New to all this..........

[Guest guest]

Hi all, we're Mark & Dee in UK,recently found out

about " raw foods " and we're thinking of giving it a

try, mainly for health reasons. Mark has been living

on painkillers for 4 years and has recently managed

to cut right down and feels the need to " clean out "

his body. Dee is in search of a healthier diet for

general wellbeing. The problem is we have 5 kids and feel

it's unfair to try to impose a dramatic change of diet

on them so the family's eating habits will take a

bit of sorting out. Also we're not sure yet what to

eat! as summer is approaching we'll probably eat alot

of salad type stuff and fruit etc with fruit juice

and filtered tap water. any advice, ideas etc

greatfully recieved especially on where to find suitable

food in the UK with out breaking the bank, we do

intend growing some of our own too.

[Guest guest]

Hello Mark and Dee. So glad to hear that you are

" thinking " of giving it a try. That's step one. <br><br>My

suggestion to you is to do your research and identify

several changes you want to make in your diet. Then just

try incorporating them one at a time NOT ALL AT ONCE.

Do it slowly so that it doesn't become overwhelming

to you and your family. <br><br>Some people DO make

drastic changes to their diet all at once and are

successfull at doing so. But many people just can't make such

sweeping changes and stick with it.<br><br>I wouldn't

drink " filtered " tap water. Buy a distiller and make

your own clean water. The Water Wise 9000 Water

Distiller is a good choice.<br><br>Don't just throw raw

food together in a big salad on your own. I mean...

you can do that but in the long run you will do

better to get a good raw food recipe book. You will be

surprised how creative and tasty raw food recipes can be.

My latest recipe book purchase was " The American

Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen " by

Marilyn Diamond. It's a good one. Plenty of good info and

recipes.<br><br>It's going to be tough for you with the 5 kids. I

understand that. My little 2 year old just LOVES his greens

but that is all he has known. He thinks raisins are

" candy " . But your kids have a sweet tooth now. It's going

to be hard to get them to stop eating candy bars and

ice cream. It might seem " unfair " getting them to

change but in the long run it is better that you do it

now. Just do it slowly. Replace those favorite with

other healthier treats... like frozen banana " ice

cream " , carob bars, etc. I thought my wife would NEVER...

I mean NEVER give up ice cream. But she did. She is

to the point now that if she does have some ice

cream she sees what it is doing to her right away and

then becomes more resolved never to have it again. And

that is the way it is. Identify the changes you want

to make and make a few of them over time. Add more

as you get better at it. You may slip here and there

but that's ok. Just pick up the next day and start

again. Over time you will be surprised with how much

your diet and health has improved. You will then WANT

to stay healthy and WANT to avoid all those foods

from your past.<br><br>One final note that you may not

see written. EAT LESS. Overeating is one of the worse

things you can do even if it is with " healthy foods " .

Right now I eat just breakfast and lunch. I don't eat

after 3 pm. That gives my body plenty of time to digest

and eliminate what I ate. That's pretty drastic for

most people but it's working well for me. Perhaps you

want to stop eating by 5pm. But certainly don't eat

after 7pm if you can help it. Better to go to bed

hungry then full.<br><br>Best to you and the family. Let

us know how you are doing with the changes. Nice to

have you join us.<br><br>-OrionsDad

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your advice, Dee has been feeling

alot brighter having been eating uncooked and

unprocessed food for 5 days now. Mark has been weakening and

eating bread and taking painkillers so isn't feeling any

benefit yet. for the moment we aren't going to change the

diet of our kids except to make alot more fresh fruit

available which they all love anyway.<br>The last thing we

wanted to do was to to a diet " fad " , but we've

read up a lot on this subject and it all makes sense

and most important of all it feels right.

[Guest guest]

You are welcome.<br><br>Don't forget to check out the clubs " links " page over

there on the left side of your pc screen. Some of the sites have a ton of good

information for you.<br><br>-OrionsDad

[Guest guest]

Hiya Mark and Dee<br><br>Sorry this reply is

about 6 weeks late - I've been a bit busy! I'm only

replying really because I noticed you're in the UK - which

is where I live, too.<br><br>I think if you're doing

the raw thing by now you'll be starting to see

results, but I just wanted to mention some resources to

you:<br><br>Fresh Network based in the UK

(<a href=http://www.fresh-network.com

target=new>http://www.fresh-network.com</a>) offers support to individuals and

families. They

also sell many books. I'd recommend you phone for a

free enquiry pack on 0870 800 7070. Membership will

entitle you to money off events and you'll also get a

great magazine which has contributions from some

world-class raw food people. You will also see that there are

books specifically geared towards transitioning kids to

raw - it has been done, so don't give up

hope!<br><br>Finally, if you want a more personal view of how the

cooked to raw transition goes, I documented my first 6

months in my day-to-day journal which can be viewed at

<a href=http://www.shazzie.com/raw/journal/'>http://www.shazzie.com/raw/journal/

target=new>http://www.shazzie.com/raw/journal/</a><br><br>I also list my pick of

raw stuff at

<a href=http://www.shazzie.com/raw/

target=new>http://www.shazzie.com/raw/</a><br><br>Hope you're enjoying your

transition - you'll all be

glowing before you know it

;-)<br><br>Love<br><br>Shazzie<br>xxx

[Guest guest]

Hi Shazzie, thanks for the message, I should

mention that I finally got around to getting my own ID

instead of sharing one with Mark....hence the name

change!<br>We haven't had the courage to move the kids over to

a high percentage raw diet, but we've given up

buying crisps and biscuits, instead I just make sure

there are always lots of alternatives about.ie. home

made dips and veggies ready, lots of fresh fruit

(although the kids haven't learned the art of restaint

yet..especially with rasps.,strawbs.,etc.!) there are always some

nuts about...(i'm not refering to the kids honest

lol). I will just add crisps and bikkies were much

cheaper!<br>For the kids I've virtually cut out all meat,

substituing with soya and so on. I honestly don't feel

confident enough to do much more with their diet at the

present moment. I am still finding out new recipies,

sourcing ingredients and gaining confidence dealing with

produce I've never met before.<br>I'd rather hoped I

would have lost more weight by now...too many nut and

dried fruit I think.<br>Once again thanks for the post,

by the way we are in Cornwall, where are

you?<br>love,<br>Dee.

[Guest guest]

Hiya Dee<br><br>I live in Cambridge, so about 5

hours from you! I know of a raw lady in Cornwall - Ruth

- a yoga teacher. Fantastic woman, she

is.<br><br>You sound like you're doing fine with the kiddies.

It's easier to stick to something if you do it slowly

- bit by bit - and that's what they'll find,

too.<br><br>Do try to find a local raw food group so that you

can get the support you deserve - it helps so much

;-)<br><br>Lots of love<br><br>Shazzie<br>xxx