Need some advice

November 25, 2005

Wow. Very thorough, Denise. Congratulations on your success in dealing with the

diabetes

diagnosis. Sounds like you have new issues, though, that need equally devoted

attention

and discipline.

Let me say first that I am not a doctor. I'm responding from the standpoint of

someone

who has had an avid interest in nutrition (especially sports nutrition) for a

couple of

decades and have been working as a buyer in the nutritional supplements

industry, for a

large natural foods chain, for about 2 and a half years now.

I would agree with much of your naturopath's suggestions. If you've been eating

no grains

or sprouts, and do not eat seeds or nuts or nut butters on a regular basis (as

you say), I

too think you may not be getting enough protein. Sure, green foods have protein

-- look

how muscular gorillas and grass-fed cows are, etc. -- but those animals eat

those foods

*constantly* -- literally tons of the stuff -- and you, probably, do not -- so

adding

something to your diet with a higher concentration of protein seems definitely

to be in

order. Your body needs protein to do so many things, and the fact that lots of

your organs

are " problematic " should very much be a cause for concern. While I would give a

higher

recommendation to, say, tuna, salmon, or eggs every other day or so (or rice and

lentils), a

rice protein supplement is a decent choice for a raw vegan.

A comment about supplements in general. I don't know how much you're paying for

the

supplements through your doctor, but often you can find identical products for

considerably less money at a reputable natural foods store. Your doctor is

probably

getting a commission based on how much his patients buy through him, and the

salesperson he's dealing with is getting an even bigger cut, etc. So, while his

recommendations may very well be sound, it may be worthwhile to shop around. I

know

for a fact that some supplements companies repackage the very same products they

sell

on the shelves of natural foods stores, and gloss them up a bit and sell them as

their

" professional line -- only available through your doctor, " etc. It inclines

people to think

they're getting a higher quality product cuz they bought it from their doctor,

but this is

not necessarily true. I'd stay away from your Walmarts and your chain drug

stores, of

course, but a reputable health food store may have, for half the price, the same

stuff

you're buying from your doctor. I mean, for the most part, a rice protein from

one

reputable company is not going to be that different from a rice protein from

another.

Indeed, they might very well be purchasing the raw material from the same

supplier.

Anyway....

You don't say how old you are or whether there is any bleeding associated with

the

cramps, and I hate to use the " c " word, but colon cancer is one of the easiest

to survive, IF

it is detected early, and, though I hate conventional doctors and haven't been

to one in I

don't know how long, I think if I were you I would see if there were a

non-invasive way for

a conventional doctor to test for that. Of course, even if you found out that

that's what it

was, you still might choose to treat it with a raw diet as opposed to what that

doctor might

prescribe, but still, at least you would have a name for the condition and could

focus your

research on alternative treatments. It could also turn out that you have IBS or

Crohn's

disease or something else, which I believe can be successfully treated

nutritionally, but

again, at least it would help to know what you're dealing with.

I can relate to your description of the emotional effects of converting to raw

-- at first

great energy and joy and a sense of detoxing, and then a gradual decline of

energy and

mood. I experienced the same, after going vegetarian 17 years ago, and finally a

year ago I

added meat back to my diet, and I believe it helped. Now, after a year, I have

decided to go

back to vegetarianism. So, it may be a cyclically thing, for me, or my

vegetarianism this

time around may turn out to be a modified or " not quite " version. Or perhaps I

will be a

" pescetarian " or at least very much not a vegan. In any case, vegetarian and raw

foods will

still form the centerpiece, but I will worry less about what ends up on the

outer edges of

my diet. I no longer aspire to be a " purist " (in anything, actually).

The depression may, Denise, be tied to the fact that a raw diet (I know this

will strike some

on this list as heresy, so you will probably hear objections to this) is, in a

sense, a

restrictive diet. I am totally sympathetic to it, but any time you undertake a

restrictive diet

-- one that dictates that certain foods are " off limits " -- your mind has to be

OK with that.

