day1: raw salmon

[rjawad]

hello everyone,

after spending basically all day reading this and related sites, i went to the store and bought some frozen wild salmon (0.38 lbs).  i opened the package, put it on the countertop, waited for it to thaw out, and ate it raw.  that was 15 minutes ago, and i am not dead, though i don't want to make a joke of that.  it was actually pretty good and smelled good, though i do still have a fish taste in my mouth.

i was introduced to RPD indirectly from a member of gymnasticbodies.com who quoted vilhjalmur stefansson.  i was fascinated by stefansson's article and subsequent internet searches of raw food brought me here.

before i came here, i decided to try and follow stefansson's advice.  certain complications he discussed suggested to me that i needed to cook my meat.  i boiled a chicken and only ate that for 2 days.  by the third day i was feeling light-headed, heavy, and dizzy.  i was at school (i'm a teacher) and did not think i would be able to stand up to teach, so i went into the teacher's lounge and ate a piece of bread.  very quickly, my strength returned and after eating a few more pieces over the next couple of hours, i was back to normal and decided to abandon the diet.

however, after being in and out of the hospital several times last week (i thought death was very near) and the doctors unable to find anything wrong, i started thinking more about my diet.  i'm not coming from any special diet, though i've always tried to eat healthy:  oatmeal, brown rice, green-leafy vegetables, chicken, fish, fruit, etc.  i've never really had any health problems.  well, not until recently.  i'm 26.

i decided to start with salmon because i've had sushi before.  it really did taste like a big piece of sushi.  i saw the pictures of what you guys eat.  brave souls.  hats off to all of you. 

i actually have a slight headache now and my stomach is making noises.  i hope i don't end up in the hospital again.

oh, and i live in texas, USA.  i welcome any suggestions that you all may have.  i don't know how to buy meat except if it is in a package at the grocery store.  i saw a pig head in wal-mart.  i didn't even know they sold those.  i picked it up.  kind of grossed me out.

best,
ryan

[CHK91]

Hi ryan.

Do you live in the Dallas area? I could give you some recommendation on sources of grass fed meats, pastured poultry products, and, if you can tolerate it, raw milk.

[yuli]

Was the salmon you ate wild or farmed? The farmed one produces more of a fishy taste I find. The wild is more tasty anyways.

.......so i went into the teacher's lounge and ate a piece of bread.  very quickly, my strength returned and after eating a few more pieces over the next couple of hours, i was back to normal and decided to abandon the diet.

however, after being in and out of the hospital several times last week (i thought death was very near) and the doctors unable to find anything wrong, i started thinking more about my diet.  i'm not coming from any special diet, though i've always tried to eat healthy:  oatmeal, brown rice, green-leafy vegetables, chicken, fish, fruit, etc.  i've never really had any health problems.  well, not until recently.  i'm 26.

I am going to turn 28 this year, was like you ate a "healthy" cooked food diet, I never had complications except mild digestive problems (clue that you should fix your diet b4 it gets worse) mild acne (which gets cured by simply not eating any processed foods or grains except a little buckwheat or quinoa maybe 2 times a month or so)...I first went 100% raw which was great except I was loosing too much weight (I am already very lean) and feeling lightheaded and dizzy too. I ended up settling with a happy mix of mostly raw meat and fat, a little cooked meat for family convenience, and moderate raw fruits and raw plants such as roots/radishes. I found that I do best eating mostly raw and if I get dizzy or loose too much weight I don't eat grains but I will have a little baked or lightly seared potatoe or sweet potatoe (its A LOT different then grains and better I find - but lets you add a cooked carb component if you start freaking out going all raw meat  )...other then that eating raw meats rock and besides a few adjustments I am a healthier person due to that.

PS....a couple of times as I started heavily into raw meat I had a few stomach pains and other isses...I thought I had hepititis or parasites but it turns out it was nothing and I got over it in a couple of days, so keep that in mind....

PPS...try it its not for everybody but natural fermented foods like kefir made from only pure cream and saurkraut keep my digestion peaceful - they are not my meals but supplements/snacks more or less. 

[TylerDurden]

It would make more sense to try raw omnivorous palaeo first before trying raw, zero carb a la Stefansson. I mean, most RZCers here report doing OK but not feeling that great on cooked zero-carb and improving more on RZC; so your decidedly negative experiences on cooked ZC may suggest that not even raw ZC is for you.

[Iguana]

Welcome.

Until you have a reliable source of meat and eggs, you can rely on wild seafood for a good while. You may loose weight at first on 100% raw nutrition, but it's better than ending in the hospital for not totally avoiding some heated food. Your weight will stabilize at an optimal value after some time, don't worry about a temporary variation. 

And my personal advice would be to have the broadest possible choice of raw food (vegetables, nuts, fruits, seaweeds, shellfish, fish, eggs, meats), excluding all dairy and cereals. Then let your body choose what it needs at the moment (smell and taste). Temporary needs may be extreme when you're ill,  don't worry if you choose to eat some specific plants only for a few days, or on the contrary some particular animal food only for a while. 

Other members would give you opposite advices. 

Cheers
Francois

[rjawad]

Hi ryan.

Do you live in the Dallas area? I could give you some recommendation on sources of grass fed meats, pastured poultry products, and, if you can tolerate it, raw milk.

yes, well, i live in fort worth

[rjawad]

Hello all,

Thank you for your replies/suggestions. 

I woke up today very tired because I read somewhere that we should sleep on the floor on our backs.  That has always made a lot of sense to me.  I have tried this before and always given up.  I tried again last night, but gave up at 5am after laying there for 7 hrs.  I have a carpet and put a blanket underneath, but my tailbone area was all i could think about.  I don't have a lot of padding and have always slept on my side.  Well, maybe i'll try it during the day so i don't worry about losing too much sleep.

Good news is, i didn't die from eating a big thing of raw fish!

Ryan

[miles]

Lying on a soft natural surface is very different to lying on a hard floor. I am comfortable sleeping on grass, but not even with 5 camping mats underneath me if I'm on a hard floor.