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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookTo say I was a n00b would be an understatement. I haven't even really started yet. :) Right now Im collecting all my data, and forming a good shopping list for my extravaganza into the market tomorrow. I just wanted to really introduce myself, and say hello! I know that Im going to be needing some help from time to time, questions, help with motivation, and Im really happy I ran across this site. You all seem like wonderful people :D
My plan for right now, is to see how my body will react in the first few days. I dont know if I can handle a 100% raw diet.. Im not even vegan right now.. nor have I ever been... so Im going to ease my way into the High Raw diet.. and hope for the best. :)
I know my problem areas are definitely going to be chocolate and some meat. I think Ill be okay for the most part.. but Im also a person with a binging disorder that flares up.. so Im curious what foods are your guilty pleasures?? What are some healthy foods that will fill me up (make me believe that Im full) and wont make my stomach upset?
If you have any helpful hints... send them my way :) Im going to go and read through the rest of these threads.. and try to form a good beginners shopping list.. might even crack open the good ol' Google :D
Thanks in advance,
Meghan
Comments
Hi Meghan, great to hear from you. I think you're fine to start high raw and see how things go. It takes time to adjust to a different way of eating/thinking and a slow transition is often best to avoid swinging back and forth.
I wasn't even a veggie when I first started high raw but I quite quickly found myself going off meat (and then all animal products). The more fresh, natural food you eat, the more your body will want it but give yourself some slack to eat other things if you really want to. You don't want to feel deprived. As well as the health benefits of going raw, maybe start looking into the ethical side too as this may help your motivation and strengthen your decisions.
I normally eat raw until dinner, then have a cooked healthy vegan meal with plently of veggies/salad. I also enjoy raw treats such as brownies, carob pods, banana ice cream, cookies, etc.
Find the raw foods you really love and eat lots of these things to start with whilst also trying other things and experiment with new dishes. Keep plenty of raw treats around and if you love chocolate, look up some of the brownie recipes on this site - there are loads. You may well find yourself suprised by the food you start to love/crave.
This site is great and it's really helped me to keep on the right path. Good luck to you!
Hi Meghan! Welcome, and no worries on beeing a "noob". I'm somewhat of a noob myself. I'm still pretty new to raw, but not so much new to being vegan.
I think it's great that you are writing things down and planning ahead. I definitely think that for long-term success, you NEED to have a plan, even if it is just used as a set of "guidelines" in the end. I think a great book to help you start out would be Raw Food for Real People, by Rod Rotondi. He touches on "guilty pleasure" foods. His approach on it really helped me to understand "bad foods" as something not to be avoided and dreaded, but something that we can and should have when we want them, so long as we really think about it in a thorough manner. For example, today my husband really wanted us to have pizza and buffalo wings tonight. Rather than try to force us to supress the desire, I agreed to us "indulging" tonight, and made observations on how we felt while eating the food, how it made our bodies and minds feel, and how we felt afterwards.
Granted, I'm not a well-seasoned raw vegan, even now I can already notice the differences on how my body feels while ingesting raw foods as opposed to cooked, non-vegan foods. It's amazing how easily and quickly the human body re-adjusts to a raw diet. How quickly our bodies "sigh" in relief at the familiarity of how our bodies should be nourished.
Today, my mind was just blown away by how obvious and almost instantaneous the effects of cooked foods were on my body and mind. I still eat quite a bit of cooked vegetables and grains, but today I had quite a bit of cheese, refined breads, meat products, etc. and I can tell you, I. FEEL. LIKE. CRAP! And it's only been a few hours since I had dinner!
There is a thread on one of the forums on "motivation" and I found the suggestion to watch "Earthlings" to be VERY HELPFUL! It serves as a very important reminder as to why going raw, or even just vegan, is so important for us and our world.
Before I end up babbling on about nonsensical jibberish, I just want to say welcome, and I hope you get the encouragment, support, and friendship that you are looking for in order to enjoy and succeed on your journey through this, and eventually going raw.
Right now, I'm about 50% raw, 100% vegan (aside from tonight, when I decided it would be my moment of "weakness").
Good luck to you, and I hope that we can all become a great source of support and encouragement to eachother!
Grace
hey meghan! i wholeheartedly echo the good advice already given. it really helps me to observe how amazing i feel on raw, versus how crappy i feel when i binge on stuff my body wasn't intended to digest (super-greasy mexican food! how i love it!) beyond the physical health benefits, eating raw makes me SUCH a calmer, happier, more centered brookie, which really encourages me to continue. everyone's journey is different - some people can transition quickly and easily, but it's taken me several years to incrementally work up to this point. so definitely be patient, listen to your body, find the right plan/ pace for YOU, allow yourself to mindfully indulge when you need to, and stay positive and focused on the good. we look forward to hearing how you're doing!
~brooke
eat enough calories (fruit is recommended) so you do not binge on cooked foods. do not focus on the food, either. food is simply fuel. we must eat to live, not live to eat. the consequence of consuming cooked foods are not worth the indulgence, it never will be. good luck.
