By The Rawtarian

My name is Laura-Jane The Rawtarian, and I first went raw in August 2009 and it changed my life. As a result, I created this website, www.therawtarian.com, to share the easiest, most delicious raw vegan recipes with the word.

Since then I've had the privilege of teaching classes, creating two recipe apps, being interviewed on national radio, being featured in Vegan Life magazine, curating one of the most popular raw vegan recipe websites, hosting The Raw Food Podcast, and speaking at national food blogging conferences across North America--from Miami to Vancouver. It is an honor to spend my days changing the way the world eats, and I am humbled every day by you.

My "before" story

Although I was a long-time vegetarian, my diet was not healthy. I knew it, and my weight fluctuated up and up.

I was often snacking on pizza, chips, and lots of processed fruit juices. I didn't feel good. I was often moody and depressed.

I wasn't much of a cook and the foods that we ate were simple and unhealthy. For example, pasta with pesto sauce--with no salad or veggies. Breakfast was sweetened soy milk with mini wheats or another processed cereal.

I barely bought or ate any unprocessed vegetables.

Every year I gained five more pounds.

In the back of my mind I realized that if this five-pound-a-year-weight-gain continued, by the time I was forty I'd be at least fifty pounds overweight. I looked around. Many women at forty seemed to be fifty pounds overweight, so I accepted that this was the way it would be for me, too.

But enter raw food...

After the first two months of being a 100% raw vegan I had released ten to fifteen pounds. I looked great and I felt even better.

I've found preparing delicious raw foods to be so simple. Inspirationally simple.

Before I began my raw food journey, I was not comfortable in the kitchen. I had absolutely no confidence and no idea how to cook. I just made pasta and sandwiches and ate frozen pizza.

Learning how to prepare raw food has been an amazing and empowering experience for me. I started very rigidly following raw recipes, but after just two months I was creating some of my own recipes. With a limited number of ingredients--fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds--I find that I now understand more about how to combine food. I experiment so much more than I ever did before.

Will I be raw forever? I have no idea. All I can say is that right now I am still excited about the raw food lifestyle and being 100% raw.

Only time will tell where this journey takes me.

The purpose of this website is to inspire others to try and love this amazing lifestyle. Check out my best raw vegan recipes right here and make your first raw recipe.

Comments

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85 votes
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I love your sight! Tried your breakfast dish!...loved it, and the cashew milk is awesome! i want more, I need to learn more.

48 votes
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You are in the right place :)

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I just started a raw diet a few days ago. Read about it on the internet. I have been diabetic for about 14 years. Somewhat overweight all my life. My parents are both on insulin. I take it twice a day. My feet started hurting and going numb I thought I was going to be crippled. Got desperate and started the diet. Am dropping weight and my feet are feeling better already, can't wait to see what happens. Blood sugar is not stable yet, goes up and down but I have high hopes. If nothing else already I feel better and have more energy. Thank you for your recipies they are awesome. I am already a fan.

17 votes
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Sending you positive thoughts and well wishes on your journey to good health, Hazel.

16 votes
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Hi, Hazel,
I've been following Laura-Jane now and using many recipes with great results--both in diet, and how affordable it is. I celebrated 21 years being diabetic this week, but let me assure you, going raw is definitely the way to go! However, you should not stop taking insulin unless you are working with a doctor--why? If you stop taking it and your body isn't making any yet, you could get ketones in your urine. Very dangerous!! But do visit my website to get in touch about this topic. I am down to 0.2 units per hour and very little for meals--just by going raw and juicing. These raw recipes are wholesome enough to stick with long-term, just make sure you keep eating fruit, carrots, regularly until you find out more about how to make your beta cells regenerate. Jen; ps Laura-Jane--hope you don't mind me posting this information about diabetes.

18 votes
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Sorry--my website is www.crossroad-diabetes-cure.com, and I am using many of Laura-Janes recipes to literally survive!

19 votes
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<3

12 votes
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hey! i just want to say like everyone else i love the story of your journey and i hope despite just starting to end up being fully raw myself. i'm interested in the idea that you lost weight at the beginning...although it's not my main motivation it would be an amazing positive. I have noticed in the food I'm preparing there's always olive oil and lots of nuts, foods which on previous weight loss 'plans' i've been advised to avoid. do you monitor portions a lot? or avoid recipes such as this?

20 votes
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Weight loss is about learning new habits and eating differently for life. So it's important to still have YUM in your life. Try raw, don't limit portion sizes, eat whatever you want, stay raw and eating healthy foods and you will be fine if you have a good balance of fruit veg nuts and seeds

15 votes
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thanks so much for the reply! finding the recipes on here so delish and easy to prepare. so thanks for that too haha :)

22 votes
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My pleasure Jess

16 votes
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I love your site, you are such an inspiration. I am trying to be as healthy as i possibly can. However when i lapse i lapse big! I really would love to know how you manage to stay on track?

17 votes
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****1***** you have to eat enough food. if you are not getting enough calories you are bound to crash. so don't try to limit portion sizes. you have to eat.

