Raw benefits

[VeryBerry]

I am really curious about what benefits people are experiencing on raw.
What motivated you to go raw in the first place? What benefits are you hoping to experience? (Please mention how long have you been raw and if you are 100%)

As for me:
I have been about 50% raw for about a year. Athough it is close to 80% lately. One of the main benefits for me was encreased energy, and need for less sleep.
What I am hoping for: to get rid of my pms, (which is pretty bad and very long) ), to get rid of cystitis and constipation also to improve my eyesight.
I eat a lot of raw food mainly becouse I love it and I dislike cooking. I also do it to improve my health.

I look forward to reading about your experiences.

Love
VeryBerry

[sachis2112]

My personal experience... energy like I can't remember ever having before, weight loss, better sleep cycle as well as more restful sleep. After 2 weeks at 80 - 90% raw, I woke up happy for no aparent reson for the first time in YEARS!

After 2 weeks 100%, no more constipation and I even healed myself of a hemmeroid which I'd had for about a year! Wooo hooo! I lost a total of about 20 lbs after three weeks 80-90% raw and 2 1/2 weeks at 100%. I've been about 75% raw these last two months and have put on 10 lbs or so. I'm tired, feeling bummed out a lot, stressed more and I caught a cold a couple days ago, my first cold this year (I usually have one mid-summer but I didn't get it this year.) I'm on day 2 of a 30 day challenge with Watersole and Tanja.

[Ariannah]

Clarity of thought
dark circles under eyes vanished! I can now go completely make-up free!
no more heartburn, indigestion, or reflux
increased energy

[squidly]

Was already vegan for a few years, 70% raw for about 4-5 months. 100% raw two weeks. Since going 100% raw:
- lost 2 kg (I weighed 56kg at 165cm -am more interested in losing fat %)
- much better sleep
- more energy
- so much calmer - mood swings gone and just go with the flow
- no more 'down' days or moments which were frequent for me
- happier
- no hayfever yet I normally get it at this time of the year
- wake up alert
- better workouts and quicker recovery
- old injuries feel much better as if they are healing e.g torn hamstring not hurting as much with each day
- less food obsessed
- overcome lifetime sugar binging

Anyway that is all I can think of at present but probably more and all this on only 100% raw for 2 weeks. I beleive 100% raw makes bigger differences but then for me I was binging on sugar when high raw (lots of it too) so no sugar now probably has made a huge difference too. Going raw though is what allowed me to give up the sugar. When I was anythingless thatn 100% I always wanted sugar and for me it is the whole family size block or nothing. Raw allows me to beat my food binges

RAW is AWESOME!!!

[Rawkinlocs]

Benefits noticed so far:

*no more constipation
*skin (acne) improving
*decrease in bodily odor
*more energy/need for less sleep
*faster healing when I get cuts or "colds"
*nails improving and getting stronger
*no more achy knee joints
*no more headaches (used to get chronic headaches and migraines)

Benefits I'd like to see the longer I'm raw (with no chip-slips):

-improved vision
-less frequent and lighter menses and no PMS issues (though they HAVE minimized)
-dental improvements (OLD dental issues)
-better focus
-decreased/diminished/no-longer-existent desire for any and all cooked favorites

[sachis2112]

Oh my gosh! I forgot about the lack of reflux, etc. and the reduced hayfever! I was VERY pleased about those.

[sport]

I have been raw since early July but was vegan up to that so was very healthy.
Changes since going raw.
Sleep better
Menopause symptoms gone.
Not stiff when I stand up having been sitting for a long period.
Lost 8 pounds which I had not known that I could spare.

Most important change is that my SAD Hubby is eating a lot healthier

[Ariannah]

Ooh yeah, how could I forget that I've lost over 30 pounds in 3 months, and the fact that I can easily say no to sugar!

The fruit (and very decadent dates) provides sweet, candy-like taste to me! (except it's better than some fakey sugar thing! Taste and nutrition!) In fact over a month ago I made some (baked) cookies for the family, put LESS than half the sugar in the recipe, and yes, I tasted one and it tasted sickly sweet! I asked my DH if it was just me or were these way too sweet, and he said it was just me. I attribute that to raw.

So I guess another one is my taste buds are re-set to appreciate the natural taste of real foods without having to pour on the condiments (although I use celtic sea salt very sparingly - most of the time I forget I have it).

Recover from muscle strain more quickly when I take on an unusually heavy task (helping someone move house, riding bike too long, lifting things, etc).

