The Frugivore Diet

Raw Fruit Festival in Andalusia, Spain

2016-05-22T13:21:33.000Z

Hi, the Raw Fruit Festival www.raw-fruit-festival.net will be held from August 28 to Sept 3 in Andalusia, southern Spain, maybe you'd like to join. Early bird discount if registration confirmed before June 1st!

Local organic veggies and fruits, picked ripe, mangoes, bananas, figs, melons, litchis, watermelons.

Outdoor activities, fitness, biking, capoeira, yoga, running, river, hiking...

And of course, family friendly activities, at the camp and the river!

Hope to see you there

Cheers

Protein sources (eggs) for children?

2016-01-16T21:30:34.000Z

Please tell me why eggs are not a good source of protein (besides not being raw vegan). I know they are disgusting when you think about what they are & where they come from, & I know they can harbor bacteria, & it is not animal friendly, & they are high in cholesterol... but, why specifically would they not be a good source of protein? I want to be able to explain it to my mom whom, despite being into raw, is still concerned about my kids needing to get enough protein while growing since they probably don't eat enough greens & nuts are more about fat.

Also, should this really be a concern? I know there's plenty of protein in raw vegan for an adult... but what about growing children? Do they need more?

What about peanuts/peanut butter... should this be avoided due to possible aflatoxin or might this be a good source as a legume for another protein?

Fruit Diet and Cloth Diapering

2014-07-19T00:12:13.000Z

My little guy is cloth diapered and I am finding that he wets through his diaper a LOT with the 811 lifestyle (which is awesome cause I know he is hydrated), but just wondering how people deal with this.

I use sheets with a cover and I don't like to make them too thick because then his mobility is affected more.

Any suggestions, tips, relating?

New YouTube channel on vegan parenting and information/advice on certain issues that may arrise

2014-01-08T09:35:16.000Z

Hello!

Please check out my YouTube channel FruityVegan Mama if you get a chance. Could do with some support and advice. Another video going up as we speak on healthy vegan snacks for children, how to get them to eat a variety of foods and mostly enjoy it! Any ideas or questions parents on this lifestyle may have i will gladly answer or make a video out of! I hope this doesn't sound patronising?! It's really not, I just want to help get the message out, esp to families and the fact that children thrive on this lifestyle.

Love and fruit xx

Sorry I think I posted this in the wrong place earlier!

TOOTH DECAY

2013-09-03T00:48:12.000Z

My four year old daughter has a ton of cavities. They want to do a "baby root canal"! I know I need to re-mineralize her teeth and up her calcium and phosphorous.

The problem is she's a picky eater and I can't get enough plants in her to meet the requirements. Should I give her a chewable vitamin?

Help...thank you.

Services for Raw Vegan Families(Personal Trainer, Teacher ,Chef)

2013-07-12T14:47:01.000Z

I would love to work with raw vegan families that are looking for a person like myself who is a raw vegan/vegan personal trainer,chef and teacher(home school or tutoring). View my bio at www.karunaforanimals.com

Great video from a child on GMOs!

2013-05-07T07:33:19.000Z

My toddler has thrush and tooth decay. I need some suggestions.

2013-04-24T07:05:44.000Z

First the tooth decay:

I exclusively breastfed my daughter for nearly the whole first year of her life. Then I introduced some high-carb foods into her diet, including cooked rice and pasta and of course fruit. Shortly after, I started noticing her two front teeth were starting to decay. They have been getting worse ever since (almost six months ago). I blame the grains and my own high-fat diet. I haven't been able to take her to a dentist but I don't feel that they would be helpful anyway and would blame it on breastfeeding (which I don't plan on stopping for quite a while). I know that's not the case and I feel that the only thing that might remedy the situation is changing my own diet (I'm doing a 30 day challenge - on or before May 1st - to get me started) and only allowing her to have breast milk, fruits and greens. I started using coconut oil in an attempt to treat her tooth decay (similar to oil pulling). But I really worry about the fat content if she swallows any of the oil which is bound to happen since she is only a year old.

