On a properly done, living foods,raw food lifestyle, you will lose weight and gain health. This is the optimal human diet in my opinion (based on lots of study).

Just don't get into a trap like some raw foodists and eat bad combos and too much fat.
It is importanbt to find the most nutritious organic produce as well. Anemic store bought produce will leave you lacking minerals and mineral = health.

Go through my "In the Raw" blog here at curezone for tons of information and resources.


~Lapis~

When first going on raw it very important, especially if your coming from the standard american diet(SAD), that you don't put too much restriction on yourself. In the beginning its important to eat anything as long as its raw to get you going. Chances are your going to feel hungry almost all the time but feel like your eating a ton of food. After you've been raw for a while(say a few months)you will lose this feeling and gradually start eating simpler. I personally think one of the best books for begginers is Alissa Cohen's book Living On Live Food, though a lot of people have been complaining about ordering from her so you may want to get it off rawfood.com. Try to get as much info on raw diets as possible but again don't feel like you need to be too strict in the beggining unless you have a chronic degenerative disease. Some things you might want to get in the beggining, if you dont already have them, are a good blender and food processor. Other than that unless you plan on making complex meals you can wait till later to get the more expensive appliances such as the dehydrator or vitamix. And feel free to eat all the oranges you feel you need, but try not to stuff yourself too much, 3 or more oranges a day is absolutely fine. Yes you will lose all the weight you need and most likely feel better than you ever have in you life, after some initial detox reactions. Feel free to ask any more questions. I hope this helps

I definitely recommend the RawSchool group on YahooGroups. Nora Lenz is awesome for explaining the transition from SAD to raw. Understanding a lot of these areas will help when the old habits are calling.

Been doing some good reading from this book: The HYGIENIC SYSTEM By Herbert M. Shelton , which you can print out from here:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020126shelton.orthotr...
Just thought I’d give you the low down on oranges that’s provided in his book.

Fruits
CHAPTER IX
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020126shelton.orthotr...

“Oranges are rich in lime and other alkaline salts. They have a delightful flavor and may be relished by everyone. Their use combats "acidosis" and prolongs youth. These, with grapefruit, are our best agents in feeding the sick. As a cleansing diet, I prefer the grapefruit.

The experiments of B. Leichtentritt (on guinea pigs) in an effort to determine the relations between the presence of "accessory food factors" in the diet and the course of tuberculosis provide wonderful testimony in favor of acid fruits. When he added lemon juice to a "basal diet" this made a very great difference. The lemon juice improved the general nutrition of the pig--especially the fat storing power--and "raised its resistance to the tubercle bacillus." The bacillus was forced to live on the dead tissue and excreta (were restored to their normal saprophytic work) and forced to abandon their parasitic activities. The different diet compelled the bacillus to change its tactics and, if it continued to grow freely, did so without producing any definite toxic effect.

I have not discussed grapefruit (pomelo), lemons, tangerines, tangeloes, etc., under separate heads, because, in general, what is said of the orange applies also to these fruits. Even the pineapple is not greatly different from these foods. The orange is richer in Sugar than most other citrus fruits. The Texas grapefruit is richly supplied with Sugar and is not bitter. The pinks and ruby reds are very popular, though not superior in flavor or food value to the white grapefruit.”

The Law of the Minimum
CHAPTER VI
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020126shelton.orthotr...

"An excellent example of this matter, on the positive side, is the increased protein-calcium-phosphorus retention produced by the use of orange juice. The regular use of orange juice results in an increased retention of these elements out of all proportion to the amounts of these actually present in the juice itself.

It has been found that a diet with an acid-ash residue results in a greater excretion of minerals than one with an alkaline ash. Oranges give an alkaline ash. Indeed, the addition of oranges to a decidedly acid-ash diet of much cereal, meat, and few vegetables, gives such a marked alkaline result that it shifts the reaction of the urine from a decidedly acid reaction to a decidedly alkaline one. This means increased mineral retention and also increased nitrogen assimilation.

Drs. Miller and Newell, of Iowa State College, added an ounce and a half of orange juice daily for three months to the otherwise unchanged diet of fourteen underweight children and tabulated the results. The weight of these children increased 146 per cent of the expected gain, in contrast with only 46 per cent observed during the preceding three months.

Dr. Cheney, of California, fed a group of undernourished children an orange a day. To another group he gave no oranges. During two different periods of two months each, the children who received the oranges gained an average of 141 and 118 per cent above the expected increases. The other group, without oranges, gained only 28 and 18 per cent above the expected gain. During the non-orange juice periods, including the preliminary days, the children gained an average of .08 pounds a day; with the oranges they gained an average of .3 pounds a day--approximately four times as much as without the fruit."

Organic Acids
CHAPTER VIII
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020126shelton.orthotr...

“Blatherwick and Long found that drinking even large quantities of orange juice always results in producing an alkaline urine. They say: "It was impossible to over-reach the organism's ability to oxidize the contained citric acid ," even though the. amount drunk was the equivalent of twenty-four large oranges eaten daily.

It is, nevertheless, true that in certain patients, after a considerable period on an acid-fruit diet, symptoms are produced that necessitate a change of diet. These patients become tense, restless, irritable, nervous and do not sleep well. The acid fruits begin to irritate them and they are uncomfortable after eating them. Such cases are relatively rare and are found almost wholly among thin, nervous patients. This would indicate that at least in some conditions of the body there is a limit to its power to oxidize organic acids. Like all other good things their use may be over done.”

Orange you glad I posted this??? (sorry couldn’t help it :P)

Best wishes,

Bkrisp

April,

Way to go!

I have a raw coaching company and will be glad to share some information with you (for free). Just email me at SchoolofRAWk@yahoo.com. I've been there, I know how you feel. I'm proud of you! :-)

Eat 20 oranges if you want, girl! It's all good!

Erica