Raw Vegan but still overweight?

[Guest guest]

Are you Raw Vegan but still overweight? Do you get sick a lot or have

bad allergies even though you eat healthy foods? It is likely that

you eat too much sugar. Even natural sweeteners and fruit juices become

glucose. As glucose, these sweeteners can disrupt the critical balance &

hold you back from achieving your ideal weight and energy level.

 

Sugar is the one thing all nutritionists agree is dangerous to eat on

a regular basis. But this is not just refined sugar. All natural

sweeteners with the exception of Stevia elevate glucose and this

causes all kinds of problems. Even sweet fruit becomes processed as

glucose very quickly.

 

Moderate to high glucose levels lead to inflammation which is related

to heart disease and diabetes as well as obesity. Glucose also messes

up how we metabolize proteins and other nutrients.

 

Part of the problem is how fast a given type of food becomes

glucose. Sweeteners get processed very quickly. Even honey, maple

syrup, agave, and fruit juices become glucose very quickly, pretty

much as fast as simple refined sugar.

 

We can slow down this process by adding greens when we eat fruit.

It is however important to keep in mind that sweeteners get into the

bloodstream and become glucose very very quickly.

 

Even as little as 3 teaspoons a day of these sweeteners can

drastically effect the bodies natural balance for the entire day.

Acid levels are very much effected by these sugars as well.

An acidic body is the precondition for most illness. Any consistent

use of sweeteners should be stopped or limited if you have a problem

with your weight. The daily ritual of using sweeteners

could likely be whats keeping your body in a state of imbalance.

 

You may know that a can of coke does amazing damage to the body by

increasing glucose production and acid levels. But did you know that

most other sweeteners and even some fruit juices can do similar

damage? They all become glucose very quickly when digested. As

glucose, they disrupt balance in the blood, form acid in the stomach,

stress the pancreas and liver. The imbalance overtime leads to

chronic inflammation which leads to heart disease, diabetes, and

obesity plus a whole host of other problems including allergies.

 

If you are raw vegan but are still overweight or sluggish, try

eliminating all sugar and natural sweeteners from your diet.

I would also suggest limiting or eliminating dried fruit. Use only

Stevia for about 1-3 months. Ingest fruit sparingly. Try to include

leafy greens whenever you have fruit to slow the glucose production.

For instance, you can combine sweet fruit with lots of kale, collard,

or romaine for a nice balanced smoothie. You can add apple or other

fruit to a big salad with avocado to help the process.

 

Be kind and compassionate with yourself in these choices and cultivate a strong

awareness. Our culture is one in which sugar dominates every facet of prepared

food. It

is the one thing most nutrititionists agree has really caused most of our health

problems,

and it continues to be popular. Try to understand this cultural sensitivity to

sugar, and

lessen the amounts you use in any way possible. You will find amazing results.

 

It is a beautiful thing to be able to taste the sweetness in a leafy green! ; )

 

All the best!

 

Michael Lotus Loveflower

[Guest guest]

The majority of what Michael has said here is accurate EXCEPT for the advice to cut way down on fruit.

Big mistake. You can't be a healthy raw fooder on minimal fruit. Fruit is processed differently because it is live, it is a WHOLE food (has vit, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, water, protein, even a little fat, and FIBER). The fiber helps it to absorb more slowly. Fructose does NOT cause the same insulin surge that other sugars do (that's what I learned in Biochemistry). The BIG issue for raw fooders who can't lose weight is the over consumption of fats, particularly olive oil and raw nuts. Better to cut those out and keep eating the fruit. I've been a raw fooder for almost 6 years and I've consulted with Dr. Douglas Graham, Dr. Joel Robbins and others. The high fat levels in the blood stream clog the arteries causing the red blood cells to stick together and get sluggish (so less Oxygen getting to your cells) and the fat also blocks the insulin receptor sites (so the insulin can't carry the glucose off to the cells to make energy) so that the sugar stays in the arteries which causes the blood sugar level to rise so more and more insulin is pumped out - ie you become insulin resistant. When you cut out the high fat then after a few days the arteries are cleaned out and you can eat fruit with out problems. However, you do need to stay away from all the refined processed sweeteners/foods because they DO just what Michael said.

 

Nancy

(currently working on her masters degree in nutrition)

 

 

 

 

www.healthylivingstrategies.net

 

 

On Behalf Of bossalingoSunday, May 27, 2007 3:51 PM Subject: Raw Vegan but still overweight?

