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

kickitlarson · June 2010

With all of the recent posts about raw foods I decided we should start a challenge! Now I would like to say 100% but I know not everyone is at that point in their lives and as this would be a great goal for anyone - I would like to open this up to more people. I just watched the documentary Food Matters last night and they say that you must eat at least 51% raw foods to ensure your body is getting enough enzymes to function and to conteract what you are doing with the cooked foods. So lets go a bit above and beyond that...75% raw food each day for the month of JUNE. So you can just have 3/4 of your meal as raw foods or breakfast & lunch as raw with dinner as cooked! Or you go full force and make every bite you take throughout the day matter! 100% BABY!!

We can use this thread to support each other, talk about recipes, produce deals, and ideas to incorporate more raw foods into your diet. If you would like to go 100% then GO FOR IT!! I know I will be here to cheer you on! I will be 100% and would love to get folks into eating more unprocessed raw foods.

Please also make sure you are doing the following to ensure an amazing month!
1. Drink!! At least 1 liter of water upon rising - before you even start your day or eat anything so that your body wakes up and cleans out! Continue to drink throughout your day.
2. Get some sun! Pure vitamin D is essential & many are deficient! Skip the sunblock - healthy bodies don't have cancer!
3. Exercise!! At least 30 minutes a day (this is the one I need to work on!!)
4. Sleep!! Very important & often overlooked - at least 8 hours and 10+ is best. We are naturally supposed to go to bed upon sunset and get up at sunrise but this is impossible for many. At the very least try to be asleep already by 10PM because from 10-2am is when your body heals & regenerates!!

BONUS:
5. Eat local and/or organic whenever you can!!
6. Skin brushing! Do this along with your morning water to energize your body, get your circulation going, heal and exfoliate!
http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniques/dry_brushing_technique.htm
7. Look into food combining!
Explaination: http://www.therawdiet.com/food_combining.html
Easy to use pic: http://www.momssoapbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/food_combining.jpg
8. Stay stress free! Get your daily dosage of stress relief whether it be exercise, meditation, painting, singing...whatever!
9. Eat as much juicy RIPE fruit you want for breakfast & lunch!! Then have a large salad full of baby greens for dinner! If you are still hungry after that then tomorrow eat more fruit in the morning! Mono meals are best!
10. Everyday write down 3-4 things you are grateful for or appreciative of. This keeps you inline with positive feelings and joy! Attitude of Gratitude!

What is raw food? Food that hasn't been heated above 115F (at this point the enzymes in the food die and it is now recognized as a toxic substance by your body). We will be limiting this thread to discussion of fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds. Ways to prepare: chop, slice, juice, blend, sprout, peel, grind, and spiralize!!

I will be posting daily tips and tricks, recipes, great sites, success stories, holistic healing, environmentally friendly ideas, and more!!

So if you are up for the challenge, reply and maybe tell a little bit about yourself, your current diet, why you would like to step up for the challenge, what you hope to get out of it, areas you need support in, and things you would like to know more about!

jessicajoy87 · June 2010

I ate like this for three days and lost 4 lbs. Its too tough for me at the moment but you feel so clean and healthy when you eat this way. I have a book that is based on how God created us to eat and it was raw foods. Interesting. Good luck.:flowerforyou:

beccasetsfire · June 2010

I'm gonna try :-D right now we don't have much food or much money but I should be getting money soon and I'll go buy more veggies! :-D

Heather75 · June 2010

I'm still going to use sunblock, but I will try to eat a higher percentage of raw foods.

KiriKiriKiri · June 2010

2. Get some sun! Pure vitamin D is essential & many are deficient! Skip the sunblock - healthy bodies don't have cancer!

Healthy bodies DO get cancer. Limit the sun exposure and be sure to use sunblock after a limited time in the sun. Also wear sunglasses as you can get melanoma of the eye as well. Take this from a healthcare professional...

SherahLovesHealth · June 2010

Great Challenge!! I am in!

kickitlarson · June 2010

Jessica, I'm sorry to hear that! I find it very easy - I'm always full & the food I eat is so good!! Being overweight and feeling dead was tough! I guess at this point I could never go back because I couldn't imagine not feeling amazing all the time.

