Raw food diet help/views

Hi guys.

Its been some time since i last posted and thought it is time to say hello again.

Today is the 1st of January 2016 and my new year project is to shed lots of weight! I am ready for the diet of a life time.

I am over 20 stone, 6 foot 6 inches tall too...

My chosen diet is to quit every type of junk food and drink going and just eat raw vegtables and fruit.

This morning i ate several satsumas for brekfast.

Lunch consisted of several baby corn.

Dinner was a mixture of red pepper, asparagus, cucumber, shallots, baby corn and courgette.

I plan to stick to this for 1 year!

Have you guys tried raw food diets? Did you suceed?? Any ideas you can pass on???

I look forward to hearing from you.

P.s. i have decided to keep the coffees as my daily treats!

a reply to: bigbiy666

Pure raw might be a difficult task,,, maybe paleo-bread?
and lots of nuts and seeds,, oh and cold pressed hemp seed oil is awesome..

Good for you dude. I wish you all the best in your health journey. a reply to: bigbiy666

a reply to: bigbiy666

You need to be careful with a pure raw food diet. We humans evolved to cook our food, meat, veggies, especially.
Fruit, legumes, nuts, etc. is pretty much the only food that can be safely eaten in large amounts without cooking.

The amount of vitamins, minerals and such in raw vegetables is extremely high and our bodies go into an overload to deal with it all, it can lead to stomach enzyme issues, gall bladder, kidney stones, deficiencies of other vitamins, etc. For example people who eat large amounts of kale can develop calcium deposits.
You should simply just stick to a vegetarian diet, and cook your food, you'll be able to eat more, and have more of a variety, and not torture yourself with bland food.

the years i ate but raw food are the best i remember. i was beaming with energy and i was super healthy

i also added a lot of sprouts to the diet and juices, also i fasted once in a while

now that i am a bit older a pure raw diet does not agree so well anymore, but i still eat plenty of raw greens which i grow in my herb and veggie garden

also, after a while i needed more variety and my diet ended with the introduction of chocolate

all in all i'm sure i benefit from a thoughtful diet

good luck with your 1yr plan!

a reply to: bigbiy666

You can eat twinkies and lose weight. You just need to be in a caloric deficit.

Losing fat and being healthy are not mutually inclusive

You need a digital scale to weigh all these natty foods and add up your macros, and you need your bmr to identify how much to eat.

Hello. I am a vegan, and I have been for about two years now. I have been a vegetarian/semi-vegetarian for six years. At first, I was lacto-ovo (I ate eggs and milk), then I quit dairy, then eggs, then I thought I was protein defiecient, so I ate fish and seafood for about a year. I also tried a mostly raw diet. My wife was a raw foodist for a few years, and it did some harm to her GI tract, because a lot of raw food is hard to digest.

I have come to the conclusion that the most healthy natural diet is a hearty cooked vegan diet. I think fire helped us to access food that we wouldn't be able to eat, such as potatoes, taro, beans, and others.

This author, Andreas Moritz has helped me a lot through his books with a lot of health problems I have had, and has even helped me reduce my chronic fibromyalgia pain.

Please watch this video when you have time. He gives a pretty balanced view on the raw food diet.

I eat a real lot of raw foods cooked.

I never understood the concept of these all or nothing diets. How about just eating and drinking in moderation?

originally posted by: darkwarrior
a reply to: bigbiy666

You can eat twinkies and lose weight. You just need to be in a caloric deficit.

Losing fat and being healthy are not mutually inclusive

You need a digital scale to weigh all these natty foods and add up your macros, and you need your bmr to identify how much to eat.

This is absolutely correct. You can eat anything you want, even tubs of lard, and so long as you are in a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight.

As others have stated already, all raw isn't exactly all that great, it certainly will help, but if you're just planning on doing it for a year, you'll be right back where you are right now soon.

Going cold turkey is also something that most people can't handle, and it can actually be dangerous because your body is likely used to heavy fats and carbs. Furthermore, in some cases going from one extreme diet to another of the opposite spectrum quickly can potentially lead to a heightened risk of specific cancers (if have to get to my computer to cite them for you, on my phone right now).

What I would suggest is simply weaning yourself off of your current diet, incorporate exercise (even if you already have a labourous job), do excessive research, and move gradually to a more well rounded diet.

The healthiest diet you can have would likely be one relating to a Paleolithic diet. Humans evolved around hunting and gathering, with a diet of about 70% fruits and vegetables, 30% (or less) meats.

All of either isn't 'the healthiest' simply because our genetic heritage proves otherwise. That's what we adapted to, that's what you should aim for.

The key, however, isn't to aim for a momentary diet change, but a permanent one. Slow and gradual will get you there and keep you there so long as you have self discipline

Don't forget that on a raw vegetable/fruit diet...you still need to eat a requisite amount of calories or risk turning into a total d*^k.

Several baby corn? That's not going to do much for you. Bulk out your meals!

a reply to: bigbiy666

Raw food diet is very hard! Not to discourage you. I've done similar stuff to help some of my health problems (used to have cancer). The best thing to do is make sure what your eating keeps you satisfied. I do well with beans and sweet potatoes, you need to cook both. Find what you like and what is healthy and try sticking with those foods.

Going thru 'extremes' can cause a yo'yo effect on your weight.
I find with my family and friends that go to such extremes, they only last for a limited time and then their weight bounces back up, and sometimes higher then when they started their 'extreme' diets.

Then they feel bad and start all over again. You should post how you did and if it affected your health.

I think raw is way healthier than many diets out there, but I also caution you to ease yourself into it. It can be quite a shock to the body and wreak havoc on your system. (my hair started falling out! and I don't mean a little either!)
I would suggest going one day a week fully raw and gradually working up from there. Personally, I needed more protein than I could eat raw so I just try for a more balanced approach now.

originally posted by: shinethelight
a reply to: bigbiy666

Raw food diet is very hard! Not to discourage you. I've done similar stuff to help some of my health problems (used to have cancer). The best thing to do is make sure what your eating keeps you satisfied. I do well with beans and sweet potatoes, you need to cook both. Find what you like and what is healthy and try sticking with those foods.

Going thru 'extremes' can cause a yo'yo effect on your weight.
I find with my family and friends that go to such extremes, they only last for a limited time and then their weight bounces back up, and sometimes higher then when they started their 'extreme' diets.

Then they feel bad and start all over again. You should post how you did and if it affected your health.

We all do well eating beans and potatoes. It's universal to our species. What is good about the raw food diet, is that it is vegetarian. The problem is people can't get enough protein and calories in general from eating raw food, also a lot of it can be hard to digest, causing constipation.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I have taken on board what you have all said and decided to stick to 90% raw fruit and veg and 10% cooked vegetarian foods like quorn sausage/burger etc. Todays meals were 1 pint fruit smoothie for breakfast, ryvita with feta for lunch and a raw green soup with cooked faielas. 70% dark choc coco as an evening treat.

I found processing the veg makes it easier to digest too!

I counted calories today 1493 consumed & 497 burned.

I guess ive had a good day with this diet!

a reply to: bigbiy666

I am glad you are eating some cooked foods. I suggest getting a dehydrator, and also eating lots of sprouted grains.

Have you heard of the Essene Gospel of Peace?

In it, Jesus advocates a raw food lacto-vegetarian diet, making sprouted wheat bread baked only in the sun. I made the recipe myself, but instead of the sun, I put it in the oven at a low temperature overnight. It was delicious.

You take wheat berries, and sprout them, then mash them, then bake them in the sun.

It's a pretty interesting book. You can read it online for free.