Clean, fresh, RAW Challenge for JULY!!!
kickitlarson
Posts: 204 Member
What is raw vegan? Raw veganism is based on the fact that at 115F the enzymes in previously raw foods breakdown and when eaten it is treated as a toxin to the body because it is dead lifeless matter. Raw vegans eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and SPROUTED grains (see below for info on sprouting). Food that is toxic when raw is avoided such as potatoes, some beans (I‘ve only ever had sprouted mung beans - wouldn’t really know which others to try), dried herbs/spices (80/10/10 & natural hygienics consider these indigestible), garlic, onions & hot peppers are irritating 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 keep away from grains, oil is usually rancid by the time we get it so try to avoid that as well if you must use cold-pressed, unrefined, unfiltered, breadfruit is hard to eat at the proper ripeness so avoid it. Try new fruits & veggies you never had before. You can chop, dice, slice, juice, blend, sprout, peel, grind, spiralize, and dehydrate (under 115F)!!
The Challenge: eat 75-100% of your food from raw, fresh, energizing food. You need at least 51% of your food to be eaten raw to counteract the cooked food you eat so we upped the ante a bit and hope you push for 75%. Whole, fresh, raw, plants, in proper combo - Fruit, easily digestible veggies, some nuts and seeds would be optimal.
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/or things you would like to know more about!
***I’m sorry this is so long but I tried to keep the headings in bold so you could just skip through to whatever you want to read. Its everything that was discussed last month & some extras. To eat this way for long term you need to educate yourself so I have listed just about everything I know here after 5 years studying this diet. Please don’t feel like you need to get it all right away, just do what you can - its all part of the journey. I am not a doctor or an expert but I began my raw journey 5 years ago & so I do have a bit of knowledge and experience. However I provide Dr or expert references so you can research for yourself.***
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 so you pee clear 8-10 times!!
2. Get some sun! Pure vitamin D is essential & many are deficient! If you haven’t been out in the sun much start with just 10 minutes for a couple days and then slowly work up to an hour. If are out for long periods of time then try to wear clothing/hats to cover up. If you must use sun block then use a natural/organic brand to ensure you are not baking chemicals into your skin. Personally I have never used sun block and don’t have any of the spots the majority of my friends have that lather that stuff one. My skin is soft, supple, and I tan easily as well.
3. Exercise!! At least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week - more is always better!
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!!
5. Don’t be a Candida feeder!! Mono fruit meals are best and keep your fat at/below 10% (fat causes your body to pump out insulin). Check out Dr. Doug Graham discussing this: http://bit.ly/bFADMC (he has two other videos on this subject - look to the right)
6. Ensure you are eating RIPE fruit. Unripe fruit can upset your digestive system (not all the nutrients are balanced yet) and also cause tooth sensitivity. Most fruit smells delicious when ripe & bananas are spotty when ripe.
7. A couple files I uploaded to make the process a bit easier (Detailed food combining (must download - good tips to the right!!), Dirty Dozen, a gluten-free/vegan shopping list & other stuff: http://bit.ly/9Xyief )
BONUS:
5. Eat local and/or organic whenever you can!! Support your local farmer’s so they don’t become extinct and all we get to look at is factories, shopping malls & developments!
The Dirty Dozen for Pesticides (foods to buy organic, grow yourself, or to avoid if organic is unavailable!): http://bit.ly/aMxEWK
JOIN a CSA for convenient fruit & veggie supplies!! http://bit.ly/dyCVH8
6. Skin brushing! Do this along with your morning water to energize your body, get your circulation going, heal and exfoliate! http://bit.ly/aMxEWK
7. Look into food combining! Explanation: http://bit.ly/dp6A67
Another great explanation: with a snazzy chart: http://bit.ly/cjuxrV
8. Stay stress free! Get your daily dosage of stress relief whether it be exercise, meditation, painting, singing, avoiding certain people ...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 eat a handful of nuts & dates & THEN tomorrow eat more fruit in the morning! MONO meals are best!
10. Oil Pulling: Very good practice for cleaning the mouth, removing toxins, and overall mouth health: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/oil-pulling-422807
11. Jal Netti: clean the nasal passage, reduce allergies & breathe easier: http://bit.ly/duazOP
12. 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!
13. Learn more about the Low Fat Raw Vegan diet or 80/10/10. Here is a great pamphlet:
http://bit.ly/b5QM56
BENEFITS:
Feel more energized, allow your body to heal, soft skin, clearer eyes, youthful appearance, live guilt free, proper digestion, lose weight, feel alive, drive to exercise, reset your taste buds, all your senses heighten, sex is better!, tons of medical problems can be healed, get off the medications, no more depression or mood swings, organics will become more available, produce will become more available, more farmers, better scenery (sorry but a garden is much prettier than a feed lot!!), produce won't be SO expensive, more oxygen in the air, less erosion 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! Every time you buy fruits & veggies you are voting for this!! Eat up - your life is waiting!!
PROTEIN: First of all if you are getting your amino acids (the body makes protein out of amino acids) from unprocessed uncooked sources then you are going to be able to use all of it. So you don't need as much as other people because the RDA is based on the average person and the majority don't get it from useable sources. Raw nuts and sprouts are excellent sources. You can sprout quinoa, mung beans, alfalfa seeds, buckwheat, even rice. If they are raw they will sprout. Sprouting lets the seed awaken a magnitude of enzymes. The following are "complete proteins" (contain 8 amino acids): banana, tomatoes, dates, almonds, young coconuts, sunflower seeds, NUTS, quinoa, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli, corn, cabbage.
There have been studies on many different civilizations who eat primarily vegetarian diets with some fish every once in awhile and continue to do hard labor day in and day out (Japanese farming districts/tribes in the Pacific). These people consume about 15-35 grams of protein a day and flourish. Our RDA is like twice that....strange if they have eaten this way for generations and have no problems. Contrary to what people may say excess protein is harmful, the body can only process so much at once and then it becomes toxic because it raises the levels of nitrogen in the blood (causing chronic fatigue - how many people do you know that eat a lot of meat but are always tired?). Protein poisoning is much more common than protein deficiency.
Personally I have been consuming between 20-30 grams of protein a day. I know I am getting stronger. I wasn't able to do one pull up when I started eating this way and now I can do 2. Only 2 but hey its a huge improvement for me and in a short amount of time. I also gained 5lbs over a one month span and lost 1 inch in my hips & 1 inch in each thigh while all other measurements stayed the same during that same time period- pretty sure I was gaining muscle & losing fat. Read more here: http://bit.ly/bIMKpM Also: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/proteins/
CARBS:
You need carbs to function properly. This is why we crave them because that is what your body wants and needs to accomplish everything in a day. This gets into 80/10/10 quite deeply and I'm hoping that is what your striving for!! Many long term successful LFRVs recommend 10 grams carbs for each kg (or 2.2 pounds) (these people are thin BUT extremely athletic!!) So for me (roughly 140lbs) that would be 630grams however I am still working up my calorie intake (I'm actually undereating) but my goal is to consume about 2500calories per day which is the recommendation for women and would coincide with the recommended carbs (recommendation for men is like 3000+ depending on activity level). I am trying to get there but getting that much food in takes a bit of work. The reason for this is because when your eating this way you have more energy!! You will be active - you need to get out and move or else you go crazy & isn't that what all healthy people want - to be out there enjoying the world? Don't worry about your carbs - any extra are bonus and will help you to avoid depression, mood swings, or feel like a bump on a log. Read more here: http://bit.ly/c65PJE Also: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/carbohydrates/
FATS:
We all know there are good fats & there are bad fats. Lucky for us the raw food diet rules out these bad fats!! I have never been a eat a lot of fat person so I really have never concerned myself with the topic. High cholesterol doesn’t seem like a fun time to me! So check this out if ya need more info: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/fats/
DAILY MENU PLANS: Very Simple & easy to do (why waste time with meal prep when you have a life to live!!)
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 in-between)
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:
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 strawberries & 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
Summer Menu:
Breakfast: 3lbs Cantaloupe
Lunch: 1lb bananas & 1lb Mango
Dinner:
Course 1: 1lb apricots
Course 2: OPT Soup: 8oz romaine lettuce, 8oz tomatoes, 8oz yellow/orange bell peppers- blend all but ¼ of the tomatoes & ¼ of the peppers. Chop the rest up and sprinkle on top of the soup.
