Starting Off on the Right Foot

[Olahh]

Hello All :)

I started a raw diet 3 days ago. I am so motivated because I have noticed small changes in just 3 days! These are the foods I have: bananas, lemons, dark cherries, clementines, nectarines, strawberries, cherry tomatos, blue berries, red bell pepper, yellow onion, broccoli and baby spinach. I also own a cheap blender.



What do you suggest a person with a very toxic body do or how should they start?
My downs are after I eat spinach and broccoli. I get a serious headace and I am moody. I feel great when I eat fruit. Should I do a cleanse first? I am 157lbs,5'4 female.

ETA; My food intake has been 95% raw

[Olahh]

Will someone plz help?

[Number37]

I'm afraid I can't help you - I'm a beginner myself! But just to let you know that this board can be a little slow at times and you may have to wait several hours or overnight for a reply. However, when you get one, you can be sure that the person will have some great advice Good luck :)

[Olahh]

I was beginning to get worried. I will check back later tonight. Until then i will continue what im doing. I just wanna stay focused.

[modernmonkey]

Welcome, it sounds to me you are already heading in the right direction!

I'm into my sixth week. I recommend a high fruit, low fat raw diet for beginners. Fruit is so great at eliminating cook food cravings and making sue you get your nutrition. It sounds like you are more of a fruity person like me so that works well. Try and have more leafy greens like, spinach, watercress and kale. Coniferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are best kept to a minimum. Leafy greens can easily be added to smoothies and you can't even taste them. I think smoothies and salads are the easiest and best way to start. Once you feel you need some more variety you could try a recipe or two and see how that fairs with you. Good luck.

[Revvell]

I recommend a high fruit, low fat raw diet for beginners.

I don't and neither does Alissa. Without enough fats via avos, nuts and seeds, you just may feel you're starving and hungry all the time and you'll be indulging in foods you'd rather not. I recommend eat what you want, when you want ~ whatever makes you feel good. After awhile your body will tell you when to lower your intake of fatty foods, if in fact it does. This food program is not about restrictions ~ it's about freedom!

I'd suggest you get Alissa's first book and follow her advice. She shares example of many who began very toxic and more overweight than you; menu suggestions and well over 300 recipes. Oh! Her vids are great too! A great investment in yourself.

~ Revvell ~

[Olahh]

Thx,

I will definitely purchase that book. My head hasn't bothered me at all today. This is what i had so far for meals today: Breakfast- 2 clementines, 1 banana and dark cherries. Lunch- Salad-baby spinach, cherry tomatos, jalapenio peppers, black olives, minced garlic, cranberries, a sprinkle of walnuts and a quick small drizzle of evoo. I kno that was a big lunch but I ran today for 25 mins and boy was i hungry! lol

What does avos mean?

[BlackKat]

avocado.

I agree with revvell~ When I first started I felt so much more satified with having raw nuts and seeds in my diet. Also things like nut butters.

Then once I got into the groove of things, i found myself slowly eliminating some fats.

[Olahh]

Oh ok. I bought some avocados today. I love guacamole.

^^ plz excuse my spelling.

[Shels]

Hey, sounds like you're off to a good start. :) I also think that you should sneak in some more leafy greens, even if it is only once a day in a smoothie or something. Greens are where you'll be getting the majority of your protein on a raw diet. :)

[mbncb]

I was also wondering about the protein issue. My bag of spinach says I have to eat 2 3/4 cups just to get 3 grams of protein. Even if I eat a whole bag a day, that's not enough. I'm diabetic and doc said this way of eating is fine as long as I'm getting enough protein. If not, I have to add in eggs, fish or chicken. :(

[modernmonkey]

Revvell


You don't really know if my advice isn't useful to this person. Had I been given your advice when I started I would have overeaten, still had digestive issues, spent money on ingredients I may not like and continued with food addiction and cravings and possibly gained weight. I think it's great for each poster to offer their pearls of wisdom and their reasons why; it gives the OP great variety and choice. There was no reason to invalidate my opinion only to endorse Alissa's book. You could have done that regardless and would have been well within your rights.

[sport]

I was also wondering about the protein issue. My bag of spinach says I have to eat 2 3/4 cups just to get 3 grams of protein. Even if I eat a whole bag a day, that's not enough. I'm diabetic and doc said this way of eating is fine as long as I'm getting enough protein. If not, I have to add in eggs, fish or chicken. :(
People have the wrong ideas about protein. I use cronometer to check my nutrient intake and I have set myself a target of 30 grams per day and I get it every day even if I have no greens or seeds or nuts.
Download it and put your food in for a day and you will see what I mean.

