andesuma

I totally agree.. I think my diet just comes across as very intimidating to a lot of people. Because they seem to think it's solely about self-discipline & not pleasure. So wrong they are. hah

I suppose I make it relatively difficult on the guys who'd like to date me. I only eat at vegetarian restaurants. Or at least, I have intentionally only eaten at them for over 5 years now.. Granted I would love to see what I could do with a salad at a mainstream restaurant; I really like going to veggie only places/raw food cafe's, to open my date up to what there really is the eat out there. To show them it's not all lettuce and tomatoes

hah..well, I am not exactly sure how it happens. But I've managed to convert a lot of friends and every single guy I've been in a relationship with.. which isn't many, but I've never dated someone that was already vegan, before meeting me. John(my ex, we were together 3 years) was always amazed at the rate I was able to inspire others to make the vegan switch, and if nothing else, start eating healthier. John grew up in Ferndale, CA. , dairy capital.. country for miles. His dad is a beef rancher, and his entire family is in the dairy industry. So, I think if I could get him/provide the guidance for him to go vegan, anyone can!! Anyhow, one thing I find that helps open people up to what vegans actually eat, is by going to a veggie restaurant. The vibes are so much better anyhow.

Hello I am just curious what all of your opinions were on dating, and being raw? Do you generally get harsh reactions, or does it not seem to matter? When I was just vegan(whole foods of course..), I never had a problem with meeting omnivores and being able to help them ease into a vegan transition (per my influence/inspiration, but their desire..), but being raw.. seems to be another world. Now, granted, I do not actively go out and seek to date anyone, and am not necessarily interested in it at this point anyhow, but... I am curious if any of you find it to be an obstacle? I just don't understand how caring for yourself, for your body, is seen as something extreme in our society. It's like if I am not putting toxins into my system, then I can't go out and "have a good time"..

Dairy, soy and wheat are all very mucus forming in the body. Almost everyone is allergic to them(more or less the process they go thru, as say..someone allergic to 'soy', could probably eat raw edamame) rather they realize it or not. Your best bet is to do an elimination diet, eliminate all potential factors, Wheat/Gluten, soy, dairy, most cooked foods except steamed veggies.. do this for about a week or two, reintroduce them, and see how you react. It's all about experimenting on yourself to see what works best. I never knew my body didn't like wheat and soy until I stopped consuming them. The differences are dramatic.

My juicer broke yesterday It just stopped working. & my food processor is not working either. so sad.

I'm the same way Can't do any nama shoyu, miso, etc. But I also don't consume grains, so.. no sprouted quinoa or buckwheat (I have eaten it a few times, but it doesn't sit well with me).. & Sorry if you've posted this topic before, I don't tend to check whats been posted previously, I just.. post and reply.

DAY 3: Well..I feel good today.. did a sea salt water flush. wow. don't like that. Would take a colonic or two over that again, any day! Needless to say, not awhole lot came out of me.. but good to experience none the less. I am really feeling like I want to eat some fruit. So, I think I might end this cleanse soon.. Mostly because I'd like to run on something other than sugar & lemons. I can feel my body wanting nutrients badly. I am having mild cravings for oranges and apples, but I'll wait and see how I feel tomorrow. Getting sick of the lemonade though.. So, maybe I'll just do mono meals with fruits for awhile, and focus on lots of juice intake. I am also very VERY anxious to get back to the gym.. not training is driving me crazy.

I don't know the specifics of her diet, I know she ate very healthy, and was predominantly veggie.

I agree to an extent that could have been part of it. But I don't believe focus got rid of how I felt physically and emotionally then, compared to how I feel now. I think the cancellation of medications as well as removing myself from a toxic situation in my life, in order to allow myself to heal, to actually get in tune with what works best for me; was what welded the most dramatic improvements. Especially for me emotionally. I have become a different, better, more creative person, every single year I have been raw, I believe... I have gone thru enormous transformations; really unfolding and building myself into who I want to be. Obviously, I have been very focused on healing myself thru out this time... Eating raw food allows me to find my balance much easier than I could before. I am stable emotionally through out the day, as where when I was eating cooked foods (whole foods vegan, and med free), I would still have profound highs and lows.

eek! Your ideal balanced raw vegan diet should really be 50-ish% fruits 40% greens/sprouts and the rest nuts/seeds/dehydrated foods.. less than 10% of your daily intake. I would say slow way down on the nut intake... you can really mess your digestive system up! Fresh IS best.

