Clean, fresh, RAW Challenge for JULY!!!

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.