Raw Food Challenge!! Trying to eat a cleaner unprocessed di

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  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    Okay. Whenever I get paid on the 8th I will join you all. Its a life style I have always wanted to adopt. I have read stories about people who were on loads of medication and went on this diet and they are completely off meds. I feel very drawn to this lifestyle because it really is a miracle diet. I am just a little broke at the moment.


    Scratch that! I can get some money for my health.

    Mendelicious I really need some support if I am going to stick with this.
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    Sweet Jessica!! "Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness." ~Edward Stanley. I think that goes for money as well as time :) Glad your joining us!!

    So how did everyone do on the first day? Lets concentrate on our success that way more and more success comes our way! Power of attraction people!! Think of healthy clean choices you made today and don't worry over a slip up because you will do better than that tomorrow! I stayed 100% today although I am bit suspicious of the batch of dates I got...they are a bit drier than the last ones although we are moving further and further out of date season so I guess that can be expected. I did Kenpo X and a set of 5 tabatas to make up for my slacker weekend - it felt great to sweat!!

    Today I was grateful for cleaning the house!! My husband had three days of this weekend and we got to spend tons of time together in result the place got a bit messy but it was well worth it!!
  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    Sorry Mindy I did not start today. I have less $ than I thought :-(. I promise I will by the 8th! I will just use this time to plan.:flowerforyou:
  • SageGoddess320
    SageGoddess320 Posts: 2,589 Member
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    This RAW FOOD challenge is great! I've been trying new things too. I've had some successful recipe experiments and some....well.... total disasters so far :laugh: While I am succeeding on the diet side things, I've been a complete slacker for the last week when it comes to exercise. I'm not really sure what my deal is, it's like I'm fizzling out or something. Hopefully my energy level picks up again and my motivation returns soon.
    Hope everyone else is enjoying this challenge as much as I am.
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    If you have drastically increased your raw foods with this challenge then your body is doing a lot of extra work (cleaning house & healing) and it will be normal for energy levels to fluctuate quite a bit. Keep with it and things will even out quite a bit. Just make sure to take care of yourself in all areas and soon enough you will be bouncing off the walls!!

    Understandable Jess, I'm keeping you in my thoughts - hoping a delivery of fresh fruits & veggies arrives at your door!!!
  • LadyLorax
    LadyLorax Posts: 20
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    When I first became a vegetarian (age 13) I got sick and anemic because I didn't know how to balance my food intake. I think that when you start on a new road, like raw food, your body is going to need to adjust. Sometimes when people go from a really bad diet to a really pure diet they experience withdraws - headache, bloating, swollen tongue - all because your body is detoxing from all the chemicals and fat in your former food. Fat acts like a drug and a body can become hooked on it.

    I'm still not where I want to be with my eating, but I'm getting there! :)
  • rmccully
    rmccully Posts: 319
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    I LOVE THIS. I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS BUT DONT KNOW HOW. I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT I CAN'T HAVE DAIRY OR SOY.

    SO I NEED HELP ON WHAT I SHOULD EAT. I JUST BOUGHT A JUICER LAST NIGHT, I NEED TO GO TO THE STORE AND BUY THINGS TO USE IT.

    WHAT SHOULD I BE GETTING TO EAT ? WHAT ABOUT JUICING? CAN I USE THE PULP FROM JUICING SOMEHOW?

    REALLY NEED HELP ON THIS VENTURE. I DONT EAT MEAT AND NEVER REALLY HAD A LOT OF DAIRY. I USED SOY MUCH MORE THAN DAIRY. NOT A TON OF PROCESSED FOODS.

    WITH THE HEAT THING DOES THAT CUT OUT SOUPS AND CROCKPOTS?
  • UmmBinat
    UmmBinat Posts: 39
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    My first day I didn't do the full % because I felt bad about leaving the muffins I had made that would probably go to waste if I didn't eat a couple! It's just DH who doesn't really like muffins and DD (toddler) who does but wouldn't be eating all 6. Now I need to do some shopping for fruits and veggies though I have some I don't have much selection. I like this and I know it is good for me. I feel it in the raw recipes I tried especially a properly combined one.

