Scott Shetler wrote:redsoxjss wrote:I am not yet a raw foodist but I am leaning heavily towards becoming one. I am an athlete when it comes to running, playing five sports competitively (basketball, baseball, soccer, golf and ultimate frisbee) as well as a weightlifter I am very into calisthenics. I like to train with weights three or four times a week for about an hour each session and do high intensity cardio a couple times a week and steady paced cardio (like running or swimming long distances) two or three times a week.
Eating the right amount of calories to support my body weight was relatively easy but if I become a raw foodist, I am concerned I will lose muscle mass. I am currently 6'0 and weigh 185 pounds (17 years old), I've put on around 15 pounds of lean muscle since I began working out a year and a half ago.
If I went on a raw food diet I would really be getting my protein from nuts and seeds as fruits and vegetables don't provide as much but you can only eat so much. They cost a lot and have twice as much fat (which is good fuel) as they do protein but I still can't imagine myself getting more than 35-50g of protein a day. Could I supplement with pea, rice or hemp protein? I don't know if those powders are actually considered raw anymore. Also do those have toxic chemicals in them? I want to detoxify my body as well. If anyone has any advice for me, the newbie, it would be greatly appreciated.
redsoxjss,
I share your interest in the raw food approach. Actually right now I consume what many refer to as a "high raw" approach to nutrition. It's roughly 75% raw vegan, 20% cooked vegan, and 5% "free" foods which I do my best to keep plant-based as well. Eating out is the biggest issue for me, although I live in Atlanta and we have a few great vegan restaurants and even a couple that cater to raw vegan dishes. Also, a couple times a year I will go on 100% raw spurts and never have any issues. My energy is always good and I certainly haven't atrophied. There is a gentleman named Danny Dalton who is featured in a documentary on raw vegan bodybuilders - in fact there is a 10:00 clip available on YouTube if you search "Danny Dalton raw vegan muscle". He is in his 50's, and is very lean and muscular. I began following him on Facebook and purchased his e-book, essentially he eats 1 sometimes 2 meals a day, totally raw, 1/3 greens, 1/3 other vegetables and fruit, and 1/3 nuts and seeds. He claims initially when you eat totally raw the body detoxifies and you lose a lot of weight and with it some muscle, but he said he was able to rebuild muscle and stay lean following a raw approach. There are some others profiled on the documentary as well and is worth looking into if you are interested in the totally raw approach. It can certainly be done if that's the route you want to go, just look to those who currently do it for guidance. Good luck to you!
Scott
Hi Scott,
Sorry i know this post was to Redsox, but i watched the video myself..
The individual Danny Daltan, indeed is in decent shape for a man of he's age, he doesn't overtraining which is also a good. (i know you mentioned this) but it disputes me when he talks about how over a 2 year period he lost a considerable amount of weight (including healthy weight) switching to a raw food diet, to the point were his family were becoming concerned for his well being, he states himself, he couldn't even look at himself in the mirror it got that ugly, a registered dietitian would called that an eating disorder.
He states that this was due to his body detoxifying, i would disagree with that, whether he realizes it or not, modern man's/homo sapiens digestive system has not evolved to have the capacity to digest huge quantities of raw foods, It shows this in the video i posted in early in this thread.
Now, he has rebuilt hes body, and looks like hes in good shape, i suspect his body has possibly began to adapt to this extreme change of lifestyle, but imo, the average trainee / person does not need to put the body through such an ordeal to become healthier.
I must point out, i am not against having some raw foods in one's diet, its perfectly healthy, but there are also plenty of perfectly good healthy nutritious food's, raw foodist's are missing out on simply because those food's need to be cooked. I fear there's more to it than just cooking food for the raw foodist, many off them talk about being "at one with nature" or "more spiritual", i have no issues with this, whatever makes them happy, they're doing me no harm, but i wont mistake what their saying as real information.