Should I fast?

[Seren]

Hey guys,

I know this fasting section of rft has a lot of information but there is so much Im finding it very hard to find what Im looking for!

Im 17 and I would like to go on a fast to readjust my sense of food, eg when Im really hungry, trying to get rid of some silly addictions(?) or cravings for heavy foods like rye bread or non-raw nut butters, and the arch-enemy of mine which is muesli!!

I would like to do a reasonably long fast, AT LEAST a week but preferably something like a month. Is there any reason I shouldnt? For example, am I too young? And also, is it too long for my first real fast? I went on a fast about a year ago but I didnt last past three days.

And final question, would I be better off doing a smoothie fast rather than a full on fast seeing as it is my first time? Id just like a bit of guidance please :o

Any thought on this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks in advance

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren, I personally would advocate the green smoothies which I have an enormous amount of praise for and were crucial in getting me off the dense SAD foods (especially cooked grains) I used to indulge in all that time ago. In my experience there nutritional completeness and fibre content (as opposed to juices) is the reason they are so sustaining and why 3 1-1.5l a day keeps me going very easily with no craving for food in between. I don't even consider them a fast as you are giving your body everything it needs and I've been living off them since December and felt at no time like stopping because they are giving me everything I need and they taste sooooo good. Also....very importantly being young...they allowed me to get the calories I needed without feeling I needed to burden my digestive system with large amounts of fodd all the time. They truely can work wonders and I've achieved a level of energy, radiance and just general wellness I never thought possible. The only word of caution is that you mention it's your first time and if you are coming off cooked food directly on to smoothies or any eating regime that gives your body a holiday from digestion and at the same time a large amount of nutrition you might get detox symptoms as recently Bampot experienced and I advised her personally on. This is just your body having the energy (as it isn't spending all its time digesting) cleaning out the SAD food that has accumulated in your body over the years. Now symptoms can very again enoromously but if you do experience problems this is likely the cause and take it as a good sign and, most importantly of all, persevere because...i can tell you now...it's worth it big time:)

I've written extensively on this topic after others sought help and please go to the following link http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=27646&highlight=mattm where I've described to Love Life what WORKS FOR ME with regards to smoothies and a very important philosothy of LISTENING TO YOUR BODY AND DOING WHAT WORKS FOR YOU which, in my opinion, has to be one of the biggest pieces of advice overlooked sometimes even on the healthiest of diets. Also with regards to this, if you ever want some words of inspiration, or just thoughts on a subject very important to me, you can read the following http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=28068&highlight=for+your+consideration

All the best and anymore questions...please write.

[Veganforlife]

mattm - I couldn't have said it better! For ME - green smoothies have been THE way to go! They are full of nutrition, filling, easy, transportable, tasty, miracle drinks.
Read Victoria Boutenko's book, "Green for Life", it explains GS's and how wondrous they are.
Again, in my opinion? They are easier on the system then fasting.

[Seren]

Wow, what an informative thread!! Thanks!

So from your post I think it sounds like a good idea to do a green smoothie 'fast' as I am not good at dealing with the feeling of hunger!! And the benefits sound worthwhile :p

Thankyou again :D

Love Seren x x x

[Seren]

Oh I just realised I have questions lol!

How much does it cost you per week to live off green smoothies? (I live in the UK too so it would be very helpful to know this!)

Did you find it hard at first to just have only green smoothies?

Thanks :D

Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren...I spend maybe £30-40, sometimes more on fruit and veg per week and I'm lucky as I have a local organics shop which delivers in bulk at a discounted rate straight from local farmers. The more middle men as it were you cut out of the loop when buying produce and the more you can buy in bulk the cheaper it will be (not to mention the environmental benefits). Raw is expensive don't get me wrong for MOST PEOPLE but FOR ME it isn't in the slightest as MOST PEOPLE don't prioritise their health as I do...for instance instead of buying a DVD I'll spend it on groceries and instead of going out partying every other night spending enormous amounts on alcohol and eating SAD food out, I'll buy groceries and so it goes on. For my lifestyle, raw is VERY CHEAP becuase even though I spend a lot on food I don't waste it all the other things most people do my age (indeed most ages!!) and that is why I've ended up with a lot more money at the end of the year than most my freinds will have at uni...as they say "it's all relative" and this includes expense.

As for the getting going with the smoothies...I got ill! I'll clarify this, one day I wasn't feeling too well and wasn't up to eating much so I wanted something easy on the stomach and, determined to stay raw, I begun having smoothies/soups. I absolutely loved them and because I'd been sick the temptation of other food wasn't there so I got into a habit of having smoothies. As a result, when I got better, as i said I had this habit and never wanted to stop with the smoothies as I found them so sustaining and beneficial. The blessing of illness I guess!!!

All the best.

[Seren]

Woa that is rather a lot of money on food! I shall have to think about what to do lol. As for getting sick - so long as its detox, I dont mind!!

Thanks again

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren, don't let the money put you off...most my friends spend much more than this per week at uni on all their food, alcohol, partying and finally materialistic stimulants (like someone I know who has just gone out and spent nearly £150 on a mobile phone!) which I'm continually needing less of since going 100% raw and finding myself much more easily contented with very simple pleasures. Also, in some ways, I don't think we spend enough money on food because we just don't prioritise it as we should but you can certainly spend much less than me if you want and still be raw. For instance, you don't have to neccessarily buy all organic like I do and there are certain fruits (especially ones with thick skin) and veg which are far better in terms of chemicals, pesicides etc. than others.

All the best

[Seren]

Thanks, thats great news! I still live with my parents (Im still in college) so I could get them to pay for some! :p And not buying all organic either is a good idea.

So do you only have three green smoothies a day? Do you snack on other food? (Raw of course)

I also wanted to check out if the smoothies Im making are suitable lol:

I made a smoothie yesterday with a large banana, about 6 large leafy greens leaves (I think they are the leaves that they call collard leaves in America - I found them in Tesco!!) some strawberries and some cucumber and water..

And I made one today with about 5-6 collard leaves, a large mango and half an apple, about 2 inches of cucumber and water.

Is that sounding good? lol!! Im so new to this!