Course 3: Avocado Salad: 8oz romaine, 8oz cucumber, 8oz tomatoes, 6oz avocado, ¼ cup cilantro - Chop lettuce & cucumbers and put in bowl. Chop tomatoes, avo, and cilantro & mix them separately from the salad. Stir them until they start to meld just a bit and then pour over salad.
RECIPES!!!!!!!
Simple lovely & properly combined (LFRV compliant): http://bit.ly/9fdd1g
Similar to the above: http://bit.ly/8XwouQ
Raw food Gourmet (steer clear of the nut heavy ones…not that great for Candida & losing weight) http://bit.ly/a2SQ91
Recipe Zaar - Raw & Vegan sorted my popularity (there might be a couple that don’t belong like the very first one. http://bit.ly/97QrVU Check my vegan & raw vegan recipes: http://bit.ly/98NKZu
The Simple Guide to Eating Raw (some ingredients are not raw/not good - caocao use carob instead, agave use stevia or dates instead) http://bit.ly/dstFzr
REPLACEMENTS FOR CRAVINGS!
-coffee - hazelnut mylk, warm lemon water in a mug (very cleansing), banana milk (pure energy), large glass of water (just think of the crash & dehydration coffee does to your body)
-soda - fruit, orange, veggie juices, coconut water (pure electrolytes), smoothies, lemonade w/ stevia, lemon/ginger water (ginger gives a fizz!!!!!)
-energy drink - coconut milk & cucumber juice - carrot & apple juice
-yogurt - banana pudding, frozen banana pudding, mango pudding, banana cherry pudding (just blend fruit up with a bit of water)
-cereal - raw granola!!! here is my personal favorite recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/raw-granola-427472
-bread and butter - apples with nut butter, raw onion bread, essene bread or mana bread (good for transition), top your bread with some unrefined coconut oil
-cheese - nut cheese or seed cheese (Google for it)
-hummus - Google raw vegan hummus most use broccoli or zuchini (I think this is just as good if not better)
-pasta - zucchini or cucumber noodles (either use veggie peeler or spiralizer), meat of a young baby coconut cut into strips for noodles. Kelp Noodles claim to be raw and many raw foodist use this product. However I think that it is highly processed (they are white/clear and kelp is green...not sure how that happens) BUT this could be a very good transitional food and definitely much better for you than traditional pasta.
-French fries & ketchup - jicama fries & raw ketchup (Google or check the recipes sites listed below)
-meat - nut pates, sun burger recipe on recipe zaar
-Ice cream - semi frozen banana smashed, blended, processed - whatever to get creamy consistency. Top with carob sauce, nuts, berries, blended coconut meat for whipped cream - whatever you like!
-chocolate - carob (mix same amount of carob, dates, and water & blend to form a paste)=chocolate sauce
-candy - dried fruit, dates, figs, raw cookies
STAPLES!! However try to 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 organic ones (ie Cascadian)
Lemons/Limes - for flavoring & dressings - I save the peels, blend with water, strain & use for shampoo J
Dates - can't find these organic or local then go for nutsonline.com - super cheap, organic & 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 - only red, yellow, and orange (the green ones are picked to early & unripe)
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)
Quinoa - for sprouting & complete protein - if you can’t find this hit up nutsonline.com as well
Almonds - the best nut in the world!! Can’t find organic? nutsonline.com!!!
Tahini - for dressing & sauces & just because
Brazil nuts - 1 gives you all the selenium you need for the day. I have one of these & then eat almonds if I want more so I can save them for my one a day.
SPROUTING & SOAKING
Why? Soaking nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes removes their natural enzyme inhibitors. Sprouting generally increases the nutritional value of the foods and make them much easier to digest because the protein is broken down into amino acids, the starches are changed to simple sugars, and fats convert to fatty acids. When you receive nuts & seeds they are dormant you need to wake them up!! Once you do this the enzyme come alive & increases. If you eat them without soaking & sprouting you must use your enzymes to break them down. Vitamins & minerals are increased in sprouts by huge percentages. Many people thing sprouts are the perfect food and its cheaper because the sprouts are many times larger then their dry counterpart.
There are many fancy bags, jars & appliances for sprouting - I use a bowl and a strainer - works great.
Depending on what your sprouting it could take a couple hours to days so you need to research how to sprout your specific type. Quick break down: Place them in a bowl, cover with water, anything that comes to the top skim off, make sure you have three times as much water covering them then allow to soak for a specific amount of time. When time expires drain, rinse, cover with towel. Continue to drain & rinse every 6 hours until you have sprouts. They should not be sitting in water during the 6 hours, no direct sunlight either. Once they are sprouts they keep in the fridge for 4-5 day however I usually rinse once a day & rinse before using. Quinoa needs to be rinsed VERY well.
Most complete info for times & rinses: http://bit.ly/czXq4h
Use the water from soaking/rinsing to feed your plants - they love it!!
NUT MYLKS
Soak a cup of your choice of nuts over night. I have only had almond & hazelnut (taste like coffee) I suppose you could use others but not exactly sure how that would turn out. I have heard of folks using sunflower & sesame though. Put the nuts & 3 cups water into the blender and let loose until very well blended up. Next step is to strain…use a nut mylk bag, cheese cloth, or sieve and pour into some type of container (preferably a pitcher). Next add a sweetener if you would like such as date paste (dates & water blended), stevia, or honey if that is something you use. Vanilla and a pinch of salt are options as well. Make chocolate milk by experimenting with carob & more sweetener. You can also purchase soy mylk machines and they are usually able to make nut mylks very easily with little mess. I have a Soyabella & it works PERFECTLY!!
LEFT OVER PULP FROM JUICING OR NUT MYLKS (try to keep sweet & savory juice pulp separate):
-Crackers - carrot, celery, cucumber, pepper pulp blended with some soaked ground flax & herbs - dehydrate or you don't have to dehydrate & use for wrap fillers or patties.
-Cakes - fruit pulp mixed with almond pulp/flour and dates -or- look up raw carrot cake
-Crusts - fruit pulp with almonds formed into a pie crust
-Dessert treats - Take apple pulp and blend with dates, nuts & cinnamon!
-Salad!! - Carrot pulp, chopped apple, raisins & a bit of liquid sweetener of your choice!!
-Fruit leather - blend banana & juice or water with fruit pulp and dehydrate for "fruit rollups"
-Granola bars - take your fruit blend (such as cranberry/apple or apple/pear) and add raisins, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and liquid sweetener of your choice - process up and form into bar shapes - either dehydrate or refrigerate!!
I have even dehydrated veggie pulp and used that as seasoning like herbamare.
Almonds - after making nut mylk just use the pulp as flour for anything & everything or blend the pulp with dates and roll into balls for a quick treat.
!!You can also make facial & body scrubs!!!! Almond pulp makes a great exfoliator and many fruits & veggies are great for the skin.
DINING OUT:
Call ahead, see what they have if your not familiar. During your call talk to the manager, explain your diet, ask if they can accommodate - many will be glad to make a wonderful fruit cup and fresh salad for you. Make a card listing what you can and can’t have to hand over to the chef in last minute dinners. Other than raw food or health food focused restaurants here are some great options: Mexican, they usually make fresh guacamole and pico de gallo - just get a fresh salad and your good to go. Places with salad bars (Ruby Tuesday’s & then also get the guacamole platter and give the chips & salsa to a friend). You can really go anywhere and get a salad & then look at the menu - do they have a veggie side dish - ask for it raw and put on your salad. Take a dressing along that you have made & maybe some sunflower seeds or such to liven your meal up.
RAW ON A BUDGET!
First of all remember you probably won’t be stopping for junk foods or dining out as much so you can save money there. Second eating healthier saves on doctor’s bills so that’s a money saver as well! Third investing in your health should be your number one priority for you family & a long life.
-Buy in bulk (check your local health food store - expensive nuts & grains can be found here - plus this reduces packaging!!
-Buy "over ripe" or "seconds"- many grocery stores throw out the fruit & veggies when they get a bruise but just cut the bad part off! I get a huge box of bananas from my grocer for $6 & it lasts me all week! I have also gotten apples, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers all in this same fashion!
