WE HARDLY NEED FOOD

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Permalink Reply by Spencer on June 17, 2008 at 2:38pm

Maybe, but if it arrives at truth then that's OK with me!

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Permalink Reply by RawZi on June 17, 2008 at 2:39pm

Hi,

A lot of people have a compulsion to consume more and more, this is true, this is harmful.

I'd rather be served a piece of papaya in a restaurant than an elaborate meal.

Some cooked people go by it too, intentionally undereat, look beautiful, and it's supposed to be helpful in one living longer.

I do somewhat agree, I don't care what the next food is that someone "discovered". I've been with some of these people when they discover it. It's usually some normal wild food in some dessert or jungle, so they change it's name and make millions off it.

I see socalled vegan people get so excited with every new restaurant around vegan or not reading reviews in mainstream papers, so they can try to find a vegan meal in it. Maybe it's not fair of me to say it, because slipping off my diet I get immediate reactions (not to mention I'm not vegan), many people don't get affected by foods off their diets so who cares? But if we eat whole minimally processed foods, that would be so good. All these crazy combinations and need for more pow and more zing is making my head swim.

We have a society excitable to the tune of consumerism, very neglectful of nature and simplicity.

Temperate eating to you too Spence.

-RawZi

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Permalink Reply by Lucy Purr on June 17, 2008 at 3:00pm

It's so funny, how not too long ago, I would eat and eat fatty, calorie dense raw food, trying so hard to put some more weight on my struggling to keep warm body... Tried raw animal protein etc... And a few days out in the bush, foraging for food, and I haven't lost the weight gained. My caloric intake was probably half what I'm used to, mostly random fruit and greens (so much wild greens) and so much daily activity... And suddenly I felt so alive and energized and... warm!
And then I came back out here, the weather is different, the people are different, food is different... and suddenly these stresses make my body hungry and tired again, and I started dropping my weight and feel cold and hypoglycemic...

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Permalink Reply by kathryn on June 17, 2008 at 3:03pm

Thank you so much for writing this. For the last while, I've been feeling I need to eat less and less- but, heeding the concerns of friends and family, I basically force myself to eat everyday, even when not hungry. I know my lack of desire to eat is not 'disordered eating' or the symptom of a medical problem on my part, but simply my body telling me it's getting all the nourishment it needs and does not need all those extra calories. But I still struggle with the idea that my body "needs" 1500-2000 calories/day, and that if I don't get these, I'll be damaging my metabolism. It's so hard to break away from these old ways of thinking about nutrition and food consumption. Reading your post has helped me understand that I need to start listening to my body and stop eating when I really have no desire to do so.
Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by Rande on June 17, 2008 at 4:33pm

i discovered the raw food lifestyle about 4 -ish years ago and i feel like i'm just now feeling all the amazing benefits people talk about. i've also noticed the less i eat, the better, lighter, and more energized i feel, EVEN if i'm eating something cooked (just steamed vegetables).

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Permalink Reply by Spencer on June 17, 2008 at 5:41pm

Thank you for your replies. I was listening to Dorit on Raw Summit yesterday, and, as every raw food book claims, she reinforced that eating when one is not hungry is based on emotional issues. Her philosophy is simple yet profound: let yourself feel the emotions your soul came to Earth to feel, stop resisting, and whatever unpleasant emotion you may be feeling will eventually dissolve. Resistance is actually the main source of emotional misery, and eating when not hungry is an attempt to squash feelings and numb oneself: the ultimate resistance. Minimal eating is the ultimate form of surrender.

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Permalink Reply by RawZi on June 17, 2008 at 5:47pm

Sounds like Dorit is absolutely right.

Also, eating when not hungry usually causes health problems.

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Permalink Reply by el-bo on June 17, 2008 at 5:49pm

longevity studies have proved that eating less COOKED food can help to live a longer healthier life....for sure...if you believe that cooked food is toxic and that the body expends a lot of energy to fight and expell it, then eating less of it will in effect increase health

to my knowledge, there have been no such longevity studies conducted on raw fooders

some ideas to think about when thinking about how much we need to eat

consistent undereating will lead to our stomachs and appetites shrinking.....at this point eating less will satisfy us easily

people often comment that eating so little is accompanied by increased energy....

for sure...digestion takes the most energy of anything we do...less digestion = more free energy...we've all heard stories of people who water fast and still have enough energy to continue their normal days....

there is a reason for this

when you stop feeding yourself or reduce your intake considerably, your body doesn't stop it's need for food....even sitting in a chair playing a guitar takes calories...in fact all of the bodies systems need calories to functon

so where do these calories come from if you aren't eating much.....