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren,

Yes I have 3 green smoothies/soups a day that are about 1-1.5l each and I don't snack in between becuase I feel soooooo satisified by the smoothies and that's the beauty of them. As for the smoothies your making...well they sound superb but as for... are they alright? Well, firstly, do they taste good...health shouldn't just be for health's sake, it should taste good as well and that is very important to long-term success. Secondly, do they satisify you i.e. do you feel sustained by them...if your still feeling hungry PLEASE don't starve yourself...either make more of the smoothie, add more dense foods calorie wise (e.g. bananas, dried fruit) or try adding fat to give them a more complete nutritional profile. Thirdly...how does your body react to them, remebering to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY as you consume these smoothies will enable you to adjust the carbohydrate (fruit) to protein (green leafies) to fat (oil, avocados etc) ratio until it's optimised FOR YOU at which point really quite incredible transformations are possible.

Anyway, you are making superb progress and keep writing...remember the key thing at the start is to make sure your just enjoying yourself with the smoothies, not getting stressed out about anything and taking all of this stuff which is very new at a pace which suits you. By the way, gotta love the Da Vinci quote and I can tell you now...this diet, the tranformation it'll bring you will make you yet another living proof to the truthfullness of these words!!!

All the best.

[RAWCA]

Hi guys,
Has GS cleared up skin issues for anyone?
Particular combinations which I should try that would help with that?

I have heard soooo many things abt GS that I have to give it a try
Will a blender work or do i need special equipment?

thanks

[Seren]

Wow you are so inspiring!!

Im starting my green smoothie week-long fast tomorrow, and I can't wait! I mean, just now in work, (yeah I work very late!) I was actually craving a green smoothie, when usually I am craving bread and pasta and all that. Ive only had two green smoothies in the last couple of days, I wanted to get used to the concept before jumping in head first.

But yeah, I can see my body must love the smoothies!! Im really excited to see how my body reacts to the green smoothies in the following week. :D

Oh, yeah the smoothies did taste good by the way :p lol

I'll keep you posted!!

Love Seren x x x

[Seren]

Hey Rawca!

Yeah Im pretty sure Ive read about loads of people on here talking about how good the green smoothies have made their skin!

A blender will do fine!

Theres actually a green smoothie fast going on this forum if you want to join and see how the green smoothies do for you in a week?

Ive heard papaya is good for skin if you want to try adding that to your smoothies :)

Good luck!

Love Seren x x x

[Seren]

Oh matt, I have another question, LOL

I have raw nori sheets in my house which I bought a while ago but I despise the taste. I know seaweed is really good for you so I was wondering, do you think they are suitable to go in a green smoothie? They dissolve like straightaway when you get them in contact with water/ liquid so would u reccommend putting them in?

I have no other use for them!

Love Seren x x x

[trinity082482]

It helped me a little bit. I did a fast for over 3 weeks. and I lost 17lbs. I cant fast no more... Im dying for food lol

[Seren]

Woah 17lbs in 3 weeks!! Amazing! Did you do a smoothie fast or a more liquid fast like juice or water?

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren..so happy you are enjoying yourself and as for the seaweed why not chuck it in?!! I think LoveLife asked a while back about including some seaweed in her smoothies and, even though I haven't tried this, I told her to go ahead...seaweed is just another food and its saltiness will bring another dimension to your smoothies taste wise plus it has a tremendous amount of nutrition...now, I don't know, it could taste aweful, it could taste wonderful or you could not even notice it at all but until you try you won't know...as I say experimentation is one of the funnest parts of all so go ahead and I'll be eager to know what you think. That is another point about this diet I would like to say and that is the creativity of it...I'm finding myself constantly trying different combinations of foods, discovering new tastes and wonderful products like mesquite meal, raw cocoa, maca etc. The recipes section of Rawfoodtalk is the greatest testament to this creativity and proof that we're all artists here producing both external beauty through the food we prepare and lifesystle we lead and internal beauty through the healing and transformation our bodies consequently undergo...so don't be afraid to experiment and you never know you might become the next Da Vinci of the food world!!

By the way, regarding RAWCA's post about acne and green smoothies...I've found them extremely beneficial. I personally got on the green smoothies to, among other things, further improve my skin after seeing very dramatic improvements on the raw diet and I now have great skin which (other than the smoothies great taste of course) is a huge motivation for my smoothie regime. My background to starting on the smoothies was a gentle transition over a number of years from vegetarian, to vegan, to a percentage raw, to 100% raw and now (since December) entirely green soups/smoothies. The gentle transition was probably the reason I saw no significant detoxing which
sometimes results in people having intially break outs or other problems. Raw food is cleansing as it is but smoothies and juices are HUGELY cleansing and gives your body a digestive holiday like no other which allows it to devote its time to getting rid of all the SAD food that has built up over time...this expelling of toxins (i.e. SAD food) sometimes results in skin breaking out or other so-called detox symptoms but these things are usually short lived (though it does vary and depends on your prior diet) and the end results border on miraculous....I can tell you that now from personal experience!!

Now you've also got to take into account the fact that the skin is enormously complex since it's your bodies' biggest organ and will reflect any imbalances in your body. These imbalances include emotional ones and (forgetting food for the moment) stresses you are experiencing can cause skin problems so never forget this when evaluating your skin condition. Going back to the food, the CORRECT NUTRITION FOR YOU I've found crucial in attaining great skin with emphasis on the 'FOR YOU' part. I PERSONALLY found that improper digestion was a primary cause of MY skin problems and why smoothies are so good FOR ME and that too much fat in one sitting would cause breakouts. I eliminated nuts and seeds, put 2tbsp of oil or 1 small avocado in my smoothies each day and find this optimum. I haven't completely eliminated fats because fat is necessary for survival in addition it helps (with regards to smoothies in particular) slow down the absorption of fruit-sugars and hence insulin surges which for many are a big factor when it comes to acne. I'm really against saying one type of food whether it be fruit, fats etc are bad for you because everyone is different which, from reading my posts on the forum, you'll see I put a lot of emphasis on. You might also want to try some superfoods...I've found ones partcularly helpful to my skin are msm (natural source of sulphur (a beauty mineral) to be taken separate to smoothies as doesn't taste good), maca (brilliant stuff for stabilising hormones which contribute a lot to acne in especially teenage years), cocoa (highest antioxidant rating of any food but please be careful as though I thrive on this some people seem to have some quite adverse reactions to this) and pure synergy (green powder mix that makes sure I'm getting a wide range a greens everyday as access to variety of greens often poor). Again please remember this is what works for me and I'm not saying for one second that it'll work for you but, if anything, the upping of greens seems to be the most universally successful thing. I can tell you now, whatever proportion of fruit of fat I've had in my smoothies, I've always included huge amounts of greens.

