wrecked on raw: how come i had more energy on cooked?

[skipfire92]

All these testimonials to feeling so much healthier and having so much more energy on raw....im not feeling it. im feeling wrecked. ive only been super-high raw for 3 weeks, but was pretty much cooked vegan for years before this (occasional cheats on dairy or eggs) and lately up until 3 weeks ago, high-raw cooked vegan. My vegan diet was pretty "pure;" not alot of junk or processed foods (with the occasion of fairly frequent veggie burritos for lunch); alot of fruit, nuts, dried fruit, cooked quinoa, brown rice, hummus, canned (yeah, bad, i know) beans, lentils, a lot of homemade soup, a fair amount of soy (yeah, i know its not healthy now...), some sprouts, alot of baked sweet potatoes, some greens, occasional sea vegetables, only ezekial bread....occasional "junk" like bagels or vegan chocolateor tortilla chips....
and higher raw up-and-down for the last year or so...so i dont think this is really detox, because i feel like i was already pretty high raw and eating a fairly healthy vegan diet before going all or almost all raw (i say almost because the dried fruits from our co-op are questionable temperature dried, etc; stuff like that. ) for the first 2 weeks i was ok, just hungry a lot and kind of frustrated. Now I feel wrecked. absolutely wrecked. for the last week i havent been able to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go to work. which is a further problem because my job is 8 hrs a day of physical labor riding my bike delivering packages. i wasnt feeling great even on cooked vegan, which is part of why i decided to go raw--everyone talks about how much more energy they have..... but now its like dragging myself everywhere; im exhausted when i get home, i feel like i dont have the energy to make it through the day, my knuckle joints hurt when i wake up in the morning...i wake up at 730 and feel like garbage and go back to sleep until 930, when my body feels better but im 2 hrs late for work... even when ive had 9 or 10 hours of sleep..... and im not noticing any other improvments either, as people seem to note noticing quickly once they go raw--ie clearer skin and eyes, etc.....

Iwanted to go all raw to see if i could clear up some health problems ive been having for a long time; sort of a last resort, like ive tried everythign else: specifically i have somethign called "pinguecula" on my eyes some sort of "callouses" or visible yellow growths that my eye doctor says is from to much sun exposure and that theres no way to get rid of (but i hate that cuz im only 27 and i thought maybe raw would get rid of it....) also, skin problems that Ive had for years, and finally, the issue of lack of energy....

as for my diet, i feel like ive been eating a pretty decent diet....a lot of nuts though, which some people have recommended cutting out because they say nuts make you tired---but for the sort of physical work im doing i feel like i need the protein, and also just fruits and veggies dont make me feel like im nourishing myself properly...and im hungry all the time as it is.

also, on this note of protein: what i dont understand is that a lot of raw fooders claim that you can get adequate protein from greens and fruits and veggies. my understanding is that all foods --except meat and eggs-- are not considered "complete proteins;"that is, they lack or have limiting levels of particular amino acids, and all of the essential amino acids are required in order to get a complete protein. yet i have seen nothing in regards to this concern on any raw food boards......? so whats up?

ive been eating a lot of fruit and greens (mostly spinach, parsely kale), alot of nuts and raw nut and seed butters, a fair amount of raw honey for sweetener, some sprouts (alfalfa, clover, lentil,), some sea vegetables, also a fair amounot of cold pressed flax oil and olive oil, occasional green smoothies.... and not only do i feel like raw is really hard but also that im not noticing any differences--which makes it alot more difficult to stick with it.

im afraid im damaging my body....i have no energy...and yet it doesnt make sense to me because it would seem logical that raw foods would BETTER nourish my body than cooked foods, if its true that alot of vitamins are destroyed in cooking.... but apparently im not.....not absorbing them or something; and im buying almost all organic (except for nuts).

also, ive seen a lot of anti-raw-vegan material on some of the other raw boards.... and a lot of testimonies about people who have ended up with lots of health problems on raw vegan, especially on long-term raw vegan.... in addition to my accupuncturist trying to get me off aof vegan to includes some animal products and telling me to never go raw vegan because she says she has seen evidence of it can be so damaging in the long term....how do people here deal with those sorts of things?

