Re[2]: Just Joined

[Guest guest]

Thanks Mark, do you think i will lose weight eating raw, I am eating

nuts & seeds, avacados etc...

 

Nigel

 

 

Thursday, January 25, 2001, 10:51:53 PM, earthkid26:

 

eac> Hiya Nigel,

 

eac> You seem to be going all out with your lifestyle change. You are definitely

eac> on the right track but change takes time and your body needs time to

readjust

eac> to your new way of living.

eac> Stopping smoking (you're not giving up - giving up makes you think you

eac> are depriving yourself of something - you are stopping, giving your body

the

eac> rest and fresh air it needs to recover from all of that carcinogenic

smoke!)

eac> and going on a raw food diet will have thrown your body into shock.

Stopping

eac> smoking itself can be awful. I stopped 5 months ago and my lungs are still

eac> getting used to working better. I've had headaches, spots, rashes,

eac> irritability and really bad dandruff. They seem to come in bouts and

eac> thankfully they are waning with time as my body is detoxifying itself.

That's

eac> what your body is doing, ridding itself of toxins from all of that smoke

and

eac> secondary smoke. If you are also suddenly switching to a raw food diet,

your

eac> body will start to shed weight quickly. Most of the toxins are in the fat

eac> cells of your body. Lose weight too quickly (more than a pound a week) and

eac> you are releasing a lot of toxins into your blood stream and this will

eac> obviously contribute to your already overtaxed system and make you feel

eac> headachey and unwell.

eac> However, having said that, the toxicity in your blood might be

eac> counteracted somewhat by the extra nutrients you absorb from your raw food.

I

eac> would advise you to err on the side of caution though, at least for a few

eac> months, until your body has got used to not smoking. Eat plenty of raw

fruit

eac> and vegetables and saladings but make sure you eat some grains as well -

the

eac> carbohydrate will break down and produce serotonin which will calm your

mind

eac> a little and make you feel more contented. Of course don't go to the

opposite

eac> extreme and eat loads of carbohydrates, unless you plan on hibernating for

eac> the rest of the winter, because they can contribute to weight gain -

eac> something ex-smokers tend to veer towards after stopping.

eac> Get yourself a good vegan cookbook (try your local library) and include

eac> potatoes and pulses in your diet, otherwise you are going to get bored with

eac> your diet and you will lose the will to continue. If you are worried about

eac> losing nutrients through cooking your vegetables, why not steam them? You

can

eac> get cheap steamers (kind of round, interlaced fan things) from most

eac> supermarkets to put into your saucepans. Put a bit of water underneath the

eac> steamers and as it boils underneath it will steam the veg - the veg retains

eac> most if not all of its nutrients and you have a happier palate!

eac> Good luck mate!

eac> Mark

eac> X

 

eac>

[Guest guest]

Hiya Nigel,

Yes you should lose weight if you are eating raw food only, although avocados

are high in fat (but tasty!). But like I said yesterday, take care of yourself -

you have gone to one of the extremes of veganism - raw food, (another being

fruitarianism) and I'm not convinced of its efficacy. Plus you are limiting the

different foods you could eat - potatoes, grains (buckwheat, couscous, RICE,

pasta, bread) which are healthy and nutritious and low fat and which would make

your menu a lot more appetising. The only thing you can do is inform yourself by

reading up about it and then make your own decisions but you're more likely to

keep up a more varied diet than a very restrictive one. Also, by stickiing to a

raw food diet, you might be isolating yourself socially - think about

restaurants and shared meals, you would hardly be able to participate. Speak to

you again soon mate,

Mark