you had to be really ill.

but to HIM, it means he isn't hungry.

There is a difference in naturally thin people, and people, like myself, who have battled with our weight all our lives, natually thin people often don't eat all day, or even for a couple of days and don't take any notice of it, where people who have food issues, like myself, freak out if we don't eat or don't feel hungry.

One time, when I was dieting, (I was ALWAYS dieting), they had this process that we had to go through, that made us realize what true hunger was, we were not to eat for 3 days, at first, we all were starving the first few hours, LOL, how strange is that? Well, it wasn't strange to someone with an ED, but for us, we felt we were starving, we had to journal our thoughts, and mine were pretty intense, I remember doing some mailing and wanting to lick all the envelopes because they tasted sweet, and that was my only "food" besides the water.

Now, I've only fasted that one time, on purpose, and I hated it, but it did get me in touch with my body. I was really surprised how I was so much more hungry the first few hours, than on the third day, when I broke my fast, all I wanted was orange juice, I thought I would have wanted a steak, (I wasn't even vegetarian at the time)

Anyway, just to let you know, that naturally thin people think of food and eating in an entirely different way that people with food issues.

I don't know if this relates to you or not, just thorugh I'd toss it out there.

You see, I'm not a drinker, oh there was a time, in my late 20's and early 30's that I was dancing every night (I was a professional Belly Dancer for years) in the bars, so I'd let the customers buy me drinks, and I was drinking about 3 foo foo drinks each night, then we were very social, so I'd have drinks with friends, always those cute yummy ice cream drinks, but I really would have been happy without the booze, because I wanted the dairy.

I stopped without any issues, at all, but I don't have an alcohol challenge, I was given a bottle of Ameretto for my house warming, it sat on my bar for 10 years, I had someone stay at my house, when I was away, and they drank it in one weekend while I was gone, I didn't care, because I wasn't going to drink it, but it was strange to me that she drank it all in two days. Where I'd had it for 10 years and didn't even think about it.

So, she had some alcohol issues, I had food issues. this is what makes her want to drink, and me want to eat, and NOT drinking was weird to HER, and NOT eating was weird to me. LOL

just what we focus on, I suppose. So, I do my best to NOT focus on the food, or the amount of food, or lack there of, I just eat what I want, when I want, and some days, like yeterday I eat alot,and some days, I don't eat so much.

Yes, exactly! It's sometimes easy for me to get frustrated with people who are so nonchalant about food. I'm getting better, but growing up, I always had thin friends who didn't care that much about food. Sometimes I'd go insane, not knowing where my next meal was coming from. And I was JUST thinking about this, walking home from work. I saw a woman who I know works in the deli of the corner grocery store right across the street from the bakery where I work (for some reason the bread doesn't tempt me as much) and she is quite thin. They make four soups a day, lots of pasta/potato salads, really good sushi, puddings, lasagne, cookies, etc. The thought of being around all that food is just overwhelming to me because I know I wouldn't be able to ignore it. She, on the other hand, seems to do just fine. I do get bothered by this but then I remember that I am not addicted to smoking and I have absolutely no desire to drink alcohol coffee or gamble compulsively or any number of other things people are addicted to. Food is my big battle but raw helps so much because I can eat as much as I want. It's still a struggle but I no longer think it's insurmountable.

[dreamrawalwz]

Good point RP. My (former) best friend is 5'7" at 110. She doesn't eat much volume wise at all. Maybe just breakfast and dinner and never finishes her plate. She's not trying to lose weight (afraid to gian, but that's another matter). She said sh'es always been like this and just isn't hungry. She spent a week on vacation with my family and in fact she said we're all obsessed with food lol. I wish I was like that...food just wasn't a big issue in my life and one day I'm sure it would be in the back of my mind...

[swingbolder]

There is a difference in naturally thin people, and people, like myself, who have battled with our weight all our lives, natually thin people often don't eat all day, or even for a couple of days and don't take any notice of it, where people who have food issues, like myself, freak out if we don't eat or don't feel hungry.

I agree with this. My father only eats one meal a day, never two meals. Sometimes he'll skip a whole day. He's always been thin and is extremely healthy, not taking any chronic meds and he is 70. My husband is the same way, one meal a day, sometimes none.

My own experience on raw is that I go through phases where I'm just not hungry either. I'll have a menu planned for the next couple of days, then find -- and am usually disappointed -- that I'm just not hungry enough to eat it all. Yet when I started eating raw food, I ate WAY MORE than I do now. I believe that as we go along the body gets more efficient at assimilating nutrients.

I wouldn't worry about it, just see how you feel.