Transitioning to Raw

March 25, 2004

Triciegirl,

you have forgotten to give us your name. You must understand that you are what you think your. What you need to know is that you are a child of God and you can do all things. Just start eating as much fruits, and vegetables as you can. The rest will follow.

Start by eating fruit for breakfast and greens for lunch. Keep fruit handy for snacks. Buy a few nuts if you like. Drink water. you will be amazed at how easy it is. In time you can purchase all the equipment. You certainly don't have to start out with buying anything but the food. Also remember there are only two living things that eat rotten flesh; humans and maggots. So keep that in mind the next time you saddle up to some meat.

You are Rich and Powerful "Visualize"

Love Lynda

March 25, 2004

Hello I been a member of this group for about two weeks, and so far I

have been just looking through the resources and looking at the

posts. I currently am in transition to becoming totally Raw. I stop

eating red meat when I was 17, but I still eat chicken and fish which

I am in the process of stoping. In the past I was a vegetarian(no

meat of any kind, but I ate dairy and eggs) for 11 months. I have

also tried being vegan (but not raw) for 3 months. The bottom line

is I have always gone back to chicken, fish, and dairy in the pass.

I have an added difficulty of being the only aspiring non-meat eater

in my household. The biggest obstacle is that I am poor. I am in

college right now, and work a part-time job making 8.25/hr as my only

source of income. It is very expensive to go Raw. I bought Julianno

book and it suggested getting a food dehydrator, a good juicer, and

many of the recipies have alot of ingrediants. Plus organic

vegetables are very expensive and they don't keep well. I know it

sounds like I am making excuses, but I am really poor!

Now all that said, I still attend to accomplish this goal. I was

wondering if anybody on the board could give any advise on cutting

cost, preparing meals, or any other helpful info.

What is the best Juicer?

what is the best dehydrayor?

What do you use in your kitchen when preparing food?

What is a " Must Have " and what can I skip or work around having?

March 26, 2004

Starting out raw can be very confusing, so many people and books tell

you so many different things. You truly have to experiment and find what

works for your body. We all have different body types, different blood

types and different levels of hormones running through our bodies. To

say what is right for one person may not necessarily be right for

another. That is why, I think, you will find conflicting information

about what to eat within the raw food community. People truly have

different reactions to each type of food. People truly want others to

experience their success so they spread the word. Others try it and it

doesn't work for them, but something else does, so they spread that

word. I think the key to it all is quite simple, eat it the way it is

found in nature and find what works for your body by listening to your

body.

I have been on and off raw for almost a year now and I don't own a

dehydrator or any other expensive juicers/blenders. A lot of the

recipes and high dollar kitchen items are not necessary. They could be

seen as a luxury ~very nice to have if you use them, but not a

necessity. Many people only use them for a transition time, and others

rely on them to prevent boredom or to make delicious meals for their

cooked food friends who like to try raw dishes. (Like your family

members who aren't yet interested in going raw or excluding meat....they

may enjoy the recipes in books and the prepared meals). But to go raw,

you really don't NEED anything to prepare with....just eat fresh

fruits/veggies and occasional nuts/seeds if you can. Nothing is

easier (or cheaper) than a banana...though you will find some

experienced raw food eaters swear by them and eat any where from 5-15 a

day while others think they are so hybrid that they are no longer food

and don't eat any at all...that's what I mean by conflicting

information, and you have to see what works for you. But I think,

excluding an initial transition period, many raw food people don't

prepare elaborate meals and follow fancy recipes for many of their

meals. Many seem to eat fresh fruit and vegetables as they come.

Also, don't let the recipes scare you with all those ingredients.

You'll be surprised how delicious simple combinations are. You don't

have to follow any recipe to the T to have it come out tasty and

nutritious.

Once you have been eating raw for a while (not too terribly

long....couple of days to a week), you will taste the flavor of food

which you have never tasted before because your body was so used to

cooked/processed foods that you missed the true flavor of the original

food. I have personally found a very difficult " 3 day hump " to get

over when starting raw. It seems like the hardest part is in the

beginning, then it becomes easier, more natural. I really have to talk

myself through the first 3 days, each day getting progressively easier.

Then once I'm into it, I wonder why I ever ate cooked food before and

surely won't do it again. I get so confident that I allow a slip and

then away I go! Back to cooked and feeling lousy. When I do eat cooked

food for what ever reason, I can FEEL such a difference. I FEEL what

they say about the mucous building up, the sinuses draining, lack of

energy to digest, etc....if anything, this year of YO-YO /on and off raw

has convinced me that raw is really right for our bodies, and cooked

food really taxes our system. I don't know that I would feel this

strongly about the detrimental effects of cooked food had I not lived

raw to cooked so many times with such drastic differences in everything

from energy, mood, and total feeling of well being. I wish you the best

of luck on your venture. I truly find peace when I'm on the raw path.

FYI ~ I juice with a regular old kitchen blender. I would love to buy a

nice juicer and champion blender, and maybe one day I will, but like

you, the expense is hard to justify right now. I have found green juices

energizing and refreshing. I'm sure with a better way to extract the

juice from the vegetable I'd be getting more nutrition, but for now, a

blender is fine. I blend it with water then strain it through a nylon!

You can buy $8 straining cloths on line at many raw food web sites or a

pack of 6 nylons for $1.49. (Though I wonder sometimes if I'm ingesting

nylon fibers, not that I taste it, just a wonder??? Anyone know?)

You can always plant a garden for low budget meals. A home garden can

be your best source of chemical free nutrition especially if you aren't

buying organic. (organic is definitely recommended over regular

produce!) Use the left over compose from your juice (what you strained

out of the blender) to fertilize your soil, the earth worms are suppose

to love that and keep your soil very fertile/clean and full of minerals.

See if a neighbor would be interested in starting a garden, too. Then

you can swap fruit and vegetables when they are in!

My down falls have been, #1 my house hold. Like you I am the only one

going raw which means other food is available in the house. I prepare

other food for my husband and our friends, etc.... #2 Running out of raw

food in a house with other food available in the house

, that's a big one!! Keep your house stocked on plenty of fresh raw

food!! Some days I eat more than I plan for and run out for the next

day, I really try to get to the store that next day because if I don't,

it will start a snowball slip!! #3 I love ice cream....it wasn't until

this last time that I tried frozen banana ice cream...just frozen

bananas in my plain old ordinary blender with a little water, and now, I

don't miss ice cream at all!

Good luck to you ... don't let any slips turn to stops. You'll be

surprised in a year, if you keep plugging away, how far you actually

come.

BEV

triciegirl [triciegirl]

Thursday, March 25, 2004 6:05 PM