-Farmers are your friends!! Go to farmer's markets & 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 "super foods" - 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 because not everything is edible
-Plant a garden - I don't buy lettuce anymore, growing it is easy & it only takes up a couple feet/pots. Within a couple weeks I have enough to last all summer. Grow the kind that you can pick the outermost leaves and keeps growing for continuous greens! I have a patio garden as well - so even if you don't have a lot of room it can be done.
COLDER CLIMATES: Have a big impact on availability and price of fresh foods, outdoor time, and the feeling of "warm when eating cooked foods".
-Greenhouses or community greenhouses make life easy. This definitely takes a lot of work but it can be done. You can also grow plenty inside your house: tomatoes, herbs, greens, even bell peppers, SPROUTS. . Stick with the season, eat greens & nuts. Also try to eat denser calorie foods, bananas, dates & dried fruits are great.
-Outdoor time is essential for exercise, sun, & 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 things you can do overall:
-Go on vacation!! Get out of the cold! Freelee from 30bananasaday.com does house sitting and she follows the fruit seasons around the world & 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 & becomes less and less as you move to colder climates.
-Winter time is the season for hibernation, rest, & reflection so make it into a positive experience!
Benefits of eating raw in the cold:
You will be less susceptible 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
A WEALTH OF INFORMATION (all but the last one are from Holistic/Natural Hygiene doctors):
Forum & ask Dr. Douglas Graham questions directly: http://vegsource.com/talk/raw/
Every subject you could ever imagine…seriously: http://bit.ly/a7L2cY
Health & Healing - Dr. Shelton’s works are CLASSICS: http://bit.ly/b9AbRM
Similar to the one above: http://bit.ly/bJqwfp
Freelee has organized articles pertaining to LFRV (80/10/10) Amazing info from a long term successful fruit lover (everything from ice to Candida to menstruation): http://sweetjuicyfreelee.com/blog-articles/
FORUMS for raw food support, sharing & knowledge:
http://www.30bananasaday.com/ Site by Freelee (fruity goddess) & her partner Durainrider (marathon bicyclist). This site is filled with happy, athletic, healthy people who have overcome so much & want to help. They are a very straight forward bunch! Add me - username: Mindelicious
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3 Carmella is a sweetheart!!
http://rawfoodtalk.com/index.php Alissa Cohen’s site - author of Living on Live Foods (CLASSIC)
YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
Harley - bike rider : http://www.youtube.com/user/durianriders
Freelee - female athlete : http://www.youtube.com/user/Freelea
Dan the Man - great juicing recipes: http://www.youtube.com/user/liferegenerator
Natasha - brilliant & juice feast: http://www.youtube.com/user/RawRadiantHealth
Gourmet raw recipes & great gardening tips: http://www.youtube.com/user/RawFoodMuscle
MY Channel!! http://www.youtube.com/user/sweetp888t
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)
That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals - Ruby Roth (Kid’s book)
Eating for Energy - Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
Wouldn’t it be amazing - well it can happen & it WILL - A World Without Money: http://bit.ly/bpOp6t
MOVIES/DOCUMENTARIES:
The Secret, Food Inc, Food Matters, Killer At Large, The Future of Food, The Beautiful Truth, Processed People, Breakthrough (An Inspiring Raw Food Documentary), 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, A Delicate Balance - The Truth.
APPLIANCES: The best in my opinion (some are quite expensive so I give the some alternatives)
-Blender: Vitamix (no one can deny this). Alternative: Just look for a good motor & BPA free container - if you can’t find BPA free get glass & be careful!
-Food Processor: CuisinArt. Alternative: Black & Decker (make sure you get one with the slicer/grater attachment to save tons of time. I also have a super small one for dressings, guacamole & stuff like - saves a ton of washing!
-Juicer: Champion, Tribest, GreenStar, Breville or Hurom. Alternative: Jack Lalanne? I also have a small $10 citrus juicer so I don’t have to dirty up the big old juicers for OJ, lemon or lime juice for dressings/sauces.
-Dehydrator: Excalibur (no one can deny this). Alternative: Nesco or L’Equip
-Spiralizer: Benriner Cook Help -or- World Cuisine Tri-Blade (personally I wouldn’t look at others)
-Mandoline slicers - nice for french-fry shapes or more exact sizes of slices. Most generics work beautifully
-Ceramic Knives - these prevent your fruit/veggies from browning where you slice them - Kyoceras are nice, I would just go with Shenzhen (you get 3 for the price of the Kyoceras & they are still less expensive but just as good - they make veggie peelers as well!!)
-Nut Mylk bags - for straining nut mylk!!
-Coffee/Spice grinder - for grinding up your nuts!
NATURAL BODY PRODUCTS & CLEANERS:
-Toothpaste: JASON Healthy mouth is great!
-Soap: African Black soap is wonderful! http://bit.ly/bLRnHT
-Lotion: Shea butter (pure unrefined) see the link above
-Motherload of goodness (makeup, body products, hair stuff): http://www.100percentpure.com/index.html
-Shampoos: I have had back luck with natural products drying out my hair. I rinse my hair with lemon water a couple times a week & have great success.
-Recipes for homemade bath/body products: http://bit.ly/awsaTP (some ingredients might be iffy)
-Recipes for cleaners with less chemicals: http://bit.ly/aaKvtB (these are super easy to make, if you don’t already have the stuff on hand all you need is borax, washing soda, baking soda, vinegar, and some essential oils for most of them - saves a ton of money doing it this way!!)
SUPPLEMENTS
If you do full out raw vegan 100% eating enough, in proper combos & amounts you really shouldn't have to supplement unless your body has a problem with producing B12. So after eating this way for a couple months you can get blood work done to see how your doing. I'm going in a couple weeks so will let you know how it goes. If your B-12 is low then get the shots. Simple as that.
Some people look into digestive enzymes & probiotics especially in the beginning - once your body heals you should be able to kick these.
If you are a protein worrier then I recommend hemp seed or just eating some sprouted quinoa.
The majority of these crazy items on the market are just the latest craze & someone putting all your money in their pocket.
FINDING A HOLISTIC/NATURAL HYGIENE DOCTOR:
-The American Holistic Medical Associations page where you can just put in your zip and what field your looking for (general practice for a regular doctor) http://bit.ly/cxGU86
-The American Academy for Environmental Medicine, you can search their members as well:
http://www.aaemonline.org/ (not sure if the other did but this one has other countries as well!!)
-Dr. Douglas Graham if you just have a quick question: http://vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html
HEALTH PROBLEMS: (please remember raw foods are not a cure however they allow the body to heal)
-Candida: Freelee’s accounts: http://bit.ly/a9HIQm
Dr. Graham video: http://bit.ly/bFADMC (another videos is on the right with 2 parts - amazing info!!)
Great site w/ personal testimony & AMAZING recipes!!: http://www.squidoo.com/rawfoodandcandida
-Diabetes: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/carbohydrate-metabolism-disease/
A thread where folks are testing their blood sugar after HIGH fruit & sugar meals: http://bit.ly/awDMVD
Great Movie coming out for this topic: http://bit.ly/9gViKA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPTQINv7Lik
JUICE FASTS, WATER FASTS & BANANA ISLAND
If you interested in doing a detox then contact me directly & I can point you in the right direction.
SUCCESS STORIES:
The first one is Jinjee, Storm & their 5 amazing raw children! This was the first story I had read during my first raw journey many years ago. Storm has been a raw vegan for 35+ years and Jinjee has had her struggles but has been raw vegan for 20 years on & off with 5+ consistently. She has had 5 children some raw pregnancies and some not. They have documented so much and have put together first hand accounts and success with raw foods. Jinjee's ebook about raw pregnancy is truly amazing. You can find their main website here http://thegardendiet.com/ and then just click on the link under Jinjee's pic to go to her story....must read for any raw foodist!!
