Anyone tried a raw diet?

[Dirty Hippie]

How did it work out? Do you have any books/resources to suggest?

[disillusioned1]

1. Yes.

It works. You're on the toilet too much to eat. Seriously. I became dehydrated from the diarrhea.

[smbolisnch]

2. Is that what's supposed to happen??

LOL.....pardon my ignorance, but is it a cleansing diet or is it meant to be a long term thing?

[Dirty Hippie]

3. Proponents recommend it for life

They believe cooking destroys the natural enzymes in food and we humans are biologically designed to eat uncooked food.

[smbolisnch]

5. Well, I'd be interested to hear from other people that have tried it!

Doesn't seem like it went to well for the first poster! Poor thing :shrug:

[sir_captain]

11. Why do they believe this?

Do they simply disregard all scientific knowledge about how the digestive system works? Like how the HCl in one's stomach denatures any enzymes one ingests?

[disillusioned1]

4. You should eat raw food. Period.

My digestive tract couldn't take it.

[Dirty Hippie]

8. Some advocates suggest

easing into a totally raw diet. They say it takes the body awhile to adjust.

I've been reading about it on the net. Thinking about buying a book.

[DenverDem]

6. That's not supposed to be the result.

It will cleanse, but I have never had that radical a reaction to the periods of raw foodism I have practiced. I am vegan anyway (since 1975) , so I guess my digestive track is not that toxified in the first place.

[underseasurveyor]

7. Any major diet change can do that until your body adjusts.

Especially going from the unhealthy processed convenient foods that make up the bulk of our diets today to a healthier less processed diet.
Gradual changes are the key to avoid shocking the system.

[BikeWriter]

9. I eat most of my steaks raw with a little Worchestershire Sauce. n/t

[magellan]

10. My best friend is a raw food chef

Alicia was a regular chef to start, worked at Sony and DreamWorks, but then went to school specifically for raw food training and she swears by it. She lives in Los Angeles; if you're interested in learning more or maybe getting a few tips, e-mail her (tell her Maggie sent you): [e-mail]

Her web site isn't finished yet, she's away so much she hasn't had time.

On edit: This is her page at the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute

[Squeech]

12. Not me, but

I have friends, a married couple, who adopted it a couple years ago, and I think they're still following it. They were quite pleased with it: they've slimmed down (not that she needed it), and a lot of his allergic reactions went away. They've just finished recording their third CD, in their own home studio, and on the whole they accomplish more than I ever will, so it doesn't seem like the raw diet is slowing them down.

[AngryAmish]

13. It seems so dangerous

Especially with organic veggies.

[mac56]

14. My neighbor was on it for several months.

She's a masters-level RN and a health educator. She hoped it would lower her blood pressure and help her lose weight. Ultimately she decided the slight benefits didn't justify the hassles.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

15. One of my friends did it for a while, but he gave it up

the gas alone from him could clear a room, and he spent a lot of time on the toilet.

I think you should eat according to climate. A mango salad in Minnesota in January doesn't make sense, but a roasted root vegetable salad does.

[amazona]

16. I lasted about one day

There is a reason why people lived much longer after the invention of cooked food.

If you are overweight, it's probably OK, but I'm not, and I did it for "Cleansing," which I now think was a very bad idea. If you have any tendency toward eating disorders, don't play with this.