Can anyone help please? Is it ok to eat raw food all the time? Do salads give all the nutrients we need?? Are supplements required??
Thanks
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
Eating a wide variety of different fruit, vegetables and salad can provide a lot of the nutrients we need, but our bodies need a lot more than just vitamins and minerals. It is useful to look at what we need from our food - we need carbohydrates for energy andalsofor our mood,we also need protein as this is used by the body as a building block from which all cells are made, and we need small amounts of fat as these too are used within us. A raw food diet, unless it also contains pulses, is unlikely to provide enough protein or carbohydrates for your needs, although it would be ok for the very short term.
I hope this makes some sort of sense!
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
ORIGINAL: traceymccullough
Can anyone help please? Is it ok to eat raw food all the time? Do salads give all the nutrients we need?? Are supplements required??
Thanks
Hi traceymccullough,
Welcome to the forums,
I am probably what you would call a 70% -80% raw foodist.
I follow the principals of the 80/10/10 by Dr. Douglas N. Graham:
I aim to eat a minimum of 80% Carbohydrates, a maximum of 10% Protein and a maximum of 10% Fat.
Those precentages are not always what I end up with as each day is different.
My diet consists of plenty of fresh fruit, green leaves and the occasional handful of raw nuts and seeds.
Now I am around a 70% raw foodist, which means I do eat some cooked food in the evening; this is not because I am under the impression that my body requires the extra dense food, but trying to go 100% raw can backfire with some people. It has to be done gradualy, since we have been used to eating cooked food since we were weaned on to solids as a baby.
If you would like to know more on what types of raw food I eat, then please ask.
Regards
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
magno - i am actually interested....[&:]
can you also pop in over at my starting anew thread and take a gander? would really be honored for your opinons or any advice....
[link= http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=425565&mpage=1&key=񧹝 ]http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=425565&mpage=1&key=񧹝[/link]
again - thanks!
Ada
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
ORIGINAL: ramadani
magno - i am actually interested....[&:]
can you also pop in over at my starting anew thread and take a gander? would really be honored for your opinons or any advice....
[link= http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=425565&mpage=1&key=񧹝 ]http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=425565&mpage=1&key=񧹝[/link]
again - thanks!
Ada
Hi Ada,
This is a sample menu from Dr Douglas Graham's 80/10/10 diet, which is similar to what I eat, but I am writing Dr Grahams for you as it has a calorie breakdown for you.
Breakfast: Citrus Celebration
8oz Pineapple
8oz Kiwi
8oz Strawberries
8oz Red Grapes
8oz Oranges
Lunch: Ataulfo Mangos
2Lbs mangos
Dinner:
Course 1: Kiwi Strawberry
1lb Kiwi
1lb Strawberries
Course 2: Strawberry Cucumber Soup
1lb Strawberries
8oz Cucumber
(Blend all together)
Course 3: Strawberry Almond Salad
1lb Red Leaf Lettuce
4oz Cucumber
4oz Strawberries
1oz Almonds.
Daily Nutritional Total:
Carbs: 452 grams, 1626 Cals.
Protein: 39 grams, 146 Cals.
Fat: 27 grams, 220 Cals.
Total Calories of the day: 1992 Kcals
Now I may decide not to have a raw dinner, in that case I normaly have steamed potatos and veg with home made nut butter or what ever takes my fancy, because like I said it is a slow transistion to raw:D
I will have a read of your other post in the morning as I am off to the land of nod[sm=sleep.gif]
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
thanks magno! sounds like a lot of strawberries - unfortunatly wont be able to do that - as our strawberries at the grocery store look very poorly (most of the bad weather took this years crop) and i dont like getting things that are already bad - but i did post what i ate in my other thread - but will post here =
breakfast x 5-6 days of the week
i slice up a pear, asian pear, yellow apple, strawberries (if available) and bananas and mix with dried cranberries (ones dried without juice) sometimes raisens and always blueberries
i mix that up and eat roughly a cup a day of that.
lunch
varies, usually its the veggies from the night prior, and about a cup. fri-sun i cheat though...i either make something fresh (like spinich & onion w/yoghurt or cucumber w/yoghurt) or we are out and snack on last nights dinner (we dont get snacks when we go out)
dinner
usually vegan meals from fantastic foods..whichever fits my fancy for the night...always steam 1/2 both a red & green bell pepper, a whole onion, sometimes will season with fresh parsley and garlic and sea salt.
night snack (i know this isnt the best - but i dont eat after 8, and i normally only eat one of the following)
a piece of ginger (its just crystalized - no additives)
70% dark choco
cup of icecream (rice)
on occasion i will make organic brownies
i have been telling myself i need to fix salads more often - and somehow i never get the chance.....i end up cooking a vegan dinner and steaming my vegies, but was wondering if this was a good start or if there is something more i need to change?
thanks!
