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Members' Journals => Journals => Topic started by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 09:12:09 am

Title: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 09:12:09 am: AGE: 40
HEIGHT: 5'6"
WEIGHT: 118 lbs

2005-2007 by volume
50% raw plants (whole & juiced)
30% cooked grains
20% raw lowfat dairy, nuts, & vegetable oils

1/2008-10/2008 by volume
50% raw plants (whole & juiced)
30% cooked grains
10% raw lowfat dairy, nuts, & vegetable oils
10% raw lean meat

beginning 11/2008 by instinct
raw whole plants
raw whole animal food

*more herbs and less fruit than I did previously
*only a small amount of dairy, and only cultured
*wide variety of RAF

I don't know if I will continue drinking all sorts of tea and kombucha like I currently do.
I do drink mostly water, so once I'm on a good routine with the diet I can look at beverages more closely.

issues I hope to resolve
*dry, "aged," thin skin
*lack of satisfaction & sense of well-being
*digestive problems
*complicated routines of diet & hygiene
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: boxcarguy07 on November 30, 2008, 10:11:30 am: Cool, looking forward to reading and seeing your progress!

And if I may say so you are so pretty and your eyes are beautiful!
Also, this may be a generalization, but why is it that every woman with very short hair like in your picture that I have met/seen seems so chill?
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:06:32 pm: Thank you, thank you!

I can't wait to compare this photo with next year's.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:11:28 pm: FISH OIL

I'm also using Blue Ice fermented cod liver oil daily (I added it when I added raw meat). I plan to take less in the summer when I'm not so parched and pale.

I have the skate liver oil capsules and they are not a good value. They also contain plant wax, an unspecified antioxidant, and rosemary extract (the latter for preservative). This is not always mentioned on the product labeling or webstore descriptions! I won't buy them again.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:17:39 pm: WATER

I'm inspired by the good info on this forum to investigate options for quality water.

Right now I'm using distilled with a pinch of salt, a blessing, and 24 hours of moonlight or diffused sunlight.

I plan to look into:
-low-tech filtration for current source of distilled water
-high tech ionizer

I also plan to call the distilled water company and ask about their processing (how many cooling / collection phases) and filtration. I also want to know if they add disinfectants (which are added to typical bottled spring water).
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: boxcarguy07 on November 30, 2008, 10:25:18 pm: Quote from: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:17:39 pm
WATER

I'm inspired by the good info on this forum to investigate options for quality water.

Right now I'm using distilled with a pinch of salt, a blessing, and 24 hours of moonlight or diffused sunlight.

I plan to look into:
-low-tech filtration for current source of distilled water
-high tech ionizer

I also plan to call the distilled water company and ask about their processing (how many cooling / collection phases) and filtration. I also want to know if they add disinfectants (which are added to typical bottled spring water).

Wow, where did you hear that about the disinfectants? I buy spring water, I should find out if the kind I get has them. -v

Also, I notice you said you say a blessing over the water... are you familiar with Dr. Masaru Emoto?
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:45:37 pm: HYGIENE

After posting on the "...laundry..." thread, I realized how complicated and ineffective my personal care is. Constant application and removal of plant oils that neither "clean" nor moisturize, determined by a social model of early industrialization that dictates when to wash, eat and sleep.

So,

- I'm going to use the sauna every 48 hours that I haven't broken a good sweat,
relying on this for my primary cleansing
(I use a fairly low temp - 130 - and only stay in until I get sweaty)

- I'm going to "wash" with only water,
and the seasalt/baking soda & essential oil blend we use for teeth, if needed

- I'm going to wash only how and when I think I need to
(I started this a few weeks ago by showering only every 48 hours & wiping down intermittently)

I expect to keep using a few drops of the apricot kernel oil/chamomile EO blend for spot moisturizing as needed; perhaps eventually it not be neccessary.

No more oil pulling, no oil "cleansing," and no soap (this is seriously drying, and natural soaps leave behind an impenetrable shell of glycerin that is hell on skin - anyone using it on their teeth may want to reconsider - if you don't believe me, wash a spot of pavement with soap & then try to rinse it clean)
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:53:44 pm: Quote from: boxcarguy07 on November 30, 2008, 10:25:18 pm
Wow, where did you hear that about the disinfectants? I buy spring water, I should find out if the kind I get has them.