they come from fat stores and other stores in our bodies....your body will start to eat its own stores once the calories from the small amounts of food you eat , are used up

this is not an indefinate situation.....once you switch from burnin' carbs to fat you are putting more unnecessary stress on the body as it has to convert fat into usable energy

and one day you will run out of stores...the longest water fast on record was 300 'n' something days...even that came to an end

of course , there's always breatharianism...but that discussion doesn't belong anywhere near a forum for people supporting each other to health

getting in touch with our bodies is absolutely essential....but consider how skewed our instincts have become from all those years of cooked food, not to mention how small our stomachs have shrunk through years of eating water devoid, rich calorie dense foods

you are eating good natures food now....eat for your health

consider eating more, but simpler....

eat less fat, less dehydrated foods...eat more organic...eat in harmony with the laws of correct food combining...eat mono-meals whenever possible...keep well hydrated...

these are all things that will allow you to eat enough to support your body in it's myriad daily fuel needs without compromising digestion and therefore your energy and well being


just some thoughts

peace

elliot ;o)

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Permalink Reply by Rachel on June 17, 2008 at 8:50pm

Thank you.

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Permalink Reply by uthmanz (Cacao Fingers) on June 17, 2008 at 6:57pm

this is beautiful - i have been very hesitant to say this to vegans - its something that i just kept inside and i'm happy someone has said this - I'm real hesitant when someone asks me what am i eating? - especially when there interested in the raw vegan life style - if i tell them it will be a complete turn off so i don't say - i can't even say to most vegans that 90%+ of my food is liquids - even with this i feel way way too full - i eat more for experimentation trying different things and trying to see what i can live on and how little i can eat and how long i can live on it but I"m still always full. the energy boosts come when the stomach is mostly empty - i feel its a transitional thing - as the more and more you do raw the less and less you want to eat solid (raw) foods - this brings you to a understanding you don't need much to live or eat to live. my introduction to raw was through the juice fasting - it blew my mind that you didn't need solid foods to live - its nothing like doing it - trying this changes your whole perspective on food.

if you let it, it will naturally happen through your transition - i still eat hot soups, it's very seldom - but i have herbal teas constantly - the body knows what it needs and when it needs it to heal and adjust itself to changes - we must use all the technologies instinctively, there is no wrong for me personally anymore as long as you listen to the body - it become very effortless to achieve health and a since of self that makes you very instinctive and conscious between mind body and soul.

as for raw restaurants - i personally haven't had the honor (lol) to go to one nor have i had the money to spend on them - i was a good cook back in the day but just cant seem to spend that much time preparing a meal for myself - i have had the honor to tastes these raw restaurant type dishes at pot-locks - it more for celebration for me as i enjoy them when days like this come. overall i believe its about making your life simpler and easier. less you eat the more you live they say, i believe this to be turn and in time i will find out for myself.

- Cacao Fingers

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Permalink Reply by uthmanz (Cacao Fingers) on June 17, 2008 at 9:33pm

thought i was all alone lol - thanks...

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Permalink Reply by Darkmoondoll on June 17, 2008 at 9:38pm

I totally agree with my body not needing as much food to thrive. I damaged my esophagus about three years ago due to bad food choices and eating to numb pain. When I discovered the raw vegan lifestyle I was so relieved. Because the doctors would only throw pills at me which made me sicker and very depressed. I was determined to heal myself through raw foods without the help of conventional doctors. At first it scared me how little my body needs to feel satisfied because of being brainwashed as a child to clean my plate. I was constantly told as child how skinny I was and how I needed more meat on my bones and in my body.My body would scream at me to slow down and to consume mainly fluids. If I listen and be gentle with my body I can hear her loud and clear. When I listen my body vibrates with a very pleasant energy as a thank you for truly appreciating this path in this lifetime to be a healthy being in mind,body and soul.
Buddhababy, a friend of mine who introduced me to the raw vegan lifestyle told me that she was diagnosed with celiac and suggested that maybe that was why I was having the problems I was experiencing with my body. So I cut out grains and all years ago just to see what would happen. No more psoriasis and eczema. I had it since childhood too and just did know it. I think that green raw liquids are very beneficial myself. After reading one of Ann Wigmore's book I was convinced!
Cacao Fingers, I too have not had the privilege of going to a raw gourmet restaurant. I really do not desire to because I eat and drink so simply. I have so much more time to live life and enjoy my family and to help others.
Excellent topic!!!

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