Hi Jessica!

Welcome!  Wow!  You held out a long time as a raw vegan in various forms!  That just means to me you have the will power it takes to stick with this, and I wish you the best success.  I thought I would just share with you a few things I came across while reading these message boards, trying to figure out my own diet. 

I also tried being a raw vegan for a few months, then toyed with the idea of macrobiotics, so I agree with the way you have chosen berries as your small (like maybe biweekly a while before breakfast) portion of fruit intake, because blueberries are just about the only fruit indigenous to this area and are less sweet than other fruits which have been mutated to increase their sugar content.  I read one post by a lady who is very successful with the following basic daily routine, though like the others said, it will depend on what it takes to fill you up as an individual:

400 grams (very roughly a little less than 1 lb.) fatty briskett
100-150 g. (about 4 oz.) ground raw suet from the same animal
A fortnightly delivery of raw liver and heart, consumed in liquid form over 2-3 days.

She mentioned seasoning with finely chopped red onions and herbs and said she simply eats half of her daily portion (which would be in the range of about 6 oz. to 1/2 lb. meat and maybe about 6-8 oz. ground raw suet) in the morning before going to work and the other half for dinner when she returns home, getting by very well on only water throughout the rest of the day because her blood sugars have become so stabilized and healthy with the raw paleo lifestyle

Since I also read it is necessary drink a little water and move around a bit (I like to start with a few stomach crunches and stretches) before eating breakfast, I thought I might rise, drink water, stretch, etc., prepare for work, then eat, rest a few minutes directly afterward to let the digestion start properly, then go calmly to work.  Does this sound like a good idea?  I'm new here too, and I'm trying to figure out the perfect schedule.

I also agree with another post here that advocates eating wild, grassfed meat over domesticated animals, even if they are grassfed.  I think the latter (grassfed cows, lamb, etc.) are fine overall, but since bison and elk are indigenous to this area, they seem to me to be a more natural food source for us  while we are living here (if approaching this with a true macrobiotic sensibility).  Northstar Bison is pretty close, can ship fresh UNFROZEN orders overnight (if you place the order by about Sunday night or Monday morning) at a comparatively reasonable rate, and I've been told they have the highest quality raw suet available around.  You might like to call them about the suet,  as I am going to, because I didn't see it listed on their website.  Regarding frozen and unfrozen, that reminds me it is generally held that frozen meats have been compromised, and are not actually fresh or raw anymore.  They could even be a little dangerous to the health, depending on the conditions they were frozen under.   

Regarding fish/sashimi, I read that fresh, unfrozen red tuna is great in moderation, but one should not overdo it because of the negligible risk of mercury poisoning.  I also agree with the posts regarding salmon.  Farm raised salmon has been shown by some studies to be devoid of parasites, but then yes, it is subjected to genetic altering experiments and chemicals.  Wild salmon is almost always frozen (for their fear of parasites) before it reaches the stores, which affects its health benefits as well as its taste (tastes watery and way too "fishy").  So, I thought about organically raised "Scottish" salmon, which can be found in the market at Grand Central.  hmmmm...

Another source is the Farmer's Market in Union Square.  They only have grassfed beef, no bison or elk that I saw, but it would be cheaper not to pay the $25 or so shipping every single time.  Perhaps this could round out a mostly bison/elk diet.  I believe they are there every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday until about 5:00 p.m.

Oh!  I just remembered one more post that you might find interesting.  Some people were having trouble digesting the raw suet, and found it definitely should be ground to improve digestion.  Someone even mixed it with another healthy fat (she used coconut oil, but I and many people have had a severe allergic reaction to coconut oil, so maybe a very small amount of extra virgin, first cold pressed olive oil or just a very few raw, soaked, ground pumpkin seeds since pumpkin also grows here, and pumpkin seeds are reported to have powerful medicinal qualities, particularly regarding parasites?)   It's just a thought, but should be taken with the proberbial "grain of salt" of course, especially since I'm new to this too, lol.

I know this is becoming an interminable post, but I just remembered one more thing.  You mentioned raw eggs in moderation, which I also used to enjoy, until I read a post detailing how most regular or even organic eggs are pretty much just, er, chicken periods, so it would be healthier to find a source of fertilized eggs as a treat once in a while.  That's what the post stated, and I think it makes sense.  What do you think?

Just curious, how long were you following the macrobiotic lifestyle, and what were the results?  How is the raw paleo working out for you so far?

Hope this helps, and wishing you incredible, vibrant, beautiful health!

Hi!  I'm a female living in New York City, new to this forum/lifestyle, though I've been raw vegan, with some raw fish, for a few months now and always had an inexplicable craving for raw meat, particularly red meat.  As happens with many on 100% raw vegan diets, I broke out with a bit of acne, especially when I was still combining fruit carbs with healthy fats like olive oil or sashimi in the same meal.  Now, I am excited to start this lifestyle, but I want to begin gradually so as not to shock my system.  I thought I would start by depending on some raw vegetable with some sashimi at night, then order some fresh grassfed bison meat and suet in smaller amounts, increasing the portions gradually.  The problem is, I was trying to approach this with a macrobiotic sensibility, and according to that, I shouldn't eat too much cucumber all the time.  I'm afraid I might be too  sensitive to a lot of raw carrots or dark greens, so I was thinking maybe yellow squash (which is in season right now) or celery, with tuna sashimi.  Or maybe I should forget the macrobiotic idea in relation to cucumber and just use that quite a bit in the beginning, as it is supposed to be so good for the skin.

Any suggestions or thoughts?

Thanks!