new and confused... please help

[yesenia]

hi, i have some questions,do not know if this is the place to post them, and hope that you may give me thoughts or direct me to where i need to repost.

right now, i am on the typical american diet...sorta =D. so far, i've cut processed food/junk/soda/bread/dairy (this cut started about 2 weeks ago.)

 

1) on raw diet, and wanting to lose weight, is it ok to eat as much seeds/nuts as i want to eat?

 

2) is eating raw going to make me go into detox mode? (same as juicing?). i ask because i am nursing my 3 month old baby and read that it is not recommended to 100% juice while nursing, only to add raw juice to diet.

 

3) should  i eat coconut oil alone? i have been reading that coconut has many health benefits and should be consumed daily (1 - 2 TBS daily )

 

4) should coconut oil be added to smoothies/juice? or not

 

5) bananas...is it ok to consume as many bananas as i want daily? or should i limit them since i want to lose weight. i read that they are high on sugar. but do not know if when eating raw if it maters.

 

6) when eating raw, i can eat as much as i want too? or do i need to watch portions?

 

=) yesenia

[Susan : )]

This is a great place to post!  You will get alot of imput from the community!

[Bette Bliss Shaw]

1) eat nuts as you like but for weight loss you might not want alot of them. However in transition you might need some heavier foods like nuts.

2)raw is a cleansing plan with some detox yes.

3)Coconut oil alone or  in food.....all good. Coconut is HUGE for health!

4)The fat in smoothies inhibits easy assimilation of the smoothie but do as you like and feel.

5) yes eat as many nanners as you like!

6)eat what you need for raw food....no portion watching that I have seen. Limiting yourself on raw might contribute to going to cooked. Get enough calories esp if nursing!

 

[Marianne]

I would say that whilst you are feeding your baby that you should eat all that you wish to eat, forget about the weight loss and concentrate on keeping you both in the best of health - one of the side effects of eating raw is that you eventually need to eat less and another is that if done properly, everything in moderation is the key, you will automatically lose weight without even trying.   You have made the biggest move towards fantastic health and that is in the things that you have cut from your diet already.  Coconut oil in smoothies is great as it is in things like 'pie crust' etc.  Good luck and I am sure that others will come back to you with great advice especially those who are or have been through the raw & breastfeeding stages.

[yesenia]

hi susan, bette bliss and marianne........thank you for the replies. what a relief it is to know that i found this gem (this board)....i'm so happy!

 

[Wendy Geesey]

Hi Yesenia,

Bravo! Sounds like you are doing great already. Greens should always be the foundation of a raw food diet- plenty of leafy greens. If you are wanting to lose weight I would watch the nuts and seeds, how much weight do you need/want to lose? Fat in general slows down detox, so no, eating raw food should not throw you into too deep of a detox crisis, but that also depends on how unhealthy and toxic your body is right now. Juicing can throw people into detox, but again, it depends on how acidic and toxic they are to start with. I'm on my 23rd day of juicing and no detox crisis event yet. When I started raw food however, I went through 3 or 4 mini crisis events- nothing major, just tired. Broccoli sprouts however threw me into a MAJOR crisis!!!

You do not have to eat coconut oil alone- mix with raw cacao and agave nectar or raw honey for a chocolate treat :) You can add to smoothies, but if your smoothies are cold it will solidify- not my cup of tea ;) Bananas... like how many bananas do you want to eat???

The thing with raw food and weight loss is that when you are eating high nutrient dense food your body should be satisfied with less. So if you are consuming a lot of nuts/seeds you aren't getting the nutrition from the greens that you need to feel satisfied. Eat as much in the way of greens as you like- add seeds/nuts to salads for a more filling satisfying meal- and you can make dressings out of cashews and macadamia nuts. You don't have to watch portions of greens or green juice. Eat until you are satisfied, not full.

Hope that helps!

~Wendy

p.s.- didn't see the other posts before posting this myself! ;-)

[yesenia]

hi wendy,

thank you for your reply. i need to lose about 60 pounds. what do you mean by detox crisis? do you mean side effects?  

i'm pretty sure that i am really acidic. my diet was heavy dairy, meat, bread, chocolates, soda etc...

right now, i've been eating about 3-4 bananas a day in smoothies or chopped up with berries and almond milk. 

Wendy Geesey said:

Hi Yesenia,

Bravo! Sounds like you are doing great already. Greens should always be the foundation of a raw food diet- plenty of leafy greens. If you are wanting to lose weight I would watch the nuts and seeds, how much weight do you need/want to lose? Fat in general slows down detox, so no, eating raw food should not throw you into too deep of a detox crisis, but that also depends on how unhealthy and toxic your body is right now. Juicing can throw people into detox, but again, it depends on how acidic and toxic they are to start with. I'm on my 23rd day of juicing and no detox crisis event yet. When I started raw food however, I went through 3 or 4 mini crisis events- nothing major, just tired. Broccoli sprouts however threw me into a MAJOR crisis!!!

You do not have to eat coconut oil alone- mix with raw cacao and agave nectar or raw honey for a chocolate treat :) You can add to smoothies, but if your smoothies are cold it will solidify- not my cup of tea ;) Bananas... like how many bananas do you want to eat???

The thing with raw food and weight loss is that when you are eating high nutrient dense food your body should be satisfied with less. So if you are consuming a lot of nuts/seeds you aren't getting the nutrition from the greens that you need to feel satisfied. Eat as much in the way of greens as you like- add seeds/nuts to salads for a more filling satisfying meal- and you can make dressings out of cashews and macadamia nuts. You don't have to watch portions of greens or green juice. Eat until you are satisfied, not full.

Hope that helps!

