I have a big favour to ask...

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

I have a list of what I would like to eat each day. However, I'm not sure about when to eat them, in what combination, etc., for optimal health in relation to food combining and just the way the body works. (That sentence structure was awful!)

Rejuvelac
Kombucha
Coconut water
Fruit
Vegetables
Sprouts
Flax seed crackers
72 oz. water

Could someone help me compose a weekly menu?

[justinesmith]

Well I don't know how much help I'll be but my suggestion is to find what works best for you. While our bodies are all similar structurally, we are all different people. Some people can eat nuts with every meal and not gain a pound and some can only eat a handful a day. I used to get terrible gas (sorry, TMI I know) when I combined nuts and dried fruit and now it's not a problem. I would say, try what works for you and go with that. Alissa also has a great chart in her book that shows what you should combine and shouldn't combine if you are really concerned. Good luck!

[ferg]

Are the flax seed crakers from a box or have you made them yourself in the dehydrator? If they are from a box, I would get rid of them for good, they are not good for your raw journey; myself, I never eat anything from a box. If you made them yourself in the dehydrator, I would say, have them for dinner with some homemade raw guacamole dip and raw salsa with some veggies on the side for dipping also (oh, I'm drooling now).

As for your daily menu, I would say eat nothing but fruit before noon... this is all your digestive system can handle after a long nights rest.

Rejuvelac... I've never had, but I haven't heard the best things about it. Hippocrates Health Centre no longer promotes Rejuvelac as 'healthy' so you might want to look into that.

[cherries]

When I first started changing my diet to raw, it was so confusing. There were all these new foods and new recipes and I didn't know how to make them work together, but once I understood how the liver works, it became so much easier because then I knew when to eat my foods.

I learned from the book Fit for Life (excerpt:Tips and Hints for Eating Fruit 'til Noon (http://www.hci-online.com/p-2746-fit-for-life.aspx)) that the liver does detoxing from 4 am to noon (the times are rough, you'll know when it is done detoxing by when you feel like you want to eat something heavy). So during this time, when the liver is busy detoxing, the best thing to eat is fresh fruit, because it can be digested without stopping the liver from detoxing.

Protein and greens are best digested in the hours after noon, it has something to do with the sun being at its peak that affects the liver to work just right. I read this somewhere, but I can't find the link to it now. As confirmation of this, there are many cultures all over the world where the main meal of the day is lunch and then supper is just a light meal and those cultures have been eating this way for centuries.

4pmish the traditional sugar cravings hit and I eat dried fruit here. I believe that the sugar cravings happens because the liver is using so much energy digesting lunch that our energy is sapped. Lots of cultures have institutionalized these sugar cravings into a tea time and made it a social event.

I'm not sure exactly what to eat for supper, I eat kind of eclectic here.

(REALITY CHECK - Ok, there is no way that I would eat a rigid diet, and I often deviate from this plan, BUT when I'm wondering what to eat, I often do take into account what time of day it is)

So to figure out your daily menu, I would arrange it like this:

breakfast: some of that 72 oz. of water (I love to add lemon or lime juice with agave nectar and cayane pepper, a la The Lemonade Diet. (I don't think simple sugars like agave nectar stop the detox)

breakfast - noon: Fruit

afternoon:
Vegetables
Sprouts
Flax seed crackers
Rejuvelac

4pm: Kombucha (because it is sugary)

evening: Coconut water and more fruit or anything else you feel like.


More about this:

How to Eat According To Your Body’s Circadian Rhythm (http://www.ehow.com/how_2109430_eat-according-bodys-circadian-rhythm.html)Your body follows certain daily cycles known as your circadian rhythms. Circadian refers to the regular recurrence of cycles of activity that occur every twenty four hours. If you eat in tune with these naturally occurring rhythms you will notice a tremendous increase in your overall health, energy, and well being

THE BIO-RHYTHMS OF THE HUMAN BODY (http://www.ghchealth.com/map) All creatures including human beings on this planet are naturally attuned and subject to three life cycles. These cycles have precise and established hours set by the UNIVERSAL LAWS OF NATURE.

[StarFire]

Gosh... you know what-- I have no idea.

the best... ABSOLUTE BEST advice I can give you is .... get Alissa's book. If you don't already have it. There is a 30 day plan in there that is wonderful and really helps you get started in a healthy way.

When I first went raw - I had no clue what i was doing... having that plan was a godsend... the food was combined beautifully - I learned alot about healthy eating -- it was so much fun preparing the food -- it was delicious and it really helped me find my balance.

PLUS... the book is just filled with so much information... and amazing recipes!

good luck... blessings on your journey...

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/smiley_loveshower.gif

[Lavendula]

It all seems to make sense. I sure need to get my rythym fixed, see what time I am here. Doesn't how and when you sleep affect all of it to?. I love delving into the science of it all. Understanding why and how is important o feel confident in this raw food plan. I have noticed in some of the books by the raw food pioneers like Ann Wigmore and Norman Walker, some concept are outdated, and that is a good thing to remember to check some of the practices against todays research. I will have to look into all that I can about the rythyms, any ideas where? Thanks, I so love it here at RFT.

[cherries]

Thanks Levendula, I don't know how your sleep cycle would affect it. That would be interesting to find out. I think I listed most of the resources I know about.

Another one is Kombucha: How to and What It's All About (http://www.thealternativebookshop.com/heal0002.html), it really goes into digestion in a way that made my head spin because they tell about it in almost a story form. It's been awhile since I read it, so I'm not suggesting anyone shell out money for it, but it does have some info if you get the chance to read it. I remember it taught me about how late eating will keep you up at night, and how alchohol will affect the liver in a way that will make people violent.

One of the reviews on the link said this:
"As an information source, Kombucha is a must-own reference book. Anyone interested in how food is transformed into energy, or which vitamins, minerals and nutrients benefit what parts of the body, should use Kombucha as a primer. On the subjects of nutrition, health and biology, this is the most thorough and accurate book I have ever read."
The Whole Life Times

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Thank You :d