Just went raw vegan. Some questions.

[joseph311]

I just went raw vegan last week, and lost 4 lbs in 3 days. I felt euphoric and had high energy.

However I ran into some problems that made me struggle with staying vegan.

My first problem is that it's very hard for me to stay satiated while on a vegan diet. One day I ate a huge salad for breakfast (don't have a blender or juicer yet). Then ate lots of fruits right before going to work. I didn't get hungry until 4-5 hours later, and when I got home, I was so hungry that I started craving for bad carbs ( fried rice is my addiction), so I gave in. It felt like I was depriving myself or something.

The other problem is since I don't have a lot of money to spend on food, I just eat spinach, broccoli, and kale that I buy from the grocery store (not organic). It gets boring after I eat them every day.

What do you eat as a vegan when you're starving and craving for bad foods?

[Blueberries]

Hi Joseph311, there is a difference between raw and vegan, you seem to use the two terms interchangeably. Vegan is an ethically-based lifestyle without animal products, so fried rice would be vegan depending on what you fried it with. Raw is different, it is a health-based diet founded on the principle of eating un-cooked foods. Not everybody who is high-raw eats 100% raw all of time.

[B-Young]

I'm raw vegan. I dont ever starve or crave bad foods.

what I do know is that you just load up on the fruit and I always eat salad as my last meal.

[Turtle.. thatisall]

Hi Joseph,

I'm in a similar position too! Especially financially and raw vegan can be a tough one as you do need to keep your energy up with nuts and seeds which can be pricey. I buy only organic too and go without if I have to as I really don't see the point in spending money on food with chemicals! Kind of defeats the whole purpose! .. there are some non organic fruit and veggies which are hardier against pesticides so look out for those.. http://thenewrawyou.com/blog/the-dirty-dozen/

The Dirty Dozen and What to Always buy Organic if you Can:

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale & Collard Greens (tie)

So, What is Safer? There are a group of foods called the “Clean 15″ that have the least amount of residue from pesticides and chemicals on them. They are:

1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mango
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

If you're reeeeeally on a tight budget.. check out going freegan! I love this idea and would if I could but I don't live in a city or near any organic supermarkets right now! http://freegan.info/

There's loads of sites about being raw vegan on a budget too.. and I'd look into making your own raw tahini etc, this will help keep your weight and energy steady. Chia seeds and other superfoods are fab but pricey! Is there a co-op in your town? Usually they offer a discount if you volunteer a few hours.

Don't forget raw vegan really helps reduce your use of fossil fuels and the other plus side.. your electric bills too! (less you can afford a blender and dehydrator!) I have neither and get a long just fine, I'd love the budget to juice all the time but I find eating the veggies fills me up more and also my body releases the energy slower throughout the day. If you do ever get around to getting a juicer.. go for a masticating one as you can store that juice in the fridge for later as it retains the nutrients longer.

I find fruit and dried fruit set off those sugar cravings in me and so maybe think about eating more alkaline based foods? I had to lay off the fruit sugar as it makes me crash and then I want more sugar to get back that fast-food-energy.. bit of a vicious cycle! Same with fried food! I can't tolerate fried foods at all now as I've been off them for so long (tastes rank to me now, way too oily!) but the old sweet tooth pops up now and then being a gurl (my excuse!!) The less bad food you eat though, the less you'll crave it and you'll find juicy red peppers and carrots really sweet. I'm not sure how to substitute for fried rice though.. maybe someone else has an idea for that? Those what we would consider 'bad' foods tend to have a snowball effect.. so best to not even go there at all especially when you're tired or in cravingsville! Easier said than done!! So I always keep some food prepped so if I'm too tired, I always have something ready to eat and it stops me heading for the fast food! I also tend to have more snacks throughout the day, that way you never end up in that 'starvo' place and hence just move straight to vegan junk food jail ..do not pass go.. do not collect your $200!

Off the top of my head again..Sprouted grains like buckwheat (you can dehydrate them in your oven on lowest setting or toast them (quicker/tastier) if ya don't have any problem with heating them) are great for slow-release energy.. lovely and crunchy! and cinnamon I find great to balance out my sweet tooth! : ) There's buckets of ideas out there!
http://www.youngandraw.com/7-healthy...eas-on-the-go/

Also, check out foraging in your area or local countryside/mountains.. I often hike and pick berries! Do check out what's edible first though and the situation with pesticide spraying in given areas, I've no idea what California is like!

Also, grow your own herbs! Taste so much better and ya can't get fresher than that! .. loads of sites on small space herb gardens etc if ya live in the city.. join a seed savers group and see can you get help setting up : ) Always buy organic though! Save your seeds as well then you can swap them (if ya like : )) You can use all sorts of things from your kitchen as fertilser etc! Nothing goes to waste!
Look up urban organic gardens http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/gardens/ http://technorati.com/lifestyle/diy/...g-herb-garden/

There must be a raw vegan meet-up group nearby too that may be helpful?

Also, I use soapnuts for all my cleaning and laundry/shower stuff.. this will save you a fortune and free up more of your $$$ for organic food : ) (look up eco nuts.. loads of ones in Cali but you may find someone from the US here may know where the cheaper ones are? )

Buy in bulk as much as you can.. if ya have any vegan buddies, organise a bulk buy and split it up.. works out way cheaper.

Check out budget sites like http://www.choosingraw.com/333-a-day...t-with-melody/ she has some great info on there.
http://www.youngandraw.com/5-tips-fo...w-on-a-budget/

Loads of other ones but I haven't had a chance to look at them properly yet: http://rawfoodsonabudget.com/

Hope that helps a little.. : )

[Arbor Vitae]

If your looking to eat more of a variety of fruits and vegetables with low prices, your in luck if you live in California. You have 2 Produce Terminal Markets in your state. They sell bulk quantities of foods, it is also where supermarkets go to buy their produce. Here is the websites http://www.terminalmarkets.com/9thstreet.htm and http://www.terminalmarkets.com/oakland.htm.

Since you only recently stopped eating cooked foods, I would say your cravings come from the chemicals from those foods still in your bloodstream. Your body will always crave for the foods still in your bloodstream. You can either go on a detox or just wait it out eating more raw vegan foods to end those cravings.

If you want to feel satiated you can eat coconuts, avocados, or nuts. Usually the fat from these foods will make you feel full. For most people, if you try to eat 2 whole coconuts including the water and flesh I guarantee you will want to stop eating for awhile.