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Author	Topic: How I'm doing with the diet
risrosen 05-23-2003 05:54 PM	Hi Wai, I'd like to let you know how the diet is going with me and get your advice. I have written about my eating problems in the "How much fruit/juice / B12" topic in the Fruits, Juices & Salads area and on page 3 of the teeth topic in Diet In General. First, I've stopped the juices. I can't accept your idea that the rapid tooth decay I developed after a month on the diet was coincidental (or coinci-dental). Also I just can't afford to take the chance that it is the juices that did it, as that batch of new decay cost me $260 in fillings, and my income is low. I think that perhaps my teeth have just gotten to a state where they decay easily, due to my dietary problems of the last 8 years. Second, I found early on that I can't digest raw animal protein well. I also have a lot of trouble with whole nuts. So my current eating pattern is: fruit salads with nut milk in the morning, at night, and between lunch and dinner. I make the nut milk with 4 parts water to 1 part nuts and strain it well. For lunch and dinner, I have cooked meat or soy totaling about 15 g/day of protein with some other thing I enjoy--I've been eating potato chips usually. I can only eat small amounts of food at a time, so each of these feedings is small. I don't take in anywhere near the minimum requirements of raw food specified in your diet, and since my munch food meals are small too, my overall calorie intake is pretty low. However, if I weren't on the diet as much as I am--if I were to eat all or mostly cooked foods--I would be totally constipated. I went for 2 years when I didn't have any bowel movements on my own; I did enemas. (I was eating mostly cereal & milk or soy milk at this time.) Then I found out about psyllium, and that plus an herbal supplement enabled me to stop doing enemas. During the first month on your diet, when I was eating 100% raw, I was able to have bowel movements completely on my own, and I still can with the small amount of cooked food I'm eating (though it's not as good as when I was eating only raw). I'm about 6'2", and before the eating problems started I weighed about 150. During the last 8 years, my weight has been mostly between 125 and 143 or so, usually around 135. Prior to starting this diet I was doing pretty well, at 140-145. Right now I'm guessing I'm between 130 and 135. My energy level is probably somewhat lower than its normally low level. (My activity level is very low, though, since I don't have to work.) My memory seems to have gotten worse lately. However, my depression and anxiety are less than they've been. I've been on an anti-depressant and a tranquilizer, and I have been able to work my way off of them since being on this diet. I don't know if I could function without them if I were eating mostly cooked food. I would have to test that. So what do you think? Which is worse, eating mostly cooked foods and taking bowel stimulating supplements and perhaps psychoactive meds (which I think are very toxic), or eating as I'm doing and getting less calories? Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks for your advice, Wai.
Wai 05-24-2003 08:47 AM	phew, Rickrack... i hadnt thought of your problems like this there is so much information about so many people that i read, that, for me, it is very hard to remember what specific conditions come with each of you guys on this board ... so, i apologize for not having been more conscious regarding your specific condition ... you have obviously been through some rough years... and yes, i can imigaine that if the protecting layer of your teeth already had been affected, drinking the juices may be a problem, since the juices also remove tooth plague, so that non-protected teeth may get damaged... BTW; its not the sugar in juices, but the acids that may be too much for your teeth, so you can drink concentrated sirups to ingest more energy (and you can add a bit of oil; can you handle oil?) have you considered taking supplementary free amino acids? they dont need to be digested, are very rapidly absorbed, and help you to gain weight...; take a look at this thread: link also, can you digest raw egg yolks? they are easier to digest than raw fish... about what is worse: we must find a way so that you can ingest more energy! (then you wouldnt have to chose between bad and bad!)