Going Raw

[Robert]

I have been contemplating going raw vegan for the past week, as I really do not have the time or inclination to cook anymore (not the best reason for going raw but it will do). My diet won't be 100% raw as I will still include houmous and baba ganoush to dip veggies in.

Should I increase the quantity of fruit/veg I consume if following a raw diet? Also, are there any veggies that should not be eaten raw (cos they are toxic or some such thing)?

Would sprouted beans and lentils be an adequate protein substitute for cooked beans and lentils?

[Tibetan Snake]

I was 80% raw for a couple of years. Realy buzzd up for a couple of weeks and then it just felt normal. The prep time I found to be the same just no cooking after it. In order to be intresting food one still has to follow resapys, and have a good blender and juser. Sprouted stuff is asimalated in to the body better than cooked stuff, protein and shuggers, vitermins etc.
After 2 years I got naft off with the tast of Tamary and Oliv oil on every thing ( salads ). I didn't follow resapys, have a blender or a juser ( the one I wanted was £300 ) ah one day, and just realy craved backed Potatos, a hole oven shelf full would last 2/3 day with stuff on the side. As mutch raw as you can I think will be better for one. After all we as beeings should be spending our time just gathering food and haveing fun. Good loook with it all, all the time.

[Robert]

Thanks Tibetan Snake.

I will be aiming for 80 to 90% raw. I will still be enjoying the odd pasta dish and hummus and baba ganoush for dipping things into. I am going to try and steer clear of olive oil for the first while as I do have a lot of weight to lose.

I have stocked up on fruit (heaps of the stuff) and the balance of my food intake will be made up of salad greens, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, and other bits and bobs as they take my fancy.

A friend recommended fennel tea to me to reduce appetite and it does work extremely well - two cups a day and you never get hungry, so just eat the 3 meals a day and be happy...

[Maisiepaisie]

A friend recommended fennel tea to me to reduce appetite and it does work extremely well - two cups a day and you never get hungry, so just eat the 3 meals a day and be happy...Thank you, will give that a try :)

[odalys]

fennel tea?? sounds interesting indeed!

do not eat potatoes raw.. theyre toxic, if you're craving them eat jicama instead (mexican potato)
and yes you should increase your fruits and veggies, as they will make up most of your diet... unless you're into sprouting and dehydrating.

if you have more questions you should really joine goneraw.com, its a pretty awsome community with really great recipes you can check out

[harpy]

Hmm, I drink quite a lot of fennel tea (because it's meant to be good for the digestion) but I can't say I've noticed any impact on my appetite. Perhaps it only works if you're eating raw food ;)

[Robert]

Trust me, I started on the fennel tea as an omni and it worked then too. Maybe the impact differs according to personal body chemistry. For myself and my friend it is the wonder tea for appetite control.

Thanks for the reference to goneraw.com Odalys. I will check it out.

To clarify - I do grow my own sprouts - aduki and mung beans plus a heap of other things in rotation. I am not into deydrating (yet). Part of my breakfast and lunch is a blended salad made of frozen berries, dulse seaweed, a head of cos lettuce, fennel or green tea, two oranges (for sweetness) and sometimes ground flax seed. The rest of breakfast is seasonal fruit (this week a mix of plums, cherries and apples) and lunch has more fruit and a garden salad. Dinner is another salad with more substantial veg in (fennel, carrot, raw beetroot, raw cabbage, etc).

As to balance in this diet, I do not yet know if I have it, will wait and see what my body has to say about it once the detox stage has passed.

[Hemlock]

"Cooking" sure is easier, I usually just drop things into the food processor and it's done. Spinach and courgettes are my favourite but obviously I eat a wide range. If I'm feeling really lazy I just eat fruit.

[TheBringer]

I've been trying to go raw, and I really think i need a food dehydrator. Its easier to carry dried food around. I have trouble making salads as I am too lazy to do more than put a sandwich together usually. Do processors work better than blenders? And what is the detox stage? I think I'll check out goneraw.com too.