Some questions: Should I stop using the coconut oil or is there a way that I can use it that might have similar benefits to oil pulling? Is there something else I should be using besides just water to brush her teeth with? How much fruits and greens should a one-year old be consuming in addition to breast milk.. and are there any resources you know of regarding children's nutrition in relation to 811? Is there anything I can do besides the diet to help her body remineralize those teeth?

The other problem:

She developed oral trush a couple of days ago and I have been treating it with baking soda and coconut oil. Of course I worry about the salt content and the fat content and while I know the 811 diet will get rid of it, I'm not sure what else I can do for short-term relief except get pharmaceutical treatment which I absolutely do not want to do. I know the thrush wasn't caused by the oil because I also have some candida stuff going on. All of the "natural treatments" I've found on the internet (baking soda, vinegar, grapefruit seed extract) seem scary, to say the least. Essentially I'm just trying to prevent the trush from getting worse or spreading while our bodies work on healing once we are eating properly.

I'm also wondering though, will the baking soda cause more harm than good? If so, what else can I use to keep her symptoms at bay?

If anybody has an answer to these questions or any additional suggestions, they will be so greatly appreciated. I know I need to change my diet ASAP. High-fat and grain-based diet is not doing either of us any good. Thanks for your time!

Winning snack ideas for a toddler please!

2013-02-26T23:37:06.000Z

My 2½ year old boy 'T' is slowly getting into this way of eating. We still eat a bit cooked, but he's eating more and more raw, and asking for bread and pasta a lot less!

But when we're around other people and their food, he hovers around and accepts donations like a poor starving child! This is mostly at our natural parenting group, so the lunches/snacks are healthy compared to most, and of course people respect if there's anything I don't want him to have, but once he's seen other people's food, he just won't eat bananas/satsumas/blueberries etc.

It doesn't bother me too much if it's vegan and wheat free, but he really loves cheese and bread :( I made some vegan flapjacks a while ago and that sort of worked, but are there any irresistable raw vegan treats I can make him that might actually tempt him away from cheesey flapjacks and sandwiches?!

Thanks xx

Trusting a Child to Eat Intuitively

2013-01-08T04:45:57.000Z

Can anyone offer advice on how to trust a child's intuition with regards to their appetite, when they want to eat, how much and food choices? This is one area I find difficult, as sometimes I feel as though my daughter does not eat enough in one sitting and I find myself resorting to techniques to 'tempt' her to eat more.

I had a horrible experience today not trusting that she didn't want to eat anything for lunch when it had been a long time since she had eaten and she had been saying she was hungry, but then didn't want what she said she wanted, and I didn't trust her judgment. She then came down with a fever 30 minutes later - obvious to me now why she didn't want to eat, but I didn't trust her at the time as I thought she was just tired and hungry and being difficult.

So any advice on how to work on my trust and communication with my child around this would be appreciated.

Mood stability in young children

2012-12-29T00:11:47.000Z

My nearly 4yo daughter is not always keen on a fruity breakfast, and seems to always prefer savoury over sweet tastes in the morning. It is difficult to get enough fruity calories into her in the mornings to stabilise her mood; she seems to wake up with symptoms of low blood sugar that affects her mood. I find when we make a cooked vegan meal like a tofu scramble or buckwheat pancakes or a chia pudding her mood for the rest of the day is much more stable.

Has anyone else found this with their children? How did you manage calorie intake and mood stability while trying to include as many raw vegan foods as possible?

