Anyone eat "Raw Food" diet only??

gshoemate

So I watched the Crazy Sexy Cancer special on TLC a few weeks ago and also purchased the book.  A raw food diet looks interesting and I purchased a Raw Food diet detox book and it had some yummy recipes.  My plan would be to eat raw veggies....a little bit of fruit and then dinner would consist of organic chicken and some type of raw or cooked veggies.

Anyone else do a raw diet?  I would like to hear about your experience.  My onco. told me I could start now as long as I make sure all veggies are cleaned well.  I have only 2 treatments left so I may wait to to be safe.  This would be a huge change for me (I like my junk and fried foods) but I am willing to try anything to make cancer stay away.

Thanks

Ginger

RobinTN

Hi Ginger

I would love to know the name of the detox book and the raw food book you have.I bough the living on live food which is 100% raw.Spent over 300.00 that month on food supplies alone and didnt get anywere.still have all the nuts and seeds.its seems like all the recipes are to hard and the food is so expensive i cant purchase it each month.So here i am now.

Let me know how you do.

LisaSDCA

I have a friend who does eat completely Raw - not like your proposed chicken (I assume cooked) and cooked or raw veggies at dinner. He is a purist and says Raw is raw.

FWIW, he is pale and incredibly thin and gets every cold that comes through. However, he has not had breast cancer.

My other friend who eats 100% Raw is absolutely healthy, never been sick, has flawless teeth and vision, boundless energy and a superb disposition. But then, he comes by Raw naturally - he is CH Nirvana's C.K. Dexter Haven, RN, CGC - my sweet Pug Dog, 'Dex'.

I eat a lot of raw, I eat almost exclusively organic (it's a lot easier to do in So CA, I admit), but man has had fire since the mid-Paleolithic Period, which on the whole I think has been a boon to our diets, allowing us to safely eat eggs, fish and poultry that our digestive systems (unlike Dex's) were not designed to consume whole and uncooked. I'm kinda pro-refrigeration, too, when it comes to what it has done to widen our selection of foodstuffs.

That said, I will be interested to hear how your 'detox' goes, and how you feel eating more Raw. I have a friend sending me a copy of Crazy Sexy Cancer, so I'll be on the lookout for that section.

Good luck to you!

Lisa   <---also always interested in things to make cancer stay away

malucho1

I would advise beginning to incorporate raw foods gradually into your diet...over time you can increase to more raw and less cooked if that works for your body.



i think it is almost impossible for most people to just go raw overnight. (too drastic and a lot of time in the kitchen preparing foods....)



some things that have worked for me are fresh juice (combos including selections of carrot, apple, kale, lime, concord grapes, ginger, etc.) and freshly made nut milks (almond and brazil nut). I also eat young fresh coconuts. These are three things you could do as soon as you finish chemo to help your body rebuild. They are all super high in nutrients and easy to digest/assimilate. Also eat fresh fruits and salads daily. Include spouts, especially brocolli spouts.



The next thing I think I am going to try to incorporate is wheat grass (inspired from Crazy Sexy... and some stuff I recently read on the internet.)



In fact, I'd start with the fresh coconuts now. I wish I had known to eat them during my chemo.



good luck!

gshoemate

Hello everyone, thanks for the responses.  I have been very active at the gym for the past few years, even thought about getting into bodybuilding but my diet hasn't always been that great....love my sweets.  I think I will start to incorporate some fruits and veggies into my diet and make a slow transition.  I went to the health food store yesterday and was totally overwhelmed.  I think next time I will try the Whole Foods Store...maybe it will be organized a bit better.  I have a co-worker who's father is into the whole juicing thing and he has just decided to replace his juicer with a fancy one so I will get his hand-me-down.  That will help with the costs a bit.

Robin - The book that I bought is The Raw Food Detox Diet by Nataliea Rose, it was recommended in the Crazy Sexy Cancer book.

Lisa - I loved the Crazy Sexy Cancer book.  It was full of good ideas and some touching stories from cancer survivors.  I have parts of it over multiple times, including at my last chemo treatment.  Sometimes it helps keep me thinking positive about the whole thing.

Ginger

TenderIsOurMight

I was just reading about a Raw Diet today, thinking I may wish to incorporate more into my diet. I found this marvelous site, and since it's not listed above, I'll include it. Sounds a lot healthier in general. I also like their web discussion site: it reminds me of ours here in format.



link:http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20&order=desc&daysprune=-1



Enjoy!