So yes I have found enoromous success on green smoothies with regards to my skin and I would thoroughly recommend them. But take it slow, your skin as I said being your biggest organ will be the first to indicate to you when you begin to get things right and in balance and this will only be achieved by LISTENING TO YOUR BODY. This last bit is very important and whatever you read on this forum about working or not working, what foods you should or shouldn't have (this mostly involves combing foods especially when it comes to smoothies)...of course listen and take note but if something works for you GO FOR IT REGARDLESS OF WHAT I OR ANYONE ELSE SAYS. I recently read on the 'Green juices vs smoothies' thread Rwmomto5 post about feeling aweful on green smoothies and I thought it was SUPERB the way she listens to her body and, even with all the success stories around at the moment concerning GS's, stays away from them and sticks with what works FOR HER. Like I always say, we need to paint our own picture and when we find the correct balance of hues and shades...achieve that internal harmony through the right choice of foods for us...beauty and life will emanate for all to see and another living masterpiece will be born!

For some more words of inspiration along these lines please read the follwing post http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=28068 I recently wrote which I thought was extremely important to say as I see a lot of people on the forum are getting very confused about which food to eat and not to eat, what's right and what's wrong and (trust me) I've been there with so much information...it's totally confusing!

All the best, hope this has been of some help and any more questions...please write.

[RAWCA]

THANKS So much MATTM

Few questions:

WIll a blender suffice for smoothies?

Also, can you give me a few low GI recipes and nice tasting?:)
NO idea where to start:)



Thanks!

[mattm]

Hi RAWCA,

I'm happy you found the information useful. As for your first question...yes a blender is what you use for smoothies, in fact I just use a handheld blender I bought from the local store for £20 (or about $40 for you guys in the US) and that has been fine all this time...I've never ever felt the need to buy anything expensive and you certainly don't need to though Vita-Mix's are meant to be superb. Now for the second questions, the low GI smoothies...well one trick here is maybe to include some sort of fat as I always do. Now some people say they can't tolerate fat in their green smoothies and that its bad food combining but good food combining is whatever works for you and not set in stone...less univeral laws here than most people have you believe...as I say were all unique. The inclusion of fat aids a lot in slowing down the absorption of the fruit sugars and hence doesn't lead to the insulin surges one might recieve in its absence. Also the reason people sometimes include a lot of very sweet fruit in their smoothies is to hide some very bitter vegetable they've included (for me I find these are mostly mustard-family related e.g. rocket/aragula, watercress, radishes, broccoli)....so just opt for less strong tasting veg which I find are things like baby leaf spinach (love this stuff), romaine lettuce, pak choy, cucumber (another love of mine!) ect. and you'll find yourself not needing as much sweeter things. There are also some fantastic products on the market at the moment which are a dream when it comes to GI but still tasting good....for instance yacon syrup is a natural sweetner derived from the fruit that replaces maple syrup or honey and due to a high due to its sugars being mostly starch are absorbed slowly by the body...great stuff, Google it and did I mention it's also a powerful prebiotic! Also raw cocoa, if you are someone who is alright with this (very important) and love that chocolate taste I find 1 heaped tbsp will cut through most undersible flavours. In addition to these is a product a HIGHLY recommend and that is mesquite meal which has a molass like flavour (gorgeous), a GI of 25 and once again a high fructise content which doesn't take insulin to digest and thus in combination with a high amount of dietry fibre makes it good for diabetics. Cinnamon which I frequently use is also known to reduce the absorption of fruit sugars and consequentlt help maintain steady insulin levels. As for actual fruit well, things like apples are great because once again most of their sugars are stored as fructose not starch and are much lower GI than bananas, mangos, dried fruit etc.

Off the top of my head, a recipe that would be palatable but also meet your requirements might go something like this:

Some romaine leaves
Large amount of baby leaf spinach
2-3 apples
Half a cucumber
1 heaped tbsp cocoa (if don't want to bother with 'superfoods' at mo (yacon syrup, cocoa, mesquite meal etc) not a problem, probably could get away without this)
2 tbsp hempseed oil
Squeeze of lemon
All whipped up with some water
If this isn't sweet enough probably okay throwing in a banana and adding cinamon with it really brings out the sweetness I find and helps with sugar-levels as already explained.

Hope this is of help, though our tastes buds vary A LOT and often what's palatable for one person isn't for another.

All the best and keep writing if you want any more help.

[Seren]

Hey, just an update!

Im on day three of the green smoothie fast and Ive so far lost 2 lbs, and I feel great!

Hope everyone is doing ok :D

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren,

Great to hear you are doing well...green smoothies...gotta love them!! By the way, 2lbs that's superb...you should be very proud of yourself and any more questions that come up please continue to ask. Oh, and I've just got myself a webcam and started posting pics of my green smoothie concotions all based around a concept I cam up with called layering (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?p=287411#post287411)...just a bit of inspiration of what you can do with just a cheap blender, some imagination and bit of spare time on your hands!! Be interested to kniow what you think and please feel free to join in the smoothie discussion on the thread as well and introduce yourself to the smoothie community gathering there.

All the best and well done again.

[Seren]

Hi matt!

Thanks for the congratulations :D

Those layered smoothies sound so much fun!! I may have to try and make one someday :p

I've actually been having a little bit of whole fruit when I don't have time to make a smoothie, but I don't really consider it cheating, its still only fruit right? lol.

Im really full of energy on this smoothie fast, and although when I smell food being cooked it smells lovely and at that moment I would really like it, I havent been having hardly any cravings for cooked food and when I come off the fast Im actually looking forward to what raw food I can make! This is unheard of! Usually I make it to day three of being raw and cave into cooked cravings, especially if Im fasting, but I feel these smoothies are the perfect solution - tasy but easy on digestion and so you can cleanse and ride out the cravings but still not feel starved and feel sustained. Lovin' it!!! The best thing is, I feel like I could really quite easily carry on being raw after I finish this cleanse - it doesnt feel like the uphill battle it usually does. I think the greens certainly balance my blood sugar, thats probably why! All fruit for me is a no-no :rolleyes:

Thanks for introducing the idea of having all green smoothies to me matt - you are a raw genius! Haha

Love Seren x x x

[RAWCA]

Hi Seren and GS drinkers:)

What are some good tasting low GI recipes?
I so want to do this., but am scared of the taste :)

[Seren]

Hey rawca!

