The Frugivore Diet

Now About Health

2014-08-29T18:24:37.000Z

I go to twelve-step meetings. One is AA. Another is OA. Alanon is also good. However, they all seem to be locked in to the idea that it's okay to eat SAD, as long as I don't drink alcohol! This idea is explained on page 133 of Alcoholics Anonymous in a paragraph that starts with, "Now about health...."

As I understand this paragraph, it recommends that an alcoholic, "...carry chocolate, rely on sweets, coffee, cigarettes...." as a substitute whenever s/he has a craving for alcohol. This idea was popular in 1935, when the Big Book was written, but it has definitely been disproven since that time. However, most "recovered alcoholics" are definitely still in denial about everything but alcohol, in my opinion. As a result, they develop obesity-related, chronic, degenerative diseases--like cancer, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease(s)--to name only a few.

Therefore, I now believe that I am no longer an alcoholic. I am not like other alcoholics. I am a "low-fat, raw vegan, with a desire to stop drinking." That's all that is necessary for membership in AA. I have learned the language and the 12-step way of life, so I believe I will continue to be a member of AA, but I now prefer to do so as a low-fat, raw vegan.

First of all, I'm rewriting the paragraph in the Big Book that starts out, "Now about health...." Next, I'm rewriting the 12 Steps so they apply to more than "just alcohol." Then, I'm rewriting the AA Big Book, so that it deals with the problems that I encounter as a LFRV with a desire to stop drinking!

I would appreciate any questions, comments or suggestions, as follows....

Now About Health

2014-08-29T18:24:36.000Z

I would appreciate any questions, comments or suggestions, as follows....

The Mother of all Elimination Diets (TMED)

2014-08-11T16:21:55.000Z

My name is Mack, and I'm an alcoholic. My last drink was 7/24/14, so my sobriety date is 7/25/14. My last SAD binge was 8/6/14, so my abstinence date is 8/7/14.

I feel that AA is the ideal approach to alcohol addiction and I went to a very good AA meeting this morning. However, I am having lots and lots of trouble being a 100% LFRV in AA because the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (AABB) recommends that an alcoholic, "...carry chocolate at all times...and depend upon sweets...coffee...cigarettes...," whenever the craving for alcohol raises its head. In practice, this recommendation means that alcoholics simply transfer their addiction for alcohol to a dependence upon SAD.

There are chocolates, sweets, coffee and cigarettes in the meetings, and there are people who are addicted to SAD in a militant way. In fact, I believe one could say that about the American society in general. There are sick people in AA. There are people who suffer from cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease(s) and some 20 or 30 obesity-related, chronic, degenerative diseases (ORCDD's)--and they are militant defenders of their addiction--because they can point to the AABB (written in 1935) and say they are doing what is recommended to stay sober!

This practice and these people make it very difficult for me to get sober and become a 100% LFRV in AA! In fact, I have a tough time doing either of these things anywhere in the USA because there are many sick, alcoholic, SAD-addicted people everywhere in the USA.

So I would like to start my own discussion group; my own 12-step meeting; my own support group. I hope that I can allow anyone and everyone to share his own experience, strength and hope without becoming self-righteous about my own beliefs. I hope that I can learn from others; help and be helped by others; and thereby find the support that may help me become a 100% LFRV.

However, many will say that I am an extremist. I hope to bring the 12 Steps of AA to this discussion, and to practice them with SAD the same way I am learning to practice them with alcohol in AA.

how to get over the guilt

2014-03-19T01:00:46.000Z

Hey guys so I've decided to take on this life style about 2 weeks ago and it been pretty up until tonight. I'm a swimmer on my high school team so for 2 1/2 hours after school I swim, and when I got home I had one of those "I'm going to eat the world!" moments. Everything was fine I was just ate a ton of bananas, blue berries, and apples. Then after I ate all those things for some reason I was still so hungry and I ate some ice cream, I don't know why I ate it but it was like all I could think about was putting something in my body. Now I feel so guilty about it and ashamed and I know I should just move but I feel so guilty! How do you deal with the guilt?

advice/support please... been a rough year

2013-12-29T22:03:58.000Z

Hi :),

about a year ago i was making a transition into hcrv. although i was struggling with various issues, i was excited and determined about this. i was hcrv for a little while, and then i got sent to an RTC. here i was only allowed to be vegetarian, which i kept to strictly. i will probably be coming back home with the next couple months, and i want to go back to hcrv. while ive been there i gained a lot of weight, and am not happy about it, to say the least ( the food there is high in fat, and not healthy). so, im struggling and would appreciate advice on how to transition back to hcrv. THANK YOU!