Tender

Speck218

I am about to begin chemo for breast cancer, and I'm on an organic diet, but I've never heard about the fresh coconuts. What's that all about?  Also is there any harm with lots of antioxidants while doing the chemo?

Sheila

JoanofArdmore

Here's the nightshift!

I notice here that only Lisa and Robin (and I) say where we are.(Is this a new thing, with the new format?)It used to be easy to see where a speaker was "coming from", now we have no idea.Reason I mention, here in A we have had some in-the-40s-nights.

Although it will be warm again, days are shorter, and it is definately not enticing to think of a winter of raw, cold food.

I would be much more accepting of this idea in May or june.

A friend just gave me some raw blender soup recipes.Nice, but..no thanks, right now...

My Whole Foods has just added lots of raw foods.Refridgerated, and shelved.

I just cant get excited about raw millet crackers.

<sigh>

If I DO eat raw food next summer, it will be sashimi, and looooots of salad and watermelon.Blueberries.I actually even eat raw ground beef, 93%lean, from WF.

But not when it's cold outside!

Rosemary44

The only problem with going 100% raw is that some nutrients don't come out unless they're heated up past our body temperature.

I don't know which is which, so I'll eat some raw, then I'll lightly steam some of the same.   Spinach is one that I don't think releases all it's nutrients, but then it could be overcooked and you won't get those nutrients, so I'll eat it raw also.  The list of foods it way too long to know which releases when heated up.

JoanofArdmore

I know tomatoes release lycopene when cooked..

Rosemary44

And I know of one that should be eaten raw...bok choy and really all cabbage has more nutrients when raw.

JoanofArdmore

And kim chee, or sourkraut are still raw, but the treatment brings out wonderful enzymes and probiotics....

TenderIsOurMight

Geesh, it's bad enough we have SE's, take zillions of medicines, have the big BC, you'd think we'd be able to get clean RAW....



Liked the "nightshift" crack....



What is UP, or more likely DOWN with this font size. And no box on my comment bar to put in a frown!



Tender

thomcat

I was suppose to go to a presentation on this subject at my local health food store a week ago (back by popular demand) but it was cancelled at the last minute due to an emergency.  I was bummed because I am floundering about which direction to go with my diet.

I hope more people come forward regarding this subject.

Cathy

echosg

Hi!

I'm a raw foodist....go ahead, ask me how I got DCIS then???

Here's the deal, raw foods is AMAZING.  But for cancer curing, you need to give it 100%.  That means no animal products at all, no cooked food, period.  There are also fasting centers to check out, etc.  And, after chemo, you should NOT do raw foods.  The detox can be really, really bad.  You need to speak to a raw food expert who can guide through this.

I have a family practice doctor who is a raw foodist because his father, also a doctor, cured himself of stage IV through fasting and diet. 

My best to you.

Rosemary44

Some vitamins in foods will not be absorbed without fats in the stomach.  So it's important to add some olive oil in to the juice  or eat some nuts first, or a piece of dark chocolate is my favorite.  And then there is that beano pill that will become quite necessary too or you just take your chances out there in public places.  

thomcat

Echosq:

What do you mean by "And, after chemo, you should NOT do raw foods"?  Are you talking days afterwards or after all the treatments are done.  I can see where it may not be good for you to do while on chemo but after finishing the treatments I would think it's great.

A friend of mine is trying it and I've eaten a couple of meals.  I am so surprised at how good things are.  However, I don't feel like I get enough protein because I'm hungry before it's time for the next meal.

phoebe11

Chemo affects the gut lining. Raw food can irritate if the gut is not properly functioning. The advice I was given was to use probiotics to build the gut lining back up to strength, and to at least par-cook foods such as brassicas and carrots which have very resistant structures.

As it so happens, I cannot now eat brassicas or members of the lettuce family as  chemo so adversely affected the gut. I do eat raw foods, but am always aware of the stress they can put on the digestive system.

echosg

Hi Thomcat,

As I've never had to deal with chemo, I don't have that answer for you.  But people should consult with their doctors.  But detoxing chemo can be very difficult.

