Any high energy raw fooders that work long shifts?

[Veronica01]

My sis, the doc is trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies but she honestly doesn't believe she can work 12-16 hour shifts working in a research lab standing and doing rounds at the hospital for hours on end. She usually brings a salad and 5 or 6 pieces of fruit with her and says it only lasts half the day. After that if it's late and she's working at night she lives off of vending machine food, ie chips and whatever else that is edible and free of gluten. I've tried telling her to eat a lot bananas but she won't eat more than 1 at a time. I can't really tell her what works for me will work for her as i work 9 hour shifts at a desk all day. It would have to be whole foods, she does not cook ever. Everything she eats and buys is prepackaged or takeout as she'd rather work than make food. I'm at a loss on what to tell her to up her calorie level except bananas and larabars. I will ask if she eats nuts, but i don't think she goes to organic stores (too far away). Anyone else with experience?

[Colorawdo girl]

There are lots of heavy raw to keep one going. I could never work the long shifts I do without raw energy. I have freedom to eat and fix all I need though.

Oh and very happy to see you have made progress with her???
pppst some people DO make excuses for not eating raw..they might not be ready. You know it took some awhile to be ready to dive in.

[Veronica01]

Yeah i don't know. She just convinces herself she needs HEAVY carbs and starches or she will starve. She's a very small person and has a tiny stomach so she can't eat much in one sitting. But she's annoyed she gets the little belly from eating when the rest of her is very slender. i doubt she would ever go raw, let alone give up meat and potato chips. But I have to praise her for acknowledging that i am healthier and she could be too.

[RaeVynn]

My DH works 12 hour shifts, on his feet 99% of the time, working in the finishing department of a paper mill. He's moving rolls of paper, wrapping skids of cut paper, shoving loads of cases of paper... this is his normal day.
He's eating almost entirely raw now. He isn't doing it on salads alone! :)
For instance, today he took a piece of dehydrated carrot-onion bread, spread a thick layer of not-tuna pate on it, sprinkled on some clover sprouts, and rolled that up. He also has a baggie of dates (about 6), a banana, 2 oranges, a couple of Egyptian date balls, and his thermos of coffee.
For breakfast, I sent him out the door with a quart of green smoothie that had a banana, wheatgrass, parsley, dark sweet cherries, and 1/3 cup maca, in water.

Your sister might think about a bit heavier of food, such as nut/seed pates, dehydrated crackers/bread, avocado in her salad, etc.

[Veronica01]

See that would work if we lived together and i was preparing her meals and sending her out the door. :) I keep telling her, as soon as your making millions you can get a personal chef! I don't doubt that she might lol.

[Veganforlife]

Yes. I work 8 hours full time and 3 hours part time.

I could NOT do this eating the SAD/CRAP foods I was before, even tho I was Vegan, I was an unhealthy Vegan.

If she wanted to do "this" she could.


...and I'm 55 and the 18 year old I work with there? I run circles around him... LOL!!!

[RawkinOnSunshine]

I regularly work 12-13 hour shifts, much of it being physically taxing. I've found the work much easier since I started on raw! As long as she brings lots of raw food with her (something I forget to do way too often) she'll be better than fine.

Also, on top of working full time and sometimes crazy hours, I'm in school and have 13 animals who all have large pristine cages. I do just fine.

[Veronica01]

I know... she runs on a half sad diet getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night and is fine with that, she just gets hungry. She honestly won't do it because it goes against the grain of her medical training and as she said "I'm restricted enough because of my allergies, i will not stop eating the things i'm not allergic to".

Today she offered to find me a raw vegan nutritionist because she wants to make sure i'm taking care of myself. Her best friend is a nutritionist and might know one from her graduating class and they have to do free consulting hours or something. She wants me to know the science behind what i'm doing as well. Can't argue that she's not trying to help me. :)

[SekhemNefer]

I think she should carry her usual food to work and add sushi to her diet. Make raw maki rolls. One maki roll before being cut into 6 to 9 pieces = 200 to 400 calories depending on what you put in it.

For me eating 6 is satisfying. Eating 9 is when I wan to feel almost stuffed full. She should get a maki sushi kit and buy the ingredients and learn how to make rolls.

She can carry 2 maki rolls of sushi plus her salad and fruit.


And some people are just not banana eaters. More than one a day can be too much for folks. I don't even want more than a half a banana a day.

[Veronica01]

She only buys store made or restaurant made sushi. That's for the idea, but she would never buy fish and make her own rolls out of it.

I told her how i made my own raw california rolls with nuts as rice and she was dumbfounded. Whenever she goes out she eats thai or sushi anyways.

[circle]

when i have to pull an all night homeworkathon i keep it up with bananas.

i don't know why, but it's like they keep me going somehow.

[Veronica01]

yeah i find that bananas are a life saver if im ever rushed and starving, i have no idea what its like to not like them or be able to eat a few at a time.

I made awesome icecream last night, just almond milk and frozen bananas, and topped with cut strawberries... i felt almost guilty eating it, but its low calorie and so good!

[circle]

freezing them with a fig and a peach and through the blender...

it makes me wet just thinking about it. :p

i know what you mean though. i have gone through periods where i am eating 20+ bananas a day. i am a little girl, too. when i was in costa rica i would go to a stand and buy like 20 bananas, sit down and eat them. people would watch me and nearly shat themselves dumbfounded. a mountain of banana peels sitting next to me.

[Veronica01]

lol you naughty girl

[circle]

maybe just make a bigger salad?

like huge.

mmmmmm

pack it in a tupperware, inside a cloth.

or one of these! super cute.

http://authenticgiving.squarespace.com/storage/gifts/bento_box.jpg

just think of the possibilities...

http://www.plasticashop.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=BNTOBX&Category_Code=MB

[Veronica01]

thats crazy, could you imagine what my coworkers would think coming in with that every day. I'd look like the crazy picnic lady lol... They already stare when i eat 5 oranges for lunch..

[circle]

yea it is a lot of stuff to carry.

i packed a huge salad once to eat during a trip, and the guy who was sitting next to me freaked out. he was all like i can't believe you ate that whooole thiiiing!?? soooo muuch foooood!!

people just don't understand. most of it is water anyway. it is not like you are eating a starchy piece of fried flesh and it is going to stay in your colon to rot for the next 72 hours. in and out it goes.

[SimplyFabulush]

I have worked a 10-12 hour shift plus doing two work outs and still had a bunch of energy by the end of the day. It's definitely possible. Those green smoothies are amazing :) I find the more spinach I put in them the more I can just go and go and go.

[Heatherette]

I work not only looong hours, but also my shift changes on a weekly basis. I am first shift this week, and I will be on third the next. On a SAD, I found this schedule nearly immpossible to maintain and I would fall asleep practically driving to work. However, since going raw, this is not the case. I need less sleep than before and when I wake up, I am refreshed and ready to go. There is no grogginess or nausea like before. Also, with my job I am on my feet for most of my day. I work in a lab and our plant is over 5 miles large...I tend to get some exercise here as well.

Don't get discouraged by listening to people who follow other schools of thought. You are your own evidence. YOu know how your body feels now as opposed to eating cooked foods!