thanks--

kaybee

[karenisraw]

My experience is so positive that I wouldn't think of going back to cooked. It is possible that your body is in repair and that would explain the tiredness because you work so hard physically that you are extremely drained most of the time now. I recommend coconut oil for energy and plant fats as well as avocados. Are you taking that? I take raw coconut oil 1-2 tablespoons daily on a raw cracker. It gives me energy that sustains me all day and I have yet to be tired in the 4 1/2 weeks of 99% raw except for maybe twice at around 12:00 p.m.. I stay up until 2-3 a.m because I just don't need sleep.

My raw vegan doctor produced a cd on his lecture called "should you cook your food". You can download and listen to it on the internet. He said if there are doubters that are giving you trouble about being raw, this should take care of it. It is a scientifically based cd. There is a testimonial there on his website from a guy that recovered from diabetes and a heart attack by going raw.

Here is a lecture called "should you cook your food" by my raw vegan doctor.
Download it and listen to the lecture it for free here: http://www.ecopolitan.com/cook

The first week and a half of raw I was extremely alert and energetic and yet somewhat tired at the same time, I felt that my body was in repair at this time. After that I was energetic all of the time.

I am pretty inactive unfortunately, so that would explain partly why I have so much energy and you're drained because you work so hard physically.

I do not know how to address the "complete" protein issue as I am not a doctor.

I know that coconut oil converts into energy upon ingestion.

Avocados seem to make me happy too.

I will see if I can get some answers for you from my doctor on complete proteins for you but it probably won't be for a couple of weeks yet.

I will check back to see how you are doing. Please post how it goes because it is unusual to see people that feel bad doing this.

See the posting "Your So Sparkly" (for those who doubt).

sincerly,

karenramsell :p :p :p

[skipfire92]

karen--oops, yeah, i forgot to add that. i eat avocados fairly frequently, about 5 a week; often thats what i take for lunch along with fruit and nuts because i figured the fat was good energy... i have nutiva raw coconut oil but taking it by the spoonful in the past hasnt made me feel great...maybe ill try it in smoothies. i wonder too maybe im not getting enough calories or something...but whats funny is that even though i have no energy, i also havent lost any weight--or noticed any difference in my body shape. i mean, my legs are pretty muscular, but the rest of my body is not all muscle and i dont have a particularly thin physique. im not overweight by any means either, but i dont have the body of a fashion model either...it seems like a lot of people on raw start losing weight immediately, but my body just seems to maintain about 145 (5 foot 6), which is what is was even before i started biking 4 years ago, so i guess this is probably my "natural ideal weight...

also, i wonder if i just need a good cleansing fast...a juice fast or something...but i wonder if this is safe to do with all my physical caloric needs.... the accupuncturist that i used to see about 2 years ago (way before going raw, and she didnt advocate raw), felt that my body was not toxic so much as i was lacking a nutrient and mineral reserve; i was "on empty" so to speak... (which is why she wanted animal products back in my diet)...she said my qi was low although i dont really know exaclty what that means, and i think she thought it was my liver that needed attention, so maybe i need a liver cleanse or somethign....argh. i know so little about all these cleansing things.......

anyway, thanks for the support and let me know if you get more info :)

ill try to provide a couple of samples of my daily food intake but not tonite....sllllleeep calls...
thanks.
kb

[Rawkinlocs]

Along with what Karen said regarding your level of physical labor/activity...I'd like to add something.

I recall as a pre-teen/teen having TERRIBLE acne. My mom took me to the Dermatologist and she was going to put me on Retin-A. I was all geared up to get started and have clear skin for once in my life, post-puberity.

Then she said something to me that put my hopes to a screeching halt! She said that my face was going to get WORSE before it began clearing up and getting better. I was like, "Get worse?!? How could it possibly get any worse than what it is?? How could I go to school and face the other kids with it looking WORSE?" Needless to say, I didn't go through with the treatments. But I'm glad I didn't because I now realize I didn't need toxic chemicals to heal my skin...since being raw I have gotten the skin I've always wanted! :D

So, sometimes before we can heal, feel better, feel more energetic from doing what's best for our bodies, we will go through a period or periods of feeling worse. Sometimes before we get that energy we hear others touting off, we will go through having to feel drained and tired...I strongly believe that tiredness is our bodies way of saying "REST MORE!" because it is when we rest that our bodies do most if not all of the healing, restoring, repairing, cleansing, etc. that may be internally necessary. This is not always the case...some people see dramatic results right away...but some do not...for some it takes longer.

