Salmon sashimi is an amazing food.  You will find a huge range of diets here.  All carnivore to some vegan and everything in between.  I am primarily lot of vegetables, fruits, fatty fruits (avocados, olives, coconuts), some cooked veggies, with smaller amounts of animal products.  I definitely would not feel right without them though. 

Sardines are a really good option.  You may find that eating the animal proteins/fats rare or very lightly cooked sits better with you than traditional heavy cooked stuff. 

Just cook everything "low and slow." 
And remember that everything you do affects what your body needs.  Activity levels, climate, season, stress levels etc. 

For instance, I need more animal proteins and fats when I am
A. In colder climates, IE: winter
B. Doing more heavy physical exercise, IE: weights, bodyweight exercises, moving furniture
C. Under more mental/emotional stress.

So yea, I think we are all different and you need to ease in and listen to your body and it will lead you right =)

-Joe

Miscommunication I think Dorothy.  I let myself eat junk maybe once a month, but am not too concerned about some cooked potatoes or sushi with rice every now and then.  The spirituality thing is tricky yes.  I don't condone anybody thinking they are more spiritual because of how they eat.  However, I believe the two are related.  People that develop a strong spiritual practice usually don't have the desire for stuff like pizza, chicken wings, garlic bread, etc. as much.  Like in many shamanic traditions they stick to very simple diet, not many spices, etc.  I agree that "one man's meat."  It's really all about what we can individually metabolize.  If i shred through 20 apples in a day and feel amazing, great.  It's when we eat heavy things that are innapropriate for our own bodies and crazy food combinations and 20 things at a time that things get confusing.  I guess this is just my experience.  Whenever doing meditation or shamanic work I try to not eat any super heavy or complex, highly seasoned foods for a few hours before because it interferes for me.  Maybe we are in the wrong forum 

That's awesome.  Yea, it really is a way of life.  It is funny looking at "regular food" anymore.  It's like everything most people eat looks like a cartoon or comic book to me now.  These bags and boxes with funky labeling and chemicals.  Real food just seems right after a while and you wonder how you ever ate otherwise.

I agree with listening to your body.  If it doesn't feel right, don't eat it.  You probably don't need it.  I disagree with eating root tubers raw.  Same with raw veggies unless you can stomach them.  Experiment with different things and see what instinctively sounds good to you?  How about some word association?

-FRUIT
-SOFT cooked veggies (peas, carrots, potatoes) with raw olive oil or butter
-RAW NUTS
-RAW EGGS

I mean just don't force anything.  My diet shifts all the time.  Another thing you might try is a "rotation diet."  I often get hooked on certain foods. (carrot/celery juice, raw eggs, etc) and then get sick of them mentally and physically.  Rotate what you eat on a 3-4 day cycle.  Or eat something for a few days then go off for a few days.

Thanks GC, Yea i can get a very wide variety of high quality beef cuts/organs from my local farmer here.  I'll give that a shot.  I've been craving steak lately seems like.  Something in the red meat that the salmon just doesn't have haha.

I have heard that too about the eggs with grains.  I know these local farmers.  They use free-range pasture fed primarily with non-gmo grains as a supplementation when needed. 

Greetings.

Yea, don't be afraid to ease into it man.  Cut out the processed junk first.  Then focus on adding in easy, digestible things that your body seems drawn to.  (Fruits, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, raw eggs, slow cooked/rare meats).  I would personally try not to get stuck on the 100% raw thing.  A lot of people do better with cooked veggies here and there.  Another tip would be to start including "fermented foods" like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, etc into the diet.

-Joe

I have had issues with this in the past.  Partly has to do with what your eating.  Part of it has to do with metabolism.  Maybe emotional issues.  Here is my ideas for you:

1. enhance "microcirculation" through herbs like ginger, garlic, cayenne, parsley, turmeric, cinnamon, etc. 