I learned this because I was buying the local grocery store chain's own brand of spring water. I read in the paper that they had pulled a batch because routine testing revealed high levels of disinfectant. I searched around online and learned that tiny levels of disinfectant are added to bottled spring water as an industry standard.

I don't have any references, sorry; this was awhile ago that I researched it

Quote from: boxcarguy07 on November 30, 2008, 10:25:18 pm
Also, I notice you said you say a blessing over the water... are you familiar with Dr. Masaru Emoto?

Yes, though I think he pushes his theory a little too far. I personally feel that blessing the water creates a energetic link between it and me - that link being the intention of health, which glorifies the creator
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: boxcarguy07 on November 30, 2008, 11:01:33 pm: Quote from: livingthelife on November 30, 2008, 10:53:44 pm
I personally feel that blessing the water creates a energetic link between it and me - that link being the intention of health, which glorifies the creator

:) that's a nice thought, I think about things somewhere along those lines as well
Title: livingthelife's journal: feeling not-so-good
Post by: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 01:09:05 am: It's only been 4 days since I quit grains and hyper-hygiene, and I'm not feeling too great today.

First, my face is so dry that it's flaking, but my body seems to be less dry than usual. I used a little apricot kernel oil for moisturizing last night and this morning, but I think it's only plastering down the flakes. My hand are also really dry, but since I have to wash them with soap I'm going to have to use some kind of moisturizer. I feel like I'm looking ooooold.

I'm also getting nauseous sitting down to raw fat + meat at every meal. I lived so many years never eating any fat and now it's fat, fat, fat.

I'm starving and I'm not eating enough. When I was eating bread, I felt full (too full), and the sugars carried me through. Now I know I'm not eating enough calories, but I'm having a hard time getting the food down. I'm also thirsty all the time, but I'm not drinking enough water because I'm not used to it...

I think overall I'm better off; that my skin, once hydrated and enriched with nutrients, will improve, and that I will soon be able to pleasurably consume enough calories to satisfy. Other than the aversion to the food, my ordinary digestive issues have cleared up already.

There's some stress, also, because of offering these changes to a teenage girl. She wants to embrace them, but her every twinge is a drama that she lays on me (as she should). I told her that she should eat what she wants, that I'll provide and prepare whatever she wants without question. However, she chooses raw liver but adds so much mustard that she gets heartburn, then the loose poo is a hysteria... So I'm not sleeping too well.

So, ugh.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 05:14:17 am: Well, since my last post here I ate about 1/4 lb of veal steak w/ butter & kraut. At first I felt better. Then I went for a walk and started to feel really terrible - spacey, nauseous. When I got home I ate 2 bowls of cereal w/ milk and I swear it was like a drug - I felt immediately "better," and sleepy and very sedated. I wonder if my blood sugar is screwed up. Bread always gave me an uncomfortable spike (I'd actually crave sugar after eating it). Yet I don't know what to do if it is a blood-sugar problem, and I really don't trust drs or their "remedies."

At any rate, I can't cut out grains for the time being. I feel like crap and I'm going to lie down for awhile.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: Nicola on December 04, 2008, 05:55:27 am: Quote from: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 05:14:17 am
Well, since my last post here I ate about 1/4 lb of veal steak w/ butter & kraut. At first I felt better. Then I went for a walk and started to feel really terrible - spacey, nauseous. When I got home I ate 2 bowls of cereal w/ milk and I swear it was like a drug - I felt immediately "better," and sleepy and very sedated. I wonder if my blood sugar is screwed up. Bread always gave me an uncomfortable spike (I'd actually crave sugar after eating it). Yet I don't know what to do if it is a blood-sugar problem, and I really don't trust drs or their "remedies."

At any rate, I can't cut out grains for the time being. I feel like crap and I'm going to lie down for awhile.

Blood suger is one problem and the other may be gluten? Tracy on this forum (page end):

http://www.zerocarbage.com/showthread.php?tid=455&page=2

Nicola
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: goodsamaritan on December 04, 2008, 07:07:08 am: Quitting RICE or cooked food wasn't easy for me either.
It took a 14 day orange juice fast for me to physiologically reset my system to get rid of cooked food addiction and with it rice addiction.
I'm Filipino and every Filipino is addicted to rice.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 09:08:47 am: Oh, good info, folks. Thanks for looking in on me.

I'm half alive again... Had a sauna and a nap.