Newbie to all this

2013-03-25T23:49:11.000Z

hello hello.. i am new to this site. i am so glad i came across it.. My Name is Desiree. or Dez.. I am almost 32, mom of 2 kids ages 10 and 7!!

i am slowly making my way into vegetarian, then wanna slowly make the move into Vegan, then eventually to RAW!! I haven't really eaten much meat or chicken lately.. Only shrimp. I don't ever crave meat. Giving it up completely will be no problem. CHicken wont be that hard to give up either. Shrimp on the other hand will be, as I LOVE IT and will be the last thing I give up. as well as Cheese, I LOVE CHEESE!!! I eat alot of fruit already. So right now I am working on nothing but Fruit and veggys for breakfast and lunch. Allow vinegarette dressings with my salads.. Snack on only fruits, eliminating all crackers, chips etc(for the most part). And my salad with Shrimp(if even) for dinner. I hope to discover some awesome recipes so keep things from getting repetitive or boring causing me to want the bad foods!!

My reason for wanting to make the change, is I have read all the benefits of living raw. I want to live a long and healthy life, and I want to introduce my family into it as well and get them on the path with me. While I know they will not go vegan or even vegetarian, I haope to get them eating like one several days a week. I suffer from horrible esophagus spasms, bad heart burn and acid reflux. Mostly caused from meats and processed foods!!! I hope to rid of this forever without having to keep taking medication, which I only take right now when it gets really bad..

I do exercise. 3-5 days a week. ANd just started doing some Hot Yoga today!

Feel free to send me a friend request!!!

I hope to meet some new friends here and get support needed, I know this is going to be tough for the first month or so. I hope to do my first 30 day Banana Challenge the first week in May..

Feel free to send me a friend request

can't seem to get the fat down

2013-03-23T17:36:57.000Z

I cant seem to keep my fat at 10%. I mean I know what to do...or not to do...but cant seem to do it consistantly. I attribute this to chocolate addiction and occasional non grain bread...that has to be made with a lot of oil. Obviously if I could get past 80% raw I could do it. :(Working at it. Any suggestions???? Baby steps welcome. Thx!

Have dinner for lunch!

2012-06-15T21:18:36.000Z

Earlier this week, I started reading Dr Vivian Vetrano's eBook, Genuine Fruitarianism; The Ecological, Sociable, Satisfying Way to Eat which goes very deeply into the physiology surrounding our need for protein in the diet (spoiler: You definitely need nuts and seeds in your diet!) In the discussion on protein deficiency, she listed off the related symptoms and how when you're deficient in proteins, your appetite doesn't go away even after eating large meals of fruits and/or salads. This is a problem that I always suffer even though I may have just finished a large salad complete with nuts.

It occurred to me that perhaps my problem is that although I've eaten plenty of protein, my body has yet to assimilate it so the appetite is still running! So yesterday, I decided to eat my nuts and salad dinner for lunch instead. I finished this meal about 12:30 and went out for the rest of the afternoon helping disabled people sail around the local lake. I was pretty busy so by the time I got anywhere near food (doughnuts in this case,) it was 3:30 and I found that I had absolutely no interest in having one.

I came home and fixed up a large smoothie for dinner which I finished about 6:30 and then went out to choir practice for several hours. Coming home from practice has always been a challenging time for me in the past as I usually have a serious desire for something sugary and usually give in to something unhealthy. This time, I had absolutely no interest in snacking at all even though I was up for another hour and a half.