I recall feeling low energy when I first went raw...but I perservered and then one day I realized that I no longer needed to take naps during the day as I did previously and I needed less sleep!

You having been raw for three weeks is excellent, but it's not very long to make any hasty judgements about this way of eating. Also you said 3 weeks of "super-high raw"...what does that mean? What are you eating that makes you super-high raw and not all raw? I'm not suggesting that you have to be all raw, but I wonder what non-raw foods you're eating and if they could possibly be hindering your progress.

Now on the subject of the proteins, you can and will find all the protein and amino acids you need in raw plant life. If ONE food item doesn't have one thing, something else will make up for what one may lack. In other words, as long as you have variety in your raw-vegan diet, you will be super! Don't allow anyone to fool you into believing that animal protein is superior and that you "need" animal products to get adequate protein. Animal protein is not easily assimilated by the human body...nature (or your creator) provided everything you need in raw plant foods.

If you haven't already, read this: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3708

[Angelic Light]

Are you taking b12 supplements?

[Lady Green Jeans]

Good thread. Having been reared in the eastern part of the
US, I was accustomed to a meat and potatoes diet with pretty much iceberg lettuce salads. In CA for over 20 years I feel blessed to have so much wonderful produce to pick from. Iceberg is a 'never bought' item but I have enjoyed so much even pre-raw. Finding the raw food diet has been a blessing. It is a journey. Detox is necessary. Each body is differerent in that we each have a prior lifestyle, medical challenges, etc. requiring different levels of detox being necesary.

It is a process, like one step at a time. Being committed to a total raw lifestyle for over two months has not been easy. It has certainly been the best possible choice I could have made. At first I did not feel better--my body was detoxing and hopefully still is. I feel better now and hope to continue buildiing on that great feeling. I hope the same for you.

[exurb]

skipfire, I think you're probably missing all that carby energy you had before in your diet. It is possible to get that from a raw diet, and if I remember correctly you're a bicycle courier, so you need to eat lots of energy to do that. It's hard because you're new to it, if you're doing fruit veg and nuts, IMO as a bike courier that's not a good enough diet to satisfy your needs.

I would get some healthy carbs into you, I would be soaking at least a cup of raw buckwheat groats every day and making them into something. I would sprout my quinoa and eat a quinoa tabouleh or salad with it or something. I would grind a cup of oats in the coffee grinder and make cookies or bars or oatmeal out of it. I would be making heavier veggie salads, like using lots of corn or something. I would make myself some energy bars and have those with me. Can you make some sweet potato chips in a dehydrator or just eat them raw? I think you need more concentrated energy in your food with your job, that is totally possible on raw. I think you have to remember that a lot of the recipes and chat here are coming from people for whom weight is an issue, you have to seek out heavier, denser stuff that's gonna fuel you.

If it helps with your schedule, my habit is to do one big "uncook" in the dehydrator on Saturday morning, then that keeps me going for the week. I do stuff like cookies, crackers, pizza crusts, and one burger/patty. I also do some sort of pate or nut cheese, usually a hummus, or fake Ethiopian lentils, or something like that.

Do you have some idea of what your daily caloric requirement is? I think you might need to crank it up a little higher with raw foods. Like if conventional thinking says you've gotta eat 2300 cals a day for your activity level, I'd think about eating 2500 on raw, or at least make sure you're getting that 2300. Also are you soaking your nuts to remove all enzyme inhibitors, etc.

