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First Day :)

Well, I started my first day for raw food :) Right now the intention is to go for a month, but if it works out for me, it may end up longer term, we'll see :)

Any tips, suggestions, etc are appreciated! Note that I do not have a dehydrator, nor the money to get one :)

I'm interested in hearing what you (more experienced) rawists eat on a day to day basis... to get a better idea of where I should be at. :)

my main goal through the raw diet, I suppose would be to have a happier digestive system since I have lots of problems with that.

anyway thanks in advance!

Comments

  • there's a what you ate today thread here: http://goneraw.com/forum/what-you-ate-today - i like to read that for ideas (i'm new and on and off)

  • AVLAVL Raw Newbie

    My first suggestion is to gradually transition into the raw lifestyle. I mean you can go cold turkey if you want, but from experience I find it easier to slowly get into it rather than dramatically change my eating style. When I tried to go cold turkey I lasted 3 or 4 days before binging on cooked food, because I was craving it a lot of breads and other starched. I've been following the raw diet for 6 months and I'm still in transition. I'm probably eating 90% raw, but would like to eventually eat 100% raw. I just find it hard to give up some foods that I still enjoy from time to time.

    Try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can. The more you eat, the less room you'll have for cooked or non vegan foods.

    Or another suggestion is to find raw versions of your favorite foods, so you don't feel deprived. Is there a health food store where you live? If so, you can get Essene bread (Which is sprouted raw bread), raw crackers, raw cookies, etc. They taste pretty good, but they can be expensive. But I would say, if you want to eat 100% and not feel deprived when beginning the process, include some of these foods and maybe try some of the recipes on this website. You don't need a dehydrator for most of these recipes and are not too compicated to make.

    Here is a sample of what during the day:

    Breakfast: 1/2 cantaloupe, 1/2 honeydew, 1/4 watermelon (medium-sized)

    Snack: 2 apples

    Lunch: 2lbs grapes

    Snack: 2 apples or crackers & hummus (not raw)

    Dinner: Salad: spinach, kale, 1 tomato, 1 zucchini, 1/2 cucumber, 1 red pepper, parsley, green onion, mushrooms, with lemon/lime juice and Bragg's soy seasonning

    Snack (if I'm hungry): small bowl of fruit

    *I also exercise 1.5-2 hours a day, so you may need to eat less or more depending on your activity less or your hunger.

    I found that when I started eating raw I was ALWAYS hungry, like fruits and vegetables never filled me up. After maybe a month or so, my body got used to eating less processed foods and animal protein. I transitioned to eating more tofu and edamame beans to give me that extra "fullness" feeling. After about 1.5 month I didn't need the soy protein anymore and fruits and vegetables were enough to fill me up. Don't be afraid of eat a lot, remember fruits are meals now not just snacks, so you need a lot more than just an apple or a banana. Some people eat like 7 bananas or 8 oranges as a meal.

    I also had a lot of digestive problems before going raw, I can't have gluten or dairy, and would have lots of gas & bloating and "bathroom problems". Since going raw, especially monomealing (eating only 1 type pf food at a time), my digestion has become much better.

    I hope that you will find this useful. Don't hesitate to ask any other questions you may have. Keep us updated on your progress :)

    Good luck and enjoy the freshness of fruits & vegetables!

  • GlitterGirlGlitterGirl Raw Newbie

    I'm not 100% raw but I like to eat lots and lots of greens! They're easy and can be filling. Plain fruit is easy but a bit sugary to have all the time in my opinion. I'm also lucky enough to live in an area that sells raw flax crackers and stuff like that - although, they're usually pricy but worth it if you don't have a dehydrator ; )

  • Wow thanks so much for all the info! Well I won't be going completely 100% raw, because I "need" to have my morning coffee, and I'm also going to keep fortified soymilk as an option for extra boost in vitamins. I don't think I'll ever give up the coffee :P

    Your dinner salad sounds delicious and I think I'm going to make one just like it :)

    Luckily I don't have to worry about missing non-vegan foods, because I was already vegan. So that's one thing I have under my belt.

    I also have digestive issues which is the main reason I'm doing this. I got through one day of raw (with the exception of coffee and a bit of almond milk) and I already felt SO much better yesterday, digestively speaking :P

    Anyway, thanks again I appreciate all the advice :) :)

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    Hi Tweedle,

    I would say start slow and see how you go. Don't let yourself get too overwhelmed by it all.

    I had to eat loads when I first went raw and was eating every few hours. Sometimes I eat quite simply and just have fruit and salads, other times I prefer more hearty dishes and go for veggies/hummus, nut/seed pates, crackers and pseudo grain based dishes. I will go for a few weeks eating the same kind of food, then move onto other things to stop myself getting bored.

    Always keep plenty of snacks on hand so you aren't tempting to eat bad stuff. Smoothies are amazing and a green smoothie in the morning is perfect way to start the day. Try to find a few good recipes you like and slowly build a base of tasty meals you really enjoy. I found the below recipes great when I first started:

    *Cheese with Spring Onions (http://goneraw.com/recipe/cheese-spring-onions)

    *Sun-dried Tomato Pate (http://goneraw.com/recipe/sun-dried-tomato-pate)

    I always had a batch of these in my fridge and had on top of salads, in wraps, on crackers, etc. Very tasty and filling. also

    Alfredo Zucchini with Peas & Peppers (http://goneraw.com/node/8160)

    Great for dinner one evening.

    Delicious Dessert (http://goneraw.com/recipe/delicious-dessert)

    Banana whip is the perfect treat for when you want dessert. So many variations of this to try.

    Hope this helps! Good luck on your raw journey.

