Am I doing it right?

[thisbruddah]

I'm not completely raw yet. For breakfast I usually have a banana and water. For lunch I've been having 2 cucumbers, 1 apple, 2 clementines, 1 tomato, celery and some cashews. For a snack I usually make a smoothie or eat a banana. And for dinner, I usually have regular Indian food or whatever my mom makes.

My main concerns are protein and carbohydrates. I read online that grams of protein from raw foods are more effective than cooked. I'm not sure if I am getting enough carbs either. I am a long distance runner and a senior in high school so I'm not sure how this diet will work out. What do you guys thing? I will eventually try to go completely raw once I figure out some dinners I can easily make for myself. Also, I'm not sure how to get enough calcium. Am I allowed to drink milk? :confused:

[BlackKat]

You are getting good carohydrates from fruits and veggies. Also, I find that I am more satisfied with more seeds than nuts. They also have lots of protein. I'm assuming you are putting greens in your smoothie? If not, that would be a good thing to add. Greens like kale, chard, collards, spinach, dark leafy greens basically.

Lots of water is good. Coconut. sea greens/vegetables. Add lots of variety.

You will get plenty of carbs and protein.

[BlackKat]

Also about being a runner, just make sure you're getting enough calories. Eat LOTS of fruits and veggies. Not just a few.You'll actually probably notice you have more stamina on raw diet. I wish I knew more about when I was in cross country in highschool (unfortunately we were told to have pasta parties before big runs:rolleyes:) You will also get plenty of calcium from fruits and veggies. lots in greens too. Raw vegan lifestyle doesn't include milk (except from nuts and such).

[Revvell]

Question is ~ are you satisfied with what you're eating? A banana and water for breakfast? Did you eat breakfast previously? Is that enough?

From what you said, it sounds to me as though you're not getting enough of anything. I don't know why your main concerns are protein, carbohydrates and calcium. If you eat enough and enough variety, especially greens as has been mentioned, you'll be getting enough of everything.

Fruit, greens, nuts, seeds, veggies... There's a HUGE variety of food out there. Enjoy it!

[klomasius]

I suspect that as a runner, you might not be getting an adequate amount of calories. Revvell is right though, how do you FEEL? Do you feel like you have enough energy and stamina, do you feel good?

If it were me, I'd up the amount of fruits you eat, these are great packets of energy and deliver hydration and nutrients at the same time.

Also, up your greens, as BlackKat says, put greens into your smoothies.

My philosophy is to make greens and fruits the base of my diet and other stuff the icing to add a bit more variety.

[modernmonkey]

Make sure you eat enough fruit for breakfast so you are not hungry until lunch time. If you are thinking of/resisting food after an hour then you have not had enough. Keep increasing your intake at breakfast until you can go 3 hours without a food thought. It would be perfectly natural for you to get half your daily calories just at breakfast. You can even eat a succession of bananas at breakfast until you feel full.

As long as you get most of your calories from fruit you can thrive on it plus a generous plateful of greens and a couple of ounces of good fats a day. Just don't go hungry. This diet is not about limitation or willpower. It is about satisfying hunger and cravings every time with fruits and vegetables and ensuring you get that small amount of protein.

Good luck.

[sport]

You need to learn a bit more about the amount of food that you need. I suggest that you download one of the food monitor systems such as cronometer
http://spaz.ca/cronometer/
or
http://fitday.com/
Put your foods in for a few days and learn what is in everything. It will open your eyes.
It will tell you what calories you need.

[thisbruddah]

Ok, I took everyone's advice and am getting more nutrition. I think I'm eating enough for lunch since I don't feel tired or hungry throughout the day. I don't notice a real difference in how I feel compared to my old diet which was actually pretty similar to my raw food one. All I need to figure out now are some healthy things that I can easily make for dinner. Thank you for the inout everyone!:)

[mcster]

To further address your concerns, I've been veganish most of my life and I'm about to start on raw. My decision to do so was based on testimonials from various athletes (bodybuilders, runners, triathletes etc) who are thriving on raw. You may just need to to a bit more homework. I suggest you read Brendan Brazier's The Thrive Diet. IIRC, most of his theory is based on raw (though I think the book is marketed as vegan).

I run 10k 2x/w and my pre run meal is 1/2 banana, three dates and half teaspoon of coconut oil. Post I eat the other 1/2 of the banana and some organic, pre-soaked almonds.

You can get all the protein you need from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts. I'm still doing my homework but I'm gunning for 100g of protein per day and I won't have any issues getting it.

[climbing]

Yeah as others have said you probably need way more food than you are getting. Try adding calorie rich fat sources into every meal. I eat one avocado per meal. So at least three avocados a day and sometimes four if I end up having a second green smoothie as a snack. I use fruit like banannas and apples as my snacks, not a meal. Meals are all based on raw organic greens and sprouts, usually multiple types per meal (lentil, alfalfa, mung) and some soaked seeds or nuts such as almonds. I don't eat any seeds or nuts raw, I always soak or sprout them first. This helped my digestion a lot.

I take a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil after every meal. Not 100% sure how "raw" this is, but it works for me as I'm not completely raw anyway. You could do some other cold pressed oil for extra calories.

Also-adding in sprouted, ground flaxseeds was one of the best things I did for my diet. The level of inflammation in my body (I had a lot of health problems, some of which I am still working on) went down dramatically once I added the flax.

Hope that helps!