The second one is Freelee!! Her story really lead me into redefining how I thought about food. She follows 80/10/10 low fat raw vegan and never stops glowing! She worked directly with Dr. Graham when she went from gourmet raw to 811. She looks absolutely amazing, extremely athletic, and helps so many people. With this diet she cured chronic digestive problems, Candida, and chronic fatigue. You can find her story here http://bit.ly/chs3KT (there is a second part just scroll to the very bottom for the link). She also put together 30bananasaday.com
The third is Angela Stokes!! Love this woman! She lost 156lbs on raw foods!! She gained her life back and is a shining star - just look at her! I linked directly to her before & after pics but just go up to the story tab to read her journey. http://bit.ly/9HaLv2
To add a guy to the mix we have The Raw Food Trucker, Dave!! Talk about hard situations to pull off the raw food diet! If this man can do it any can! He has lost 178lbs with raw foods and no longer takes meds for diabetes and has cured colon cancer and kidney disease. WOW!! Life regenerator posts his videos here: http://bit.ly/9X2aXa
THE NINETEEN FACTOR ELEMENTS FOR OPTIMAL WELL-BEING:
Pure air
Pure water
Cleanliness—both internal and external
Sleep
Temperature maintenance
Pure wholesome food to which we are biologically adapted
Exercise and activity
Sunshine upon our bodies
Rest and relaxation
Play and recreation
Emotional poise
Security of life and its means
Pleasant environment
Creative, useful work
Self-Mastery
Belonging
Motivation
Expression of the natural instincts
Indulgence of aesthetic senses.
The Challenge: eat 75-100% of your food from raw, fresh, energizing food. You need at least 51% of your food to be eaten raw to counteract the cooked food you eat so we upped the ante a bit and hope you push for 75%. Whole, fresh, raw, plants, in proper combo - Fruit, easily digestible veggies, some nuts and seeds would be optimal.
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/or things you would like to know more about!
***I’m sorry this is so long but I tried to keep the headings in bold so you could just skip through to whatever you want to read. Its everything that was discussed last month & some extras. To eat this way for long term you need to educate yourself so I have listed just about everything I know here after 5 years studying this diet. Please don’t feel like you need to get it all right away, just do what you can - its all part of the journey. I am not a doctor or an expert but I began my raw journey 5 years ago & so I do have a bit of knowledge and experience. However I provide Dr or expert references so you can research for yourself.***
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 so you pee clear 8-10 times!!
2. Get some sun! Pure vitamin D is essential & many are deficient! If you haven’t been out in the sun much start with just 10 minutes for a couple days and then slowly work up to an hour. If are out for long periods of time then try to wear clothing/hats to cover up. If you must use sun block then use a natural/organic brand to ensure you are not baking chemicals into your skin. Personally I have never used sun block and don’t have any of the spots the majority of my friends have that lather that stuff one. My skin is soft, supple, and I tan easily as well.
3. Exercise!! At least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week - more is always better!
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!!
5. Don’t be a Candida feeder!! Mono fruit meals are best and keep your fat at/below 10% (fat causes your body to pump out insulin). Check out Dr. Doug Graham discussing this: http://bit.ly/bFADMC (he has two other videos on this subject - look to the right)
6. Ensure you are eating RIPE fruit. Unripe fruit can upset your digestive system (not all the nutrients are balanced yet) and also cause tooth sensitivity. Most fruit smells delicious when ripe & bananas are spotty when ripe.
7. A couple files I uploaded to make the process a bit easier (Detailed food combining (must download - good tips to the right!!), Dirty Dozen, a gluten-free/vegan shopping list & other stuff: http://bit.ly/9Xyief )
BONUS:
5. Eat local and/or organic whenever you can!! Support your local farmer’s so they don’t become extinct and all we get to look at is factories, shopping malls & developments!
The Dirty Dozen for Pesticides (foods to buy organic, grow yourself, or to avoid if organic is unavailable!): http://bit.ly/aMxEWK
JOIN a CSA for convenient fruit & veggie supplies!! http://bit.ly/dyCVH8
6. Skin brushing! Do this along with your morning water to energize your body, get your circulation going, heal and exfoliate! http://bit.ly/aMxEWK
7. Look into food combining! Explanation: http://bit.ly/dp6A67
Another great explanation: with a snazzy chart: http://bit.ly/cjuxrV
8. Stay stress free! Get your daily dosage of stress relief whether it be exercise, meditation, painting, singing, avoiding certain people ...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 eat a handful of nuts & dates & THEN tomorrow eat more fruit in the morning! MONO meals are best!
10. Oil Pulling: Very good practice for cleaning the mouth, removing toxins, and overall mouth health: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/oil-pulling-422807
11. Jal Netti: clean the nasal passage, reduce allergies & breathe easier: http://bit.ly/duazOP
12. 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!
13. Learn more about the Low Fat Raw Vegan diet or 80/10/10. Here is a great pamphlet:
http://bit.ly/b5QM56
BENEFITS:
Feel more energized, allow your body to heal, soft skin, clearer eyes, youthful appearance, live guilt free, proper digestion, lose weight, feel alive, drive to exercise, reset your taste buds, all your senses heighten, sex is better!, tons of medical problems can be healed, get off the medications, no more depression or mood swings, organics will become more available, produce will become more available, more farmers, better scenery (sorry but a garden is much prettier than a feed lot!!), produce won't be SO expensive, more oxygen in the air, less erosion 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! Every time you buy fruits & veggies you are voting for this!! Eat up - your life is waiting!!
PROTEIN: First of all if you are getting your amino acids (the body makes protein out of amino acids) from unprocessed uncooked sources then you are going to be able to use all of it. So you don't need as much as other people because the RDA is based on the average person and the majority don't get it from useable sources. Raw nuts and sprouts are excellent sources. You can sprout quinoa, mung beans, alfalfa seeds, buckwheat, even rice. If they are raw they will sprout. Sprouting lets the seed awaken a magnitude of enzymes. The following are "complete proteins" (contain 8 amino acids): banana, tomatoes, dates, almonds, young coconuts, sunflower seeds, NUTS, quinoa, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, carrots, broccoli, corn, cabbage.
There have been studies on many different civilizations who eat primarily vegetarian diets with some fish every once in awhile and continue to do hard labor day in and day out (Japanese farming districts/tribes in the Pacific). These people consume about 15-35 grams of protein a day and flourish. Our RDA is like twice that....strange if they have eaten this way for generations and have no problems. Contrary to what people may say excess protein is harmful, the body can only process so much at once and then it becomes toxic because it raises the levels of nitrogen in the blood (causing chronic fatigue - how many people do you know that eat a lot of meat but are always tired?). Protein poisoning is much more common than protein deficiency.
Personally I have been consuming between 20-30 grams of protein a day. I know I am getting stronger. I wasn't able to do one pull up when I started eating this way and now I can do 2. Only 2 but hey its a huge improvement for me and in a short amount of time. I also gained 5lbs over a one month span and lost 1 inch in my hips & 1 inch in each thigh while all other measurements stayed the same during that same time period- pretty sure I was gaining muscle & losing fat. Read more here: http://bit.ly/bIMKpM Also: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/proteins/
CARBS:
You need carbs to function properly. This is why we crave them because that is what your body wants and needs to accomplish everything in a day. This gets into 80/10/10 quite deeply and I'm hoping that is what your striving for!! Many long term successful LFRVs recommend 10 grams carbs for each kg (or 2.2 pounds) (these people are thin BUT extremely athletic!!) So for me (roughly 140lbs) that would be 630grams however I am still working up my calorie intake (I'm actually undereating) but my goal is to consume about 2500calories per day which is the recommendation for women and would coincide with the recommended carbs (recommendation for men is like 3000+ depending on activity level). I am trying to get there but getting that much food in takes a bit of work. The reason for this is because when your eating this way you have more energy!! You will be active - you need to get out and move or else you go crazy & isn't that what all healthy people want - to be out there enjoying the world? Don't worry about your carbs - any extra are bonus and will help you to avoid depression, mood swings, or feel like a bump on a log. Read more here: http://bit.ly/c65PJE Also: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/carbohydrates/
FATS:
We all know there are good fats & there are bad fats. Lucky for us the raw food diet rules out these bad fats!! I have never been a eat a lot of fat person so I really have never concerned myself with the topic. High cholesterol doesn’t seem like a fun time to me! So check this out if ya need more info: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/fats/
DAILY MENU PLANS: Very Simple & easy to do (why waste time with meal prep when you have a life to live!!)
