Hi, I'm Rachel.
I'm new to a consistent raw food lifestyle, as I'm in college and not able to easily get around the city I'm in for fresh foods.
Anyway, I came to raw food in a few different ways. In high school, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer (caught in its earlier stages, but still quite a scare). My mom made the decision to go an alternative track, rather than going through the toxic process of chemotherapy. After a lumpectomy and 3.5 years into the cancer-free window, she's alive and healthy today. Though she doesn't eat raw, she's a big promoter of it (don't ask me how you can know the benefits and not do it-- except she just *likes* her cooked foods!). Also, my best friend from high school went vegan our senior year, and was always sharing the good news with me. Her whole family eventually transitioned, and one time when I was at their house, her mom handed me this book, saying "Vegan I can do. This-- THIS is too much! But the testimonies are great!" And it was Carol Alt's book The Raw 50. I borrowed it and was hooked on the idea.
Anyway, now that I've been dabbling in it for about a year (I'll call that my transition period) I'm trying to figure out what I need to stock up my pantry/fridge with in order to be able to make most raw recipes.
Would you guys mind letting me know what *your* raw staples are?!! Don't worry about overwhelming me, I'll pick and choose if it gets to be too much!
Thanks!
Rachel
Comments
Lots of avocados and tomatoes for me. I make guacamole, salads and soups with them.
for me, it has become leafy greens! red and green lettuce, spinach and kale. I find greens to be the best bc they are so versatile - for salads and smoothies. On a similar note, I can't have a morning without a green smoothie! Also, nuts and seeds are important for me, even though I just eat small amounts. Having fresh and frozen fruit on hand is also important. Carrots, broccoli...everything:-)
Swiss chard, cabbage, kale - these are detox veggies. I like them in my green smoothies.
Bananas for sure.
Some kind of seed, but I am getting off fatty foods now.
Sprouts.
heres my basic shopping list to get me from empty fridge to set for a few days:
greens (usually spinach, kale and romaine)
1 bunch green onions
bag of carrots
head of cauliflower
bunch broccoli
3 zuchinni
1 cucumber
pint of cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
2 red bell peppers
small head of cabbage
shiitake musrooms
bunch of apples
couple bunches of bananas
bag of grapes
couple lemons
mangoes, pineapple, papaya, but only if they look ok
stuff to have in the fridge:
apple cider vinegar
high quality olive oil
wheat-free tamari
tahini
a pound of nuts or seeds (mix it up)
medjool dates
cupboard stuff:
sea salt
black peppercorns (grind them fresh!)
agave nectar
cumin
cayenne
dry basil
coconut oil
sun dried tomatoes
raisins
that right there is a stocked raw kitchen. good luck on your journey!
No matter what I always have greens, tomatoes, sea vegetables, sprouts, apples, bananas, ginger, garlic, ACV, tahini, and fresh herbs like basil or cilantro. Sometimes I keep a couple of packages of kelp noodles in the fridge.
I haev been on raw food for the past 8 weeks only - cheated one evening for B.day when we went out to eat - I have got rid of a regular headaches and feels great - weekly shopping is mainly - red leafy letuce/ tomatoes / cucumbers / dates / organic peanut butter / Almond butter / almond milk ( I make it at home) / cabbage / celery and fennels.
I haev just tried the most delicious Tahini - thought I share it -
I sprouted chick peas for 3 days
In the food processor I added tahini
lots of lemon juice
some water
cumin
salt and peper
if too thick just add more water to reach the preferred consistancy - it kept in the fride for 7 days , I used as dip...made it a bit thinner with water and used it as salad dressing.
Wichten's list is pretty similar to ours - groceries:
Kale + at least one other green leafy (chard, spinach or romaine)
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Cucumber
Beets
Broccoli
Red onion
Green onion
Parsley
Basil, cilantro or dill
Red bell peppers
Jalapenos
Ginger
Garlic
Mushrooms (small crimini, portobello)
Salad greens (usually a mix of baby romaine, arugula, spinach)
Avocados (we have a tree that bears many months out of the year)
Fruit: lemons, bananas, grapes, blueberries year-round; this time of year apples and pears, in the spring/summer stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums.
Pantry
Nori sheets, dulse flakes
Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
Raisins
Goji berries
Dates
Sun-dried tomatoes
Nama shoyu
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Apple cider vinegar
Agave syrup
Tahini
Herbs/spices: pink salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, curry powder, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes (just the staples - there are dozens of others...)
Thanks!! This has been so helpful-- now a question... are there any secrets to finding this stuff inexpensively? I have a co-op and a Whole Foods relatively nearby... I could probably find the asian market with a little research. Are things usually less expensive there?
Check Localharvest.org for a farmers' market nearby if you haven't already. We get most of our produce and nuts at the FM. I do go to Whole Foods or other stores for out-of-season things (like bell peppers, which I have a hard time living without).
Asian markets can be awesome, but little to none of it is organic. There's also a recent thread about internet storefronts with a fairly good listing of places you can compare prices.