Comments on Cranky Fitness: The Raw (food) Deal

It's true: this diet did help me fit into my 'skin...

2008-11-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

It's true: this diet did help me fit into my 'skinny' jeans :)

Also made my skin break out; I should've included a bit more fat in the diet, as people suggested. Live and learn.

Hi-I typically don't comment on the blogs I read b...

2008-10-30T17:56:00.000-04:00

Hi-

I typically don't comment on the blogs I read but this post really gave me something to respond to! Over the summer/early fall, my boyfriend and I decided to try out the raw food diet. We went cold turkey and lasted on completely solid raw foods for about two weeks (or at least I did, he was constantly hungry, fruits and veggies did not fill him up which seems to be a common issue for raw dieters). At that point we decided to incorporate some select non-raw foods back into our diet, but we kept it healthy.

Now it is a few months later and I would not call myself a raw vegan but overall I have made such a huge change in my diet and it is credited a great deal to going raw. I typically have a green smoothie for breakfast, they are very filling! Lunch is a large salad, and dinner tends to be some type of vegetarian (often cooked) dish.

We went from eating alot of junk and snack foods with some healthy meals incorporated...but little attention paid to nutritional value. Now, after having researched raw food, we learned so much about what to eat and what to avoid. We cut out all rpocessed foods and after a short time, really I don't miss it at all!

There is nothing wrong with cooking your food but it is always great to incorporate more raw foods into your diet.

We actually have a blog as well, if you're interested, several of our posts were about eating raw: www.newminifer.blogspot.com

I've had great success transitioning to a diet of ...

2008-10-25T19:43:00.000-04:00

I've had great success transitioning to a diet of raw, living foods. Key word: transitioning.

I know a lot of "raw foodists" who'd disagree with me here, but I don't think it's particularly safe nor healthy for someone (PGD like you, or SAD like me) to go cold carrot, 100% raw overnight.

Hasn't quite been four months yet, but I'm holding steady at 85-90% raw and really trying to take my cues from my body.

No more debilitating headaches, fire-breathing dragon heartburn, chronic depression, edema, joint pain. And, I've kicked 62 pounds to the curb. Good riddance!

So happy to have stumbled upon your blog. Good stuff here!

Very brave to stick with this to test it out - tha...

2008-10-25T04:58:00.000-04:00

Very brave to stick with this to test it out - thanks for sharing. I think I'll give it a miss though - for me being hungry = being cranky!

OMG I cannot believe that I discovered your post t...

2008-10-25T01:16:00.000-04:00

OMG I cannot believe that I discovered your post tonight. I wasn't even googling "raw diet".

Just tonight my husband and I talked about the raw diet. I have had interest in the past in pursuing it and have tried in short spurts. Not the entire "cold carrot" like your courageous self, but for a little bit at a time.

I felt the same as you with the hunger and the "junkie needing a fix" feeling. OMG I laughed SO much in your post. You are hilarious and a great writer!

Just tonight I was telling my husband how I could be ravenous all day and it was like my body was missing something and bam, I ate a little piece of chicken and my body would FINALLY SHUT UP telling me that it needed somoething (the "junkie" mentality).

Also I went to the bathroom quite a bit and I would feel even more hungry after going to the bathroom, which was quite strange.

I LOVED LOVED your post. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.

Yipes... somebody pass the porridge to Kelly... ;)...

2008-10-22T12:09:00.000-04:00

Yipes... somebody pass the porridge to Kelly... ;)

i recognized that big Oregon pointy rock immediate...

2008-10-22T00:58:00.000-04:00

i recognized that big Oregon pointy rock immediately.

I need grainy carbs or else I turn murderous. I feel best when i eat healthy, and im rarely hungry, but eating healthy to me means either bread, rice, paste or oats with every meal. I've come to grips with that. other people appreciate it too, as i unleash my carbless wrath on everyone around me.