Wanted: Au Pair/Nanny/Midwife/Doula in Costa Rica - May 2013

2012-11-26T22:22:05.000Z

We are looking to find someone to help with a birth...here is the main thread with more details...if it doesn't apply to you, maybe you know someone who'd like to do something like this!

http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/wanted-au-pair-nanny-midwife-doula-in-costa-rica-may-2013

Worried about my son's weight

2012-09-02T06:59:22.000Z

I'm sure it's a common concern amongst lfrv families. He's always been a little underweight according to growth charts, but I've never been worried because I know it's normal for vegan kids (he's low fat cooked vegan) and also my husband is Indian. I've always tried to respect his own appetite and he would regularly skip a meal without any harm, usually because he'd eaten plenty at earlier meals. When he's sick though, he usually cuts down his food intake drastically. It freaks me out a bit cos he's skinny anyway so he doesn't have much in the way of fat reserves. Still I've tried to respect it and any time it's happened before his weight has come back up over time. I did an internship with doug on his fasting event so I knew it was normal to fast when sick. But this time it's really freaking me out and I'm really worried. We moved to India 3 months ago and my son started school here 2 months ago. Since then he's been sick most of the time, stopped eating and lost loads of weight. I know it's normal for kids to get sick more when they start school and moving country on top of that. But how long can it go on like this?! There's only so much weight he has to lose. Has anyone been through something similar? Can anyone offer advice or even just words of encouragement? Thanks

Grocery bill??

2012-09-01T17:27:56.000Z

I was just wondering how much does it cost to feed a whole family raw vegan?

Does anyone have kids that have been 100% since birth?

2012-06-10T23:38:24.000Z

Hi! I was wondering if anyone has kids who have been 100% raw since birth. I know kids are supposed to have a bit more fat than adults, so what percent of fat have you found works best for your children? Have you had any struggles health-wise or weight-wise? Are you still breastfeeding? My 14 month old has been raw since birth other than steamed peas and asparagus he had when he was about 6 months old. He barely ate those foods cooked but loves fresh fruit, spinach, and avocado! :) He is also still breastfed and will self wean when he is ready. I am planning on raising him 100% and would like to know others experiences! Thanks!

Advice in helping baby/toddler gain weight?

2012-06-08T00:49:54.000Z

Hello,

I am trying to raise my 18 month old son Raw Vegan. I just took him to his well-child visit & they were concerned that he hadn't gained any weight since his last 1 yr visit (he did just have a growth spurt of a couple in. though). He is 33in tall -75th%, & weighs 22lb 12oz -only 5th%, so he’s tall & slender. He doesn’t appear skinny at all to me. He started walking 3 months ago, but sure he would had been earlier if not for daddy accidentally breaking his leg while falling carrying him down the stairs at 10 months. I wouldn’t even be going to these things, but wanted to watch head circumference as I am hypersensitive to it due to loosing a child at 6-months in-utero due to hydrocephalus which wasn’t genetic, but still I wanted to watch for that anyway & he’s doing just fine there.

Anyways, they seemed overly concerned that he hadn’t gained & even threatening, especially about being vegetarian, & even mentioned failure to thrive & intervention! She said he should weigh 24 lbs right now -that's barely even a lb more than he weighs now! They want me to come back in a month to weigh him again, though I don't know how much they realistically expect him to gain in that much time! And if he doesn’t then what? I don't think they are comparing apples to apples by comparing the weights of a vegetarian child to a SAD child! Kids should be measured against a healthy standard, not whatever the majority happens to be, but how would they determine that standard when they don’t even understand nutrition!?

He still gets breast milk whenever he asks for it which is often & I feed him green smoothies & chopped up fruits & veggies, avocado, bananas, tomatoes & he eats coconut/almond yogurt a lot even though not raw. He seems to mostly only want the yogurt though & tries to hold out for it.

He seems very smart to me, says about 18 different words, and signs around 20 different signs. He’s coordinated & strong. He’s very healthy, happy, energetic, curious & sociable. He’s spunky & sweet. He’s only been sick once ever & got over it in two days. Definitely not “failure to thrive”!