    :smile: LadyLorax :smile: that is interestingly similar to myself who when I began living back with my mom years ago I got anemic as she doesn't buy much meat and I wasn't eating right. Since I got married and don;'t live there anymore DH buys what I want and I don't have that problem anymore. But I am slightly worried it will show up doing this raw thing. I love the chart :flowerforyou: Mindelicious :flowerforyou: posted about food combining and will refer to it often.

    :happy: rmccully :happy: I can't have many things, those both included. You could always go check out my recipes here, http://share.recipezaar.com/community/UmmBinat/style.esi?member_id=593927 Just click on public recipes. :-)

    Off to make http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/honeydew-horchata-370831without sugar, maybe with some unpasturised local honey.... This is not right raw wise? Also I wish all my fruits and vegs could be local....
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    Your honey sounds raw just not vegan but that's fine - we are just sticking to raw here - baby steps!! Your muffins are totally understandable Ummbinat. My husband is transitioning to a high raw diet and we are going slowly mainly because there's so much little stuff here and there in the house and it would be worse to waste stuff - just like buying a hybrid if you already have a great/newer car.

    One of the most important concepts to work on is starting with the easiest to digest food and then over the course of the day increasing to the denser foods. Juicey fruits then dense fruits, non sweet fruits (tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers), leafy greens, then nuts. Lets say you eat nuts and then eat juicy fruit...those nuts take longer to digest and that fruit wants to fly through your system but it can't because those nuts are in the way. So the fruit ends up fermenting & rotting in your system - causing GAS & the BLOATED look we don't want! Plus now you have rotten fruit instead of fruit you were going to use for vitamins & minerals.

    As far as a daily menu/food to buy...
    Breakfast - FRUIT!!! Try to stick with one type - very easy on the digestive system; however, you can vary this day to day.
    Lunch - I workout between breakfast & lunch so I eat fruit again for lunch
    Dinner - huge green salad. If you want to have nuts or avocados this is the time.
    Snacks - DATES are great - they combine well with everything except melons & avocados (wait at least and hour inbetween)

    Dr. Graham lists many menu plans in his book.....I'll list two so you can see in a perfect world what we should be eating:
    Winter Menu:
    Breakfast: 2lbs Tangerines
    Lunch: 2lbs Bananas (blend them with a bit of water or eat straight)
    Dinner:
    course 1: Papaya Pineapple Drink - 1 lb papaya & 8 oz pineapple blended (add water if you desire)
    course 2: Papaya Lime Soup - 1lb papaya, 8oz romaine lettuce, 1oz lime juice - blend and enjoy
    course 3: Orange Hemp Salad - 1lb red-leaf lettuce, 8oz oranges, 2 tbsp hemp seeds - chop and mix together

    Here's another:
    Spring menu
    Breakfast: Bananas w/ carob sauce - 1lb bananas sliced and topped with 1oz medjool dates & 1 oz carob powder blended with a bit of water into a sauce consistency (SO GOOD!!!)
    Lunch: Banana Milk - 2lbs banana blended with enough water to make milky consistency
    Dinner:
    Course 1: Strawberry Pineapple Drink - 8oz straberries & 8oz pineapple blended
    course 2: Strawberry Yellow Pepper Soup - 1 lb strawberries, 8oz yellow bell peppers, 8oz romaine, chop all up & place in blender except for 1 strawberry....slice this up and use to garnish the soup
    Course 3: Strawberry Red Pepper Salad - 1lb romaine, 4oz red peppers, 8 oz strawberries, finely chop the lettuce & blend the strawberries & red pepper to make a dressing

