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Transition from Juicing/Raw Diet
Started
by realfood
on December 15, 2009
I think the brown rice bowl with veggies and beans and a side of miso would be a great lunch. I typically cook up a bunch of veggies and some sort of grain on Sunday night so its easy to throw together lunches in the morning. I'm anti microwave as well, but luckily we have a toaster oven where I work and hot water for tea. I don't put any of my food in the refrigerator at work so it's about room temp by lunch time anyway...then I either eat everything at that temp or add some hot water and braggs to make a soup, or just heat them up a bit in the toaster oven.
As for the colonics I've heard so much mixed info on them that I'm unsure. I work at an ayurvedic health clinic where we have patients use bastis during cleanses (its a nutritive oil enema) instead of the colonics because they're considered too drying. Ayurveda is also big on eating with the seasons so your raw diet would be great during the summer but too depleting during the winter when you need more warming foods. Hope this helps!
So I tried the Superhero plan and my first attempt was not successful. First, eating three meals a day was too much food for me. (And a year ago, before my detox, I was eating 5 times a day!) Second, it takes so much more time than juicing and salads, which are so easy and quick! Third, my discipline and resolve totally crumbled when my diet did not have as much rigid structure. (i.e., I ate a whole pan of the peanut butter krispie treats in two days!) Finally, I had such horrble gas and bloating from the beans that even my colonic therapist noticed that my digestion was sluggish. I was really tired and had to leave a hang out with my friends early because the gas was so offensive! I'm guessing that I need to transition a bit slower to eating vegan and superhero. Like maybe keep juicing for breakfast, salad for lunch and superhero dinner (with the help of some good digestive enzymes) until I feel like I want a heartier lunch, then keep juicing for breakfast until I'm wanting to do the veg. Any further advice?
With Alicia's recipes, I feel fuller, more satisfied although I still crave those wonderful Crispy Peanut Butter treats with the chocolate chips...those are just too good. Any way, also Alicia's recipes are so much better having leftovers, the next day...I just look forward to cooking and enjoying healthier food. Realfood, I had the same problem with the Pinto Bean Stew since I didnt add the kombu , that I will do next. but that recipe is so good, I think that maybe part of the detox..anyway I am not giving up...
I switched from 100 % raw to superhero after reading the book. Bought the book b/c I was feeling tired, spacey and cold with it being winter, eating raw and living in WY. I didn't gain weight but I did become very constipated from the grains. I do colonics and I think having a nice clean colon and helping to get the grain and whatever it grabbed along the way makes you more superheroish. People have been doing colonics/enemas forever until the last 80 years. Chew Chew Chew! 50 times at least and take enzymes. Whenever you eat cooked food take enzymes.
I can do quiona, millet, etc without gaining...put me on brown rice and I blow up like a rice pellet. Don't know what it is but I can't do rice I gain weight.
Realfood, do not over do the colonics as they will mess up your intestinal flora...for those gassy days,,, eat soy yogurt, and you will adjust.
I actually can't eat soy either! I get a skin rash every time I do (In my first attempt at superhero, I totally learned that lesson).
Colonics actually don't mess up intestinal flora because most people have really messed up intestinal flora from the sludge that they eat. I think doing cooked veg for dinner is what I'm comfortable with right now, gradually fazing out all animal products. I get one once a week, and swear by them.
Miso soup helps with digestion. Have a cup before meals. It doesnt need to be fancy. I just make mine plain with wakame. I didn't like this AT ALL at first. Now I love it. Pickles also help with digestion. I started making my own using Alicia's recipe in her book and eat 2 slices per day with one meal and half of an umeboshi plum with another meal. Fermented foods aid digestion. Also, chew the living shit out of your food! There are tons of enzymes in saliva and if you liquify food in your mouth the gas just doesn't come. It's freakin' amazing. Also- do not drink fluids with your meals. It dilutes digestive enzymes. I soak beans overnight with a piece of kombu and cook the beans with kombu as well. Boil the beans uncovered for a few minutes and scoop all the white foam off the top before you cover. Cook grain with kombu as well. I also add shoyu to beans and rice a few minutes before they are done cooking to make them more digestible. Try eating smaller portions to start. 1 cup of miso soup with wakame, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup adzuki beans, lotsa greens with some toasted seeds. See how you feel? Keep it simple at first so you don't overwhelm yourself with complicated recipes and when you get bored add a new sauce or preparation to your bag of tricks. Good luck!!!
I actually did cook the beans with kombu and they still cause awful, horrendous gas. So bad that I didn't want to leave the house and was incredibly cranky. (A dirty bowel will do that). I also chewed. I think I'm going to try digestive enzymes the next time I eat beans. I should also note that I've done quite a bit of research in the area of nutrition, so I'm aware of the basics. I'm looking for practical tips from people who have actually transitioned away from raw toward macro, not people going from SAD to macro or vegan to macro. Totally different. (And sorry if that seems cranky :)
No no sorries! I totally get it. Gastroentestinal problems are my issue as well. It's a nightmare. I am also switching from raw to macro. Well...that's not entirely true. I won't give up juicing. Not interested in going completely macro. I don't believe in the nightshade theory and have done a lot of research about acidic foods such as spinach, and how they become alkalizing once ingested. I believe in eating more raw foods than the macrobiotic diet includes and I also believe in grains and beans so...I'm kinda in the middle here!! What were your reasons for switching from raw? Besides the beans, how are you feeling about it?
I've wanted to go vegan (again) for a while, but under the dietary regime I've been following for the past year (The Rose Program) that would mean that I would get to eat vegetable juices, veggies, low sugar fruits and avocados with tiny amounts of coconut oil. No nuts, no grains, no beans, no oils. I think that's extreme and completely crazy. Macro seems much more sane and balanced, though at this point, I'd much rather drink veggie juice than eat breakfast. So tomorrow I'm going vegan and superhero for a month, then I think I'll probably settle on something in between. Vegan, mostly superhero (juice for breakfast, salad for lunch and grain/bean/veg for dinner). I tend not to buy than any veggies are bad for you either, but I think I'll feel and look better after I switch grains and beans for animal prods. (Though I'm really really going to miss butter. And cheese. And eggs. Not meat, but those three are actually going to be sacrifices).
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