Great to have you onboard Becca!! Give beccacore money for fruit & veggies! Maybe that will be my first post - raw on a budget!
Some quick tips:
-Buy in bulk (many health food stores have bulk sections and doing it this way saves tons!!)
-Buy "over ripe" or "seconds"- many grocery stores throw out the fruit & veggies when they get a bruise but hey I'm not too good for that! We have become so stuck up about our produce!! I can get a huge box of bananas from my grocer for $6 and it lasts me all week! The bananas are a bit brown & spotty but that is just when they are ripe! I have also gotten apples, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers all in this same fashion!
-Farmers are your friends!! Go to farmer's markets and get to know you local farmers. Some might even need help & will give you free fruits & veggies in return for a couple hours of picking or sorting! Others will love getting your money & give you extras!!
-Buy in bulk from your farmers!!!
-Skip all the "superfoods" - you can save a ton not buying into the latest craze (remember local & fresh!!)
-Scavenge!! Yes, I know plenty of people who gather greens in woods or fields - just do the research.
-Plant a garden - I don't buy lettuce anymore, I grow it and it only takes up a couple feet/pots, and within a couple weeks I have enough to last all summer. Grow the kind that you can pick the outermost leaves and it keeps growing for continous greens! I have a patio garden as well - so even if you don't have a lot of room it can be done.

I'll post more as I think of them

kickitlarson · June 2010

2. Get some sun! Pure vitamin D is essential & many are deficient! Skip the sunblock - healthy bodies don't have cancer!

Healthy bodies DO get cancer. Limit the sun exposure and be sure to use sunblock after a limited time in the sun. Also wear sunglasses as you can get melanoma of the eye as well. Take this from a healthcare professional...

Those who get cancer are not healthy in all aspects of life. There must be a deficiency or an imbalance somewhere for the body to allow cancer to take over. The body is very resilient and will continue to heal as long as the environment is correct. Either rest, water, exercise, or nutrition is jacked up. Sunblock contains many chemicals which actually cause cancer so either use an all natural/organic one or just skip it and stay healthy in all aspects of life - this is hard but not impossible once you get the hang of it.

LadyLorax · June 2010

I've been wanting to focus more on a raw food diet, but that can be a bit hard with a 7 year old - however, I think I am going to try and do it for a minimum of two weeks. You can do anything for two weeks, right?

I like the idea of buying veggies/fruit in bulk. I like to buy the pre-cut food veggies because I'm busy. But, I can honestly say that an hour or so of chopping veggies can be very meditative. We also chop and freeze nearly-bad fruit for smoothies which I make with vegan protein powder.

As far as sun and sunblock is concerned... Chemicals on the skin or being blasted with direct sunlight. Even though I am as "anti-chemicals" as people can get, I wear SPF 50 if I plan on being outside for prolonged periods of time. On most days, I wear long sleeves and a brimmed hat outside so I'm covered and not directly exposed during high-sun times. I'm not the goth-chick, I just like to take care of my skin.

Rock on, raw foodies!

beccasetsfire · June 2010

My roommate and I were actually looking to buy seeds when we were at the hardware store a few weeks ago but we have to wait till we have the money to buy pots :-\ soon though!

kickitlarson · June 2010

If you have any questions feel free to ask. However if I don't know the answer I usually refer to this site: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/science.html

Check it out!! Full of everything you ever wanted to know! I could spend hours reading all these articles

Almost every article is written by a Natural Hygienic Dr so you can be sure plenty of unbiased research went into their findings.

SageGoddess320 · June 2010

This sounds like the perfect challenge for me!

kickitlarson · June 2010

Alright!! So excited to have you all along for the journey!
gutterball
beccacore
LadyLorax
rahshe
Heather75

Any others are more than welcome to join in anytime!

I'm a day ahead so I'm off to bed at this point. I had a great day of fruit & greens! I hope you all stay strong on the first day of your RAW challenge!! LOVE & LIGHT!!

UmmBinat · June 2010

I would love to try this for 1 week as it is hard in my current living situation. I do think it is easier living in a hot climate all the time. Healthier too. I live in Canada, most of our life here is unsunny and cold or cool. I agree with no sunblock because I know!

