I want to go raw, but...

[Qaxt]

I really want to go raw, but I have three problems. I was really hoping some of you friendly people could offer some support here?

1) I'm a high school student. I can't take food to some classes, and thus have a hard time eating throughout the day. Wouldn't I feel sick if I ate breakfast, and then at lunch five hours later (wow, I don't think I could do that now!)?

2) I don't actually like vegetables. I'm getting better at it, but I didn't go anywhere near them until I had to when I became veggie (and then again when I became vegan). I can now eat cooked vegetables somewhat happily, but I don't like them that much. I can hardly get down raw vegetables!

3) I have a tendency to become totalitarian. Most people talk about how they were vegetarians for a long time, and then decided to become vegan. I feel like I have to go all the way with everything. I was vegetarian for barely three months when I decided enough was enough, and I became a vegan (would have sooner, but my parents didn't approve). And I've only been vegan for three and a half weeks and I'm already wanting raw (with no wiggle room whatsoever). I'm not sure how healthy it would be to become COMPLETELY raw for me.


The more I look at those, the more I feel like I'm just making excuses, and I feel like I'm doing the stereotypical omnivore argument, "How can you not eat ________?!"


Thanks!

[Noogle]

I don't know about points 2 and 3 but if I were you I would take some fruit and veg [carrot sticks and hummus or such] with me for break times etc, and fruit/veg juices to sip whilst in class.

[ellaminnowpea]

Why do you want to go raw? Other than "going all the way".

[emmapresley]

hello

few things..i don't understand how come you think you'd feel sick eating breakfast and then lunch 5 hours later. why should that make you feel sick? you mean because it's a long time period?

your classes are surely not five hours long..so you'd be able to snack on something inbetween classes? raw fruits and veggies chopped up, nuts, dried fruits, small tubbed up nibbles of deliciousness the likes of which you will find recipe wise on the t'interwebs. read..read..read!

all you really need is a little forethought and preparation time maybe the night before. things don't have to get complicated.

how about getting a flask bought and making smoothies? add some lemon juice to stop anything inside oxidizing.

also, you know..i understand the doing things from one extreme to the next, but attempting to become full on raw almost overnight is possibly just setting yourself up for spectacular failure IMO. maybe introduce more raw foods into your diet or aim for 2 meals raw and your main evening meal something just lightly steamed.

it's probable that it's loads better for you to be all raw..if you feel that way, there are a couple of VF people who are pretty good at it..read the threads in the raw section and post accordingly!

totalitarianism is a political dictatorship system ya crazy he-sister bean.

[Qaxt]

Why do you want to go raw? Other than "going all the way".

It's more natural. It sounds healthier. And... probably because it'd be difficult. *blush*

But I've heard great things about it, and how you feel while eating raw. Sounds good to me!

[Qaxt]

hello

few things..i don't understand how come you think you'd feel sick eating breakfast and then lunch 5 hours later. why should that make you feel sick? you mean because it's a long time period?

your classes are surely not five hours long..so you'd be able to snack on something inbetween classes? raw fruits and veggies chopped up, nuts, dried fruits, small tubbed up nibbles of deliciousness the likes of which you will find recipe wise on the t'interwebs. read..read..read!

all you really need is a little forethought and preparation time maybe the night before. things don't have to get complicated.

how about getting a flask bought and making smoothies? add some lemon juice to stop anything inside oxidizing.

also, you know..i understand the doing things from one extreme to the next, but attempting to become full on raw almost overnight is possibly just setting yourself up for spectacular failure IMO. maybe introduce more raw foods into your diet or aim for 2 meals raw and your main evening meal something just lightly steamed.

it's probable that it's loads better for you to be all raw..if you feel that way, there are a couple of VF people who are pretty good at it..read the threads in the raw section and post accordingly!

totalitarianism is a political dictatorship system ya crazy he-sister bean.

Well, five hours is an awfully long time. I eat pretty much all day long. For example, I already had a Luna bar (women's nutrition for growing boys! ), an apple, and a banana, and I'm about to eat an orange or grapes (I'm working on the raw thing, see). And I've been up for only two hours!

The way my school is, we have 8 classes with 5 minute breaks in between (to move from one room to another). I actually just realized that I won't even have a lunch, and some teachers refuse to allow food IN their classroom. So if I don't eat lunch, and all my teachers are anti-food, I'll be eating breakfast at 7:00, and then lunch at 3:30! That's eight and a half hours!! Eek!