2. Massage or self-scalp stimulation.  Basically massage your head and neck with tips of your fingers a few times a day.

3.  If your eating lots of plants, let them warm up to room temperature first.  The nature of plants is not as "cool" and shocking to the body normally in nature.  It is 100 degrees outside here.  Leave food sit out a bit before you try it

4. This is something i recently learned about.  Carry around a digital pocket thermometer.  The goal is 98.6.  I can almost promise you your average temperature will be lower than this.  Take it before and after meals and see whether you go up or down.  This shows what is REALLY good for you.  For instance, if I eat a giant salad, sure the veggies are "alive, rich of nutrition, etc" but the fiber completely screws up digestion making for a net LOSS in energy derived from it.  My body has to probably use more energy to break down all the fiber than it gets from the plants.

5. Mild exercise and sauna.  These also will increase lymph flow and circulation

6. Figure out if you have detox work to do.  Circulation won't work very well with clogged up colon, liver, kidneys

There is probably more but that is what i got for now 

-Joe

You might also look into liver flushing or coffee enemas.  Some people think they don't tolerate fat well because the liver is clogged up.  I know after cleansing my liver, the fats start digesting better.  I think most people have a lot of issues with fat maybe should try a liver flush or two.  I remember I listened to a radio show from Paul Chek awhile back some guy was like  "BUT i've been eating organic whole foods for 3 years!"  And he says, "how old are you?"  He says "28"..."So you have been eating junk for 25 years?"  We have to remember that all this stuff doesn't just go away because we start eating good.  Gotta do the cleansing work and it seems like the liver/kidneys just don't come unglued with a clean diet.  Just a different perspective 

This is both inspiring and sad.  I think the guy that was in the Spartacus TV show just died from cancer of some sort.  My brother had watched it.  These guys put themselves under so much pressure to perform and be ultra-ripped and strong, work crazy hours, probably irregular eating schedules, etc.  I have learned the difference between willpower and trying to prove something.  If you are truly strong I think sitting out for awhile until you recover is the best choice.  Why push and choose a lot higher risk of dying.  Ultimately: stress = loss of energy.  When you are ill you need all the energy you can get.

Where would you guys live if you could choose the best place for optimal diet/lifestyle?  Factors would include:

-long growing season
-access to clean air/water
-clean wild fish/game
-mass of farmers markets
-good atmosphere in general

On a side note: what do we think about eating wild game raw?  As in like deer, wild boar, rabbit, squirrel, fish, waterfowl, etc.

Yea sounds like your doing a really good job with everything.  A few ideas maybe.  Ease into the raw stuff.  Remember a lot of very healthy cultures don't eat 100% raw food.  I would feel terrible for instance if i ate a lot of raw salad vegetables without blending or juicing them.  My digestion is not great.  Also if your body tells you to go slow, then go slow.  Here are some things i find really easy to add in that don't take much getting used to.

-raw eggs/yolks
-avocado
-salmon sashimi
-raw butter
-olives/olive oil
-coconuts
-sardines (lightly smoked)
-rare red meats if raw doesnt sound appealing.  I would add that sometimes i blend up raw liver in smoothies with maybe tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic,etc.  After awhile you seem to just lose a taste for heavy cooked food.



Also, remember that stress/emotions are a big factor in health.  I'm not trying to suggest anything, but most people have a lot of mental/emotional/spiritual stuff to work on.  IE: relaxing and trusting ourselves.

-Joe

Insects are an interesting topic.  I was watching something on discovery channel the other day.  They were saying how 80% of the worlds population has historically consumed insects as a regular part of the diet.  I think a lot of us (especially in America) forget that this was a big part of our prehistoric diet.  It's very hard these days i would imagine with all the pesticides, fertilizers, etc everywhere.  I suppose wild foraging in somewhat unpopulated areas wouldn't be bad.  I have no idea what kind of insects people eat though =)  I know people eat ants, worms, caterpillars, etc.