Kelly Turner
www.groundedfitness.com

i'm a little late to the party but wanted to put i...

2008-10-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

i'm a little late to the party but wanted to put in my 2 cents:

i am an aspiring 70% raw foodie which essentially means i'm raw except one meal of the day (usually dinner - and then i'm essentially vegan with the special occasion fish). i agree with some of the other posters that next time you go raw, you should try incorporating more fats into your raw food diet. this way, you will feel sated longer. i'm not a cold carrot kind of girl but if you try the experiment again, i recommend reading Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet as an inspiration to try some more satisfying raw food combos.

personally, the idea i like behind raw is the claim you are getting the maximum benefit of the fruits and vegetables you are eating because none of the nutrients are getting killed by the heating process. thus, you are eating foods that are high on the nutrient rich index. i would more, however, base your food choices based on how they make you feel and as long as you are genuinely happy and not neurotic about what are you eating, that's the best mindset.

if i'm not too lazy, one of my outstanding to-do's is to document what i eat on my website (http://saladdays.org). my personal way to pull back the curtain and expose what the diet looks like on a day to day basis which will, inevitably, look anticlimactic and less trendy than it first appears...

Now you know why cows spend all day grazing!

2008-10-21T20:39:00.000-04:00

Now you know why cows spend all day grazing!

I eat a lot of veggies and beans. Not all the tim...

2008-10-21T19:24:00.000-04:00

I eat a lot of veggies and beans. Not all the time raw, but I know I feel better when I get my fibre and don't eat too much fat. It might be psychological, but I could swear I just feel... better.

The gas thing didn't happen to me, maybe because half the veggies I eat are cooked? Dunno.

I looked into the whole-hog (sorry!) raw, vegan, n...

2008-10-21T16:47:00.000-04:00

I looked into the whole-hog (sorry!) raw, vegan, non-dairy thing. There's a cafe at the gym I work at that is all vegan and raw, and the food is DELICIOUS. But they have professional chefs preparing it. They have state-of-the-art blenders, dehydrators,mixers, etc.
There's plenty of protein in the from of beans and legumes, but it takes a lot of time and money to prepare.

I have never tried before, although I really would...

2008-10-21T16:21:00.000-04:00

I have never tried before, although I really would like to. I like the suggestions to add more fatty items to keep yourself from feeling starved.

My dad has slowly adapted to a mostly raw diet and he swears by it. He says that now he doesn't even miss any of the food he used to eat. I just don't know if I can give up my chocolate. (sigh)

Totally get it. I just did some research that had...

2008-10-21T15:30:00.000-04:00

Totally get it. I just did some research that had a lot to do with why at 4 every one gets tired cranky and hungry. Most of it has to do with serotonin release. Any who, it says if you eat a low fat carb snack (sweet if you want) an hour before you usually get hungry it keeps you from getting too crazy. All those leafy greens really don’t have very much calories, or carbs. I’m still trying to figure out how to get in shape with out messing up all of my relationships from being hungry and ticked off all the time. I’m trying the snack thing for now but at this point it’s more like two snacks.

I can see the benefits of raw food......and hey if...

2008-10-21T15:14:00.000-04:00

I can see the benefits of raw food......and hey if the power went out, you wouldn't freak out ;)

These comments are great! A lot of thoughtful peop...

2008-10-21T14:59:00.000-04:00

These comments are great! A lot of thoughtful peope making good points.

I liked Mark's post too. I don't think he was against all raw vegetables so much as against "all raw all the time". (The best I could manage was 90%. I still think it a good idea to eat 90% vegetarian even if not all the 90% is raw veggies. Variety and all that stuff.)

I can never stick to doing all raw, all cooked, al...

2008-10-21T14:54:00.000-04:00

I can never stick to doing all raw, all cooked, all meat or all veg is that healthy... It's always been easier for me to just eat healthy stuff. This is one of my favourite recipes and combines raw, cooked, meat and veg:

Chinese pork chops and vegetables

Yeah, fats are so necessary. Mark's Daily Apple ha...