That cereal and milk made me sick, just like it always did before (and eating 2 bowls after 4 days of abstinence didn't help).

I do think there's an addiction issue, because I can really crave gluten, as Tracy pointed out. And I tended to overeat it - it seems to be an "off" issue with me.

I also quit juicing when I quit bread, and I know there's a good amount of fructose and sugars in juice, so that was probably a double-whammy. I hated juicing, though. Such a time-consuming pain in the butt, and unless it was sweet juice it was hard to get down.

I just read some of AV's book, which came in the mail today. I think he would recommend some orange juice at the moment! I'd been also trying to keep fruit consumption down, so I was consuming even less sugar...

And I've had endocrine issues in the past.

Obviously I'm going to have to have to use more intuition.

As far as blood sugar problems... I so do not want to be tested. I don't want to create any "record" of health test results, especially since I'd probably refuse conventional treatment anyway. Has anyone else dealt with blood sugar issues?
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: goodsamaritan on December 04, 2008, 09:19:45 am: Hi, go easy on the oranges in the orange juice fast (not feast). It is just 1 pint a day + as much distilled water as you want. No other food.

Here is the description of the orange juice fast: http://www.curemanual.com/detox-protocols/intestinal-cleansing/orange-juice-fasting

Some people should balance their blood sugar with taking lecithin supplements (as a source of fat) while doing the OJ fast.
Title: livingthelife's journal: rethinking it all
Post by: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 09:45:24 pm: Well, I became very ill last night with vomiting & body aches.

I have to rethink what I've done here. I went from about 1-2 oz of RAF to 12 oz RAF / per day. I cut out about 2 servings of grain and about 8 oz fruit/veg juice / day.

I know I was having a blood sugar problem because I could recognize that in my hunger, fatigue, and sweating. This could be either an "addiction" or normal reaction to starvation of the basic fuels I was accustomed to. Perhaps I'm just "addicted" to food.

I also know I was increasingly grossed out by the RAF, but ignored the gag reflex and ate it anyway. I even had trouble getting down a mere 1 oz of non-dairy RAF before.

Perhaps there's a reason most people in the world do not eat RAF? A reason we should not be eating it in large quantities?

The only thing that got me through the night was sipping some fresh apple juice my husband made me. Last time I had the flu, fresh juice was all I could handle. Yet my daughter said the daily green juice made her nauseous.

Judging from his book, most people whom AV has helped with RAF were dying. I was not nor am I dying (though I wasn't so sure around 2AM).

My conclusion at this point is that RAF and raw juice are so intensely concentrated and bioactive that they are actually medicine. They shouldn't be consumed every day, nor in large quantities. We shouldn't be puking so much! Most folks I know, though sickly, are not gagging and puking frequently when they dine.

Interestingly, no one else in my family became ill from the same RAF. They ate them in much smaller quantities than I did.

I feel I got carried away with this RPD. I'm going to return to this model:

by volume
50% raw plants (whole & occasionally juiced)
30% cooked grains
15% raw lowfat dairy, nuts, & olive oil
5% raw meat & fat

I expect that I will juice and eat non-dairy RAF every other day, probably alternating. Weston Price Foundation recommends either grating frozen liver into other foods or freezing liver into pea-sized pieces & swallowing like vitamin pills (not, incidentally, eating even 1 whole ounce at one sitting). I aim to try the "pill" approach for all non-dairy RAF. The less gag the better, and it will be easier to prepare & store.

There seem to be some folks here who are doing well with a strictly RPD, and that's great. It's just not for me.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: TylerDurden on December 04, 2008, 09:53:41 pm: There are 2 common mistakes people make when turning to RAF - they assume, first of all, that if raw animal food is healthy, that the more they eat of it, the faster their healing-rate will be. However, raw food contains far more (healthy, bioavailable) nutrients than cooked-food, so you actually need to eat less amounts of food than you would on a cooked-food diet. I also found that not eating for a whole day, here and there(but drinking alkaline mineral-water) was also useful. In short, constant digestion usually weakens the body and diverst away essential resources which could otherwise be used for healing.

Secondly, it's generally a bad idea to mix cooked and raw foods together. The 2 require different digestive processes(cooked-food requires the stomach to produce much more stomach-acid etc.), so, if one is suffering from digestive problems, it's really best to stick to raw foods.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 09:57:09 pm: WATER FOLLOW-UP

I called the distilled water company. They use a single steam & collection process and mechanical filtration only.