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 in-between)
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:
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 strawberries & 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
Summer Menu:
Breakfast: 3lbs Cantaloupe
Lunch: 1lb bananas & 1lb Mango
Dinner:
Course 1: 1lb apricots
Course 2: OPT Soup: 8oz romaine lettuce, 8oz tomatoes, 8oz yellow/orange bell peppers- blend all but ¼ of the tomatoes & ¼ of the peppers. Chop the rest up and sprinkle on top of the soup.
Course 3: Avocado Salad: 8oz romaine, 8oz cucumber, 8oz tomatoes, 6oz avocado, ¼ cup cilantro - Chop lettuce & cucumbers and put in bowl. Chop tomatoes, avo, and cilantro & mix them separately from the salad. Stir them until they start to meld just a bit and then pour over salad.
RECIPES!!!!!!!
Simple lovely & properly combined (LFRV compliant): http://bit.ly/9fdd1g
Similar to the above: http://bit.ly/8XwouQ
Raw food Gourmet (steer clear of the nut heavy ones…not that great for Candida & losing weight) http://bit.ly/a2SQ91
Recipe Zaar - Raw & Vegan sorted my popularity (there might be a couple that don’t belong like the very first one. http://bit.ly/97QrVU Check my vegan & raw vegan recipes: http://bit.ly/98NKZu
The Simple Guide to Eating Raw (some ingredients are not raw/not good - caocao use carob instead, agave use stevia or dates instead) http://bit.ly/dstFzr
REPLACEMENTS FOR CRAVINGS!
-coffee - hazelnut mylk, warm lemon water in a mug (very cleansing), banana milk (pure energy), large glass of water (just think of the crash & dehydration coffee does to your body)
-soda - fruit, orange, veggie juices, coconut water (pure electrolytes), smoothies, lemonade w/ stevia, lemon/ginger water (ginger gives a fizz!!!!!)
-energy drink - coconut milk & cucumber juice - carrot & apple juice
-yogurt - banana pudding, frozen banana pudding, mango pudding, banana cherry pudding (just blend fruit up with a bit of water)
-cereal - raw granola!!! here is my personal favorite recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/raw-granola-427472
-bread and butter - apples with nut butter, raw onion bread, essene bread or mana bread (good for transition), top your bread with some unrefined coconut oil
-cheese - nut cheese or seed cheese (Google for it)
-hummus - Google raw vegan hummus most use broccoli or zuchini (I think this is just as good if not better)
-pasta - zucchini or cucumber noodles (either use veggie peeler or spiralizer), meat of a young baby coconut cut into strips for noodles. Kelp Noodles claim to be raw and many raw foodist use this product. However I think that it is highly processed (they are white/clear and kelp is green...not sure how that happens) BUT this could be a very good transitional food and definitely much better for you than traditional pasta.
-French fries & ketchup - jicama fries & raw ketchup (Google or check the recipes sites listed below)
-meat - nut pates, sun burger recipe on recipe zaar
-Ice cream - semi frozen banana smashed, blended, processed - whatever to get creamy consistency. Top with carob sauce, nuts, berries, blended coconut meat for whipped cream - whatever you like!
-chocolate - carob (mix same amount of carob, dates, and water & blend to form a paste)=chocolate sauce
-candy - dried fruit, dates, figs, raw cookies
STAPLES!! However try to 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 organic ones (ie Cascadian)
Lemons/Limes - for flavoring & dressings - I save the peels, blend with water, strain & use for shampoo J
Dates - can't find these organic or local then go for nutsonline.com - super cheap, organic & 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 - only red, yellow, and orange (the green ones are picked to early & unripe)
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)
Quinoa - for sprouting & complete protein - if you can’t find this hit up nutsonline.com as well
Almonds - the best nut in the world!! Can’t find organic? nutsonline.com!!!
Tahini - for dressing & sauces & just because
Brazil nuts - 1 gives you all the selenium you need for the day. I have one of these & then eat almonds if I want more so I can save them for my one a day.
SPROUTING & SOAKING
Why? Soaking nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes removes their natural enzyme inhibitors. Sprouting generally increases the nutritional value of the foods and make them much easier to digest because the protein is broken down into amino acids, the starches are changed to simple sugars, and fats convert to fatty acids. When you receive nuts & seeds they are dormant you need to wake them up!! Once you do this the enzyme come alive & increases. If you eat them without soaking & sprouting you must use your enzymes to break them down. Vitamins & minerals are increased in sprouts by huge percentages. Many people thing sprouts are the perfect food and its cheaper because the sprouts are many times larger then their dry counterpart.
There are many fancy bags, jars & appliances for sprouting - I use a bowl and a strainer - works great.
Depending on what your sprouting it could take a couple hours to days so you need to research how to sprout your specific type. Quick break down: Place them in a bowl, cover with water, anything that comes to the top skim off, make sure you have three times as much water covering them then allow to soak for a specific amount of time. When time expires drain, rinse, cover with towel. Continue to drain & rinse every 6 hours until you have sprouts. They should not be sitting in water during the 6 hours, no direct sunlight either. Once they are sprouts they keep in the fridge for 4-5 day however I usually rinse once a day & rinse before using. Quinoa needs to be rinsed VERY well.
Most complete info for times & rinses: http://bit.ly/czXq4h
Use the water from soaking/rinsing to feed your plants - they love it!!
NUT MYLKS
Soak a cup of your choice of nuts over night. I have only had almond & hazelnut (taste like coffee) I suppose you could use others but not exactly sure how that would turn out. I have heard of folks using sunflower & sesame though. Put the nuts & 3 cups water into the blender and let loose until very well blended up. Next step is to strain…use a nut mylk bag, cheese cloth, or sieve and pour into some type of container (preferably a pitcher). Next add a sweetener if you would like such as date paste (dates & water blended), stevia, or honey if that is something you use. Vanilla and a pinch of salt are options as well. Make chocolate milk by experimenting with carob & more sweetener. You can also purchase soy mylk machines and they are usually able to make nut mylks very easily with little mess. I have a Soyabella & it works PERFECTLY!!
LEFT OVER PULP FROM JUICING OR NUT MYLKS (try to keep sweet & savory juice pulp separate):
-Crackers - carrot, celery, cucumber, pepper pulp blended with some soaked ground flax & herbs - dehydrate or you don't have to dehydrate & use for wrap fillers or patties.
-Cakes - fruit pulp mixed with almond pulp/flour and dates -or- look up raw carrot cake
-Crusts - fruit pulp with almonds formed into a pie crust
-Dessert treats - Take apple pulp and blend with dates, nuts & cinnamon!
-Salad!! - Carrot pulp, chopped apple, raisins & a bit of liquid sweetener of your choice!!
-Fruit leather - blend banana & juice or water with fruit pulp and dehydrate for "fruit rollups"
-Granola bars - take your fruit blend (such as cranberry/apple or apple/pear) and add raisins, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and liquid sweetener of your choice - process up and form into bar shapes - either dehydrate or refrigerate!!
I have even dehydrated veggie pulp and used that as seasoning like herbamare.
Almonds - after making nut mylk just use the pulp as flour for anything & everything or blend the pulp with dates and roll into balls for a quick treat.
!!You can also make facial & body scrubs!!!! Almond pulp makes a great exfoliator and many fruits & veggies are great for the skin.
DINING OUT:
Call ahead, see what they have if your not familiar. During your call talk to the manager, explain your diet, ask if they can accommodate - many will be glad to make a wonderful fruit cup and fresh salad for you. Make a card listing what you can and can’t have to hand over to the chef in last minute dinners. Other than raw food or health food focused restaurants here are some great options: Mexican, they usually make fresh guacamole and pico de gallo - just get a fresh salad and your good to go. Places with salad bars (Ruby Tuesday’s & then also get the guacamole platter and give the chips & salsa to a friend). You can really go anywhere and get a salad & then look at the menu - do they have a veggie side dish - ask for it raw and put on your salad. Take a dressing along that you have made & maybe some sunflower seeds or such to liven your meal up.
RAW ON A BUDGET!
First of all remember you probably won’t be stopping for junk foods or dining out as much so you can save money there. Second eating healthier saves on doctor’s bills so that’s a money saver as well! Third investing in your health should be your number one priority for you family & a long life.