    Some staples, however go with what is in season & local!!!:
    Melons - hydrating & full of vitamins & minerals
    Bananas - perfect fruit!! & available all year round
    Oranges - love them - calcium!!
    Kiwi - these little guys are super packed with vitamins/nutrients
    Papaya - great for digestion!!
    Berries - if you can't get these organic & fresh - get the frozen cascadia(sp) farms ones - in season right NOW!!
    Lemons/Limes - for flavoring
    Dates - if you can't find these organic & local then go for nutsonline.com - super cheap & FAST shipping!!!
    Tomatoes - My favorites!!
    Celery - try to get this organic as well - eat a lot of this with dinner!! This is your sodium.
    Cucumbers - hydrating & a bit of sodium
    Bell peppers -
    Baby Leafy greens (much easier to digest than older greens)- baby spinach, romaine, baby spring mix, arugula, red leaf (these are the greens that look very soft as compared to like kale, mustard, cabbage which are much harder to digest)

    As far as juicing...oranges go for it!! I personally don't do much of juicing because I hate getting rid of the pulp - feels so wrong!! However carrot/apple juice is amazing!! Just be sure to peel the carrot so its sweet. Juice cucumbers and add to fresh coconut milk - glorious - this is like a sports drink - full of alive electrolytes!! What can you do with the pulp? If you have a dehydrator you can make raw crackers, cookies, or breads. You can feed it to your dog or compost it. If I make almond milk I let the leftovers dry out and use that as raw flour for different treats. Seriously if you haven't checked out the recipe sites I listed, please do!! Tons of ideas & recipes & fun!! Recipes are under the heading The Food and Sprouting is right under the recipes. Sprouting is a wonderful way to save money, make a lot out of a little, and get tons of nutrients!!!!!!!!! (rawfoodtalk.com)

    Soups and Crockpot - I suggest getting a thermometer. You can absolutely warm your stuff up to 115F - many raw foodists just put their stuff in the dehydrator and set it at 115 for a bit. I personally don't have time for this :) I rather just eat fruit - so easy and fast.

    As far as juicing, green smoothies, and soups go try to limit the ingredients to 4 or less. This will help tremendously with digestion.

    You don't need to go and buy every fruit & veggie the grocer carries. Stick with your favorite - especially in the beginning so you are enjoying this. If you go to the store and are pulled to a certain type then get that - your body sends out vibrations and wants to tell you what it needs!!

    Here is a link to a search on recipezaar that includes raw vegan foods and by rating - so you can check out some stuff that other people have enjoyed: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?q=raw&ls=h&Search=Search&s_type=/recipes.php&categ=168 (be careful though - I did it by keyword search so some stuff might not be raw such as the first one listed - although thats a great vegan recipe!!)

    Things to avoid beans (very hard to digest and many are toxic in raw state), dried herbs/spices (80/10/10 & natural hygienics consider these indigestable), garlic, onions & hot peppers are irratating to the bowels and cause more problems than good(however in the beginning I say eat them if you must but in small amounts - OR instead use green onions!!), if you have digestive problems already keep away from grains, oil is usually rancid by the time we get it so try to avoid that as well.

    Whole, fresh, raw, plant, in proper combo - Fruit, easily digestable veggies, some nuts and seeds would be optimal.

    Foods Must Be Non-Toxic
    Foods Must Be Edible in the Raw State
    Foods Must Have Sensory Appeal
    Foods Must Be Digested Easily When Eaten Alone or Properly Combined
    Foods Must Be Digested Efficiently
    Foods Must Have Protein Adequacy
    Foods Must Be Adequate in Vitamin Content
    Foods Must Be Adequate in Mineral Salts
    Natural Foods Must Supply Our Needs for Essential Fatty Acids
    Natural Foods Must Supply Our Needs for Caloric Values
    Natural Foods Are Water-Sufficient to Meet Our Needs in Most Cases
    Natural Foods Are Alkaline in Metabolic Reaction
    http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/nutritional-science/physiological-criteria-foods-must-meet.html (explains all of the above)

    If you haven't checked out http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/science.html please do!! Just start scrolling & every answer is there.