  • Hi,

    Thanks for the advice. Personally, I don't really seem to have an issue with feeling hungry all the time... I actually ate quite a bit of my foods raw already, and my diet was fruit and veggie based to begin with, so that hasn't posed an issue yet.

    I've also found that drinking some Kombucha, tends to quell some hunger anyhow.

    However, I have been making sure to incorporate "heavier" foods like some raw cracker chips (Go Raw's Spicy Flax Snax---WOW!) and some dips and spreads for my veggies... so I think that helps. The dips and spreads (my local food store has tons of raw cashew spreads and what not) are sooo tasty and decadent I forget that they're raw!

    Thank you for the recipes too! They all sound delicious; I'll start out with the easier recipes (like the first ones you listed) and work my way down... I'm not quite sure yet, where I can go for all the ingredients I need for things, I've got to do a bit of looking around.

    I noticed that Nutritional Yeast is in one of the recipes... I wasn't aware that was raw...is it? I am a Nutritional Yeast addict, so that would be great news :D

  • Also, what could I use in place of honey, for some of these recipes? I won't eat honey...

  • sv3sv3 Raw Newbie

    You're right, nutritional yeast isn't raw but I'm not 100% so I don't worry about it personally. You could use argave in place of honey, but this can be hard (or impossible, depending on your beliefs) to get raw. Some people don't like to use argave so date paste is a good option instead.

  • Thank you for the info! Where do you usually find raw agave nectar, anyway?

    I bet it's expensive, isn't it?

    Also, are raisins raw, or do you have to get them specially raw?

  • Dates are a good substitute for honey. So is yacon in certain recipes, but that is more difficult to come by. As far as "fortified" soy milk goes, I would encourage you to stay away from that. The isolated vitamins in those types of beverages are impossible for the body to absorb and use, so you're really getting no benefit from it. If you think you'll have a hard time getting your necessary vitamins from food, it would be good to invest in a "raw" vitamin. I used to use vitamin code multivitamins, which contain whole vitamins from foods in a concentrated state. They made me feel great : ).

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    Hi!

    First yay on wanting to make postive lifestyle changes, going raw as you know if one of the best things you can do for your body! :)

    Usually I start off my day with a green smoothie, a couple bananas and a apple or two.

    For lunch its usually lots of fruit, or a lara bar and a salad.

    Afternoon snack is usually a smoothie - so i can take it to go!

    Dinner is always or usually a huge jass salad.

    As for your question about raisins, I do believe that there are truley raw raisins but they are a bit pricey. If you have a dehydrator you can always make your own. I actually do eat raisins, I buy them organic and I feel good about including them in my diet even though they arent 100%.

    Hope your doing well!

    http://lilearthmuffin.wordpress.com/

  • Thanks so much to everyone! It is now my 5th day, I believe... and it's going so well! Although I do get some cravings, I feel SO good so it has been easy to get myself through them. Usually I crave sweeter things and peanut butter, so raw bars (Larabar and Pure) and raisins have been helpful for that. The only thing about my diet that hasn't been raw is my one cup of coffee in the morning, so not too shabby :)

    My tummy feels happy and it's not all bloaty and distended the way it usually was eating processed/cooked foods.

    I've been looking around at the stores around me to seek out where some helpful raw products are located, and surprisingly I've found so many! This local foods store by me is a lifesaver.

    and alexa, I have managed to stay away from the soymilk. I'm going to try to make my very own raw almond milk this coming week though :D

    can't wait !

  • I just wanted to update to say I just tried some raw blue agave for the first time...holy moly! I'm in love... better than 'real' sugar!

  • and another question... if you freeze something, does it lose it's *raw* quality? I've been freezing cashew spreads and what not to keep them longer.

    and what about pickles?

  • KittyKitty Raw Newbie

    Tweedle, i have read many raw books that recommend freezing certain things to preserve them. I actually just made a HUGE pan of raw power bars and I think i am going to try to freeze them too. And as for pickles...ahh i love pickles. But technically they are not raw, just like jarred olives, etc. But if you really want one, i wouldn't stress over a pickle :)

  • KittyKitty Raw Newbie

    Btw, Im so glad you mentioned the blue agave..i have seen it in the stores and want to buy it but had no idea what it tasted like or what the heck it was compared to regular agave!

  • Hi Kitty :)

    Thanks for the info about freezing!! That will help out lots in terms of grocery bill if I can freeze stuff so that it doesn't go bad before I can eat it.

    I was just curious about the pickles... I honestly don't know a thing about what goes into the pickling process.

    I've never had regular agave, so I am not sure if blue agave is a lot different, but either way the stuff is darn good! it made me want to just keep licking my lips it was so tasty! :)

  • As I understand it, freezing is fine for preserving things, but it does slow down much of the enzyme activity. Better than wasting food though, so I say go for it if you need to.

  • Cool :)

    I did decide to incorporate a small glass of soymilk, and a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast into my diet everyday from now on, because I have been keeping track of my intake of vitamins on fitday.com and I haven't been getting anywhere near enough. that should help boost it a bit.

    I know a lot of people on here eat SO much raw food all day to get all their nutrients but I simply cannot eat a lot of food like that... I just start to gag after awhile.

    I wonder if the soymilk will agitate my tummy; we'll find out!

  • LilEarthMuffinLilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

    Tweedle I include a glass or two of soymilk in my diet too, along with a piece of sprouted grain bread or something. Just to make sure i get my vitamins. Your spot on in doing what is best for your body :)

     

  • Yeah, I've been doing fortified almond milk rather than soymilk, because my tummy just feels more at ease on the almond milk. and nutritional yeast is something I have been adding to many salads to get a kick of B-vitamins.

    Tomorrow marks two weeks for me. :D

    I feel great :)

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