Eating Raw?!
Answers: I'm thinking about eating only raw foods. If anyone has tried this, what should I expect and how should I go about it?
I'll occasionally go all raw for a few days to a week or so after binge drinking and eating junk.
It makes me feel a lot healthier and have clearer skin, but I have to eat more frequently and smaller servings. It's also pretty pricey - unroasted nuts and seeds, waiting for sprouts to grow, unusual fruits and veg to vary your diet, avocadoes, cold pressed oils... it can rack up.
It makes your tastebuds change, too. I found that a lot of processed foods tasted to me the way that nail polish remover smells (gross), especially anything with artificial sweeteners or bleached flour. I wanted less sweet, less salty food.
I've read that you get colder when you eat raw. I found that after a week of 'raw-ing' I got the runs (It might've been the choice of food - I ate cheesy veggies), but other than that, I was fine. I've also read that your sinuses often get clogged the first couple days and you can get pimples from toxins leaving your body. I'm a bit skeptical, personally.
I ate lots of fat and protein (avocado, raw cashews/almonds), because they make me feel full and taste good. Dried fruit, on the other hand, were too sweet and made me hungry prematurely so I avoided them.
Alissa Cohen has a cookbook of raw foods that mimic cooked food, but I don't have a dehydrator, and my goal was never to replicate my old diet, or to stay raw forever. You may want to peek at her book, though, and if you stay raw, you'll need a dehydrator and a good blender and juicer so you can vary your diet.
http://www.alissacohen.com/
For ideas, you may also want to look at the vegweb raw recipe collection. There are tons of ideas with ratings and photos. I use their site all the time.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?board=154.0
well it matters how raw it is...and what it is.
like if it's meat you can get very sick and possibly die.
but if it's vege's then that can be very healthy for you
I've never gone raw but I have a friend who writes a raw food column in an Australian vegan magazine. He is a qualified herbalist so he knows his sh*t, email me if you want and i'll give you his email addy.
I tried having a raw food day once per week. There are things which you should purchase if you want to be a raw foody like a masticating juicer, which can be very expensive. But you need these to prepare your foods properly. If you haven't already tried going one day a week, then try that. I think for most people it is a gradual transition between raw and cooked foods, giving your body time to adjust. Along the way you can try fasting to help your system detox and adjust to the new regime.
Anyway lemme know if you want to communicate with my friend.
PS I think this question is directed at people who might know a little bit about raw food veganism?
Just a thought...
I used to eat at a raw food restaurant that we have in Las Vegas. Its called the Go Raw Cafe- if you ever visit.
But- the food is great! But It is definitely prepared in a completely different way. You may need a good processor- to blend foods. And maybe Fit (that spray to clean off veggies and fruits). Also take a Going Raw food making class- its worth it. Teaching the basics of what you need- and how to make your food interesting tasteful and fun.
As for what to expect- maybe if you are a veggie already- you have a good amount of fiber- but eating foods raw- makes it even easier to go the bathroom lol( so that process could take a couple weeks for your body to adjust).
But I think it is very healthy! And the little time I did it- I felt great. Every once in a while I will still get something from the Cafe. But I couldn't stick to it, I just love hot- steamy- baked foods to much lol. Good Luck!
PS the cafe is a Vegan
That's a wonderful idea, only problem being it could stir up more problems than you think.
When you go your whole life eating acidic, cooked foods and suddenly decide to switch to raw, alkaline food only, your body goes into a cleansing process, which depending how toxic you are up to this point, (could) be dangerous. There was a person who actually died from doing this (not trying to scare you! it is rare.). He was simply too toxic and his body was trying to "cleanse" itself at a very unsafe speed, putting a huge burden on his organs.
i.e
People who are older, are at higher risks of getting sick than a young person as they are more toxic.
Common cleansing reactions:
-headache
-nausea
-dizziness
-tiredness
-weakness
Many misinformed people will get these reactions and feel horrible after a while of eating a raw diet, automatically assuming raw foods are bad. Then, thinking they're doing their body good by going back to eating cooked/and or processed foods, the body stops the cleansing process. Which further more makes them think a raw diet is unhealthy, as they aren't experiencing these reactions anymore.