Well in terms of low GI and good taste, it depends what you count as tasting good! If something is low GI its probably not going to be that sweet, but it will keep you satisfied for wayyy longer.

I find collard leaves are sorta strong, but blended with some banana and berries its quite palatable.

Cucumber and baby spinach are very mild and so you you can load them in without much compromise to the taste.

Berries are pretty low GI I think so they are good to put in a smoothie (ie strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)

And banana is always good to put in if you want to sweeten it up a bit.

Hope that helped!!

Love Seren x x x

[RAWCA]

Thanks for the input..
Do you use a regular blender?

[mattm]

Hi RAWCA, did yo see the post I wrote about the blender and low GI recipes?
Seren thanks for your post...I'm just so pleased for you that your finding the same benefits of GS's that I did and they're making a difference...just like you the rocketing energy levels were one of the first things I noticed and I now need very little sleep (6 hours max usually)...I just feel so liberated all the time...probably the reason I really don't want to stop with them. Also their ability to sustain you, rid you of cooked food cravings in myself and people on them that I've talked to (including you now:) ) is miraculous and I can only attritube to their completeness as a food. Once you've started to get the GS's going you might also think of adding some fat in the form of oil or avocados which may agree with you or not but will help further satiate hunger, create an even more complete food nutritionally, slow down absorption of fruit sugars and (particularly in the case of an avocado) give the smoothie a gorgeous creamy taste...yum! Oh, and by the way don't worry about snacking on whole fruit...just do what YOUR COMFORTABLE WITH AND WORKS FOR YOUR BODY...this is something me or no else but your own body can tell you. Plus having some whole food sometimes will help you maintain a habit of chewing and excersising your mouth muscles which is important. I (as seen in my picture of my layered smoothie) even sometimes add a bit of chopped fruit to garnish the dish and I always chew my liquid in order that, as I said, I excersise the mouth muscles.

All the best and anymore questions ask.

Matthew

[RAWCA]

Mattm-

I must have overlooked ur post..sorry!
how long does it take to get used to the taste?,,i m so scared of what they may taste like..i know its stupid..:)

[mattm]

Ahhhh yes...the dreaded 'GS taste':D ...sympathise with you greatly...convinced first time someone suggested mixing greens and fruits (and now fat for me as well) they were off their rocker! You just have to make that leap of faith...quite honestly the first GS I made had so much fruit to veg (most of which was cumcumber and a handful of baby leaf spinach) that I couldn't taste the greens at all. I just took it at a rate that suited me and found that I just developed a much less sweet tooth and wasn't scared of the greens...now in the mornings for instance when I have a chocolate GS I'll just put in one large apple as far as fruit goes and the rest will be all sorts of greens. But don't feel pressure to cram down as much greens as possible, all of this should be enjoyable first and foremost and, as I said, taking things at a pace that suits you (more specifically your taste buds:) ) is best.

Wish you luck and keep writing...it seems were rallying together quite a GS community here!

Matthew

[Seren]

Hey matt,

Yes, green smoothie's seem to be pretty miraculous!

Im still enjoying :D Yeah I was planning to add some fats to my smoothies at the end of the week-long smoothie 'fast'. Lol it seems stupid calling it a fast now, Im eating so it can't be a fast! :rolleyes:

I have a question though, and it may seem a bit strange, but smoothies have loads of fibre right? Coz they don't seem to be keeping me regular....:o If you know what I mean... any suggestions why? lol, it baffles me :confused:

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Yes Seren...I agree...I'm extremely hesitant about describing green smoothies as fasting as they are complete and give your body everything it needs hence the reason they've kept me more than going since Dec. As for them not keeping you regular...I've got what I consider superb digestion now but right at the beginning I had the same problem as you. I can only attritube this to the fact that at the very start maybe your body isn't accustomed to the fibre and it's just a bit of a shock...hopefully, like me, you'll find the more you stick with the GS's, the better it gets. For the moment don't worry, see how things go and write back about it if things don't improve...also have to remember as we're all different, our bodies are in different states before going into raw and we'll have different reactions etc...but, as I said, just see how it goes for the moment.

All the best, sorry couldn't be of any more help but over years I've learnt raw nutrition is a journey of self discovery as much as it is anything else and, as such, there are very few universal answers, just the ones that comes from listening to that wisest of nutriional gurus....our bodies!

Matthew

[Seren]

Thanks matt!

Lol, glad its not just me who has this problem to start off with. Its not uncomfortable or anything, Im just wondering where all the food is going ...:confused: LOL

I will certainly stick with it and see if it improves.

Thanks again!!

Love Seren x x x

[durianrider]

as someone whom is 100% rv and rides up to 321 miles in a day...you gotta pack away the fruit carbs to succeed on raw. just ask any longterm 100% rv..they are all fruit bats!

fruits and greens..thats the longterm gig. nuts and seeds are optional..seeded grapes will suffice, as will strawberries etc.

ive never met a long term 100% rv that eats a heap of fat in the course of a year.

every cell in the body runs on glucose..fruit is our best source of glucose...if we undereat juicy fruit we will crave fats, cooked food or animal products.

when you cant eat no more fruit in the day, its salad time.
when i was a raw tranny(transitioning) i ate up to 16 avocado's a day. ive had maybe 5 this year.

im in thailand today and can only get thru 1 or 2 durians..and id eat like 60pounds of durian in meal not too long ago!

our body talks..best we listen.
the less fat we eat, the louder it talks, or the better we can hear it?

[Seren]

Woah Durian rider you must have to eat loads of fruit to be able to cycle that much!! Btw just wondering, do you eat only durians? It seems so from your myspace pics lol!!