[Hemlock]

I'd love a dehydrator but the prices of those things:eek: Still, I guess there is always ebay:)

[cedarblue]

my dehydrator is old and round and the temp knob has had the line rubbed off it so i can't tell what temp it is at.

i'd love an excalibur but like hemlock.....

[greenspex]

What in your experience is the carbon footprint, financial and gastric impact of going raw?

Whenever I try to have a serious attempt to go raw, I seem to have to then be buying avocados, mangos, veg out of season and shipped in not to become completely bored. Is it possible to go raw on locally grown food? (parsnips, swede, leek, beetroot). Also, these slow cook oven things - presumably they use electricity?

Does the increase in fruit and veg impact on your wallet? My budget is limited and I eat plenty of bulk. I find buying lots of fruit and veg expensive. We do now have an allotment but yield is not significant yet this year.

I find that I lose weight easily. Everytime I try going raw, it starts falling off. I also have trouble digesting raw onion, leeks etc and can end up with a slightly upset stomach for weeks. This is usually why I stop.

[veganlinda]

I have similar issues. I have stopped eating onions so don't have that problem and buy from an organic box which seems cheaper than buying from a supermarket. But the cost and environmental impact of buying a liquidizer and dehydrator does stop me from going that next step and I would rather be eating local food (much that I love avocados).

[cedarblue]

i hear what you are both saying.

no way am I 100% raw. i am currently eating two meals raw daily with a cooked meal [on a good day].

the tools i currently have are a hand blender, a juicer, a food mixer and an old dehydrater that i've used once and frankly could do without, except i want to make flax crackers in it. they are obviously electric and i am now on the lookout for a manual grinder for grinding nuts and seeds, a hand juicer but i couldn't do without the electric blender and mixer, although a vitamix (electric) would do for both those items.
the plus to the dehydrator is that you can prepare or 'uncook' many trays of food; crackers, fruit strips, biscuits, breads; enough to last you a week or two, all in one go and not used it again for a while.

ecologically speaking, one of the downsides to being high raw in the uk is the availability of homegrown, abundant, reasonably priced 'soft' items, soft fruits, avocados, exotic fruit. these push the price up for me as the rest of my family do not eat as much raw as i do so i am maybe buying different ingredients for lunches, twice.

greenspecs, although i have an abundance of different things growing in my garden too, nothing is really ready yet, although i have been grazing on the fresh peas daily :), so i know what you mean.

for me it's about looking at the bigger picture too; the benefits to my health [i believe]and weighing up the eco benefits as they arise; it's like veganism maybe, and then thinking of the eco footprint, we can't take care of everything in terms of footprint offset, but we can do something.

sometimes i buy bags of frozen red fruit mixes which work out cheaper and are still raw.

have you looked on youtube? there are lots of films with recipes, talks etc with ideas and interest.

good points you raised there guys!! :)

[greenspex]

Thanks Cedarblue for all your helpful suggestions :) I eat a raw breakfast, almost raw lunch (home made spreads, salads etc but maybe some bread, fruit), but cook in the evening as I love my potatoes and root veggies, lentils, pulses etc. However, I do eat raw where possible - raw spinach/grated carrots, etc, nuts and seeds. So I guess I'm probably doing better than I realise.

[cedarblue]

ANY increase in raw into your diet is good for you - raw greens are pretty essential though i would say. i really only recently started having green smoothies, and once i got the mix right, they were lovely!

i blended a banana, some fresh pineapple, spinach and parsley and it tasted great. raw greens are assimilated straight into your system and if they are juiced or blended it means less time spent on their digestion so they are effective immediately.

if i'm not prepared i have a pitta or wrap for lunch sometimes, but i always make sure its wholemeal - it's just small changes like white to wholemeal, stuffing some romaine lettuce or parsley into a smoothie that makes the difference - well to me anyhow.