    Great recipe sites & general support
    rawfoodtalk.com
    http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=63

    Books:
    80/10/10 by Dr. Douglas Graham also
    The China Study
    Eat to Live - Joel Fuhrman
    Any of John Robbins' books
    Mucusless Diet - Alrnold Ehret
    Living on Live Foods - Alissa Cohen (rawfoodtalk.com author)

    Movies/Documentaries:
    The Secret, Food Inc, Processed People, Fast Food Nation, Planeat, Earthlings, We Feed the World, Forks Over Knives, The End of the Line, Meet Your Meat, I Am An Animal, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, King Corn, The Age of Stupid.

    Youtube channels:
    Harley - bike rider : http://www.youtube.com/user/durianriders
    Freelee - female athlete : http://www.youtube.com/user/Freelea
    http://www.youtube.com/user/liferegenerator - tons of great JUICING recipes!!!
    http://www.youtube.com/user/RawRadiantHealth
    http://www.youtube.com/user/RawFoodMuscle
  • Lightonmyfeet
    Lightonmyfeet Posts: 26
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    This is way better than living off of 100 calorie snack packs.
    I've been wanting to start eating more unprocessed for a while.
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    Awesome Lightmeonmyfeet!!! Its definitely much more fun when you can eat as much as you want and still have energy for exercise & allowing your body to cleanse. Hope you find the information helpful!! Those 100 calorie snack packs are just a great marketing scheme :( so sad what the big companies of this country are doing to the people. One banana is 105 calories, fills you up more, doesn't feed your food addictions, has no preservatives, is very low in pesticides, gives your body perfect nutrition and is in fact EASY ON THE GO!!!
  • Alleghany
    Alleghany Posts: 200
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    Hi! I'm lurking and not ready to take the plunge quite yet but I'm definitely working on eating raw more often. Hope you don't mind if I follow you guys.

    :flowerforyou:

    Also wanted to add BIG THANKS for all your great info! :smile:
  • angienene
    angienene Posts: 9
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    Am in. Actually started last month, but maintained or sometimes gained. I think this was due to high nuts (almond butter to be specific.). So glad to be able to start afresh.
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    Wonderful to have you two joining us!! I looooove sharing all the info - I get so sad seeing so many suffering when we have just been lied to. PLUS the more fruit & veggies people buy - the more organics will become available, the easier it will be to get produce, more farmers, better scenery (sorry but a garden is much prettier than a feed lot!!), produce won't be SO expensive, and the more oxygen in the air, the less errosion on our land, the better the planet will be, the animals will get to live again instead of serving us, and the happier the people!! What a great world we have here! Everytime you buy fruits & veggies you are voting for this!!

    Alleghany, I saw "Forks over Knives" on your profile - how is it?? I haven't gotten a chance to view it yet although I am highly anticipating it!!
  • irina801010
    irina801010 Posts: 4
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    I started low fat vegan diet 3 month ago. Lost 30 lb. I am about 60% raw. My goal is to increase raw % and loose more weight.
  • irina801010
    irina801010 Posts: 4
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    Dear Jessica, my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Just trust Him & do what in your heart.
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    What a wonderful accomplishment Irina! So glad to have you here.

    Sorry I haven't been around today & probably won't be tomorrow either. However, I think I have put out enough info & websites to keep everyone busy for a bit :) On Monday I will be doing a post with my favorite raw success stories & inspirational people.

    Hope everyone is doing well and hitting the weekend with tons of energy and JOY!!
  • rmccully
    rmccully Posts: 319
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    Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
    Author, Eating for Energy
    Owner, Total Wellness Consulting



    Has anyone read the book from this guy? it sounds good.
  • angienene
    angienene Posts: 9
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    hey guys/ladies, was wondering what you do when you are at a restaurant or an event and there;s nothing raw available. This seems to be my biggest challenge. Thanks
  • irina801010
    irina801010 Posts: 4
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    We can always order a huge salad and for dressing ask for lemons. You can call them ahead and ask if they have fresh fruits, so they can fix you a big platter.

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