I am loving all this information you posted and signed up just for this!

kickitlarson · June 2010

UmmBinat!!! So great to have you here!!! Thanks so much for joining us and I'm sure your body will be thanking you as well! It is much harder in colder climates so maybe that will be my next post! Thanks for a great idea

Let me go do some research!!

SageGoddess320 · June 2010

I think my colleagues were totally annoyed with my carrot crunching & apple munching today :laugh: . Oh well.... it's way better than their smelly Taco Bell crap :sick:

kickitlarson · June 2010

That's great Gutterball!! They probably crashed after lunch and you were getting things done!

So as stated earlier cold climates can have a big impact on availablility and price of fresh foods, outdoor time, and the feeling of "warm when eating cooked foods".

-As far as fresh foods go there is not much you can do unless you have a greenhouse. However there have been many people who raise funds & build a community greenhouse. This definitley takes a lot of work but it can be done. Don't look at anything as impossible! You can also grow plenty inside your house: tomatoes, herbs, greens, even bell peppers, SPROUTS. For the price issues check out some of the info from yesterday, raw on a budget. Stick with the season, eat greens and nuts. Also try to eat denser calorie foods, bananas, dates & dried fruits are great.
-Outdoor time is essential for exercise, sun, and fresh air. During the summers make sure you are stock piling your sun time. Your body will store the suns energy so make every summer day count. Try to get a membership at a gym or get workout dvds you can do right in your living room.
-The warming up to a nice bowl of soup is actually your body reacting negatively to the heat. Check out this article from Victoria Boutenko (highly regarded raw food pioneer) http://www.healthfree.com/raw_food_art_climate.html . Very interesting information!

Some over all things you can do:
-Go on vacation!! Get out of the cold! Freelee from 30bananasaday.com does house sitting and she follows the fruit seasons around the world and gets paid to do it. Think outside the box! You don't have to have money to travel!
-Move! Seriously we are meant to be in tropical climates. Life is abundant where it is warm and it becomes less and less as you move to colder climates.
-Winter time is the season for hibernation, rest, and reflection so make it into a positive experience!

Benefits of eating raw in the cold:
You will be less suseptable to all the bugs that go around, your immune system will be top notch.
You will have more energy when exposed to the elements and will be less effected than your cooked counterparts

Great info by David Wolf.....
What to do and eat to keep yourself warm in winter:

-Raise your core temperature by regularly enjoying hot baths, saunas, sweat lodges, and hot spring visits.
-Find foods that are warming for you. One woman I met in Telluride told me that wheatgrass juice raises her body temperature.
-Harden yourself to the elements. Get tough! No animal in nature wears clothes!
-Consume more blended foods. Create raw soups.
-A good transition strategy is to eat raw foods that are slightly warmed or eat raw foods in bowls that are slightly warmed.
-Drink warm water with lemon or tea instead of hot coffee. Never drink water that has been heated above 87 degrees Celsius (or 191 Fahrenheit). Once it is above that temperature, even if it has been cooled down, the water molecules will be disorganized.

Eat foods that are warming, such as:

-Dehydrated foods (more calorically dense, therefore they are typically more warming)
-Blended foods
-Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, and dates are especially warming)
-Nuts (especially macadamia nuts and raw nut butters)
-Fatty Seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds)
-Sprouted Grain Seeds (good for some people, not everyone)
-Avocados
-Durian
-Pumpkin (shred into a salad or use to make a raw pumpkin pie) — overall one of the most heating foods.
-Ginger
-Onions
-Garlic
-Arugula
-Watercress
-Mustard leaves

kickitlarson · June 2010

So lets talk about FOOD! There are some really amazing sites out there with tons of recipes. However, please proceed with caution. Many raw recipes have ungodly amounts of nuts and seeds which give food more "substance". This is not always good because these are harder for your body to digest and fattening!! The majority of your diet should be fresh fruits & veggies combined in easy to digest manners (check out food combining in the first post). But if you have a special event or are craving something cooked this is a way to avoid eating the really bad stuff.

So here ya go!!
My top two favorites have everything you could ever think of RAW & both of them have many other resources available in the other parts of the forums:
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=63
http://rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4 (This is Alissa Cohen's site - she wrote Living on Live Foods - CLASSIC!!)