Hey Matt, my... 'problem' is sorted lol. You were right I just had to wait a little while to get used to it! :rolleyes:

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

That's brilliant to hear everything is sorted...I was optermistic but then again I could only speak from personal exprience and those of others. I read your latest post on the green smoothie 'fast' thread about the weight you've lost...that's fabulous progress...your definitely on cruise control when it comes to going down that raw road of ours and, from the sounds of it, your destination isn't too far off:D

Yeah and durianrider great story...very inspiring...also think got a fellow cyclist friend in LightLover...the raw cyclist community seems to be uniting!

All the best

Matthew

[LightLover]

Haha Mattm: 1:31 on the Mont Ventoux (from Bedoin) , many years ago
with a very SAD- body.
Well, I better I change the future now

LL

[Seren]

Hey matt, lol, yeah Its next stop actually! Haha :D

I've also dropped another pound, so Im happy! Just 7-11 lbs to go!

I found yesterday pretty hard - major carb and fat cravings. I think it was because I could smell it coz my sister was having bowls of cereal and making toast with peanut butter and all that :rolleyes:

Anyways, I got through it without cheating! Apart from adding about a quarter of a tiny avocado into one of my smoothies lol.

OH! And my raw chocolate stuff came today!! I put between half and a whole tablespoon into my berry, apple and pak choi smoothie, lol! Is it the cacao or the smoothie that make it taste a little tangier than cocoa powder? Or to rephrase, does cacao taste any tangier than cocoa powder? Or was it the fact I put berries into the smoothie that gives the tangy taste?

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren,

Great to hear things are still going well and well done for avoiding your sister's temptation! I know it's hard, especially when you are just starting out, and your family around you is still cooking and eating that roast dinner on a Sunday, pasta dish, fancy desert or whatever that as a kid you use to love and indulge in. Even I still go into the kitchen get hit by all those smells of my mum's cooking and yes their still gorgeous! But, even with this, I never ever feel in the slightest like eating the stuff because just like some people like the smell of gasoline...it may smell good but you know if you drink it your going to be in hospital, if not dead! Now I know that's slightly extreme and eating cooked food isn't comparable to drinking gasoline:D but I look at myself now and think of the way I felt and looked on SAD food and I don't need another moment of incentive to stay raw (plus it tastes soooooooo good!). Also as Alissa and Revell put very well in one of their shows (think it was no.11), when it comes to cooked food and you feel yourself starting to think about it, how nice it used to taste and maybe a bite couldn't do any harm etc....DON'T INDULGE THE THOUGHT. The moment you feel these things coming into your head go and do something else to occupy your thoughts, have a lovely sweet mango or something if find yourself looking at that SAD dessert...but from the sounds of it you doing pretty well as it is!

As for the tanginess of the cocoa smoothie I would def say this was the berries...cocoa powder should have a very bitter taste and 1 heaped tbsp of the stuff and the flavour really comes through (though watch your not sensitive to the theobromine and caffeine like some people are).

Also, the carb and fat cravings...listen to your body as I've said...have some more fruit in your smoothies, add (like I see you tried...good for you) a bit of fat into those GS's. On raw, the less toxins in your body... the more your body will speak to you and tell you what it needs and doesn't need and the more you can trust in these feelings. As, again I think Revell commented in no.12 of the radio show and I've told other people about with similar stories, people will eat a humungous bowl of pasta and still go to the fridge feeling 'hungry'...what, as Revell says and I totally agree with, their bodies aren't hungry for calories (the pasta gave them loads of those) their bodies are HUNGRY FOR NUTRITION. When we consume such highly nutritionally complete foods as those wonderful GS's of ours, our hunger is satisfied with comparatively little because we are giving it everything IT NEEDS. So the more nutritionally COMPLETE you make your smoothies the less cravings you will get for other foods...as your already seeming to be experiencing!!

All the best

Matthew!

[Seren]

Thanks matt!

Yeah I used the technique of imagining what I would feel like AFTER the cooked food rather than during, and that always seems to work! I never feel good after bread, pasta, whatever. I never feel satisfied. With the green smoothies I do! I feel like I don't need any more food.

I've also found that nuts make me crave cooked carbs. I havent eaten any nuts during this week (Im sure that explains the overall lack of carb cravings, until yesterday of course) but last year when I was trying to be raw I ate loads of cashews and pistachios and I was hooked and constantly craving bread and pasta!

I will be adding more fat into my diet after I have been a week on the green smoothies and fruit. Looking forward to it!

I definately feel a sort of 'high' after my cacao enhanced green smoothie! So I'll be carefull with the amount I consume.. One tablespoon of the powder and three squares of my shazzies raw chocolate bar have got me into super-energy mode!

I quite like it though, so I think I'll stick with a tbs of powder in my smoothie in the morning, but avoid it in the evening!

Lol. :D

Love Seren x x x

[Seren]

Hey!

My agave nectar and dr martins coco drink came today!! Yay! The coco water wasnt as sweet as I expected, but thats ok, it means I won't drink it all up on its own! Ive got it in my morning smoothie along with a tbs of cacao powder - its sooo good :p

Last night was a bit of a disaster. I came home from college at about 5:15 and there was absolutely nothing to make a smoothie with (also after having had to make my morning smoothie with a hand held blender which is annoying :mad: ), and by the time I had sat down and relaxed for a little bit, I went into the kitchen to make a smoothie, and we'd run out of practically everything! No greens, no blendable fruit apart from apples, and some strawberries, I had to be in my hour-long driving lesson in like ten minutes and everytime I stood up it went black for a couple of seconds (ie I couldnt see). I think it was low blood sugar. Anyhows, I didnt want to risk that happening when I was driving so I had a bowl of shredded wheat with soya milk :eek: as it would give me more substantial and fast energy than an apple (I would have only had time to eat one).

Then straight after my driving lesson I had to leave to get to my violin lesson, which is also an hour, then we had to go to tesco shopping for like 1.5 hours because of the lack of food in the house lol. Well, by this time I was well and truly knackered and my dad was making tortellini pasta with sauce and I was hungry, he hates people being in the kitchen same time as him and so it was just easier for me to eat the pasta rather than make a smoothie. :(

I felt horrible after the food (mostly grains!) Id ate and for the first time ever I thought, "I can't wait to get back to raw tomorrow". And Im back on the smoothies, extra green with lots of spinach!