And it's not easy. Not for all of us, anyway. I read something recently that was

written by a

doctor who was treating someone who had health issues that at least HE

attributed to her

very restrictive diet. The statement he made that sticks out in my mind is: " She

used to

have a life. Now she just has a diet. "

I believe we can go too far with our restrictions -- too far in the sense that

*psychologically* they begin to impact us, regardless of how good or bad they

are for us

physically. So, I, personally, have decided to just " chill out " a bit about my

diet, and I

always look for good quality, mostly raw, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes,

and seeds,

but if there's a little bit of chili in that soup, or some bits of bacon in this

dish my friend

brought to the potluck, or whatever, I think that's OK (for me), and I believe

that it takes

some of the " heaviness " off of my life, and I don't experience the dark

moodiness so much

any more. I want to have a life, you know, not just a diet.

I also believe there may be a connection between your mood issues and your

chocolate

cravings. Chocolate does boost our brain chemistry, so there could be something

along

those lines that your body is really needing, and maybe that " Brain Vitale " will

help.

Exercise can also help a lot -- but then that will only exacerbate issues, if

there are indeed

any, with your level of protein intake.

Well, those are my three cents. I probably should have stopped at two. I hope

that you will

keep us posted.

Audie

rawfood , " denisedthomas " <denisedthomas> wrote:

>

> I am a raw foodist experiencing some health challenges and would like to ask

> if you feel inspired to, if you could give me an honest and open opinion about

> my situation.....

November 25, 2005

Hi Denise, You could check out Dave Klein's sight livingnutrition, he has a

link to his site regarding colon care. You should also read up on natural

hygiene. In my opinion, you don't need to be taking any of those supplements

but eating a diet of whole, fresh, organice, raw, ripe fruit and vegetables.

There is more information at rawschool.com, check out dr. doug graham, frederic

patenaude, dave klein, howtogoraw.com, etc. Your body will cure itself. When

you take supplements and alternative remedies, your body quits working on

healing itself and works to get rid of the the toxic substances your are taking

in. Your diet seems way to complicated.

Kim

denisedthomas <denised> wrote:

I am a raw foodist experiencing some health challenges and would like to ask

if you feel inspired to, if you could give me an honest and open opinion about

my situation.

I started eating raw foods about 1 & 1/2 years ago because I was diagnosed

with diabetes. About 5 months in, I gave up raw cheese, raw honey and the

last little bit of cooked food I ate, about 5% of my diet, and became a complete

Raw Vegan. Well, I say complete, but I still indulged in an occasional candy

bar, but it was only once every 2 months or so, so it barely counted!

During this time my diabetes went away, my blood sugars were so great I

stopped checking them!

I never went back to the doctor to make it " official " because it seemed

ridiculous to go pay someone $50 to tell me what I already knew, which was

that on a raw diet, there was no diabetes.

During this time though, I developed another problem. About every 2 or 3

months I experienced a horrifyingly sharp cramp in my colon that lasted about

45 minutes (no correlation timing-wise that I could see with the eating of the

candy bar though.) When these occur, I can't walk, talk of do anything much

except for breathe deeply and wait in agonizing pain for it to go away. after

these occurred about 3 times, they started happening more often, about once

a month. So I finally decided to go see a doctor about it because I was

beginning to really worry! I went to go see a Naturopath who is trained in Bio

Cranial Systems, Nutrition, Chiropractic and Energy Systems. He has

practiced for 28 years, but he isn't very experienced with or it appears

enthusiastic about the 100% Raw Diet! He says I should be eating cooked

rice and lentils and fermented foods including meat, chicken and fish to

supplement my diet and he sold me several supplements which I reluctantly

agreed to take as an experiment:

By " Premier Research Labs "

1. Quantum Medi Aminos, a rice protein powder (He says I am not getting

enough protein.)

2. Quantum Stomach Complex a Stomach and Digestive support (He muscle

tested me and although lots of organs showed up as problematic, my stomach

muscle tested as the weakest.)

By " Springgreen "

Pro-Gest, a digestive enzyme (He claims I need digestive enzymes, even on a

raw diet.)

