Can RAW be mostly about fruits?

[Dararaw36]

It seems that when I start adding veggies and greens to my diet is when I start struggling with staying RAW. Today I only had fruits and some 100% RAW snacks and I did just fine. Is there a way to do RAW and minimize my veggie intake until my body says, 'hey, eat some veggies' or just to have 1 spinach and banana smoothie a day and the rest of the day have fruit juice or fruits?

I feel like I'm cheating or something by leaving out vegetables, but it seems that I just get panicky if I feel like I have to think about preparing meals that include vegetables. I know it sounds weird, but today I've eaten only RAW, but it's all been mostly fruits and some RAW snacks like I mentioned earlier. What are your thoughts?

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

I don't know if you've watched the latest renegade health show episode, but Doug Graham speaks a bit about this. He talks about calorie to nutrient ratios in fruits, veggies and greens. I recommend that you watch it if you haven't done so already.

I personally can't eat that much fruit since I'm sensitive to sugar, so my personal experience might be kinda pointless in your case.

[Dararaw36]

Okay, so a smoothie and a small salad would probably be enough greens for me in a day. Nice show they have. Thanks 7. :)

[Blazin'Jane]

How do you get to that Renegads show anyway???

[Dararaw36]

Here's the link to the Renegades Health Show.

Link Here (http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2009/09/25/how-many-leafy-greens-should-i-eat/)

[Tsurugi_Oni]

I would imagine a raw diet would be MOSTLY fruits. It's weird how many people on these forums go high veggie raw.

The calories in vegetables is practically negligible. You need fuel, sugar!!! Stuff like salad will fill you up just because it is a lot of fiber, but it won't give you the energy you need. They're definately good for gaining essential vitamins and minerals though to supplement your fruit intake. Vegetables also have high cleansing effects so they're extremely useful in clearing your system. But when your system is clean it only needs sugar + the ocassional minerals (because you're not losing essential nutrients through a bad diet).

Think of it this way. Every creature on earth needs calories. Squirrels can digest complex carbs. Ruminants can convert cellulose (a sugar) into a digestible kind. Birds eat seeds (fats + protein). But humans are supposed to eat vegetables, something which barely provides calories? It doesn't make sense.

That's why humans always stayed in tropical regions. There are plenty of veggies in moderate to cold climates, but not the year round fruit that a tropical region can provide. To me it only makes sense to eventually take on a high-fruit-raw diet.

[Cerellia]

In the beginning or raw, I felt always hungry, so I ate massive amounts of highcaloric food like sweet fruits, nuts, ect.
But now, I'm feeling better when I replace more and more fruit meals with a big salad (I put in avocado or olive oil and sometimes some seeds, so there are enough calories in it).

[Revvell]

I find it weird that you've only been doing SOME raw yourself for such a short time and it was only a few months ago you were talking about that you are not raw and you are not vegan, still going fishing and eating fish ~ yet write these long missives about how eating raw is "supposed" to be. (Check Apr. of this year)

I've been doing raw for 14 years or so and depending on what one is calling veggies, I have to tell you, I'm not in your court on this. Often what one hears or reads makes sense and then they regurgitate what they hear or read and act like it's true ~ without the experience behind it.

If you're calling tomatoes, cucumbers, and anything with seeds "fruit", then I agree. My food program consists of very little of what other people call fruit and more greens and salad fixin's. It gives me all the energy I need and not as to "supplement my fruit intake".

Dararaw ~ if you feel right now to eat only fruits w/an occasional salad, go for it. When that changes, then change with it. Instead of what this person or that person says, trust in your body. It's that simple.

Doug Graham speaks ALL about fruits and greens yet, much as I respect him and his experience, he can't speak for me and mine. I was actually thinking about this yesterday and thinking how many people who are new to raw will listen to him and "try" to do what he's saying and, it may work for them at first, especially in the summer and/or warmer climates yet, as the weather cools and fruit is not so available, it may not "work" for them anymore. Also, for newer folk, they'll not feel as fulfilled as they would be eating heavier foods so they are more likely to stop eating raw because they're hungry all the time.

After awhile your body will tell you what it desires and lead you in the right direction which is why Alissa's program works so well. Keeps one fed and satisfied while the body transitions into healthy raw and eventually it'll find it's own way. "Trying" to follow another way ~ well, I've seen people take someone else's way as "religion" and when they're bodies rebel they say "no!!! So and so said to do it this way!" And, they stay with what's not working and become ill or, get off raw.