Well, Im kinda dissappointed that episode ruined my week-long plan, but I'll just extend it an extra day lol! Im kinda glad also that I got to learn that I feel so much better on raw than on cooked. Some of the benefits I've experienced within a few days:


I've lost unwanted weight
I've been able to concentrate in lectures that last over an hour for the whole time and manage to stay focused (I'd be falling asleep before!)
I've been able to see things from a higher perspective, like when I'm stressed, I havent been lost in the stress and wanting to freak out lol!
My skin is getting a more even skin tone and its a bit clearer (although it wasn't that bad before)
I'm happy and full of energy all the time and never feel groggy or unmotivated!


So yeah, I've finally discovered the true benefits of being raw for myself and not got consumed in the grain cravings, and even better, not fallen off the wagon when I ate cooked food yesterday, I jumped straight back on!

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Hi Seren,
Just got back from town and my health food shop is going to try to start stocking Dr.Martins' coconut Drink...brilliant(thanks LightLover for idea)...anyway just read your post and I just want to say that it's fantastic and should be read carefully by everyone...especially newbies on this forum.

I started reading your post and was initially concerned but by the end of it I was overjoyed...why?...becuase of YOUR ATTITUDE. Like me, like pretty much everyone else on this board probably, especially when starting out, you slipped off the wagon as they like to say, you had that pasta dish or whatever...but what was so inspiring about your post is that your NOT NOW SPENDING ALL YOUR TIME BEATING YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT. It sounds odd to say but in a way this is all part of the raw experience...it's like the saying "you sometimes must take one step backwards to take two forwards". Over your lifetime, because we don't live in a perfect world, there are going to come plenty of times where temptation and social pressures to eat cooked food are going to surround you and be so overwhelming that you might slip up. Now this doesn't matter so much if you know how to deal with these things...the beauty of having the knowledge of raw food, the green smoothies etc is that it gives us something many don't have when they indulge in something they know they shouldn't have, that's unhealthy...it gives us an OPTION. Having the option, the knowledge of raw we know that even though we may have slipped up, tomorrow is another day, we can wake up and, for instance, put nature's finest foods in a blender, get back on that raw road of ours and nourish our bodies so deeply and in such a way that 99% of the population don't do in their entire lifetimes. And all of this is why I'm so proud of you and why everyone else at RFT should be becuase you realised that tomorrow is another day and, as you said, you can get "...back on the smoothies, extra green with lots of spinach!". Also you ended your post by, not dwelling on negatives, but WHAT YOU HAVE ACHIEVED on raw so far and this shows to me that you are remaining positive and looking forwards. Just like your doing, people must take the positives from these experiences and learn...for instance...ask yourslef what can you do next time to avoid this happening? From what you've written a big thing you will have learnt is 1)How important it is with this lifestyle to plan ahead, if you know you are going to very busy the next day...make up a GS the night before or in the morning and put it in a thermos to have during the day when you have no time (do this all the time at uni)...and 2) Make sure your stocked up so you have variety/choice all the time which will help make this diet as interesting as possible and tasty. Also, having the cooked food again and realising for yourself how rubbish it is is a great experience in itself because, as it seems to have done, it renews your vigour for raw and gets rid of those niggering thoughts that "I'm missing out on all those foods I used to have". I had the same experience when being raw for a while, then trying some steamed veg one night and straight away thinking how soggy, unflavoursome and just horrible they frankly tasted. It was the same when I started out on raw and used to have the occasional pasta or rice dish...every time I had it and tried the pasta or rice, it was rubbish, had no flavour and what did I REALLY enjoy the RAW PESTO I mixed with it...yet I still had craving every night for these grains, yet I knew were tasteless! And that is when it hit me...it's all pyschology...I'm eating it because I'm addicted to it, I've tricked my brain into thinking I like it, thinking back to all those 'great' nights when I used to sit around with my family and we used to indulge in that pasta dish. What I failed to realise is what made all those nights with my family great and likewise all those other times when we went out to eat in a restaurant and would have a wonderful time wasn't becuase of what we were eating, it was because we were together, talking and 'enjoying' something together. If we lived in a world where raw food was the norm and, instead of spaghetti bolagnaise on a Friday, my family had, for instance, courgette and butternut squash pasta with raw pesto as I grew up then I would have just as fond memories about those Friday nights of ours. At the end of the day, an aweful lot of this is psychology...and when you realise that you've already taken a big step.

All the best and keep writing...this has turned into quite a thread!

Matthew

[LightLover]

Hi Seren,
Just got back from town and my health food shop is going to try to start stocking Dr.Martins' coconut Drink...brilliant(thanks LightLover for idea)...anyway just read your post and I just want to say that it's fantastic and should be read carefully by everyone...especially newbies on this forum.


This is the way to do it Mattm, I think:

* Speak to your neigbour shop about wonderful products. It's easy if this product is
already sold in stores in your country;
* If you get a product in a shop, ask if it sells well. Take efforts
so that it will be a seller-winner
(I did get the www.organicfoodbar into 2 shops, and they sell like hell!)
* All the people that you know: tell them where to buy this fantastic new product
* Go further in this cycle with a new product, the shop will listen to you, because the earlier products make money...
---
LL

[LightLover]

Having an OPTION to choose Mattm, is for me the biggest win of raw.
The example, (just on the terrain of packeged foods, I am not talking about fresh juices) is dr martins: 25 years I am busy with food now, and NEVER
have I found a packaged drink that did have this quality.
I am very sure that is the reason I kept on drinking less healthy drinks.
There was just no superior alternative, only things being less bad..

I mean, a package/bottle of processed juice is not so much healthier
than a organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized bottle of 5% beer with
a large amount of "hop" in it.(yes, I know a little brand that makes this.)
., so why give up beer? If there is no bottled superior alternative?

But now I have dr martins, i can easily give up beer, and if I "fall of the älcohol-wagon", I know there is a superior option to return to.
The same with food: if natures arises in her original state, there is always a superior option.

