Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

Baby, it's cold outside....

Hey everyone!

I've known about raw food for a while, but decided about two months ago to stop just dipping my toe into the raw pool and dive right in.

First month, no problems except a little bit of healing symptoms. Second month has been a bit more troubling... I live in Chicago and it is getting colder and colder and my desires to eat high-fat foods is only increasing, which isn't exactly doing me much good on the scale. Mind you, weight-loss isn't by any means my only reason for going raw... Clear skin, bright eyes, more energy... we all know the drill, but I was wondering if there are any veteran, cold-weather raw foodists out there who can give me some advice on how to manage the body's instinct to go into high-fat, hibernation foods while trying to lose weight??

Also, I can partially blame my apartment's turn-of-the-century (think 1900's, not 2000's) heating system, but I am freeeezing in Chicago! Does anyone know any particularly warming foods or have any raw tricks to combat cold weather?

Thanks and Happy Holidays!!

Comments

  • get yourself a really warm blanket, or maybe even a heating blanket. I was just listening to something from Dr. Graham where he was talking about a) with "hot" food that we eat just a few degrees warmer than our bodies, there's no way that such a small quantity is really warming us up (in other words, it's psychological), and b) our core temperature may adjust as a result of going raw and not having to digest cooked foods anymore, and so as we get used to that we may feel cold. So, I'm in somewhat in the same place, in that my house is very cold, since I live in California and people seem to be under the impression there's no need for heat or something (I have "radiant ceiling heat" ... explain to me how that makes sense from a perspective of physics...), so I just wear one of those fluffy wardrobes at home and when I can, snuggle up under a huge faux bearskin blanket. Acrylic, but very, very warm.

  • kandacekandace Raw Newbie

    I find that winter is a time that I am drawn more to my dehydrator. There are also a bunch of warm recipes here: http://goneraw.com/taxonomy/term/58

  • Thanks for the advice everyone!!

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    I find that in the colder months I tend to gravitate more towards root veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes, and stray away from my green smoothies. I also use spices like pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice which warm up many dishes quite nicely.

     

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    ^^ Pretty much what Miki says. There's something to be said for eating seasonally. In the heat of summer is when all the sweet juicy fruit abounds. This time of year it's hard squashes and root veggies, many of which are traditionally cooked, so we get the warm feeling there. But those flavors of autumn, even raw, with the spices we associate with the season, can be really satisfying. I would also think about making more soups and curries. If you have a dehydrator you can warm your meals a bit.

    Teas/tisanes are a big help too.

  • I eat lots and lots of cinnamon.....yum!

  • I live in Chicago, too. I started eating high-raw since summer and also have been having a hard time staying warm as the winter months are approaching.

  • I found the following article online yesterday and bookmarked it, because we too live in a cold weather state:

    "Raw Uncooked Food in Winter

    You like the idea of raw uncooked food. But you live in a cold climate and it's winter. You've been working in the garden outside in the cold wind. Snow flakes are falling and you're cold to the bone.

    You're going inside, you put on warm slippers and sit down at the fireplace. If you could just warm up with some hot chocolate or warm soup. The salad in the fridge you prepared this morning is the last thing you want right now.

    It's one thing to be a raw foodist on Hawaii, but eating raw food in a cold climate in winter time is a completely different story. I currently live in the Netherlands. It's December now - windy and rainy. There are no (local) fresh fruits available and most people want to warm up.

    How to enjoy eating raw uncooked food when you live in a cold climate is a question I'm asked a lot. But when you know what to do you might feel quite nice and comfortable in winter.

    Gabriel Cousens did research in Alaska and found that 95% of the raw foodist were successful. He asked them what they did and I'm sure these tips might help you to stay warm in the winter. I'll write their suggestions down below.

    Why do you feel cold?

    When starting a raw food diet, many people release toxins. This might give you a uncomfortable cold feeling. But it's temporary. Further when you're raw, you're body temperature drops. It takes some time to get used to the new body temperature. This too, should be temporary and you will feel warmer over time.

    When you're eating raw food, your arteries clear up and your circulation improves. Actually, most people that have been eating raw uncooked food for a while say that they're never cold! They even swim in ice cold water in the winter. So feeling cold when eating raw seems to be a transitional issue.

    But there are things you can do to stay warm in winter. First of all, it's a misconception that you can only eat COLD foods when you're on a raw food diet. YOU CAN EAT WARM FOODS, just don't heat them above 120F (water 160F). Most people cook their food and then let it cool off until about 110F before they eat it anyway. So you may heat your raw uncooked foods. Just not above 110F, the right temperature for eating them anyway... Think of soups or warm apple cider... "

    Top 8 tips from Alaskan raw foodists

  • What is "high-raw?"

  • Thank you all so much for the advice and articles! I just bought an Excalibur dehydrator online and I can't wait to try it with all these warming recipes :-)

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    Regular exercise helps. Even your regular exercise and then in addition add some things like jump rope or backbends in the middle of the day when the cold bug gets you.

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    slefoll7 thanks for posting that article, it was super helpful!

     

  • Anything over 75% is usually considered "high-raw"

  • I don't know if this is true, but I heard that in traditional Chinese medicine, they advise you to eat/drink cold foods in the winter and hot foods in the summer.

    This seems contradictory, but apparently you're body has to heat up the cold food/drink, which heats you up also and vice versa with the hot food/water.

Sign In or Register to comment.