RAw Food Diet

I think fast food places drug their foods. lol

[Chrysaetos]

I couldn't live without cooked food.. it's so nice to have a warm meal, makes the body sated and it's tasty!

Good luck with raw diet, it's an achievement if you can handle it well.

The trick to eating more healthy (raw or not), at least from my own experience, is to do it at a slow pace and without forcing oneself. When done little by little, the body has time to adjust and to get rid of all the toxins that build up over time at a slow pace. When we detoxify suddenly, it can be quite a shock to the body.

Start with one meal a day that is raw or healthier. For me it began with lunch. I started eating salads (fresh veggies, not all the silly canned stuff) with a slice of bread for some fiber for lunch at work. Then, a year later, when it came naturally, I switched my normal breakfast with fruits (it's really quick to chop oranges, bananas, kiwis or whatever into pieces that can be eaten as a fruit salad) that are sprinkled with a big handful of nuts (awesomely healthy) and some honey and yoghurt. Now, more than a year later I've started changing my dinner into more raw food. It happens naturally and I don't feel like it's forced in any way. It's great!

My diet is probably somewhere around 60 percent raw, but that's not really important. It's just a percentage... Think health and nutrition (without fresh fruit and veggies you don't get the enzymes you need for nutrient absorption) instead of numbers

As for cravings, they slowly diminish as the body gets used to more healthy food. We crave sugar or the chemical additives in processed foods for the same reason a heroin addict craves heroin or whatever other example we want to use: Our bodies just got used to the stuff. It takes time for the body to adjust, so cutting down over time instead of suddenly stopping, especially if it's everything at once, does the trick for most people.

Also, it helps to find something that motivates us. Do it because it cleanses you and lets the energy flow more freely, or because your body will stabilise at its optimal weight with time, or because you feel unhealthy. Unfortunately, some people need to be told by their doctor "change your life or die", but that's how much we identify with what we do to our bodies (and souls). Other's cling to excuses about it being hard or that some foodstuffs are too important to give up in order not to make any changes at all.

I just read a book called Intuitive Eating. That's a great book for understanding how to find one's own way at one's own pace into a more balanced diet.

With much love
Resonance

[Adrienne]

hi Resonance,

First of all, very cool avatar picture ! Your idea of gradually changing one's eating habits makes sense.

The breakfast fruit salad sounds delicious. May I ask which nuts you use ? or do you vary the choice and use a few favorites ?

I am not really a green salad person, I know they are supposed to be healthy, and an occasional salad now and then is ok. But I just can't get into the green salad a day idea.

I would think dinner would be the greatest challenge, any dinner suggestions ?

blessings,
Dream Angel xx

I've been trying to go 100% raw for nearly 4 months. I go all day with no problems at all but night time comes and I'm naughty.

I want to make this lifestyle change and love how I feel when I'm eating nearly all raw but I keep tripping up.

Every morning I wake up intending to be raw all day.

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Jo

I've been trying to go 100% raw for nearly 4 months. I go all day with no problems at all but night time comes and I'm naughty.

hi Cosmic Jo,

two suggestions for you ~

1 ~ go to sleep earlier, then you won't be tempted to be naughty (guessing you are meaning here - snacking unhealthy ? )

2 ~ find another way to be naughty, lol without having a food connection !

Dream Angel xx

Hi Dream Angel.


I keep a jar with my nuts so I don't have to do the mixing in the morning. I usually use almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts with some raisins. Variation is great, but almonds are one of the most densely packed food items there are and I always use those the most. I've also started to mix in a bit of crushed flax seed. With the fruit, honey and cinnamon that I use, it's fairly sweet and can take some additional ingredients such as flax or sunflower seeds. Then you get a serious nutritional boost in the morning and can worry less about the other meals (until the motivation comes by itself).


I totally understand your difficulty with salad. It took me years to acquire a natural taste for it, but now I eat it with joy. I think the key is to, first of all, only use vegetables that you like. If you don't like green salad, skip it. You don't really need it. Then, find a form and texture that you like. I generally find the standard ceasar salads boring and pointlessly hard to eat with all the big pieces and leaves. I generally chop everything into small pieces so it feels different to eat. That makes it easier to blend in other ingredients such as seeds, pine nuts, or stronger tasting ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes. My recommendation, if you find salads bland, is to spice them up, both with things that you like (put your chicken in there if you want some white meat, or tuna or tempeh or cheese). Make sure to make a tasty dressing too. Adding proper mustard to an olive oil and balsamic mix, will give more taste. Or try something new and make a dressing of soy sauce and sesame oil. That's more asian-tasting hides some of the other tastes you might not enjoy as much (it goes great with finely-chopped kale as it has a more nutty flavour).

Or just mix raw vegetables into other meals instead of thinking you have to eat it as a salad on the side. I've never tried it, but try making a blend of hummous and vegetables you like. In that way you get a dip/paste with chunky pieces.


I haven't got too many ideas for dinner as of yet, as I've only started to make changes there. That's also the meal where I'm more traditional as I know I also need fiber, carbs and protein. So apart from some fresh vegetables on the side, I don't worry too much about it being raw just yet

Hope that inspired you a bit!

With much love

[psychoslice]

I'm a vegetarian but all raw ?, well it sounds a bit boring to me, I think it could be a good idea if you had it once and awhile, there are so many beautiful things you can do with cooking and just as healthy.

Originally Posted by psychoslice

I'm a vegetarian but all raw ?, well it sounds a bit boring to me, I think it could be a good idea if you had it once and awhile, there are so many beautiful things you can do with cooking and just as healthy.

I agree :)

Although i think it is amazing that you can all go on a raw food diet :) I dont think i could do it! Well done to you all, you are all quite amazing!

Psychoslice and lostgirl, did you read through all the posts? This isn't really about trying to turn others onto an all-raw diet :)

The reasons I have to write here, is to give people some inspiration to include SOME fresh fruits and vegetables in their meals. The main reason to do it is because heating the vegetables removes the enzymes. The enzymes enable our bodies to absorb the nutrients in our food (including animal products), and our bodies' ability to produce these enzymes gets less as we get older.

Other than that: enjoy your food, your drink and your life :)