Roy Holman <[log in to unmask]>:
>     Well, the two-month cleansing crisis dampened my enthusiasm a bit.  I
>had giardia, amoebas, constant diahrrea, poor circulation, and got down to
>under 100 pounds (I'm 5' 8").  Then I developed severe food cravings and
>became totally fixated on food:  planning and preparing meals, shopping,
>fasting, bingeing.  Now, after 3 years of this, I am only starting to let go
>of this preoccupation, and I attend eating disorder groups each week.

Tom:
Thanks for sharing an interesting story! Craving, bingeing, food obsessions -
these are common problems in raw vegan diets. It's good that you recognize
it, rather than being in denial as many are. Recognition of a problem is the
first step towards finding a solution.

Roy Holman <[log in to unmask]>:
>Through it all, I continued with a diet of about 75% raw food.  The
>reasons for my problems?  There are many that I have learned enroute:  First,
>I was doing too much fruit (about 50% of my diet the first year or two, along
>with 25% raw veggies, about 10% raw nuts, & seeds, and some cooked grains,
>beans, etc.).  I learned I am hypoglycemic as well - I was up and down like a
>yo-yo, ungrounded, with poor concentration, etc.  Also, my body was furious!

Tom:
High fruit diets/fruitarianism have been discussed on this list. You might
want to explore this in the archives - lots of good material there.
The archives are at:
            < http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/raw-food.html >

Roy Holman <[log in to unmask]>:
>with ... 5) Spirit!  We can't eat our way to God.  Food is only one wonderful
>way to love ourselves and heal ourselves.  If we get too serious and focused
>on it, and into our head, or judgemental or too worried about it, it defeats
>the purpose.  If it's not done with love - true love - it's not worth doing.
> It might be better to lovingly eat a 100% cooked diet.

Tom:
I have said much the same before on this list. You might want to read
a few of my recent posts in the archives:
the Expo files (Posted June 1 or 2), the notes from my talk at the
Expo "Troubleshooting: ...problems in raw..." (mid June), "myths of
raw foods" (2 weeks ago), and "idealism vs realism in raw foods" plus
supplement (posted last week).  I mention these posts as I think you will
find them of interest.

I'm not the moderator, but want to welcome you to the list anyway!

Regards,
Tom Billings
[log in to unmask]