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Where do I begin?

I am very new to all of this, so I have a lot to learn.

Can anyone tell me where to begin.

What are some of the things that are a must?

Which are the best cheapest products?

Where can I find them?

And how do I get my boys (2 and 9 yrs old) to try the new foods?

Thanks

Comments

  • derrycklderryckl Raw Superstar

    If you have a partner/soulmate/spouse, get him/her(it) on side too. It can be difficult without that!

    I'll be following this closely, and good luck!! I have three "sort-of-SAD"s in the house, I think that RF would obviously be best, but cannot face the inevitable conflict in the intervening period!!

  • I would also like to know where to start.

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    Add don't subtract. Add a salad, add a fruit. Your body will naturally come to want nutrient dense food. Bananas, Avocados, Cantalope, Salads, Apples, will carry you through your first few days. Once you tried it it's like I couldn't get enough! I'm recently getting interested in juicing so that's a new thing for me.

    I also watched a bunch of Arnold's Way videos on youtube. Some of them are very inspiring.

    Remember, add good things and your body will help you!

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    Darn partners loving SAD food! Darnit all! I need a dehydrator so I can tempt him over to the raw side....

  • Start reading.

    I know it sounds really boring, but just start reading.

    There are TONS of raw websites out there and even more blogs about raw-food-folk.

    I spent almost 5 months just reading books and websites before I even considered jumping in.

    You will find conflicting info, but it's good to get ideas from the whole spectrum, try what sounds right to you and adjust as you go.

    This site is my first place to go each day, but since you've already found us...here are a few others that you might want to check out:

    http://www.raw-food-health.net/

    http://www.welikeitraw.com/

    http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/

    http://www.rawfoods.com/

    http://theresedewolf.blogspot.com/

    http://www.purelyraw.com/ (this site is run by 2 of the regulars here)

    I have two kids (2 and 4 years old)...I'm looking to get them raw vegan at some point but I know that I need to succeed at it before I can try and rope them in. The cool thing is they are starting to pick up on stuff without me really trying. Each morning when they hear my blender shut down they come running into the kitchen and ask for a taste of my smoothie. I'm still experimenting so each day is a different taste. My oldest will will give me a thumbs up or thumbs down before he goes trotting off back to his cartoons. My youngest will just lick the green mustache off his lips and say, "mmm...smoosh". It's just a sip each time, but they get excited and I know that's a good base to build off of later.

  • Thanks twitch for the sites. I do love to read.

    I want to make healthy recipes because my 9 yr old has very bad eczema, and he is on a strict diet.

    So far he's been eating lots of lettuce, superfood fruit smoothies, apples, bananas, grapes.

    He can have chicken and beans, but he can't have rice, pasta, pancakes, eggs or dairy.

    He's wellness consultant is the one who told me about this site.

    Also, my 2 year old has tooth decay.

  • Raw_OrleansRaw_Orleans Raw Newbie

    Where To Begin??? In a Word 'Smoothies'... At least that how I started... I've been raw like a Year now... Of Course before that I ate mostly Veggies anyway... I was never to crazy about meat... I guess that comes from my Italian upbringing... The only meat we had was on sunday with my grandpa would kill a chicken... I've rung a few necks myself...

    Its not easy around the holidays though... So Start Like 50/50 Raw/Sad... and work from there...

  • Hi JCTVCBN,

    Here are two books that I recommend for you and your kids. First, for you "12 Steps to Raw Foods" by Victoria Boutenko, it includes recipes and how to end your addiction to cooked foods.

    For your kids: "RAW KIDS" by Cheryl Stoycoff the ISBN number is: 0-9677852-1-9.

    I hope this helps!!

  • steviostevio Raw Newbie

    I agree with the smoothie suggestion. Add a green smoothie once a day. That is how I started. I have now gotten my family and a coworker hooked on them. The rest is a lot easier once you get going with the smoothies.

  • Start increasing your fruit and raw vegetable intake, if you love salad then make salads if you prefer smoothies then even better, then slowly start removing the toxic foods ie. processed foods, refined foods, sugar, coffee etc.. At first don't worry about the RAW percentage, it is really more important to eliminate the toxic foods first, then once you feel comfortable increase the RAW percentage but at the same time start eating healthy cooked food ie. quinoa, sweet potatoes, whole/brown rice, wild rice etc...Once your body is ready to switch to a 100% RAW you'll know, this may take 1-2 years for some of us or maybe if you are like me you'd feel great with a high RAW diet without being 100%.

  • Raw_OrleansRaw_Orleans Raw Newbie

    processed foods, refined foods, sugar, coffee etc... Yuck, Dude... I've have Never been one to buy stuff in a box... If I Couldn't pronounce it, It was a definite No-No... I'm an Old Hippy so I guess that had something to do with it as well... People who eat that stuff have to be Nutz... I Did eat stuff out of a can thought like Beans and Fruit... I was never partial to regular sugar... in fact, I've been drinking unsweetened tea for years and when I drank coffee, No sugar there either... I guess that is why it was so easy to go raw for me... Moving to raw meals was hard because it was kind of hard to shop... Smoothies wwere easy... SO what I did was made a weekly planner with the recipes I wanted for that week.. That made shopping a bit easier... But You Have to stick to your recipe plan... Otherwise you may tend to waste food... The one thing that was Rally hard for me to kick was Ice Cream... I still fall of the wagon on occasion... But Not very often... I really have no Desire for Cooked anymore but when I go to a Griends house for the holidays for instance I feel Kind of Obligated to Try a Bite of everything... My Friends just think that I eat like a Bird... Because I'm a pretty Big Guy...