By " Designs For Health "

Brain Vitale (He claims this will help my depression which has much

improved since eating all raw, but hasn't completely gone away.)

I've been seeing him for 3 weeks now (He has me come in for weekly

chiropractic adjustment and energy work) and I haven't had a colon cramp,

but then again I would usually get them once a month or so, so it's kind of a

" wait and see if it happens again " kind of thing that am am less than excited

about! He wants me to come in for at least 2 more times at which time he says

he'll re-evaluate things.

What I was hoping to get from a doctor is a name for this colon problem so I

could look up alternative ways to heal myself. I am in a quandary about what

to do now, should I take his advice and give his " method " a chance or keep

searching for ways to be healthy on a 100% raw diet. (I won't eat raw

fermented meat, chicken of fish though, but I'd consider fermented veggies,

although I don't care for them.)

What I want is the to stick with 100% raw, but I don't want to be so focused on

being " perfect " at the raw diet that I overlook the obvious health problems I

have! I really prefer to be 100% raw in some ways because for me, a little

cooked food leads to more and more cravings for cooked foods, especially

unhealthy ones like breads, cheese and sugary foods. I haven't tried eating

rice and lentils as he advises, because I just don't find those foods appealing.

When I crave cooked foods I crave chocolate candy bars and cheese (even

though I eat plenty of raw cacao!) In some ways of course it would be simpler

to have more flexibility in my diet and eat partly cooked so that I can more

easily deal with social situations!

I recently visited my mother and started eating cheese and bread and have

been off the wagon for the first time in 1 & 1/2 years, eating about 1 lb of raw

cheese each week for the past 4 weeks, because once I stated eating it, I can't

seems to get the cravings to go away! Is this possibly because I need the B-12

or some other nutrient that I'm not getting from the raw foods I eat? When I

gave up cheese a year ago, it no longer tasted good. Now it tastes delicious

and I can't seem to get enough of it! Although I restrain myself, because it

constipates me.

I suppose that in order to give me advice, you need to know what I eat!

This is what my diet has developed into over the past year:

I start my day most days with almond milk sweetened with agave nectar,

sometimes I add some cinnamon, vanilla flavoring, cacao nibs, coconut oil,

mesquite meal or fruit.

The rest of the day I eat fruit and salads (mostly baby romaine, romaine or

kale) and veggies with a dressing made of Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Nama

Shoyu, Tahini, Agave Nectar and Garlic.

Occasionally, but not regularly I eat Goji Berries, Incan Berries, Sun Dried

Raisins, Dates, a variety of nuts or seeds (unsoaked when I'm out and about),

almond butter, olives, untoasted Nori and dishes prepared with nuts or seeds

(usually soaked). I have lost the taste for complicated prepared dishes and

prefer simple fruits and salads.

I regularly take Maca capsules and MSM capsules, although my Naturopath

suggested I stop taking these for now while I take his recommended

supplements!

I started taking MSM capsules again today because I've had severe lower

back pain for the past 1 1/2 weeks (is it a coincidence that this started 3 days

after the second time I saw the Naturopath and 3 days after I started the

supplements -I didn't start the supplements the first week because I wasn't

sure I wanted to try his recommendations!-)

I don't eat grains, fermented veggies, sprouts or wheatgrass, veggie and fruit

juices (except for occasional OJ or lemonade) because these don't appeal to

me at all and when I drink carrot or apple juice, I get a stomach ache. I know I

should eat more veggie source of B-12 but haven't found the taste of them

appealing. I was taking Nature's First Law's green superfood " Nature's First

Food " but was capsuling it myself because it isn't available in caps and I don't

care much for the taste, but I stopped because the capsuling got to be too

much work. So I wondered if I might be B-12 deficient and started taking a B-

12 sub-lingual about 2 months ago.

I should also mention that another of my health concerns is that when I first

started eating raw, after a surprisingly short detox period I experienced great

energy and joy! But this went away and increasingly, I have recurrent bouts of

depression and need 9-10 hours of sleep. This worries me and I long to return

to that feeling I had when I felt so good! This is one of the reasons I was

concerned with B-12, but I haven't seen any improvements in my energy

levels since started the B-12 supplements.

