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Raw Food Diet

I was curious about peoples thoughts on the Raw food diet.

My boyfriend and I have been thinking about doing a ten day raw food diet to see what it's all about.

My boyfriend has Rheumatoid Arthritis, and he has read that an all raw food diet can help the pain. We have both heard that it's great for weight loss and detoxing your body.

I don't know that I could do it for a long period of time, but I thought 10 days wouldn't hurt. Any opinions??

 

yea ive heard of it

you gain the weight right after, & it almost completely devoid of protein

I rely on sites like Webmd.com for my information.

More Osteoporosis Seen With Raw Foods Diet

Raw-Food Vegetarians Thinner, Get Less Calcium By Miranda Hitti

WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

March 28, 2005 -- Raw-food vegetarian diets are associated with osteoporosis, a new study shows.

Osteoporosis occurs when aging bone is broken down faster than it can be replaced, a process known as bone turnover. Doctors diagnose the bone-weakening disease with a bone mineral density test.

Read entire article here

 

I'm not sure what exactly peacelovehominy has heard of before, if it is something where you severely restrict calories or not.  Perhaps that is what you had in mind, bonny.  But I do know there are thousands of raw vegans in the world, and they aren't sickly.  :)

It all depends on what you eat, and whether you get enough calories and nutritional balance.  If you include raw avocado, coconut, dates, raw nuts, sprouted grains, etc, there is no reason you would feel deprived.  Nor any reason that the diet would be devoid of protein.

Never mind that some raw foodists eat raw fish (think sashimi) and a few even eat raw beef and raw eggs.

I say, do your homework, and try it if it sounds like something you would enjoy.  If done properly, it can be one of the healthiest lifestyles out there.

Well....... I think it's great.  It's a lot healthier than some of the other diets out there.  You probably would gain part of the weight back afterwards.  As for protein, it is VERY possible to get enough.  You might want to put this post in the vegetarian forum.

I suggest doing some research on the lifestyle and ask some people that actually live the lifestyle rather than taking the advice of people who have just "heard" about it.  I know there are a few in the vegetarian forum/thread place on CC.

well ive tried it, & only ate veggies & fruits but i figured i wouldnt do it anymore cause it just didnt feel "right" with me (yunno people are comfortable with different diets, & im alo im a teen, where would i get the calcium? almonds & greens) i suppose it would be okay if you included things other than nuts to get your protein

& no, i havent just "heard" about it, ive done it before.

 & i was a vegetarian for a year so i know about how to get protein just couldnt get the required amount on a raw food diet

Original Post by southcarolinaguy:

I rely on sites like Webmd.com for my information.

More Osteoporosis Seen With Raw Foods Diet

You know, that article is a perfect example of why I dislike articles like that. 

They give no actual numbers to indicate how much the difference in bone mineral density was between the 18 (huge sample size there - sarcasm) vegetarians they studied and those on a standard diet.  They did however, in the context of the article say that in spite of whatever the unnamed difference was in density, there was virtually no difference in bone turnover rates.  And, that "there aren't any definitive answers" and "they're not passing judgement either way". 

It's just a sloppy and misleading way to scare people into thinking vegetarianism causes health problems. 

I was a rawfoodist for about six months, but it's either very boring or very time consuming.  I love fresh juices every morning, and juice fasting is incredible. on a rawfood diet, you wake up in the morning with ten times more energy, you feel better throughout the day... my skin cleared up (and even when I went back to regular food, took a year and a half to break out again) ... my hair was prettier, my nails grew stronger.  I did take a calcium pill through, but otherwise didn't require any vitamins. I went to the Dr beforehand (for a routine physical) and afterward (for another routine physical) and my blood pressure, heart rate, hearing and EVERYTHING was better. It's truly an incredible experience.  I actually plan on a juice fast/feast soon. Do your research. Check amazon.com too, because there are some really great books. Some of the recipe books are above my head and many other people's heads, with unavailable ingredients and whatnot, but the information besides the recipes is what I used to really guide me.

good luck. I hope you do it.

Original Post by peacelovehominy:

well ive tried it, & only ate veggies & fruits but i figured i wouldnt do it anymore cause it just didnt feel "right" with me (yunno people are comfortable with different diets, & im alo im a teen, where would i get the calcium? almonds & greens) i suppose it would be okay if you included things other than nuts to get your protein

I'm truly, honestly not meaning to pick on you, so you have my sincere apologies if it seems like I am.  But, if you were only eating fruits and veggies on a raw food diet, I am very glad that you are no longer doing that.  There is a lot of effort and research that needs to be put into a raw diet to make sure it is optimally healthy.  And there is a lot more to it than just fruits and vegetables.

In general, I would say a raw food diet is a very bad idea for anyone without the time, money, and other resources to do it properly.  If you cannot commit several hours a week to shopping, planning, and preparing food, then please try something else.  :)

Yeah, I am researching it now. We were planning to start for a few weeks(if it sounds like we can get enough variety and nutrition and feel satisfied).

Like I said, we were thinking of trying it for ten day to see how we feel.

I just wondered if anyone on here has tried it, knows about it, or just has an opinion on it. I like to hear different prospective.

I will try the vegetarian forum too.

Thanks.

