>I'm Trish, I've been subscribed to the list for about two months.
>I've read through about 20% or so of the archives.  Reading more as
>time permits.  I appreciate the spirit of this list - of the lists I
>have belonged to over the years, this one has been the most civil,
>informative and generally intelligent (she said affectionately -
>nothing against those OTHER lists.)

Trish, good to have you on board.

>I was on a few "low-carb" lists but found that while the low carb
>approach seems to work for many people, they (the people on the lists)
>are not that concerned with other aspects of health.  I just cannot
>believe that eating lots of cream cheese and limiting your fruits and
>vegetables is good for you.

The Paleo diet is a low carb diet that includes a lot of vegetables and
fruits.

> However, the people who follow these diets tend to feel
>100% better than they did previously.  They make some of the same
>claims that raw fooders do - LOTS more energy being the #1.  I think
>the thing that the two groups have in common is neither group eats
>refined sugars and flours and thus little to no traditional junk food.
>I suspect that if you do nothing else, eliminating these cause a vast
>improvement in the way most SAD'ers feel.

I think there is a lot of truth to this. Still many people do not seem
to stabilize before they reach a higher ratio of protein/carbohydrate
in their diets.

>Which leads me to my last point - I've been experimenting on myself
>for years with this - does a healthy diet lead to a healthy spiritual
>life/"inner peace"?

This is my belief. If your brain and nervous system are not getting the
nutrients they need, I think it is very difficult to advance
spiritually. After 25 years as a vegetarian and to now having added raw
animal foods to my diet the last few months - mostly raw eggs and raw
dairy so far - I feel more grounded than I have felt in a long time.

>This is what I had hoped for many years.  In the end, of course, I
>think a healthy diet gives you a better chance for a healthy spiritual
>life but it is not sufficient.  You can be eating 100% incredibly
>healthy and still be a basket case (been there, done
>that.)

I agree but think that it is quite difficult to feel like a basket case
if one is on an optimal diet.

>I am a strong believer in what Ellie says about toxic emotions and
>think that a cleaner diet helps you better distinguish "what's what."

Well put.

>All that said, this list has been inspiring and educational for me.

Likewise and thanks for sharing your story.

Best, Peter
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