After looking into it, I think that coconut charcoal will be sufficient to bring the drinking water into a level of purity that I'm satisfied with. Being a fan of low-tech and a cheapskate, I decided to buy a pound of loose media and dump it into the distilled water jug, then strain out. I was told that this pound should treat about 2000 gallons of water, but it must be agitated to work. So I'll open a new jug, dump it into the empty jug of charcoal, agitate periodically over 24-48 hours, strain back into the original jug, add my salt, bless it, and let it "brew."

I don't know that an alkalizer is going to work for us. We have an old house with an odd kitchen configuration, they're more expensive than I think I want to pay, and they act on tap water, which I really don't want to drink, even treated - I have more confidence in distilled.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: goodsamaritan on December 04, 2008, 10:04:18 pm: Don't let that 1 case of food poisoning scare you.

This whole year I can count that I puked out on dirty mussels, dirty oysters and probably the chicken liver a few days ago.

My wife is on a primarily cooked diet and she's suffered 3 severe food poisonings this year.

I also experienced the incompatibility of raw food with cooked food in the same meal. For example, rice does not go well with raw eggs or raw beef.

My children are primarily cooked food eaters. But they themselves have discovered that raw animal food does not mix well with the cooked starches. So when they have a raw egg meal... or any raw animal meal... it is just that one single food... no food combining whatsoever.

I eased into raw animal foods starting with wai diet because eggs and fish were easy raw because culturally we are exposed to sashimi (I'm grossed out at cooked salmon and cooked tuna). But I followed Tyler's advice on the gradual reduction of cooking land animals... it must have taken me 1 to 2 months to fully adjust to not being grossed out at raw land animal food. A few more months to get used to eating raw animal food that has been in the refrigerator for 3 days.

I don't eat that much raw animal food myself. I usually only eat raw animal food lunch. Maybe breakfast I will have 2 to 3 raw eggs. But my big raw animal meal is just lunch. At dinner I just chat with the kids or eat some not so sweet fruit.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: TylerDurden on December 04, 2008, 10:04:39 pm: 2 things:- I was referring to natural alkaline mineral-water taken from mountain-springs, not artificially alkalized water. Also, I should mention that distilled water is a really,really bad idea to drink. It's well known to leach minerals away from the body, among other effects:-
http://chetday.com/distilledwater.htm
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 04, 2008, 10:09:08 pm: HYGIENE FOLLOW-UP

Other than the dry skin, the sauna-water-bit o' baking soda routine is working very well. I thought I would get clogged pores or BO, but I haven't. Once I get a good sweat in the sauna, I gently massage my face to loosen up any clogged pores. My face looks very good (other than being dry), with fewer blemishes and a more even tone.

I just splash off/wipe down in between times.
Title: livingthelife's journal: I'm back
Post by: livingthelife on December 12, 2008, 10:26:26 pm: Some repressed issues came to light after I started eating RAF and joined this forum. I think they're getting resolved now.

I could sum it up as too much thinking and not enough instinct (or exclusively thinking, overriding instinct). This has been a coping strategy for me in every area of life, but it has very limited success.

Part of resolving it is accepting my limitations. I embraced the RAF partly because I have a profound aversion to cooking meat/oil/fats. For awhile I cut them out entirely and illness ensued. I just didn't want to admit that I found the cooking to be repulsive; I thought I was just lazy and it made me ashamed.

I think the aversion to cooking meat is probably part instinct and part exhaustion. I tried roasting a turkey breast a few days ago and the whole process was both draining and revolting.

I no longer think that eating exclusively RAF is the answer (for me), however. The Weston Price model has felt the most comfortable for me, modified to minimize cooking. Mostly, I feel that a broad variety of high quality foods (raw being a criteria of high quality) is the most satisfying and healthful for me.

US Wellness Meats offers some precooked meat choices that will round out our diets without my having to prepare them. We also have a local farmer's market that makes their own soups and stews; they've been tasty and of acceptable quality.

I've continued to eat raw eggs, oysters, and salmon; raw dairy; and the raw fermented CLO.

My Slanker's order was a good value and good quality. It arrived during my "crash" and I just couldn't deal with 40# of raw meat. I kept about 1/3 of the order: the lamb suet, the bones, goat hearts, and a few other things that were easy to store and handle (unlike the cow tongue, for example). I intended to give them to my dog. The rest I gave to the only local restaurant that would have any use for them. They gave me a crappy loaf of bread in appreciation.