IMO I strongly recommend trying to nix the flax (oil and seeds) completely for the short term and see if that makes you feel better. Flax also has hydrogen cyanide content, I think it should be eaten in moderation. There are animal studies where too much flax is not good, the figures that seem to emerge is no more than 3% of the diet. Remember flax seed oil is the same as linseed oil. I don't say no flax ever, because it seems it also has good properties, but a lot of people go way overboard on flax IMO. I think you should try to eliminate it for a few weeks or a month, re-balance your diet, and see how you feel.

My experience when first raw was more energy, but I was also eating raw cacao :cool: , I also was REALLY careful about the raw integrity of my nuts, and I was absolutely 100% raw. Many nuts on the market are not raw, some "raw" almonds can be pasteurized, commercially available raw cashews have generally been boiled to remove from their shells.

Can you PM me any links with good interesting information about the "other" side of the raw diet. I am a long termer and I would like to fully research both sides, in case there's any pitfalls to avoid. Here we come together for support, so in keeping with the parameters set for the board, I'd appreciate a PM. I'd rather look at any negative stuff from credible sources, because there may be avoidable pitfalls while still enjoying the benefits of a raw diet.

I would also be glad to be of any help, I just want to say don't throw the baby out with the bathwater - it might not be "raw" in general that's causing this for you, but more specifically what you're currently doing.

Can you get to a library and take out some raw books, then choose some fairly convenient recipes that are going to fuel you? I would really hone in on some grains (oats, maybe rye) or "fruit of grains" (buckwheat, quinoa), will improve your B vitamins along with some other stuff. And other starchy veggies like corn, sweet potato, etc., plus do 1/2 avocado a day at least.

After being raw for a while, I have sort phased out commercially processed oils, and try to eat fatty raw whole foods in their place. I mostly make salad dressing using avocado.

Also do you have a medical plan, and can you get your serum B-12 checked? If you've been vegan for years, this could be a problem. If you look really carefully, you can get animal-free B-12 or B-complex supplements. Long term B-12 deficiency is pretty major so it's worth taking seriously IMO if you've been vegan for years.

[jaurequi]

skipfire92, your experience is actually quite common -- don't worry :).
If you are tired, rest! If you are sleepy, sleep! Feeling exhaustion when changing your diet is common and actually a good thing. You've shocked your body. Even if you ate a fairly healthy diet before, you are making big changes.

I gather you're high raw -- what is it that's not raw you've been eating?

As for protein, that's been answered for you. You do not need animal protein. Please, please get a copy of The China Study, if you can, it will really clear it all up for you. And more importantly, animal protein is not superior; plant protein is.

As for energy, you should consume more fruit; not more fat. However, you do need good fats in the form of flax seeds and nuts; just don't overdo it.
Fruit=carbohydrates; Carbohydrates=energy, period! You do not get energy from protein. Good fat will be utilized as energy as a second choice, but it is not available for at least 24 hours after eaten. (This is why people think when they don't eat they have "more energy" from some magical source; it's really just the body utilizing stored energy sources).

Anyway, if it comes to transitioning slower as a choice for you,then do it. Many, many people are successful that way. However, make very wise choices for your cooked foods. I would say, in general, choose a good-quality starch such as steamed sweet potato (not baked or fried) over grains (best to eliminate these), and do eat lightly steamed vegetables. Eat these as sparingly as possible and only when you feel you "have to."

Good luck.

Also, DO increase your green smoothie consumption and, perhaps, a raw hemp protein powder and scoop of raw maca will help. I found raw maca to increase my endurance in athletic activity; I'm not sure if it will for you.

Best,

[sport]

Are you drinking enough water

[skipfire92]

aaahh. if my body is telling me to rest, i wish i could rest more. i wish i could just juice fast and sleep for a week and just do that. but thats impossible. between working and being ( or TRYING) to be) a grad student, I just cant. I usually love the work Im doing (bike messenger) because of the freedom, the exercise, and the fact that it lets me work outside (and also really important that my job is a strictly "for the money"job; everyone knows youre doing it just for the money, the client, my company, me, my coworkers, so at least theres no faking about pretending to Love the company and love the companies mission when u really dont, etc...), but it definitely has its cons--no paid vacation, no paid holidays, no paid sick days, no benefits; so I just cant take days off because Im on too tight a budget already. I do ALOT of resting on the weekends--when im supposed to be doing schoolwork though... i know, complicated life, but thats just the way things are right now.
I wonder though are there particular "more healing"foods I should be eathing on the weekends when my body is at rest more and things are a little more chill. i keep trying to grow wheatgrass; it used to grow like a weed with all the sunlight in my old house, but now in my basement apartment, GOOD LUCK.