~Wendy

p.s.- didn't see the other posts before posting this myself! ;-)

[Wendy Geesey]

Hi, What I mean by crisis is a significant detox event- one that might keep you in bed all day from feeling sick. 4 bananas a day should be okay- some people are sensitive to too much potassium though, but maybe your body needs it and that's why you are drawn to them. Fruit smoothies are a great way to start out! Juicing might be too much for your body right now. I was thinking it would probably be a great idea for you to just eat basically whatever raw you want and let that have it's own effect while you are nursing. When you are done with nursing (depending on how long you nurse) you can start with a day or two of juicing and see how it goes. But do try to focus on greens- you can even throw a handful or two of spinach into your fruit smoothies- you won't even taste it! ;)  But ya know, you are doing fantastic! So whatever keeps you raw is going to be best. I agree with the others- don't worry about weight right now, just eat raw and see what happens. When you are done nursing see how much more you have to go and I'm sure the juicing will take care of that! Be kind and gentle with yourself- this doesn't have to be all or nothing... it's a journey ;-)

yesenia said:

hi wendy,

thank you for your reply. i need to lose about 60 pounds. what do you mean by detox crisis? do you mean side effects?  

i'm pretty sure that i am really acidic. my diet was heavy dairy, meat, bread, chocolates, soda etc...

right now, i've been eating about 3-4 bananas a day in smoothies or chopped up with berries and almond milk. 

Wendy Geesey said:

Hi Yesenia,

Bravo! Sounds like you are doing great already. Greens should always be the foundation of a raw food diet- plenty of leafy greens. If you are wanting to lose weight I would watch the nuts and seeds, how much weight do you need/want to lose? Fat in general slows down detox, so no, eating raw food should not throw you into too deep of a detox crisis, but that also depends on how unhealthy and toxic your body is right now. Juicing can throw people into detox, but again, it depends on how acidic and toxic they are to start with. I'm on my 23rd day of juicing and no detox crisis event yet. When I started raw food however, I went through 3 or 4 mini crisis events- nothing major, just tired. Broccoli sprouts however threw me into a MAJOR crisis!!!

You do not have to eat coconut oil alone- mix with raw cacao and agave nectar or raw honey for a chocolate treat :) You can add to smoothies, but if your smoothies are cold it will solidify- not my cup of tea ;) Bananas... like how many bananas do you want to eat???

The thing with raw food and weight loss is that when you are eating high nutrient dense food your body should be satisfied with less. So if you are consuming a lot of nuts/seeds you aren't getting the nutrition from the greens that you need to feel satisfied. Eat as much in the way of greens as you like- add seeds/nuts to salads for a more filling satisfying meal- and you can make dressings out of cashews and macadamia nuts. You don't have to watch portions of greens or green juice. Eat until you are satisfied, not full.

Hope that helps!

~Wendy

p.s.- didn't see the other posts before posting this myself! ;-)

[Kathleen Kelly]

This is great information.
I don't understand #4 though.

Bette Bliss said:

1) eat nuts as you like but for weight loss you might not want alot of them. However in transition you might need some heavier foods like nuts.

2)raw is a cleansing plan with some detox yes.

3)Coconut oil alone or  in food.....all good. Coconut is HUGE for health!

4)The fat in smoothies inhibits easy assimilation of the smoothie but do as you like and feel.

5) yes eat as many nanners as you like!

6)eat what you need for raw food....no portion watching that I have seen. Limiting yourself on raw might contribute to going to cooked. Get enough calories esp if nursing!

 

[yesenia]

thank you ladies... =)

[bitt]

1)

 Initially a lot of people still get great results with eating plenty of nuts and seeds, but long term it's not ideal. I err to the seed side, I find flax and chia preferable to lots of nuts. I try to keep to a handful or less of nuts a day.

2)

 It's very extreme, but mothers have done it. Kristen's raw is a good resource on this as is Joanna Steven and raw mom website.

3)

i would rather put coconut oil in a smoothie! I think the butter is even better. make sure it's unrefined.

4) should coconut oil be added to smoothies/juice? or not

 sure!

5)

Initially when I went raw I ate lots of bananas, but now try to keep it to 1-2 a day. I am not 100% raw though, I'd rather have some steamed veggies than more of the same bananas. 

6)

I have heard different things. For me what works is to eat as many greens and salad as I want, limit the other things but never get too hungry. I eat the healthy stuff first and lots of fiber so I won't have much room left for other things.

[Denise Norber]

I think I would check out the raw mom site as there are many women who are raising raw babies as they themselves are raw. However, if you ate a pretty unhealthy "SAD" diet as of a couple of weeks ago you need to go slowly into raw so as not to cause your body to detox while you are breast feeding. Don't forget, your child gets its nutrition from you and if your body is releasing toxins then these toxins are going to appear in your breast milk and perhaps cause some problems for your child. You begin to detox as you eliminate bad foods, not just when juicing. I wouldn't juice to replace a meal just yet because of the detoxing effect. don't want to discourage you, I just want you to be very well-informed before jumping in with both feet!

Also, I personally would not consume 4 bananas in a day. Everything in moderation while learning what your body needs. And, when just beginning a raw food lifestyle then you do consume more to keep from being hungry. That will ease up as your body begins to absorb all the wonderful nutrients in the quantities it's never had access to before. Usually, the longer you are a raw vegan, the less food you will need.

Hope this too helps.

[yesenia]

thanks denise. i have not started the raw diet yet. i've been putting it off since i still need to gather up some stuff (i feel i need to have everything stocked up if not i feel not ready =D) . i'll start off slow like you suggested.

 

 bananas are high on glycemic. and i was told to not consume them at all. no bananas, no raisins, no grains, no watermelon, no bread, no sugars (and of course, no processed food and drinks).

 

it's crazy how i am thinking in detail about healthy food, BUT when it comes to eating junk, i just eat it =D .