But, why has he not gained weight then? I am worried now, but mostly about them being worried. Am I doing something wrong? I slowly started feeding him foods at 7 months old, but have been feeding him a lot more foods since turning a yr old since everyone I know starts freaking out about still BF him, but maybe that made my milk content go down? I want to try to do baby-led weaning if I can. I feed him whenever I eat & whenever he wants & try to get him to eat as much as possible each time, but don't see how I can force feed him. I do also give him a multi & vit. D. & I’m taking a prenatal myself, even though I haven’t been eating the best myself due to stress & being very busy & trying to overcome my own cooked-addictions which I fell back into during pregnancy, but I don’t want to introduce those to him. I also probably haven’t been eating enough, but still need to loose more weight anyway so not sure. Either way I am making a more diligent effort now to stay raw myself.

What do I need to do to "fatten" him up? More/less fruits? More/less fats? More/less breast milk? I'm definitely going to increase greens for minerals & absorbable proteins.

They of course said I need to give him more protein & fats, but wouldn't that essentially be like putting him on the Atkins diet & cause him to loose weight? Maybe he's getting too much coconut yogurt? Do I have to resort to feeding him steamed potatoes, beans, rice, soy, fish, eggs? I'd rather not do grains since we're not granivores & it seems once kids get a taste of excitotoxins or cooked then that’s all they want since they’re so highly addictive. What should I do?

Please help!

Help!!! 1 year old tooth decay

2012-04-11T19:57:19.000Z

Hi everyone,

I have been trying to transition from SAD to LFRV since Nov 2011. At this point I'd say I'm only 60-70% lfrv (having a hard time keeping up on both eating enough and making sure I have enough ripe fruit in the house)....my one year old (13 months to be exact) is breastfed on demand and eats 90-95% lfrv. I noticed his teeth started getting discolored and then a few weeks after that started I noticed the bottom of his two top teeth were now jagged...like the discolored portion has disappeared.

I took him to the dentist today to see what she said and her response was that he has pretty bad tooth decay and needs the cavities filled. She blamed it on the night time breastfeeding (he's latched pry 80% of the night) and said that I need to feed him, wipe his teeth, then make him sleep w/o any more feedings or else I have to brush after each feeding throughout the night.

She also said that I can't do anything to help repair the other teeth which has the white chalky spots (what she says are the start of cavities).

Any experience with this or advice or direction would be so helpful. As of now they are saying he needs three fillings.

-Cherish

kid doesn't want to try new fruits (o even new raw food)

2012-03-27T18:26:14.000Z

Hello everybody, I am new in this group, I met a fruity girl from Mexico on internet and now we are living in Yucatan. She has a child from other relationship and now her daugther has adopted me as her father :). My partner has tried all the time to feed rightly her daugther (80% or more raw, enough fats and greens, no gluten, vegen, etc) but her family has strongly interfered till the point that the child associate new raw foods with social exclusion (she is very outgoing) thanks to all the negative comments and all the sabotages (all people offering her meat, milk, cookies, etc). The little girl has only 4 years and despite of having strong experiences of illness directly caused by all the "food" that her grandmothers have sparingly gave her against her mother's order, it seems the social part is more important for her and she doesn't want to eat new raw food, above all new fruits, she only eats without problems all the fruit that ate when almost anybody interfered (before her mother came back to her father's house), even then she didn't like milk and other pseudofoods. Now, even It seems sometimes she prefers cooked food over raw food, of course now we live together 90% is raw and even we doesn't have gas for cooking yet.

Well, our question is: How would you handle this situation? how can we get that she eats new fruits and erase her negative perception about new raw food?

thanks very much.

Can a toddler become vegan?

2012-03-15T12:11:33.000Z

Hi everyone,

so my son is 16 months old and he has been on cow's milk for just over 2 months now.

I actually started transitionning to the LFRV diet recently (90% LFRV, I have rice once a week and hope I am done with it), and I now regret my son ever took cow's milk. I have two questions:

- I know he should have been breastfed but I had to leave for work and ended up stopping, thinking that it is ok to have cow's milk - It is one of my biggest regrets today.... But do babies benefit from cow's milk? do they really need it? Can I change to almond or rice milk or any other vegan option?

- How to stop?

thank you!