I also want to be careful that "rest more"does not become a creative avoidance for avoiding schoolwork or avoiding going to work, as this has increasingly become an excuse/ problem... ;)

I should also add that Im absolutely bombarded by grease, pollution, and toxic fumes all day--yuck, i know; sounds like a great job, huh? ;)-- (and you should see the gunk I have to literally scrape off my face with my fingernails in the shower every night; even a loofah and soap (terressentials) wont get it off....) so i wonder too if certain supplements might be in order ? like CoQ10 and/or msn (im getting alot of sun damage to face and eyes because stopped wearing sunblock becuase read about all the bad stuff with it, both with the conventional chemical kinds as well as with microionized zinc; have heard that msm increases sun tolerance and skin's ability to protect itself from the sun; anyone know if this is true?) but i dont wanna waste money on expensive supplements if theyre not going to help...

On that note, what IS the deal with supplements on raw-vegan? ive seen alot of contradicting information some say dont do it at all its a waste of money or even that its putting more toxins in your body; some say u have to supplement everything; some say those supplements arent in absorbable forms.... argh.

SEveral of you brought up the B12 issue. i havent had that checked recently (in a few years), and even on cooked vegan, i probably cheated enuff now and then on dairy or eggs to get some; i understand u only need small amounts. that said, I have a vegan b12 liquid supplement from pangea sitting in my kitchen right now that i havent been taking; i havent been taking anything actually though i have a ton of stuff hanging around.... it probably wouldnt hurt to use that b-12, right? may as well?

re: my reference to "super high raw" and what stuff ive been eating thats not raw; i said super high raw because im not sure about the integrity of my dried fruit and some of the nuts. i get them from a mostly organic little hole in the wall coop, and i know other raw fooders who but nuts there; mostly the only dried fruit i use is org. black mission figs, org medjool dates (which i guess actually are not dried?), sometimes dried unsulfured org apricots, and a few raisins on occasion, some dried coconut, and nuts i avoid cashews, stick mostly to almonds, pinenuts, once in a while brazil or hazelnuts or macs but they are SO INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE. the nuts are not org; i cant afford the org ones; i was using a lot of walnuts, which i like a lot, but i saw a post somewhere about most shelled walnuts being rancid so now i havent been using them. I also use some sunflower seeds (which im not particularly keen on because i feel like all the ones available in stores here are garbage; lots of broken pieces etc, even in the organic ones and just not that good, and impossible to sprout to any substantial size, whereas when i was in ireland last summer, the sunflower seeds i got there without the hulls sprouted beautifully and grew into a 2 or 3 inch green sprout even without being planted in soil.....can i mail order better sunnies? anyone know?) and some sesame seeds. (both org). i think my almonds are ok re: integrity although theyre not organic, but i cant be positive.


also, sometimes i soak my nuts and seeds, sometimes not; more often i dont. ; i like them better not soaked, but i have just started soaking nuts and then dehydrating, which sort of solves both problems although its more work. i know soaked is better to get the enzyme inhibitors off

Other than the questionable fruit and nuts, i use small amts of nama shoyu fairly frequently, which i dont reallky consider raw since the soy is cooked first. and ive occasionally used mangos and young thai coconuts, both of which ive read are irradiated... and i cant find raw carob powder so i use the toasted for now but only on occasion; also occasionally use frozen org berries and bananas.

So most of my food is raw (i think) with these few exceptions. also, for the first 2 and a half weeks i was really good with no cheats. the last week i have been not so good; a couple handfuls of vegan choc chips, a veggie samosa for lunch one day (yeah, real bad i know), a lightly baked sweet potato for dinner tonite. 2 bottles of commercially bottled juice--one of which ended up being mostly fructose corn syrup (today) when i read the label after buying it. yuck.