2008-10-21T14:27:00.000-04:00

Yeah, fats are so necessary. Mark's Daily Apple has a pretty good post slamming the raw food diet (warning, not vegan friendly!).

In Santa Cruz is a raw food restaurant. I have eat...

2008-10-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

In Santa Cruz is a raw food restaurant. I have eaten their "spring rolls" which are made of cucumber, sprouts, carrots and they come with some dipping sauce that really makes them palatable. Their food is pretty amazing. I could do a raw food diet if I had someone cook it for me. In fact, if I had a cook, I could do any diet.
Restaurant is LaVie - Menu is online (pdf)
http://www.lavie.us/
They have some pretty interesting desserts listed too. And they offer cooking classes.

Ooohh, the no-fat thing is a KILLER. Seriously, i...

2008-10-21T14:08:00.000-04:00

Ooohh, the no-fat thing is a KILLER. Seriously, if you're going to eat raw (or nearly-raw), you HAVE to eat fat. Plus, many fats help your body absorb more nutrients from food. When you add olive oil to tomatoes, for instance, you absorb WAY more lycopene that if you just ate the tomato.

I have to admit that although I've never been totally raw (too much work), I did follow an 80/20 diet for a while. Basically I had to eat 4 servings of fruits or vegetables before I could eat anything else. I did that for about 2 months before I rebelled. (But I have to admit that I felt GREAT.)

I wouldn't recommend switching to raw cold-turkey, though (so to speak), for all the digestive reasons. If you're having trouble switching back, start steaming your veggies, and then adding fats.

Or . . . no idea if this will work for you, but when I need to "reset" my system in a hurry, I drink nothing but juice and water for 3-5 days. After that, I can pretty much eat whatever I want again.

Wait...There's a photo contest going on?? East vs ...

2008-10-21T13:40:00.000-04:00

Wait...There's a photo contest going on?? East vs West??

Where do I sign up?? I have TONS that prove the west coast is MUCH better...

I love eating raw vegan, but a great blender is a ...

2008-10-21T13:22:00.000-04:00

I love eating raw vegan, but a great blender is a must. Blended salads and green drinks make it possible, because I don't have all day to sit around chewing enough fruits and greens to get full.

Meanwhile, I feel great and I'm not obese any more, so I'll stick with raw. (No, my family does not eat this way, I still cook for them.)

messymimi

My husband did a raw food diet a few years ago unt...

2008-10-21T12:11:00.000-04:00

My husband did a raw food diet a few years ago until I wanted to kill him. Although, he was (and is) a vegetarian at the time, as am I. Still I had absolutely no idea what to make for supper for the whole time - "here honey, here's your julienned beet crunch and your celery stick". Also, he made these disgustingly smelly vegetable smoothie things every morning - smelly because one of the main ingredients was raw garlic.

We've gone back to a RGD - a really good diet with the occasional not so good item. We're both happier.

Interesting stuff. I've found that I need beans an...

2008-10-21T11:59:00.000-04:00

Interesting stuff. I've found that I need beans and some fat to keep me satiated. And I love cooking. Like LOVE it. So only eating raw stuff would really be a bummer for my hobby.

Wish I liked them too :(

2008-10-21T11:41:00.000-04:00

Wish I liked them too :(

You know, it's this weird thing but I have subscri...

2008-10-21T11:39:00.000-04:00

You know, it's this weird thing but I have subscribed to something like half a dozen raw food blogs. And I'm not a raw foodist--perhaps not even an aspiring raw foodist. But some of the people involved in that community just seem so . . . cool. Dhrumil, Anthony the raw model, Philip McCluskey (who lost something like 200 lbs), and Deanne the hula hooper in Tokyo (to name a few). It seems for the most part to be a very positive community. Wish I liked vegetables more.