As I've thawed the items for the dog, we've eaten some of it too: goat heart, suet, spleen, and marrow. US Wellness Meats offers a raw braunsweiger that I have ordered for spreading on toast. I'll continue to prefer RAF over cooked animal foods within the limits of what is appetizing.

The carbon I ordered for filtering water didn't work out. I couldn't get the carbon "dust" out of the water. As it turns out, the water that has been distilled is spring water, not tap water, and most of the volatile organic pollutants in water (that would also be captured during distillation) are tap water additives. I am also adding living seaweed with the sea salt and straining before drinking. The taste and nourishment is very much improved.

Using only the sauna, water, and the occasional baking soda slurry has improved my skin dramatically. My daughter is now trying this routine as well. All blemishes and blackheads have disappeared and my skin is no longer dry.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: boxcarguy07 on December 12, 2008, 10:43:54 pm: Welcome back livingthelife!

I was sad to see you leave, especially so suddenly!
You don't have to eat 100% raw paleo to be a part of this board you know!

I hope you continue to do well!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 14, 2008, 10:42:20 pm: Yesterday was a "typical" day. I felt good and not stressed about food.

When I woke up I waited about 30 minutes to see what appealed to me for breakfast.

I wanted 8 oz fresh grapefruit/orange juice. When I was done, I wanted green juice and something salty, so I made 8 oz green juice and had a big piece of beef jerky. About an hour later I had a buttered wheat roll with 1 teaspoon of fermented CLO. Lots of water.

I gently massaged my face with warm water and wiped my pits & butt with a warm wet cloth. 30 minutes of yoga, then got dressed.

3 mile walk with my husband and the dog.

Ran a few errands

Had lunch:
2 oz goat heart slivers
handful of corn chips*
salsa
raw sour cream
1 oz raw cheese cubes
greens
4 oz red wine

I didn't eat all the goat heart. The last slivers were no longer appealing.

I started drinking organic red wine with meals for the health benefits of the fermented grape skins and because it relaxes my nervous stomach. I usually drink about 3 oz with lunch and another 3 oz with dinner, only when it's appealing.

Housework through the afternoon

Watched a movie & had a bit of air popped popcorn with seasalt & ghee around dinnertime

Made some salmon sashimi for dinner around 7PM. I made it and tried to eat it even though it was unappealing. I ate only a small amount and my husband ate the rest. I craved raw yogurt with bee pollen and a few nuts, and lots of water, so that's what I had instead.

Massaged the dog & did a little qigong after dinner.

Stepped into the tub & gently massaged my face with warm water and cleaned p & b with a bit of baking soda slurry. Scrubbed my feet with soap. Brushed my "hair."

Played some tetris in bed with a hot water bottle on my torso (the hot water bottle has helped reduce my reflux significantly).

Good night's sleep!

*I have yet to find any corn chips that are not fried in vegetable oil. Here in PA we have lard-fried potato chips, but I'm reluctant to try them. We don't need chips, and don't eat them often, but I don't want to cut them out entirely. I plan to investigate baking some quality premade tortillas to see if they are an adequate substitute.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: TylerDurden on December 14, 2008, 10:54:17 pm: Just curious, but why do you feed your dog on a BARF diet instead of a Prey-Model diet?
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 14, 2008, 11:00:39 pm: So I can catch heat from folks like you!

I don't feed exclusively one "model" or another. She gets much less veg/fruit and much more organ and fat than the BARF model recommends.

I'm getting the message.

Adios!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: TylerDurden on December 14, 2008, 11:06:46 pm: Quote from: livingthelife on December 14, 2008, 11:00:39 pm
So I can catch heat from folks like you!

I don't feed exclusively one "model" or another. She gets much less veg/fruit and much more organ and fat than the BARF model recommends.

I'm getting the message.

Adios!

Oh, I wasn't criticising, in this case. I realise that we all have to compromise etc. Even I have to sometimes eat cooked-food for social reasons.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 15, 2008, 12:07:47 am: OK, I need to stop being so immature.

However, I've felt a great amount of pressure on this forum to conform to a strictly raw diet, and strictly zero-carb on top of that. Somehow I'm not feeling a lot room for these compromises you mention, and for being not 100% raw paleo, as boxcarguy mentioned.

