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.

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

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