By The Rawtarian

My name is Laura-Jane The Rawtarian, and I first went raw in August 2009 and it changed my life. As a result, I created this website, www.therawtarian.com, to share the easiest, most delicious raw vegan recipes with the word.

Since then I've had the privilege of teaching classes, creating two recipe apps, being interviewed on national radio, being featured in Vegan Life magazine, curating one of the most popular raw vegan recipe websites, hosting The Raw Food Podcast, and speaking at national food blogging conferences across North America--from Miami to Vancouver. It is an honor to spend my days changing the way the world eats, and I am humbled every day by you.

My "before" story

Although I was a long-time vegetarian, my diet was not healthy. I knew it, and my weight fluctuated up and up.

I was often snacking on pizza, chips, and lots of processed fruit juices. I didn't feel good. I was often moody and depressed.

I wasn't much of a cook and the foods that we ate were simple and unhealthy. For example, pasta with pesto sauce--with no salad or veggies. Breakfast was sweetened soy milk with mini wheats or another processed cereal.

I barely bought or ate any unprocessed vegetables.

Every year I gained five more pounds.

In the back of my mind I realized that if this five-pound-a-year-weight-gain continued, by the time I was forty I'd be at least fifty pounds overweight. I looked around. Many women at forty seemed to be fifty pounds overweight, so I accepted that this was the way it would be for me, too.

But enter raw food...

After the first two months of being a 100% raw vegan I had released ten to fifteen pounds. I looked great and I felt even better.

I've found preparing delicious raw foods to be so simple. Inspirationally simple.

Before I began my raw food journey, I was not comfortable in the kitchen. I had absolutely no confidence and no idea how to cook. I just made pasta and sandwiches and ate frozen pizza.

Learning how to prepare raw food has been an amazing and empowering experience for me. I started very rigidly following raw recipes, but after just two months I was creating some of my own recipes. With a limited number of ingredients--fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds--I find that I now understand more about how to combine food. I experiment so much more than I ever did before.

Will I be raw forever? I have no idea. All I can say is that right now I am still excited about the raw food lifestyle and being 100% raw.

Only time will tell where this journey takes me.

The purpose of this website is to inspire others to try and love this amazing lifestyle. Check out my best raw vegan recipes right here and make your first raw recipe.

Comments

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14 votes
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Wow, Ena. Very interesting to read your story. Congratulations to you on your dedicated return to raw.
Answers to your questions:
Inlaws: Husband is not 100% (he never has been 100%) but he continues to enjoy a high-raw lifestyle. In-laws, haven't talked to them lately about it. I think they are both still enthused about it, but they may not be 100%.
I have been 100% raw since August 22, 2009, so that's about 13 to 14 months raw now.
Re: waiting til you're ravenous, you must learn to bring food with you ALL THE TIME!!!! Apples and almonds in your purse at all times please!
Immigration to Canada - This must be an exciting time for you! Is it harder to eat raw in the cold months? It's all relative. I don't find it difficult, although there is less exciting Summer produce in Winter. That being said I don't find it overly difficult. I just make sure to gorge myself on Summer produce during the Summer when food is in season. That way I've had my fill.
Re: being raw in other peoples' homes it is quite awkward, but the most important thing is to let your hosts know that you are raw. Also, try to eat a lot before you go so you can eat simply while there. Also, if you can present yourself as 100% raw (as opposed to 90% raw) then they will be more likely to understand that you cannot make an exception, and that it is not a negative reflection on their food or hospitality.

Warmth,
Laura-Jane

13 votes
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loved this- i am researching raw foodism at the moment, currently a junk food eat whatever i can person, but only because i am fighting to keep on weight, im naturally skinny, any advice for me?? xxxx

12 votes
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Lots of avocados, oils, and nuts along with a nice dose of greens and fruit...

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Hi Laura,

I loved your story. I was searching for Raw food recipes. I'm feeling so happy after finding this site..

Thank you so much...
Farhath

18 votes
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Glad to be spreading the happiness around! :)

16 votes
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Laura-Jane,
Thanks so much for posting. For new raw foodies like me it really helps to find sites like these. Plus the things you post look amazing and I can't wait to try them out. Thanks!

Nae

19 votes
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My pleasure, Nae!

14 votes
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Dear Fran,

Wow, our stories are similar! I started out wanting to go raw for a week, but then I thought, "Hey, I could go longer." And I just keep going and going and going! :) Cooked foods are losing their appeal, for the most part. :)

Ooh, sprouting lentils! I didn't realize that could be done! I've sprouted alfalfa, adzuki, mung and broccoli seeds. I've gotta try lentils. Thanks for the great idea.

Cosmic that you should have stumbled upon the raw poster at random. Good thing for those courses!

Good luck on your journey and I hope to hear back from you again.

Laura-Jane

16 votes
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Laura-Jane,
Love your story. I just started the raw journey this Aug. 31st. It was just to be a 2 week challenge to myself. But as of this date I am raw.
I shed 14 lbs (which was not my goal). I feel wonderful, on the inside!
Lighter, satisfied. Alert.

I stumbled across raw quite by accident myself. I visited a local health food store and found a flyer about a lecture on raw foods. So I went. From there I challenged myself to those 2 weeks. I have no desire to stop raw and look forward to uncooking my foods for lunch and dinner. Venturing into
making raw desserts now and then. Experimenting. I even sprout my own lentils.

My best,
Fran

11 votes
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Hi Chuck,

Thank you for your comment!

I believe that my mother-in-law came to raw foods a bit by accident. I think the story goes that she was in a grocery store which carried a small book by a local writer, Raw Rose.

My mother-in-law leafed through the book and thought, "Yes, this sounds right."

It was the perfect time for my mother-in-law (MIL) to come across such a book. Her energy had been quite low and she was looking to make a change in her life. She went home, read the book from cover to cover, and was totally inspired.

I find it fascinating that I had been a vegetarian for nine years and am a pretty healthful and self-aware person but I had never even HEARD of the raw food diet or raw veganism until my MIL told me what she was doing.

We need to get the word out!

Thanks again for your comment, Chuck.

17 votes
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Congratulations Laura-Jane, and welcome to the wonderful world of raw foods!

I'm curious, how did your in-laws first hear about raw foods, and what convinced them to give it a try? How commendable of them!

Chuck

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