What do you get from the grocery store as a raw vegan?

[Absolute_Zero]

Hello!
I was doing some searching on the internet and saw a couple sites on raw foodism.
I thought I would at least try it to see if it worked for me.
But I am having abit of a problem.
I am trying to create a grocery list for this week and I don't know what to put or omit.
So could you please give me some advice,
maybe even posting what you get at the grocery store?

[applebaby]

when i was raw vegan all summer a typical grocery list would be:

bananas, 2 bunches
oranges for juicing, apples
kiwis
red leaf lettuce
carrots or brocolli
bell peppers for salsa/soup
cucumber
little vine tomatos
almonds from the bulk barn

you have to go to the grocery store quite frequently, every few days, 2 or 3. unlike cooked food you cant buy a ton pf produce at once because some of it will spoil before you have a chance to eat it and thats no good! happy shopping!

[Kitteh]

I agree, I tend to go to the fruit & veg shop every day / every second day.

I buy:
bananas, watermelon, tomatoes, spinach, baby spinach, beetroot, carrots, cucumber, red capsicum, celery, mushrooms, zuchinni, kiwi fruit, green apples, ginger, onion, peaches, nectarines, dates, mixed nuts.

I also grow some herbs on my balcony and have a pot with kale in it - haven't tried it yet.

[Zero]

The key thing is, to get fresh natural healthy food, don't get incredibly hung up on whether everything you are eating is raw yet.
Use whatever sauces and condiments you want, consider foods by their own merits, read the labels and just remember that anything that comes in a packet, jar, bottle or can will not be as fresh or as healthy as the food in the produce section.

Yesterday I purchased:
Oranges, pears, bananas, kiwis, cherries, tomatos (large and small), bell peppers, green/spring onions, 2 bunches of romaine.
A jar of saurkraut, a bottle of tamari, bottle of balsamic vinegar (I was running out of all that stuff, I love saurkraut in salads!)

I already had some stuff at home that keeps longer, but yeah you have to shop more than usual, particularly if you are buying organic because it can take longer to get to the store than conventional produce.

[emmy]

I'd like to start eating more raw food. I don't want to go totally raw, but at least start by making a conscious effort to increase my intake.
I was reading a raw food 'cook'book that my fiance has, and it talks about almond milk a fair bit. What about soya milk? I would have thought it would have been heated in the process?

I'm quite wary of eating too much raw...because I have eating disorders (eating just veg used to be a very anorexic thing for me, and eating large quantities of food triggers my bulimia). I also suffer with fatigue, and although I've read how much energy raw food can give, I'm not sure that I'd be able to eat the bulk I needed to give me enough calories to keep going :/

[cedarblue]

The key thing is, to get fresh natural healthy food, don't get incredibly hung up on whether everything you are eating is raw yet.

i agree. do what you can and don't stress it.
it can be good initially to eat perhaps one raw meal a day and just try to increase fruit & veg into your snacking. any extra fresh, raw, organic if poss, food you can incorporate into your diet with have a beneficial effect on your body. i would suggest reading other peoples ideas and journeys, and remembering we are all different, start your own path, not worrying about the raw food police.

for me it's fresh fruit & veg, sometimes nuts & seeds although we import a lot in the uk so i don't reckon much of it is actually 'fresh' in the home-grown sense of the word.

i use a health food store more for raw snack bars etc.

i make an unrefined and non-smooth ( i don't bother straining it, i like the lumps) nut milk by soaking cashews, almonds over night and whizzing them in a processor with water and a date or two. this last a couple of days in the fridge.

good fats your body needs and can utilize well can come from avocados and nuts, almonds are especially good all rounders.
good luck emmy

[emmy]

thank you! it's definitely something i'm going to try to do.
i love the raw food bars you can get in the supermarkets, can't think of the name of them right now, I get the berry one in a pink packet and they are delicious. Quite cake-y too! They are about 80p a bar though which is quite expensive but I find one of those plus some fruit is usually enough for a lunch...much cheaper and easier than trying to find a sandwich or salad I can eat!

[cedarblue]

the only raw bars i find in health stores are lara bars but i would like to try ani phyo's 'smart monkey' raw bars. i've never seen them in the uk though.
rawdawgrory makes his own raw energy bars on youtube, i should make my own really!!

[emmy]

when I find another one I will post the name. you can get them in Tescos of all places!!

[cedarblue]

in the 'specialist' section do you mean?

[emmy]

yes...
they are generally with the bags of dry seeds/nuts...not in the main aisles though.

[emmy]

Just came across this thread:
http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...t=13590&page=2
They are NAKD bars!! I see you've posted there that you didn't like them though!

[aughty]

I make up a menu every 3 days and go shopping with that. I juice a lot so I buy things I can juice: wheatgrass, carrots, celery, beets, garlic, peppers, pears, grapefruit, lemons, limes, watermelon, oranges, pineapple, apples, ginger, etc. I eat a lot of salads and make my own dressings: sprouts, cabbage, parsley, red onion, greens, lettuce, mushrooms, avocado, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. For the dressings: olive oil, tamari, spices, etc. I also include soymilk on my list. I hope this helps. And it helps to own a food processor and juicer.

I love being a vegan, it means I get to eat a rainbow of food daily.

[ellaminnowpea]

I'd like to start eating more raw food. I don't want to go totally raw, but at least start by making a conscious effort to increase my intake.