[sport]

Revvell
Had I been given your advice when I started I would have overeaten, still had digestive issues, spent money on ingredients I may not like and continued with food addiction and cravings and possibly gained weight.

You know that I agree with you on the low fat issue and I now go a lot of days without any overt fats but I think that I would not have survived the raw journey if I had tried it that way from the start. I needed the flax crackers and avo to make me feel satisfied in the beginning.
I think that you are right and everyone hast to find there own way but there is no harm in knowing that they have options.

[sport]

Hello All :)
My downs are after I eat spinach and broccoli. I get a serious headace and I am moody. I feel great when I eat fruit. Should I do a cleanse first? I am 157lbs,5'4 female.


Perhaps you have been having too much oxalic acid. It is recommended that you switch your greens regularly. Try romaine for a while instead of spinach and skip the broccoli.
Try starting your day with a green smoothie. Just pop some bananas and water in a blender and add a head of romaine.

[Olahh]

Thx everyone,

I am soaking in this info and doing alot of reading. I will be on here often to stay motivated. Im still 95% raw. I washed my hair this morning and I didnt have to scratch my scalp due to itching. I am really noticing small changes.

[Olahh]

I added Kale in my diet. I wish there were a cronometer mobile app. I cant download the desktop version b/c i use a PS3 to get on the web. Also i added nuts to my dinner last night. 100% raw yesterday and felt very satisfied.

[Shels]

I was also wondering about the protein issue. My bag of spinach says I have to eat 2 3/4 cups just to get 3 grams of protein. Even if I eat a whole bag a day, that's not enough. I'm diabetic and doc said this way of eating is fine as long as I'm getting enough protein. If not, I have to add in eggs, fish or chicken. :(

The thing about greens (and most fruits and veggies too) is that they have all of the amino acids, so as soon as you pop them in - bam! your body can assemble them into the protien you need. With animal protein, your body has to break it back down, and then re-build it in a way that you can absorb it. While it may not look like you're getting protein, you certainly are.
If it's something you're really concerned about, just make sure you have some sort of dark green every day - spinach, kale, chard, etc. The only thing I have ever been missing on a raw diet is B vitamins.

[Olahh]

Still raw, no meat and feeling great.

[mbncb]

Sport, isn't 30 grams of protein a day too few? I always thought it was more like 120+. I really want to show the doctors that this is healthy and I don't need to be on 21 different meds. I've already done away with my sleeping meds because I don't need them. I haven't taken insulin in 2 days because my blood sugars have stabilized after 2 weeks eating raw. I'm actually on day 2 of a 7 day juice fast. My only concern is my sodium level is low (111). I do drink at least 1 1/2 gallons of water a day. I just want to make sure I'm doing this the "healthy" way. :)

[sport]

Sport, isn't 30 grams of protein a day too few? I always thought it was more like 120+. )
The note below comes from this site
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/protein.htm
This is a SAD low carb site and I expected that they would specify a huge amount of protein but they say that a 200 lb man needs 74 grams.

How much protein do we need?

Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams, and a 250-pound person should eat 92 grams.


Now the protein that we get is more bioavailable that the rubbish that they get so I feel that you can lower that a lot.

[sport]

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/protein.html
This is from this site. As you see the amount drops as you get older.

How much protein do I need each day?
The amount of protein that you need depends on your age, gender, body size, and how active you are. Most teens need between 40 and 50 grams each day. Look below to figure out about how much protein you need.

If you are 11-13 years old: Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.455; this gives you about how many grams of protein you need each day. For example, a 12 year-old who weighs 100 lbs would need about 45.5 grams of protein (100 lbs x 0.455 = 45.5).

If you are 15-18 years old: Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 to estimate how many grams of protein you need each day. For example, a 16 year-old female who weighs 120 lbs would need about 47 grams of protein (120 lbs x 0.39 = 47).

[Olahh]

Finally bought Alissa's book Raw Food for Everyone.

Started off at 157lbs now im down to 144lbs :dance:

[kmik]

Actually, I believe you'd do well reading her first book "Living on Live Food." It's much more than a recipe book. It gives you foundational knowledge, guidelines and recommendations for starting your raw food journey. It was my raw food bible my first year raw. I still reference it regularly, and it has more recipes that continue to be my favorites than any other book I own.

Nonetheless, you've certainly done very well over the last couple of months, so kudos to you! :D