*****2***** know how to satisfy your cravings:
want chips? make kale chips.
want chocolate? raw brownies or little raw chocolate pudding or my 1-minute fudge.
want pasta? raw mac and cheese.
want cake? raw brownies or cheesecake.
want a burger? my hemp burger recipe from raw dehydrating 101.
want pudding? chia pudding.
etc etc.

*******3****. it is important for me to be on a "streak" - if I want to cave I think, "but I've been on a raw streak for XYZ days, I can't break my streak!" this has saved me many times.

*****4.******* I also focus on not "ruining" my tastebuds. I have now learned to LOVE the TASTE of heatlhy food. I do not want to screw that up by eating junk.

hope these help :)

18 votes
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I just found your site.. I have been really pleased with what I have tried so far:) Thanks so much for all your hard work.. I have realized that I needed to make a difference on my life. My mother and sister both died of cancer.. I have been told how much I look like my mother and it scared me, not that I looked like her:) but all the problems she. All I thought is that I am going down that road right now and unless I STOP then I will have the same problems as my mother and sister.. So thats why I have decided to change.. I started off really slow at first because I didn't want to burn myself out with all of it at once.. As of now I am almost raw.. I have lost 20 pounds and 13 inches and still have alot to go.. Feeling so much more ALIVE.. Thanks again Mary

17 votes
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Beautiful Mary. Strong reasons to want to change. Sounds as though you are off to a fabulous start. :)

14 votes
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I enjoy reading your story, they are very inspirational and encouraging. This is my first time and I am looking forward to the journey. I serious believe that I someday can be where you are if I continue to go in the right path.

18 votes
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I believe in you Dale.

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I have spent hours looking over your website and writing down yummy recipes I want to try. I'm so excited to slowly move over to a raw food diet!! I will be visiting your site daily - you are such an inspiration! Thank you :)

18 votes
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And thank you for spending your time here. We are glad to have you Crystal :)

10 votes
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Hi Laura-Jane :) I just wanted to say that I loved your video. You are so inspirational. I'm 18 years old and for the last year I've been experimenting with raw foods. Lately I've been doing about 1 week a month 100% raw but I want to switch to completely 100% raw in order to clear up my skin. Your website and videos are so motivating to me! So I just wanted to say thank you :)...And by the way your skin is absolutely beautiful! You look like your glowing!

16 votes
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Best of luck on your journey Kathleen. Sounds like you're off to a great start :)

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"will you stay raw forever?" Lol, I cant believe you even posted that. Girl, the older you get the more you will realize you are on the right track and will want to stay there. I hit the big 5-0 this year and had treated myself to a "comfort food" diet, for about a good month, yes all those yummy SAD meals I loved as a child, and then afterwards Good Lord, I could barely crawl out of bed, let alone potty! I believe God provided us with fresh food, herbs and nuts to keep us healthy. "he satisfies my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed like the eagles". anyways I ran across your website this morning and look forward to trying your recipes. Keep up the good work !

13 votes
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Lol love it Teri! Thank you for your insights. It is so true. Sounds like you've found excellent balance in your life at the big 5-0 :)

18 votes
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Hi
love your website, started my raw journey 2 weeks ago. and no stopping- no choice. i am still young- 30 in nov. i was diagnosed with arthitis in my knee and no cartiliage- nothing at all. so too young for a replacement and too young to get any real meds to help manage the pain. so i have read up and seen several testimonies of people being helped with their arthritis thru raw so its all or nothing for me.
i have a few questions for you i dont have alot of weight to loose but enough 40-50 lbs. my friend does a raw food boot camp but its majority obese people with 100+ lbs to loose and not sure how i fit into their results,&lt;
1- with all the fat- avacados, nuts , flax those type of things do i need to monitor them for weight loss? i have done standard diets before just about all of them and most of them you monitor your intake of these items- or even the sweet potatoes that are starchy.
2- i found some tofu noodles, they have sweet potatoe root as well, although i believe they are pasturized i am guessing these are not raw. i am having trouble finding kelp noodles locally and would just like to try them. if i like them i would just order in bulk from the company.
looking forward to hearing back from you.
thank you
janie vezina
from quebec

17 votes
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Hi Janie,

I wouldn't worry about the other people in the raw bootcamp and how similar you are to them... If you have a friend who runs one go for it!

1. Nope, you do not need to track what you are eating in terms of calories etc. But you do want to structure your eating so that you are getting a lot of greens and fruits, and a nice serving of nuts. Basically, a huge green smoothie in morn (spinach is best as your green), snack, giant salad with some weight to it (oil or nuts) for lunch, snack, nice big raw dinner that satisfies your hunger and maybe some dessert! Since you are just starting out I say eat as much of whatever you like, and ensure you are getting lots of greens
2. I can't buy kelp noodles locally here either, I order them by the case. You can buy individual packs of kelp noodles, but they are pretty expensive. Since you're close (I live on PEI in Canada), send me your mailing address and I'll send you a pack to try :)

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