Too much of a good thing.

[Gina Ripley]

I made my first batch of cashew kreme today and fell in love. I had it on sliced bananas and on celery sticks with my kids.

I realized I probably consumed more than I should have when I checked the caloric content. Oopsy!

It occured to me that there are a lot of really decadent dessert recipies for raw food eating as well as other high fat options.

Does anyone know if it's possible to gain weight eating too much of this stuff? (not that I'm out to try it)

I would think that the body would process these types of sweets and fats differently creating less hunger. The concern is that I'm slowly switching to nearly all raw and find myself drawn to the raw goodies.

Any suggestions to keep my cravings in check and stay balanced in my daily meals and snacks?

There is such a wealth of knowledge in this site(and members) but I sometimes get lost looking for it.

Cheers!

G.

[Gina Ripley]

All great feedback! I guess it comes down to everything in moderation and green is the way to go!
Lisa- I think you may be right about listening to your body. Lately mine has a LOT to say. ;)

[See*Grin]

YES! You can definitely gain on raw food, I DID! Although I feel better than I ever have, I weigh close to 15 pounds more than I did 6 months ago, not good. Its the nut fat. Lately, I seem to be on a smoothie kick, which I think is helping me shed the weight. Be careful, its easy to over indulge on this amazing food!

[HippyDaisyChick]

GREEN SMOOTHIES HELP WITH CRAVINGS>>>LOTS OF GREENS!>>>HANDFUL OF ALMONDS

[Deborah Grissam]

Yes It can be a little too good!

[Lisa]

Hiya Gina,
I think when you start Raw you do tend to eat/ crave denser foods. This seems to be a fairly normal progression, i wouldn't worry. Most people loose weight when the start raw regardless of eating a ton of nuts and avocados :). Other people struggle with feeling hungry all the time cause they don't have any fats in their diets just salads (i had this issue for a little while), its about finding internal balance i think. Personally i tend to find for me at the moment that i have a portion of fats typically once a day and it tends to be between 1 and 3pm for me but thats when my body wants heavier stuff. I also eat denser foods and fats over winter (i'm in Australia so we are opposite you guys seasonally). I didn't put on any weight by the way :).
I also graze more than i eat big meals so i may have 5 or 6 snacks a day with juice or smoothies being 2 of them generally and 2 being more meal like - salads , raw pizza etc and the others being fruit or maybe raw granola etc.

Discovering greens will help shift the cravings for denser foods alot faster - especially green smoothies or juices for a meal a day, breakfast is my personal favorite cause it seems to set the tone for the whole day. the greens seem to keep the cravings at bay and set my taste buds up for the day.

Raw desserts tend to be extremely rich i find. I am sort of working to find recipes that aren't so heavy myself just cause its what i'd prefer. Eg chocolate cookies maybe with a zucchini base instead of nuts. Banana/ berry soft serve ice cream etc. I make other nut and coconut oil/butter desserts every now and then cause i enjoy being in the kitchen and they always look divine but they tend to stay in the fridge for ages cause even the kids find them pretty full on?! LOL.

Anyway bottom line. Sure you could put on weight eating raw (interestingly especially if you need to put on weight, its like your body finds it correct balance) but most people loose weight rather than gain. The raw lifestyle tends to be a constantly shifting journey and many start eating a heavier diet, it if works for them and allows them to stay at what they are happy with raw, then go with it i say. Ultimately when it comes to raw foods (umm not processed stuff) listen to your body, its a valuable skill :)
Cheers
Lisa

[Gina Ripley]

Thanks J Bean.

[Bette Bliss Shaw]

Cashew creme is sooo yummy. I like it on applesauce! Have not made it in a very long time. Now I want some..hehee

Eat whatever raw you want when you want it (as in hungry want it) and you will be fine. Yup can gain weight if you overindulge.

[J Bean]

Yes, it is absolutely possible to gain weight eating all raw. As you've said, just think of the caloric content of nut-based desserts. I've found that, while raw sweets and treats have lots of nutrient-rich stuff in them, they are best thought of as desserts. If you have a non-raw diet, you're not going to sit around eating desserts all day and expect not to gain weight. The same goes for raw.

Greens are really helpful for keeping cravings under control, as is getting more of the good stuff: fruits and vegetables. If you're filling your body with calories from fruits and veg, you're not going to need the calories from nuts and sweets (although I think it's really important to treat yourself and revel in raw abundance rather than making this a deprivation diet!)

Cheers to you!