Revelation! Raw eating! Wonderful book!

[Duncan_Idaho]

Ladies and boys, I think I'm turning into a raw eater! This might take a year because I'm like a turtle in doing anything. I usually don't talk about things before I've brought them to an end but but but... this is so wonderful that I have to share!

There were some threads on this forum like this one: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22040&p=239919&hilit=graham#p239919 and that's how I came across Douglas Graham's book 'The 80/10/10 diet'. An absolutely awesome, natural, inspiring, enlightening book! And I am saying this as a nutritional and fitness expert, as a long time practitioner of deep philosophy, martial arts and things like that, yoga including. Truly enlightening!

How could I have overlooked this so very simple truth - there is protein in most cells! Protein is the building block of the cell. Therefore there's protein in all vegetables and fruit! And if you don't count the water in them, it's a good quantity! I've been indoctrinated by the fitness industry to discard anything with less than 10% protein content as completely insufficient. What a great mistake! And this protein can be almost enough to sustain us.

So I tried increasing the fruit in my diet and it was a blessing that I came upon this book during the summer when our family farm is full of fruit. I feel wonderful. I have kept my muscle mass, I even look a little bit more shredded (due to more regular training too) and I feel so light and strong! After I eat food which is not raw, I feel heavy, even from rice. When I eat raw food, I'm ready to train almost on the spot! Unless I ate a whole water melon:D

I'm posting this message just to share my experience. I still haven't finished reading the book, so there's a lot more to discover and experiment. I still eat at least one non raw food a day but the difference is remarkable. There's no way I can gain weight right now because I only do jogging/martial arts/body weight exercises but I might experiment later:)

[amawalke]

I'm very interested in eating raw, and was wondering if you're still doing it? How do you feel eating raw? I eat mostly raw but today I ate completely raw and feel great! The only thing that may (or may not) be a problem is I seem to feel full a lot faster; and although I'm trying to tone up and lose fat, I'm wondering if you think my calories are too low? This is what I ate today, and I had to make myself eat after lunch because I didn't really feel hungry

meal 1: (soaked not cooked) oats (150) 1 tbsp coconut oil (130) cocoa powder (10) vega (110) 1/3 cup blueberries (30)

meal 2: apple (70)

post-workout: vega (110)

meal 3: spinach and dandelion greens (15) almonds (180)carrot (15) jicima (15) and onion (10) and lemon juice (5)

meal 4: raw evolution food bar (gave 1/3 to friend) (200)

meal 5: smoothie with 1 banana (70) 1 tbsp brown rice protein (60) cocoa powder (20) 1/3 cup blueberries (30) and coconut oil (130)

[Fallen_Horse]

@Duncan, I would highly recommend you read 'Becoming Raw'. It has a more scientific backing, and also provides more nutritional info on the potential pitfalls of the raw diet.

 

 

@amawalke, I'm not trying to burst your bubble here but oats, regular coconut oil, regular cocoa powder, vega, some almonds, and regular brown rice protein are all not raw. :/

[Baby Hercules]

I'm leaning towards a higher percentage of raw foods these days, so thanks for the book reference. Mostly, I just need recipes. I, too, feel heavy and unrefreshed after too much cooked food.

 

Today, I did a long hike on only vegan protein bars and it was like eating "dead" food. Anything processed feels dead to me these days, even bread. I had a crappier hike than usual, as a result; got very tired very quick. Yet, when I got back down to my truck and gorged on lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, I instantly, felt better. Sold.

 

I can't do 100% raw, though. Tried that once and passed out at the wheel. Not good.