Ada
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
It sounds as though a raw food diet is incompatible with seasonal availability in this country, and requires perpetual air-freighting!
I guess it's easier in the tropics...
A pound of lettuce is a lot...
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
ORIGINAL: ramadani
thanks magno! sounds like a lot of strawberries -
i have been telling myself i need to fix salads more often - and somehow i never get the chance.....i end up cooking a vegan dinner and steaming my vegies, but was wondering if this was a good start or if there is something more i need to change?
thanks!
Ada
Yes, fruit is the main food stuff in the diet, it just happens that that particular sample menu had a lot of strawberries, we tend to eat what ever is in season whilst it is fresh.
Unfortunatly I am not a nutritionist, so therefore can not advise as to whether your diet is suitable, but you need to listen to your own body and find out what best suits you and your needs.
The fruit is an excellent start and eat plenty of it, always try and have fruit alone or with a salad.
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
ORIGINAL: bigvoice
It sounds as though a raw food diet is incompatible with seasonal availability in this country, and requires perpetual air-freighting!
I guess it's easier in the tropics...A pound of lettuce is a lot...
We tend to go with what is in season, and that may mean eating one or two types of fruit for a duration, but luckily with supermarkets offering a tropical variety and the Asian markets, there is an ample variety out there for us.
A lb of lettuce dos sound and look a lot compared to a standard diet, but once accustomed to the diet it is quite normal.
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
Hi! I'm not a nutritionist, either, but I do know that the cooked food, for the most part, is devoid of very necessary digestive enzymes which accomplish amazing things in our bodies when they are allowed to perform their magic. Google 'digestive enzymes' to get a wealth of knowledge on the subject.
kcat
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
Mmm well, I think we must be quite adaptable, because despite chain-smoking, my grandparents lived with radiant and active health into their eighties and I don't think they ate anything much raw.
On the other hand, everything was simple and home-cooked, rarely very rich (two world wars and a large family to raise on a vicar's stipend.) And they prayed a lot 😀
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
Magno, can I ask how much it costs you to eat like that? What would that typical day you wrote up for us cost to buy?
We find that the financial implications mean my dh cannot eat as much raw food as he would like during the winter months. He is very pro raw food and eats about 60% at the moment; he feels great on it.
And I agree, Bigvoice that a raw diet in the UK is fine during late spring and through the summer, but for me, who believs that local and seasonal is the best way, there is no way I would do it for the whole year. I couldn't have that air frieghting on my conscience.
I admire your choice though magno and great for you if it suits your body type. I think I wold like to do it for a couple of months max, with stuff i can grow in the garden but I struggle to maintain my weight and would be concerned about losing weight. Did you find you lost a lot when you first started?
each to their own 🙂
Amethyst x
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
ORIGINAL: Amethystcave
Magno, can I ask how much it costs you to eat like that? What would that typical day you wrote up for us cost to buy?
Amethyst x
If I were to straight to the shops and buy the quantity I needed for that day it would probably cost aound £12.00.
But I tend to look on what is on offer, blemished fruits that people do not want to buy, spotty brown bananas (an excellent staple for a raw diet).
Go to markets when they are closing and usually the fruit and veg man will give you discount for any left over fruit.
I once got a tray of peaches for £2.00 because they were going soft.
I find if you build a base around sweet fruits such as bananas, dates, figs etc and add other types of fruit through out the day plus your salad items then you are on the right track.
I always make sure I have plenty of bananas in the house as a back up;)
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
Thank you, Magno.
It sounds like you are doing really well.
Do you know how this diet would suit someone with candida overgrowth? and what about losing weight - do most of the people you know on a raw diet lose weight or not? This is the one main thing that stops me having a go at this diet.
TIA
Amethyst x
RE: HELP - Raw Food Diet - IS IT SAFE?
ORIGINAL: Amethystcave
Thank you, Magno.
It sounds like you are doing really well.
Do you know how this diet would suit someone with candida overgrowth? and what about losing weight - do most of the people you know on a raw diet lose weight or not? This is the one main thing that stops me having a go at this diet.TIA
Amethyst x
It tells you about fruit and has a section on candidas, which may help to answer your question.
As to loosing weight, yes on a correct raw diet, people have lost weight but then have found their ideal weight.
I would highly recommend 'The 80/10/10 Diet' by Dr. Douglas N. Graham, it is an interesting read.