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Cadogen -- Each person's journey is different, so you will get quite a variety of responses. I personally went from SAD to mostly organic about 2 years ago, but still primarily SAD. Then progressed to vegetarian, then mostly vegan and raw about a year ago. For me the changes were gradual, and I'm sorry to say that I occasionally still slip and eat things I should not. The biggest improvements have been in my health. I no longer take blood pressure medication and haven't been ill enough to miss work in over a year. I lost about 15 pounds early on and have maintained the weight loss.
You mentioned anxiety and depression, junk food, meat and McDonalds in your opening comments. Might I suggest that you start by cleaning up your current diet. Eliminate the junk food and fast food. Start eating more healthy and less meat. Gradually introduce raw into your diet . . . a salad, a smoothie, more fruit and vegetables. Work your way to raw vegan over time, if that is your goal.
There is an active thread with discussions about anxiety. Perhaps some of the information there would be helpful for you.
http://www.therawtarian.com/community/f/discussion/9805/2-weeks-on-raw-and-bloated-mucusy-fatigue-all-from-stress-would-yoga-and-meditation-help
Welcome to GoneRaw, and do ask questions. There are a lot of people here who are willing to share of their knowledge and experiences.
i think that will be my main problem is trying too switch over like you said from sad to a full raw diet.i cause we have been eating like that for all are lives.the thing iam most excited is the wait loss.i think another good reason to start eating raw food is i usually have bad stomach problems whenever i eat meat.iam hoping that will help it out a lot.i have been taking organic apple cider vinegar too cause i heard that helps with digestion. thanks for the link.
When I was in my 20s I always had some sort of stomach problem. Usually a stomachache, naseau and heartburn. I had to travel with a little bowl of baking soda to drink mixed with water to settle my stomach. It was to the point that everything in my typical college student diet bothered me. I was very overweight. I decided to go vegetarian. I went 100% the first day. My stomach problems immediately disappeared. I quit eating burgers so I quit eating fries, I ate more fruits and vegetables and felt good. Within a year, without even realizing it, I'd lost about 50 lbs. I was vegetarian for about 15 years before going raw. I went raw the same way, one day I did it 100% and haven't looked back. I already had good energy so I didn't see a change there, but I keep hearing that my skin looks good and that overall I have a glow and that I look healthy . I thought it was crazy when people talked about getting a glow after being raw. Many of the people who have told me that don['t even know that I am raw. I feel much more in touch with my body and how to fuel it, if that makes sense. I know what works and what doesn't. I originally was going to try raw for 1 week. Well, it's been 15 months and I have no desire to eat cooked food.
Good luck, but, if you stick with it you won't need it, you'll feel so good that you won't want to go back.
i always like hearing stories like that.it gives me more hope that this will work for me.my main thing is the stomach problems,which i believe now will go away when i start this.iam hoping the obsession for junk food will pass once i start eating raw.ive heard its more expensive too eat raw than it is on a "s.a.d." is that true?
Green smoothies for the first half of the day would be a great way to start out. Add more fruit to it in the beginning if needed. Finish with a healthy dinner and a piece of fruit later in the evening.
thanks for the help.
Ditto what Emtpdmom said. Dietary changes are very hard to stick to, especially if you try to do everything overnight. I offer this advice based on how many people try to go from SAD to raw in one step, fail, then go around saying "eating raw is too hard." I bet if you started getting the junk food and fast food out of your system and made healthier food choices you will start seeing improvements. Then these improvements will motivate you to make even more changes, and so on. Maybe set a reasonable goal of being raw vegan at this time next year...and lean into it.
Bear in mind with your current diet you have significant detox to do.
In the meantime, read up on nutrition so you know what to eat, and develop the kitchen skills to be able to feed yourself in a SAD world.
Yes, eating healthy in general (raw or otherwise) is more expensive in the short term than eating 79 cent hamburgers and processed foods made of government-subsidized ingredients like soy and corn. This is of course if you do not factor in the $200,000-$500,000 people spend when they develop cancer. Also Americans feel they should spend less on food as a percentage of their overall income than most other cultures that value good food more than we do. While it's totally possible to eat very cheaply as a vegan or even a raw vegan, you will begin to want organic foods, superfoods, fancy nuts, and other more expensive ingredients.