-Buy in bulk (check your local health food store - expensive nuts & grains can be found here - plus this reduces packaging!!
-Buy "over ripe" or "seconds"- many grocery stores throw out the fruit & veggies when they get a bruise but just cut the bad part off! I get a huge box of bananas from my grocer for $6 & it lasts me all week! I have also gotten apples, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers all in this same fashion!
-Farmers are your friends!! Go to farmer's markets & 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 "super foods" - 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 because not everything is edible
-Plant a garden - I don't buy lettuce anymore, growing it is easy & it only takes up a couple feet/pots. Within a couple weeks I have enough to last all summer. Grow the kind that you can pick the outermost leaves and keeps growing for continuous greens! I have a patio garden as well - so even if you don't have a lot of room it can be done.
COLDER CLIMATES: Have a big impact on availability and price of fresh foods, outdoor time, and the feeling of "warm when eating cooked foods".
-Greenhouses or community greenhouses make life easy. This definitely takes a lot of work but it can be done. You can also grow plenty inside your house: tomatoes, herbs, greens, even bell peppers, SPROUTS. . Stick with the season, eat greens & nuts. Also try to eat denser calorie foods, bananas, dates & dried fruits are great.
-Outdoor time is essential for exercise, sun, & 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 things you can do overall:
-Go on vacation!! Get out of the cold! Freelee from 30bananasaday.com does house sitting and she follows the fruit seasons around the world & 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 & becomes less and less as you move to colder climates.
-Winter time is the season for hibernation, rest, & reflection so make it into a positive experience!
Benefits of eating raw in the cold:
You will be less susceptible 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
A WEALTH OF INFORMATION (all but the last one are from Holistic/Natural Hygiene doctors):
Forum & ask Dr. Douglas Graham questions directly: http://vegsource.com/talk/raw/
Every subject you could ever imagine…seriously: http://bit.ly/a7L2cY
Health & Healing - Dr. Shelton’s works are CLASSICS: http://bit.ly/b9AbRM
Similar to the one above: http://bit.ly/bJqwfp
Freelee has organized articles pertaining to LFRV (80/10/10) Amazing info from a long term successful fruit lover (everything from ice to Candida to menstruation): http://sweetjuicyfreelee.com/blog-articles/
FORUMS for raw food support, sharing & knowledge:
http://www.30bananasaday.com/ Site by Freelee (fruity goddess) & her partner Durainrider (marathon bicyclist). This site is filled with happy, athletic, healthy people who have overcome so much & want to help. They are a very straight forward bunch! Add me - username: Mindelicious
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3 Carmella is a sweetheart!!
http://rawfoodtalk.com/index.php Alissa Cohen’s site - author of Living on Live Foods (CLASSIC)
YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
Harley - bike rider : http://www.youtube.com/user/durianriders
Freelee - female athlete : http://www.youtube.com/user/Freelea
Dan the Man - great juicing recipes: http://www.youtube.com/user/liferegenerator
Natasha - brilliant & juice feast: http://www.youtube.com/user/RawRadiantHealth
Gourmet raw recipes & great gardening tips: http://www.youtube.com/user/RawFoodMuscle
MY Channel!! http://www.youtube.com/user/sweetp888t
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)
That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals - Ruby Roth (Kid’s book)
Eating for Energy - Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
Wouldn’t it be amazing - well it can happen & it WILL - A World Without Money: http://bit.ly/bpOp6t
MOVIES/DOCUMENTARIES:
The Secret, Food Inc, Food Matters, Killer At Large, The Future of Food, The Beautiful Truth, Processed People, Breakthrough (An Inspiring Raw Food Documentary), 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, A Delicate Balance - The Truth.
APPLIANCES: The best in my opinion (some are quite expensive so I give the some alternatives)
-Blender: Vitamix (no one can deny this). Alternative: Just look for a good motor & BPA free container - if you can’t find BPA free get glass & be careful!
-Food Processor: CuisinArt. Alternative: Black & Decker (make sure you get one with the slicer/grater attachment to save tons of time. I also have a super small one for dressings, guacamole & stuff like - saves a ton of washing!
-Juicer: Champion, Tribest, GreenStar, Breville or Hurom. Alternative: Jack Lalanne? I also have a small $10 citrus juicer so I don’t have to dirty up the big old juicers for OJ, lemon or lime juice for dressings/sauces.
-Dehydrator: Excalibur (no one can deny this). Alternative: Nesco or L’Equip
-Spiralizer: Benriner Cook Help -or- World Cuisine Tri-Blade (personally I wouldn’t look at others)
-Mandoline slicers - nice for french-fry shapes or more exact sizes of slices. Most generics work beautifully
-Ceramic Knives - these prevent your fruit/veggies from browning where you slice them - Kyoceras are nice, I would just go with Shenzhen (you get 3 for the price of the Kyoceras & they are still less expensive but just as good - they make veggie peelers as well!!)
-Nut Mylk bags - for straining nut mylk!!
-Coffee/Spice grinder - for grinding up your nuts!
NATURAL BODY PRODUCTS & CLEANERS:
-Toothpaste: JASON Healthy mouth is great!
-Soap: African Black soap is wonderful! http://bit.ly/bLRnHT
-Lotion: Shea butter (pure unrefined) see the link above
-Motherload of goodness (makeup, body products, hair stuff): http://www.100percentpure.com/index.html
-Shampoos: I have had back luck with natural products drying out my hair. I rinse my hair with lemon water a couple times a week & have great success.
-Recipes for homemade bath/body products: http://bit.ly/awsaTP (some ingredients might be iffy)
-Recipes for cleaners with less chemicals: http://bit.ly/aaKvtB (these are super easy to make, if you don’t already have the stuff on hand all you need is borax, washing soda, baking soda, vinegar, and some essential oils for most of them - saves a ton of money doing it this way!!)
SUPPLEMENTS
If you do full out raw vegan 100% eating enough, in proper combos & amounts you really shouldn't have to supplement unless your body has a problem with producing B12. So after eating this way for a couple months you can get blood work done to see how your doing. I'm going in a couple weeks so will let you know how it goes. If your B-12 is low then get the shots. Simple as that.
Some people look into digestive enzymes & probiotics especially in the beginning - once your body heals you should be able to kick these.
If you are a protein worrier then I recommend hemp seed or just eating some sprouted quinoa.
The majority of these crazy items on the market are just the latest craze & someone putting all your money in their pocket.
FINDING A HOLISTIC/NATURAL HYGIENE DOCTOR:
-The American Holistic Medical Associations page where you can just put in your zip and what field your looking for (general practice for a regular doctor) http://bit.ly/cxGU86
-The American Academy for Environmental Medicine, you can search their members as well:
http://www.aaemonline.org/ (not sure if the other did but this one has other countries as well!!)
-Dr. Douglas Graham if you just have a quick question: http://vegsource.com/talk/raw/index.html
HEALTH PROBLEMS: (please remember raw foods are not a cure however they allow the body to heal)
-Candida: Freelee’s accounts: http://bit.ly/a9HIQm
Dr. Graham video: http://bit.ly/bFADMC (another videos is on the right with 2 parts - amazing info!!)
Great site w/ personal testimony & AMAZING recipes!!: http://www.squidoo.com/rawfoodandcandida
-Diabetes: http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/carbohydrate-metabolism-disease/
A thread where folks are testing their blood sugar after HIGH fruit & sugar meals: http://bit.ly/awDMVD
Great Movie coming out for this topic: http://bit.ly/9gViKA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPTQINv7Lik
JUICE FASTS, WATER FASTS & BANANA ISLAND
If you interested in doing a detox then contact me directly & I can point you in the right direction.
SUCCESS STORIES:
The first one is Jinjee, Storm & their 5 amazing raw children! This was the first story I had read during my first raw journey many years ago. Storm has been a raw vegan for 35+ years and Jinjee has had her struggles but has been raw vegan for 20 years on & off with 5+ consistently. She has had 5 children some raw pregnancies and some not. They have documented so much and have put together first hand accounts and success with raw foods. Jinjee's ebook about raw pregnancy is truly amazing. You can find their main website here http://thegardendiet.com/ and then just click on the link under Jinjee's pic to go to her story....must read for any raw foodist!!
