Some newbie questions

[CaptainSwab]

I've been reading this board for awhile now and have Alissa's book and everything. I posted in another thread that I eat a raw breakfast and lunch but am eating cooked dinners. I have some questions about a few things though and hope you guys can help me out.

First, sometimes I feel that when I eat too much fruit I get a big bloated feeling. I feel like if I put another piece of fruit or another veggie in my body, my stomach will burst, but I dont' feel full. What is this and does it go away after awhile?

Second, I have bathroom issues. I am a teacher and I go from 7-12 with no break at all. When I eat raw I always have to go in the middle of that time period but I don't really have the option of doing that. That has resulted in me eating some cooked foods in the mornings just to get around that issue. What would you do in this situation?

Raw nuts and raw chocolate stuff. Where do you find it? I dont have any health food stores within 30 miles of my house. Are these the only places to find stuff like that? For recipies that require that chocolate type stuff I have been using cocoa which I know isn't raw but I'd like to use the raw stuff if I can find it.

Thanks for reading! :)

[sport]

I am now at the stage where I can eat all fruit and feel full because my capacity to eat fruit has improved but that is something that I have developed over time. I can eat a large watermelon at one sitting.
In the beginning I felt that I needed different feels and textures in my mouth to be satisfied. Crackers and ice-cream are a help in producing these different feels but the need for them will diminish.
If you do not feel satisfied after a meal then try to eat some fruit before the meal and that will raise your sugar levels and satisfy you more.
Regarding the toilet issue.
Have you tried having a green smoothie first thing in the morning (even before you shower) and then you will need "to go" before you leave the house and you get it over with.
I buy my raw nuts and chocolate on line because I have more faith in a site that is specifically set up to supply raw foodists. Some of the stores do not even grasp the concept of what raw is.

[Shmoopie]

For raw cacao, just type cacao in the search box here: http://www.sunfood.com/cgi-bin/order/index.cgi

You can get nuts there and you can get them at nutsonline.com

The bathroom thing you mentioned is actually a good thing. I assume you're going more than once a day? That's great. Not real sure what you can do about the fact that you have a class to teach, but I would try talking to someone at work to get it worked out. Is your boss a woman? Is she someone you're comfortable talking to? If so, just tell her. If not, you could bring it up as a health issue. Say that at some point between 7-12p, you need to leave your room for a few minutes and that it's not something you can avoid. In truth, they have no choice but to accomodate you here, and it's not a lot to ask. It's just a matter of being willing to speak up, which I realize could be very uncomfortable in itself. I hope you get that situation worked out because it's a shame to have to put off such a necessary function by purposely clogging up your system, ya know? Good luck!

[michigan roman]

hi captian ,

alissa i think sells the cocoa nibs raw at her online store you can get to from icon on upper left corner of page .

raw nuts i buy in bulk from my local farmers market or produce store . i ask for prices on bulk amounts and they order them for me from suppliers .

on bathroom issues ive same problem and have changed my eating cycle to twice a day = noon til 3 , then 6 til 9 pm .

and the one thing that gives me alot of energy from small amount aten in the morning and that also doesnt upset stomach is trail mix . i have one of those plastic 'jars' peanuts are sold in full of homemade trail mix and when i get hungry at work i just 'drink' a mouthful of trail mix out of jar and the sugars from dry fruit combined with the fats / proteins from nuts and seeds become a good solid fuel that provides alot of energy from a very small amount .

ship ahoy matey ;) :)

[James Smith]

When I was just starting out on raw, I overdosed on bananas once, and was very bloated for a couple of days. My theory was that it has something to do with the type of fiber. There is water soluble fiber and water insoluble. Too much of one of these (I *think* the water soluble kind) can create bloat. So, my solution was simply to eat less bananas and more of other fruits. I still do eat a lot of bananas, but not as much in a single sitting as I did that time.

[CaptainSwab]

Thanks for the responses.

As for the work thing, my boss is a male.The other problem is that there are 35 teachers and we have a 2 stall bathroom for us. It is slightly embarassing to run to the bathroom right at lunch and releive myself if you know what I mean since we usually have a line out the door.

As for waking up in the morning, this may just be something I might have bite the bullet and do. I take my showers right before bed so in the mornings I usually roll out of bed, make my smoothie and salad for lunch, and am out the door 20 minutes later. Waking up earlier may just be something I have to do. I'm actually a runner anyways so this might actually help my workout schedule. Usually I come home and do my runs but changing to the mornings might help my bathroom issue.

I am adding mostly banana to my smoothies. This summer I tried smoothies with 3 bananas, 1 cup of strawberries, water, and 2 cups of lettuce so maybe I should just try another fruit?

I'll check out online stores for things like nuts and cacao. I wasn't sure if there was some store you go to to find these things.

Thanks for you help! :)

[sport]

I find that the rebounder brings on a bowel movement so if you need a little assistance then do some rebounding in the morning.