where to start?

CarlaVeg · Sep 12, 2006

Hello all, 
I'm a vegetarian... I don't eat eggs, but eat a bit of dairy in the form of yogurt and sometimes icecream... 
I have eating raw food 3 times in a small cafe and I think it's just deliciuos... I could eat like that every day if I could make those dishes.... I don't know if I could only eat salads every day.... having that said, I need to knoe where to start eating more raw foods.... I eat lots of fruits and eat salads about twice a week... everything else is cooked..... 
Any suggestions on readings, recipes, etc? 
As anything new, it scares me a bit..... is it really healthy to eat this way? for how long have you done it? 
I know.... I have lots of questions, so I appreciate your comments <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/broccoli.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":bobo:"> 
Thanks, <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/carrot.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":vebo:"> Carla<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/carrot.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":vebo:">

the cacao kid · Sep 12, 2006

The food groups as I see it: Fat on this diet Essential fat or omega 3's- Flax or hemp seeds, flax or hemp oil found at health food stores Good fat that helps replace bad hydrogenated fat in the body- Avocados, Olives, Durians(exotic fruit at asian markets, tastes like marshmellows and is totally amazing), Raw cacao nuts(the thing which all chocolate is made from), certain essential fats in spirulina and blue green algae. All nuts and seeds. 
Those are fats you can play with, that are pretty much apart of this diet imo. Fat gives you the beef to not be hungry and crave SAD(standard american diet) food, and it slows down the detox process. That doesnt mean its bad, its just where you start!!! 
Other things: A salad a day as a discipline. Greens are a food group to me. Whats the primary color in nature? Whats the color in the middle of the rainbow? Whats the color of the heart chakra? Green. Gotta have greens. Fresh organic leafy greens. Many people are deficient in alkaline minerals, and greens and green juices are how you get them back. Their deeply calming and very balancing when you do them enough. 
Seaweed is good... Raw cacao beans helped me a lot in the transition process...guacamole did too. Olive oil and raw nut butters are okay too. I also use organic spices and don't worry about it. Tools and not rules are the way to achieve radiant health on this diet. 
Check out <a href="http://www.patricktimpone.com" target="_blank">http://www.patricktimpone.com</a> and download the David Wolfe material. Not smoothie 101, but the other one. Download all patricks stuff. Check out <a href="http://www.rawveganradio.com" target="_blank">http://www.rawveganradio.com</a> too...Those are excellent websites, and a lot of fun to listen to. 
Start by learning and adding in. Don't take away, add in. Have fun. Try a new fruit or raw food everytime your at the store. Try new exotic superfoods like raw cacao or spirulina or algaes and seaweeds(i LOVE nori rolls). Try new seeds you havent like hemp and pumpkin!!! Try a goji berry, a complete protein dry berry that tastes better than a raisin, and contains more beta-carotene antioxidants than any other known food! (You can find these things at rawfood.com and naturalzing.com and some health organic food stores btw..) Try the ancient pervuian root powder maca that balances hormones!!! Jus ttry whatevers calling your name on the rawfood.com site...and have fun with it. 
Invest in a blender for five dollers at the thrift store. I use mine everyday. Food processors are helpful for cuisine too, but I really enjoy blenders for easing digestion and giving energy with healthy shakes.

the cacao kid · Sep 12, 2006

PS. things to avoid in your normal food no matter what: 
Hydrogenated oils, high fructose cornsyrup, white flour or white refined sugar, and anything you cant pronounce or identify upon reading!!! Haha!!! So much food today is more carcinogenic than it is nourishing. Just get on healthy food first, not necesarily raw food. Always eat organic when possible. Work your way in...outside your comfort zone, but not in your shock zone.