The second one is Freelee!! Her story really lead me into redefining how I thought about food. She follows 80/10/10 low fat raw vegan and never stops glowing! She worked directly with Dr. Graham when she went from gourmet raw to 811. She looks absolutely amazing, extremely athletic, and helps so many people. With this diet she cured chronic digestive problems, Candida, and chronic fatigue. You can find her story here http://bit.ly/chs3KT (there is a second part just scroll to the very bottom for the link). She also put together 30bananasaday.com
The third is Angela Stokes!! Love this woman! She lost 156lbs on raw foods!! She gained her life back and is a shining star - just look at her! I linked directly to her before & after pics but just go up to the story tab to read her journey. http://bit.ly/9HaLv2
To add a guy to the mix we have The Raw Food Trucker, Dave!! Talk about hard situations to pull off the raw food diet! If this man can do it any can! He has lost 178lbs with raw foods and no longer takes meds for diabetes and has cured colon cancer and kidney disease. WOW!! Life regenerator posts his videos here: http://bit.ly/9X2aXa
THE NINETEEN FACTOR ELEMENTS FOR OPTIMAL WELL-BEING:
Pure air
Pure water
Cleanliness—both internal and external
Sleep
Temperature maintenance
Pure wholesome food to which we are biologically adapted
Exercise and activity
Sunshine upon our bodies
Rest and relaxation
Play and recreation
Emotional poise
Security of life and its means
Pleasant environment
Creative, useful work
Self-Mastery
Belonging
Motivation
Expression of the natural instincts
Indulgence of aesthetic senses.
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Replies
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I forgot to mention there will be a PRIZE this time!! I'm working on a formula to take into consideration the following: adherence to 75% raw over the course of the month (doing more will kind of be like a tie breaker type thing), quality activity level on the thread, and there will be a vote for each person to pick who they think was the most helpful, supportive, and true to the cause. I'm still working on exactly what the prize will be but I'm thinking that a raw food goody basket or raw food recipe book would be doable & relevant.
I think that last month was a great starting point and hope that everyone has continued to learned more and more. Hopefully everyone took advantage of the month and worked on refining their raw skills.
Due to the way this needs to work I would need access to your diary if you want to participate in the prize. So when you check in let me know if you want to participate!!
Happy RAW JULY!!0 -
Hi! I am definitely in for the July challenge. So a little about myself. My name is Sherah and I am an on again off again raw vegan. I decided to go to a raw vegan lifestyle because I have digestive issues which increased with the typical american diet. I have ibs.And I can remember times where my stomach hurt so bad that I could not get out of bed. Having irritable bowel syndrome is a miserable thing to deal with but I realized that changing my diet would help maintain my syndrome. I slowly started eliminating red meat from my diet and only ate fish for my meat. I grew up not eating pork, turkey, chicken or any shellfish so cutting out out all meat was not hard. The hard part was portion control. I would be eating all these healthy foods but I all so much I was not losing weight. I would workout for 2-3 hours a day and even got a personal trainer. I would lose a little weight and then ate everything in site! I finally decided I wanted a change so I went cold turkey and switched to the raw vegan lifestyle and I would be eating well and then I would get bored and go back to eating cooked foods. I need support to sticking to eating raw. It is so hard sometimes to stick to eating fresh fruits and veggies. They spoil fast if you don't eat them days after you buy them. Also it can be expensive buying fresh foods. I am ready to stick to this lifestyle change once and for all!0
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sounds great. Oh tonight I bought a crazy amount of bananas, cantalope and saucer peaches. It is gonna be a yummy weekend. My sone is back home and he is excited to use the juicer, he has been away for the last 3 weeks and is looking forward to better food. He has already asked for a banana smoothie for the morning. (I may have one too)
Brings me to the question, on kids and raw food eating. What the story on that. No way that he would be 100% or anything, But when he is home with me, He eats a good amount of fresh fruits and veggie. I dont by junk food at all. no pop or candy or anything else that just sounds gross just thinking of it. lol.
maybe a silly question, can you have bread that is raw?
i am not sure what my problem is but the last couple days I am not eating enough, yet a feel full and not hungry, right now I am gonna go have some bananas just to up my calories.
do you think there is a point that you should not have something because it is so late even though you are way under on calories?
I have been juicing a lot more now, which does not have a lot of calories but fills me up, what should I do?0 -
bump0
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This is so cool! I really wish I could do it, but for life reasons I won't be able to. I am a vegetarian! And one day I will kick dairy and hoepfully get back on track being a vegan (I was a little over a year ago) Right now I am unable to.0
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If you haven't seen it, check out http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Stossel/story?id=5735592&page=1
the videos for part 1 and part2 of John Stossel's report are also on youtube
consider how the "expert" looks- I thought he was about 85-900 -
If you haven't seen it, check out http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Stossel/story?id=5735592&page=1
the videos for part 1 and part2 of John Stossel's report are also on youtube
consider how the "expert" looks- I thought he was about 85-90
What expert are you talking about? The video wouldn't play for me & I don't recognize any of these names listed. Of course people can always take things too far as with any diet or lifestyle change. This lifestyle can be as simple as you would like to make it or as complex with gourmet recipes, "super foods", and such. As with anything its about finding a balance that works for you.0 -
There is alot about this diet that appeals to me but I do have some concerns. Number one concern is that i'm breastfeeding. If I were to consume 2400 calories at 80/10/10 I would only be taking in 27 grams of fat a day. There are 30 grams of fat in 500 calories of breast milk alone so that wouldn't even cover my milk let alone my my body's needs. Are there different guidelines for lactating mothers or does that subject even get covered by raw food experts? Regardless, I love fruits and veggies and i'm definitely going to make an effort to get more raw foods in my diet! I don't know if I could ever be 100% though. There is so much I would miss. I LOVE sweet potatoes. Seriously love sweet potatoes. And I must admit that I prefer most veggies cooked. I'd be interested in hearing any input about the breastfeeding thing.0
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I know Jinjee was low fat raw vegan for the majority of all her pregnancies and I have seen many others than continue on their diets while breastfeeding. I would highly recommend looking through Jinjee's info. She is the first success story I wrote about. Dr. Graham's wife is also LFRV and I assume she breastfeeds (I wouldn't see why someone in this lifestyle wouldn't) so you could always as him.
Here is a thread where folks share their experiences with 811 & breastfeeding:
http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/811-and-pregnantbreastfeeding?commentId=2684079:Comment:408755
You can also check out this forum - all about raising kids & such & plenty on breastfeeding:
http://rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16
I would just up your overts a bit eat an avocado a day Heaven - aren't you lucky!!
RMccully - the bread your eating would definitely be an ok transitional bread. You are doing really well!! Personally I would just switch all your fruit earlier in the day and then have the bread with dinner - but still your diary is beautiful!!! You can also look into essene or manna bread. You can make breads yourself there is an amazing raw onion bread - did you get a dehydrator then?0 -
I found a Nevco at a garage sale for a $1
tonight for dinner we had mashed cauliflower with chives ,garlic scapes and corn, in a red pepper, next time less garlic. but besides that they were good. I also put the mixture in lettuce for lettuce wraps. I used a whole head of cauliflower we ate about half of the mixture. It would be really good as a dip too.0 -
I know Jinjee was low fat raw vegan for the majority of all her pregnancies and I have seen many others than continue on their diets while breastfeeding. I would highly recommend looking through Jinjee's info. She is the first success story I wrote about. Dr. Graham's wife is also LFRV and I assume she breastfeeds (I wouldn't see why someone in this lifestyle wouldn't) so you could always as him.
Here is a thread where folks share their experiences with 811 & breastfeeding:
http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/811-and-pregnantbreastfeeding?commentId=2684079:Comment:408755
You can also check out this forum - all about raising kids & such & plenty on breastfeeding:
http://rawfoodtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16
I would just up your overts a bit eat an avocado a day Heaven - aren't you lucky!!0 -
Hey I am definitely up for this challenge. I am intending to go 95% raw for the next 90 days (the 5 percent to allow for condiments etc!)
I have been toying with raw for a while and haven't really committed to anything and am getting frustrated at not losing weight and hate the feeling I get when I eat rubbish food!
