Hey All,
I am new to raw, as in I just learned of the raw food concept on last Monday as I was searching for natural remedies. Of course, this definitely caught my attention and I am doing as much research I can about the raw lifestyle. So far, since Tuesday I have been having green smoothies for breakfast (spinach, ginger, 1/2 fruits) and a spinach salad with my lunch. I plan to start with 50% raw and then increase that percentage as I go. Here are some of my beginner questions….its pretty long, I apologize.
1) What tools can I start with? Should I buy Coffee Grinder for Flaxseed and other seeds/spices? Juicer at Walmart/Target? Food Processor? Low Grade Dehydrator atWalmart/Target OR should I just use my current blender for now until I can save up money for most of the Kitchen tools?
2) Would it bit safe to say…...don’t eat cooked and raw at the same time? I attempt to eat 5 – 6 small meals…(trying to lose weight), so I am currently planning to make my breakfast, midday and dinner meals raw(meal 1, 2 and 5/6 )...and go from there.
3) Budget. I can’t buy 100% organic fruits & vegetables, but I read that apples, bell peppers, pears, spinach(most leafy greens), celery, strawberries should be as they have high pesticides residue. Basically, foods that have shell/skins that can be peeled off (removing residue) should be okay as non-organic (e.g banana, corn, avocado, onions). So, I could buy mix organic & non-organic based on this criteria….good idea or bad?
4) I feel a bit constipated, I don’t know if it could be a result of bad food combining..what are the rules(this ties into (2) )? What foods/supplements can I take that promote good digestive enzymes?
5) Do all food items have to be label raw? For example, in the cases of steel oats, buckwheat groats, beans, dates, olives. Can I assume that olives and dates are raw? What about flaxseed?
6) How to does verify that corn and bananas are not GMO? (I don’t plan to buy these organic see (3))
7) Is hemp protein powder raw? I saw this at Whole Foods, or should I just stick with the Hemp seed?
Thanks in advance for the help.
Comments
Thanks a lot of your help, I appreciate it.
First question is, are you already vegan?
Nope, meat-eater here :) What are other good source of protein besides nut & seeds(they contain a lot of fat, yes its good fat, but still quite a bit)
2 and 4. I don’t buy into any food combining “rules.” I’ve never had issues >> eating raw and cooked foods together, but digestion has never been an issue for me no matter what I ate.
Neither for me, I mean I’ve had salads and then a meal before, a meal and then a fruit with no problem. I was looking back and realized that I had just one cooked meal per day last week, so I was actually 60% raw. Now for today & tomorrow, I’m going to eat what normally fixes any constipation problems…spinach and a lot of Fiber One cereal or Oatmeal & lots of water as is 120oz. I think something else is going on (been feeling sick and taking some meds), but there is only way to verify this. After my spinach-Fiber One-Oatmeal regimen, I’ll be able to make a better assessment.
Thanks again :)