Rewriting my personal definition of a raw food diet
October 2, 2010 - 7:06pm
Hi all,
The last 6 months I've been working for a successful raw food entrepreneur in Chicago. I was 100% raw when I started there and once in a while I've ate cooked food, but not in excess. Since working there I've gained about 17 pounds, on top of the college weight I've been trying to lose for years as well, in total about 40-45 pounds. My digestion has slowed down, I've had less energy, which has led to me sometimes drink coffee to wake myself up and help the, ahem... elimination route. I think the main culprit has been the abundance of gourmet raw dishes, emphasis on the nut-based ones with a lot of agave nectar. Currently I'm going through a very hard, personal experience that unfortunately requires help from the other world-- the medical world. In lieu of this hell I'm going through, I'm working on rewriting my personal definition of what my raw food diet is all about and using it as a detox for this cocktail of medicine I have to take. I'm realizing that I need to focus my diet on more whole raw foods, less work food (even though it is all technically raw). I've been doing some research on food that aren't really raw after one of my very knowledgeable coworkers told me that agave nectar can actually stimulate appetite. Considering I have an addictive personality (cigarettes, alcohol, laxatives when I struggled with anorexia in high school), my coworker's claim made me wonder if something like agave nectar could mess with my body's chemistry, what other "raw" foods do that? Or what other "raw" foods aren't really raw? I've read that nuts, seeds, dried spices, and dried fruits (store bought) maybe not be raw by definition. Maybe processing of any kind of affect me. I know this may sound a bit paranoid or taking it too far, but as I want to do this detox after I'm done taking all the nasty drugs that will mess with my hormones, I want to do my absolute best to get my body back to optimal health in all ways possible and I want to set myself up with the best foods for that. Any recommendations? Any meal plans or typical meals in a day?
Thanks for any input! Much love and gratitude :-)
October 3, 2010 - 4:10am
#1
It sounds to me more like your thyroid has slowed down and making you put on the weight. Its getting more and more common in the raw food movment those having thyroid problems mainly down to those not including an iodine source such as seaweed. Iodine is very hard to get on a vegan diet unless you include seaweed.
Just thought id add my 2 cents incase it helps you.
October 3, 2010 - 8:59am
#2
Sounds like you need more fruit & vegetables, less nuts, seeds, oils, salts, spices, syrups. :)
Perfectly normal. It's how our bodies work! We need carbohydrates, less fat.
October 3, 2010 - 9:37am
#3
Thank you powerlifer and superfood2! Its weird that I feel like I need advice on this since I've been into raw foods for two and a half years, but sometimes we fall asleep and need reminders from friends :-)
October 3, 2010 - 11:34am
#4
Onto the point though upping the calories and the rest wont help if the thyroid is low sadly. Infact raw_swede have you tried taking your basal body temperature first thing in the morning this is a good test for low thyroid although you can still have low thyroid symptoms without.
Id def look into it though as your metabolism sounds like it has slowed down, and we all learn something new everyday no matter how smart we think we are, so dont worry:).
October 6, 2010 - 5:46pm
#5
It wouldn't surprise me if/that agave worked as an appetite stimulant. I certainly find that garlic and salt act that way for me. Anyway, moving off of the heavy gourmet meals would be a good idea--fresh fruits and vegetables are much better staples than the gourmet heavy/sweet foods. Green smoothies, fresh juices, salads, and fermented vegetables will likely get you back on track. I would recommend against trying to cleanse too much though--that can work against your plans to move away from heavier stuff.
October 6, 2010 - 10:21pm
#6
I've also heard that excessive nuts (wow that sounds bad, sorry) can lead to weight gain. Good luck- perhaps you should have your thyroid checked as well as others suggested.
October 7, 2010 - 2:33am
#7
In many cases the thyroid will still show up as normal via blood tests, there not awfully accurate neither are hormone blood tests.
Basal body temperature first thing in the morning is more accurate for determining if you have low thyroid.
