Greetings raw food enthusiasts,
I am new to the list, and want to introduce myself. My name is Roy Holman, and I live in Seattle. I have been eating roughly 75% raw foods now for over 3 years, and we have a raw food education and support group here in Seattle. I did a work study at Gabriel Cousens Tree Of Life Rejuvenation Center last summer as well.
I have also fasted quite a bit, including a 2 week distilled water fast at the start of my transition, 3 years ago. Since then I have eaten over 50% fruit, and discovered I am hypoglycemic, quite vata in ayurvedic terms, and have endured tremendous periods of food cravings, food fixation, and some intense bingeing. Below are some things that have helped balance me a bit of late. I would love to hear from others and your experiences.
I would like to add these suggestions to the wonderful lists of tips and insights people have been noting regarding orthorexia, cravings, bingeing, etc among raw fooders. Only recently have I begun to find a bit of balance, and these are some of the things that seem to help:
I'll do whatever it takes to make my life livable again (although I am quite resistant to using animal products due to personal ethics.) We must not let our pride, or our drive for perfect health and bodies get in the way. Let's be open, honest, and vulnerable, not rigid and defensive. I found lots of valuable information in books, but I eventually needed to follow my own intuition. Many of the raw fooders I have met seem to grasp raw food dogma as the answer to their lifelong struggles and confusion, only to become even more disillusioned to discover that we cannot eat our way to God or to bliss - we must dig much deeper to the actual roots of our imbalance. Food can be an essential part of this journey, but not the only thing.
Oct. 4: Another recent lesson for me of late: I have been consistently eating regular meals, allowing myself any food I craved (within reason). It got some of the monkey off my back - as I gave myself permission to eat whatever, I increasingly desired more raw. However, I was getting mucousy (is that a word?), sluggish, felt my heart closing. But still fearing the old fast-and-binge cycle. Regardless, yesterday I took a day off of food, then did the olive oil and grapefruit liver cleanse last night. Feel so good this morning - heart open, calm, grounded, less toxic, and I pooped out some ?? (gallstones-in-the-making? dark green, waxy balls). Anyway, again the lesson for me is moderation. As I come into balance, and allow myself to heal slowly, and not force it, I expect to eat even a higher percentage raw diet (despite the challenge of a thin (5'8", 112 pounds), vata, hypoglycemic living in cold Seattle, and do periodic, moderate fasts or cleanses. Balance has been evasive, but I am confident it can be maintained with patience, attention, and self love.
P.S.: To reply to Ryan, who is concerned about getting less sleep at night, I too need much less sleep, often only 4 or 5 hours, but I feel fine when I get even 5 or 6, unless I've been eating cooked food, in which case I need 7 or 8, it seems.
Questions:
Thank you all for you sharing and valuable insights; and good luck on your healing paths.
Love,
Roy
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