  • I am transitioning to be strictly raw and I am a vegetarian already. I have started by green juice in the mornings. I really want to get off dairy but I am having a very hard time especially since my son and husband eat and drink dairy products daily. Does anyone have any tips on how I can wean myself off of the dairy products? I desperately want to do this.

  • Raw_OrleansRaw_Orleans Raw Newbie

    Almond Milk!!! Lots and Lots of It!

  • Great! I have tried rice milk before are they about the same? what do you do to cut out eggs and cheese?

  • hey everyone! i am a new raw foodie too. just went 100% raw a week ago and feeling good. how do you all feel about protein? i used to eat beans and rice but now i am not sure what to eat that replaces that (or does it need replacing?)... i still haven't gotten to like the taste of sprouted beans! do you supplement with a protein powder or is it OK without? also i find that i am sooo thirsty especially after eating my fruit smoothie for breakfast, i drink tons of water now. i thought the fruit would make me less thirsty?? any thoughts? thanks!

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    More for NappturallyMe than the original poster, but it's something I've seen over and over again: it's really, really hard for most people to go from SAD to Raw. Some people can, just like some people can quit smoking cold turkey and some people can quit taking antidepressants instantly without any negative effects. But the ones who go from SAD to raw seem to backslide quite frequently.

    A dear friend who has a PhD in nutrition talks about a RAD (Revised American Diet, aka vegan), so my take, for what it's worth, is to make sure you

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    Oh, and love my vitamix, which you can get used on ebay for under $100 used. Vitamix 4000 is a great one to start out with! Dehydrators are cheap on there too, as well as food processors.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    Can anyone tell me where to begin...fruit in the morning, eggless eggsalad or unchicken salad or sunflower seed cheese (love the one from the rawvolution cookbook) for lunch on flax crackers or scooped up with cut veggies, HUGE bowl of salad (and make it interesting, different each night with tasty dressings...even if you buy store bought dressings that the kids love, if it gets them to eat a small bowl of salad, it's a start) with something you normally would have for dinner, so they can have a salad and SAD food to start and you have a HUGE salad with something SAD to start out...your body will naturally start craving more fresh produce later that month :)

    What are some of the things that are a must? Great, tasty, simple recipes and a food processor :) Recipes on here are great, also love rawvolution cookbook and everyday raw cookbook. Once you find about 10 recipes that you love, it's easy to eat more raw.

    Which are the best cheapest products? Food products? Sweeten with agave or raw honey, buy raw nuts in bulk and store in freezer, vegetables and fruits are not that expensive. If you look at what you spend on a meal at a restaurant, making a simple raw dish or fruit salad is normally less expensive. Even just having apples or whatever is in season, lying around for people to pick up and eat works. If it is in plain view, that's what they can turn into wanting. If you peel an orange, and they smell it, don't they ask for some? :) We buy some of our foods at Costco and BJs, but in the summer, local farmer's markets or road side stands is dirt cheap! Other foods like cacao, I buy from amazon.com with free shipping.

    And how do I get my boys (2 and 9 yrs old) to try the new foods? Put out a tray of cut up veggies before dinner with dip, let them eat as much as they want. If they fill up on veggies, isn't that a good thing? Make a tasty recipe, like a fruit salad, spaghetti from zucchini with a marinara sauce, unchicken salad, smoothies, a different raw dessert is a great start and let them eat it before dinner ;) That's always a fun way to get them to eat something raw...but here's a learned helpful tip: DO NOT SAY "Here's a raw food dish I want us to try." Yum, this applesauce is delicious, want to have some? They'll eat it, but sometimes saying, here's a raw food recipe for dessert, they might turn their noses up at it. We also started saying that snacks are fruit or veggies or something I've made that tastes great like coconut macaroons or raw ice cream and if they don't want any, then no snacks...normally they'll say, "Ok, I'll have a banana." I would start with just finding some great recipes, you have to just dive in and try some out. Hope this helps...even if they don't go 100% raw, you are taking baby steps towards helping them to be healthier and you to be more raw in your diet.

  • Hi, JCTVCBN ,

    Welcome to goneraw. In my experience, a fairly decent blender is the most important appliance to have. It's good for smoothies and soups, and if you get one with a grinder attachment, you can make yummy spreads and dips as well.

    The cheapest way for me to eat is to make bananas and locally grown greens my staples and supplement with seasonal fruit. (I do also buy raw nuts from the internet, and that can get a bit pricey, but I think it's a good investment in health. Also olive oil- expensive but I feel, important.) I haven't had really good luck with sprouting grains, but I think that would make a good addition- I just haven't found the right grain for sprouting for me yet. I highly recommend sprouted lentils and mung beans- both yummy and full of protien, and super easy to sprout.

    I don't have kids, but I read one post about leading by example and having plenty of fresh produce around, cut up or in a user friendly form, and make it available, without any high pressure. Sort let them sneak into your fruit stash, if you know what I mean. Also offering 2 or 3 healthy choices, so they have a sense of control over what they're eating, but actually you have the control because all the choices are healthy.

    Well, hope that helps.

    wishing you the best,

    -osoniye

  • WinonaWinona Raw Newbie

    Here's a sample shopping list:

    http://2juicy.blogspot.com/2008/12/shopping-list.html

    Find your favorite dressing and eat greens. I eat 2 lb organic greens a day, and my body feels best when I do that. Enjoy!

  • Thank you so much for these sites! I am relatively new to Raw and I have been reading about it for a few months now. I checked them out, and these sites are great additions to give me the confidence and support I need to start living raw. With a house full of meat-and-potato eaters, I have my work cut out for me. Thanks again!!

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