Any raw food babies out there?

2012-02-19T21:56:38.000Z

I'd like to see about raising my baby totally raw. I know lots out there do it- but I haven't yet. My 3.5 yr old vegan gets a lot of raw but also cooked.

So far baby is still an all-raw mono-drinker. = ) But in a couple months here she'll be starting to taste solids.

I mean, I'll probably just mash up fruit and avos and stuff for her, sticking with mono-tastings at first.

How are 811'ers raising their raw babies? At what point did you start adding more than one ingredient? At what point did you do less fat?

Cheers!

Tania = )

P.S. I do fully understand that my milk is her primary nutrition in the first year and slightly beyond. I just want to understand the raw path for babies a bit more!

I'm out of balance!

2012-02-18T20:52:11.000Z

This Raw Mama needs help thriving!!!!!

I'm nursing 2 girls (one is a newborn) and I'm struggling with my raw!!!

I was raw and loving it until my pregnancy. I struggled but in the end couldn't keep with it. My body balanced out during pregnancy with cooked foods. I know, I know...I went with what I knew. But I also felt weak and struggling while raw pregnant and strong and happy while just vegan pregnant. (Birth was FANTASTIC anyway, with labor under an hour and baby birthed super easily into my arms, unassisted. Very proud!) I stayed cooked for a while to keep things consistent while milk supply established. After my body felt the "4th trimester" starting to wrap up, my body also had a clear message waiting for me: get back on raw!

I was actually super excited!! I even picked a calendar date to begin (it was a paycheck thing) but in the end just couldn't wait for it. My body felt too heavy and tired. And I knew what I was doing, right? So I jumped back in...and crashed and burned. Much to my chagrin, I realized I've never been raw and nursing 2 babes. I threw my body into what felt like an anemic crash and had to get back on cooked to get the dead weight off that was dragging my arms and legs and energy level down. I knew what I had done, or rather not done: enough CALORIES!!!

So I took a step back, got the deficiency anvil off of me, reaffirmed my original date to go back to raw, and buckled down with the prep work (education).

Raw day finally came! I attacked it with a vengeance. One the one hand, I feel great (light and pregnancy weight is falling off!!) but on the other hand the anemic feeling has returned. I've even called in the troops: Yellow Dock and B-12 patches. They help in the immediate but are not addressing what's missing from my diet.

Milk production's good and I don't feel hungry. I'm not eating 811...it's still too new a concept for me, though I did buy my first fruitarian shopping items yesterday. House is filled with guavas, persimmons, bananas, papayas, tangerines, pears, romaine, spinach and dates. I've been eating, eating. But after lots of water, about a pint of blueberries, 4 bananas, 1 papaya and 6 guavas and 1/2 pint of dates...I can't do more!

Regular raw I'm doing lots of juices, green smoothies, romaine wraps with guacamole or almond hummus, stuffed peppers with same filling and I've also been really into marinated mushrooms with pesto or nut cheese filling. Water, as much as I can. Hemp seeds, chia and yes cacao puddings. So yes, high-fat. Should seem high-energy too, but it's not.

*Cooked vegan is a stabilizing anchor but makes me too acidic.

*Raw vegan is a delight but the lactation is interfering.

*811 is just too new.

Cooked foods I am craving (if it adds any insight): rice and beans, hummus, soup broth.

And yes, today I joined Cronometer. The perspective is good but my lethargy is unfortunately not going away.

I am not getting much sleep right now; I've been up late (savoring alone time) or nursing at night.

I'm not even hardly exercising though I long to just break out and run and run. Just not enough energy. I'm definitely unmotivated and moving slowly. Not parenting to my fullest. Not meeting my goals. = ( This holistic coach is outta gear and certainly in no position to be guiding others right now.

I'm nursing and raising 2 babes. I have a day job that I blessed enough to be able to have them with me, even though it means they are ALWAYS with me.

In 3 days, my maternity leave is up and I go back to my 2nd job. Soon I'll have less time on my hands and more energy output demand.