I am wanting to do parasite, colon, liver and kidney cleanses and am thinking

about Dr Shulze's products if you have any opinion about them. I was

concerned though about starting a colon cleanse since I have these colon

cramps and was wanting some reassurance from a doctor that it was OK

before starting it.

I did try a parasite cleanse a few months ago with Clarkia in hopes of

resolving the colon cramps, but without luck.

I know this is awfully long, so I'll wrap it up, if you've read this far, thank

you for

your patience! If you feel you have any advice that might help me, I could use

some feedback. I am at a loss about this problem and can use some help if

you have it to give.

Thank you!

Denise

November 27, 2005

Wow! Thanks Kim for all the great suggestions!

I will definately check out all those web sites and do some thorough research.

Thanks again!

Denise

rawfood , Kim Kline <kskline1001> wrote:

>

> Hi Denise, You could check out Dave Klein's sight livingnutrition, he has a

link to

his site regarding colon care. You should also read up on natural hygiene. In

my

opinion, you don't need to be taking any of those supplements but eating a diet

of

whole, fresh, organice, raw, ripe fruit and vegetables. There is more

information at

rawschool.com, check out dr. doug graham, frederic patenaude, dave klein,

howtogoraw.com, etc. Your body will cure itself. When you take supplements and

alternative remedies, your body quits working on healing itself and works to get

rid of

the the toxic substances your are taking in. Your diet seems way to

complicated.

>

> Kim

>

> denisedthomas <denisedthomas> wrote:

> I am a raw foodist experiencing some health challenges and would like to ask

> if you feel inspired to, if you could give me an honest and open opinion about

> my situation.

>

> I started eating raw foods about 1 & 1/2 years ago because I was diagnosed

> with diabetes. About 5 months in, I gave up raw cheese, raw honey and the

> last little bit of cooked food I ate, about 5% of my diet, and became a

complete

> Raw Vegan. Well, I say complete, but I still indulged in an occasional candy

> bar, but it was only once every 2 months or so, so it barely counted!

> During this time my diabetes went away, my blood sugars were so great I

> stopped checking them!

> I never went back to the doctor to make it " official " because it seemed

> ridiculous to go pay someone $50 to tell me what I already knew, which was

> that on a raw diet, there was no diabetes.

>

> During this time though, I developed another problem. About every 2 or 3

> months I experienced a horrifyingly sharp cramp in my colon that lasted about

> 45 minutes (no correlation timing-wise that I could see with the eating of the

> candy bar though.) When these occur, I can't walk, talk of do anything much

> except for breathe deeply and wait in agonizing pain for it to go away. after

> these occurred about 3 times, they started happening more often, about once

> a month. So I finally decided to go see a doctor about it because I was

> beginning to really worry! I went to go see a Naturopath who is trained in Bio

> Cranial Systems, Nutrition, Chiropractic and Energy Systems. He has

> practiced for 28 years, but he isn't very experienced with or it appears

> enthusiastic about the 100% Raw Diet! He says I should be eating cooked

> rice and lentils and fermented foods including meat, chicken and fish to

> supplement my diet and he sold me several supplements which I reluctantly

> agreed to take as an experiment:

> By " Premier Research Labs "

> 1. Quantum Medi Aminos, a rice protein powder (He says I am not getting

> enough protein.)

> 2. Quantum Stomach Complex a Stomach and Digestive support (He muscle

> tested me and although lots of organs showed up as problematic, my stomach

> muscle tested as the weakest.)

> By " Springgreen "

> Pro-Gest, a digestive enzyme (He claims I need digestive enzymes, even on a

> raw diet.)

> By " Designs For Health "

> Brain Vitale (He claims this will help my depression which has much

> improved since eating all raw, but hasn't completely gone away.)

> I've been seeing him for 3 weeks now (He has me come in for weekly

> chiropractic adjustment and energy work) and I haven't had a colon cramp,

> but then again I would usually get them once a month or so, so it's kind of a

> " wait and see if it happens again " kind of thing that am am less than excited

> about! He wants me to come in for at least 2 more times at which time he says

> he'll re-evaluate things.