Rawkinlocs: just this quick note regarding animal protein: heres the only reason why i could be led into believing that animal protein could be superior--and i will never and can never go back to it, particularly meat, for ethical and moral reasons, but, despite that, I just sometimes wonder if it is superior: heres why: Im working with all these peopel who arent vegan, and drink beer, eat garbage, and smoke pot all day--and yet most of them have good complexions, and, more importantly, never seem to be lacking energy, even if theyve stayed up all night and slept on somebody's floor, and arent having problems with joints or aches and pains. Granted, im problably under consderably more stress than many of them with school etc, but i cant help but wonder if its the animal protein (ie meat) that makes the difference..... none of them, guys or girls, ever seem to be really worn out.

exurb--thx a LOT for all your suggestions, i will pm you later.


One more point: sport asked if i was drinking enuff water. probably not. dc water tastes like crap. and chlorine. I have a filter at home, a fairly expensive multi-layer one, but the chlorine taste still comes through. i can kill the taste by adding lemon or lime, but im still probably not drinking enuff; and i know im not drinking enuff at work because i dont want to buy 4 or 5 bottles of water a day and cant haul all that around with me and the stuff in the buildings is crap dc water. I FEEL LIKE IM BETTER OFF TO NOT DRINK AT ALL THAN TO DRINK THAT CRAP OUT OF THE WATERFOUNTAINS WITH ITS CHLORINE, LEAD, PROBABLY FLOURIDE, and goodness knows what else... even when i AM thirsty.... Further, and i know this doesnt sound like a good excuse, but its a practical issue, when i drink alot i have to pee alot. theres not a lot of places to pee (if i were a guy, maybe i could just use the alley, like the rest of them do, lol but thats not an option for us women...) pee places are few and far between and nothings worse than having to ride a bike when u feel like your gonna pee your pants. likewise, even when im at home on the weekends if i drink alot i have to pee alot, which gets to be creative avoidance of my schoolwork when u think u have to pee every 10 minutes..... so if i start drinking more will my body adapt and ill have to pee less or is it always this cycle of constantly having to pee....?

OK, again, sorry for the long post; i really appreciate the suggestions and support

kaybee

[Rawkinlocs]

Hey Kaybee,

To quickly address this point (mainly what I have bolded):

Rawkinlocs: just this quick note regarding animal protein: heres the only reason why i could be led into believing that animal protein could be superior--and i will never and can never go back to it, particularly meat, for ethical and moral reasons, but, despite that, I just sometimes wonder if it is superior: heres why: Im working with all these peopel who arent vegan, and drink beer, eat garbage, and smoke pot all day--and yet most of them have good complexions, and, more importantly, never seem to be lacking energy, even if theyve stayed up all night and slept on somebody's floor, and arent having problems with joints or aches and pains. Granted, im problably under consderably more stress than many of them with school etc, but i cant help but wonder if its the animal protein (ie meat) that makes the difference..... none of them, guys or girls, ever seem to be really worn out.


Don't let the outter appearance fool you. They may not have any outward signs of their toxic lifestyle, but believe you me, it's there and if it isn't evident now, it will be later on.

My daughter has a friend who eats more candy and junk food than imaginable, yet her complexion is beautiful. BUT, she is obese and who knows what's going on inwardly. My daughter on the other hand, eats a lot of raw, but isn't all raw. When she's hanging with her friend, she's eating some of the same crap (excuse my expression please) and it shows through her skin via acne. Her friend pointed that out one day when I was telling my daughter she needs to let go of the junk so her skin can clear up and her friend said, "Well, I eat it and my skin doesn't break out." I WANTED to tell her, "Yeah, but look at your body!" but I would never do that to hurt her feelings. So I just said to her that toxins manifest themselves differently in different people. Some may develop skin problems, some weight problems, some major health problems within, some arthritis, see where I'm going?

So, don't judge it based on that. My sister in law has gorgeous skin and TONS of energy YET...she was in the hospital recently with a major issue going on in her body and she's overweight. When I was eating the SAD, I never had a weight problem though I was bigger than I am now, but my skin broke out terribly and I had very low energy but no major health issues inside my body (that I'm aware of).