 

Are you Raw Vegan but still overweight? Do you get sick a lot or havebad allergies even though you eat healthy foods? It is likely thatyou eat too much sugar. Even natural sweeteners and fruit juices become glucose. As glucose, these sweeteners can disrupt the critical balance & hold you back from achieving your ideal weight and energy level. Sugar is the one thing all nutritionists agree is dangerous to eat ona regular basis. But this is not just refined sugar. All naturalsweeteners with the exception of Stevia elevate glucose and thiscauses all kinds of problems. Even sweet fruit becomes processed asglucose very quickly. Moderate to high glucose levels lead to inflammation which is relatedto heart disease and diabetes as well as obesity. Glucose also messes up how we metabolize proteins and other nutrients.Part of the problem is how fast a given type of food becomesglucose. Sweeteners get processed very quickly. Even honey, maplesyrup, agave, and fruit juices become glucose very quickly, prettymuch as fast as simple refined sugar. We can slow down this process by adding greens when we eat fruit. It is however important to keep in mind that sweeteners get into the bloodstream and become glucose very very quickly.Even as little as 3 teaspoons a day of these sweeteners candrastically effect the bodies natural balance for the entire day.Acid levels are very much effected by these sugars as well. An acidic body is the precondition for most illness. Any consistent use of sweeteners should be stopped or limited if you have a problem with your weight. The daily ritual of using sweetenerscould likely be whats keeping your body in a state of imbalance.You may know that a can of coke does amazing damage to the body byincreasing glucose production and acid levels. But did you know thatmost other sweeteners and even some fruit juices can do similardamage? They all become glucose very quickly when digested. Asglucose, they disrupt balance in the blood, form acid in the stomach,stress the pancreas and liver. The imbalance overtime leads tochronic inflammation which leads to heart disease, diabetes, andobesity plus a whole host of other problems including allergies.If you are raw vegan but are still overweight or sluggish, tryeliminating all sugar and natural sweeteners from your diet. I would also suggest limiting or eliminating dried fruit. Use onlyStevia for about 1-3 months. Ingest fruit sparingly. Try to includeleafy greens whenever you have fruit to slow the glucose production.For instance, you can combine sweet fruit with lots of kale, collard, or romaine for a nice balanced smoothie. You can add apple or other fruit to a big salad with avocado to help the process. Be kind and compassionate with yourself in these choices and cultivate a strong awareness. Our culture is one in which sugar dominates every facet of prepared food. It is the one thing most nutrititionists agree has really caused most of our health problems, and it continues to be popular. Try to understand this cultural sensitivity to sugar, and lessen the amounts you use in any way possible. You will find amazing results. It is a beautiful thing to be able to taste the sweetness in a leafy green! ; ) All the best!Michael Lotus Loveflower

[Guest guest]

This is excellent advice, Michael, that goes right

along with information I've read recently in Dr. Neal

Barnard's book on reversing diabetes. What I came away

with most from that book is the realization that sugar

is sugar and fat is fat regardless of the source. What

you've said here can be applied just as well to fat

which also causes damage if not used in moderation. To

replace meat we new raw vegans have a tendency to

depend a lot on nuts, avocados, coconut and oils which

like all other fats equal 9 calories per gram. With

sugar it helps to remember that 4 grams equals 1 tsp.

Start reading food labels and you'll realize just how

much sugar and fat are in the foods we like most. even

lower sugar fruit juices have 24-32 grams of sugar.

That's 6-8 tsp of sugar per serving from just one

source.

 

As in all things, awareness and moderation are the

key.

 

/gfj

 

 

 

 

______________________________\

____Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated

for today's economy) at Games.

http://get.games./proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow

[Guest guest]

I'd suggest that you read Dr. Norman Cousins', Rainbow Green Live-Food Cousine.

There

is lot of new information there about cravings and the need for greens.

Victoria Boutenko

in 12-steps to Raw Foods shares a lot about the needs for greens as well as her

videos on

greens. Dark rich greens are at the heart of rebuilding a depleted body -

repairing chronic

dis-ease.

 

My experience with Raw Vegans and loosing weight is that there is a

misconception that

this is a diet. That changing one's eating habits will automatically cause one

to loose

weight. That's just another version of take this pill or count calories and

loose weight.

Being a Raw Vegan IS a great way to loose weight. But just like all other

weight-loss

programs, we still need to exercise to lose weight, to maintain health, to build

muscle

mass. And we need to heal the underlying issues. Holding on to weight may mean

there's

still a chronic digestion problem to be healed before the body can process the

fat.