> What I was hoping to get from a doctor is a name for this colon problem so I

> could look up alternative ways to heal myself. I am in a quandary about what

> to do now, should I take his advice and give his " method " a chance or keep

> searching for ways to be healthy on a 100% raw diet. (I won't eat raw

> fermented meat, chicken of fish though, but I'd consider fermented veggies,

> although I don't care for them.)

> What I want is the to stick with 100% raw, but I don't want to be so focused

on

> being " perfect " at the raw diet that I overlook the obvious health problems I

> have! I really prefer to be 100% raw in some ways because for me, a little

> cooked food leads to more and more cravings for cooked foods, especially

> unhealthy ones like breads, cheese and sugary foods. I haven't tried eating

> rice and lentils as he advises, because I just don't find those foods

appealing.

> When I crave cooked foods I crave chocolate candy bars and cheese (even

> though I eat plenty of raw cacao!) In some ways of course it would be simpler

> to have more flexibility in my diet and eat partly cooked so that I can more

> easily deal with social situations!

> I recently visited my mother and started eating cheese and bread and have

> been off the wagon for the first time in 1 & 1/2 years, eating about 1 lb of raw

> cheese each week for the past 4 weeks, because once I stated eating it, I

can't

> seems to get the cravings to go away! Is this possibly because I need the B-12

> or some other nutrient that I'm not getting from the raw foods I eat? When I

> gave up cheese a year ago, it no longer tasted good. Now it tastes delicious

> and I can't seem to get enough of it! Although I restrain myself, because it

> constipates me.

>

> I suppose that in order to give me advice, you need to know what I eat!

> This is what my diet has developed into over the past year:

> I start my day most days with almond milk sweetened with agave nectar,

> sometimes I add some cinnamon, vanilla flavoring, cacao nibs, coconut oil,

> mesquite meal or fruit.

> The rest of the day I eat fruit and salads (mostly baby romaine, romaine or

> kale) and veggies with a dressing made of Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Nama

> Shoyu, Tahini, Agave Nectar and Garlic.

> Occasionally, but not regularly I eat Goji Berries, Incan Berries, Sun Dried

> Raisins, Dates, a variety of nuts or seeds (unsoaked when I'm out and about),

> almond butter, olives, untoasted Nori and dishes prepared with nuts or seeds

> (usually soaked). I have lost the taste for complicated prepared dishes and

> prefer simple fruits and salads.

> I regularly take Maca capsules and MSM capsules, although my Naturopath

> suggested I stop taking these for now while I take his recommended

> supplements!

> I started taking MSM capsules again today because I've had severe lower

> back pain for the past 1 1/2 weeks (is it a coincidence that this started 3

days

> after the second time I saw the Naturopath and 3 days after I started the

> supplements -I didn't start the supplements the first week because I wasn't

> sure I wanted to try his recommendations!-)

> I don't eat grains, fermented veggies, sprouts or wheatgrass, veggie and fruit

> juices (except for occasional OJ or lemonade) because these don't appeal to

> me at all and when I drink carrot or apple juice, I get a stomach ache. I know

I

> should eat more veggie source of B-12 but haven't found the taste of them

> appealing. I was taking Nature's First Law's green superfood " Nature's First

> Food " but was capsuling it myself because it isn't available in caps and I

don't

> care much for the taste, but I stopped because the capsuling got to be too

> much work. So I wondered if I might be B-12 deficient and started taking a B-

> 12 sub-lingual about 2 months ago.

>

> I should also mention that another of my health concerns is that when I first

> started eating raw, after a surprisingly short detox period I experienced

great

> energy and joy! But this went away and increasingly, I have recurrent bouts of

> depression and need 9-10 hours of sleep. This worries me and I long to return

> to that feeling I had when I felt so good! This is one of the reasons I was

> concerned with B-12, but I haven't seen any improvements in my energy

> levels since started the B-12 supplements.