[Denise Nicole]

For me (I'm new to raw), I used to take an acid reducer when dining out, notice I didn't need it as much when eating vegan and not at all when I ordered the salad with olive oil and viniger (usually a raw spinach salad). This intreged me enough to look into raw, knowing my stomach did not rebel against raw food. I read in depth about raw body builders and was hooked. I followed threads from RawVeganMom on another board and eventually she linked to this one, which I read and am now commited. So far when I eat raw:
No stomach problems
no headaches
more energy
weight loss
no bloating
Long term who knows, and eventually I will get around to thanking the person who unknowingly lead me this way.

[VeryBerry]

Thank you all for sharing. It is so motivating.

Today I only had raw food. I think for the first time in a very long time. I did not have any bread. I was not even hungry and I felt so energetic.

[truthseeker]

Benefits:

buldging vain on my forhead is just about gone

improved vision

no more headaches

regular BMs

no more constipation

no more problems with hemorrhoids

no more heartburn

no PMS here's my story on that http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6476

no body oder, I don't have to use anything!

no more colds (I got them a lot)

no more asthma

no more allergies (environmental and food...nuts if you can believe that!)

skin is SMOOTH and soft..no more cracked lips or heals

only get 1 or 2 pimples the day after eating out with hubby,other than that a better complection in general

The biggest benefit IS... that I can put food on my family's table and KNOW that I am indeed giving them healthy, nourshing, living food and I always feel good inside about it. Where as before when I was making (ha,ha) ... heating up speghetti O's and hotdogs and serving with a glass of milk I would just watch my girls eat their "meal" and feel DEEP inside that it was just not right. But I could not put my finger on what "it" was that I did not feel right about. Because as I knew it and as I was raised...That was real food!

What motivated me to go raw was my (at the time 3 1/2 year old) daughter's symptoms that were imo not normal...headaches, rashes, moodswings, MASSIVE sugar addiction and on, and on....I decided she and I would be mostly raw and do a little raw for the rest of the family but when we experienced the level of health that we did, I got the rest of the family involved at the same level. I threw out EVERYTHING in our home that was not 100% REAL food. READ, READ, READ and READ some more. Started ordering books like crazy. Surfed the web every night till wee hours of the morning looking for any info on health, food, youthing etc. which lead me to web sites, local health lectures and raw food demos ....which lead me to experimenting with things, which lead to a dehydrator, a vitmix, a coffee grinder, 2 juicers, a spiralizer, a milk bag and the wonderful support of all these people here at Alissa's website.

I am on average 95% raw. What this looks like to me is 100% daily raw produce but using ingredients like nama shoyu, miso, organic but store bought spices and herbs, once in a while maple syrup, once in a while organic and labled raw cashews that we all know are really not. And once in a while I will go out with hubby and have an "altered" salad with cooked dressing and maybe some bread.

[LisaDS88]

The biggest thing I noticed from being 100% is how clear and smooth my skin got and how ALL my PMS symptoms completely went away!! (I had it bad before, too) I used to get horrible cramps and bloating/tenderness so bad I couldn't even wear a bra...not to mention "it" lasted 8 days with PMS for two weeks out of the month. When I eat completely raw ALL of it goes away. "It" lasts a maximum of 3 days, no cramps, no bloating, no mood swings. If you are just now going raw it may take a couple months to balance out, but stick with it and you will see amazing results. Also, VERYBERRY, I was almost raw for a long time but I still ate bread (only "healthly" bread from a health food store), but I noticed the months I ate bread the more PMS symptoms I had. Even though it was "healthy" bread, it was made with a whole lot of sea salt, and I think that played a large part in it. Sea salt is okay a little, but not that much of it. I dunno exactly what it was, but once I stopped eating bread everything got better. That made it easy to give it up.

[VeryBerry]

Hi Lisa. So raw food really does help get rid of pms.

My pms usually starts about 2 weeks before my periods. I have terrible breast tenderness, muscle pain and mood swings. I feel like I just want to be alone, do not want to talk to people, get realy irritable and just want to stay in bed. I am willing to do anything to get rid of it.

Are you 100% raw? How long were you raw before your pms symptoms disappered?

[VeryBerry]

Lisa, what do you typically eat in a day?

[TimmyC]

From a guy's perspective after only 1 week 100%:
1. I don't know how to explain awareness, but I seem to be more aware.
2. Even though it looks like I'm eating a lot of food, it's really nothing compared to what I used to eat.
3. I'm more alert
4. I sleep better.
5. I'm nicer
6. My jeans/shorts are looser than they used to be.
7. I don't get bumps or red irritation when I shave....I was blown away by this

Tim

[sweetgoddess]

I was motivated to go raw by chronic head/neck/shoulder pain, insomnia and hidradenitis suppurativa.
I started in January. I did 3 months raw, then moved 3 times in 3 months and slipped for a few weeks. I got back on track mighty quick, as my symptoms came back off of raw.