My grandmother was diabetic (but still consumed a chocolate malt shake nearly everyday...), and battled ovarian cancer for a number of years before she died after her, yet another, battle with chemo & cancer. She was 65 & she lost two battles. One from the cancer, and the other from the chemicals trying to kill her AND the cancer.. That was when I was 10 years old. That is when I went vegan. When I woke up.... But my Great grandmother, she was amazing! I remember walking to the grocery store with her when I would visit, and buy healthy foods. She would always eat the produce and not pay for it. hah She lived to 110 years of age, she also gave herself regular enemas, and ate very healthfully. The only ailment she had was arthitis.. thats it. She out lived all of her children, and most of her childrens children.

Absolutely, without a doubt. I spent my early adolescence in a deep depression.. I would say I knew nothing other than depression for a good 5+ years of my life. Granted I was in a toxic environment, and the removal of that is one thing that helped enormously.(which came later) I was originally diagnosed with general depression, the prozac started... I didn't really want to spend time with anyone, or go into public places.. Like gigantic grocery stores(aka.Wal-Mart), or stadiums, this prompted social anxiety disorder diagnosis, and more meds for that.. I was probably filtered thru about everything on the market, even to the point of beta blockers and lithium. Now that I am healthy, balanced, and emotionally very stable, med free. I notice the extraordinary link between my symptoms manifestations, and the more meds they would put me on. All of this mixed with adolenscent changes and hormonal surges, was just an awful combination. (Even though I was raised with a very healthy diet, veggie, and vegan since 10 yrs. of age, I believe the main culprits for my emotional turmoil were a: starches/cooked foods b: artificial sweetners/diet coke c: sugar) ... But I decided to heal myself, I knew that my body was the most profound healer I will ever have the chance to meet in my lifetime. Even being whole foods vegan for a number of years didn't completely heal me, it is the raw food, and only raw food; that keeps me stable. That keeps me geniunely, HAPPY. I cannot even imagine any level of depression touching me again. I have been nothing but happy, and dare I say.. euphoric, since being raw (nearly 4 years now).. And the changes are just better and more profound the deeper I go.

I agree.. The more raw I get, the longer I am raw, the more I realize how much cooked food messed with my bodily functions. I come from a family of strokes, mental illness, diabetics, and were nearly everyone.. has died of cancer. I am pretty much the only one left. Before going raw vegan, I was hypoglycemic, diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and bi-polar/manic depressive, I was on a variety of medications because of this (starting with prozac, and ending with lithium.), the more I poisoned myself, the worse my symptoms got. Anyhow.. a lot of things happend, to say the least. But I feel it was my aunts suicide (she was bi-polar, and stuggled with it her entire adult years) that triggered something in me. To know that my life didn't have to be like that... To understand that cutting out all of the crap would heal me. Very instinctual. None the less though, I am raw, and will remain raw for the rest of my life.. because my mental and emotional well-being depend on it.

I love Angela Stokes, I think she is just brilliant. If you haven't visited her website.. check it out www.rawreform.com She just got finished completeing a 92 day juice feast. She has a video of her eating her first soaked prunes! When I watched this... I cannot describe the emotions running thru me, she looks so radiant, and gorgeous. So clean. Please watch the video, and give me your feedback on the website.

Apple-Beet-Pineapple juice, is absolutely wonderful!

Wow experiencing a lot of strange detoxing: Having hot and cold flashes. Dizziness Light-headed feelings/spacey ness Emotional irritability Shakey As much as I'd like to attribute some of this to detox, I also feel some of it is the maple syrup messing with me. So, I am going to do the rest of my lemonade for the next two days, with Agave Nectar. Hopefully I notice a difference. I could barely function earlier. I went to People's CO-OP and bought some lemons, sea salt, etc. The produce looked AMAZING! I didn't want any, except maybe an orange, but.. wow, I absolutely love admiring happy produce! Also, the cashier girlie is starting the Master Cleanse tomorrow! yeah! for cleansing season, and getting back to the basics. So... I took an hour nap, and now feel revitalized and renewed. Much better.