>

> I am wanting to do parasite, colon, liver and kidney cleanses and am thinking

> about Dr Shulze's products if you have any opinion about them. I was

> concerned though about starting a colon cleanse since I have these colon

> cramps and was wanting some reassurance from a doctor that it was OK

> before starting it.

> I did try a parasite cleanse a few months ago with Clarkia in hopes of

> resolving the colon cramps, but without luck.

>

> I know this is awfully long, so I'll wrap it up, if you've read this far,

thank you for

> your patience! If you feel you have any advice that might help me, I could use

> some feedback. I am at a loss about this problem and can use some help if

> you have it to give.

> Thank you!

> Denise

>

November 27, 2005

Audie,

Thank you for the thorough analysis! I really appreciate you taking the time to

write

all this stuff! I agree with you, I do need to see an alopathic Doctor and rule

out any

life threatening disease and get a name for this so I can research alternative

treatments. I find your suggestion about protein good as well, I never thought

about

the fact that animals eat all day! Thank you also for the insight about the

supplements, I did spend about $150 on them in addition to the cost of the visit

and

feel a bit sad about that. I don't mind supporting independent entrepreneurs if

what

they're selling is what I really need and if they've done the research on a

product to

check if it's a good quality, but I do feel like it's also a conflict of

interest for a Doctor

to sell the stuff he recommends and get a comission. If he sold it at cost, it

would

give him more credibility with his recomendations. I actually stopped all the

supplements 2 days ago because I suspected (with some advice from friends) that

they might have been related to my lower back pain (kidneys?) because it started

2

days after I began the supplements and in fact my back pain that had come on

suddenly for no " apparent " reason and remained for 12 days, suddenly vanished

when I quit the supplements he had me taking. So, to be scientific about it, I

should

take each one of them again and see if the pain returns to see exactly which

supplement is the problematic one, I haven't decided whether I am going to do it

or

not!

I will examine your theory about the depression relating to the restrictiveness

of the

diet, it's something to ponder for sure!

Thanks for reminding me that exercise of course is essential, I have such a

block with

that! I can't seem to get into a regular routine. Something to work on for

sure!!!

Thanks again for all your help!

Denise

rawfood , " audsquad " <audsquad> wrote:

>

> Wow. Very thorough, Denise. Congratulations on your success in dealing with

the

diabetes

> diagnosis. Sounds like you have new issues, though, that need equally devoted

attention

> and discipline.

>

> Let me say first that I am not a doctor. I'm responding from the standpoint of

someone

> who has had an avid interest in nutrition (especially sports nutrition) for a

couple of

> decades and have been working as a buyer in the nutritional supplements

industry,

for a

> large natural foods chain, for about 2 and a half years now.

>

> I would agree with much of your naturopath's suggestions. If you've been

eating no

grains

> or sprouts, and do not eat seeds or nuts or nut butters on a regular basis (as

you

say), I

> too think you may not be getting enough protein. Sure, green foods have

protein

-- look

> how muscular gorillas and grass-fed cows are, etc. -- but those animals eat

those

foods

> *constantly* -- literally tons of the stuff -- and you, probably, do not -- so

adding

> something to your diet with a higher concentration of protein seems definitely

to

be in

> order. Your body needs protein to do so many things, and the fact that lots of

your

organs

> are " problematic " should very much be a cause for concern. While I would give

a

higher

> recommendation to, say, tuna, salmon, or eggs every other day or so (or rice

and

lentils), a

> rice protein supplement is a decent choice for a raw vegan.

>

> A comment about supplements in general. I don't know how much you're paying

for the

> supplements through your doctor, but often you can find identical products for

> considerably less money at a reputable natural foods store. Your doctor is

probably

> getting a commission based on how much his patients buy through him, and the

> salesperson he's dealing with is getting an even bigger cut, etc. So, while

his

> recommendations may very well be sound, it may be worthwhile to shop around. I

know

> for a fact that some supplements companies repackage the very same products

they sell

> on the shelves of natural foods stores, and gloss them up a bit and sell them

as

their

> " professional line -- only available through your doctor, " etc. It inclines

people to

think

> they're getting a higher quality product cuz they bought it from their doctor,

but

this is

> not necessarily true. I'd stay away from your Walmarts and your chain drug

stores,

of

> course, but a reputable health food store may have, for half the price, the

same

stuff

> you're buying from your doctor. I mean, for the most part, a rice protein from

one

> reputable company is not going to be that different from a rice protein from

another.