[sport]

Yeah as others have said you probably need way more food than you are getting. Try adding calorie rich fat sources into every meal. I eat one avocado per meal. So at least three avocados a day and sometimes four if I end up having a second green smoothie as a snack. I use fruit like banannas and apples as my snacks, not a meal. Meals are all based on raw organic greens and sprouts, usually multiple types per meal (lentil, alfalfa, mung) and some soaked seeds or nuts such as almonds. I don't eat any seeds or nuts raw, I always soak or sprout them first. This helped my digestion a lot.

I take a spoonful of extra virgin coconut oil after every meal. Not 100% sure how "raw" this is, but it works for me as I'm not completely raw anyway. You could do some other cold pressed oil for extra calories.

Also-adding in sprouted, ground flaxseeds was one of the best things I did for my diet. The level of inflammation in my body (I had a lot of health problems, some of which I am still working on) went down dramatically once I added the flax.

Hope that helps!
Wow.
That is a lot of calories from fat. You must be getting most of your calories from it. That is hard on your body.

[Shels]

Climbing, Artisana makes truly raw coconut oil, since you said you're uncertain about yours. :)

[modernmonkey]

Try adding calorie rich fat sources into every meal. I eat one avocado per meal. So at least three avocados a day and sometimes four if I end up having a second green smoothie as a snack.

If I took this advice my weight would soar and I would be consuming more fat than on my SAD diet. I can only assume you are a high octave athlete or a bodybuilder to offer such advice.

There is about 1000 calories in 4 avocados. That is half your daily intake in fat and that's before counting any olives, nuts, sprouts, butters etc... you may have also eaten that day plus the fat derived from fruit.

In my research before turning to raw I discovered plenty of evidence to support the fact that many raw foodists make the mistake of consuming way too much fat because they believe it is good fat. Fat is fat however you look at it. Even good fat will block the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Fat should only be 10% or less of your daily calorie intake. Fruit and leafy greens should dominate. I try to have only 2 ounces of good fat a day, usually with my dinner. I rarely exceed one avocado.

I'm curious. How is this high fat diet doing for you?

[Namaste Mama]

While New at this diet, I do not see fat as bad. You need fat to function. There are tribes that live on nothing but fat. Low fat is a myth that was perpetuated with the SAD diet. Fat dose not make you fat.

[sport]

While New at this diet, I do not see fat as bad. You need fat to function. There are tribes that live on nothing but fat. Low fat is a myth that was perpetuated with the SAD diet. Fat dose not make you fat.
Do you know the expected life expectancy and the health problems of those tribes. It is not good enough for me. I want more out of life.

[modernmonkey]

Yes, you need fat to function but isn't the SAD diet evidence of what happens when one consumes more fat than one needs to function? Doesn't this apply equally to a raw diet? You agree with me that fat is fat. Surely limiting it in a raw diet is just as important. You may not believe fat makes you fat but it is densely calorific with little nutrition compared to fruit. You may find yourself turning to other carbs to compensate and that is what can lead to overeating and weight gain.

[sport]

For me it has nothing to do with weight as I never had a weight problem.
I would love to eat fats because it would be less effort to get my required calories but I know that I would not be healthy and for me health is the overriding issue.

[Namaste Mama]

I"m just learning all this my my doctor, but I was told all fats are not created equal.

[modernmonkey]

... but I was told all fats are not created equal.

There is a slight contradiction in what you say. If you believe not all fats were created equally why do you not believe in 'good' and 'bad' fats?

I found this article which basically discusses this disagreement. It argues that raw foodism basically falls into two categories.

http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/articles/2sides.html

[tat]

Good healthy raw fats are much different than cooked fats. Much different. The way your body will process them is also much different. Good fats help your body release toxin storing bad fats.

One of the reasons people jump ship on a raw diet is because they fail to provide themselves enough nutrition. I think initially, it is important to explore all aspects of nutrition and let your body guide you on what you need to feel full, happy and energetic.

I know many long term raw foodist discover an 80/10/10 approach best, but this is dependant on getting enough variety and nutrition to hit those numbers.

An alvocado will always process through your body better than cooked oils, fried fatty food or processed garbage.

[sport]

An avocado will always process through your body better than cooked oils, fried fatty food or processed garbage.
Yes it will but not as well as a watermelon.
I do not think that anyone was comparing it to fried fatty foods. That is like comparing a sore toe to a broken foot but I would prefer to have neither.

[modernmonkey]

Good healthy raw fats are much different than cooked fats. Much different. The way your body will process them is also much different. Good fats help your body release toxin storing bad fats.

One of the reasons people jump ship on a raw diet is because they fail to provide themselves enough nutrition. I think initially, it is important to explore all aspects of nutrition and let your body guide you on what you need to feel full, happy and energetic.

I know many long term raw foodist discover an 80/10/10 approach best, but this is dependant on getting enough variety and nutrition to hit those numbers.

An alvocado will always process through your body better than cooked oils, fried fatty food or processed garbage.

I think you missed my point. The debate, for me, is about whether to endorse a high fat raw diet or a low fat, high fruit diet. The latter is my preference and not unrelated to the 811 diet you mention. I'm concerned that many new raw foodists consume way too much fat (even though in the form of avocados, nuts and seeds). What's worse is, if their diet is high fat AND high fruit it's a recipe for disaster. I'll quote the article,

"On a high-fat diet, insulin sensitivity is greatly reduced, meaning that simple sugars do not arrive to their destination (the cells) as rapidly. When a person on a high-fat diet eats a lot of fruit (sugar), they often get symptoms of hypoglycemia, candida, concentration problems and more."

These problems are not uncommon in raw foodists who consume too much fat. That is why I would always advise a newbie to keep their fat levels low.