Hi, Aria . . . thanks for the reply to my posting.  Having read your
letter twice I get the impression than perhaps some of us have
different enough genetic backgrounds that eating meat - or not -
becomes a significant health issue.

We were vegetarian (cooked) for 8+ years.  I've had a sugar problem
(addiction?) since I went to college.  I finally solved the issue by
following up on two important pieces of research: exposure to white
light from light bulbs (i.e.: a permanently extended day) and, the
Atkins Diet.

What I discovered was that we are biochemically driven to consume
carbohydrates when exposed to a long day.  The theory that the authors
presented was that humans had to fatten up for winter so the long
summer day triggered a craving for sweets. Cortisol, dopamine,
melatonin, seratonin and, ultimately insulin, play huge roles in the
way we choose our foods and experience our daily existence.

In my particular case I had to combine both the tenets brought forth
by Formby and Elliot (Lights Out) and those of Atkins: Simply, that
eating a high fat diet (temporarily) and getting a bare minimum of 9
1/2 hours of sleep every night (in a pitch black room - think "cave")
was what was required to kill the sugar cravings.  It only took 30
years to get that one right.  And it worked.  Neither Atkins alone nor
consistently long sleeps solved the cravings.

Having read your letter I have to wonder if somewhere in our distant
paths we developed different requirements for foods.  Looking at the
issue from the point of view of a medical anthropologist, one would
have to wonder if the needs of our ancestors who grew up far from
animals actually affected their genetics.  According to
anthropologists, virtually all primitive tribes, and, judging by the
historical evidence, early Man, ate a diet comprised of roughly 70%
animal products.

In support of the above, a Canadian by the name of Weston Price (a
dentist) travelled around the world in the 30's and 40's studying the
mouths of tribal peoples.  The result was a difficult to read tome (he
was a lousy writer) that said, in effect, exposure to a Western diet
leads to tooth decay and that - and this is the cruncher (no pun
intended) - those cultures that ate meat were by far the healthiest
out of all he studied.  Virtually all of the primitive ones ate their
meat in that 70% ratio.

Well, gotta get the kids to school.  Take care and, again, thanks for
the feedback  :-)

Warm regards,
Rick in Vancouver, Canada

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Aria Nadii" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 9:33 AM
Subject: A success story!


> At 08:47 AM 1/26/03 -0800, you wrote:
> >Question:  how can a success story not include eating raw meat?
>
> It can. I'm just not sure how. All I know is that  my health did
> improved significantly on a raw vegan diet. I have not had meat
> for 22 years and have not included animal products in my diet
> for the past 5 years with the exception of a one month trial that
> failed. I cut out the animal products again quickly because they
> had detrimental effects on my body and health.
>
> I became a "cooked" vegetarian at age 16. My diet was very
> heavy on starch and dairy. I developed Type 2 diabetes by age
> 32 and was overweight. 5'4 at 175 pounds. I was (and still am)
> very successful on a raw vegan diet. When I eat all raw plant
> foods, I have normal blood sugar and also bone spurs, rashes
> and other problems all clear up. I took off  65 pounds. Now
> I am 115 pounds, a good weight for me. I'm happy and healthy.
> I have no anemia or deficiencies. My doctor approves of this
> and advises to keep it up. I eat only raw plant foods and do
> not take supplements.
>
> My regular diet includes sweet and non-sweet fruit, green leafed
> and root vegetables, nuts, seeds, as well as sea vegetables such as
> kelp, dulse, and laver. I go easy on nuts and sweet fruits. My diet
> is heavy on green vegetables and I include some kind of fatty fruit
> every day like olive or avocado. I use nuts, seeds, and dried fruits
> in moderation...mostly as flavorings or treats. I eat almost no
grains,
> legumes, or sprouts except for the occasionally use of oat groats
> which are raw. I eat all raw. I use no animal products.
>
> As I mentioned, for about a month, I tried including various animal
> products in my diet and it did not improve my health at all. Raw
dairy
> caused significant health problems to return. They cleared up when I
> cut the raw dairy out again. Eating raw fish made me ill. I could
not
> bring myself to eat meat. It does not appeal to me at all. I suppose
I
> am a natural vegetarian considering I started so young. I do not
need
> meat or any animal products.
>
> >>   For a story to qualify as a raw vegan success story, I suggest
the
> >> following requirements (and perhaps more).
>
> I believe that I qualify. :)