Welcome Back! Answers to Your Questions on Eating Raw

YAY!!! Welcome back, readers! It's been over a month since I've written. My first break came when I was involved in counseling a week-long intensive (12 hour days), and that led to a number of other commitments.
I have missed "being" with you and connecting with T.H.E. Blog! community.
Tonight seemed like the perfect night to resume T.H.E Blog!, first, because I just got done with a scrumptous meal at Pure Food & Wine in NYC, and second, because the person with whom I shared that luscious raw meal is my dear friend Heather. Heather is pregnant and will be giving birth to her first baby in September, and I am her "coach"/support partner through her pregnancy and birth. Today, Heather and I went to a birthing class and then to dinner, Heather's first time at Pure Food & Wine. I wonder what her baby inside thought of the meal? Anyway, birthing seems a perfect time to resume my blog.

What I ate:
Breakfast:
Raw Morning Madness with coconut water, frozen banana, superfoods (Earth, Vitamineral Green, Fruits of the Earth and Dark Mint Maca - all from Healthforce Nutritionals), raw almond butter and a bit of agave

Snack:
Raw Revolution Raspberry bar

Dinner:
Starter:
Shaved Fennel salad with red fig, orange sections and black truffle seasonal mushroom
Entree:
Porcini Ravioli with cashew cream sauce
Dessert:
Raw ice cream sundae
coconut waters

My friend Torsten in Switzerland had commented on my blog back in April. As I try to answer all comments, I was surprised this one somehow missed me, so I thought I'd include both it and my response in the body of this post:

Torsten writes:
"Thank you for offering to answer questions.I have been on a partial (up to 80%) raw diet since the beginning of the year. Both me and my wife have been losing some weight although that was not intended and necessary. The thing with raw food is that it seems to keep me going only for a short time and I have to keep snacking on (raw) things during the day.I also had some setbacks with raw energy bars and mashed taters going bad before I could finish eating them.Since easter we have had more cooked foods again and I "sinned" by eating some chocolate. But I acutally feel pretty good and my wife tells me I look good too.So the question is: Why can food that is - according to the raw food books - bad for me make me feel and look good?"

Torsten, I love your story and questions. I will try and answer all of them. OK, so when we go raw, we first detoxify and "clean out" our systems. We never "build" until we first "clear," otherwise it would be like putting new seedlings for a garden on top of uncleared earth; they cannot grow properly. We need to give this some tie, as the raw lifestyle is like no other health and food protocol.
The weight loss tends to come as we start to "let go" of old waste and accumulations. When you stay on the raw lifestyle, the weight evens out; you often put some back on, and you definitely stop losing.
Early on, you might feel a lack of energy; in order to feed the organs finally in the proper way, the body often pulls some fuel away from the muscles and tissues. You can feel tired and sometimes even achy. Fatigue can come in when we are releasing years of "adulterated" eating and other habits.
Also, what you are eating may not be working to your benefit for 3 reasons:
1. Improper food combining:

Mixing fruit with protein, or protein with carbs, when they all digest at different rates, creates fermentation in the body. This does not allow for proper assimilation of your food and that can create fatigue. You also need to wait enough time between certain foods. For example, don't have your protein, even in a smoothie with nutmilk, and then have fruit. The fruit only takes between 15 minutes and an hour to disgest, depending on the type, and the protein can take 4-6 hours. Have your fruit, wait 1/2 hour and then have your smoothie

2. You are eating too much, being used to how we consume cooked food. Your body is being overloaded with raw and does not have time to digest and adjust to this new lifestyle. Don't put 20 ingredients in your food. Keep it simple and clean. Unless we are running a marathon, we do not need to frontload.
3. You are leading off your day with good intentions but not the appropriate choices. Start with some fruit; then have a green juice or a raw smoothie. If you want a snack, wait an hour and then maybe have a handful of nuts (just a handful). Then at lunch, try a large salad with avocado and seaweed, or some avocado, tomato and sprouts rolled up in a collard leaf. These are just some examples; experiment on your own.

As for the energy bars and taters going bad, it takes some practice to see how many days the shelf life of "live" food is; definitely not the same as preserved food.

And finally, Torsten, we never sin or eat "bad" food. Food is always nourshing. We always want to process it that way as we eat it, no matter what we choose to eat. Then we can choose the foods that keep our cells alive and dancing.
Why you may initially "feel" and "look" good is because your body only knows one way of eating to keep it alive. That's why some people think that they cannot digest raw veges or other foods, as their sytems only know one way of eating, but that way has adulterated the body for so many years and prevented it from being able to properly digest the proper high-level foods. Once you really clean your system out and detoxify, and stay with it, your body will start to respond properly and then fully thrive, and you will look and feel better than ever!
I hope this helps you on your path.
I look forward to reading and responding to more comments from readers.
In Health & Joy,
Hope