Nuts for nuts!

[bananamango]

Hi Friends! I'm new to this site but not new to raw. Somehow, I always tend to go back to the raw food diet but I do go back and forth between raw and a more oriental/macrobiotic approach. We are coming out of the winter season into warmth which means its a great time for raw! Even though I've done alot of research and tried alot of wonderful recipes I've never really stuck with raw long enough. I have one main concern and this is probably why I've never stuck with it despite loving how I feel and how the food tastes. Whenever I eat raw I consume a ridiculously high amount of nuts and seeds. This worries me because I dont want to put on weight. When I say that I eat alot of nuts, I mean it! I can consume up to 2 cups in a day, in fact, I could probably eat close to a cup at a sitting. I tend to be very hungry so the nuts are more satisfying. If I try to control my portions I'm just thinking about food all the time. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and what you do to get through it. I'd like to stick with raw without being ravenously hungry or consuming pounds of nuts at a time. I really appreciate the help and the support in this transition. I wanna make this time last! Many Peaceful Blessings to all!

-Nanama :kisses:

[kellybethx3]

Im kind of having the same problem, i eat a lot of nuts! Probably close to what you eat. I just try to eat filling meals and have nuts with one or two meals per a day when i can. I uswill have more than tht somedays but i try not to but dont worry too much. people have told me if youre not having any problems eat what you want to if it feels right! :)

[green goddess]

I :heart: cashews, I could eat them all day long, in savoury salads or in fruit salads or pretty much anything! But I find I don't feel great if I eat tons of nuts.

Are you eating enough through the day? I find that if I stuff myself (well, keep myself satiated) with dense fruit meals, I'm not reaching for nuts. If I'm getting really hungry, I'm wanting more dense things, like nuts, but if I keep nicely filled with fruits (bananas are awesome!) I'm happy.

So, my best advice would be to make sure you're eating enough calories (though I'm not advocating calorie-counting here, just using it as a tool) before you eat cupfuls of nuts! Oh, and maybe you're not getting fat, like avocadoes?

But, on the other hand, at least it's nuts you're nuts about, not something much more sinful! Viva la raw!

[Stina]

Eat lots and lots and lots of fruit and greens and everything else will regulate itself!

[green goddess]

If I try to control my portions I'm just thinking about food all the time.

Just noticed this line - if you eat enough healthy raw food, there shouldn't be a need to limit how much you're eating, unless it's your nut portions you're referring to! I find that being hungry when trying to stay raw has a bigger chance of setting myself up for failure, because if I'm hungry, I want to eat something!

Eat as much healthy raw food until you are satisfied! Keep snacks nearby, such as dates, bananas, raw crackers, so that you don't get hungry and reach for the nuts! :throwhearts:

[bananaberrie]

I can really relate to your post. I went high raw at the end of December 2010. I love nuts and could eat a lot of nuts, like when you said you can eat 2 cups a day, I was thinking "Is that bad?" So when I first went raw I ate a lot of nuts....a lot. But after reading on this forum and experiencing it myself I have noticed that my desire for nuts has decreased as my journey on a raw diet continues. I have read post after post about people who say that when they first went raw they couldn't have done it without eating large amount of nuts to get satisfied, but after some time the consumption of nuts slowly decreases. I think it is a natural progression for a lot of people on their raw food journey.

Just relax, enjoy your nuts and in time your taste will change and you will find you eat less and less.

Oh and Welcome to RFT :)

[bananamango]

Great replies! First of all, thank you all. Its very good to read the great advice and to hear your experiences. To my banana friend bananaberrie (love that we have similar user names:hug ) I have heard the same from many raw foodies. I think its unsettling for me because I dont like to eat big portions of food. I've been known to eat pretty slow so maybe thats why I can eat so many nuts. Generally I make smoothies, puddings, creams or dressings using nuts. I loooooove raw desserts and have learned alot of great recipes from Ani Phyo. I just got the Tribest personal blender and have never known I could make such smooth creams using nuts so I'm literally able to eat spoonfuls of it. I love fruits and veggies but I love them even more when they have nuts alongside them! I like the approach to just eat these healthy raw foods and eat as many as I like. Its difficult though to get out of the mindset of portion and calorie control so I think thats the challenge here. At any rate, I do agree with green goddess that its much better to be feasting on nut creams then to be feasting on nutella or cream cheese.

-nanama :kisses: