Getting enough food on a raw diet

[Larry Grogan]

Hello!

I tried eating raw on and off from about late February to September this year. The problem I always had was filling up, getting enough food. I could make a huge salad, spend a half-hour eating it, then eat a pint of berries or three or four oranges or peas or whatever, and still leave the kitchen feeling like I could eat a huge steak if it was put in front of me. It wasn't a matter of craving cooked food, I don't think, I just wasn't getting enough calories. The only time I actually felt full and satisfied was when I ate a lot of seeds or nuts, which you probably shouldn't do every meal -- my understanding of the diet is you want to get most of your nutrition from fruits and vegetables.

I first turned to it because I had been drinking heavily for a while and felt the need to detox. I felt better in some ways, physically, when I stuck with eating mostly raw for a few days or a week -- I slept better, I was in a better mood, I had more energy, I just felt healthier. And my body could tell, after eating mostly raw for a few days and then eating some cooked food, how much worse it was for me -- it just didn't feel right. But it was so hard to fill up, I felt like I had to eat all the time and I still felt hungry after I ate a lot of the time, so I only stuck with it inconsistently and finally just stopped trying.

So what do you all do? What kind of foods or meals do you eat to feel full, without spending all day either hungry or eating or thinking about eating? What sort of meal schedules do you recommend? What kind of fruits/vegetables are high enough in calories that they satisfy you? Any input would be appreciated, I'd like to get back into it if I can find a way to make it work for me.

[qwerty988]

Nuts and seeds are making all the difference for me, sorry to say.

Every day I'm either having some kind of cashew-cheez based dish -- having it over zucchini pasta or as creamy based soup. Or I'm having something like a walnut pate or Alissa's mock salmon...... or cashew "egg" salad, stuff like that in collard wraps.

I'm still eating lots of greens and salads and fruits and green smoothies..... but for me anyway if I don't have one really rich nut-based meal a day, I'm just always hungry and either eating or thinking about eating.

I'm getting more into seeds now, too. I got a dehydrator and just started making flax crackers.... which are SO filling! I had some guac with flax crackers for breakfast this morning and I was full FOR HOURS! Also I have chia seed pudding many mornings.

I think some people just need more fat calories to feel satisfied and I'm clearly one of those people.

Seriously -- the difference is night and day. I'm astonished at how much better I feel now!

[Revvell]

Have you gotten Alissa's first book and dvds yet? That's what I suggest. The book is HUGE and can assist you in creating some really good, healthy meals where you'll feel totally satisfied.

When I first began about 15 years or so ago, we pretty much ate all nuts/seeds ~ such as burgers, crackers, etc. After awhile our bodies adjusted and we didn't need such heavy foods to feel satisfied ~ not "full". We're so used to feeling "full"... while being under-nourished... Get the book and dvd's and you'll see what I mean ~ burgers/buns; lasagna; chili, etc.

Hard to stay raw when one is hungry all the time, huh?

[RawFoodieCutie]

Hello there:) I have a few things to say first: when we eat the standard american diet, we think that full means our bellies are bloated and ready to burst. Over time you get used to being satisfied rather then stuffed. The feeling of satisfaction is not being unable to walk or stuff another bite in. It's hard to adjust to that at first, and so I definetly recomend if eating nuts and seeds at first helps your transition, go for it. Be sure to soak and rinse them first though, it'll make the digestion process a lot easier. If you're worried about the fat content, switch the nuts for some sunflower seeds! They're also a lot cheaper.

As for food to keep you full, try smoothies! You can pack a whole lot in there without spending half an hour or more eating all of it and it'll keep you full for a while. It gives you all kinds of nutrients in an easy to digest form, plus like I said you can add in a lot to make sure you get sufficient calories. I recomend making a nut mylk (straining or not is up to you), and add fruit and greens. I recomend bananas and dates, they're higher in calories and fiber, plus make the smoothie thicker and sweeter. Also, (and i know some people will yell at me for this) but from what I understand, protein can help you feel fuller for longer. Obviously you don't want to be eating a bunch of narsty meat, but healthy hemp seed/protein powder added into a smoothie? YUM.

I think someone posted this earlier, but I can honestly attest to the fact that once you're raw for a while, your taste buds change, as do your needs food-wise. You take in a lot of food because your body is literally so starved for nutrients and so it's going to try to compensate for however long it was deprived. Example: When I first went raw I literally lived on high calorie food for a few weeks because I was starving all the time. Prior to that, however, I was dealing with an eating disorder. My body was so starved for calories, fats, and nutrients because it had been deprived these vital things. A few months after the constant high calorie food, my body readjusted itself and I began eating a green smoothie, salads, and only one or two gourmet raw foods a day (rather then a green smoothie, trays of onion bread, bananas, and raw brownies) and I felt completely satisfied.

Give your body some time to heal from whatever it is it needs to heal from, it knows best and will direct you the best way it can.

Best wishes on your journey,
Marah

[Meat_Juice]

Thing is, you might have to eat A LOT of fruit.



I have eaten 17 bananas in one day once. It just depends. Sometime I will eat 12 pieces of fruit, then get my salads in, and at the end of the day, I have some nuts and seeds. I might once in a while, have a raw potato or something.


Pick high calorie fruits to keep you full like mangoes, bananas, dates, squash, pumpkin.

[michigan roman]

my salads are filling because i heap on avacado / sesame seeds / chopped walnuts / mushrooms / hemp seeds / brocoli / sun flower seeds / etc

and i make nut or seeds mylks in blender that i add alot of bananas to

and i go through phases where i get burned out on salads / fruit / raw in general and start to every weekend for a month eat boiled or baked potatoes with my salads

after a while i lose my taste for the cooked potatoes and start to crave all raw salads again

[RawDad]

I can eat and eat and eat and eat. So can my boy. And so can my girlfriend. It seems like I over eat just about every day. I feel full, my stomach is distended, and I still want to eat. Victoria Boutenko hipped me to the concept that it can take 2-3 months of eating raw to finally normalize nutriment absorption to a point where you actually need to eat far less to be nourished and satisfied. I'm almost to two months raw vegan and I'm just starting to feel full after a reasonable amount of food.

Smoothies are great for filling up! My favorite blend is 1 bunch of kale, 4 to 6 bananas, 3 heaping spoon fulls of cacao powder, just enough water to make it blend, one avocado, and a generous squirt of flax oil. It is still delicious without the cacao and avocado. You can use other leafy greens like spinach and romaine as well. Makes about 3 glasses and it goes down quick. Recently I've been adding raw shredded coconut (can anyone tell I'm craving chocolate milkshakes.)

[rawmiss]

Feeling hungry when you are full is a sign of insulin resistance and it would probably happen on any diet. I've heard that cayene pepper will improve insulin resistance. Here is a link about that. I've also heard that if you take it in the morning you will feel the effects later in the afternoon so I take it in lemon juice water in the morning.

http://www.montanaim.com/pubs/REM_0208_22_23.pdf

[MysticTree]

what sort of fluid intake are you having. Sometimes, in fact often, we eat when really we are thirsty. Are you hydrated enough?