I know everyone is different and starts differently. I’m trying to change the my eating habits, and get healthier and lose weight.
I’m trying to start raw. I’m not entirely sure where I should I start. I was thinking with some shakes, like the green shakes and fruitier shakes. I’m thinking of buying a personal blender that I can use at work for those kinds of things. Any advice will be greatly welcomed :)

How about a green smoothie every morning for breakfast (i.e. 2-3 cups of greens, such as kale or chard, a banana, and 1-2 cups of pineapple), a salad with your favorite raw vegetables and nuts for lunch (olive oil, a squeeze of orange, and some salt for the dressing), and a cooked vegan dinner, such as brown rice, black beans, and some steamed vegetables along with another salad? That’d be a great start.

Froemer~So glad you have joined our community… There are many here that can give you excellent advice and I wish you a happy and healthy journey!!! You didn’t mention where you are in your journey, and that is important to know in order to best help… The smoothies are a great place to start and you will need a blender for that, now you have to decide if you are going to have the green smoothies ( which is what you need to do, IMO )... If so you will need a high speed blender and they are pricey so be prepared… It is my understanding that if you buy a “normal” blender the motor will burnout pretty quickly so the pricey ones really pay for themselves… You will be able to make your own nut butters as well, which will save you a fortune!!!

I have a Waring Xtreme blender, a Cuisinart food processor and use both daily… I also have a convection oven for dehydrating from 1972, yes I know it’s older than you are… LOL But it does the job for me… If I didn’t have it I would buy the 9 tray Xcalibar…

I first gave up red meat, because of high blood pressure and cholestrol…Then later gave up chicken and pork because I learned at Purdu they feed the chickens arsenic, and I knew all the animals were injected with antibiotice, steriods among other things… All the meat is injected with saline to plump it up and lasts longer in the cooler, not to mention it weighs more so we have to pay more.. So every day I was ingesting more and more veges and fruits and no meat… My health improved and I never had cravings… Last Sept I stopped eating seafood and became RAW in Oct and have never looked back… I am 61 and feel 16, have boundless energy and have NO health problems and so will you once you get into it… YOU will hear a lot of critisim, so get ready as the SAD world doesn’t have a clue!!! Must have tough skin and a quick wit to survive with ease!!!

Every morning I have a smoothie of 1/4 Cup Blueberries with 2 Tablespoons of Goji, 2 Tablespoons Chia Seed, 1 Tablespoon Lecithin, 2 oz Aloe-Vera, a whole Orange and 1 Cup of water…

Mid-day I have a green smoothie of tons of Spinach, Kale, Parsley, Tomato, Carrot, Ginger, ACV, HempSeep, Cucumber, Pepper, Apple or Dates and water…

Night, I enjoy a huge salad and some of the delicious recipes from this site, Zoe’s cheeze with spring onions, dehydrated crackers, quacamole, my ice creams…

Snacks are whatever fresh fruit or veg I want to enjoy as is comes from the garden…

I pack my food before I leave the house so I am always prepared… This is the easiest way to remain raw no matter where you are… I go out to eat with friends and have NO problem opening my food at the table, as I always tell the waiter,”I am a raw vegan and have my food”... No one ever has a problem with it as everyone else at the table is ordering

Good luck to you and your success!!!...

froemer – look into some fasting – fasting reboots your system. our bodies are accustomed and acclimated to the way we eat and fasting creates a clean slate. theres some good info on the web about detoxing, fasting, and the “resetting” of yourself to healthy living. good website with a wealth of information:

http://www.freedomyou.com

thru God and my husbands fasts, he has been healed of high blood pressure and cholesteral, pre-diabeties, IBS, and skin conditions. the best to you on your endeavors.

Waterbaby: you are an inspiration! in attitude and lifestyle! my husband and i are sooo tired and saddened of seeing people in their 30’s and 40’s acting like they’re going ‘over the hill’.... and people in their ‘60’s acting like they’ve got one foot in the grave! I know they can’t help it – it’s brainwashing – all we can do is walk out love and mercy and pray it rubs off…. you’re breaking the mold!

froemer – I love reading everything I can get my hands on – Matt Monarch, David Wolfe, Gabriel Cousens, Victoria Boutenko, Angela Stokes, Philip McCluskey, Tim VanOrden all inspire me. I pick and choose advice from all of them to fit my needs. And a Vitamix helps A LOT.