So again, everyone reacts differently to toxic foods.

[karenisraw]

regarding all these people that look good that eat meat. I work with one SAD eater that looks like a model and is hyper, but says he thinks he has liver damage and can tell he is not very healthy and he isn't the happiest person I've ever met. My boyfriend looks healthy and great with great skin, and yet he gets sick every month and although he works at his job like the energizer bunny, is never happy and is always tired.

By the way does coffee and cocacola have anything to do with their energy?

I kind of agree with the groats, rye and buckwheat stuff for you and the sweet potatoes.

I asked my doctor at his lecture tonight about "complete proteins" and he said that plants have all of the amino acids that you need and that when meat is broken down, it becomes amino acids and also that the meat industry fabricated the need for "complete proteins" as a way to boost their industry.

He also said that meat's problems are so many and so varied that he would just never recommend that as a source of protein to anyone.

I hope that helped you. Been worried about you.
:p :p :p

[yumyum]

I agree with EXURB that you would need a lot of carbs. Especially oats. A natural almond milk + raw muesli mix might be good. Maybe with some sesame seeds added?

Personally, I eat dark green vegetables when I need high energy. It works for me. (One of my favorite green smoothies, is; 2 bananas, half a package of thawed strawberries, 1 handfull of spinach leaves. Yum.)

Oil, butter, sugar (honey or other), tend to make you sluggish, tired and use a lot of energy on digestion. As someone here explained, the fats are processed and then saved in your body for later. Not used right now. Nuts are also best in moderation, because they take longer to digest and are fatty.

[rawfigure]

This is a good thread with some great responses. I only had a few points I wanted to add as when I went Raw 4 months ago my experience was similar. Stress, physically active, overwelmed at my job and personal life. Tired after a full night sleep. It intensified the first months raw, but now I am 99 % improved !

First you mentioned you did not fesl great BEFORE going Raw so your body is going thru serious changes and going raw will take time to correct what ever was going on BEFORE you went raw. You may have experienced a similar lack of energy if you STAYED on the old diet. So stick to it and take a few of the suggestions previously posted.


Second, if after a few more weeks raw you are still lacking in energy check your iron and B-12 levels. I am having a blood test tomorrow to see where I stand. The P.A. at my Dr office is Vegetarian and she mentioned that while her b-12 never has tested low her iron has. That will make you tired too.

Third . I would drop out the Honey. Honey is very Glycemic and can cause a high / low blood sugar response. If you eat that when your energy is low it will bring you up fast but down fast too. We see this alot at Bodybuilding shows. At the last show I Judged my girlfriend passed after out leaving the stage. We determined she crashed from honey she had before going on stage. Nuts also can make you tired, more digestion focus.

Fourth. I looked "good" on the SAD bodybuilding diet eating mega Protein via chicken eggs and protein drink and bars, little veggies and fruit and basically oats as a complex carb. Looks are deceiving. I look about same now (skin better, less wrinkles !) but FEEL BETTER. Look at the Fitness Mags, I have a few friends who are models in Oxygen, Shape and the like, they like me looked good but I can tell you they are dealing with the energy digestive issues. I got so tired of how I felt I took action. That is the difference between us !

Hope this help some !!

[sibyl3]

Sounds like you're getting way too much fat (nuts & avocados) and too much sugar (honey). I would try a few days of sticking with a lot of fresh fruits, greens and some vegetables - no nuts, no oils, no dried fruits, nothing dehydrated. I would also consider few ingredients per meal, but a lot of variety throughout the days you try this. Really simplify for a few days and focus on eating a lot of fruit to keep your calories high enough. This might send you into a doozie of a detox, but you might find you break through all of that heavy stuff you've been trying to energize yourself with and you just might feel better!

If you try this, I'd love to hear how you feel afterwards. Good luck, whatever route you go.

One more thing... I know the b vitamin thing is a bit of a debate, but if you don't have an issue with it, it might be worth getting a couple of vitamin shots. This might perk you up too. I definitely think your food choices are the main problem right now, but b vitamins are bit of a sticky point. Check out Frederich Patenaude's research on this if you want some more information on that view point.