why did the raw food plan not work for me?

[Krishnan]

I joined RFR a few days ago, based on the recommendation of "Give it to me Raw", a website that was closing down.

I've been a lifelong vegetarian and have off and on tried to increase the raw portion. A few weeks ago, I  tried to go completely raw for two weeks, based on the recommendation of a naturopath here in south India, where I live on a 2-acre organic wooded lot. I try to eat mostly stuff grown here.

I'm male, 56, 5 ft 5 in, 160 pounds and a marginal diabetic (type II). Recently, I broke my foot and couldn't exercise for five months the way I normally do (30 min yoga, weight training alternate days, 4- /6-mile walk daily). My doctor and I have a pact to try and go off even this ity-bity medication (0.5 gm metformin at night) by working on diet and exercise. He wholeheartedly approves of a 100 pc raw diet.

For about 10 days, I was on an 80-90 percent raw diet. Then, a naturopath suggested the following 15-day programme. She said I could try this and then  gradually work on going 100 pc raw, which requires a lot of planning and discipline to sustain over a long period which, she says, should be my aim.

I put on 5-6 pounds after being bedridden or sedentary following a foot fracture, but my gut size increased by 5 inches to about 40 inches. The naturopath says she has to first neutralize what she calls vata or air element (the ayurvedic vata-pitta-kapha) through enemas twice a day, a wet towel wrapped around the waist for 30 min, and some simple exercises like rolling on the floor and squats holding the ears (Yale Univ found this ancient Indian religious offering improving mind power).

The diet plan she suggested for 15 days for me, which I followed:

Wake up, eat one raw gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) with 2 glasses of water. Phyllanthus/amla/gooseberry cures just about all ailments and is widely used in ayurveda.

one hr later, 1 cup of organic herbal coffee (made of dried ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, basil, peppercorns. Said to neutralize the three doshas, a cheaper form of triphala)

One hr later, white pumpkin with bittermelon/bittergourd smoothie (Mormodica charantia) or 16 bitter leaves of bael (Aegle marmelos),which is proven to bring down blood sugar.

No filtering. All smoothies with the fiber.

2 hrs later, carrot smoothie with honey

lunch: 1/3 raw  banana stem--very high in fiber, 1/3 cooked veggies, 1/3 cooked rice/wheat/grain, 1-2 tablespoons of fresh coconut, 1 glass watery buttermilk.

late afternoon: herbal coffee

one hr later: lemon with honey

supper: fruits, emphasis on papaya, with 1 tbspn coconut to add fiber and fats.

I did this religiously for 15 days and felt light and had a lot of energy. But no change in weight or gut circumference. 

How come?

Cheers,

Krishnan

[Wanda Cox]

Krishnan, I hope you are doing well and you have deloved a LOVE for smoothies. I just had a oral procedure and haven't been able to eat ANYTHING but spooned in smoothies.  Let me tell you, you will never know how good they taste when you focus just on raw food.  Lotsa luck,  Cheers to Romaine and bananas! :)

[Krishnan]

• Thank you all for the swift responses. That is a big motivator to continue on the road to healthy living. I've been on and off on green smoothies for breakfast.  And Supermom, yes, I file the stuff on cronometer and found that on most days the intake was about 1000 calories, yet I was not hungry. I usually begin the day drinking two or three glasses of water.  For a brief period, I tried drinking two liters (8-9 glasses) of water first thing, just for fun. I usually seem pretty ok, except for the craving for salty, deep-fried snacks. If it's in the kitchen, I'll eat it. So, I usually try not to buy them, but that also means needlessly cutting out my wife from eating such stuff (she's super skinny and can eat a whole triple sundae and get hungry in an hour; I could look at a picture of a sundae and put on two inches around the gut!). My yoga teacher has suggested I increase pranayama, with focus on the bandhas or holds since they activate the muscles too. Going to resume my routine. Once I become familiar with this site, maybe I'll post a daily plan and you guys can kick me if I didn't follow it!

