So glad for your interest in raw foods. It's an amazing journey with so many health benefits. I can see how being in culinary school can be difficult in stay raw. I found it helps to be creative and make a dish that resembles something you normally cooked. I love pasta so I make spiralized zucchini with tomato and sun-dried tomato sauce.

I've been raw for over a year now and have yet to get a dehydrator. There are lots of things you can make with one but like you said it takes so long. I'd rather have the water content still in my foods. It's a nice treat once in a while but not good to rely on it all the time.

So to answer some of your questions

Before raw foods I had a bunch of medical issues including Fibromyalgia along with severe mood swings, candida, acne, rashes, hives, headaches, stomach and digestive issues to name only a few. Going raw has healed many of these and is healing the rest. I can actually run now where as before many leg issues have prevented that. Healing takes a long time but remember that you didn't get to where you are now in one day. I do raw vegan health coaching and I've seen type 2 diabetes completely disappear in as little as one month, old scars vanish, depression turn right around, women losing tons of toxic fat and gaining vibrancy. It's a lifestyle worth it.

My three favorite foods would have to be peaches, watermelon and mangos. My staples however are bananas, dates and oranges during the winter. Bananas are always a staple food for me.

I spent a lot on a juicer and barley use it. I hand juice oranges but that's about it. I think it's really important to keep the fiber in foods. I do a lot of smoothies though. It's an easy way for me to get in enough calories. I use the Ninja blender that I got this year for Christmas. It has been amazing.

I don't use any superfoods, protein powders or really any supplements except for a liquid vitamin D during the winter but most of the time I forget to take it. All these things tend to be expensive and really no use for them. There is a big hype over superfoods. It's all about the money for the people selling these things. Fruit itself is a superfood.

Probably the hardest thing while being raw was making sure there was enough ripe fruit in the house so I didn't run out. It took a little while to get the hang of knowing when things would be at peak ripeness. We pretty much have it down now.

Some books that are great are

80/10/10 by Dr. Douglas Graham
Creating Healthy Children By Karen Ranzi. A book for raising raw children it also includes recipes.
Left In The Dark By Tony Wright and Graham Gynn .
Go Fruit Yourself By Freelee. It's an ebook
All the books by Herbert Shelton.

Some great people to check out on Youtube would be Kristina Carillo-Bucaram & Freelee. Esperanza Vita also has a great story about going raw. She was very close to death with un-diagnosed celiacs disease and other problems. Her before and after photos are remarkable.

I'm not 100% yet, but getting there. I'm went 25 days in a row last summer and felt awesome. I'd like to get back there this spring. Freelee has a new program for transitioning: How to eat raw food till dinner, the RAW TILL 4 program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kSIMp-nw0iA#!

A big 'Thank you' to every one who has liked my page. I had made a deal with myself to continue with this page only if I get 100 likes within 50 days ..... and here I go --- 46 days and 101 likes. Yes, I am going to continue posting my efforts for healthy, easy and made in a jiffy recipes to be enjoyed during your weightloss journey. Hope to keep getting your support as ever. Love you all. Happy cooking, enjoy your weightloss journey.

What are some symptoms you had that disappeared when you started eating more raw foods? life long Migraines, 100% gone. clearer skin, ability to assimilate knowledge and think cleary skyrocketed, energy through the roof! (riding my bike 50-60 miles a day)

What are your three favorite things as far as food items? Apples, mangos, bananas

Should I be juicing / smoothie-ing frequently? You should be doing both frequently. Although I would put a lot more emphasis on juicing. Not only because it is delicious, but because it'll help you get in some calories!

Do you add anything to your raw soups/ smoothies like alfalfa powder, chlorella, spirulina, Garden of Life Raw Protein, etc? Personally, no. I don't have a problem with raw protein though, and might use it on occasion. Overall though, avoid processed things, even if they are "raw".

What was the hardest thing for you to accomplish while on your journey? I'm not always 100% raw, but I don't find a lot of hardship in pursuing it, I love eating raw, and I love raw foods!

Do you have any book recommendations for a newbie? 80/10/10 of course (NOT as a do all bible though). On Youtube look up "Ka Sundance", "Therawfoodworld" and "Fully Raw Kristina".

I have nothing against "gourmet" raw food. With that said, I believe that it should be used as a transitional tool for going into eating raw, and for special occasions/eating out. It is fun to make kale chips and raw desserts I'll admit, but if you want to make this lifestyle work optimally, while not spending half of your income and time preparing food...just keep it simple! Eat whole fruits, whole veggies, nuts and seeds, and try to eat lots of mono meals (meaning one food at a time). However, I camp a lot, so dried foods can be a lifesaver in that sense!

Good luck!

-Jesse