Huge steps

Hey there! I’m new to raw food, but I’ve thought about it off an on for the last year. I finally made the change after my boyfriend and I visited my father, who had tried raw and loved it, and even though he didn’t stay on it he was still juicing everyday. So we juiced while we were there, talked about going raw a lot, and decided to do it. We got back home the day after Thanksgiving, and started as much as we could to incorporate raw foods. By the way, up until that day (thanksgiving) I was a HUGE fan of eating meat, and always defended my right to eat it;but I’ve also had vegan and vegetarian friends and have always been very supportive (even helping them try recipes, since I love cooking). So, in a weeks time I’ve cut out all meat and all dairy. We’ve eaten some breads and sprounted grain wraps, but mostly we’ve been sticking to raw (salads, juicing, the yummy apple cinnamon granola, wraps, veggie “pastas” with raw sauces, ect).

Heres the worry though. Did I cut too much too quickly? I eat when I’m hungry, and I haven’t felt “deprived”, but I also feel a bit low on energy. I’m eating lots of nuts/nut butters and alvacados-so I should be getting my fats and such, but I don’t know. I guess people call it detoxing, but I’ve not been sick its just tireness/weakness in my legs.

Other than that, I’m just trying to learn as much as I can about uncooking foods, while keeping it interesting. I have a dehydrator, and I love it, but its taking some time getting used to figure out when things are really done (since I’ve never worked with this type of stuff before-its not like sticking a toothpick in something when you bake it in the oven XD ).

Lastly, I love this site. I love reading through the recipes, and seeing the comments. I’ve gotten lots of ideas, and can’t wait to try out all the different recipes!

Comments

  • hey divineprana, u go girl. i would just make sure that u drink plenty of water. 1/2 hr b4 & 1-2 hrs after a meal.i find that a big green smoothie in da morn is a wonderful held 4 my day. also join a group of rawpeople 4 support an shareing.try http://rawfood.meetup.com to see my group add a /213 to that. have the best day ever. hugs, dave hooser.

  • kandacekandace Raw Newbie

    Hi divenprana,

    Did I cut too much too quickly?

    When I first started eating raw, I went on a cleanse and began eating raw at the same time. So, there were many flu-like symptoms. I also had pains in my legs. But, those were expected and soon passed.

    What was more difficult was changing my life habits and learning what to have around to eat. At first, I tried gong raw 100% right away. After a week or so, I started to feel overwhelmed and felt like giving up. Instead, I went to a slower approach. First, I went vegan and tried to add raw elements to my diet. Then, I made all my snacks raw. Now, all of my snacks are raw and at least one meal a day. And, I have a goal of making at least one new recipe from this site each week. That way, more of the recipes I know are raw.

    I think if I had gone all or nothing right away, I may have shied away from the process. For me, the important thing is the journey. So, if you end up eating something that isn’t raw, you don’t have to give up or think you failed. Rather, each meal is a new chance to decide to eat raw!

    I think that going all raw right away works for a lot of people, though. So perhaps the right approach for you is whatever helps you keep moving forward, being healthy and eating raw foods. Looking forward to hearing how things go with you!

  • divenprana, I’m still pretty new to this myself. When I started, I had several people suggest I just “phase in” the raw food. I had just shopped the day before, filling my freezer with meat, and my cupboards with dead foods. But when I saw led to do this, I went cold turkey off of that stuff, and looking back, it seems the best way to go. If you just add a little raw, you’re not going to get that powerful sense of well-being and energy that you get when you go mostly raw. I cook things like beans and lentils, brown rice or a baked potato now and then. But other than that, it’s raw food all the way, and it has made me feel so incredibly good. If I had just tried to phase it in, I probably wouldn’t have felt the benefits, and would have given up. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as cutting too much too quickly! I have yet to decide if I’m going to stop cooking the beans or brown rice… I may get to that point. But I can sure testify to the power of eating mostly raw, and NOTHING processed!

    Good luck on your journey… we’ll both be learning at the same time!

    KathyT

  • I realized I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Hallie! = )

    Dave-Thanks for the support and info!

    Kandace-When I first made the choice, I wanted to do it completely, and I quickly got overwhelmed (especially since I’m trying to provide meals for two people). I like the way you put it, “each meal is a new chance to decide to eat raw.” Luckily too, I’m with a partner that is 100% in it with me.

    Kathy-Thank you for sharing your experience too. As for the boost of well being and energy, I think we got a head start the week before we went raw by juicing everyday (which was completely new for us). We immediately felt a difference. Since we started, the only cooked stuff we’ve had are a few baked potatoes and some breads. We are doing pretty good for being people that constantly had a rice cooker full of hot rice 24/7!

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