Going Raw

I never liked raw food. I find it interesting how some people like raw foods.

That's just one of those things I picked up in conversation
with people who were on a long-term successful raw diet.
I haven't read it in any book or online resource. You have to
test it and see for yourself how you feel. For myself when
I was first experimenting with a raw diet my friend asked me
about these things specifically because of the indigestible
issue. If you eat stuff you cannot digest you won't get the
nutrition.

To say "you can't eat" them is not accurate. I would not
recommend you make these foods in a raw form a cornerstone
of your nutrition plan because they really need to be
cooked a little to make them more digestible.

I eat sushi

I'm switching to raw vegan starting April first and truly believe that right now, this is the best choice for me. So wish me luck

I WAS a Raw/Vegan for almost 12 years.
Cooking was reserved for out guest at parties.

I was going through the procedure for obtaining a "X" at the time,
so, not thinking smart I left that diet, for several reasons.
DUMB!!!

Trending back to it now.

I often got by on 4-5 hours sleep with no issues,
INCREDIBLE energy, best body fat ratio in my life,endurance like
an Olympic athlete. Skin clean and clear with great moisture.

I also, didn't need deodorant, mostly due to not sweating much at all and
when I did it didn't stink.

One's plumbing will be less clogged as well so, for those concerned of appearance
you'll have less girth around the waist.
For that matter show me examples of obese Vegans. I never saw one.

Eliminating dairy products would be a great first step to see
changes for the better quickly.
I ate plenty of raw cauliflower and broccoli with out issues.

If you have room on your property to grow some of your own veggies
it would be smart simple because of better chemical free food and some
predict food shortages are in out future.

War, I've never been vegan or raw before. I was Vegetarian for over 5 years, dropped it last year in preparation for my travel here in the Philippines as I assumes being vegetarian here would be near impossible (and I was right...).

Even when I was vegetarian, my diet consisted of a lot of processed foods, pastas, and a serving of junk food from time to time - not so healthy when you think of it, but I can still feel a difference between then, and my now standard american diet.

With this in mind, I'm really looking forward to switching to raw
Alex

Talking with most people I find that very few eat anything but the SAD,standard American Diet, which now consists of many Fast Food meals.

Some eat Zero fruits and the only 'veggies' they eat are a green glob of lettuce? on their Mac Attack delicacy.

Vegan do not eat any Dairy.
Even if you were a meat eater, eliminating dairy is useful.
When a vegan health age was easily 10 if not 15 years younger.
EVERY day people commented that the were surprised to hear I was much older.

I was really stupid for going back to SAD.Now I have health issues to deal with and dig out of a hole I dugg with sh*tty diet.

A informative movie is called "Food Matters". (if you disagree with parts that's fine just consider the package as a whole for if a person believes the FDA and ADA are out to "help you" and have only your best interest as their priority and not income then if might be a challenge to agree)
You will find short clips on Youtube for some info.

FYI when transition, often people feel worse due to toxins releasing in their system.

No matter what you read about it, it is useful to ask "who benefits"? and "who has an agenda to keep this information from you"?

Good luck.

Raw is the way to go. I am about 95% raw now. I have some vices like dark chocolate and anything spicy and rice that I don't think I'll ever give up. I eat raw egg yolk, shashimi, and loads of fruit balanced with healthy fats like olive oil. The difference is amazing. A lot of people don't realize that cooked foods have drug like qualities and when they go off they feel sick...withdraw. Plus what war said about the toxins being released while your body flushes itself out. I'm blessed to have an awesome organic market across the street and my harris teeter sells shashimi grade salmon and tuna.

Alvina, raw organic dark chocolate has goobs of good things for you.Enjoy that vice.In moderation. I mean not 5 lbs a day, OK?
Bon appetie.
Raw eggs unless organic are like russian roulette.
I would really promote you to go 100%
Get the movie Food Matters it is excellent!
A very simple, cheap and healthy habit is to make your own sprouts.
Or wheat grass juicing.
Wheat berries are so very cheap.
They are ready after 7 days for harvesting and are loaded with tons of useful nutrition.
I have great hope that more Warriors get on the band wagon with this stuff as it can cause a very beneficial change for you.
Be well
J

I eat raw foods not but at all times. Raw vegetables, meat ot fish is good when washed well. but beware of raw chicken since it can be poisonous, so cook chicken well and prepare it very clean as well.

Raw eggs with grapefruit? Aren't you opening yourself up to salmonella with the eggs?

Dogmad,

Sending you a PM to get you started!

As for kids ... I guess you could have a hard time getting the to eat the dreaded vegetables - but on the other hand, raw recipes also include a LOT of fruits and extremely healthy treats.

Plus, most meal are extremely quick to fix, and can really offer a nice variety.

