Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => Welcoming Committee => Topic started by: Megan Megatoast on November 18, 2009, 08:12:27 am
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Hello, My name is Megan and after years of being Vegan, I've stumbled upon the idea of this diet.
About two years ago, I decided to go vegan, however it wasn't because I was concerned about my health, it was for the animals. I had found Peta2 (whom I no longer support) and became a Vegan, and began to support them. Over the next years, I began to get fairly weak. My weight dropped to a featherlight 95 pounds and I began to worry. My bones felt frail, and my teeth became incredibly sensitive, and my hair began to fall out. I scrambled to get my health back in line and began trying to eat "properly" which included a lot of tofu, beans, highly cooked and processed foods. Though my health improved little, I felt it was a huge victory at the time.
Within the last months of my veganism, I began to have huge cravings for raw meat, particularly beef. I fought the cravings, trying to find reasons for why I craved such food that I considered to be "taboo" until I just couldn't stand it anymore. I broke down, bought a bunch of raw meat (steaks, fish, oysters, other such things) and ate all of it within two days.
Surprisingly, I felt better. I began to research my odd cravings and behavior and found I wasn't the only one who had eaten raw meat, and that it was common amongst Eskimos and others.
Since then, I've been eating about 50/50 as far as raw food goes. I can't go 100% raw, however, my mom doesn't approve, and I have to eat raw meat behind her back, but all that matters is that I feel better, I'm healthier, and I can take a few steps for my own health. Until then, I'm 50/50 till I move out. =]
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Welcome to the forum Megan.
Sounds like you're definitely on the right track with your diet. :)
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Welcome !
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welcome! pretty cool that you had such a strong urge to eat raw meat without even knowing there was a raw paleo diet. kudos to your instincts!
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Your instincts served you well, young padawan. ;)
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Welcome to the forum! I'm surprised that you managed to go straight from cooked vegan to raw-meat-eating. Usually, people go raw vegan first because it's easier to get used to raw meat by that stage and because during the raw vegan phase they start learning about the dangers of cooked foods.
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Welcome to the forum! I'm surprised that you managed to go straight from cooked vegan to raw-meat-eating. Usually, people go raw vegan first because it's easier to get used to raw meat by that stage and because during the raw vegan phase they start learning about the dangers of cooked foods.
I was actually surprised as well when I heard people found it difficult to get used to the taste. I think it was easier for me, though, because of how deficient I was in nutrients.
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...Within the last months of my veganism, I began to have huge cravings for raw meat, particularly beef. I fought the cravings, trying to find reasons for why I craved such food that I considered to be "taboo" until I just couldn't stand it anymore. I broke down, bought a bunch of raw meat (steaks, fish, oysters, other such things) and ate all of it within two days. ...
This is similar to the story of the guy stranded on the ocean who ate just raw fish muscle meat and then developed cravings for eyes and organs, finding them to taste sweet. The TV program said he ate them because they tasted sweet, even though he had never enjoyed organs before, suggesting that he tried them out of desperation and found them to taste sweet (because his brain chemicals altered the taste to make sure he consumed enough). However, I wondered whether his brain signaled to him to eat the fish eyes, rather than him randomly trying them out of desperation. In other words, is there some sort of built-in instinctive mechanism in the brain that kicks in during survival mode that can signal to us what to try, not just make needed nutrients taste good?
Had you eaten raw meats and seafood in the past and enjoyed them, or did your brain signal you to eat something you had never tried before?
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I had never eaten raw meats in the past. It seemed that my instincts just kicked in and told me to try them. Though, since I've quit veganism, wouldn't my taste for raw meats go away? My blood tests come out normal these days so I can't be in survival mode anymore.
Wasn't that guy on "The Human Body: Pushing the Limits"? I saw that in my Biology II class yesterday. Its amazing what the brain can influence.
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since I've quit veganism, wouldn't my taste for raw meats go away?
Not as long as your brain is telling you to eat nourishing foods, I would think. It would seem that it would be the opposite - they would become even more appealing now that you've needed and used them. However, it will be interesting to see what happens in that regard.
Congratulations on bringing yourself back to health !!!
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I had never eaten raw meats in the past. It seemed that my instincts just kicked in and told me to try them. Though, since I've quit veganism, wouldn't my taste for raw meats go away? My blood tests come out normal these days so I can't be in survival mode anymore.
Wasn't that guy on "The Human Body: Pushing the Limits"? I saw that in my Biology II class yesterday. Its amazing what the brain can influence.
Your experience is truly fascinating, thanks for sharing.
I would think the taste might become less remarkably fantastic once the deficiencies are resolved, but I wouldn't expect meat to then become untasty, no.
Yes, that's the show. It suggested that taste was what drove him, but my sister told me that he actually felt driven to eat the fish eyes and guts before he knew they would taste good. I'll have to ask her about that. Can anyone explain how the brain would apparently instinctively know that the body should eat eyes, guts or meat without taste or consumption experience to inform it?
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Perhaps its instinct that's been built into us to know where nutrients are commonly located on an animal? Its a stretch, but quite possible.
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I know someone who has a fascinating hypothesis on this. She thinks that the cells of the body are self-aware and aware of each other and of what they need. She came up with the idea when she learned of people who receive organ transplants and suddenly display new behaviors similar to those of the donors.
I have heard seen news reports along these lines too--that the human mind is not constrained completely and discretely within the brain. Recently scientists have found that it is spread throughout the body's neural system and non-brain parts of it have more brain-like powers than previously were imagined. One scientist even said that instead of a single, simple individual, a human being should be looked upon as a complex community of cells and organisms working together (or sometimes conflicting--as in the case of chronic diseases). Some people would probably find that radical notion upsetting, but I find it fascinating.
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Thats a very interesting theory, PaleoPhil. I've never heard of it but I will definately research it. Honestly, to be able to do some of the things our body does, I would think that our cells would have to have some sort of awareness.
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Greetings. It's refreshing to read about someone trying this diet for taste and not for the reasons I usually try things, which are endless research and obsession with "the best." Still though, raw meat does taste good.
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I just have to say this is one of the best message boards I have ever been on. Its well organized and people seem to know what they're talking about. You're all also very open minded, something I did not see much of on many of the vegan/vegetarian boards I had been on in the past.
All in all, I'm quite impressed. =]
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Thanks, Megan. Those are some of the things that attracted me to this board.
My experience with vegan/vegetarian boards unfortunately matches yours, though there are some open minded vegans/vegetarians, of course.
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There are but open minded Vegan/veg. Boards seem to be few and far between.