~Frequently Asked Questions~

~Frequently Asked Questions~

Do I get sick of eating so much fruit? Absolutely not! The amazing thing about eating fruit is that you actually want it, need it, and crave it. The more you eat the more you want! It is the most natural & perfect food for humans. Once you clean up your taste palate you will enjoy fruit, and eat it in abundance! I thought the same thing when I first read 80-10-10, who can eat so many bananas or mangoes?? Then I began my journey and discovered I CAN, lol!

eat fruit :)

Where do you get your protein? Every time I hear this question a part of me dies, lol! Not because it is a bad question, but because we have been taught to only view protein as an animal product! Hmmm....wonder why?!?! Fruits/veggies/grains all contain some protein, it may not all be complete, but as long as I eat a variety of food I will ALWAYS eat all the essential amino acids I need! There is no such thing as a protein deficiency. It does not exist! Even if you eat only bananas or oranges, you are eating some protein...making a deficiency very difficult to come by!

Do I eat raw food all day? I eat a high raw diet. That means I eat raw fruit all day until dinner. I enjoy eating mono meals. For example, I will have 6-8 bananas for breakfast, then in about 2-3 hrs have a fruit snack like 4 apples or whatever fruit is in season. For lunch I like to eat another fruit mono meal, mangoes are awesome, or cherries (when in season). Dinner usually is a large salad with kale/spinach/romaine or any other green, and a high carb/starch cooked meal. I love potatoes, brown rice, couscous, or Quinoa (though it is a protein so I need to add more carbs to the meal). I also make soups, and pizza! I ALWAYS eat vegan and high carb! 

why do people gain weight eating carbs on the S.A.D (Standard American Diet)? People don't actually gain weight from carbs. They gain weight on the standard American diet because they add a lot of fat, sugar, and animal protein to their carbs. I make pizza for dinner often, we use no cheese, no oil, no meat...just veggies! There is a huge difference, though both pizzas would be categorized as carbs. Also, on top of eating a high fat diet, many people think carbs are doughnuts, cookies, chips, snacks, etc., but those are really fats & sugars, highly processed. They should not be called carbs. If people would reduce their fat intake to 10% of their calories they would lose weight, if they decrease their protein intake as well to 10% of their calories they would lose weight. 

Do I supplement to make up for not eating meat & dairy? No way! I believe my diet is very high in nutrients so vitamins are not necessary. I didn't take supplements on the S.A.D. so I definitely don't need them now! If I wasn't feeling well I would get blood work done, maybe it would give me an idea of what I am missing from my diet. Chances are if I am not absorbing nutrients well, it means I need to increase my raw food intake and reduce my cooked food intake. Keep in mind the vitamin/supplement industry is a HUGE money maker...yet no one taking supplements is actually healthy! If we could take supplements and be healthy, we would have far fewer sick people in this country. Supplements are also acid forming in the body...so unless you can get a raw food organic supplement, I would skip it! 

Why vegan? I get this question a lot...even though there are millions of vegans in this world. It is not so uncommon any more. I chose this lifestyle because it made the most sense to me. I don't feel good about the way we treat the animals we eat or the dairy we eat/drink. Not only are these foods not necessary, but they come with all sorts of health problems, pollution, and cruel behavior. I do believe in karma, so eating meat of an animal that has been through these horrible living conditions, tortured, listened to the screams of it's own species being murdered, or milked to death, does not still well with me. They say you are what you eat...I don't want to have tortured, sick, unhealthy food in my body. Karma. Maybe that is way so much disease has come from animal products. A vegan diet can provide me with everything I need and it is yummy :) 

How does my family feel about my lifestyle? I am VERY lucky because my husband also eats a vegan diet! He use to love meat...a lot. Once he tasted some of my cooking he decided he was ok with eating vegan at home, and after doing dome research and a bad reaction to a meat dinner over the holidays, he decided to go vegan 100%! My son struggles with it, as I imagine any 9 yr old would after eating the S.A.D. He has issues with dairy already. so we were limiting his intake before we went vegan. At home he eats vegan, when he is out of the home he does not :( 

Does everybody lose weight on a vegan diet? Yes and no. Most people will lose weight when they make a drastic change in their diet, but the weight will come back or you won't lose a lot if you keep the fat high. Many vegans eat a ton of nuts, olives, avocados, and oils. Not only is a high fat diet unhealthy, but it will not get you to your 'natural' weight. The closer you are to our natural diet, the closer you will be to your natural weight. This type of high fat diet requires calorie restricting...which is not healthy!

What food do I miss most? I don't miss anything! Honestly, I can make any meal taste amazing and keep the fat low, carbs high! I have made stuffed peppers, lasagna, spaghetti, 'meatballs', soups, pizzas, etc. I have also eaten this way for over 8 months so my taste has adjusted. I no longer enjoy dressings on my salad, just a squeeze of lemon/lime and seasonings. I don't crave cake or doughnuts, or ice cream. BUT if I want, I can create a version of these things and stay in the 80/10/10 range!

Vegan lasagna!

Will fruit make me fat? LOL!!! No. fat makes you fat, cookies make you fat, cheese makes you fat, steak makes you fat. Fruit makes you a lean bean :)

Me on a high fruit diet!!! No fat anywhere to be found :)

Any more questions?