exploding nutrition myths - brenda davis

I met Brenda Davis years ago, at the World Vegetarian Congress in Germany. I was high fat raw vegan back then and she was giving great talks on Raw Food and Vitamin D. She looked vibrant, fit and healthy - and really young, too. She told me, that she's high raw, especially in the Summer months, but also enjoys some cooked vegan foods, like veggie stews and legumes in the colder months. She's a great inspiration to me. (She's one of the people, like Jeff Novick, who inspire me to earn a graduate degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and become an RD. Maybe one day, who knows! I'd love to!)

Myth 1: You need meat to get enough protein!



Myth 2: Fish is necessary for omega-3 fatty acids



Myth 3: The lack of B12 in plants is proof that we need to eat meat



Myth 4: You need milk to get enough calcium



Myth 5: Plant enzymes are of no value to human health



Myth 6: Cooked foods are toxic



Myth 7: Soy foods are dangerous for your health



Myth 8: There are no bad foods

beautiful swedish autumn

i really enjoy the fresh and colourful autumn days in northern europe. ♥ and i fell in love with apples: they are tasty, come in a huge variety, look pretty and i'm constantly surrounded by beautiful apple trees which just happen to drop loads and loads of bountiful goodness for a spoilt girl like me. it's good that i can save some money eating what nature provides for me now. buying all the food and paying for the hostel is getting pretty costly here in sweden. i love my time here nonetheless.


i'm still very excited about my decision of studying biological anthropology and neuroscience in vienna. i'm daydreaming about it quite frequently which means i haven't been very productive/living in the present much, i'm afraid. i'm currently staying at a swedish youth hostel in the middle of no-where (well, kind of!) and all i do is: reading blogs, forums, articles, watching documentaries, doing some bodyweight exercises, looking out of the window, apple picking (and eating!), going for walks, shopping, chatting with a special person and shopping in/exploring the small town near-by. oh. and i take pictures.

here's a recent pic of myself enjoying some precious and warming rays of sunshine:


speaking of sunshine. i'll order my vitamin d supplement ASAP. i watched this great lecture on the importance of vitamin d by dr holick yesterday and i found it to be quite impressive - i highly recommend to listen to this (very funny) guy! he's got some good things to say, i daresay.

ok, guys. this experiment didn't last long. the next one is waiting!

yeah. i think fuhrman is a great guy, his program looks awesome, too. and it definitely works for most people. i'm not going to stick with it, though. well, not to the cooking/recipe part of it. i'll be doing the raw version so to speak.

... which is, basically, 80/10/10 *lol*... it's simply the only diet that makes 100% sense to me and feels 100% good in my body. i think i've found the reason why i didn't lose weight, why my sleep and skin are still bad, why my energy is still low, why my cellulite is worse than ever etc.p.p. it's my thyroid. i'm deficient in iodine. and yes, i'll take supplements!

i'll get my blood checked asap. i'll supplement vitamin b12 and vitamin d, as well. will post more about supplementing soon.

and still ... calorie restriction is needed to result in weight/fat loss. my goal is to get in touch with my own sense of hunger. eat when hungry, stop when satisfied. sounds so easy, but for a former bulimic it seems almost impossible. believe me. this is the toughest, but it's also the most important factor in regaining my health, sanity, beauty, energy.

i think many low fat raw vegans still have disordered eating. they respond to everything with eating more fruit. they may not gain weight as easily as i do, but it's certainly not healthy. i'll have to face my self. my emotions. meditation will help me. i can do this.

i think 1500kcal (maximum) might be appropriate to ensure weight loss. i'll get a iodine supplement asap. i'm having some nori at the moment.

i had a 'mini binge' today (the food feels toxic in my body). it's nothing i want to repeat. i realize this and move on. i'm happy that i did this (very short) experiment, it feels good to 'come back home to the fruit island'. and i'm not saying i won't eat cooked veggies ever again, i probably will (because i like them and they didn't make me feel toxic; the *other stuff* i ate today does). but right now: goal is raw frugivorism.



i'll prefer veggies:
- cucumbers
- tomatoes
- bell peppers
- romaine lettuce
- iceberg lettuce
- oakleaf lettuce

and fruits like:
- melons
- apples
- pears
- citrus fruits
- pineapples
- plums
- nectarines
- berries


maybe throw in some bananas (for green smoothies), avocados and flax seeds here and there. maybe some nori.
maybe some figs, mangoes and persimmons.

- limited dried fruit
- no salt
- limited high sugar fruits (bananas, figs etc.)
- limited amount of fatty foods

peace!