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Where do I begin?

Hello!

I have been thinking about raw foods for a while after reading about Gala Darling’s raw adventure on iCiNG. I’m seventeen and I’ve been overweight for a very long time; I also lack the energy and motivation to get all the things I’d like to do, done.

I’ve been reading up on raw foods today and I’m really excited! I want to start soon; however, I am feeling a bit lost. Where do I begin? Any help or tips or links would be so so loved. Let me know how you started and did you find it hard? What are your favorite recipes? Anything you’d like to share with a total raw-virgin, really.

Thanks!

Comments

  • alpdesignsalpdesigns Raw Newbie

    It is my opinion that you should ease into it. Add more salads and raw fruit to your diet and transition slowly. Your body will do a lot of cleansing if you start eating raw and some people can’t handle the detox well. You may feel worse before you feel better.

    You have made a good decision though, despite the initial detox effects, you will come out a winner!

  • SamiliciousSamilicious Raw Newbie

    Hi windymoors,
    Congrats to joining this raw journey. I am also 17 years old and its great to have another raw teen on board. My story of going raw is something that my body kind of led the way to. It started last summer when I read about all the benefits of raw. At the time I was still vegan and my goal was to go raw when I’m a full grown adult with more knowledge of how to take care of myself. And then, by november/december, it hit me! I looked at my diet and I was like, oh my god, I’m eating raw. I’m actually doing it! I’m eating raw!
    It was completely unintentional for me. I simply and slowly reduced and eventually diminished certain things from my diet like beans (after realizing how much heart burn and gas it caused me), cooked veggies (same reason as beans as well as thinking about all the loss of nutrients and enzymes made it unappetizing), etc.
    Mainly, the big thing I noticed after my epiphany that I was eating raw was that I did not get severe heartburns from meals anymore. I was already super health conscious so junk food was never a concern. Apples are my ultimate comfort food. I eat them as much as I want.

    One advice from me is not to worry if you eat something not raw along the way. Everybody slips here and there once and a while. And as 123 mentioned, don’t let the initial detox take you away from this diet. I am still experiencing detox at this moment actually becuase I just tried a couple of different leafy greans that I’ve never tried before (dandelion and aragula) and I know that the dandelion is extremely cleansing for the body, specifically the liver, and its really got me feeling lousy at the moment. Speaking of detox, don’t expect yourself to feel better very soon. It might take some time depending on your body. So be patient and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 123 is right, the first thing to do is add more fruits and salads into your diet. Espcially depending on what your diet is right now. Maybe you do eat a lot of fruit but also have a lot of processed sugar in your diet—get rid of the processed sugar! It completely tricks your body into consuming empty calories when a sugar craving hits. Fruits like apples, bananas and dates will really hit your sweet tooth when processed sugar is out of the body. I also think it would be good to pick one or two days a week where you aim to eat exclusily raw those days and see what happens. Welcome to the raw lifestyle – eating a high raw diet is something you’ll never regret!

  • Thanks everyone!

    Elizabeth – I really like the idea of pick a few days a week to do only raw, it’ll help me ease into it nicely. I’m lucky that my mom has been pretty good about raising me on veggies and not buying sodas and things like that. I think where I lag is when I feel too lazy to make myself something and I just heat up a frozen meal. I’ll have to try dates!

    This next week is going to be exciting!

  • I find raw to be the easiest for the lazy cook – I have a big fruit/vege bowl and when I simply can’t be bothered cooking (and in the past would have eaten bread, bread and more bread) I just grab something from the fruit bowl. Wha-La! Instant meal! Its great!

  • Hey windymoors! Congratulations on finding the raw lifestyle! I am sure it will change your life for the better :) I have transitioned over a few months trying a raw day now and then. But what really worked for me was doing a 3 day green smoothie fast. I find that when you are eating SAD and then a raw day or even vegan cooked and then a raw day… I missed the cooked food. But when I did a smoothie fast (out of pure bliss after having bought a new blendtec blender!) it really taught my body how much food was enough and that if I messed up a dinner recipe or something that a green smoothie was a great replacement! So it was a really natural transition for me to go raw after 3 days on green smoothies. But, I was into raw foods for a few months… had purchased all the gear (dehydrator, spiralizer, food processor, blender, raw nuts and superfoods…. I was practicing my sprouting skills etc) so I was ready. I guess the most important thing is that you do it in joy and do what feels best for you. Some go raw overnight and are super happy detoxing because they know it is going to pass…. so my advice would be do whatever brings you joy. Best of luck to you!!! And use this forum there are fantastic people on here that have shared the experience and are so friendly and helpful… even if you want to talk about your poop!! hahaha Have fun!

  • I think another success factor of a 3 day green smoothie fast is that the greens totally take care of cravings…. your body is getting what it needs on the greens… so I didn’t go around all day wishing I was eating pizza… I really felt great on the smoothies. For a lot of people (including myself) cravings can be a real problem when transitioning… but greens do the trick every time!!

  • You HAVE to buy the Raw Food Real World book by Sarma Melngailis and Matthew Kenney. It’s got a whole bunch of tips and recipes! :) good luck.
    Oh, and by the way, if you love ice cream, you should check out some of my raw ice cream recipes I posted on this website! other people have great desserts, which you should check out.

  • Hey Maggie :) If you want to try a green smoothie fast you can join me on mine – I am starting today. It’s a good way of detoxing and starting on your journey. Smoothies in general are good for you, full of fruit/greens etc and full of nutrients! Only takes a few mins to buzzzz up in a blender and are delicious! I was 20 years old when I decided I wanted to do something about my weight problem, it is great that you are being proactive now, don’t let it be ‘tomorrow’ that you start losing weight, make it today! :D If you need any help I’m around. I lost 66lbs (about 30 kilos or 5 stone) last year and hope to drop the remaining weight in the next few months!

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