I'm trying to get more on the raw diet, but a third of my calories and some vitamins and minerals are greatly given by grains & beans. I enjoy lots of amaranth, quinoa, short-grain brown rice, wild rice, millet, barley, garbanzo, adzuki, red, white, black, and mung beans. Removing them from my diet is going to be a big change as these are my protein staples! Replacing general calories will be easy for me, but I am afraid I'll begin to get defecient in vitamins such as Thiamin or Riboflavin.

Basically, what are some suggestions that I can do? Should I just sprout these seeds? Sprouting looks real messy and I'm not sure how I feel about eating babies. Are there any harmful things with sprouts? I've read most of the harmful natural pesticides are eliminated when a seed is beginning to sprout. Phytic-acid is another reason I want to toss out my grains.

What do you guys do for thiamin and riboflavin in your diet? Watermelon seems like a good option, but I'm not particularly fond of the stuff. Should I just pulverize my mediocre veggies sources of the vitamins and hope my body absorbs it better? Is raw asparagus or okra okay to eat?

Thanks for any advice! I'm desperate for just some hints! Sorry if this post is confusing, I can try to clear up any points if requested.

I eat raw and when I log my food into fitday.com, I am always over the RDA on all the vitamins, including B vitamins. You can easily sprout grains and it takes little time and it doesn't make a mess. Buckwheat, spelt, kamut, rye, and quinoa work really well for sprouting.

That's good to hear about the food log. I have plenty of grains left over so I'll give sprouting a chance this summer.

It's been over a week since I stopped eating grains. I'm getting slight headaches throughout the day now. Anyone else go through the same thing? Kind of dissapointing to go raw only to feel worse. :sick: I'm hoping it's an addiction withdrawal and not something worse.

Zasko,
It's probably detox which is no fun. Your body is just trying to get all the built up toxins out.

I went through a detox. I've been mostly raw for over two weeks now. (I do still eat sprouted cooked bread) I feel absolutely wonderful! The energy and happiness on raw is the best benefit so far.

Keep up with it, you'll see worthwhile results!

Well the headaches are gone! Completly gone. I'm also not bloated like I was with my previous grain/bean diet. Sadly, my face is breaking out now. Haha..ha.. bleh. :-/

Sprouting is quite common among the raw people I know.