I love the cauliflower recipe by the way I may have to make that for my tea!0 -
What a great find RMccully!!! That is awesome! You cauliflower does sound super delicious Great to have you sailady!!
TheOnlyWay - I have talked a bunch with regards to LFRV but this challenge is for raw in general. Surely you could do 75% of your day fresh & raw!
I just had an Atis fruit (sugar apple) for the first time - oh my goodness!!!!!! like a pear and apple mixed but creamy. I'm in heaven. That hike was pretty hard today but so worth it - absolutely beautiful!! I want to do it again0 -
mindelicious for sprouting try chickpeas, lentils, aduki beans, lima and pinto beans plus black eye beans. I think the only ones I would avoid would be kidney beans as some people say the toxins in them are so strong that eating htem raw will upset your stomach even when sprouted. I love sprouted stuff but have a bad habit of making too much in one go and not using them before having to throw them out :frown:0
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had wheatgrass juice yesterday for the first time, it was fun to make and it was good.0
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Ffor the breast feeding mom, I am also nursing my baby and I eat an ounce of raw nuts, an avocado and a tablespoon of cold pressed olive oil everyday. Just out of curiosity how old is your baby?? You only need to make sure you have the 500 calories if your child is under 6 months and is breastfeeding exclusively. Also I'm not sure what your goal is for the 2400 calories a day, but my friend who is a lactation consultant said that a mom exclusively nursing a baby under 6 months should never go below 1600 calories a day, so maybe you don't really have to eat as much as you thought. Good luck with the breastfeeding, I have nursed all three of my children and it is such a wonderful gift to give.
Also I want to take the 75% raw challenge. I was doing great and lost 14lbs in four weeks, and then I backslid and need to get back on track. Also thanks for all the info, I haven't been able to read it all yet, because I have 3 busy kiddos and don't have that much uninterrupted time, but it seems like any questions someone might have you have addressed!0 -
RMccully - the bread your eating would definitely be an ok transitional bread. You are doing really well!! Personally I would just switch all your fruit earlier in the day and then have the bread with dinner - but still your diary is beautiful!!! You can also look into essene or manna bread. You can make breads yourself there is an amazing raw onion bread - did you get a dehydrator then?
essene or manna bread, are these raw?0 -
any thoughts on where I might go to find manna bread? I checked my little heath food store, all they had was bible bread.0
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Sailady, thanks for the info!! Yeah kidney beans and I think black beans as well should be avoided. I've wasted quite a bit of sprouts as well - its always a surprise how much they end up producing!!
RMC, glad you enjoyed the wheatgrass - most people don't like it the first time! The bread is not raw - I think its cooked at like 160 but you could do it yourself you in your dehydrator - it just wouldn't be in loaves more like flat pieces. Manna bread and essene bread are the same (pretty sure at least) I was just throwing that out there in case your HFS had that kind it was another option. The Ezekiel bread is very similiar if not the same as these.
Here are a couple raw breadrecipes that everyone loves:
(All of these are more like flatbreads)
Mediterranean Almond Bread: http://therawchef.blogs.com/russell_james/2006/03/the_best_thing_.html
No-Nut Bread: http://therawchef.com/therawchefblog/nut-free-bread#more-147
(The two links above are from Russell James - he is absolutely amazing!!)
The Famous Onion Bread (I ate this everyday for like 6 months once - I really liked it): http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=112
Yentess!! Thank you so much for helping out with the BF question!!! Congrats on your weightloss - 14lbs in 4 weeks is amazing!! WAy to go! Very happy to have you join us!
Looks like we are getting off to a great start!! Hope everyone has a FRUITFUL day!!0 -
ok so my body didn't like something from yesterday, this morning I did not feel well at all when i got up, even called off work. everything i ate was raw. I did eat some bible bread and a little spinach pasta. Thought the pasta would have been ok. the ingredents listed spinach flower and water. and that was it. yuck0
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Hi Mindy
I have ordered some books on Amazon, 80/10/10 and Food Rules and also Ani's Raw Food Essentials to get me started.
The only raw food I have ever had has been some fruit and veg...lol
I had fruit for breakfast....but mixed apples and banana with some defrosted berries....
I live in Ireland and everything fresh is very expensive here.
I am off to the Framer's Market on saturday morning to see what I can find..... and Aldi supermarket have a few specials each week in the fruit and veg dept.
Some of the things you recommend like juicers and blenders etc are very pricey....
But hey I will start small, read the books when they get here (next week I suppose)
Thanks0 -
RMccully, did the pasta say it was raw? Pretty sure that it isn't and the bread isn't raw either - but since you are in transition they are both very good foods to keep you on the right track. However in the beginning you may have days where you just don't feel good mixed with days of super energy - this will happen as you adjust & clean house. Also make sure your eating enough!! Are you hydrated as well?
Butterfly, yes many of them are super expensive - that's why I gave alternative (even some of those are expensive!!) Really since I have streamlined my diet the only thing I use is a blender & I still don't have a vitamix...just a cheap blender. This doesn't have to be very complicated and its much easier & healthier when its not. Eating fruits & veggies in the whole food form is optimal and nothing else even needs to be done.0 -
MY BLENDER AND MY JUICER ARE WHAT I USE ... I LOVE THEM! I USE ONE OR BOTH AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. WHO AM I KIDDING THEY BOTH GET USED A TON. OH AN A GOOD KNIFE.
MY SON MADE DINNER BY HIMSELF YESTERDAY AND WANTED IT TO BE A SECRET.
HE FIXED QUINAO PASTA, CUT FRESH RAW ZUCHINI, CORN, AND RED BELL PEPPER. HE MIXED IT ALL TOGETHER IN A BOWL AND POURED A FRESH TOMATOE/BASIL/OREGANO/CILANTRO BLEND OVER IT. THE FRESH ROMA TOMATOES FOR THE BLEND WAS GREAT.
WHAT A SON.0 -
YUMMY!!! How old is your son? He is very well educated on nutrition or he just has some pure tastebuds. Great job mama!! Sorry I haven't been around very much as I found out my husband is coming home earlier than expected so my week to do list got chopped into two days. Keep up the great work!! Fresh clean & simple = Yum!0
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I'm in! :P0
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I love juices for breakfast - the one I normally have is a dan the man special:
1 lemon
3/4 hot green chillis
1 cucumber
1 bunch celery
1 bunch coriander (cilantro for yanks)
1 bunch parsley
I also throw in a load of kale that I have growing in my garden.
oh and some ginger!
Its amazing!!!!0 -
I HAVE DONE MY BEST TO SHOW HIM RIGHT. HE EATS GOOD WHEN HE IS HOME BUT NOT THE BEST WHEN HE IS OVER AT HIS DADS. BUT OVERALL I THINK HE EATS BETTER STUFF THAN A LOT OF KIDS. ONE OF HIS FAVORITES IS BROCCOLI, HE ALSO LOVES KIWI AND STAR FRUIT.
I DONT BUY JUNK WHEN WE ARE AT THE STORE AND HE DOES NOT EVEN ASK FOR ANYTHING. OH AND YOU ASKED HOW OLD HE IS, 12.
HAVE A QUESTION WITH ALL THE BANANAS AND FRUIT ...THAT MAKES YOUR BLOOD SUGAR GO REAL HIGH AND THEN CRASH. THATS NOT GOOD RIGHT?0 -
Great to have ya Leah!!
Dan the man is an awesome asset to the raw food movement - glad your enjoying some of his creations! Good for you being able to drink veggie juices - I just can't - wish I could but it doesn't seem to work out for me.
RMC - i don't think its something to worry about as long as your staying close to 80-10-10. Here is Harley's hilarious video on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSJ_rhJuxYE
And a thread where people are discussing and tracking their info: http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/blood-sugar-testing?id=2684079:Topic:553115&page=1#comments0 -
Here I am to do my best starting tomorrow. I've got to read though the whole thing. But it's past time for bed. DD (toddler) DH along with me but not exactly participating.0
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I have a question for everyone that juices. I have a very picky 7 year old who refuses almost every vegetable. So I was wondering if anyone has juice recipes that use fruit and veggies and taste sweet and not too much like veggies??? I can get her to drink the carrot apple juice that I make, so I am hopeful I can get more of a variety of veggies into her body if I juice them.0
This discussion has been closed.
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