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I just wanted to share a bit of my story for anyone who is having trouble staying raw (or incorporating more raw into his/her diet).
I have been reading about raw for at least six years and have tried maybe 50 times to "go raw". Usually my stints would last a day or two, maybe three. I had a green smoothie here or there, but maybe only two or three times during all of my previous attempts.
I had read a lot about green smoothies and how great they make people feel and how they help prevent cravings. So this time (I think it was on the morning of day three) I started incorporating green smoothies in my diet. I drink about a blender full a day (six cups), half in the morning and half in the afternoon. I make my smoothie when I get home in the evening and put it in two thermoses for work the next day (I'm not a morning person, so having it ready makes a great difference).
The difference is astounding. I hardly crave cooked food (in fact I've been craving more greens), I am not very hungry in the evenings (I graze on veggies, fruit, nuts, crackers all day), my skin has become a lot softer, I'm more energetic, and have a higher sense of well-being - and it's only been a week raw tomorrow!
There are a lot of websites and forums that talk about green smoothies. I highly recommend drinking one in the morning - it's made a difference in my life!
Comments
I am starting to go raw and I miss the "solid" kind of food. I've made fruit smoothies but would love to hear some green combos that others have enjoyed...particularly savory kinds of green smoothies! Thanks!
Right now I am sipping on a green smoothie made from three pears, bunch of kale and about 5 mint leaves and water. I like it alot.
Sunrise, i'm glad you started this thread. As a long-time vegetarian, having smoothies for breakfast and lunch are what finally cut the cravings for me as well. i am not a morning person either and usually pack my personal blender and fruit bag in the morning so that i can make smoothies at work. Do you always use just leafy greens or do you ever add fruit? Sometimes i juice the greens and then add it to the fruit and blend. What is your method? Are you blending the greens and drinking the pulp? Or are you straining with a cheese cloth?
Hi Readingatwork,
I am glad the green smoothies work for you! I always use leafy greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc.) and fruit (mangoes, pineapple, blueberries, etc). I use only one type of green at a time (I think it tastes better) and one, maybe two types of fruit.
My blender isn't top notch (saving for a Vitamix for when the one that I have breaks) so I make sure to blend the fruit first with water. And then I add my greens and blend. I never strain, because I want as much fiber as possible :)
When I use greens with thick stems though, I onlu use the leafy part at the moment because my blender wouldn't break it down enough to be palatable.
When I jumped right into 100% raw back in early 2007, the biggest thing that helped make that successful for me were green smoothies.
I have also used green smoothies as a fasting transition food going into a juice fast and found it very easy to start and come out of my very first juice fast thanks in part to green smoothies easing the transition to/from bulky foods.
Hi Zemphira,
Do you think it could be the opposote - that maybe you aren't adding enough greens? I know everyone is different but I think it is the greens that are helping me with the cravings - they make me crave more greens..
Thanks for the info Sunrise. That helps a lot! i am more about fruit and not so much about veggies. i need to get better about that. I don't know if it's the season, but i'm having a hard time finding ORGANIC variety, even at Whole Foods. i'll have to post and see if anyone else is also. Joannabanana, i love using coconut water as a base with anything.