thedeepeningcrisis

Oh! Your comment about Florida just made me realize something. This person, Taylor, on 30 bananas a day is a tropical fruit distributor! Check his website out. It might be of help to you on your trip! http://www.taylorstropicals.org/

Glad you're having such a great time with it already! I've definitely noticed sharper, heightened senses as well. One tip I might offer for your trip to Disney: take dried fruits, maybe bananas, mangoes, whatever, and just soak them in your water bottle to rehydrate them. I dunno what their policy is on bringing outside food in though. Dried fruit would also be a lot easier to sneak in, if that's what it comes down to.

Tweedle - My best suggestion for you is to pick up a copy of The 80/10/10 diet. That'll answer a whole bunch of your questions on eating raw. I learned most of what I know from reading 80/10/10 and a couple of his other books, as well as The China Study. Graham also has a book called Nutrition and Athletic Performance that is pretty solid too. In the mean time, you can check out the FAQ on his site and find a good deal of the stuff out. Here's the link: http://foodnsport.com/faq.html On the note of eating pounds of fruit a day, I know exactly what you're talking about. When I first went raw, I was trying and trying and trying my hardest to eat hella produce, but my stomach just couldn't take it easier. I would eat til my stomach was full, but since water-rich fruit isn't as calorie dense as cooked (dehydrated) foods, my stomach was only used to smaller portions. It takes a little while to expand your stomach to accommodate larger quantities of fruit, but it's so worth it! The first time I ever flirted with raw foods, back in...06(?), I wasn't eating enough calories. I had all kinds of mental clarity, but felt like a zombie, energy wise. Give higher fruit intake a try and see how that treats you. PM me and I can give you recipe ideas, etc, if you want.

I've been eating a low-fat raw vegan diet off and on for over a year now, and 100% since Jan 1st, and I totally agree with the comments on high energy levels and mental clarity. I've also noticed that my recovery time has also dropped as well, compared to what it was for similar workloads while eating a cooked vegan diet. The only time I've been able to tell a significant drop in energy levels is when I don't get enough calories from fruit / eat enough dark, leafy greens for nutrients. The times I've tried eating more "gourmet" raw food, with lots of overt fats (nuts, seeds, too much avocado, coconut meat, etc) have definitely provided me with lower energy levels. You can definitely thrive on such a diet, as proven by athletes such as Doug Graham, Harley Johnstone, Michael Arnstein, Charlie Abel and others. I haven't been doing it as long as they have, but I'm very satisfied with the results so far. My best advice to anybody with questions would be to read "The 80/10/10 Diet" by Doug Graham and "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell. Campbell also does a really awesome online plant-based nutrition course.

I recently finished a great book on bodyweight exercises. Check out "Never Gymless" by Ross Enamait. He's got it for sale on his site, www.rosstraining.com There are also a bunch of interesting articles on there. Up until last week, I had been doing about 95% of my workouts strictly bodyweight exercises. Switched it up though to give the 5x5 program a shot. Good luck on your workouts!

Just joining up. Hey y'all! I live in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, USA. Been vegan since March of '04, raw vegan off and on from March of '09 til the end of December '09, and 100% raw vegan since then! Currently training via cycling, rock climbing, yoga, running, swimming and resistance training. Looking to get stronger, increase my overall endurance and change my body composition to lower fat / higher muscle. Cliche, right? Whatever...Hope everybody is doing well!