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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookHi everyone! I have had a lot of GI issues the last year and a half and am considering going Raw Vegan...but I have some questions.
I follow the eat right for your type diet and since I am blood type O my diet recommends a carnivore diet, so mostly lean protein. I have followed this way of eating for a while and am very lean and muscular. But I started to get GI issues and found out I have acidic blood. Along with that came a lot of food allergies, constipation, fatigue, bloating, and gas. I think that the raw food diet would be good for me, but will it make me lose my muscle and leaness? Also how does it provide energy for exercise? I am extremely fit, I run marathons, weight lift, and do triathlons....will I have enough protein and energy with this way of living? I have some friends that are vegetarians and they are overweight, is that possible on this kind of diet?
Thanks for all your help!
Comments
hi tukiville, i think you will still maintain your muscle mass if you eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies, and fats and continue to exercise. i have gained about 10 pounds of muscle since going raw. i have much better endurance when it comes to running and my workouts are longer, too. i do get bloating and gas, but my constipation is all gone. my constipation problems were the main reason for going raw- it was hell!! obviously, you can be overweight on this diet because it is like any diet- if you eat too many calories and don't exercise, it will show. since you workout a lot, i think this way of living would be great for you.
-joanna
There are many raw athletes who will tell you they thrive on raw. Brendan Brazier is a triathlete, for example. Tim van Orden is a competitive runner.
I am sorry to say I have seen zero science that supports eating according to one's blood type. Yes, there are some interesting factoids about blood type and certain diseases, but the dietary conclusions are extremely far-fetched. And even the type A diet is too high in fat and cholesterol to be considered healthy.
If there are diets out there based on hair color, eye color, dry versus oily skin, innies versus outies -- they'd make about as much sense.
I am also type O. I haven't had meat in 15? 17? years, and I haven't dropped dead yet. I don't even get sick. (Well, maybe once every three years I get a cold or flu, but not that often at all.) I agree with J-banana about weight, although I don't really exercise and you could bounce a quarter on my stomach. Not that I'm bragging.
By the way overweight vegetarians are not at all uncommon, if they don't know much about food/nutrition. Many people merely swap meat for egg and dairy, foods with loads of fat and cholesterol, and zero fiber. An egg salad sandwich, a bag of cheetos and a diet coke is vegetarian, but not healthy or nourishing on any level.
Vegans avoid all animal products, including egg and dairy, so an overweight vegan is somewhat rarer, although I know a vegan chef who is somewhat, uh, robust. (I blame the fried foods.)
Props on the stomach, Suasoria! I've been working out hardcore lately... mainly because my equally hardcore love for avocados (and more recently, pine nuts) has gotten out of control! :P
Tukiville, my roommate went raw to help increase his muscle mass. He was very skinny before and just couldn't seem to gain muscle no matter how hard he tried on the SAD diet. He was 5'8 and only weighed 110 lbs, and he got up to 125 within a year of being about 70% raw. It was really impressive how the raw diet changed him.
And as far as your GI issues go, raw is probably the best thing you could do in my opinion. I used to have TONS of digestive problems, but none now that I'm raw. Also, look into food combining. This could help with all of the issues you listed!!!
Thanks everyone for your help. My last question is where can I get some great resources to help me go raw vegan? I read one forum on here on what some people eat and some people say they only eat fruit all day...that is way too much sugar for me and I can't see that being balanced and healthy. I want some guidance on how to get enough of everything without overdoing it.
Thanks!
Think about how humans evolved. We evolved in the jungles of Africa- eating fruit and leafy greens. That's about it. Don't knock it till you try it!
Hi tuki.... a great resource for getting going in raw is the Sunfood Diet Success System by David Wolfe. Its got wonderful information from the spiritual to the practical to the science. I was actually reading the chapter this morning that discusses blood types. It talked about diet based on blood type, and he said that it relates more to cooked food. He said there is overwhelming evidence, both scientific and anecdotal among his friends, that once you go raw you have no need to worry about altering your diet based on blood type. David Wolfe is also type O and 100% RV.
Also, regarding your athletic activities. I have found that I have infinitely more energy than I have ever had on a cooked food omnivorous diet. I was a college football player and into bodybuilding, so I had the same concerns as you. I have lost a lot of weight, but this was weight I wanted to lose and mostly fat. I lost a little bit of muscle, but I attribute this a lot more to losing a lot of weight (where you will generally lose at least some muscle) and how I was training. I lost a little strength, but that has come back as I have increased my training load. But from an energy standpoint? Off the charts. No more ripped fuel, ephedrine, double espressos, red bulls and all the other garbage I put in my body to get ready for a workout.
Some recommendations I would make, or at least to experiment with:
- Eat lots of fatty fruits like avocados. Not only do they have very healthy fats and help with hunger cravings, but they have quality protein.
- Maybe eat more nuts and seeds, which are great protein sources, than the typical raw foodist.
- Get a raw protein powder like Sunwarrior or Raw Hemp Powder.
- Use raw superfoods. I would recommend for you goji berries, cordyceps and maca powder. Goji berries are a natural source of enhancing Human Growth Hormone (great for athletes). Cordyceps are an ancient chineese mushroom (best in powdered form) that have been used by olympic athletes as a natural performance enhancer, and maca powder, another performance enhancer. If you are interested on where you can get more info and where to buy these products, I can hook you up (e-mail me at bruerb24@gmail.com).
I'd also recommend checking out The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier. I know someone else mentioned him above, but I don't think the book title came up. His book goes through some of the science behind it, as well as his own personal experiment on himself. It also has some good recipes - not all raw, but many have raw options if they are not entirely raw. I can vouch for some of it.... I made his "Direct Fuel Bites" and a modified version of his "Ginger Papaya Recovery Drink." Had a smoothie for breakfast, then munched on two Direct Fuel Bites before hitting the gym and had more energy to kick it up a notch than ever before. (Which was particularly good, since I was on a time crunch.) Probably the best cardio-only workout I've ever done - kept my heart rate up between 140 and 170 for a solid 20-25 minutes, with most of it above 150. (That translates into between 75%-90% of my max heart rate - all numbers approximate.)
So anyway, if you're really into your workouts, check out the Thrive Diet. Lots of interesting info and some tasty recipes.