;)

[greenspex]

Sounds fab, will try the greenstuff for definite :)

[Glossgirl]

I dont know in what thread I should post this. But this song is very funny and encouraging for someone who wants to go raw and any vegan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr4_RfJxwsU

[greenspex]

That is just fantastic!!!!! I can really recommend watching it!!!!

[Tibetan Snake]

Ha Ha Ha. Exsssalant. Ha Ha Ha.:D

[health freak]

HAHAHAHAA very smart! ;)

[Kristen's Raw]

Green Smoothies are a great way to get TONS of energy! They can totally take the "edge" off when you have a sweet tooth, too. This is one of the best and easiest ways to get greens into your diet, which are full of minerals.

Greens (think spinach, parsley, kale, swiss chard, arugula, sprouts, cilantro, celery, romaine lettuce) are an excellent source of quality protein and minerals. And, when you consume your organic greens in the form of a Green Smoothie, you can expect to get better assimilation of valuable nutrients. Not only that, but green smoothies have plenty of fiber, which can help steady blood sugar levels. Make one today and see for yourself. It’s super easy.

I make sure I always have a Green Smoothie with me. I’ll take it to the movies for my snack or keep it in a cooler, in my car, when I’m out running errands. This way, if I get hungry or have any cravings, I can drink my green smoothie and be satisfied.

Green Energy Smoothie Recipe

2 cups of filtered or spring water
1 handful of Organic leafy greens such as spinach, kale, parsley, romaine lettuce, herbs, your choice
1-2 pieces of Organic fruit (depending on size and sweetness desired) for example: banana and/or apple, mango, berries, etc.

Put all of it in a blender, give it a whirl, and ENJOY!

By far the easiest one is probably doing spinach and banana. Put 1-2 handfuls of spinach in your blender with the water and 2 peeled bananas. Blend. Drink down and RULE THE WORLD!

Want an easy dessert? Eat fresh Raw dates! They're so satisfying and delicious. And, if you want it more gourmet (haha), add a raw pecan or almond to the middle of it before popping it into your mouth. Heavenly.

Yes, I really like the forum on www.goneraw.com (http://www.goneraw.com) as well. You should also check out gliving.tv for a great forum on vegan, eco, being green, and raw. They have some terrific Raw food demos you can watch right there, too.

Cheers!
Kristen's Raw

[cedarblue]

thanks for the link kristen!

[Poppet]

I have been reading about the health benefits of being raw lately,
and I was wondering, because I'm not too sure I want to eat completely raw even though I think it's very healthful.
So are there still alot of health benefits to eating say, maybe cooked food for three meals per week? Or maybe, because I read that you can still heat foods to a certain temperature, don't remember what it was it was in Fahrenheit so I didn't understand anyway, could maybe steamed vegetables be alright? I like cooked foods :(

Also, cold pressed oils would be raw right? what about the ordinary kind?

[cedarblue]

hi poppet

as far as i am concerned raw is raw, steamed is cooked etc.

to me any cooked meal that is replaced with a raw is going to be of benefit to health - its like the vegan path - you learn as you go along.
i eat as much raw as i practically can daily and i also eat some cooked - i don't sweat it - whatever you eat (ratio wise) is ok, if it's ok with you - you don't have to ask anyone else's permission.

from what i have read etc if you do it 100% then you will see a more radical change in health, weight etc but not everyone can do it that way - it may take years - i think it will take me a long time to phase out the cooked. maybe while i'm always eating cooked it will be all the more difficult.

ignore any raw police and monitor yourself - do what feels right and good for you!

in alissa cohen's 'living on live foods' book, she says to go straight away and throw out all the processed, cooked stuff in your cupboards - man, if i did that my family would freak!!! - it's just not possible to do in one go for all.

pm me if you like, i'd be happy to talk more :)

p.s. i am just making a veggie chilli to take to a family gathering tonight soooo...;)