The only way to be sure you are safe, is if you did an intestinal cleanse. And then you can saftely change your eating habits from there. You can do more research on it which I highly recommend.
Good for you and good luck.
i.e
Raw foods are filled with enzymes and life force necessary for you to stay healthy, not to mention all the vitamins and minerals you need that cooked food has lost.
I luv the whole raw thing. Eat LOTS of food. Your body will use it very differently than cooked food. The biggest mistake I see is people trying to eat the "meals" a day.
DO Green Smoothies
http://www.emaxhealth.com/14/1182.html
RAW sites
1st one here is Carol Alt's site sign up on her Apple A Day. For 7 days she does mini-coaching on RAW eatting.
http://www.rawnutrition.com/
http://www.paulnison.com/
http://www.rawfamily.com/
http://www.therawgreek.com/recipes.aspx
http://gliving.tv/greenchefs/recipes/
http://www.living-foods.com/faq.html
http://www.rawguru.com/rawfoodrecipes.ht...
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/
http://rawglow.com/gallery.htm
http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/RawS...
http://rawtestkitchen.blogspot.com/
http://rawchef.com/aboutus.php
http://www.loveraw.com/recipes.asp
http://goneraw.com/recipes/list/entree
http://www.therawtable.com/recipes.htm
http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2...
Enjoy your adventure!
There are many ways to go about it, and it really just depends on the type of person you are. It is a very healthy way to live. I would suggest transitioning and being in close communication with someone who's been through what you're going for. It is not necessary to buy expensive gadgets and tools or expensive foods, that just spruces it up a bit. All I really need is a blender, a knife and a cutting board. Depending on how fast you go at it, you can expect some detoxing to occur, which basically is the all the proof you need that eating raw foods is pure and eating the standard diet is not very healthy. The mental and physical illnesses in our society are staggering, and most of it is from the foods we consume, so if we eat foods that act like medicines in our bodies and detox us, imagine how strong and healthy we will be when the detoxing is done! I was very skeptical for awhile, but once you do it, you will keep coming back to it and if you allow yourself to intuit you will eventually stick with it. That is what happened to me. Some people can experience it and tune in to it right away and stick with it. Just know there is an excellent community of people willing to help. I recommend 2 sites to start. www.sunfood.com and www.herbalheart.yuku.com the second site is my husband's, he is coaching people to cleanse and transition to raw food diets, introduce yourself or message him or me for more details.
It's a challenge for sure. Lots of menu planning. I found after a few months that my hair started to thin, which I did not like. Try B supplements or add raw dairy to your diet. Raw dairy has a lot of benefits. If you can't go %100 raw (it ain't easy) don't beat yourself up, just remember more raw = more healthy.
Raw is great! You can't believe how healthy and energetic you'll feel!
No more heartburn or other digestive issues, no more depression or lethargy, headaches or allergies...
Celtic Tejas listed some great resources, but here is my favorite:
http://www.rawfood.com/
They have a very active community, and message boards for all of your questions, as well as an online store.
The best starter book is "Raw Food Made Simple" by Jennifer Cornbleet. The recipes don't require the special equipment that most raw food cookbooks do. (dehydrator, spiral slicer, juicer...)
A good comprehensive reference is "The Complete Book of Raw Food" by Lori Baird and Julie Rodwell.
Good luck!
I went raw for about a year. It corrected a long term digestive problem I had. But I am athletic and active. So it was difficult to maintain. I was eating all the time, since your body makes use of so much more when the enzymes are not destroyed.
You will end up looking younger due to freeing up your pancreas to make more metabolic enzymes.
Get some good books. Start slow. You'll need equipment. A good food processor, a dehydrator and some good knives.
thats really bad u could
get sick
and die
Yuk! hahaha
The only raw foods i've ever tasted are fruits and vegetables, and other things besides from that are beyond nastay lol. Who would want to eat raw chicken or fish. Come on man, we all need seasonings in our life to make the food taste just right. What would life be if we ate raw food all the time ---> (not so wonderful). It's flavor and pots/pans that makes our meals taste wonderful.
Please don't turn out like those animals who have no choice but to eat raw things :-(