New to Raw Food...

ItGirl

Hi! I am new to raw food (but have been vegan for a few months) and I just have a few questions…

1)What are the foods that vegans eat that aren’t considered raw? Or, can anyone provide a list of all raw foods?

2)I know the Holy Grail of dehydrators is the Excalibur, but can anyone recommend a (much) cheaper one that will still work really well? I’m a college girl on a budget, so…

Any other tips & tricks to get me started would be great!

Thanks!

Za

Hey you. Don’t worry about the dehydrator, it’s really far from a necessity.
The best way to start out, in my opinion, is to focus on fruits. In the morning, just drink a lot of water until you genuinely feel hungry, and then eat as much fruit as you could possibly want to until you’re sated. Bring fruits around with you all day long, to classes, etc. (Apples, bananas, oranges, papayas, persimmons, etc, and a knife to cut them with if you so desire). For dinner, have a salad with lots of greens in it.
See? So easy. And delicious. And no equipment whatsoever!
If you’re in college, you probably don’t have much time to worry about food prep. My advice: just don’t! You’ll be healthier and have more energy the more whole raw foods you eat!

Welcome to a truly wonderful world!

deborahann

Welcome! Check out the Grr… thread. It will answer a lot of your questions.

Zoe

I lovingly disagree with lovefoodlaughter about the dehydrator.

It is true that once you have been raw for a few years you may not be drawn to dehydrated foods. But for starting out, a dehydrator is extremely valuable as a bridge between cooked and raw.
It also helps to keep food costs down. A batch of bread is so chesp and filling. Much cheapers than buying lots of fruit for example.

Also much cooked food is dry: bread, biscuits, pie crusts etc, and if you’re not making dehydrated food then all your raw food will be wet. Delish and lovely, but wet, and when you’re transitioning you may start to crave dry food and reach for some crisps (chips in the usa?) or bread. Having a raw pizza, raw bread, crackers and crisps on hand takes care of that little problem, and helps you to feel full and satisfied, until you have been raw for long enough not to desire dehydrated food, and be OK with just salad and fruit.

Also when you have friends and relatives who are worrying about you eating raw, there is nothing that reassures them that you are ok and don’t have an eating disorder quite like some amazing raw dehydrated burgers, bread or pizza. It helps them to understand and maybe even join in.It is raw food but they can make a ink with it as it is more reminisant of cooked food.

Any way, we have a Dead Food List which lists foods which are commonly sold and used in raw food which are in fact not raw on our website here:

http://www.purelyraw.com/deadfoodlist.htm

And a comprehensive list of raw food ingredients here:

http://www.purelyraw.com/ingredients.htm

ItGirl

What are the best cheap dehydrators?

Zoe

Try ebay.

Cheaper ones often have a hole in the middle, if you get one of these donut shaped ones, you’ll get frstrated when you want to make pizza and bread.

bellamojo

ItGirl – in addition to ebay you can check your local thrift shops for a dehydrator on a budget. I’ve heard good things about the Nesco dehydrator but not sure if it has temp control.

Another option might be to look for toaster ovens that have variable temp ranges (Proctor-Silex model 31145 on amazon.com is around $35 + shipping and the dial has several temp points below 200, if you set it on the lowest maybe you could test it with a meat thermometer to make sure you stay under 115?) I’ve heard of others successfully using their toaster ovens to dry breads/crackers and such.

Good luck!

ItGirl

Thanks for the input!
Which brands of dehydrators do you find work the best?

kminty3

the nesco dehydrator has served me well and I think I paid less than 50 dollars for it. There has not been a recipe I’ve been unable to make with it

nenufar07

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are also new to the RAW lifestyle and I wanted to know what should a good RAW foodist pantry have? We keep running out of things to eat! I guess it shows that we weren’t eating as many fruits and veggies as I thought we were :)

If anyone is from Europe (from Spain, even better), and can pass me some links/stores/distributors where I can purchase organic raw ingredients, I would greatly appreciate it.

About the dehydrator, I agree with Zoe, we are still transitioning. And although I love fruits and veggies as they are, the idea of having a salad everyday seems a bit monotonous. I read about the Lequip dehydrator. Does anyone have one? How is it?