Can you follow this, and is this in line with your thoughts?

great day, LL

[mattm]

Hi LL, yeah I get what you mean. I think this discussion almost warrants its own thread (if you guys think it does I'll start one detailing my thoughts for further comments and views) but, for the moment, in my experience when you remove something from your diet or just generally lifestyle whether it be pasta, the occasional chocolate, smoking, alcohol or whatever...things you 'loved', that are very addictive...if you don't find something to replace it, to fill the gap left by that craving, it will remain niggling away at you. Now, when it comes to 'filling in this gap' it doesn't neccessarily have to be with food, it can also be through other lifestyle changes and this is something I've wanted to discuss for a while. For instance, a lot of people overindulge in junk, choose to abuse their bodies because of boredom, depression, stress which are all sypmtoms of NOT JUST INCOMPLETE NUTRITION BUT GENERALLY INCOMPLETE LIFESTYLES. I remember when I started giving up the cooked food all that time ago, I found myself thinking about it all the time, what I was missing out on etc...so how did I overcome that...I filled my life to excess with other things...I socialised more, talked to my friends, went for long bike rides, ran, took walks in the countryside, indulged myself in my hobbies. All of these activities helped tremendously at replacing the voids left by that junk food that I realised was often being used as AN INSTANT FIX to boredom, stress etc. I came to realise that was also the source of the junk lifestyle's power over me...THEY WERE JUST QUICK FIXES FOR MUCH MORE WIDER AND DEEPER ISSUES...any benefit I felt from them was as short lived as it took for me to eat that bago of sweets(!) and this is why I (and I think many) crave them because we then look for ANOTHER QUICK FIX and so on ad infintium. When I sat down, saw the problems in my life (the things about my lifestyle I used these quick fixes for) and started to treat the problems directly through lifestyle changes, things that were LONG TERM FIXES becuase they addressed and eliminated the root causes, my cravings for the junk dimminshed dramatically (and that's a total understatement!!). So as you can see eating these SAD foods, leading a SAD lifestyle is complex, and as I always say UNIQUE FOR EACH PERSON. People, for themselves , have to ask...why am I wanting to eat that food?...what am I trying to achieve through eating that food?...becuase, in answering those questions, they will then be in a much more powerful position to overcome their addictions, their cravings. As they say "know your enemy" becuase in understanding its nature, tackling it...and I can tell you this from peronal experience...is a hell of a lot easier.

All the best, hope these words are of help to everybody.

Matthew

[LightLover]

Mattm, no word that I am not following..

I'm not even 100% (maybe 70), but what this already has done for my mind is at least 90%, just blowing.
All the pieces of the puzzle always have been there, and now they are coming together.
I can't think of 1 piece of my life that is not changing and renewing this year.
This lifestyle is such a powerful guide for all other lifequestions.

In a kind of way it opens a gap for new approaches, activities, space is suddenly always and everywhere around.
For me it seems there is not any place to hide my falsenesses anymore, because there is only space. It's impossible anymore to do things which doesn't resemble the one who you truly are.

I always tell people this is not only about the food, but much broader, it is about the ability to stretch the mind completely, in all directions, and a replacement is needed for doing this. And we have it here.

Today I have chosen to break completely with my job and take some money (I also had the possibility for a short or longer social guidance traject, directed by the firm).
But I wanted to break. Breaking for me is now the same as connecting.
Raw lessons are so high in value.:rolleyes:


LL

[mattm]

Hi LL, yes this is indeed a liberating lifestyle in every sense of the word, makes you reevaluate your lifestyle and discover what truely makes you happy and consequently a much more complete and rounded person. This lifestyle seems to put people more in touch with their instincts and 'what's right for them', just like today when you felt it time to break from your job. On a personal level, with raw I've now got an endless amount of energy, confidence and joy for life and this has made a very dramatic impact on my life. I've undertaken numerous entrepreneurial ventures, started to realise my dreams to work in the film and television industry and am generally a more open, relaxed, optimistic and consequently happier person.

I wish you all the very best with the decision and, i don't know the details of your situation, but my advice is to concentrate on the positives, be enthusiastic in yourself that you've made the best possible choice and do everything you can to live your dreams.

By the way I wanted to mention Seren that this thread of yours, the topics it covers, made me consider and consequently write about have been the inspiration for a series of threads called "steps to success" I've started to help newbie youngins. If you want you can check them out in the "teen and young adult" forum.

Matthew

[Seren]

Hey matt, thanks I will check out that newbie youngins thread :)

I am back to post more discoveries:

No. 1: I DO NOT work with raw cacao :(
No. 2: Cooked food makes me feel sick
No. 3: I am destined to be raw!

Let me just explain these points. Its such a shame that I bought the raw cacao powder for it to either go to waste, or .... I dno maybe other people in my house will have to use it. Or I could use it in the night before I go to bed (it doesnt have the caffeine effect on me that I thought it did). I have realised from my own experiences these ;ast couple of days, that I can't use cacao powder in my smoothies, in the morning especially. I found that the taste of chocolate sets something off in my brain that reminds me of when I used to eat chocolate (havent really eaten sugary chocolate for 2.5 years, but have eaten sugar-free). The fact it reminds me of this makes me feel like I have been missing out on this, and therefore other foods I used to indulge in(This is my theory anyways) and so it makes me want to eat cooked food. I donlt really know exactly how, and this theory is probably slightly wrong, but what I know is that when I have cacao powder it leaves me unsatisfied and craving. I'm not mad that I bought it of course, no-one could have told me it wouldnt work for me, only I could find that out. I could also use it in dessert recipes and have it before bed, so that I didnt have time to listen to the cravings, and hopefully they would be gone by the morning. Anyhows, Im gna stay clear for a little while!

My second realisation, that cooked food makes me feel sick, is important to me. Its unbelievable that all the time that I wen off track over the winter, after having tried raw, that I didnt realise this. Anyway, due to the cacao powder disaster, cooked food cravings got the better of me again yesterday (maybe the day before also? I've lost track of time lol). I'm half glad that I've learnt this lesson so early on so I can add it to my list of foods to be VERY careful with (currently: 'sweet' nuts like cashews, pistachios, hazlenuts ~ dried fruit ~ CACAO POWDER ~ Dates ~ having too much fruit). From that list you can see my downfall --> its the sweeties. Hmph. lol. Im fine with having very few sweet foods actually, I frefer the salads, the smoothies. They give me a sense of satisfaction whereas the sweet foods play havoc with my blood sugar.
Back to the cooked food feeling anyway. I found that no amount of cooked food satisfies my hunger. I learnt that I get a VERY dry mouth after eating cooked food and have to drink tonnes of water to try and counteract it (without success). I learnt that I get bloated after every piece of cooked food :mad: . I learnt that I wake up the next morning feeling sick and full and heavy and groggy. I learnt that I HATE it!!!

