Need some advice

[Curtis]

Hi all,
A week before I ordered Alissa's book I started to cut out most cooked food. And after I recvd. her book started using some the recipes in it. So I guess I would say I have been 85 to 90% raw for about 3 to 4 weeks. Here is my question. The headaches from not drinking coffee have almost disappeared which is good but after 3 to 4 weeks my energy lvls are still very low. My last hour of work today I had to drag myself thru it. I keep hearing here of folks having a lot of energy while eating raw. For some people does that not happen for a month or 2? Thanks for any suggestions and advice.
Curtis

Oh here is a typical day for me:
Fruit smoothie for breakfast
Morning break at work carrot, celery and sometimes flax seed crackers
Lunch large salad
Afternoon break fruit and or flax seed crackers
Evening either a salad or some type of nut burgers, either raw or dehydrated.

[AJ Bodine]

Curtis,

My first month especially, I had many days that I just dragged. (I'd actually say most of them) Maybe someone with more experience could shed some light on this subject, but I too suffered through that. Now in my 3rd month, I'm not feeling that any longer and my energy level, while not extremely high, is much better. I can work from early until late in the day without getting tired.

I hope you begin to see that change as well! :)

AJ

[Curtis]

Thank you AJ,
That helps me a lot, lol thought maybe I was doing something wrong. I realize I have used coffee as a stimulate for over 20 years and my body is going to have to adjust without it. Thanks! :)

[kirk]

Curtis,

I can't give you much help here (as I have not been raw all that long) but I can share with you what happened to me after a three month hospital stay. Needless to say, I was very weak and needed to do something to increase my energy. I started a 2 week long juice fast and before the first weak was up, my energy level was soaring. I had so much energy that I had to invent things to do just to keep myself busy and burn up the energy I had.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that if you incorporate a lot of juices between your meals (when your stomach is empty) your body can turn it into quick energy without having to spend time and energy digesting it. Hope this makes sense.

kirk

[Jeanne]

You might find some insight at http://bodybubble.com/eco-eating/
I started feeling tired a lot lately and the only thing I have changed is I have been taking in more greens. Well, the type of greens makes a difference. Spinach has a lot of calcium which was so calming I wanted to lie down after arriving at work. After studying a chart and list of efffects offered at this website I switched to celery and asparagus and had tons more energy.

[Curtis]

Thank you Kirk and Jeanne! :)

[AJ Bodine]

Jeanne,

Do you juice asparagus?

AJ

[Jeanne]

I have juiced asparagus. I tried a lot of things when I was juicing 16 oz. 3 or 4 times a day.
Now I am eating more than juicing and making smoothies (both green and fruit) in a vita mix.

[mwjeepster]

As you know, I don't have much experience at all, HOWEVER - I am now (finally) drinking just decaf after a 5 week slow withdrawal from coffee. I do have more energy - but not much. I have a feeling Jeanne and Kirk are on point with the juices. I started to have a green drink everyday but I don't like the taste. I am going out to get my own juicer today so I can make my own.

I have great news btw, I just got a new job - fabulous people and great (if small) company. That's the good news. The hours however, are more than I'm used to and I will need all the energy I can muster to get through it, so I am definitely going to experiment with juices. Thanks for the thread Curtis!!!

Love to all,
Melissa

[ehartmanf]

Melissa,

I LOVE my juices. I have fresh carrot/veggie juice three times a day. I usually add any or all of the following to the carrots: apple, celery, beet spinach, kale. It tastes delicious to me.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

Hi Edda,

When I come to meet you in December, I can assume you're going to make me a juice? :p

I'm pulling my Champion Juicer back out onto my counter top. I'm heading off to Wild Oats today and will get carrots, apples and spinach and give it a try. I already like carrots & apples, but lets see how adding spinach works.

<>< Helen of Tennessee

[mwjeepster]

I went out and got a cheap juicer, but it works fabulously!!! We'll see how long it lasts! I made just apple so I could see what that was like. I'll add greens slowly. It's nice not to have to go to the health food store and pay $5 for a green drink!

Curtis, I'll keep you posted on my energy level.

Love to all,
Melissa

[ehartmanf]

Helen, I'll be glad to make you some juice. Fortunately I am not a picky eater at all. I tried adding kale to my juice recently and thought it tasted very good. I haven't tried cucumber yet. Somehow that doesn't sound too appetizing, but we'll see.....

Melissa, I find that I like to start all my juices with carrots as the main ingredient and then go from there. I know there are people who don't care for carrots, but I have always loved the taste of them. Let me know how you do and what your favorites are.

[Jeanne]

I really like cucumber as part of a juice. It adds a LOT of volume too. Cucumbers also seem to add a feeling of freshness, they are rather neutral and don't overpower other flavores.

When I first started I loved this as a morning drink:

1 1/2 apples
1 1/2 pears
1 lemon, unpeeled (or lime)
you can add one or two kiwis too, but the above is basic

If I am juicing greens I always some pear or apple with it for sweetness.

[ehartmanf]

Jeanne,

That's good to know about cucumbers not overpowering the other flavors. I don't really want to drink juice that tastes like cucumber. :)

[ConsciousCuisine]

Next to young coconut water, cucumber juice is one of the purest waters we can drink. Distilled into pure goodness by the sun, these waters are at once nourishing and cleansing. ;)

[Alissa]

curtis,
Try taking out the crackers. instead of alot of dehydrated foods add more avocados and fresh plant fats to fill you up. at least in the AM, it can drag you down.

[Curtis]

Ah okay will do that. Thank you :) I am starting to get back some energy levels and feel better. I wonder if drinking coffee for so long,many years, is some of this. When I started drinking coffee many years ago I started because of taste and later for the caffeine. I guess now my body has to find the boost in the morning from something else.

[lil]

Curtis:
As a former coffee addict....:-) I wouldn't get too caught up in connecting the coffee = energy, because it's a stimulant. It gave you short term boosts but for long term energy I would look at health and diet. Make sure there's not a physical problem (ie: thyroid/adrenal) and your on the right road for diet!
I tried a high vegetable raw diet and didn't have much difference in my energy level. This past summer, I've gone to a more high fruit diet - and I can't believe the difference!. I eat fruit (a lot!) for most of the day and then have salad at the end of the day. I can't believe the positive energy I wake up with and the increase in strength I have. I've just added Shapeshift to my diet (from recommendations here) but's it's too early to tell if there is any difference.
Although we all respond differently to diets - this one has really worked for me.

[Curtis]

Hmm thanks lil for the advice. :)