Day 2: I had two cups of the laxi tea last night... not good, felt super heated, and shakey. The "Get Regular" tea doesn't do that to me like the Chocolate one does. hmm... Anyhow, was going to take a bath, but got super sleepy so.. just went to bed. Woke up at 6am feeling good, but felt like I should just sleep more, so, woke up again at 9am. Noticed a film on my tongue. Yeah for detox! Also, the swelling and everything in my left ankle, and bruising that I was talking about, is almost all gone!! Hopefully the acupuncture appt. I scheduled for Tuesday will help with my digestive system more.. I still feel very "full".. But I still want some HOT oatmeal and strawberries w/ brown sugar. hah

oooh..you could not have descibed my cleansing plans any better! That's pretty much what I'd like to do as well.. 10 day + fasts for each season change, and as I think about it... and am listening to my body, I've really been craving juices lately. So I think I might end the Master Cleanse in 10-15 days with a juice fast for about 5 days. Then I really think a living foods fruitarian type diet will suit me best throughout spring and summer.. basically, minimal seeds(only flax), no fermented foods, mostly.. 75%+ fruits greens, and sprouts. I think that will suit me very well. No more dehydrated foods for this girl, my body just can't handle it.

food combining! http://drbass.com/sequential.html it all comes down to how sensitive you are with food combinations.. greens go with anything. nuts should stay with nuts, but can be combined with dried fruits. try and keep acid fruits(citrus), sub-acid fruits(apples), and sweet fruits(bananas) seperate.. The cleaner you get, the more sensitive you'll become, and the more you'll mess yourself up if you improperly combine foods! As Bigbwii said it nicely in the raw section... Once you go raw, you're no longer incontrol of what you put into your body. Your body tells you.

Something Bigbwii said in a post awhile back that I find very true, a lot of the only long term raw fooders, are those healing themselves from illness and are doing raw foodism as a last resort. So, I am very curious as to why everyone here is raw?

Thanks Finbarrio! I've done a number of cleanses in the past, including a long water fast, so hopefully this won't be too difficult. All of those were done when my lifestyle was less demanding, so.. we'll see how long I last.. Today has gone well, had some food cravings & mild detox symptoms. Mostly really wanting some fresh pressed apple juice and lemon! That is the most delicious juice ever... Also, one of my co-workers was eating oatmeal this morning. OATMEAL! I completely forgot about that stuff... I miss it. I use to love love love oatmeal and strawberries as a child. oatmeal, brown sugar, and strawberries... yummy! Anyhow, detox I had today was small headaches off and on, hiccups! , and tingling sensations all over my body. I feel hypersensitive to my surroundings right now, like negative energy really gets to me. I drank about 45-ish oz. of the lemonade today, and water. I am going to try that Chocolate smooth move tea tonight before bed. Everything sounds so good right now!

Thanks everyone! I'll be trying the salt flushes tomorrow morning, but will mix one batch up tonight before bed so it will be cold. Last night was not a good one, I ended up throwing up two apples I had eaten earlier... after a lot of stomach pains. I did not improperly combine my foods, I hardly ate anything yesterday. My body really needs this.. because obviously it doesn't want any food! Anyhow, I slept really well, despite waking up several times & experiencing a dull frontal lobe headache.. I feel rested. (considering I was up at 3:30am) I am drinking Yogi's "Get Regular" laxative tea right now, and squeezed about 3(big) lemons into 30 oz. of filtered water this morning. Don't know if that's a good amount? It smelled good, and if it's extra lemony that is fine too. Ok. I am going to get ready for work now...

Hi all! I am starting the Master Cleanse tomorrow. I purchased all of my supplies today, although I haven't gotten anything for the salt flushes yet... I'll need some more guidance from Miss Lillykoi before I attempt those. I should be able to make some of the lemonade thru out the day at work, so that will be nice. I also purchased a container that would be great for portability. ______________________________ My intentions with this: * Clear digestive tract debris, and clean my system out as much as possible. * Correct digestive acidity, basically wait until my body says... "Ok. I'm done cleaning up old junk now, bring me food.." * Help eliminate "emotional waste". * To help speed up the healing process for the bone bruising I received from cycling, and various other bruises. To allow my body to focus on healing in general.

Yes! Me too!, I will be joining you tomorrow! I bought everything today, I purchased both organic "RAW" amber Agave Nectar, and organic Grade B Maple Syrup. Both contain minerals. If I find the maple syrup messing with me, I'll switch. Or, if I get bored I'll switch as well. I'll also be trying ALL kinds of limes and lemons while I am going thru this process. I cannot wait until after I am done with this... I hope I feel amazing. Because my digestive system really is not happy right now My goal is to go 10 days.. , if I feel however that my body needs something, I'll change the cleanse accordingly. But ideally, I'd like to go for 10-15 days, this is really the only time this year I am going to have the down time to do this.. Look forward to cleansing with you sweetie!