In a nutshell....

Need

ENERGY!!!!!

And I don't have it right now. = (

Help!!!!!

Please? = )

Tania

Are rv toddlers supposed to take naps?

2012-02-18T20:03:17.000Z

My 16 month old daughter recently went almost totally rv. She usually took 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps before. Now I'm lucky to get her down for 30 minutes if at all!

School!

2012-02-11T00:45:37.000Z

I want my son to start preschool soon. We are not 100% HCRV yet. (Actually, I'm confident he'll be really happy once we are!) So I wonder, do l just send him to school with a lunch of bananas? Bananas don't keep well once smoothie-fied, so I don't want to do that. Plus, he can peel them and stuff. The teachers who I met already know he will be taking lunch from home because he has a specialized diet, but...I guess I'm just a little insecure about this! Does anyone else feel this way or been through it? How do I make sure he doesn't trade one of his many bananas (or whatever) for some kid's cheese stick? (He's allergic to dairy!) Ohhhh....nervous!

transitioning and pregnant:)

2012-02-10T06:03:48.000Z

hey everyone,im into my second month raw on 80/10/10 and just found out im pregnant so any tips,advise,books,websites would be greatly appreciated!!:)Im wanting to have as natural as possible birth/pregnancy aswell as raw vegan baby when born,so anyone else gone through the same??:)

Transitioning a Teen to Raw Vegan???

2012-02-01T19:44:30.000Z

I have this wonderful kid. I want him to live long and be well just like I'm doing.

I am not afraid that the 811rv diet is wrong or unhealthy or that he won't get enough nourishment.

He'll do anything with his diet that I ask him to do. He trusts me. But he is afraid that he will cheat and get sick. He has been listening to a lot of videos that I have been playing from the Raw Food community.

I have been talking him up telling him that he'll become faster and stronger and he'll be able to think faster and more clearly. It seems to be pumping him up. I can tell there is still something missing.

How can I help him transition and calm his fears?

How many calories should a 13 year old boy eat?

Kids, Dates & Poo

2012-01-30T10:21:51.000Z

Does anyone else find their kids' stools get really soft if too many fresh dates are eaten? I have had to limit my 3yo daughter to 1-2 a day as they seem to create big soft poos if she has more. Shame as she loves them and and they would be a great way of getting more raw calories into her.

Converting kids to vegan/raw

2012-01-28T03:35:24.000Z

So we are a SAD family. i have just started 811RV and am on day 4. I have two boys (1.5 & 2.5) who i have been really careful to not introduce any form of packaged food to (within reason) i think its pretty similar overseas but here ppl send their kids to creche/school with packets of chippies, biscuits, 'fruit' bars, chocolate yogurt blah blah. anyway i have always given the boys lots of fruit/veggies to take in their lunch boxes but am trying to slowly replace the yogurt, cheese and crackers etc with more fruit, which they love because they have been given so much of it since birth. problem is, they are def not allergic to anything but both boys who are still in cloth nappies end up with really bad nappy rash. any ideas or pearls of wisdom?

Baby rash trouble.

2012-01-10T16:16:38.000Z

Since adding more raw fruit into our diet, I have been making smoothies and sharing with my girls. Four bananas, 1 cup of mango, 1 cup of strawberries, a big handful of spinach, water. Iris is 17 months and is getting an awful rash with open sores. It doesn't look like an allergic reaction... She has been going a lot more frequently. Almost 5-6 times daily as opposed to her usual one or two. She is even going in the middle of the night the last two nights which she never does. She loves the smoothie and I hate to deny her it because she doesn't have the same appetite for raw whole fruit. Any advise?

Growth Concern - any advice or experience appreciated

2012-01-02T16:21:13.000Z

Hi Everyone,

We live in the UK.

Our 3+ year old son has grown very little in the last year and we are concerned about this. He is physically well shaped, lean but not skinny (or in any way looking emaciated or unhealthy).