I'm quite wary of eating too much raw...I also suffer with fatigue, and although I've read how much energy raw food can give, I'm not sure that I'd be able to eat the bulk I needed to give me enough calories to keep going :/

This definitely applies to me... I love eating raw and want to eat more raw, but don't think I could do 100% raw in a healthy manner.

I think doing a high raw diet, which I have tried a few times, is great!

I would get the following:

- any fruit that's in season
- in addition, some blueberries or blackberries
- bananas
- apples
- some citrus-y fruits
- lots of greens (kale, collard greens, chard, etc)
- tomatoes
- avocadoes
- celery
- carrots
- raw almonds and brazil nuts
- flaxseeds for grinding or making flatbread
- sprouting materials

[Zero]

Just came across this thread:
http://www.veganforum.com/forums/sho...t=13590&page=2
They are NAKD bars!! I see you've posted there that you didn't like them though!

I didn't really like Larabars. I do like Nak'd bars though, since you don't like those you could try the other bar they make it's called "Trek"

www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk

[AnneCE]

I love Nakd and Trek bars - am trying to make my own versions as they can be pricey - just ram a lot of dried fruit and nuts and some water in a food processor and see what it tastes like. Usually yummy.

I am trying to generally increase my raw food intake - just by being mindful and enjoying fruit and vegetables.

I wonder about frozen veg and fruit - I usually defrost peas and eat them raw - and I always have some frozen berries in the freezer over the winter. I've heard that freezing preserves vitamins etc. but do raw food people prefer non-frozen stuff?

[Zero]

I love Nakd and Trek bars - am trying to make my own versions as they can be pricey - just ram a lot of dried fruit and nuts and some water in a food processor and see what it tastes like. Usually yummy.

yeah I probably eat too many of them I have made my own versions too they are mostly Dates, you can't really go wrong with a date base and then add some hemp seeds, dried fruits, other seeds, nuts, oats. I usually add a little carob powder or tahini too. I try not to eat too many nuts though as I find them quite mucus forming.

I wonder about frozen veg and fruit - I usually defrost peas and eat them raw - and I always have some frozen berries in the freezer over the winter. I've heard that freezing preserves vitamins etc. but do raw food people prefer non-frozen stuff?

Freezing does destroy some nutrients and enzymes, obviously it is not as good as eating them fresh but certainly better than canned.
I still eat lightly cooked peas and other vegetables anyway, I say if it works for you then do it! and don't worry about what other raw foodists think.

[cedarblue]

I try not to eat too many nuts though as I find them quite mucus forming.


Freezing does destroy some nutrients and enzymes, obviously it is not as good as eating them fresh but certainly better than canned.
I still eat lightly cooked peas and other vegetables anyway, I say if it works for you then do it! and don't worry about what other raw foodists think.

interesting about the nuts zero, mucus forming in the same way dairy is?

i agree, don't worry about others, let them look after themselves ONLY.
do what you feel is right and good for you annece.

I love Nakd and Trek bars - am trying to make my own versions as they can be pricey - just ram a lot of dried fruit and nuts and some water in a food processor and see what it tastes like. Usually yummy.

heres a little demo for you, you can add in whatever you like?

[YOUTUBE]vvUyBohgwVw[/YOUTUBE]

[emmy]

I love both Nakd and Lara bars - only recently tried the Lara bars though, but they are delicious! Really handy to keep in handbag/car for emergency snacks!

[Zero]

interesting about the nuts zero, mucus forming in the same way dairy is?

Sorry Cedar I don't really know, I found out I was allergic to dairy after having a respiratory problem (mucus related) that had persisted and had gotten worse over the course of about 3 years. The doctors prescribed me all sorts of pills and antibiotics and none of them worked.

I was lacto ovo vegetarian then but I decided to do an apple fast for 4 days, and i was amazed that afterwards my chest condition had completely cleared up, I didn't eat dairy again until about a week later when someone at work was getting some breakfast sandwiches.

I ordered cheese on toast and eat it, but found that I didn't find as appealing as I had in the past, then about 30 minutes later my eyesight blurred, i got mucus in my throat and I lost all my energy so at that point I quit eating dairy forever and the problem was gone.

I was ovo vegetarian for about two weeks and then saw the light and switched completely to vegan.

Sorry, I am babbling on here
Anyway, personally I don't find them as mucus forming as I did dairy (obviously because I am allergic to it). However I just find them to cause a little mucus when I eat a lot of them, and I don't consider them as vital as actual sprouted plant food. The only nuts I eat are generally in raw bars.

I guess my answer to this question could have been "No, not for me" but I thought the answer above might prove more interesting.

[AnneCE]

Cedarblue, thanks for posting that video - nice tip about the sesame seeds.
About

don't worry about what other raw foodists think.

, it was more about what raw foodists think is better nutritionally than worrying about some disapproving of me.
I've been experimenting with nuts and dried fruit, having fun and eating lots!

[Zero]

is better nutritionally than worrying about some disapproving of me.
I've been experimenting with nuts and dried fruit, having fun and eating lots!

Good for you, I think nutritionally they are far better than anything processed you will buy in the store that comes in a packet

If you want to consider the nutritional values in certain items you can use http://www.nutritiondata.com

I guess the only thing to really consider is the fat content involved, also remember that shelled nuts are usually cooked in the shelling process so if you can shell them yourself they are better, but like I usually say I wouldn't get too hung up about that.