The benefits I have had so far are:
-chronic pain gone!
-insomnia gone, I fall asleep in minutes now
-hidradenitis suppurativa symptoms gone
-pms gone
-depression gone
-weightloss
-inner joy
-lovely skin and hair
-calmer and far more emotionally balanced
-more loving
-more creative
-always inspired now
-self-image has changed
-feel in control

Raw has changed my life so very much. I wish everyone could experience what I have!

Blessings~
Carmel

[Callie]

I did the master cleanse for 40 days and then went raw directly. I am high raw- but basically I eat 100% except for some meat on my salads sometimes. I am at college and I am doing my best. Well in two months I have gone from a size 16 to basically a 10. All my 11 and 12's are loose. Yay. I lost about 25-30 lbs.

Also, my psioriasis cleared up for a while. I think it's going to take some more time because i am not perfect with food combining but i know it will go away eventually. Also, I feel giddy and light all the time- energetic and unexplicably happy. sometimes i start to laugh just because i have to. :0 I have control over my life now- i am not a slave to cravings and a mentality of disordered eating. I love it because there is no guilt in this way of life...at least not for me! Yay!
My moods are so much more stable- my pms symptoms have basically gone. I used to be a wreck- very unstable for about two weeks every month. I am also using a natural progesterone cream and that is helping as my hormones were completely out of whack.
I'm more confident and i have an inner knowing that I can do anything.. Yes, I can!

[vegggeeemom]

7. I don't get bumps or red irritation when I shave....I was blown away by this[/font]
Tim

I need to have my husband read this!! He has horrible irritation and red bumps EVERY time he shaves. He is not 100% raw, but about 70-75% raw.
Very intersting though that you don't have that problem anymore!

[twinyoga]

Benefits:

My blood sugar is stable, no more high's and low's
My skin looks better
My eyes are clearer
I have a ton of energy!
I sleep well
I can feel "true" hunger
I have no fear of fat or calories, I know whatever I'm eating is healthy and perfect (even if it's 20 dates)
Lost about 5 lbs (didn't need to lose much weight)
Eating is simple! I don't need to think about it.

In the future:
I would like my skin to get even clearer
Maybe lose another 5 lbs (no rush, though)


Simply stated, I just want to enjoy natural food and it's simplicity.

[Secret Heart]

I noticed the following:

-weight loss
-need less sleep
-feel lighter and satisfied with less food
-clearer skin
-less moody and less hypoglycemia (thank goodness to be off the coffee)
-no more craving carbs or gluten type foods

[nemo]

sexy fashionable bits of kale, parsley, or dandelion stuck in my teeth

nemo

[Denise Nicole]

sexy fashionable bits of kale, parsley, or dandelion stuck in my teeth

nemo
LOL, too true :o

[TimmyC]

Yes VeggieMom. I thought it was really weird, but a huge benefit for guys if it is true generally. Maybe it's my skin tightening up, or just clearing up in general. I can't remember when it was this easy to shave. I'm really glad 'cause I hate shaving all the time.

[LisaDS88]

Hi, it will probably take about 2 or 3 months to get rid of pms and balance out your body. I think it has to do with the amount of toxins in your body. I have read before that toxins really mess up your hormone level, so the more toxic you are the more PMS you will have. The longest I went raw was about a year. I can't remember for sure how long it took back then to get rid of pms. Once I had cooked food again it all came back, and recently, it takes about 3 months of raw to get rid of it again. I'm pretty sure it has to do with toxins and how fast they get out of your system. I was raw for a while at the beginning of this year and my pms was getting better. Then, I went on a 5 day fast (nothing but water) and my pms was HORRIBLE that next month. I figure because fasting cleans out your system so intensely that I "moved" a bunch of left over toxins into my bloodstream to be eleminated, which in turn really threw off my hormone balance. So, to make a long story short, you will get rid of PMS the sooner you get rid of toxins. Eating raw will remove toxins steadily as well as make you feel better in other ways, and fasting will remove toxins quickly (but rather harshly). You can usually tell how toxic you are by seeing how much "white stuff" is on your tounge (I know that's gross). Try going 12 hrs or more without eating anything and see how white your tounge gets.

[twinee1]

4 weeks almost 100% raw...

no gas, no constipation, no reactive hypoglycemia.

more consistant energy, lost 3 pds, clearer skin, no tired eyes, sleep better, not as hungry and think less about food.