Help for a novice raw foodist!

[ahj]

Hello all, this is my first posting. There is a deficiency of rigorous scientific literature on raw food, fasting, and green smoothies so I think this is the best source of information and I am hoping to get some input from more experienced raw foodists.

I have been vegetarian, mostly vegan, for most of my life. Three months ago I did an 8 day water fast and began a 100% raw food diet. The diet is totally erratic, really, with usually juice or smoothies all day, then a variable dinner (usually quite heavy with raw treats!). Some days I have done juice all day. Some days I have eaten heavier foods all day. Here are the problems I am having and I would love to hear any suggestions you may have.

1. Hair loss for the past week. I have read that this is common and some say a good sign while others not so much. Given the natural cycle of the hair, I think the fact that this is starting 3 months after my fast may be a sign that it is related to the stress of fasting. I had some steady hair loss before, but this week it's pretty intense. Any thoughts?

2. Constipation and bloating. After my fast, my GI system was working better than ever--one to two good BMs per day. Gradually I have gotten more constipated and sometimes go a day or two without a BM, then occasionally have to use a water enema (which I really hate to do, because I want my colon to regulate itself). I try increasing water intake and greens, to no avail, any thoughts?

3. Too many treats. I am borderline underweight right now, though still with some areas of fat around the abdomen and upper arms that need to be reduced. I find myself going crazy with raw treats, because they taste so good! Could it be because of my low weight that I crave more calories? I am 5'8" and 116 lbs.

I feel a bit discouraged and could use any advice available.

Thank you!

[jroo]

Originally Posted by ahj

There is a deficiency of rigorous scientific literature on raw food, fasting, and green smoothies

You could try the following resources for scientific information:

• Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center there are online resources about cleansing, fasting, colon health, etc.
• Spiritual Nutrition or Conscious Eating by Dr. Gabriel Cousens
• Hippocrates Health Institute
• Rational Fasting: A Scientific Method of Fasting Your Way to Health by Arnold Ehret
• Colon Health or Diet & Salad by Norman W. Walker

[Double Helix]

Many people switching to a lower fat raw diet have reported a stop to their hair loss.

Also inclined to suggest that either too much fat or bad food combining may be contributing to your GI issues.

Some people think that extra fat helps gain weight, but you really want to look at a higher calorie consumption. Extra fruit will help out with that. Also weight bearing activities.

www.rawfoodexplained.com has a ton of info on raw, fasting, nutrition. etc.

[RawFoodGrl]

I agree with DH.

One of the things you can start with is to not combine fruits and vegetables. The exceptions are tomatoes, avocados and eggplant (all technically fruits), and it's OK to have citrus, particularly something like lemon or lime juice (which are the base of many salad dressings.)

If you eat fruit, do so at least one hour before eating vegetables, or two hours after eating vegetables.

There are even distinctions between acid, sub-acid, and sweet fruits. So, eat your berries at the same time, for instance, and do things like bananas and grapes another time. Melons of all kinds should always be eaten separately from anything else.

Everything you eat should be chewed, even juices. The digestion process begins with chewing, which mixes salivary fluids with the food. Juice should be chewed, and to be properly digested, you should spend at least 15 minutes chewing it (30 is better). Frankly, I'd rather chew solids for 15-30 minutes, so I eat lots of whole fruits and vegetables and chew them up.

For the constipation, I bet you're not getting enough veggies and leafy greens in particular. (And if it's all juiced, you might not be getting all the lovely fibrous pulp which is what we need to keep things moving properly.) Eat lots and lots and lots of all kinds of veggies, and especially leafy greens!

For the high fat / heavy stuff, it's pretty common for people starting out to be drawn to filling up a lot on fats, but it really is better to keep that to a minimum. I eat mostly veggies, some fruit, and smaller amounts of oils and fats, including nuts and seeds. Some is good, though.

For the treats, well, I bet that's because you're slightly out of balance all day and wanting to load up on the treats because your body really needs a blood sugar bump.

If you eat regularly all day, eat as close to a full balance of all nutrition as you can, then you really won't crave the treats. Yes, they're delicious, but frankly, I've got all kinds of luscious raw treats in my cupboard but really feel best eating lots of salads and some fruits as snacks. I hardly ever eat them.

To get a good balance of things, I highly recommend the book Rawsome! by Brigitte Mars as she lists all the vitamins, minerals, protiens, fats, nutrients, etc. and what foods have them. Make sure you're eating something off of every one of those categories. (And she has a category for hair loss and what to eat, too!)

For the getting firm and trim, just go exercise! No dietary change will remove all the wiggle in your jiggle, so do some aerobics, do some toning.