 

Herc

[amawalke]

fallen horse you just blew my mind. lol. dangit. I'm pretty sure my almonds were raw. and I thought vega was raw? ah well. do you eat raw? It says you're in the Denver area, I'm in Boulder. Are there any raw restaurants close by? Or any resources you can offer? I'm in boulder

[Fallen_Horse]

fallen horse you just blew my mind. lol. dangit. I'm pretty sure my almonds were raw. and I thought vega was raw? ah well. do you eat raw? It says you're in the Denver area, I'm in Boulder. Are there any raw restaurants close by? Or any resources you can offer? I'm in boulder

Ah very cool. I am actually in Golden, but I put Denver just to give people a better sense of my general area

 

There have been a few threads before about why Vega is not raw, but I don't recall the reasons offhand. The almonds certainly could be! They should say specifically on the package that they are raw, and they shouldn't come from California, since Cali regulated a few years back that even raw almonds have to be blanched (which removes their 'raw' status as far as many are concerned).

 

I have thought about eating raw but frankly I don't want to give up some cooked foods which I believe are healthy, like soy and nut milks, beans, and steamed foods. To each their own, but it's just not something that is for me.

 

As far as raw restaurants around here, I haven't seen many, but I haven't looked too hard. Try www.happycow.net, they have a very comprehensive directory of veg-friendly places!

[Baby Hercules]

Fallen_Horse, have you tried soaked almonds? Delicious! Just soak raw almonds overnight in water and then eat them that way. They plump up and get all creamy and delicious. They are easier to digest soaked and make a wonderful breakfast. But you have to eat whatever you soaked within 24 hours to keep it fresh. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-soaking-almonds-in-water.html

 

Gonna go put some almonds in water....

 

Herc

[amawalke]

I don't know if I'll ever go 100 percent raw, but I can totally see the benefits of including more raw foods in my diet! I'm excited about trying to do as much raw as I practically want to..and if I shift more raw that's great..if I start to hate it I won't do it as much. I think if we're thinking about veganism from a compassion point of view, the important thing is we're not hurting animals, and reducing our global footprint. From a health perspective, I'll definitely try to keep my food whole and nutrient dense as much as possible!

[Zack]

Vega is not raw because of the pea protein, and maybe a few other ingredients. Even if it was raw, it's still a dried powdered product. "Raw" protein powders are sort of a joke imo.

[beforewisdom]

Most books on raw food diets are not written by authors with degrees, credentials or a formal education in nutrition. To put it bluntly, many of the beliefs behind raw foodism are "made up" and even contradict basic biochemistry known for centuries that any college student would read in a text book.

 

Brenda Davis R.D. is a coauthor of The American Dietetic Position Paper On Vegetarianism, architect of the anti-diabetes program for the Marshall Islands and an author of about half a dozen books on veg*n related nutrition. She has the education. She has the credentials. She is fact based.

 

If you read any book on raw foodism, you should read hers as it will based on facts.

 

Becoming Raw The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets

[vege]

I tried 80/10/10 diet and it was amazing experience. The key for success in this diet is to eat ENOUGH CALORIES. You canćt thrive if you are starving. That means A LOT of fruit that has to be fully ripe. Mono meals are highly recommended. In short, it could be for example a breakfast of 10 bananas (1000 calories). I found out that for me it is impossible to stick to this diet while living in continental Europe and with limited access to organic, ripe fruit. I practice this diet from time to time, but not all the time. When eating like this, I feel great, light, full of energy and all that fruit is so sweet and delicious!!! It feels natural to eat like that. Unfortunatelly, I have to eat other vegan food more often then i would, If I had access to raw fruit all the time. I canćt afford to by 15 mangos for a single meal, etc Even if I could, it would be real hard to find ripe mangos here. But for those who have possibility to eat like this, I would suggest to give it a try!

[amawalke]

what is the 80/10/10 diet? Is that 80 percent carbs, 10 protein and 10 fat? or is it about how much raw food you're eating?

[Fallen_Horse]

You got it, 80c, 10f, 10p. Too little protein for figure competition, and that amount of fat is very low for the body, so you really have to watch your intake levels at that percentage...

[amawalke]

I don't know if I would want to keep my fat intake that low! I'm such a coconut oil/nut/avocado/olive oil addict do you eat that way? Was it hard for you to transition?