Your best bet would be to give it a try and see - just don't let them know what's in their smoothie

Alex.

Gabriel Cousens and Paul Pitchford are two authors who wrote
great books about making dietary transitions from S.A.D.
(standard American diet) towards a plant diet. Both have
dozens of suggestions for how to do it gently and successfully.

"Healing With Whole Foods" by Pitchford is my favorite health
book ever. It definitely doesn't recommend a raw diet for
everyone so it's not the work of a "raw is the only way"
zealot. As I said earlier, you can mess yourself up if you don't
carefully monitor how your body responds to big diet changes.

"Conscious Eating" by Cousens is really good too and will help
you make the transition as far as you want to go. Cousens
is a real scientist. You can get on his list at Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center? Leading the world in fasting, detoxification, spirituality and health education | Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center
and get relevant information to help you do a transition
successfully.

A raw diet is amazing, yet difficult
as you will learn how extraordinarily
addictive cooked food is - and how
people addicted to the SAD would
sooner drop their wife, religion and
political party than eat a raw diet.

I've been raw off and on for about 5
years now. When I'm on, I feel great.
When I'm off, I feel like hell. My best
stretch was about 9 months 99.2%
raw - I lost 32 lbs and looked 10 years
younger.

Educate yourself before starting, so
you know what's normal when you
start is a huge benefit. David Wolfe,
Cousens, 80-10-10 diet, are all good
references. There are many variations
on the diet - we probably own 30
books on the subject.

Good sites:
Raw Food Diet
We Like It Raw - Raw Food Goodness: Before & After
(I can pick a raw person out of a crowd - they glow)
Living and Raw Foods: The largest community on the internet for living and raw food information
Raw Food Diet

I recommend that if you're going to
do it, try it 100%.

If you want to make a radical positive
life change - go raw.

X

Yes I eat raw orgainc cage free etc etc egg yolk...not the whites or sac in fresh sueeze orange juice and sometime with rice or dip french fries for a special treat...tastes like vanilla to me. I haven't tried fresh wheatgrass yet but use wheat grass powder in apple juice. I don't eat much veggies since we can get almost all nutrition from fruit. I enjoy celery and carrots though. I love organic has avocados, they are yummy.

The Living & Raw Food Diet - Alissa Cohen

Here's a link for Alissa Cohen who owns a popular restaurant in Boston called Grezzo.
She used to offer chef training.
Also the usual info products.
NO Aff

I do eat sushi and sashimi

Heard lots about it. Might give it a go this summer when there are lots of great veggies around. After I get in a few weeks of BBQing though ;-)

I enjoy eating lots of raw vegan foods and through the years of eating this way I find regardless of one's dietary habits it is best to be "conscious" about what you are eating and how what you eating makes you feel emotionally and physically. Avoid things that are overly processed, made with too many ingredients (this may include a lot of raw foods). Buy organic and locally. When you make conscious choices you will automatically elimate what doesn't fit into your dietary lifestyle and any changes you seek will magically appear.

Yeah, that's right - don't take anybody's word for how you
should eat... try things out and find what works for you,
the diet that makes you feel your best. Sometimes a diet
pattern than makes you feel good for a month is not good
in the long-term, so I recommend being gentle with yourself
and not becoming a zealot about trying to fit into the ideal
raw diet.

My loved one and I had been slowly headed towards raw veganism for years, and decided last summer to basically double our raw intake to roughly 90%. I don't want to sound like a lifestyle testimonial, but we were surprised at the changes we experienced. Shinier eyes, lower sleep requirements, tons of energy, clearer skin, more positive demeanors, etc.

We slid back into more traditional veganism (I never thought of calling it "traditional" before) around Christmas time, but we missed the feeling the raw diet gave us, and we're returning to that percentage again.

One thing that really stood out for me was that in place of the usual hunger I'd feel before a meal, I'd get what I call "the body yummies". It was like my body was happy to be fed this stuff, and when I experienced my old hunger patterns again during the holidays, it felt much more like cravings.

Thanks to all of you for creating such a great thread -- I was surprised to find it here at WF!

I thought raw foodies eat only greens?

Vincent

Hi Vincent,

Believe it or not, there's a number of different raw diet approaches out there. Here's a few off the top of my head...

- raw foodism (all raw foods including raw meat)

- raw vegetarianism (including raw eggs and/or raw dairy)

- raw Paleolithic Diet folks (raw meat and fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts and eggs, but no dairy and grains)

- raw veganism (raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains)

- raw veganism without nuts and/or grains

- fruitarianism (yup, just fruit)

I know I've missed at least a few other variations. Like anything else in life, the more specialized you become, the more sub-specialties you discover.

Wes