One reason I want to stay on this forum is to record just how it is that these compromises are struck: what works, and what doesn't. I think I'm probably typical for many people who are sincerely committed to move toward the goals of the forum as stated in the mission statement, and I'm willing to put my experience out there for others to consider.

So if I don't belong here, please say so outright and I'll move on, no hard feelings. Otherwise I'll try not be such a flake.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: boxcarguy07 on December 15, 2008, 12:34:30 am: livingthelife, I don't think TylerDurden means any ill-will.
I do think you completely misconstrued his above post about your dog's diet, as I didn't sense any aggressiveness at all in it. Just a question.

As far as the post in the "raw fat" thread...
like you said you are going to have compromises. When you mentioned the chips and that you would not be afraid of them, i think Tyler was, in his own way ;) , saying that these would in fact be a compromise, not something to eat for seeking health.

We all have our own viewpoints here, and Tyler doesn't speak for the board. Some promote 100% raw, some promote zero carb, and it is best not to let these differences get in the way of the goal of the board as a whole, which you said you were committed to and I agree.

Hope you decide to stick around!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 15, 2008, 01:43:14 am: Yes, I'm sure you're right. Somehow I thought TylerDurden was attacking me (must have gotten him confused with Brad Pitt). I'm sure he was merely the champion of information, as he usually is. Sorry for being such as beotch.

I'll never get to be a mammoth hunter if I keep deleting my account!

It may seem counterintuitive to feed a dog grains or vegetables and fruit, but she's always liked them. She eats my wheatgrass and vegetables from the garden - likes the tomatoes best - so I had to put up a fence to keep her out. I grind up the vegetables and fruit well, and inoculate them with a little kraut juice or kombucha, then let them sit out at room temp for a day to further break them down.

I noticed she eats her fat first, then her veg mash, then her meats, regardless of what types of those foods I feed her.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on December 16, 2008, 09:02:38 am: Since I "came back" to the forum after my unpleasant indigestion of large quantities of RAF, I've been wondering why I re-registered. I know that I wanted to follow up for anyone (probably not those already following the Raw Primal Diet and registered on this forum, but lurkers) who might be able to learn from my mistakes or trials. I also wanted some closure. This was the first time I ever posted my photo on the internet; I feel a link with the community here.

However, since I re-registered, I realize that I am actually not following the raw primal diet, nor do I intend to. I do intend to incorporate as many of the excellent ideas and practices of the raw primal diet as is comfortable for me. I hope to eat as many non-dairy raw animal foods as I find palatable, and I'm making my peace with fat.

Lard-fried potato chips ;) really brought the point home to me that my participation here is somewhat distracting to the Raw Paleo community.

A second issue that has arisen for me is that, before joining this forum, I lived in solitude (which is probably why I have such poor social skills), in a deeply contemplative state most of the time - near samadhi. I had successfully suspended the reflexive mind - that constant awareness and evaluation of oneself. Joining a forum like this requires the use of an avatar (even if that is one's own personality). I am finding that my spiritual life is suffering.

I'm going to leave the forum, and I ask the webmaster to delete my photograph in this journal.

You are all warriors! I've learned a lot from you, and I'm sure I will drop in now and then to peruse the good information and lively discussion that accumulates here.

~ livingthelife ... iwant ~
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: boxcarguy07 on December 16, 2008, 10:30:00 am: Godspeed! Wish you the best!
Title: update from livingthelife
Post by: livingthelife on February 26, 2009, 10:21:46 pm: Hi, I wanted to check in and update my journal for anyone who was interested in the issues I addressing.

For the past few years I've been recovering from some psychological and physiological abnormalities resulting from trauma. I've been learning to live a competent life from the ground up, and care of my physical body has been both a major challenge and an avenue of healing.

I'm now enjoying eating and have satisfaction and improved health. I no longer think about food with any irregularities in attitude. I'm no longer underweight or constipated.

I'm also no longer spending lots of time dealing with food or hygiene. Caring for my body has become a pleasure rather than a chore.

My description of my diet & lifestyle here aren't intended to be a recommendation, and may not suit the raw paleo community, but I'm offering it for anyone's consideration and as a resolution to the thread I started here.

Diet
50% raw plants
16% raw fat
16% meat
16% cooked refined grain
1% medicinals

I drink about 16oz of green-based juice daily, including a generous amount of fresh herbs. The rest I eat whole and plain. I tend to juice what I wouldn't eat plain, such as cabbage, but try to consume a wide variety of plants.