[Fallen_Horse]

I wouldn't eat that way. I tend to go with the recommendations of the major health advisory committees around the world. I like 60c, 25f, 15p, but you will find people who are all across the board...

[vege]

I don't know if I would want to keep my fat intake that low! I'm such a coconut oil/nut/avocado/olive oil addict do you eat that way? Was it hard for you to transition?

Ićm not sure if this was a question for me, but anyway- it wasn't hard. It was heaven: i have sweet tooth and all that fruit was so sweet and satisfying that I wasn't thinking about any other food. BUt, as I said, I'm not eating that way anymore, because I don't have unlimited access to ripe fruit all the time. But sometimes I have fruit day or fruit morning. I usually eat like that in the morning: 3 kg of watermelon (weight without rinds), 10 bananas, 3 kg of very soft and ripe plums, etc... I was always very sensitive to fats, so it wasn't hard for me to go just 10 percent of fat. I'm a carbohydrate man Even now, when on cooked food, I eat tons of grains, legumes and fruit. I can't eat much nuts and seeds without feeling sick.

BUT, what's good for me, must not be good for you. You'll just have to try different diets and figure out what's best for you.

[amawalke]

Thanks for your advice. I love your progress pics, you look great!

[Duncan_Idaho]

Fallen Horse, thanx for the recommendation, I'll check "Becoming raw" as well.

Amawalke, the way you count the percentage of foods in your diet is this:

If you take a 80/10/10 diet, this means 80% of the calories you eat should come from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fat. Roughly (these are very simplified figures, the values are rounded, used for the purpose of the example) one gram of protein is 4 calories, 1 gram of carbs is 4-5 calories, and one gram of fat is 9 calories. So if I want to eat 80 grams protein today, I'm going to eat 80 grams x 4 calories = 320 calories from protein. That's 10% of my total calorie intake (because we set the goal to 80/10/10 earlier). Another 10% are the fats. So 320 calories from fats, which means 320/9 = roughly 35 grams of fat. The rest comes from fruit, so 80% = 8 x 10% => 320 x 8 = 2520 calories from carbs. 2520 / 5 = roughly 500 grams of carbs. This approach centers around the protein intake in your diet and is not taken from Dr. Graham's book, who I think advices against too much protein in your diet but I hope the example works.

 

What was most amazing in Dr. Graham's book though is 'fruitarianism' if I may call it this way. He explains how fruit is what nature intended us to eat - fruit, supplemented with vegetables and some nuts. We all like sweet - that is because we evolved as fruit-eating animals and our taste guides us to the most suitable food for us. The taste of the predator guides it to meat, the taste of the goat guides it to leaves, etc. As Dr. Graham said, it takes more than 50 000 years, sometimes 500 000 years for a species to change genetically (maybe not counting bacteria). And we are not born with stoves on our backs - we evolved as fruit eating animals.

 

I feel great on a fruitarian diet. I have energy and that energy is immediate and long-lasting. Meaning that I'm ready for athletic exercises 15 minutes after I eat fruit. Even less than 15 minutes actually, depending on the quantity of fruit I ate.

 

Vege, I bet you can obtain tons of cheap fruit in Serbia - assuming we are neighbours and the sutuation in Serbia is like the situation in Bulgaria (or I could be wrong). You can find cheap fruit in Bulgaria, you just have to look around a bit. And it is still summer/autumn and all these small agricultural producers (mainly old grannies) are selling wonderful grapes for 1 eur/kg, even cheaper somewhere;) Yeah, a bit hard to find cheap mangos but we have apples, grapes, things like that. The pears are coming out soon I think!