The veggies will rule every facet of my life, though! *giggle*

[cedarblue]

I already had a Luna bar (women's nutrition for growing boys! ), an apple, and a banana, and I'm about to eat an orange or grapes (I'm working on the raw thing, see). And I've been up for only two hours!

that wouldn't keep me going either, there's not a lot of bulk to keep you satisfied there imo.

for breakfast try a smoothie with added nuts and seeds (pumpkin & sunflower - eat these every day imo) soaked overnight and try two or more 'nanas in it. and ring the changes so you don't get bored.

check out the 'green juices & smoothies' thread for ideas.

you could make a thick smoothie and take with you in a flask type container to have during the day, drink on your way between classes - and have your snack ready in your pocket or bad to eat again between.

if you are struggling finding times to eat during the day, that's not going to help you concentrate, and surely the teachers want you to do your best. could you take up the 'time to eat' issue with a student body or union or a head of house or department? i'm sure they should be concerned for students general welfare not just academic.

and as emmap suggests, read, read and read the food, snack, raw food threads on here, there is lots of info an ideas for you.

good luck.

[harpy]

TBH I would concentrate on adding more raw stuff into your diet for now, and especially on finding ways to like vegetables (raw or cooked).

Like emmap says, the trouble with trying to do everything at once is that people tend to get discouraged and give up on the whole thing - that's particularly true if you let yourself get hungry as well. So try and make things easier for yourself, not more difficult.

[hgpns]

Fruit is really easy to take anywhere, just have a couple fruits in your bag and eat one during your trip between classes when you get hungry. Raw vegan mostly means raw fruit anyway, with some vegetables now and then (when you're at home) and nuts/seeds are just optional. What I do to make raw vegetables taste good is make my own dressing out of olive oil and sea salt (you can also add vinegar and spices like onions/pepper if you want) and I just dip broccoli and cabbage type vegetables in the dressing. A little goes a long way when it comes to this dressing. Fruits all day and night (including 'bitter' fruits like tomatos and 'fatty' fruits like avocados) is what raw vegan is all about, lol.

[suze]

Raw vegan mostly means raw fruit anyway.

It is not true that raw vegan means mostly fruit. I have been 100% raw for over a year and I eat very little fruit. Dr. Brian Clement of the Hippocrates Institute and Dr. Gabriel Cousens of the Tree of Live Foundation both recommend a very low glycemic diet. (Eating mostly fruit is an old notion from the days of the Natural Hygiene movement and repopularized today by Dr. Doug Graham's 80/10/10 book.) However, that does not mean that you can't get through a five hour day without nourishment. Most of the suggestions above are excellent and I would reiterate keeping nuts and seeds in your pocket or book bag. Apples, carrots, celery sticks are easy to pack. You can make a raw hummus from almonds, sprouted garbanzos or zucchini.

I would suggest you try looking online for some simple snacks to make as well. A quick starting place, in addition to The Vegan Forum, is http://www.goneraw.com/, all raw recipes and something for everyone. Find ingredients that you like and use them. Your appetite for more veggies will occur naturally as you progress on this path. Making a super smoothie in the morning before you leave for school should hold you for a good while. Check out David Wolfe's video on making the ultimate smoothie on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1RuaqbtuHE (Part One) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmRJCzrEFTw&feature=user (Part Two) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlJG950y79M&NR=1 (Part 3)

I would caution you though, if you've only been vegan for a short while, to ease into it. Definitely just keep trying to add in more raw foods until you are 100% there. There is no need to do it overnight, as you get healthier and healthier your body will just naturally crave more living foods. Also, the more raw and healthy you become, the more likely it is that your obsession to go all the way will trouble you. Eating cooked food is an addiction (Please read Victoria Boutenko's book "12 Steps to Raw Food"), and the more you eat raw, the less you will crave cooked food. Good luck and good health to you, whatever path you choose.

Suze

[hgpns]

I dunno, I'm raw vegan and almost everything I eat is botanically a fruit. If you count tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers as fruits (I do) then pretty much the only non-fruit things I eat is some broccoli on greens (lettuce, cabbage, or spinach) every other day with the dressing I mentioned with some sprinkled hempseeds. Of course, everyone's different, maybe I'm just more fruit driven than others. I feel great though, so I know that at least for me, raw vegan means mostly fruit.

[suze]

Yes, when you put it in the botanical sense, I do consume more fruit. My meals mostly consist of sprouts, cukes, tomatoes, peppers, greens, onions, garlic, cruciferous veggies, cauliflower, broccoli, shoots, grasses, nuts and seeds. I guess the main difference is that the fruits are extremely low-glycemic, my body just doesn't do well with all that sugar. As in just about everything, though, there are different points on the spectrum. Our similarities are more alike than our differences are different. We both embrace a healthy vibrant living lifestyle and we both feel fabulous from it, so I hope you don't think I am judging you. A Sante!

[hgpns]

^Mmmm, your post makes me want to eat a 'fruit' right now. :P