Tips for starting a raw diet?

I really want to ease into a healthier raw vegan diet, at least 80% of the time at first. I was wondering if anyone had any good recommendations for books and videos, and if tea was considered acceptable (I am assuming no, but I have my fingers crossed. Making sun tea all year round wouldn't be possible for me). I am pretty health conscious, and I know how to get all of the nutrients I need from a completely plant based diet, but I could use some tips on juicing and what not. Oh...and do pickled things count as raw, also? (Mainly olives and pickled peppers)

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I was wondering if anyone had any good recommendations for books and videos

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This will depend on what sort of raw diet you want to eat. If you want to go more 80-10-10, which has a lot of emphasis on fruit, I like [on YouTube] Megan Elizabeth (Easy to be Raw), Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram (Fully Raw Kristina), and Dara Dubinet. Ani Phyo is popular among the gourmet raw foodists. I tend to stay away from the ones who are simply trying to sell super expensive, useless supplements like DurianKing, David Wolfe, and Matt Monarch. I mean, they seem like nice enough people, but they all make a killing selling things like deer velvet and mangosteen supplements.

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if tea was considered acceptable

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This will again depend on what percentage you want to be raw, and how you want to calculate that. The trouble with percentages, though, is how do we determine it? Based on daily calories? Based on number of meals and snacks? For most 80-10-10 folks, tea is not included in the diet, although I think a nice, decaffeinated herbal tea is fine. I drink herbal tea once every few days, mainly when I have a coffee craving.

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but I could use some tips on juicing and what not

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Juicing is great if you're trying to detox or heal an illness or disease. As a general rule I don't prefer juicing, because it concentrates the nutrients to the point where when some people become so addicted to juices they tax their bodies with the flood of nutrients. That and it's really hard to feel satisfied, carbed up and get enough calories through juices. I prefer smoothies, myself, because I can load up on carbohydrate rich, water dense fruits in a single glass and that will be my meal. Some people, who have been raw for awhile, can mono meal like a dozen persimmons or twenty peaches or ten bananas. I just can't commit to sitting down and eating that much of one thing in one sitting. So, I do smoothies, but I will also juice on occasion if I'm feeling like I just need that extra bit of "oomph".

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Oh...and do pickled things count as raw, also?

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Pickled things aren't technically raw, since the pickling liquids have to boil before they go into the jars. Fermented things are, however, considered raw. Things like homemade kefir, kimchi and kombucha would fall into the fermented category. My suggestion would be go for it. Start by being raw until dinner, or eat a cooked breakfast and eat raw the rest of the day. And when you eat cooked foods, just make sure they're from whole grains, low in fat and sodium and very nutrient-rich. Go easy on things like nuts, seeds and avocados and stick with water rich fruits and lots of leaf greens. That will really help you feel full and satisfied. You will, of course, want to eat nuts, seeds and healthy fats, but sparingly.

KnittinMama hit on most things pretty good. I have recently have gone raw and have learned alot in the first few weeks.

1. You need a staple food. The food that you get the bulk of your calories from. For me that is bananas. It seems as though alot of raw vegans eat bananas as their staple. I have also read that dates and mangoes are common staple foods.

2. Eat lots of greens. Tons and tons and tons of greens. You can't eat too many greens. Dinner for me everyday is a huge salad. Vary your greens up and try and be as diverse as possible with what greens you eat.

3. Don't eat too many nuts, seeds or avocados. They are very high in fat. I don't mean that you should never eat them occasionally they are fine, but you shouldn't have more than a handful every week.

4. Finally, enjoy what you eat. If your not enjoying your diet it will never work.

For juicing purposes it is easier to start with what you already know you like. I suggest a fruit base with the fruit you really like the taste of. Gradually add 1 thing to your juice and if you like it, keep it. This way you will know exactly what you don't like and can remove it. You will also almost always want to put the pulp through the juicer a second time to get the most juice out of your fruits and vegetables. You will also want to drink your juice as fast as possible because of oxidation.

For juice machines I have tried both single gear masticating and centrifugal juicers and I suggest you go with a single gear masticating juicer because it is a lot more efficient at extracting the juice. My centrifugal juicer seemed more like a slicer than a juicer and the pulp was extremely moist. There are also twin gear masticating juicers, but sometimes those twin gears can grind against each other and your eating little shreds of the gears so I don't recommend this type.

I believe juicing is better than smoothies though because your body will not have to expend energy in digestion and metabolism. Also a lot of your fruits and vegetables don't have as much nutrients as you think they do due to the quality of farming and food irradiation.

While researching something else just a moment ago, I noticed that there is a book out by Brenda Davis, Vesanto Melina, and a third woman, Cherie Soria.

Have not read it, but judging from "Becoming vegan", which I know, it might be a good place to start: http://www.brendadavisrd.com/index.php?code=Books

For 80/10/10, you might of course check out Doug Graham's book of the same name and website www.foodnsport.com .

Best regards,
Andy