Having trouble with mad cravings for nuts,dry fruit, and honey

[Belladonna]

lots, and lots of these things! I'm almost always wanting to eat almond butter with honey, or dates with pecans, etc. Oh, and lots of dry figs. I've been having some probs with being abnormally bloated, which might be from the these things... My usual daily menu is somewhat like this:

fruit smoothie to last me til lunch, usually consisting of banana, berries, some kind of green, and maybe pineapple or something.

Lunch is either dried fruits and nuts, or salad.

Dinner is usually some more fruit, and nuts with something sweet like dates or honey/agave.

Soooo anyone have any insight on if this seems like an unhealthy daily diet?? I have plenty of energy, if anything i sometimes have more that i can use up in one day... BUT I get really cold easily, which is a HUGE problem as I live in cold and rainy Oregon.

[sozei]

eat more raw food! :D

I don't know if you are eating unuff...have you checked your diet in something like fitday.com



i can't help with being cold. . . i wear lots of clothes ...:p

[DopeRawAbundance]

*Stands up

I am DopeRawAbundance, and I, am also, a figdate addict.

*Sits down because typing while standing up isn't what it's cracked up to be

I try not to sweat it too much, but it is a good idea to lower your intake if you're getting bloated. I tend to have some minor constipation when I eat too much dried fruits, my insides get caked up with waterless fruit matter. I went from killing a whole bag in 1 session, to killing it in 2 sessions, and so on... lower your consumption at a comfortable rate. Whenever eating dehydrated foods try to make up for the lack of moisture with spring water.

[Belladonna]

haha DopeRawAbundance, you rock. (or is it RAWk? lol) Yeah, I think you're right about the dried fruit thing.

Yeah I don't know if I'm eating enough or not. I'm 16, 115 lbs, with a 31-23 1/2-33.

[Green_Woman]

I'm 16, 115 lbs

Bella, how tall are you? Also, have you had a chance to read Alissa's book yet? I STRONGLY recommend you grab a copy of it ASAP and devour it like a bag of dates. ;)

A few things come to my mind to share:


1) If you're new to RAW, you need to eat LOTS AND LOTS of Raw foods!!! Honestly, your daily tally doesn't look like enough to keep a young girl going!!!

2) Your body is transitioning from SAD, which is high fats, high sugar to RAW, so for awhile at least you're going to want those high fats and high sugars... get them in the RAW, and eventually you WILL crave them less and less.

3) DO NOT stress counting what you eat right now. That will kill the momentum you need when going RAW to make it... instead, focus on enjoying what you eat, and if you're craving dates and almond butter, here's a fantastic recipe that I drank daily for several months last year. :D I believe I originally got it out of Alissa's book!! (You REALLY need to read her book! It's the #1 BEST Raw resource out there and clears up alot of the details that we new rawbies can trip over....)



Luscious Almond Smoothie

2 bananas
1/3 c. raw almonds
6 medjool dates (remove pits)
1/4 c. raw almond butter
1 t. honey
1/2 - 1 c. water


Blend until thick and creamy smooth - a Vitamix will puree it into a creamy liquid with NO date or almond chunks. ;)


Serve chilled - it's fabulous. ;)

[Belladonna]

Thanks Green Woman! Actually I started RAW a year ago, but I made an exception for rolled oats which I ate uncooked but like, everyday. Then in May I cut that out.
Oooh that smoothie sounds goooood! Thanks!!!! - I haven't been able to get ahold of alissas book yet! I really need to do that SOON. Thanks for the re-inspiration to do so :)

[T-Bird]

hey bella -
are your nuts and dried fruit REALLY raw?


Most of us special order them, the ones at the store are heat processed, even whole foods.

[betty pain]

I know what you're going through. I went through that too. At the worst of it I could eat over a pound of nuts in a day. It just is not what our bodies were designed for and makes us feel horrible.

Yes, there are people with steel guts who say that excessive amounts of these foods do not hurt them. Just because they cannot feel the ill effects does not mean that there is no harm coming to them. Also, if you experience the same painful feelings daily you can become accustomed to the feeling and feeling like crap become your new standard for normality.

You can look at the digestive pains as a positive thing though. What is happening is your is body trying to communicate with you. It is saying, "that is hurting me, please don't do that again". This is how I began to break myself of the habit. I try to respect the intelligence of my body over my weak, fulfilling desires. Also, there is likely an emotional aspect to these cravings. Begin investigating what you might be trying to cover up with food over-satiation.

Another thing you might try is filling up on fresh fruit BEFORE you indulge in the fatty, dehydrated stuff. You might find that that full feel ing you are seeking has been quenched by the fresh food.

[Green_Woman]

Most of us special order them, the ones at the store are heat processed, even whole foods.

I don't special order as it's out of my price range and I've found LOCAL sources and small health stores that carry varifiable-RAW foods. :)

I don't know how accurate it is to say 'most of us' because this would lead many newbies to think that it might be impossible to find affordable RAW foods locally. It's not - it just depends greatly on your geographic location.

Here in AZ, RAW foods and even RAW speciality items are easy to come by even in the smaller towns. The same is true in California and a few other places I've visited. I know the same is NOT true in many States, but.... I just hate to see newbies get discouraged.

RAW is often hard enough without added stress of financial woes! :D

[Belladonna]

Awesome, thanks guys.

As for the RAWness of the nuts and dried fruit, I don't know for a fact but the store I get it at is local and awesome, so hopefully they aren't lying about the raw thing. I think I'll inquire more on that...

So, how would you guys recommend avoiding these cravings? I'll definitely try the fresh fruits first. Anything else? Cuz when I start craving sweet things I really REALLY crave them like mad.

Thanks for all of your support, it means a lot and helps. :)

[Green_Woman]

Bella - If you're cravings sweets, eat sweet RAW things. Make a GREEN SMOOTHIE that's packed with bananas/oranages and spinach. I think a few folks already made a few great suggestions, too.

I wouldn't say you can really AVOID cravings - but when they do come, you can sure attack them head on and turn them into something RAW. ;)