 

We had a woman at our retreat last week that has been raw for a year. For the

first two

months she lost no weight. In the third month she lost 50 pounds. In the fifth

month she

gained 10 pounds. In the eighth month she lost 25 pounds. The weight goes when

the

body is ready to process the fat. That may not be at a time when we WANT it to

happen.

 

Now, granted this woman is not a sweet binger. However I am. It's what's taken

me off a

Raw Vegan diet many times. What I've recently learned form Storm Talifero is to

go ahead

and binge - just stay Raw. Keep eating the healtiest food my body is asking for.

The binge

will pass.

 

Now for the binge... The overeating... It's partly psychological. How do we eat

when we're

under stress? The other issue is the composting protits Dr. Cousins talks about

and their

insatiable hunger for sweets. That binging urge - is the fungus calling out to

be fed.

Demanding to be fed.

 

To allow the body to balance, you gotta starve the little bugs to death. Then

your body can

begin to do it's own healing without the altered biology caused by the

composting.

 

Healing takes more than just eating Raw. It takes an intelligent wholistic view

of the

organism. If something is stuck, if some part of the energy flow is stuck - it

may be

weight, it may be joint pain, etc. There's an underlying cause to be understood

and cleared

before that specific symptom will disappear - which it will do when the body has

healed its

circuits to the degree necessary to do that work.

 

Enjoy and Be Well!

 

Wyn

The Raw Retreat

www.therawretreat.com

[Guest guest]

Yeah Wyn. That's a beautiful thought. It's true. The binge does stop and it

yields a

craving of other kinds of foods. Balance is good though. It's most fun to see

all the

options all the time and not feel cornered into one craving. I hear you though.

I good

meal of total sweet food can make me kind of sick of it and then I want a nice

green salad

or other taste later. I guess we have to separate the desire from the intuitive

need inside

us.

 

Thanks!

 

Michael

 

, " therawretreat " <therawretreat wrote:

>

> I'd suggest that you read Dr. Norman Cousins', Rainbow Green Live-Food

Cousine.

There

> is lot of new information there about cravings and the need for greens.

Victoria

Boutenko

> in 12-steps to Raw Foods shares a lot about the needs for greens as well as

her videos

on

> greens. Dark rich greens are at the heart of rebuilding a depleted body -

repairing

chronic

> dis-ease.

>

> My experience with Raw Vegans and loosing weight is that there is a

misconception that

> this is a diet. That changing one's eating habits will automatically cause one

to loose

> weight. That's just another version of take this pill or count calories and

loose weight.

> Being a Raw Vegan IS a great way to loose weight. But just like all other

weight-loss

> programs, we still need to exercise to lose weight, to maintain health, to

build muscle

> mass. And we need to heal the underlying issues. Holding on to weight may mean

there's

> still a chronic digestion problem to be healed before the body can process the

fat.

>

> We had a woman at our retreat last week that has been raw for a year. For the

first two

> months she lost no weight. In the third month she lost 50 pounds. In the fifth

month

she

> gained 10 pounds. In the eighth month she lost 25 pounds. The weight goes when

the

> body is ready to process the fat. That may not be at a time when we WANT it to

happen.

>

> Now, granted this woman is not a sweet binger. However I am. It's what's taken

me off a

> Raw Vegan diet many times. What I've recently learned form Storm Talifero is

to go

ahead

> and binge - just stay Raw. Keep eating the healtiest food my body is asking

for. The

binge

> will pass.

>

> Now for the binge... The overeating... It's partly psychological. How do we

eat when

we're

> under stress? The other issue is the composting protits Dr. Cousins talks

about and

their

> insatiable hunger for sweets. That binging urge - is the fungus calling out to

be fed.

> Demanding to be fed.

>

> To allow the body to balance, you gotta starve the little bugs to death. Then

your body

can

> begin to do it's own healing without the altered biology caused by the

composting.

>

> Healing takes more than just eating Raw. It takes an intelligent wholistic

view of the

> organism. If something is stuck, if some part of the energy flow is stuck - it

may be

> weight, it may be joint pain, etc. There's an underlying cause to be

understood and

cleared

> before that specific symptom will disappear - which it will do when the body

has healed

its

> circuits to the degree necessary to do that work.

>

> Enjoy and Be Well!

>

> Wyn

> The Raw Retreat

> www.therawretreat.com

>