Most of my raw fat is dairy, but I also eat coconut, cod liver oil, olive oil, soaked nuts, and avocado daily. We try to use mostly fermented dairy, such as cheese, kefir, and cultured butter. I try to eat raw liver once a week.

I'm no longer preparing meals or cooking anything, I just stock the frig and people pick out what they want. I don't cook meat at all. We eat either raw meat (mainly fish & oysters), or precooked grass-fed meat (mainly beef) such as organ sausages, sliced roast, or jerky. We also frequently eat raw eggs.

I bake bread with organic unbleached unbromated white flour. I sprinkle in some whole grains, like rolled rye or pinhead oats, for some tooth and a little fiber. I use ghee and water (no milk), mindful of heat stability. The bread is primarily a vehicle for consuming fat, and does provide some quick energy and satisfaction. I've found that white bread is much easier to digest than fibrous breads - doesn't result in constipation or bloating. Using white flour also eliminates the need to soak or ferment the grain. We also do occasionally eat (carefully selected) breakfast cereal, which is more a matter of convenience than health. We also enjoy hot air popcorn with ghee and sea salt a few times a week.

Medicinals are primarily raw: manuka honey & pollen, hot peppers, seaweed, and "bitters" (currently the BH dewormer). And occasionally powdered eggshell. That sort of thing.

We're drinking distilled spring water remineralized with moist sea salt and "activated" in moonlight. I'm drinking more water than I was before which is helping tremendously - about 32-48oz a day now.

I am still drinking 1 cup of coffee in the morning. I also drink about 1 cup of homemade kombucha a day and frequently have green tea. I also have about 6oz of organic red wine most days, usually with meat.

I'm going into the fitness room daily, even if I only do some stretches or use the inversion table. I'm pushing my body less and loving my body more. When I do work out, about every third day, it feels good - not a trial. I'm still walking a lot and resting more often.

We've all started using the sauna every third day or so and no longer use soap on our skin. Hair is washed with a mild baby shampoo under the tub spout or not at all. Occasionally we'll massage some olive oil (DHC olive virgin oil) and/or essential oil into skin and exfoliate with a warm water and a dishcloth. Otherwise it's only warm water massage for cleaning. Still brushing teeth with baking soda & sea salt & the essential oil blend.

I'm soaking my feet in epsom salts more frequently for detox & relaxation.

Getting more sleep, too.

I really appreciate all the discussions here on the RP forum. The biggest changes in my lifestyle (eating fat & respecting my skin) came from ideas on this board!

Namaste!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: Raw Kyle on February 27, 2009, 02:26:35 am: I'm glad to see you're doing well. Sometimes I consider going a different route with diet and lifestyle to reduce some of the stress and temptations all around. No matter how much you research and learn in the end you have to go with your heart or things will not work out!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: Satya on February 27, 2009, 04:44:10 am: I commend you for sharing your evolving dietary choices with the group. As a gluten intolerant gal, who no longer has no desire for grain products, I am not so excited reading about bread, hee hee. But oh, a glass of red wine does go so well with dinner! And I think it's beautiful that we all can share no matter where we are, or what we are doing.

So why do you think your sleep has improved?

Best wishes and good to meet you!
Title: Re: update from livingthelife
Post by: livingthelife on October 09, 2009, 10:56:13 pm: Hello, checking in again with an update.

I'm still doing very well since my last post in February.

Since then, there have been a few adjustments:

I cut out most of the dairy, which wasn't much, but we weren't feeling very well on it. We now eat only small amounts of hard cheese and ghee (both raw organic grass-fed).

I couldn't work the coconut oil into our diets satisfactorily, so we don't use that any more. We're using more olive oil (organic EVOO) instead.

I've increased my raw liver consumption: 1 tsp/day of fermented raw cod liver oil and about 1/2 pound of raw brunsweiger per week.

I'm eating a lot more raw egg yolk. Even the dog doesn't feel well eating raw egg white; I throw away the whites. I'm eating about a dozen egg yolks/week. It's one of the foods that I really crave sometimes (biologically, not psychologically).

I've started eating about 4oz Rejuvenate brand salsa or kimchi daily. The Garden Kimchi contains medicinals such as dandelion and herbs. Making fermented relishes myself was too messy and smelly. The kimchi is another item I crave if I skip a day or so.