I love my raw foods.    Try adding a protein powder to your diet to help get some added protein.  I put it in my fruit smoothies.

ar

jdash

i guess we all have the same idea-  i purchased 2 books - one was crazy sexy cancer and i love it so far!  i love the way she writes and i love the informal format of the book! i was thinking of writing a book just like that so she beat me to it!  i also bought a book about eating a raw foods diet but i dont believe i could ever only eat "raw" i will try to incorporate alot of raw foods into my daily diet but i love fish way too much to give that up

TexasKaren

I was told by my oncologist to be very careful of raw foods while on chemo.... they may have more bacteria and with your lowered white cells....!  Anyway I have a diet from the cancer center at UTMB/Galveston and MD Anderson that is more about eating all COOKED foods (still, lots of fruits and veggies) during chemo.  The nutritionist who wrote this says that the enzymes in cooked food are more tolerable to your digestive system while your undergoing chemo than the enzymes in fresh food.  Yes, even fruits should be cooked (except bananas).  Two of my friends have done this and had very little nausea or sickness at all.  I'm going to give it a try when I start chemo in a couple of weeks, and I will update everyone on my experience.  By the way, I have been on a fresh food/raw food diet for the past six weeks in preparation for my treatment, so as to boost my anti oxidant levels and all my nutritional status.  I feel great, so I hope it has helped prepare me.

abreast_of_life

Hi,

If you are interested in the reputable research that I have put together regarding diet, supplements etc please see my website.  I got interested after I was diagnosed in 2003 and had to have a mastectomy.  The whole experience has been life changing as I lost my mother to it last December.  I hope you find it helpful in making a decision.  I am very interested in raw food. I am a little bit wary because my mother found too much gave her bad indigestion and I seem to have the same digestive problems.

www.abreastoflife.co.uk

Take best, best care.

Love and blessings

biondi

HI GINGER, I ATTENDED A CLASS AT MY BREAST CENTER GIVEN BY A RAW FOOD CHEF. I AM NOW EATING AT LEAST 3-4 MEALS EACH WEEK, RAW, (ORGANIC) IT'S BEST TO MAKE A GRADUAL CHANGE IN DIET, SO I AM ABOUT HALF AND HALF RIGHT NOW. SOME FOODS ARE BETTER WITH A LIGHT STEAM, SO THEY SAY, BUT MY RAW FOOD CHEF EATS ONLY RAW. SHE WAS VERY ILL AT ONE TIME, UNTIL SHE STARTED HER RAW FOOD DIET, SO SHE IS A RAW, VEGAN NOW, AND VERY HEALTHY. THE RAW FOOD DETOX DIET BOOK, BY NATALIA ROSE IS GREAT, LOT OF RECIPIES, AND SIMPLE TO MAKE. I EAT FISH AND EGGS, BUT NO MEAT. YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A RAW FOOD CLASS AS I DID, OR GO TO A RESTURANT THAT SERVES RAW MEALS. I GO TO OUR LOCAL "GO RAW CAFE" AND HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM THEM ABOUT FOOD PREP.

I PROCESS EVERYTHING IN FOOD PROCESSOR FOR MY RAW SOUPS, AND MAKE SURE YOU CHEW, CHEW, CHEW, AS TO INCREASE THE DIGESTIVE ENZYMES. I LOVE THIS DIET. GOOD LUCK.. PS. I SOMETIMES WARM MY SOUP,(LET IT SIT IN THE SUN) BUT NOT PAST 118 o.

celia088

This thread is very interesting.  I am a vegetarian and have been thinking of adding more raw foods to my diet.  One problem i have is that i have Irritable Bowel Syndrome which is mostly not active for me these days, but i do occasionally get very stressed and have bouts of it.  The dietician told me  not to eat any raw veggies or salads while the IBS bout is on, as it will really aggravate it.  So, just a heads-up to anyone with IBS who is contemplating a raw food diet.

abreast_of_life

Eating raw, organic fruits and vegetables is supposed to be best because you benefit from the enzymes and research has proved that organic produce contains up to 40% more antioxidants.

However, I'm not sure that this should be too limited.  The Japanese have one of the healthiest diets in the world and they eat fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It isn't always raw.  Eat what makes you feel right within reason.  Too much raw food can cause indigestion in a lot of people, particularly older people.  When my mum was terribly weak she was protein deficient.  One must get enough protein or supplement a protein powder.

thomcat

I went to a Raw Food presentation at my local health food store today and was "wowed" by sampling some of the recipes!  The chef made two smoothies which were both delicious - ingredients were romaine lettuce, spinach, apples, lime, cashew nut hummus which was to die for and chocolate sauce made from avocados!!!!!

I am planning on getting into this further by attending some classes that the chef is going to conduct and start out with breakfast and lunch rather than go 100% raw in the beginning.

Will keep you updated on how it goes. 

Santa

Read Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions".  Pauline