Mamamilk~ You are so sweet, thanks for the encouraging words!!! I’ve been thinking about you and your “nursing ability”, SMILE… Wouldn’t it be great to use your own milk to make yogurt??? I have this experiment going with Kombucha Tea and I’m excited about it becoming yogurt… LOL I know I’m crazy but I really miss yogurt… I feel sure a little Kombucha and you and bingo!!! LOL

Hi,
Welcome froemer, glad you are on board for your health and your future. It is a jouney but it is a fun one.
Waterbaby, you said that you have a Waring Xtream blender and I was wondering how you liked it. I am going to purchase a high speed blender and I think that it is more blender for the money. I tried to go to your profile to contact you but the website will not let me in. Could you go to my profile and email me or answer here? Thanks a lot.
Rosemary

Hi Froemer,
What are your eating habits like right now? Because if you still eat a SAD diet, you may want to consider just going vegan first before you jump into raw. Though it really depends on your personality, if you are an all-or-nothing person, or if you like to make small changes over time. Some people I have talked to went raw overnight, and stuck with it, because even if they had a small amount of cooked food in their diet, they would be drawn to that…

As far as food goes, I would start out with fruit smoothies in the morning, some kind of dip with veggies for lunch, and a big salad for dinner, munching on fruit, nuts, and seeds for snacks. You’ll probably be drawn to heavy fats like nuts and avocados at first, then eventually start craving lighter foods. Good luck!

Rosehebrew~You may contact me at waterbaby12347@gmail.com, Please put goneraw on the subject line so I will be sure to read it…

BTW- I love my Waring!!!

Thanks for the responses :) I’ve been doing research, and I would like to start raw. I haven’t started yet, but I believe this is the direction I should go. I’m kind of all or nothing type. I think if I have cooked foods I’m going to crave it more. Unfortunately at the moment I won’t be able to pick up a $200 blender, but for portability and something I can take to work, and make fresh shakes, I’m thinking about picking up the Magic Bullet. Anyone ever used that one, is it any good? My biggest problem is at work, I can’t really cook anything so bringing whatever I can that is raw is going to work well for me I think :)

froemer, welcome! i am an all or nothing kind of person too. i started with smoothies, they are great because they are filling and super healthy. if you go to utube and search green smoothie you will find some good videos on them.

i have heard good things about the magic bullet. my dad had to use one for months due to a broken jaw and loved it. also some folks use it instead of a blender. personally i love my blentec.

good luck! you are in the right place here on goneraw.

It only requires a sharp knife to make a huge beautiful salad… You can add all sorts of wonderful veges, add nuts and seeds to it for your protein fix and that will prevent you from being hungry in an hour… Good Luck!!!

Ya, Froemer, don’t worry about getting all the pricey equipment. There is a big misconception in the raw community about needing pricey this and that, and it’s easy to forget it’s about WHAT we eat, not HOW we eat it (for the most part)! I use a Mr. Smoothie that I got at Target on clearance for $35 and it totally does the trick! It’s also helpful to make things the night before or a couple of days in advance, put them in water bottles, and then have them on hand for bringing to work.

Ya, I would say that fruit in the morning is the best way to start. Hands down. Whether that’s in a smoothie, more fruit in your cereal, etc etc, you will begin to see the difference immediately in how it affects your morning, and therefore the rest of your day.

Out of curiousity, what is your work environment? Is it on-site construction or a cubicle in an office? Because that might help us devise some more suggestions for you… Also, if you are concerned with what others will say at the workplace, like “what’s with all the smoothies?” and you’re not ready to declare your raw-dome, let us know and I think we can offer some suggestions there as well :)

Good luck!

Well, I’m a graphic artist in a room of 5 people. I’m generally bringing something strange in anyway, so it won’t be much of a difference :) I really enjoy fruit smoothies period. And I think I’ll enjoy the green smoothies.

I just told people at work I was on kind of a cleansing diet since I was feeling low energy, etc. They related to it somehow. Also, people can relate if you admit you are trying to lose weight. Many Americans are unhappy with their weight so they will probably be curious about it.

I talk about getting started with Raw on my website here: http://kristensraw.com/why_raw_get_started.php

Cheers!
Kristen Suzanne

www.KristensRaw.blogspot.com