Oh! What a day....

[Kathy Fields]

Hey there fellow health nuts. I am new to forum chats. At the moment my hubby and I are making a movie for the raw food film festival in March next year. We have been vegan for a little while but as of about 4 days ago we went raw. I've been naughty I have pigged out on nuts and died fruit. And I really wonder if the dried fruit that you buy (even from a health food store) is truely raw. Neither of us have felt very energetic yet and we get stressed come meal time becuase neither of us wants to be the one to work out what we sould eat. So far it is juice in the morning, green drink smoothies, cold soups and salids. Plus lots of snacking on the naughty nuts and dried fruit. I think I am emotional eating. You know I have a library of motivational books, and audio tapes that would rival the best of them - but do you think I can pick myself up out of this funk - Nope! Maybe its hormones, maybe Its having all those nuts, maybe its a healing crisis, maybe my digestive flora aint as good as it should be, maybe it is all the worry over the fact that we are living off our savings to write a book and produce a documentary movie. Sometimes I think health is simple - today is not one of those days.

[juliebove]

Why are the nuts naughty?

My health food store sells both raw and roasted nuts, but most of them are raw. They are clearly labeled. The dried fruit you buy may or may not be raw. You'd have to contact the company that makes it if it isn't clear on the packaging. I buy very little in the way of dried fruit but it is dehyrdrated at low temps so I know it's raw. I also make my own. Am doing some cranberries at the moment.

[Kathy Fields]

I remember it being said that you should not eat more then a fist full of nuts each day. They are still quite heavy for your body to handle compared to fresh fruit and veg. I guess I have been averaging about 3 fists full of nuts and about another fist of dried fruit each day.

[juliebove]

I remember it being said that you should not eat more then a fist full of nuts each day. They are still quite heavy for your body to handle compared to fresh fruit and veg. I guess I have been averaging about 3 fists full of nuts and about another fist of dried fruit each day.

It's true that on a standard diet, a fistful of nuts is what you should eat in a day. But we're not eating a standard diet. We don't eat meat, eggs or dairy so eating extra nuts and seeds should not be a problem. I usually have them twice or three times daily. Usually I have pumpkin seeds for breakfast. Later in the day I might have some nut cheese or a handful of nuts. I might have pecans or walnuts on a salad and sometimes I have a raw pumpkin seed bar as a meal. I also have nuts on occasion in a dessert.

I am currently making dried cranberries. I've been eating those but they are unsweetened so I only eat a few at a time. I've mixed sweetened ones with nuts as a snack. Other than that, about the only dried fruit I ever eat is dates mixed into a dessert. I'm just not all that keen on dried fruit. I think it has its purpose, but I think whole, fresh fruit is better for us. Not that I eat much of that either. I just prefer veggies.

[Raw Magwene]

i think you shouldn't stress too much about it at first!

My primary rule is "Eat whatever I want, as long as it's raw".

So, even though raw broccoli might be really good for me, if I really want to eat a romaine salad, that's what I eat. Or 5 dates. Or a whole bag of dates. If it's raw, I have permission to eat it. It's a big enough transition as it is!

I find that my body lets me know what I need to eat, and as I try new things, I find new things to crave.

Emotional eating is to be expected...most of us have been doing it for far longer than we realized. Then you go raw, and you start to be so hyper-conscious of your relationship to food. That's a good thing.

If you and your hubby feel like doing raw recipes, I recommend Alissa's book and Matt Amsden's "Rawvolution". They both have many quick, non-dehydrating recipes. I bought a lot of raw cookbooks when I first went raw, but as time went on, I became less interested in prepared foods and more interested in simple eating. How about Mighty Green Salads for dinner--baby lettuces, some sprouts, some veggies, an awesome dressing.....heaven!!!

You're doing a wonderful thing for yourselves, so make it as easy as possible to maintain!

[spicyfull]

So you are making a movie for the rawfood festival? Are you doing like the Movie Stars do it, where they study for the role? You know if they are going to be a stripper in the film, they will visit strip clubs and interview the girls etc. An inquirey mind just wanted to know.....

Julie and RAWmag have answered your questions and given you such great advice. Thanks for choosing this Forum to do your research. There is a wealth of information here. Everyone is so knowledgeable and willing to share.

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW....Welcome to MY World..........

[Revvell]

i think you shouldn't stress too much about it at first!

I don't think one should stress about it EVER! Play with your food!

Revvell

[maraw]

...Play with your food...Revvell

...and enjoy!

[Lay-Lay]

Enjoy your nuts and eat em' too! Hehe! I do! I have been in a nut mood myself. This week I bought walnuts, almonds, & brazil nuts and lets not forget 3 huge bags of peanuts. I mix them with raisens (which most are sun-fried raisens so the are pretty safe as to being raw), dried (dried myself) coconut, and a mixture of seeds. They make great trail mix that I can enjoy when snacking.

[Nenyath]

I'll second that! Four days into raw, what do you have to worry about? It sounds like you are a 100% right now which is such a leap to take! I'm months down the road, eating 100% most of the time eating about 95% and some days slipping to 80%. For me it is one step at the time, first I get to the all raw and THEN I can truly start to listen to my beautiful body and what it wants and what it would rather do without. Emotional eating, I'm right there with you! Good luck with the book and the movie it sounds really exciting!

Fly forever free..

[Kathy Fields]

Yes, its going to be great, My hubby and I live in New Zealand and the raw food movement is WAY BEHIND over here. But now that we are making this movie some amazingly inspiring people are coming out of the woodwork and it will be our privalige to capture them on film. My hubby is the main feature, I am the 'camera girl' he has had extensive blood tests and a phsical and then will go through the same again when he has been raw for a month (it would be nice to run it for longer but the films have to be in by December for the March film festival). There is one lady living in my very home town who lived with Anne Wigmore and was to take over one of the training facilities - but she was a single mum and felt she had a stronger commitment there. There is a gentalman who got over cancer the raw vegan way and many other equally inspiring people. So maybe New Zealand aint so much of a backwater afterall!