 

panda jenn is right. you need to have the resources - time, money and information- to do this right. that's why I had to give it up. but I still eat vegetarian and I didn't put hte weight right back on.  I've been off the diet for about three years, and I have never gotten to the original weight I was before I began.  I think the point of a raw food diet is not to diet, but to make a lifestyle change.  Cutting calories is a lot easier, because you can cut calories for your whole life by only missing out on more, but you can still eat everything you ate before.  With the raw food diet/lifestyle, you're changing the way you eat. people who've been on it for YEARS look at regular food and don't even crave it. After a few months, you very rarely crave regular food.  And after about a year (or so I've heard), the sight of it makes you think of poison.   There are rawfood pre-prepared meals that you can invest in, but htey're quite expensive. They save you a lot of time both preparing and planning, but also shopping.

again, good luck

Thanks. If I shoose to try it, I'll post again to let you all know how it's going.

I'm becoming more and more of a healthy person. I won't be doing it just to loose weight. I will do it the healthy way or not at all.

Thanks for your replys.

I have been on a mainly raw diet since September and my health is absolutely amazing. My skin has never looked better, I have great energy, extra pounds just flew off and chronic conditions like headaches and insomnia are all but gone.

I like Alissa Cohen's book and site, but sometimes it gets a little too much for me (like not going to the doctor at all).  I don't count calories anymore, but I'm certain I'm eating at least 1,800 a day with oils, nuts, fruits and veggies.

Many people have had lots of health problems clear up with a raw diet. I was VERY skeptical at first but I did have issues I wanted to fix (mainly the headaches and insomnia).

For those who have questions about protein, do some more research. Most people get WAY more protein than they need. For those who think it's some radical, crazy way of eating, I'll ask you what was asked of me: is it crazier than eating processed, boxed, prepackaged, drive through foods??

It is more work, I'll admit that. I am blessed with a virtual position (meaning I have a full time job from home) so I have time to make all the foods I need to make to say satiated and healthy. 

If you're on the raw food diet, is it ok to add protein powder to a smoothie to get enough protein?

Original Post by unforgotten:

If you're on the raw food diet, is it ok to add protein powder to a smoothie to get enough protein?

 You don't need to add them, but to answer your question if you're strictly raw, probably not. Most protein powders are NOT raw.

Original Post by pandajenn19: You know, that article is a perfect example of why I dislike articles like that.

We all bring our own philosophy of scholarship to CC so I’m not offended by your rejection of the article.

As far as the exclusion of numbers, the article is footnoted so if we had a mind to, we could look them up.

 

SOURCES: Fontana, L. Archives of Internal Medicine, March 28, 2005; vol 165: pp 684-689. News release, Washington University School of Medicine. Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center.

 

My personal complaint is articles whose source is unknown to me and who don’t footnote their sources. Often, the writers are selling books or products.

The hedging language: “"there aren't any definitive answers" and "they're not passing judgment either way" can be maddening but it’s what doctors do, often on the advice of their lawyers. Based on the article, any negative effects come not necessarily from vegetarianisms ideals, but perhaps from the way in which many vegetarians actually eat. It would seem to me that a vegetarian has to be more vigilant than most to make sure all the nutrients they need are getting consumed.

So I don’t agree that is sloppy or misleading or that they are trying to scare anyone away from vegetarianism. Since they aren’t trying to sell us anything, they really don’t have the motive.

The more I study, the more I become convinced of the quality of the advice of one doctor who recently said: Studies are released and publishers prematurely get their conclusions out there only to retract or change their advice later. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, exercise and don't sweat everything else.

I used to do a raw food diet for about 2-3 weeks every season, and I think it is really great, you can get all of the protein you need, sprouting, nuts, seeds etc, and it doesnt have to be borng or time consuming! Most of my raw meals were faster than my normal meals! It takes time if you are doing a lot of dehydrating, which is ok, but is kind of unproductive as you need to replace the water in your diet! I think you should try it out for a day first and then 2 days etc. I try to have a raw aspect to every meal, or you can just have one raw meal a day!

If you want some really tasty quick and easy recipes plz do pm me, I would be glad to share, but now I have to get back to cleaning!

y

 

yay to raw goodies~

I've always wanted to try a raw food diet myself -- I would love it if you let us know how it went!

I noticed someone mentioned avocado, coconut, dates, sprouts, and raw nuts, which I think are great things to add to the usual vegetables and fruit that come to mind. 

Some other great things to add if your diet gets boring is purslane (they're great in salads and taste sort of lemon-y. Also: "the highest amount of heart-healthy omega-3 fats of any edible plant... this herb has 10 to 20 times more melatonin -- an antioxidant that may inhibit cancer growth -- than any other fruit or vegetable tested" -- University of Texas at San Antonio) and guava ("Guava has a higher concentration of lycopene -- an antioxidant that fights prostate cancer -- than any other plant food, including tomatoes and watermelon. In addition, 1 cup of the stuff provides 688 milligrams (mg) of potassium, which is 63 percent more than you'll find in a medium banana. And guava may be the ultimate high-fiber food: There's almost 9 grams (g) of fiber in every cup.") which you can eat in its entirety.

As for protein concerns, I have one word: tofu.

Good luck!

just had a quick look on pubmed database , and found a review that stated that no conclusive evidence is available about whether vegans have lower protein, calcium, or a greater risk of osteoporosis, but they do have evidence of lower general bone density. Just in thatsame breathe though, most vegans tend to have a lower body weight, and body weight is a large factor in bone density...

 

this was pretty interesting too

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar03/o steo0303.htm ;

I believe your claim would make sense. I have Fibromyalgia and I have read cutting out all red meat and dark cola soda-pops. I am not sure why or how it works but it has helped me. Only do the 10 days worth because your body needs other nutrients.

Make sure all your veggies are organic and this would be even better!