Unfortunately, finances are at an all time low, or we would consult with someone like Dr Graham or others who have experience. We are reluctant to start down the route of invasive testing by the Health Service. A year or so ago he was limping on one leg and wouldn't stand on it much for about a week and we consulted our doctor, who referred us that same day to the hospital. Tests were done, including x-rays (which we only did because it seemed essential), and blood test. All was fine, they then wanted to do further checks, but we said we'd think about it. The next day he was fine, no limp and running around. He does not enjoy hospitals at all, so we don't wish to go through this kind of thing unless it is necessary, as he found it very traumatic.

His diet is organic where possible/affordable. We think he should be getting sufficient nutrients from his diet. About a couple of years ago he bumped his forehead on a very hard stone floor and it left a 'dent' which we thought would disappear with time, but it hasn't. He recently received another bump and we are concerned that this will not go, we know that children's bones are soft, but this does not seem right, although we don't really know for sure.

His teeth are in poor condition (probably partially inherited as both of us have poor teeth). His upper front teeth became black by the age of 2 and the dentist said they would need to be removed, but could wait a while to do so. They have been slowly improving, due we are sure to them being cleaned with salt each night when he is asleep. We are hopeful that they may recover sufficiently to not need any treatment.

He is intelligent, a fast learner, creative, imaginative. He is reluctant to exercise, in fact he is carried much more than he walks if we go out. Other times he is very energetic and runs around indoors (tires us out), but this isn't often. He sleeps with us and has recently been going to bed about 9-10PM, getting up any time from 7-9AM. He doesn't nap in the day any more. These sleep patterns have all come about from his own wishes, better for us than when he used to go to bed at 11PM and up at 6AM because he napped a couple of hours in the day!

His diet most days is something like this:

3 or 4 Medium/Large sized bananas

Some from the following: avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, blueberries, kiwi, mango, tangerine, apple, melon, strawberries, coconut

Sesame seeds (40gm), ground to a paste with a pestle/mortar (this is his all time favourite food)

6 Medjool dates (soaked for a day) coated in sunflower or pumpkin seeds (20gm)

A few nuts like brazil/cashew/pistachio, either ground with pestle/mortar or chewed.

A finely blended salad of tomato/cucumber/celery/spinach/lettuce weight approx 300gms

A little breastmilk from partially raw mother - she is drinking 2 litres of green smoothie each day for last month.

We sometimes have Hemp Seeds and Chia Seeds (in water), but these are quite expensive to buy here.

His daily calorie intake is about 1,200+ per day + any from breastmilk, as best we can estimate. He eats plentifully until satiated and enjoys what he eats, he has no desire to even try eating cooked food or sweets that other children may have.

What he eats is dictated by his desires, he has had times when he isn't interested in bananas and will eat maybe only 1 in a day, other times he will eat 6, he lost interest in dates for a few months but now eats 6 a day . We have to limit the amount of seeds, as he would happily consume them all day and nothing else if given the chance!

We have supplemented for at least the last year with Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin K2 - all are the best quality and absorptive sources.

He isn't interested at all in drinking green smoothies, drinks spring water (not bottled).

We had him tested recently (stool test) for Candida and results showed he has medium Candida. We bought a month's supply of the best quality probiotics, but finances have been tight and at $100 we can't get another right now, or get a retest. One of the reasons we thought of Candida was because of symptoms, like he would have an itchy face/eyes and I'd read that Candida can effect the absorption of nutrients. If anyone knows of a good protocol to clear Candida (I know it will always exist at some level) for a 3 year old, we'd love to hear about it.

Anyway, I guess I'm asking for feedback from anyone who has had similar experiences, or can suggest anything. The reason we have brought our son up as a raw vegan from birth is because we want to do the best thing for him, if that means giving him cooked foods, or dairy etc then we would do so - at the moment, we obviously don't think these are better.

