Orange Island - thoughts/recommendations?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Casey on April 20, 2012 at 4:49am

Orange island is wonderful, I much enjoy it myself periodically and these days am not islanding but am eating mostly citrus.

Orange and banana are not a good combination though, see http://www.livingfoodvillage.com/weight-management/73-fruit-combining or other search results for fruit combining.

If you want to be all-or-nothing (that's me too), then commit to 100% raw first and foremost, without resuming SAD or anything like it ever again.  If in some case you do fall off the wagon pick yourself up and get right back on!

That said, I'm also one for NOT transitioning slowly (went from omnivore to 100% raw vegan overnight and stayed that way for 7-8 months), and fruits like watermelon, citrus, berries are some of the best for detoxification.  So that may rush along some detox symptoms, which means they might be more intense when they strike, but they'll also be over with sooner and you'll feel amazing afterwards.

If you can do all oranges and stay committed to raw veganism when you stop the island, then I say go for it!  I know someone who was on orange island for six months!  Just make sure you're eating enough calories - you've gotta go through a lot of oranges to do that.  You can buy them a lot cheaper by the case if you locate a wholesaler in your area!

Permalink Reply by Jelle on April 20, 2012 at 7:04am

Just be careful you get enough calories! I couldn't do orange island, also if I eat mostly oranges for three days I start graving sweeter fruits too much.

Permalink Reply by J on April 20, 2012 at 8:14am

Thank you for the input.  Already, a huge help.   (And, I hadn't seen that cool food-combining diagram.  It's the easiest-to-understand yet!)

Do people ever alternate fruit on mono fruit island?  Since the oranges and bananas don't "combine" - I'm wondering if I do one day of oranges, the other banana?  (probably a silly question) 

So far, no one has mentioned teeth.  I did all oranges for about 8 hours a few days ago, and I thought my teeth felt different.  (It might have just been in my head because of things I've heard.... tough on enamel, etc.?)

And, lastly with the island endeavors, are certain fruits better for certain things?  Is there a good link for this?

(For instance, it was helpful to hear that oranges aid in detoxing quickly.)

I cannot thank you enough for adding any of your thoughts/advice.

Permalink Reply by Casey on April 20, 2012 at 10:09am

You can alternate even between meals as long as you allow time for digestion between...I personally tend to do it more day-by-day myself.  Alternating isn't an island, that's jumping between two islands.  Lazily chilling on one island is a lot more relaxing than paddling back and forth every day, and likewise if you stick to one thing for a while, your body's digestive system can be more at rest and focus more energy on self-healing.

As for teeth, don't use fluoridated toothpaste, try not to drink fluoridated water, and make sure you get ample vitamin C every day (hellooooo oranges).  They'll get better on their own.  Some long-term folks here just brush with water, and sometimes I do that, other times I still use a 100% natural herbal toothpaste (Periobrite if you're interested).  My teeth were bad since childhood, but certainly haven't gotten any worse than they used to be eating tons of citrus (including more acidic stuff like grapefruits, pomelos, limes, lemons...) or any other fruits.  Eating lots of nuts on the other hand will cause your teeth to get worse.

Permalink Reply by Casey on April 20, 2012 at 1:26pm

As for types of fruit...not really but some have more of a cleansing effect while others are basically better for calories/sustenance.  Not that you can't sustain yourself without those.  I pretty much just eat bananas because they are cheap, otherwise I'd be perfectly content on other things.

What's the best for cleansing are the juicy and astringent fruits - berries, watermelon, citrus, and grapes...  I think once my current food pile (http://www.30bananasaday.com/photo/refrigerator) is done for, I may go on orange island myself as I've really been digging the citrus lately and feel that I should listen to my body.  I'm also really looking forward to grapes being back in season along with better watermelons.  Last summer I did a couple days on cherry island when they were in season.  Not cheap but sooooo yummy.

No worries about trying to help - it's what we're all here for - both to ask for help and to offer it whenever we can.  I'm nothing compared to many here who have been doing this for years and are more well-informed, but happy to share what I can.  Always discern for yourself and listen to your body (not the conditioned mind telling you "I want!  I want!") as the ultimate judgment!

I'll just warn you though, since you're coming off SAD, you're probably going to a pretty harsh detox illness within a month or two.  Body aches, fever, constant headache, extreme fatigue, coughing up lots of mucus, etc.  Don't get discouraged by that, or think you need to put anything toxic into your body to suppress symptoms.  Drink tons of good spring water and if you're hungry then some watery fruits and if not just fast - not a time to worry about calories.  Sleep as much as you can.  When that passes you'll feel better than you have in years, the world will seem so alive and colorful, and it's all downhill from there as long as you stay on track...  At least that's the experience I went through - it varies based on your history and body.

Permalink Reply by J on April 20, 2012 at 11:44am

Hi Casey!

Thank you for all the great tips.  I'm so new to this (as you can probably tell) and am soaking up the information. 

Your analogy regarding chilling on one island vs paddling back-and-forth was fantastic.  That totally clicked with me.  And, you've eased my mind in terms of giving oranges a try (teeth/acidity,etc).  And, hellooo Vit C, aka "oranges," is right.   :-)

And, I'd recently purchased my first ever tube of fluoride-free toothpaste.  (I was so proud!)

My sincere appreciation to you for having taken the time to share your help.  Thank you a ton.

Permalink Reply by J on June 14, 2012 at 3:36am

 

Thank you so much, Crystal, for your response.  It helps hearing your description. (motivating!!)

And, the fact that you went into it shortly after being full on raw is helpful too.  I've been kind of sputtering about.  Thanks again.