New to raw animal foods

[moogs]

 Hello everyone. I live in Southern California, am 20 years old, and starting a raw paleolithic diet. I was 100% raw vegan/fruitarian for 7 months and started having problems towards the end. Mostly with digesting nuts/seeds. I fell back to SAD for a bit to gain weight. I realized what my body wanted were good fats and proteins. I don't have any personal attachment to veganism so when I came to learn about Raw Paleo it sounded great. I am, however, a devoted raw foodist. I suffer from mild schizophrenia and am trying to treat that with diet, if it's possible. Right now, I've added chicken eggs, beef, cow's liver, and fish to my diet and so far it seems/feels promising. I'm very interested in all manner of natural, healthy living and I've already learned a lot from here by just using the search function.

[TylerDurden]

I doubt that schizophrenia or other mental illness can be solved wholly with diet. However, a number of certain symptoms, such as mood-levels, can indeed be solved by rawpalaeo foods. One example is "high-meat". After  your getting used to fresh, raw animal foods, I highly recommend consuming "high-meat" as it is a real lifesaver as regards improving mood/concentration/alertness. Here's some info  for newbies:-

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/important-info-for-newbies/

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/display-your-culinary-creations/high-meat-recipe-preparation-for-more-advanced-rafers/

Anyway, welcome to the forum!
Incidentally, own experience and that of some  others is that, while one routinely  experiences many health-benefits within days/weeks/months of doing  a rawpalaeodiet, one sometimes needs  c.2-3 or less  years in order to fully solve any really major health-problem.  I suppose it depends all on the severity of the conditions involved.

[van]

moogs try to find lectures by Nora  ( the last name I can't remember) often associated with the weston price foundation.  She's one of the most knowledgable  on what foods heal the mind.  What foods we eat and how well we digest them affect most more than they care to admit.  Good luck

[LePatron7]

I suffer from mild schizophrenia and am trying to treat that with diet, if it's possible.

Hi there. I too suffer from schizophrenia.

I find that raw paleo doesn't do much for me, unless I took a few supplements.

Mainly high doses of niacin and b complex. An orthomolecular doctor from Canada, Dr. Abram Hoffer. Used large doses of niacin to treat schizophrenics. Check out his book "Healing Schizophrenia: Complementary Vitamin & Drug Treatments."

I read that book, and started taking 1,000 mg of niacin with 50 mg B complex and 1,000 mg vitamin c with each meal. I noticed immediate improvement in my negative symptoms (tiredness, schizophrenic beliefs, etc.)

I noticed when I started adding high quality raw animal foods to my diet, I began having even better improvements.

I doubt that schizophrenia or other mental illness can be solved wholly with diet. However, a number of certain symptoms, such as mood-levels, can indeed be solved by rawpalaeo foods.

I agree with this. Raw paleo isn't very effective for schizophrenia alone, at least it wasn't for me. But in combination with niacin therapy, it works better than just niacin alone.

High meat is also very good. I also suggest looking into the specific carbohydrate diet, just to make sure the raw foods you're including in your diet are fully absorbed.

I find a raw diet can provide lots of benefits. Lots of unrancid fats and amino acids. No HCA's, AGE's, etc. But by eating only raw meats with raw scd legal carbs, you'll also be doing wonders for your gut flora.

[jessica]

i would also suggest checking out another orthomolecular doctors recommendations @ drlwilson.com.  he gives great dietary advice although i would suggest to keep meats and animal fats raw or only slightly warmed.  in my experience with raw vegetables, having done everything from raw vegan, to raw paleo, vegetables, including starchy roots and winter squash and most greens besides lettuces and herbs, should be included in a diet to restore and heal mental health, but they should also be prepared by roasting, baking, steaming or fermenting and always eaten with plenty of fats.  i would suggest making sure you get plenty of different types of fats in your diet to help restore brain function.  as well as work with fermented vegetables, dairy and high meats to restore proper gut flora.  i would also suggest making bone broths that contain lots of gelatin and eating plenty of organs to maintain the proper balance of amino acids if you are eating muscle meats.  whole fish are excellent foods as well.  please experiment with your diet, do not hold too tightly onto the raw part, there are certain foods that should be eaten raw, butters, egg yolks, marrows, muscle and organ meats, but also very healing foods that are well cooked and nourishing......broths, baked veggies, and others that just need some preparation, yogurts, krauts.  think about foods that are traditionally soothing and easy to digest.  try different types of meat besides beef if you have the chance, if you crave turkey but only want it cooked, try cooking it in a slow cooker.

i think the thing to remember when healing a mental health issue is to not go to far to any extreme and to really be very moderate and patient with the healing process.  in my experience diet can go very far in helping to clear up mental health issues, but there is always the process of accepting ones limitations, relearning coping mechanisms and also reevaluating life with proper boundaries for the person you are when you are happy, not the person you think you need to be to be happy.  i hope this has made sense or helped!

i have suffered from se

[moogs]

@TylerDurden: Thank you, I'm currently trying to make high-meat. Not so sure how it's going, it looks right but it hasn't started smelling bad. At least not to me, then again, I rather enjoy these new smells. Some of the information from the links in info for newbies section is no longer available.

@van: Thanks, I'll look for that.

@DaBoss88: Thank you for your recommendations but I'm still pretty skeptical about supplementing and rather get what I need through food alone. I'll keep it in mind, though.

@Jessica: Dairy just doesn't agree with me and I'm really unattracted to vegetables right now. I know it's important to be realistic and not too idealistic but I find it difficult to balance raw foods with cooked food. It just seems to mess up my digestion entirely, no matter the order, combination, or method of cooking.

I have some questions but I don't they may be worth making a whole thread for, so where should I post them? I'm wondering right now what sea vegetables are worthwhile and the same for organs, and if there are any I'm better off avoiding. I had some bone marrow last night and it was really delicious. Now I'm trying to get a hold of suet but I can't seem to find any. I can order beef kidneys and hearts from the butcher, are those good to eat?

edit: Forgot to add I'm rapidly loosing weight again, I don't want to be underweight again though, but it seems like my muscles are actually improving. I'm not really hungry most of the time though... do I just need more calories or something?

[LePatron7]

@DaBoss88: Thank you for your recommendations but I'm still pretty skeptical about supplementing and rather get what I need through food alone. I'll keep it in mind, though.

I understand your want to get all nutrients from whole foods. But the doses of niacin, b complex and vitamin c I'm suggesting through supplementation are impossible to get from food.

I take 1,000 mg (5,000%) three times daily, for a total of 3,000 mg (15,000%) niacin.

Vitamin C 1,000 mg (1,667%) 3 times daily, for 3,000 mg (5,001%).

And 50 mg B complex (roughly 3,000%) twice daily.

It's called "megadosing."

Before you make a decision, please consider reading Dr. Abram Hoffer's book, "Healing Schizophrenia: Complementary Vitamin & Drug Treatments."

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Schizophrenia-Complementary-Vitamin-Treatments/dp/1897025084
Where to buy the book for cheap ^

The book describes Dr. Abram Hoffer's experience treating schizophrenics with high doses of niacin, its safety, and effectiveness. As well as other supplements that enhance its effectiveness.

[jessica]

all organs are worthwhile, and delicious! what do you have access to?
the same goes for seaweed, but its easy to tell by your taste which ones are better for you or not, sometimes certain types are very overwhelmingly "salty" to me, which isnt very pleasant, while others will taste a good level of salty.  i recommend experimenting.  kelp, dulse and nori are generally easy to come by, maine coast is a great brand as is eden.