Thinking this might be just a one off, I tried it again today. I had my usual (of late) breakfast smoothie and for lunch tucked into the large salad with sunflower seeds. I then got busy in the garden for the next several hours noticing that several times I thought about how nice it would be to have a snack but never seriously considering it. Since then, I had a smoothie for dinner and here I am at 10pm not concerned in the least about food, feeling quite content and satisfied in that department.

What I think is happening is, my lunchtime protein is being assimilated during the afternoon and by the time I get to dinnertime, it has registered with my appetite. I must say that I wasn't particularly hungry for my dinner but was eagerly awaiting it and enjoyed it immensely. Even so, by the time I was finished, my appetite had well and truly been fulfilled so there was no "craving" remaining to fight with.

I'll continue to test this theory and report back on progress.

Regards,

John

Life After Food Addiction

2012-06-03T21:45:56.000Z

hey everyone..I found this young man on youtube very inspirational and wise on how to handle those "addictions" that come and haunt us from time to time ..Thought maybe it could help those who are struggling with caving into those addictions or falling off the wagon..Enjoy!! and Please let me know what you guys think..or if it helped anyone :)

http://youtu.be/iM3XLtpXc-g

A simple tool to help with each day

2012-06-02T14:42:50.000Z

Today I thought of a tool I'm going to use to help me with my food choices, and it's really quite simple.

Each time I sit down to eat something, I am going to say "This is a loving food choice. It's fuel for my body."

And if it's something I know better than to give in to, I'm going to say "This is not a loving food choice. I am fully aware of this and the fact the I am choosing it anyway."

Every time I make a good choice, it will be affirmed.

Every time I make a bad one, though I recognize it may not be enough to stop me, it'll at least stop and make me think. And maybe i'll stop dead and push it away. Or maybe if I hear myself saying this enough times throughout the day or week, it'll make me fully aware and push me to tip the scale for a better choice each time.

"This is a loving food choice. It's fuel for my body."

"This is not a loving food choice. I am fully aware of this and the fact the I am choosing it anyway."

It's a simple enough tool. The goal is for it to be effective!

= )

Tania

History of eating disorders

2012-06-02T12:50:23.000Z

Hello, lovely people!

My name is Amber. I've been researching/verrrry gradually transitioning (i.e. lots of slip-ups!) to LFRV for a little over a month now. I've been vegan, for ethical reasons, for 9 years so at least that part wasn't a challenge for me!!

I wanted to post here to ask if anyone has had success with the 12-Step program in beating eating disorders not only in terms of overeating, but bulimia/anorexia. I know there is an eating disorders group here, but I have avoided it because I don't want to think of my problem as a 'disease' - more like a bad habit, or collection of bad habits, and I feel at my core that this is true. I am trying to focus on wellness itself, not beating a disease.

Unfortunately, as "food issues" tend to be, my bulimia is very much tied into emotions so that until finding 30BaD, I've been convinced I was "emotional eating." I am now sold on the role of carbs in avoiding this type of eating! Still, the part of my brain that is still wired to old, unhealthy habits has not accepted that it is now getting what it physiologically needs - bananarama! ;) Aaand it still wants to binge on things like peanut butter and toast. Sigh.

Soon I may have an opportunity to see a therapist who works with a similar program (I'm in university and my parents have very kindly offered to pay for it) but I am really torn as to whether it is right for me. To make a long story short, therapy has NEVER helped me no matter the type of therapy or my reasons for attempting it.

Has anyone had remotely similar experiences? Thank you so much for any and all replies. Namaste and sunshiney wishes! :)

What would you like your god to take care of today?

2012-06-01T21:06:40.000Z

Okay, so today I'm asking my higher power, Mohammed, Jesus & Buddha to relieve me of a major affliction on my path..

GRANDIOSITY

Let me explain what this looks like...

* That feeling of "I'm on top of the world now and NOTHING IS EVER GOING TO BRING ME DOWN" - This happens particularly when I'm undereating and losing a lot of weight, and think I look really HOT. (ironically, the following week I'm not feeling so HOT)

* When I'm talking to friends/family and I'm feeling holier than thou about my eating habits over their ones.