ollie · Sep 12, 2006

Hi carlaveg 
I've been raw for a couple of weeks now, and I was coming from pretty much the same place as you. I'll second all of what cocao kid said, thats how my experince was. Plus I'd say read about it, the benefits and pitfalls etc. I've found the things I've had the most succes at are the things I've had the best reasons for. 
I'm very glad that I've started eating raw, I've lost wieght, I don't feel tired all the time, I'm sleeping better, I'm not pigging out on junk food or having the cravins too. I work in a supermarket btw, on a checkout (please don't judge me I'm a lowly student) I spend a whole shift seeing junk food, before raw at the end of the shift I'd be compeled to eat, some junk. But now I get some organic raisans or a nut and fruit mix and it satisfies. 
I think the main thing is too draw a line somewhere. For example some of my food combining is not very good. I'm not filtering my water. I eat nuts and dried fruit without soaking. I eat before I go to bed. These things are not ideal but so what, compared to what I was doing the change is massive. I went veggie over a year ago now, so this processs has taken that long. 
Hopefully I'll still be raw next week but who knows, basically I'm trying to work within my limits. 
Hope this has helped 
Ollie

GhostUser · Sep 12, 2006

One thing I can tell you is that you don't need a lot of exotic expensive foods or premade crap. 
just examine your current diet, and switch out some cooked foods to raw. for instance, make pasta, but make a raw tomato sauce for on top. or have your normal dinner protein cooked, and have marinated greens as your side instead of steamed. make breakfast fruit and nuts or nut butters. 
don't go crazy about soaking and whatnot. just add in raw when you can.

rawgirl · Sep 12, 2006

Try to eat at least one large salad every day made of leafy greens, sprouts, and raw veggies. 
Fruit for breakfast is a great way to eat more raw. If you need more than fruit, try some raw nuts along with it. 
For snacks, try nuts, flax crackers, raw veggies, smoothies, fruit. Just think about how you can get raw food in rather than trying to get cooked food out. If you're having a sandwich, think about putting some sprouts, cucumber slices, onions, lettuce, etc on it. If you're having pasta with veggies, think about adding some fresh chives at the end and some fresh garlic and herbs marinated in extra virgin olive oil. If you're going to eat nuts, eat them raw rather than roasted and salted. 
Another yummy raw treat is banana ice cream. If you have a food processor, put in chunks of frozen bananas with any kind of fresh or frozen berry and process until it's the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You can also substitute some carob or cocoa powder for the berries. A dallop of raw almond butter makes it nice and creamy. 
Try to replace peanut butter with raw almond butter or raw pumpkin seed butter. 
Just focus on getting the raw in and the rest will follow.

CarlaVeg · Sep 12, 2006

Thank you all for all your replies!!! I have learned a lot <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

"> 
I do eat lots of fruits already.... I have 1 or 2 smoothies a day with different fruits and whey protein.... I'm going to get spirulina instead.... 
so are frozen fruits considered raw??? 
What's a good book with good recipes?

jenna · Sep 13, 2006

try adding some leafy greens to your smoothies. great way to get extra greens in. 
alissa cohen's book has some great recipes. that's the main reason i got the book. 
thegardendiet.com has some good ebooks and i've liked the recipes i've tried of theirs. 
"raw food made easy for one or two people" is a good simple book. <a href="http://www.rawfoods.com/recipes/" target="_blank">http://www.rawfoods.com/recipes/</a> has some great recipes. i really like their crunchy taco.

rawgirl · Sep 13, 2006

Frozen fruits are raw. Also, hemp protein powder or ground flax would be a really good addition to your smoothies.

SeaSiren · Sep 13, 2006

I have been high raw since Spring and working on 100% this month. I would suggest fruit all morning, a huge salad for lunch and if you must a raw recipe for dinner. Keep plenty of raw fruits and veggie "snacks" on hand. I have found aside from the salads, I prefer mono eating. 
Everyone's path is there own find out what works for you! Don't worry if you find yourself falling off the wagon. Keep picking yourself up and going back at it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/broccoli.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":bobo:">

where to start?

CarlaVeg

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the cacao kid

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the cacao kid

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ollie

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GhostUser

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rawgirl

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CarlaVeg

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jenna

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rawgirl

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SeaSiren

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