Staple foods/appliances to have in a Raw diet
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My "staple" foods would definitely be romaine lettuce, kale, sprouts (if your going raw, you have to check out sprouting!), zucchinis, tomatoes, onions, bananas, apples and oranges. I try to eat a wide variety of everything else, and eat a "rainbow" of fruits and veg daily (all different colors, as different colors have different nutrients
). I am about 90% raw, and find eating some cooked grains or having a cup of coffee a few times a week keeps me from falling off the raw wagon completely
Prep wise, I have a good set of knives, 2 cutting boards (1 for fruit, 1 for veg since I don't like onion/garlic flavor mingling with my fruits), a good set of strainers, a high speed blender, spiralizer, food processor, dehydrator, citrus juicer and sprouting jars (just mason jars with mesh under the lid). I did have a regular juicer, but got rid of it. Honestly, I don't do much juicing (besides citrus) and found a small, manual wheatgrass juicer is fine for my juicing needs (which is basically wheatgrass and occasionally need a small amount of strawberry or blueberry juice for flavoring). I prefer blending, as it retains all the fiber. I do occasionally strain my veggie juice to get the pulp to make dehydrated "raw burgers". I have also been experimenting with my tofu press (a heavy stainless one) to make various raw dishes with interesting/good results, but I wouldn't consider it a essential tool (though quite fun to make burgers, pate' and desserts with!).
). I am about 90% raw, and find eating some cooked grains or having a cup of coffee a few times a week keeps me from falling off the raw wagon completelyPrep wise, I have a good set of knives, 2 cutting boards (1 for fruit, 1 for veg since I don't like onion/garlic flavor mingling with my fruits), a good set of strainers, a high speed blender, spiralizer, food processor, dehydrator, citrus juicer and sprouting jars (just mason jars with mesh under the lid). I did have a regular juicer, but got rid of it. Honestly, I don't do much juicing (besides citrus) and found a small, manual wheatgrass juicer is fine for my juicing needs (which is basically wheatgrass and occasionally need a small amount of strawberry or blueberry juice for flavoring). I prefer blending, as it retains all the fiber. I do occasionally strain my veggie juice to get the pulp to make dehydrated "raw burgers". I have also been experimenting with my tofu press (a heavy stainless one) to make various raw dishes with interesting/good results, but I wouldn't consider it a essential tool (though quite fun to make burgers, pate' and desserts with!).
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23 Posts
I've been researching a whole lot today about 100% raw vegan. It looks like it'll be really hard at first, especially the veggie part and getting used to all of them. But it looks extremely rewarding and exciting. Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences on the process? Any tips and tricks to make things "Yummier". Or tips for beginners.
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936 Posts
A few things I've learned are-
1. Keep it simple. Smoothies and/or mono meals will be a big part of your diet. The more "complex" you try to make with the raw stuff, the more 'off' it comes out and worst it tastes (plus many of the 'gourmet raw' foods are high fat). For example, spiraled zucchini with a simple veggie sauce is delicious. Trying to ALSO make raw "meatballs" and raw "garlic bread" to go with it? Not worth the effort, makes your meal too high fat and will probably not taste very good. I tried a lot of the gourmet raw foods and they were nasty to me. Plain fruit and veg are just much better tasting
2. Your taste WILL change, though change come slowly. It felt like serious overkill at first eating nothing but fruit and veg and I missed cooked foods. I had a few slip ups too. Over a few month period though, my tastes definitely started to change and now I just crave fruits and veg ALL the time.
3. The first few weeks I was really, really sick. I felt almost like I had the flu and my digestion was not normal. That is apparently a common reaction as your body detoxifies and readjusts to such a drastically different diet. I think it's better to expect and prepare for something like that personally, so a fair heads up you'll likely have some unpleasant side effects the first few weeks too (which is normal and a sign your body is working towards better health). After that, you start to feel amazing. More alive than you ever have before. Just an intense happiness and energy.
1. Keep it simple. Smoothies and/or mono meals will be a big part of your diet. The more "complex" you try to make with the raw stuff, the more 'off' it comes out and worst it tastes (plus many of the 'gourmet raw' foods are high fat). For example, spiraled zucchini with a simple veggie sauce is delicious. Trying to ALSO make raw "meatballs" and raw "garlic bread" to go with it? Not worth the effort, makes your meal too high fat and will probably not taste very good. I tried a lot of the gourmet raw foods and they were nasty to me. Plain fruit and veg are just much better tasting
2. Your taste WILL change, though change come slowly. It felt like serious overkill at first eating nothing but fruit and veg and I missed cooked foods. I had a few slip ups too. Over a few month period though, my tastes definitely started to change and now I just crave fruits and veg ALL the time.
3. The first few weeks I was really, really sick. I felt almost like I had the flu and my digestion was not normal. That is apparently a common reaction as your body detoxifies and readjusts to such a drastically different diet. I think it's better to expect and prepare for something like that personally, so a fair heads up you'll likely have some unpleasant side effects the first few weeks too (which is normal and a sign your body is working towards better health). After that, you start to feel amazing. More alive than you ever have before. Just an intense happiness and energy.
nonsweet: romaine, tomatoes, bell peppers, summer squash, onions, sprouts, carrots, beets, radishes, lemons, turnip greens, spinach, collards, cabbage, kale, baby spring mix, chard, beet greens, beets, turnips
sweet: apples, grapefruit, oranges, grapes, bananas, melons, stone fruits when in season, berries
nuts/seeds: walnut, almond, cashew, flax, sesame
fatty fruit: olive oil, avocado, rarely coconut (fresh)
tools: knife, food processor, blender (not high end), juicer (not high end), julienne peeler, spiralizer. used to have a dehydrator but got tired of the cleanup.
sweet: apples, grapefruit, oranges, grapes, bananas, melons, stone fruits when in season, berries
nuts/seeds: walnut, almond, cashew, flax, sesame
fatty fruit: olive oil, avocado, rarely coconut (fresh)
tools: knife, food processor, blender (not high end), juicer (not high end), julienne peeler, spiralizer. used to have a dehydrator but got tired of the cleanup.
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