Getting started

rawmailman

Hey everyone!

I really excited about getting into raw foods, but not really sure where to really get started. Are there any good books or websites that can help you get started? Basically wanting to know the things I need and things I can and can’t eat. I’m already vegetarian so I think that will help. I’m confused about certain things….like canned food, canned nuts and jarred food etc. etc…...it doesn’t seem like this is considered a raw food even though it isn’t cooked so I’m hoping that I can find a book or website to give me an overview of what I need to look for. Thanks for any help!

germin8

Canned food is boiled/heated. It is not raw. Same for jarred foods.

The word raw can be confusing. If something is labelled “raw” they could just mean the unprocessed, raw ingredient (but could be heated). So, you have to look for “raw” and “living” or “unheated”. Or anything that was heated no more than about 118F.

Renee Underkoffler’s Living Cuisine is a good un-cookbook about getting started. And Victoria’ Boutenko’s 12 Steps to Raw Foods is a good book to help you through the transition. There are several other good books. Like Cousen’s book… and I’m sure other people have other recommendations. (These are just some of the books I have read and recommend.)

This website is a good way to learn, ask questions, etc.

Some basic kitchen “necessities” are a high-speed blender and/or food processor… and definitely sprout jars for sprouting or germinating (aka soaking) nuts/grains/seeds. You can make several recipes with these few items. Then there are things like dehydrator (to extract moisture from food) and make cookies, chips, tortillas, bread, fruit roll-ups, banana chips, apple chipes, etc. Dehydrating helps keep the food longer too. There’s also a champion juicer for juicing, to make soups, or even nut butters. Renee’s book explains all these “raw kitchen tools”! And other extras like a spirooli (to make zucchini noodles) and a mandolin slicer. Salad crispers are always nice to keep the lettuce crisp.

Here is a good website for sprouting/germinating: http://www.sproutpeople.com

And if you want to learn more… (I haven’t tried this, but it looks interesting). http://rawlivingfoods.typepad.com/1/feedback_ho…

ron4540

Renee’s book is good, and I also second 12 Steps to Raw. I might also suggest “Rawsome” by Brigitte Mars. It’s similar to Renee’s book.

Many raw people have an area of focus, i.e. mostly whole fruits, or nuts, or smoothies. I tend to favor sprouts, i.e. baby plants. I like being able to grow my own little plants year-round in only a few days (and for only pennies & with no dirty soil or insects). And I like the idea that the food is really “living” and growing up to the moment it enters my mouth.

If you want to get started in sprouting, you can order twelve 1 quart wide mouth mason jars here for $10 (free shipping to a local store):

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?pr…

I use these sprout tops—

http://secure.cartsvr.net/catalogs/catalog.asp?...

And I just buy lentils, mung beans, garbanzo beans, and soybeans from the bulk section at Whole Foods. Just let the seeds sit in water overnight, then pour off the water in the morning & place upside down in your dish drying rack (rinse seeds daily until at eating size).

A good blender, food processor, spiral slicer, coffee grinder (for flax seeds), good knives, large cutting board, mandoline and dehydrator come in handy. But you don’t need to spend all that money right away.

Zoe

Hi I suggest you take a look at our website

http://purelyraw.com

We have a “Dead Food List” which is a list of all the foods which are heated during thier processing and therefore not raw. But generally anything in a can is not raw because of sterilisation. Frozen veggies are blanched before freezing and many nuts are steamed or boiled during their shelling process. We have a question and answer section too if you have some questions, there is a section about books and websites and some videos as well. We also do telephone consultations.

Drop by and say hi!

pianissima

i read john robbins’ DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA, which made me want to give up animal products forever. the book changed the way i thought about most everything i had been told about food and it opened my mind to all the new possibilities in the living food diet (even though he advocates a cooked vegan diet). you say you are vegetarian, as i was, but i somehow always felt that i was compromising my health because of all the flack i got. this book makes you feel REALLY great about your choice to live cruelty free from so many angles—environmental, spiritual, political, physiological, etc…

also, if you are going to be reading cookbooks, definitely a good idea to supplement that info with info from trained nutritionists and doctors. “12 steps to raw” (as mentioned above), “rainbow green live food cuisine” and “raw food detox diet” or “raw life force energy” are great ones in my opinion.

there are similarities and differences in each approach to raw food. have patience, because it takes time to figure out what YOUR ideal diet is. think about how long it took you to figure out everything you know about cooked food… =)

oh, and ani phyo has some great cook show videos to get you started. youtube.com and type “ani phyo”