Headaches, depression, digestive issues, lack of energy, and eventually unprovoked anxiety/panic attacks. This was the norm for me during my early life. I ate a standard diet including fast food. Meat was always the main portion whether going out or cooking at home.
Eventually I became lactose intolerant due to antibiotics but that was only a minor inconvenience. It did not always stop me from consuming things anyways. I had tried the pills which are supposed to help but didn't notice any difference. This didn't phase my diet though, just had to ask for "no cheese" and stop drinking milkshakes.
What finally hit me hard enough to start changing were the panic attacks and an itchy mole that had to be surgically removed. By this point in my early 20s I was already plenty skeptical of things like organized religion and businesses profiting off of people, but it started to occur to me that there were not many facts about health in my knowledge bank. What most people are doing is not working for us.
When I looked in the mirror to see my eyes dilating frantically and body feeling shaky and nervous when simply resting or eating a meal I knew that something was wrong. Then it occurred to me: "Why would God or Evolution ever produce a species that thinks of itself as so advanced, but has so many health issues that they consistently die prematurely or suffer chronically?"
Waking Up: 2013-2014This lead me into a more nature-based approach to my lifestyle. Obvious things such as soda and candy were eliminated first. Next was fast food. By the end of it I had eliminated "food" such as meat as well since I admitted that if I was living in the wild, I wouldn't be able to kill a cow with my bare hands or teeth, much less chew on its raw carcass.
At this point my meals were mostly fruit and vegetables. I didn't really know what I was doing though. I still allowed myself bread, so most meals were oatmeal or peanut butter sandwiches with either jelly or bananas. I was feeling better, but knew that bread didn't grow on trees so I needed to keep going further. This was around the time that a nasty looking and extremely itchy mole had to be cut out of the back of my leg.
My saving grace was quitting a restaurant job in order to seek a job related to my upcoming career field of Computer Science. This was the summer of 2014 before my final year of school. I had figured out that my hydration was trash and was now drinking at least a gallon of water a day. I didn't have luck finding an internship, but I had plenty of time to research health, and ended up doing an apple fast.
Enter Fruitarianism: 2014I gorged on apples. Multiple pounds a day for at least three days. I honestly did not expect it to work. Being able to live on apples seemed like a joke, but I was willing to try it as an experiment. To my surprise I started feeling better and better! By the end I had decided that there was power to this and needed to explore even more!
For the following three months I was a 100% raw fruitarian eating as many calories as I could. I followed the advice of many people, mostly vegan athletes such as Durianrider and Freelee, but also others like John Kohler and Dan "The Man" McDonald. Dan also provided lots of good advice on loving oneself and improving mental, emotional, and spiritual life. I also made sure what I was doing was backed by medical staff such as John McDougall.
I still tell people to this day: those three months in 2014 were the best feeling of my life. My body felt like lightning. I had so much energy and felt like I could literally accomplish anything. I started riding a bike without having done it since I was a kid, and was able to ride to a town dozens of miles away with no training or practice, and didn't even feel sore. My body was finally to the point that God/Evolution/Nature intended!!
Acne, gone. Skin was glowing and I got many compliments. Suffering from the heat and humidity of summer? Gone as well! My body was able to cool off so much faster without having cooked food stuck in digestion. There were so many weird things that people wouldn't think of being related to diet and lifestyle. Michael Arnstein even mentions in some interviews that being fruitarian stopped him from getting earwax!
Health is a Lifestyle, not Diet: 2014Speaking of lifestyle, that is something else I learned from listening to my new role models. "Sleep Water Sugar" as Durianrider used to say. The PDF on my main Health section covers the 6 pillars that I found to be highly important.
"CTFU" (Carb The Fuck Up) is first for a reason, in my experimentation it was the most important one. Water and sleep follow because I found my body does not operate or digest well if those are missing. Exercise is next because it can go longer without being kept up. The last two are more spiritual, and require the first four to be maintained in order for them to be beneficial. Once they are achieved then they can help keep the first four in check when they dwindle.
There was a day where I wondered if I was now cured of something and could go back to foods from my old diet. So one night for dinner I ate with my family and had some sort of pasta with meat. After eating I ran an errand, and remember within less than a few minutes, after only getting to the street after our home, I started nodding off at the wheel. What a quick indication that certain foods are a no-go!
Back to the "Real World": 2015Why would I stop eating like this, you ask? This was a temporary situation. I was on summer break from school and free from any job. When the fall semester started I needed a job again to pay for gas, books, etc. So I added in clean RawTil4 type foods like rice. For many years I ate like this and still felt great. No oil, which I never plan to add back. Also no or low seasoning. I firmly believe in only eating food that you like the taste of alone and would be happy eating as a monomeal. This is only one of many reasons I don't like seasonings and prefer not to use them.
Eventually I was corrupted and did start eating vegan junk food. I tried the fake cheeses, meats, ate restaurant food with oils, had processed snacks, etc. During this time though I stuck to the main principles of the PDF, and kept the carb ratio high as well as stayed hydrated and rested. I could tell that the processed food was lowering my energy levels but I remained disease free and was still able to accomplish a lot. I still ate simple meals like fruits and rice when alone but was more willing to eat out with coworkers and family.
Learning My Sensitivities: 2014-2022There are other things I was able to discover about my body as well when reintroducing cooked foods. I found alliums cause headaches, body pain, nightmares, and with garlic specifically it becomes full-on night terrors. These are an absolute no at any quantity in my cooking.
Nightshades have also been slowly phased out. I avoid all potato unless deep fried so that the poison is destroyed, although I try to avoid deep fried food as well. In 2022 as an experiment with my wife while she tried a low histamine experiment I also found that tomatoes were the reason that my nose has been running consistently for years! I had been blaming bad air, but just goes to show that you can never stop learning! So now even things like tomatoes and non-spicy peppers have been cut out. These are less of an issue, but raw and undercooked potatoes cause an obvious head and body tingle/ache. I've also found that eggplant digests terribly for me.
Stress is a common issue for me. I tend to put myself in my work, so creating a work/life balance is important to prevent me from getting overwhelmed from a needy environment. When deadlines are not realistic or there is just too much work to go around I have learned to accept that it is other's responsibilities to manage these things wisely. If the people saying these things need done are the same people who do not offer overtime compensation or other benefits for overworking then the blame and stress of not accomplishing these things cannot be mine. I cannot accept the responsibility of other people's mismanagement.
Current Lifestyle: 2022-2023Today I lean towards a more RawTilX style diet. Breakfast consists of fruit, such as a pound or two of apples, or half of a pound of dried mango rehydrated for a few hours in water. Lunch is a grain such as rice or quinoa. Dinner is usually a high-vegetable dish and tends to include beans. Sometimes breakfast may be a water or dry fast, the fruit meal is done as lunch, and lunch and dinner are combined into one meal.
Exercise comes and goes. Cycling is no longer a hobby of mine. A normal week will have multiple 20-30 minute dog walks as well as a few strenuous hikes. Yard and garden work also contribute to keeping the body active and strong. It also aids in getting sun and fresh air! When time is short, weather is not ideal, or I'd prefer to be barefoot than be on asphalt, then walking short laps as a meditation is ideal. This is not full-on Chinese circle-walking but can be seen as similar.
Thank You!I appreciate you making it through this! Hopefully you've not only learned a thing or two about me, but you've also obtained knowledge that can help you improve your life. That's my goal after all, helping others! Take care, friend. :)