How much is too much?

[Olive]

Almond butter, that is! I have gone through 2/3 of a 12 oz. jar of almond butter since Sunday. :o Apparently, I loooooove it! Is that way too much? Should I be cutting back a bit? Will I stop craving it as much?

I'm on my 4th 100% day, by the way! It's going really well . . . mild detox, few cravings and my partner says my skin already looks better. Even the receptionist where I work commented this morning that my color has improved in the past few days (she doesn't know I've gone raw)!

[Jay]

Wow Olive, those are some really nice compliments you've got! And way to go with your raw challenge! Woohoo!

As for your question: hmm, the eternal question: how much is too much... well, I think you don't have to pay too much attention to it at this point... you just started out eating 100% raw, if you feel good, no discomfort with digesting that amount of almond butter, etc, I'd say don't worry about it!
Maybe you'll get fed up with it after a while, who knows, and then you'll eat less of it... this is just my humble opinion, although I don't think anybody here will forbid you to eat that much butter, because you know what happens with forbidden foods... you just start craving them more and more!

So I'd say: don't worry, you are doing great! Keep it up! :D

Bye, Joke

[qetta]

I say it eat 'til you don't want it anymore. That's my philosophy for myself and avocados anyway :) And I think I hit my avocado limit today, because my tummy is a little iffy and just the thought of another avocado makes me shiver at the moment. I bet your body will tell you when it's wants almond butter no more!

I agree with Joke - you're just starting out raw and should focus just on staying raw, not worrying too much about how much or how little of whatever you eat. (Just my inexperienced opinion :) )

[vegbaby]

I definitely agree, Olive. At this point just try to become more in tuned with your body and listen to its signals. Don't limit yourself on anything! You'll naturally start to crave other things to balance it out.

Melanie

[Olive]

Thanks! I know that trusting my body is the right answer, but it sure helps to have other people say it too! :)

[Rawism]

Olive, that's a great question you posed.

My first month of going raw, I lost 17lbs! Then.....I was introduced to Almond Butter.

I can't get enough of this thing. I can't believe I haven't tried it before. I find myself eating it for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

And you know what I noticed...my weight lost slowed down. My second month I lost an additional 4-5 lbs. But the next 2 months my weight stayed the same. And that's not good to me, because I have 20 more lbs to go.

When I asked around, I was told that I was probably eating too much almond butter. Is that so??

Just a thought you might want to consider. Have you noticed a change in your weight also?

[Sharon in Colorado]

I was going through both lots of almond butter and medjool dates a lot on my first few days. It replaces the heaviness and richness of cooked food. Lately I don't seem to want it as much, or I'm finding something else to eat. If you keep at it, you'll probably end up doing the same.

[Olive]

You know, I've noticed that my craving for almond butter has decreased since I first posted this--10 days ago. I took to heart that my body knows what it's doing and will tell me, if I stop to listen. I'm actually craving more leafy greens and fruits at the moment! I ate almost all dehydrated, heavy food yesterday and felt sluggish and got a stomach ache for it! Personally, I wouldn't put much energy into worrying about the remaining 20 pounds. Eat what your body craves and trust that it is craving it for a reason.

There's another side to this though--emotional eating. I've dealt with compulsive eating most of my life, so to not eat emotionally is a real challenge for me. I've been working on intuitive eating and it's helped so much. Before I go to eat something, I check in with my body and emotions. First, how am I feeling--physically, emotionally and spiritually? Am I having stomach hunger or "mouth hunger" (wanting to eat for reasons other than true hunger)? If I have stomach hunger, I eat what I am craving and pay attention to stop when I am full. First though, I usually have a big glass of water, since I often confuse thirst with hunger (physiologically hunger and thirst can product the same stomach sensation). If I am having mouth hunger, I sit with my feelings for awhile and figure out how I can take care of myself best. Sometimes, I still eat for comfort, but I try to always do it with awareness so that it is a coping skill and not a compulsion. Otherwise, I might go for a walk, meditate, listen to music, call a friend, etc. This whole practice has taken a lot of work for me, but it has been so worth it. I finally feel pretty free from the chains of an eating disorder. You may not be eating for emotional reasons, but I thought I'd share in case it was helpful!

Olive

[tglasco4]

I say if it means you can stay raw (assuming you want to stay 100%) eat whatever you like until your body tells you otherwise. It may be something is in that nut that your body is craving. Feed it till it wants no more!! To me if you are just starting on 100% and its raw, its all good! Thats just me......of course, I am no doctor, but who needs 'em :D Just kidding! (dont want nasty emails from our MD friends).

Todd

[flutterfly]

If you think that Almond butter is good just try cashewbutter. I live on it. Great with apples or bananas

[Analeah]

Almond butter is incredibly good and cashew butter is super good too. I used to eat a lot more than I do now but I still crave it often. I have tried cutting it out completely but my cravings for it get so intense sometimes that I just go back to eating it lol. I think the most important thing you can do is try to balance the almond butter consumption with enough greens. Most nuts and seeds are very acidic and greens alkalizing so on days when I eat a lot of almond butter I try to also eat lots of greens and I think it helps to feel more balanced. As for skin clarity I don't think it's the best thing you can eat but it is definately superior to any cooked oil or fat imo.

[Rawkinlocs]

Olive, I just wanted to say that this was such a beautiful and very inspiring post...to me and I'm positive to others as well!!


You know, I've noticed that my craving for almond butter has decreased since I first posted this--10 days ago. I took to heart that my body knows what it's doing and will tell me, if I stop to listen. I'm actually craving more leafy greens and fruits at the moment! I ate almost all dehydrated, heavy food yesterday and felt sluggish and got a stomach ache for it! Personally, I wouldn't put much energy into worrying about the remaining 20 pounds. Eat what your body craves and trust that it is craving it for a reason.

There's another side to this though--emotional eating. I've dealt with compulsive eating most of my life, so to not eat emotionally is a real challenge for me. I've been working on intuitive eating and it's helped so much. Before I go to eat something, I check in with my body and emotions. First, how am I feeling--physically, emotionally and spiritually? Am I having stomach hunger or "mouth hunger" (wanting to eat for reasons other than true hunger)? If I have stomach hunger, I eat what I am craving and pay attention to stop when I am full. First though, I usually have a big glass of water, since I often confuse thirst with hunger (physiologically hunger and thirst can product the same stomach sensation). If I am having mouth hunger, I sit with my feelings for awhile and figure out how I can take care of myself best. Sometimes, I still eat for comfort, but I try to always do it with awareness so that it is a coping skill and not a compulsion. Otherwise, I might go for a walk, meditate, listen to music, call a friend, etc. This whole practice has taken a lot of work for me, but it has been so worth it. I finally feel pretty free from the chains of an eating disorder. You may not be eating for emotional reasons, but I thought I'd share in case it was helpful!

Olive

[ehartmanf]

Olive,

I thought the same thing about your post. It's wonderful that you have gotten such a handle on your emotional eating and can work through it with such success. Congratulations!!! :)

[corky]

Yes I agree Olive! I think most of us are emotional eaters. I know i totally am and i don't yet have a handle on it. But i am giving myself time as i adapt to this lifestyle which i love!

[Olive]

:) Thanks to all of you . . . you gave me warm fuzzies!