As far as what's cleansing ~ fruit is cleansing; veggies are building. Ever get the runs from a lot of fruit? I have. Ever get that with greens and veggies? I've not althought I get GREAT bm's. Easy to figure what's the truth here.

Revvell



I would imagine a raw diet would be MOSTLY fruits. It's weird how many people on these forums go high veggie raw.

The calories in vegetables is practically negligible. You need fuel, sugar!!! Stuff like salad will fill you up just because it is a lot of fiber, but it won't give you the energy you need. They're definately good for gaining essential vitamins and minerals though to supplement your fruit intake. Vegetables also have high cleansing effects so they're extremely useful in clearing your system. But when your system is clean it only needs sugar + the ocassional minerals (because you're not losing essential nutrients through a bad diet).

Think of it this way. Every creature on earth needs calories. Squirrels can digest complex carbs. Ruminants can convert cellulose (a sugar) into a digestible kind. Birds eat seeds (fats + protein). But humans are supposed to eat vegetables, something which barely provides calories? It doesn't make sense.

That's why humans always stayed in tropical regions. There are plenty of veggies in moderate to cold climates, but not the year round fruit that a tropical region can provide. To me it only makes sense to eventually take on a high-fruit-raw diet.

[Cerellia]

I agree to you, Revvell.
When I first went raw, I tried to follow a very purist raw food direction according to which no food prepeartion at all is allowed. No Oils, Juices, Smoothis, no dehydrated food, only plain fruits and wild green salads without dressings.
I just did not feel happy when I was eating like that. Since I have included some prepared raw food, I feel much better and my cravings for cooked food have stoped.
And I'm not even too much into that gourmet raw food. A green salad with tomatoes, cucumber, sprouds and olive oil dressing, or an avocado sauce to dip in my veggis is really all, I want. It just feels so much better if you don't put the pressure on you that you "have to" eat a certain way.

Back to topic: I don't think it is possible to eat too much greens, it is not weird at all to eat a high (green) veggi diet.

[SevenKindsOfCookie]

Back to topic: I don't think it is possible to eat too much greens, it is not weird at all to eat a high (green) veggi diet.

You don't think so? I've certainly eaten too much greens at times. When you get to the point that you are so full that you can't get the required calories from other sources, you are eating too much.
I cannot do more than three heads of romaine lettuce in a day because it fills me up so much.

That's why I try to eat as much wild greens as possible, because they are generally much richer in nutrients so you don't need to eat as much.

[Dararaw36]

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. So it seems that there are many opinions about this and ideas based on all sorts of things. I think I'm going to go with what my body wants. I'm a pretty slow moving person and I think energy is what my body is needing, which may be why it was not really happy with the idea of veggies and was definitely was not satisfied with them this week and why I was resorting back to SAD on the days I tried to switch to mostly veggies than fruit. On the days where I made fruit juice or was juice fasting, I was satisfied most of the day and had a 100% RAW day.

In the future I will definitely do green smoothies daily (bananas and spinach) and probably a small salad. But then I'll fill the rest of my days with nuts, raisins, fruits (tomatoes, cucumbers included), possibly carrots and celery (to snack on), RAW snacks, fruit juices and water. Then, I will just listen to my body and if it starts craving vegetables, I will go from there and supply it with what it needs.

I hope that makes sense.

[a1icia]

In the future I will definitely do green smoothies daily (bananas and spinach) and probably a small salad. But then I'll fill the rest of my days with nuts, raisins, fruits (tomatoes, cucumbers included), possibly carrots and celery (to snack on), RAW snacks, fruit juices and water. Then, I will just listen to my body and if it starts craving vegetables, I will go from there and supply it with what it needs.

I hope that makes sense.

Just make sure you rotate your greens regularly (daily or weekly). Otherwise, your body will get sick of them. It also helps to consume a vitamin C rich food with your greens for better iron absorption and to prevent oxalic acid from building up in your body.

[Tsurugi_Oni]

Your right, im not a raw expert. But just because I used to eat fish didn't mean that I didn't use to eat mostly raw. I was mostly raw for about a year before I even started the "new phase". Breakfast and lunch for me were always 100% raw. I also personally know a couple hardcore raw foodists.

I used to be highly athletic, doing gymnastics and martial arts. For me personally I HAD to have a lot of fruits to make it through the training sessions. That doesn't mean that I didn't eat vegetables, but it just meant that I didn't live exclusively off of veggie shakes.

I guess the path would lie somewhere in the middle. Revvell was right when she said fruit can sometimes give you the runs.