[vege]

Vege, I bet you can obtain tons of cheap fruit in Serbia - assuming we are neighbours and the sutuation in Serbia is like the situation in Bulgaria (or I could be wrong). You can find cheap fruit in Bulgaria, you just have to look around a bit. And it is still summer/autumn and all these small agricultural producers (mainly old grannies) are selling wonderful grapes for 1 eur/kg, even cheaper somewhere;) Yeah, a bit hard to find cheap mangos but we have apples, grapes, things like that. The pears are coming out soon I think!

 

You are right, not 100 %, though. Fruit used to be very cheap here. I was preparing myself this spring for long fruity summer. But it turned out that this was one of the "bad years", too many hails, lots of rain, and then drought. Crazy weather. Anyways, fruit was scarce thus summer (almost no cherries, peaches, apricots) most of them looked terrible and is expensive. You're right about grapes, I will eat them more: they cost 1 $/kg. But what about the winter: just eating bananas, the only cheap fruit? Tried that and felt sick, i think because of pesticides. And no organic ones are sold here. BUT I WILL EAT MORE FRUIT! I LOVE IT! IN BIG QUANTITIES!

PS: and even if 1$/kg for grapes is cheap for developed countries, for me it's not that cheap. For example: I can buy 500 g of organic brown rice for 3 $, and I can have 4 meals out of that (with some cheap legumes added). And for one meal I need at least 2-3 kg of grapes, so it's 3 $ a meal, and 12 $ for 4 meals.

 

4 meals of organic rice = 4 $

4 meals of not organic grapes = 12 $

 

That's my cruel reality. I need to move somewhere tropical!

[Duncan_Idaho]

Yeah, that's our 'cruel reality' but we Balkan people usually find our way around things:) Speaking of which, I was considering converting my next car to run on LPG/CNG (ecological, cheap) but the prices skyrocketed even for these fuels so I might compromise my conscience and just get a pre-'97 diesel and run it on used vegetable oil from the restaurants.

[Duncan_Idaho]

A couple of days have passed and here's my progress with going raw:

I eat non raw things more rarely - it was like once a day, it happens once in two days now

and it's accidental - i.e. going to a friend's house, etc.

I seem to have defeated my addiction to bread. Well, I'm surely going to eat some bread some

day, just for the sake of a good meal of hot bread with savory. However, I seem to be able to resist

the temptation to jump on a bread and swallow it whole! After maybe a week of eating mostly

raw, non-raw food seems dry. Started craving for more vegetables. I used to neglect them before.

Started thinking about how to get access to the tons of fruit needed for the diet.

Why oh why did we move away from the tropics...

[Im Your Man]

I liked reading Graham's "80/10/10" book. At first I don't know why I didn't like his style of writing but then after a couple of pages I loved it !

Duncan_Idaho, I suggest you to read Herbert Shelton's books also, very good. If you like 80/10/10, you will love books like "superior nutrition" and "food combining made easy". There's plenty of articles online too. http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/hygienic.review.articles.htm

[vege]

Started thinking about how to get access to the tons of fruit needed for the diet.

Why oh why did we move away from the tropics...

What have I told you? I was excited at first too with this diet and then I realized there's not enough ripe fruit in our area to sustain this diet

But, you know what: you made me thinking about that ripe cheap Balkan grapes and I decided to have a fruity day today

It's 3 PM and I've already eaten:

6 banana's shake with 3 tablespoons ground chia seeds

1,5 kg of plums

3 kg of grapes

 

and there's some apples, tomatoes, peppers and soaked pumpkin seeds waiting

OH HOW MUCH I ENJOY EATING THIS MUCH SUGAR!

 

PS: You won't crave bread as long as you eat lots of carbs from fruits.

[ChaserHUN]

I did the 811 diet, and it's great, but I couldn't afford it any more. In the winter there wasn't too much fruit, bananas, tangerines maybe oranges, sometimes it got really boring. But I still follow a lof fat vegan diet.

[amawalke]

what if you did the 811 diet and did mostly veggies instead of mostly fruit? Would that be cheaper? and less sugary? Or do you think it would be impossible to get enough cals?