We don't expect him to grow at the same rate as children drinking hormone laden milk etc and have tried to be fairly relaxed about any expectations, but we were looking at some photos from a year ago and can see he really has grown very little in that time. We aren't so concerned about his height or size as such, because neither of us are especially tall, Mama is 145 Cms and Papa is 172 Cms, and we both tend towards slim build, but the rate of growth is something we'd like to see improved.

We shall visit our local doc who is quite good, but it is always difficult dealing with someone who doesn't relate to vegan, let alone raw vegan, so we're hoping someone might be able to help us on here.

Best wishes for The New Year,

Patrick

Need help/advice on going 811 as a family... a few questions!

2011-06-20T05:50:38.000Z

Hello! I am a single mama of a 2 1/2 year old (she's 26 lbs) and an 8 month old who is breastfed and eats soft solids (about 18lbs). I am the only vegan in my family and feel, which is probably all in my head, that I am up against a mountain of negative feedback about the choices I am making in raising my daughters this way. My entire family eats sad, most are unhealthy, on many medications/alcohol. I have been looking into going raw for just a short while but I am most convicted today that I really want to switch to just raw. I have been struggling w/temptations and mixed emotions for several reasons. For one thing, my house is well stocked w/most of the normal cooked vegan foods. Legumes (canned, dried), grains (most all varieties), breads, nut milks, cereals, pasta, sauces, flour, most baking ingredients, canned veg/fruit, etc. It is so hard not to eat these things when I am making them for my daughter. My baby mostly just eats fruit, but I do give her cooked pasta and crackers often, or rice. Today I started watching some you tube videos from Don Tolman and I just do not want to eat processed food anymore and as he says whole foods are what we are meant to eat, as I do whole heartedly believe, so why then do I feel my daughters need cooked food? Is it because I was allowed to eat it as a child and do not want them to feel deprived (ok I am just venting a little, sorry.) But I really do not believe it was a priveledge to eat over processed highly sugared food (ie little debbies ALL the time growing up and through most young adult hood, just one example) but more ignorance on the part of my family and cultural norm. Ok, on to family, if we are at a party (knowing that I am vegan) They say things like Oooohh she can have that cake? Or ooo so you're not letting her have cheese poofs? Or why can't she have a hamburger? And then she asks, when I tell her we do not eat hot dogs, "why mama, what's in them" and I say "animals" (I went vegan for health reasons but also for the inhumane way animals are treated, when I read about a baby calf being dragged away from its mother only minutes after birth, having two of my own babies, I cried and felt so sorry that I had been so addicted to dairy for so long) I know this is a long post, but I really just need to get this off my mind. Also, I am on a Tight budget, I am thinking that if I find a wholesaler here in buffalo I might be able to afford going 100% raw but I was wondering if anyone knew how many calories my babies need. I already know how many I need. And also, what do you think about me just really getting rid of everything in my house that is not raw? Like REALLY cleaning out the cupboards/freezer/fridge? I am SO scared/nervous to do this, it makes me feel like I'm crazy to even consider it really. What will my daughter (or baked good loving mother!) think? However, I really want to do it! I am thinking I can make dips for her for veggies w/ tomatoe/orange/celery, etc because she's really into dipping her food. Can anyone tell me how their children, babies are growing on a raw diet? Do you ever give them cooked food? If so, do you not eat the cooked food you're giving them? Also, I am going on a family camping trip and I am thinking they will make it so uncomfortable for me if I whip out a few boxes of produce instead of hamburgers and hot dogs and start in on me for making my daughter eat this way while they're giving their kids doritos, hot dogs, s'mores, eggs and pancakes. It makes me feel like I am abusing her or neglecting her. (or I feel bad to tell her she can't have a freezee when all the kids outside are having them, she looks at me so sad and dissapointed, how do you explain high fructose corn syrup to a 2 year old!) I also do not want to make my daughter feel like she is missing out so I am not sure what to tell her about our/their food choices. Ok.... I am done for now. I hope someone replies to this as I am in a state of emotional desperation and really need some loving support. XOXO THANKS! Peace and Love, Molly