* When I feel 'sorry' for people struggling with weight/health issues - rather than feeling empathy (I'm regularly there with them but I just forget that I have been)

Here's hoping holding this one up to the light will help move it along..

What does compulsive eating, overeating or undereating look like for you? Let's get honest

2012-06-01T20:56:22.000Z

In the 12 steps it's all about coming out of denial and getting honest, and I think this could help my recovery right night now...

So here goes, for me..

* Unconscious eating without recording it - e.g eating grapes one by one while I'm cooking dinner for my family (solution - get a cup measure, put them in a bowl, write them down)

*Finish off scraps of my family's meal (toast crusts, plate scraps) - I have a real thing about wasting food. I'm asking my higher power right now to relieve me of this terribly destructive habit. I'm worth more than a garbage receptacle.

*picking up cooked food in the late afternoon (particularly salty things like crackers, dips or chips) and this leading to a binge where I eat till I'm in pain.

*Eating more when I'm in pain - even if it's fruit and veg (I'm not kidding - I don't understand why I do this, but it's sheer physical abuse to mask emotional pain)

*Knowing that I should eat AT LEAST 2200-2300 calories a day in fruit and veg and "skimping" (just eating 2000, or 1800 instead). This one makes me feel really good psychologically until I crash and burn the next day or the day after.

*Eating something (including fruit) when I know I'm underhydrated, simply because my spoilt inner brat does not want to drink boring old water!

I shall add more as I think of them.

I now pray to my Good Orderley Direction (Aka God) to relieve me of this behaviour so that I may be fully present to life's joys and contribute my whole beautiful self to society!

Measuring and weighing food as compulsive eaters of junk food

2012-05-31T17:50:33.000Z

Some people in OA weigh and measure their food to control their calorie consumption. 30Bad encourages people to weigh and measure food to ensure that people are actually eating enough. I've never counted calories as a raw vegan, but I've been humbled to take suggestions and be open-minded. I know for sure there were days where I consumed a huge amount of fruit calories that I still reached for junk, partly addiction, force of habit, stress, etc.

Weighing and measuring sounds awfully complicated and hard and inconvenient and annoying. But I want to get better so bad, I'm willing to give it a try. I have a little scale; I'm going to replace the battery and start practicing. I'm sitting at the library right now as I don't currently have Internet access at home, which makes doing Cronometer difficult. Can I download it on my smart phone? The whole thing just sounds annoying- I'm struggling to be open-minded!

But I know I've been guilty of undercarbing and then overeating. It's really easy to fall into that trap. So, this will be an attempt at breaking the cycle.

What do you guys think about weighing and measuring? Just for the record, some people do in OA, some don't.

Quoting the community: it's a hard road for some of us...

2012-05-29T17:25:34.000Z

In a discussion that launched this group, I picked out some quotes that really stood out to me that spoke to people's honesty and exploration about their struggles in this path. I think they will resonate with any person who knows how to do LFRV, believes in it, could educate on the subject, but unfortunately can't get past personal barriers:

"I'm still dealing with out-on-control binge eating at nighttime. I am so sick of it. I need more help than what my measly willpower can muster up. So, I'm combining raw veganism with 12 step recovery"

"It's just harder for some of us!"

"I have cheated myself recently thinking that this one time wont hurt and then its one more time"

"A moment on the lips, is a lifetime on the hips."

"After reading this thread last night, I was reinspired to get my act together and get through at least one 24 hour period without a binge."

"It's just going to be a longer road for some of us than others. That doesn't mean we can't make it. I like to think that with each failure and each struggle that I have I will accumulate experience that will help someone else in the same situation in the future."

"the times that I do join in with cooked or poorly-combined foods, I always feel diminished by it and then think, I might as well have a dessert to top off the feeling of defeat (or some psycho-babble nonsense to that effect!)

Yes, being on your own, literally or in the company of unsupportive people, is difficult for many of us. Fortunately, through this forum and many others, you're never really alone.

I was successful in my renewed campaign last night and hope to add a second night to it, tonight!"

Thanks for these, everybody. I have personally been immediately affected by these sentiments and have already made great LFRV food choices today. Thank you for giving me strength today. = )