> Indeed, they might very well be purchasing the raw material from the same

supplier.

> Anyway....

>

> You don't say how old you are or whether there is any bleeding associated with

the

> cramps, and I hate to use the " c " word, but colon cancer is one of the easiest

to

survive, IF

> it is detected early, and, though I hate conventional doctors and haven't been

to

one in I

> don't know how long, I think if I were you I would see if there were a

non-invasive

way for

> a conventional doctor to test for that. Of course, even if you found out that

that's

what it

> was, you still might choose to treat it with a raw diet as opposed to what

that

doctor might

> prescribe, but still, at least you would have a name for the condition and

could

focus your

> research on alternative treatments. It could also turn out that you have IBS

or

Crohn's

> disease or something else, which I believe can be successfully treated

nutritionally,

but

> again, at least it would help to know what you're dealing with.

>

> I can relate to your description of the emotional effects of converting to raw

-- at

first

> great energy and joy and a sense of detoxing, and then a gradual decline of

energy

and

> mood. I experienced the same, after going vegetarian 17 years ago, and finally

a

year ago I

> added meat back to my diet, and I believe it helped. Now, after a year, I have

decided to go

> back to vegetarianism. So, it may be a cyclically thing, for me, or my

vegetarianism

this

> time around may turn out to be a modified or " not quite " version. Or perhaps I

will

be a

> " pescetarian " or at least very much not a vegan. In any case, vegetarian and

raw

foods will

> still form the centerpiece, but I will worry less about what ends up on the

outer

edges of

> my diet. I no longer aspire to be a " purist " (in anything, actually).

>

> The depression may, Denise, be tied to the fact that a raw diet (I know this

will

strike some

> on this list as heresy, so you will probably hear objections to this) is, in a

sense, a

> restrictive diet. I am totally sympathetic to it, but any time you undertake a

restrictive diet

> -- one that dictates that certain foods are " off limits " -- your mind has to

be OK

with that.

> And it's not easy. Not for all of us, anyway. I read something recently that

was

written by a

> doctor who was treating someone who had health issues that at least HE

attributed

to her

> very restrictive diet. The statement he made that sticks out in my mind is:

" She

used to

> have a life. Now she just has a diet. "

>

> I believe we can go too far with our restrictions -- too far in the sense that

> *psychologically* they begin to impact us, regardless of how good or bad they

are

for us

> physically. So, I, personally, have decided to just " chill out " a bit about my

diet, and

I

> always look for good quality, mostly raw, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes,

and

seeds,

> but if there's a little bit of chili in that soup, or some bits of bacon in

this dish my

friend

> brought to the potluck, or whatever, I think that's OK (for me), and I believe

that it

takes

> some of the " heaviness " off of my life, and I don't experience the dark

moodiness

so much

> any more. I want to have a life, you know, not just a diet.

>

> I also believe there may be a connection between your mood issues and your

chocolate

> cravings. Chocolate does boost our brain chemistry, so there could be

something

along

> those lines that your body is really needing, and maybe that " Brain Vitale "

will help.

> Exercise can also help a lot -- but then that will only exacerbate issues, if

there are

indeed

> any, with your level of protein intake.

>

> Well, those are my three cents. I probably should have stopped at two. I hope

that

you will

> keep us posted.

>

> Audie

>

> rawfood , " denisedthomas " <denisedthomas> wrote:

> >

> > I am a raw foodist experiencing some health challenges and would like to ask

> > if you feel inspired to, if you could give me an honest and open opinion

about

> > my situation.....

>

November 27, 2005

You're welcome Denise. There is so much information out there. Kim

denisedthomas <denised> wrote: Wow! Thanks Kim for all the

great suggestions!