Raw food is for me. From my cooked food experiences directly next to my raw food experiences, the obviousness is overwhelming. I can feel the sinking down a level of energy and life when I was on these cooked food disaster days. I can directly compare to the days of raw when I felt truly amazing, I was full of energy, feeling happy, and all the other feelings I mentioned before. And being satisfied with my food was the best thing about it. Not be bloated was a direct benefit of this. As yiu can see, bloating is my worst enemy.

Im starting again fresh today, this time WITHOUT the cacao and Ive had my morning green smoothie and I feel satisfied; a feeling I havent felt the past two days with my green chocolate smoothies :rolleyes:
Im ready to start again: my kitchen is fully stocked, my cacao powder is at the back of my cupboard and Im eagerly awaiting the absence of this full bloaty sick feeling .... ahhhh Im so happy to be back on raw, ready to succeed. I believe I have made too many discoveries over the past few days not to.

Also, matt, Im glad you liked my last post - sorry this is so long too! I think this one has the same vibe as before, of course with new subjects. Im not sad or angry that I slipped up, Im glad. Im glad I found out now, sooner rather than later!

Love Seren x x x

[mattm]

Don't worry about the length of the post, just check out mine...tend to go for the essays too:D Guess just got a lot on our minds huh! Anyway great to see you finding your way on raw with cocoa and sweets being bad for you and the greens optimal. As I said we all have to discover what is optimal for us and the foods that aren't, aren't 'bad foods' they just don't agree with OUR bodies...like I've found (shockingly...after spending, like you, a fair amount of money...we all do it!!) that I don't agree with virgin coconut oil:eek: (still can't stomach this one however much want to), carob (really makes me feel sick), nuts (too fat dense I think), garlic, leeks, onions and especially tomatoes even in very small quantities. Whilst, unlike you, cocoa and sweet fruit are absolutely fine for me (though I admittedly don't have a sweet tooth now and when SAD wasn't a big chocolate eater at all). This is the thing with raw...it puts you into touch with your body, your body in turn speaks to you more and the reactions you get from food are far more noticeable hence all these discoveries we've made and will continue to do so.

All the best

Matthew

[LightLover]

I am afraid I recieved conflicting info about dr Martins. I come back with more research

LL

[LightLover]

Well, I mailed this post, with a link to this thread in this forum, to Dr Martins:
I hope this is convincing enough:
---

Hi Stefan, I wanted to ask you if Dr Martin's coco drink is Flash pasteurized, and also I am interested to know what the maximum temperature in the productionprocess is, that has not been exceeded.

As I can imagine that you are a little bit reserved to give information to anyone, I can show you who I am and what I do.

I did put a copy of this request on a forum, where I have posted more than 1400 posts, so I hope you can conclude that I am a honoust foodresearcher.
As you can see , my username in the post in the link below = "lightlover"

I hope this will be convincing enough.
Kind regards & Many thanks, Marcel
---
LL
---

[mattm]

That's such a shame LightLover, the UK distributor was adamant the coconut water was raw, with its ability to make kefir as proof. It does taste awefully good, make me feel great after a long run and I've had no adverse effects like I would usually expect with cooked food. Also I've read more details on the actual process involved in cartoning this stuff at http://fresh-network.typepad.com/fresh_network_blog/2006/04/coconut_water_a.html. It says it's not pasterized because of Dr. Martins' patented process of micro-filtration (to sterilise it) which is also all done under vacuum so it's as if the water never leaves the coconut ensuring freshness and quality...don't know what to believe...guess just have to go with the best advice out there...my body...and it's lovin it:). Can you expand on your discovery anymore as I'd hate to have been mislead?

All the best and I really appreciate you looking into this.

Matthew

[LightLover]

Hi Mattm, the following happened: I did go Saturday to the market, where
a rawfood girl sells products. (rawsuperfoods.com is here company)
By coincidence she was selling dr martins coco drink (I can't remember if I ever did see here selling this, maybe long ago). I told her it was funny and that we were just busy researching it and that your uk-importer said it was "raw". Than se said: I spoke to Steven (of Stefan) of Germany , and he said it is flash pasteurized. So this has to be researched till the bottom.

Because I ask you: How can people live and take decisions, if they get only half of the information, or unclear and conflicting information, all at the same time, while they have to pay high prices for this so called "supernutrition". They will rather stay SAD, and I can't disagree..


LL

[mattm]

LightLover I agree...so many SAD eaters have said this to me...they hear one thing on the radio, the TV or in the newspaper about what's good or not good for you and then the next day some other 'study' (hate the things) will come out saying something completely different and putting down yesterday's 'study'...this process goes on ad infintum and we end up with a load of very confused poeple out there who just end up taking no notice of nutrition and sticking to their 'meat and two veg' or whatever. This is the thing about the internet, a great resource for finding informtion but at the same time so much potential to confuse yourself with conficting info. I've stopped paying attention to it, grow my own fruit and veg, forage, buy no packaged items (except superfoods and Dr.Martins Coco drink) and, as I always say, trust my body in discerning between food quality and what agrees with it. I'll be sure to follow up the info this other person got but the guy and the other resources (such as the one i gave the link to) said that the point was becuase of the patented filtration system and vacuum that the pasterisation that was the usual technique employed to sterilise the product needn't be employed. The regulations are just with regards to sterilising the product, it makes no requirements for pasterisation...as guy spoke to said, pasterisation IS JUST ONE METHOD for sterilising, Dr. Martins has his own DIFFERENT method and that's why he's the market leader.

All the best.

Matthew

[LightLover]

I can tell you that most goodwilling organic raw (superfood) sellers
don't understand this enough. (otherwise they would be more clear and complete). It is not enough to lay down a bag with food.

And the SAD companies will try to continue this condition (lack of info). Also there is a part of sellers which try to lift on the raw image, without qualifying.

If I , with more than 20 years of foodstudy, have so much difficulties just about the truth about 1 coco drink...? What tells this about a man with a busy job and 3 children? Guess how confused they will be..
Waist of time!
Well, hope I get answer from the German guy whether it is flash pasteurized or not. At least all the people in the company must have one and the same infostory.

LL