[Giakhar]

As to the riddle of your diet....hmm.

I am sure your doctors will have the answers for you.  But I read of your experiences and remember the several times I've been stuck in a leg cast. During the start when it meant no/practically no crutching around yet, if I ate anything like I normally did then, I actually got bigger. Even if I had my usual enormous salads. But once I was crutching around (kind of fun once I got used to it) I could eat closer to normal amounts of food from before the leg cast and not get puffed up. 

How exciting though to have that practitioner right in India!  I was vegetarian for years, and found that when I do remove dairy from my diet, my finger/abdomen/face puffiness goes. But then I also developed an intolerance to dairy; it makes me want to suggest that people test themselves for one. However, I did have sneezes/wheezes/rashes etc to tip me off.

Weight drop and gut tightening has been a battle for me, because of a high sugar diet. So your post has me responding. But my last thought is, that weight and water goes, gut flattens, when I would listen to my thirst needs - and follow them with water - and put my food second priority. Then when salads or e.g. a new raw kraut gave me constant-semi-inflation....all that water, plus some walking/gym, just...allowed my gut to exercise its demons and flatten out.  But then broken foot....that's a different story.

[Supermom]

Cronometer.com is a free website you can use to calculate your daily nutritional intake.  It's easy and gives an analysis in great detail.

[Jean]

Dairy and cooked grains is wheat cause inflammation/swelling/bloating in the body. Lots of greens and water. Are you eating enough?

[Matthew Mayhan]

Already a ton of good help for you.

All i can add, is to stay positive, i know how us guys can be goal orientated. But perhaps shift the "must loose weight", to what is it going to take to make me healthy.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to lose weight and be healthy, but the two most comon you'll here out of experts mouths is "Food is medicine" and the "You are what you eat."

The cool thing, is that were not alone. This is a safe place to ask questions and learn, if you knew everything, what fun would that be.

Relax, retool, try something else, good luck.

PS, highly recommend juicing, or at least look into it. I haven't seen anyone that hasn't lost weight and got REAL healthy, I'm starting a juice fest myself in a few weeks when I'm out of work.

[Mimi Lotus]

I don't know why you didn't loose weight, but I thank you for the recipe for "cheap man's" triphala recipe.  I take it regularly, as in everynight and I'm about to run out.  I'm trying to reduce kapha over here and managing to keep it mostly raw while reducing my intake of avocado, coconut and bananas.  Argh.  Not happy about it but I'll survive. :)

[Krishnan]

Susan:

Thanks for your swift reply. Greens were indeed the central portion of the food, especially the 15-day diet plan. In the white gourd smoothie in the morning, I use 18 leaves of a known sugar-lowering plant (Aegle marmelos). For lunch, there's a salad, with plenty of greens.

[Susan : )]

I don't see GREENS ....

Greens are vital to a raw food lifestyle!

Check out the following resources:

Click HERE to go to the Liquid Lounge for rawsome Green Smoothie recipes!

My basic Green Smoothie recipe is:

(for the Vitamix pitcher size)

3 Romaine hearts or 1-2 regular heads

1/2 package of spinach (I rotate dark leafy greens, swiss chard, collards,etc.)

3-5 bananas

1 cup water (just enough to cover the blades)

 

I make it thick.  I store it thick and when I drink it, I add 1/2 water and 1/2 GS.  This may be too much GREENS for you at first.  Let me know what you decide!

You know I live for Green Smoothies!!

What a great idea, Sergei!!!

More Boutenko resources here in the Hab:

From the RFR Library:

12 Steps to Raw Foods**

Eating Without Heating **

Fresh**

Green For Life
Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health**

Raw Family Signature Dishes**

 

From the RFR Media Room:

12 Steps to Raw Foods with Victoria Boutenko (movie)

Greens Can Save Your Life with Victoria Boutenko

Wild Edibles with Sergei Boutenko