^^good wisdom
I've been a compulsive eater my whole life, and since I started eating raw nearly two weeks ago, I've been free of that compulsion for the first time in my live. It's such a great feeling!
The trick is to feed your body what it needs . . . then those crazy-making cravings subside. I love green fruit smoothies. Not that great combination-wise, but it's how I'm starting, and it's working really well for me. A few pecans buzzed in rice milk with a quarter of a vanilla bean and some stevia extract. Add an entire bunch of kale, chard, spinach, or other green of choice, smash it down really good, and finish filling the blender with a banana or two and frozen fruit. (I have a two-quart blender--if you have a smaller blender, just cut the amounts in half--use a half bunch of kale, etc.) Add water or Real Apple juice or rice milk to make it liquid. Yummmmm. I can go for hours and hours on a quart of that.
If you don't have 12 Steps to Raw Foods by VIctoria Boutenko, I highly recommend it. It's a 12-Step program for beginning a raw life, and was the reason I was able to finally make it. The recipes are simple, with widely-available ingredients, even in my rural town of 6,000.
Hang in there, even if you have little panic attacks when you realize you aren't going to eat any of the things you've turned to in the past. Food is fuel . . . and going raw has made significant changes in my life already. My husband and children wonder where the depressed, overwhelmed woman who used to live with them has gone. I still have days when I don't feel so great, but the good days are most of the time now, and I really feel GOOD. It's wonderful to have my life back.
Best of luck!!!
Welcome. I'm a fan of practical, "bite sized" approaches that seem do-able. For example, if you had fruit for breakfast, a salad with lots of veggies for lunch, raw nuts/raisins and maybe a Larabar as a snack, plus whatever might be a regular dinner for you - suddenly you're 2/3 raw without even trying too hard. It is important that you give up the extremely unhealthy stuff like junk food, processed food, refined sugars, soda, meat, dairy. I approve of "leaning into it," and the better you feel the easier it is to let it go.
As mentioned above a "green smoothie" is a magical way to start the day. Add fruit to the blender with some spinach, kale, romaine or other green leafy veggies, and a little water to get it moving. Bananas are great in smoothies, and frozen fruit is a nice treat. There are so many possible combos - frozen pineapple and romaine lettuce is a very mild-tasting combo. Start with *some* greens and work up to it as you get used to the texture and flavor.
As you can probably tell from the variety of people here, there's no real "right way/wrong way" of going about it. What works for me may not work for you and vice-versa. I am not someone who says cooked food is evil (although I feel meat and dairy are evil) and the idea that some people see food as only "fuel" depresses me because I love food! I definitely don't just eat to live. I love shopping for food, making food, sharing food with loved ones, trying new things...raw food in particular is so sensual and so appealing, I don't understand why someone wouldn't appreciate that.
Hey meghan and welcome :)
You sound like you are well on your way to a healthier lifestyle. I used to be really heavy, over 200 pounds. And while I lost a lot of the weight before I went raw by going vegan I have noticed that I feel more satisfied on a raw vegan diet. When i was a SAD eater I would eat massive amounts of crappy food and get sick. Now on high raw I can eat massive amounts of healthy food and not gain an ounce.
I love smoothies, and some of my favorite raw treats are raw oatmeal raisin cookies. I love raw oatmeal and i eat fresh fruit all the time. Morning, noon and night.
I wish you lots of luck, and if you have any questions feel free to ask!
http://lilearthmuffin.wordpress.com/
I'm new enough too, raw on and off the last few weeks. It's like going swimming; feels a bit odd and maybe even uncomfortable at first, but then you settle in and adjust and it's brilliant altogether. I went vegan a few years ago and thought until recently that it was the best thing I'd ever done for myself. Wrong! Raw food's the best thing I've ever done for myself! And that's without having any prior problems! Go for it - a few days of adjustment is worth the endless benefit!
And remember, there's no messed-up food a few herbs and a bit of sea salt can't fix!
Hi! I'm new too :)
I've tampered with raw foods for the last 2yrs. Lost over 50lbs with even just being 60% raw. I really tried to go 100% when I was living with my ex but he wasn't very supportive with it. Now that I'm on my own again, I know I can focus on this fully. I'm taking one day at a time...I know it's not easy at first and that I will stumble here and there, but I can see the bigger picture and I'm really excited about that. Good luck to you and your raw food journey!
VanillaKiss,
I forgot to answer your question in your other post. I know it's a lot harder to stay raw in the winter (especially in such a cold country!), but it's possible. I just try to eat the same as I usually do in the summer, although it can be a bit more expensive, but I try to see what fruits are on special during the week, so it doesn't have to cost me too much. I tend to eat a lot of melons, grapes, apples, bananas, mangoes and large salads with tons of veggies, some seeds & nuts. I'm not 100% raw, maybe 90% (although the past month hasn't been that great for me...bread, crackers, chocolate...not good). Sometimes, when I'm really cold I'll have a veggie soup that I make from scatch. It's not raw, but it's better than pizza or pasta!
Eating 60% is much better than no raw at all! And way to go for losing 50lbs :)