Great sites for SIMPLE & PROPERLY combined recipes:
http://bananaislandrecipes.blogspot.com/
http://www.the811recipespot.blogspot.com/

Try some out & lets see what you come up with!! Please share your favorite recipe or experiments!!!!

July24Lioness · June 2010

So lets talk about FOOD! There are some really amazing sites out there with tons of recipes. However, please proceed with caution. Many raw recipes have ungodly amounts of nuts and seeds which give food more "substance". This is not always good because these are harder for your body to digest and fattening!! The majority of your diet should be fresh fruits & veggies combined in easy to digest manners (check out food combining in the first post). But if you have a special event or are craving something cooked this is a way to avoid eating the really bad stuff.

So here ya go!!
My top two favorites have everything you could ever think of RAW & both of them have many other resources available in the other parts of the forums:
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=63
http://rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4 (This is Alissa Cohen's site - she wrote Living on Live Foods - CLASSIC!!)

Great sites for SIMPLE & PROPERLY combined recipes:
http://bananaislandrecipes.blogspot.com/
http://www.the811recipespot.blogspot.com/

Try some out & lets see what you come up with!! Please share your favorite recipe or experiments!!!!

You have to have adequate protein and fats in your eating plan. Nuts are not fattening, they are filled with natural, good fats that your body needs.

To become a raw foodist, you have to do research, research, research before venturing down that road. I know many people that have ruined their health by trying to go raw.

kickitlarson · June 2010

So lets talk about FOOD! There are some really amazing sites out there with tons of recipes. However, please proceed with caution. Many raw recipes have ungodly amounts of nuts and seeds which give food more "substance". This is not always good because these are harder for your body to digest and fattening!! The majority of your diet should be fresh fruits & veggies combined in easy to digest manners (check out food combining in the first post). But if you have a special event or are craving something cooked this is a way to avoid eating the really bad stuff.

So here ya go!!
My top two favorites have everything you could ever think of RAW & both of them have many other resources available in the other parts of the forums:
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=63
http://rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4 (This is Alissa Cohen's site - she wrote Living on Live Foods - CLASSIC!!)

Great sites for SIMPLE & PROPERLY combined recipes:
http://bananaislandrecipes.blogspot.com/
http://www.the811recipespot.blogspot.com/

Try some out & lets see what you come up with!! Please share your favorite recipe or experiments!!!!

You have to have adequate protein and fats in your eating plan. Nuts are not fattening, they are filled with natural, good fats that your body needs.

To become a raw foodist, you have to do research, research, research before venturing down that road. I know many people that have ruined their health by trying to go raw.

Raw foods are natural to this planet and to our bodies. Incorporating more into your diet doesn't require a lot of thinking or research- if it feels right and makes sense then do it. However because there is a lot of varying info out there we are discussing things here so people can recieve and share knowledge. Nuts are fattening BUT in small amounts are good for you...what I was refering to are the many "gourmet" recipes which include cups and cups of nuts. There is no reason to eat this many nuts and more than one avocado a day is too much as well.

I also know many people who have saved their lives because of raw foods (we will discuss this tomorrow). The people that do not succeed did something wrong. Give me an eating plan and daily activities and I can tell you whats wrong. I saw else where that you posted you gained weight on raw foods. This is hard to do unless you are eating too many fats and not enough carbs. The blood in the body doesn't like to be weighed down with fat. The body and the brain fuel off of carbs - this is a proven fact so why deny your body that - because you want to be depressed, negative, and the same way you have always been? Eat to live not live to eat. Learn to listen to your body!!

Not every person does everything right and individual isolated cases should not be counted as the norm for a certain way of life. I can give you a site with hundereds of people who only eat fruit, leafy greens, celery, small amounts of nuts, seeds, & avocados. They are the happiest, most athletic, and healthy group of people I have ever come across. 30bananasaday.com

Please everyone this can be a lot of information at once and thats why we are slowly easing into it.

jessicajoy87 · June 2010

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.

jessicajoy87 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

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.

LadyLorax

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 · June 2010

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 · June 2010

This is way better than living off of 100 calorie snack packs.
I've been wanting to start eating more unprocessed for a while.

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

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