We are no longer eating raw oysters or fish from the grocery store. Not fresh enough and too messy.

Everything else is the same as I previously described.

About twice a week we eat a natural frozen meal, usually Asian or Indian. It satisfies "comfort food" cravings (psychological) and provides variety - most of our meals look like tapas, so eating an "entree" is nice once in while and keeps us out of restaurants.

Best wishes to all of you!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: RawZi on October 09, 2009, 11:30:18 pm: Good to see you back :)
Title: Re: update from livingthelife
Post by: livingthelife on October 21, 2009, 01:43:42 am: Quote from: livingthelife on October 09, 2009, 10:56:13 pm
hard cheese and ghee (both raw organic grass-fed)

Our ghee is organic grass-fed, not raw... ghee isn't raw... my bad
Title: raw lunch:
Post by: livingthelife on October 27, 2009, 09:40:38 pm: (the cracker is not raw, but has no leavening or vegetable oil)

the brunsweiger is 60 beef / 40 liver

this is a typical lunch or dinner meal for us - small, simple
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: ys on October 27, 2009, 10:34:09 pm: Interesting how you mix meat with sweet fruits. I thought sugar suppresses stomach acid, making it weaker.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: goodsamaritan on October 27, 2009, 10:42:51 pm: nice presentation.
I could never make something look that good.
my wife complains that my diet is unappealing because i have no style.
you've got class.
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on October 27, 2009, 10:44:29 pm: The variety tastes and feels best to me. I've tried to "eat with my brain" and it didn't work.

A little shaved onion on the brun is tasty too!

(Thank you, goodsamaritan! A splash of cab makes everything look better ;) )
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 10, 2009, 09:48:07 pm: Here's a picture of me 1 year after starting this journal.

The issues I hoped to resolve were:

*dry, "aged," thin skin
*lack of satisfaction & sense of well-being
*digestive problems
*complicated routines of diet & hygiene

I obviously look better and I feel better too (for the most part).

The biggest change over the past year has been some relief from the incredible stress of coping with past trauma. The stress isn't gone but it's much improved.

Second, my diet is greatly improved. When the first photo was taken I was a vegetarian. During the past year I've incorporated many RAF, mostly high-fat high-vitamin foods. I've lowered my dairy and grain consumption.

Third, I have stopped assaulting my skin.

Overall, I think these three changes have supported one another, resulting in an overall improvement in my lifestyle: a more nourishing diet eased my anxiety, the lowered anxiety improved my appetite, my attitude about myself improved, an improved attitude enabled me to practice respectful hygienic practices, etc.

November 2008
(http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/?action=dlattach;topic=784.0;attach=286;image)

November 2009
(http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/?action=dlattach;topic=784.0;attach=549;image)
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 11, 2009, 08:04:52 am: don't know what happened to my 2009 pic... try again

November 2009
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 18, 2009, 08:55:45 am: We've cut way back on bread, just enough to accompany a tsp of ghee and a tbsp of raw honey once a day.

We're eating about 90% raw.

I replaced olive oil with marrow so we're eating no vegetable oils any more.

Most muscle meats are raw now too and only tinned fish & some organ meats are cooked.

Everyone is healthy and satisfied and no one has asked for "junk food" in weeks.

I keep a chart on the frig to help with food choices:
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 23, 2009, 03:00:52 am: I'm going to take a break from the forum for awhile. I need extended periods of solitude.

Health and happiness to all!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: Ioanna on November 23, 2009, 05:07:43 am: Enjoy LTL!

Be well and we look forward to your return :)
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 28, 2009, 12:26:48 am: Refined guideline:

Only nutritionally dense foods from quality sources, as unprocessed and raw as possible:

50% plant
50% animal
100% variety
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 28, 2009, 08:14:13 am: Back into silence

(http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/meditation.jpg)

Namaste!
Title: Re: livingthelife's journal
Post by: livingthelife on November 29, 2009, 09:23:23 am: I've enjoyed my experience with this journal and I appreciate this forum as a chance to learn and share.

I've always sought wellness in the fullest sense; that includes a healthy attitude about eating and the proper enjoyment of nutritious foods.

So I'm closing this journal about food. It's time to allow eating to be just eating.

My last "diet guideline" is satisfactory for me here in this 21st century life and seems to be a fitting end.