Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Pls could someone give me some introductory tips on how to get started on raw food 100% - I am clueless despite reading many books and web pages, which have given me conflicting information. I am 27, female and overweight. I am hoping to cleanse, lose weight and more importantly turn back my metabolic age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hi Michelle, I thank you for your enthusiasm. I am no qualified expert and I can only tell you about my experiences. I went raw for a lot of reasons, and under a lot of differing conflicting ideas as well. I decided to listen to myself and simply try things. What came to mind was that what is most " natural " is best. That meant for me eating lots of salads (I try to acquire all greens organically) and fruits (organic is just too expensive for me at this moment) and not so much on the nuts and seeds. To get protein I went the route of acquiring hemp seeds. While not completely natural, I enjoy using hemp protein powder in smoothies. Hey, if humankind is going to use some tools, might as well make an all natural treat as opposed to twinkies for instance. If you are after the cleansing as I was, the organic salads with dressing made of unprocessed ingredients (only used cold pressed oils, sea salts and natural undistilled vinegar) did the trick. I ate a lot of these with fruits interspersed in between meals of salads. For the first month, I ate almost exclusively whole unprocessed foods like this. I personally can attest to losing 40 pounds in this first month. These weren't fat pounds but pounds stuck in my belly that was other than fat, and the waist line shrunk like crazy, and I started to feel vibrant, happy, energetic and youthful again. Lately I'm not as strict as I used to be, but that's a very long story. Blessings for your endeavors and may you find exactly what makes you happy. Peace, Bobby rawfood , " Michelle Smith " <michellesmith0 wrote: > > Pls could someone give me some introductory tips on how to get started on > raw food 100% - I am clueless despite reading many books and web pages, > which have given me conflicting information. > > > > I am 27, female and overweight. I am hoping to cleanse, lose weight and > more importantly turn back my metabolic age. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Bobby that is SO SO cool! So run me through a typical day - from back in your strict days! I am SO EXCITED about my new lifestyle - I feel so great! _____ rawfood [rawfood ] On Behalf Of bobby_ya333 10 April 2007 20:57 rawfood [Raw Food] Re: Getting Started Hi Michelle, I thank you for your enthusiasm. I am no qualified expert and I can only tell you about my experiences. I went raw for a lot of reasons, and under a lot of differing conflicting ideas as well. I decided to listen to myself and simply try things. What came to mind was that what is most " natural " is best. That meant for me eating lots of salads (I try to acquire all greens organically) and fruits (organic is just too expensive for me at this moment) and not so much on the nuts and seeds. To get protein I went the route of acquiring hemp seeds. While not completely natural, I enjoy using hemp protein powder in smoothies. Hey, if humankind is going to use some tools, might as well make an all natural treat as opposed to twinkies for instance. If you are after the cleansing as I was, the organic salads with dressing made of unprocessed ingredients (only used cold pressed oils, sea salts and natural undistilled vinegar) did the trick. I ate a lot of these with fruits interspersed in between meals of salads. For the first month, I ate almost exclusively whole unprocessed foods like this. I personally can attest to losing 40 pounds in this first month. These weren't fat pounds but pounds stuck in my belly that was other than fat, and the waist line shrunk like crazy, and I started to feel vibrant, happy, energetic and youthful again. Lately I'm not as strict as I used to be, but that's a very long story. Blessings for your endeavors and may you find exactly what makes you happy. Peace, Bobby rawfood@ <rawfood%40> .com, " Michelle Smith " <michellesmith0 wrote: > > Pls could someone give me some introductory tips on how to get started on > raw food 100% - I am clueless despite reading many books and web pages, > which have given me conflicting information. > > > > I am 27, female and overweight. I am hoping to cleanse, lose weight and > more importantly turn back my metabolic age. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Michelle =). Thank you so much for asking. It's been 7months of raw since I started (with some hiccups after month 6) and I am honored to tell you about my typical day in the beginning. In the morning I would wake up and eat a banana and a pear, at this time it was still organic fruit and the pears being in season were around $2.00 a pound and banana's at $.79/lb, so not too bad. Then I'd go off and do some work until lunch time where I'd make a huge salad. As much of this as I wanted so I felt like I didn't need to eat anymore, but not enough where I would feel full, like bursting, just to the point of satisfaction. In it I would use Organic baby spinach and an organic herb salad mix in combination from earthbound organics. I cut up onions, garlic, tomato and cucumber typically. Usually I'd use about a clove or two of garlic chopped finely, and raw. As for onions and tomatoes, a lot of them. But of course I'd balance it with just as much if not a lot more greens. It was the end of the season and I had my own garden so I was using my own tomatoes. There's something about homegrown food that is just tasty tasty tasty, maybe its because they were completely vine ripened and happy? For the dressing I'd drizzle a bit of olive oil that was organic and cold pressed ($$$ yikes, but it didn't take much) and some brown rice vinegar and then a bit of ground pepper from a pepper mill and celtic grey sea salt also from a salt mill. I like spicy stuff so I added some ground red pepper from time to time then when I got fancy, I'd chop up some actual peppers like jalepeno or serranos, those I like a lot. I'd mix it all up and chow down knowing that it was going to go down and scrub me out. Later I was to find out making salad dressing ahead of time in a bottle to then shake it up before you put it in salad tastes better and is less messy. I was such a newbie to eating these kinds of foods and I had to learn the hard way about a lot of things. I personally believe that gratitude for what you eat is an important part of the meal. Also paying attention to how the food makes you feel during the meal and after can help you to really see how it affects you which increases the faith in what you're eating because you associate with your food whatever feeling it is internally creating. After the first month and a half of doing so well, I decided I was going to eat a pizza. I made it myself with mostly organic ingredients and I discovered I could not eat more than a peice! I used the conscious mind paying attention to my feelings carefully over time, known as presence of mind and it made me feel so drained and tired and sleepy, though it was quite tasty. Then I felt kind of heavy. So, I knew then and there what I was doing with raw food was having a significant effect on me. It felt like all of everything that I was perceiving was brighter and sharper and more integral to that ineffable essence inside which I call " me " . Oh, I got a little side tracked, back to the typical day on my diet executed strictly: For dinner typically I ate guacamole on celery. Sometimes raw almond butter on celery. But usually, but not every day (on off days, more salad!), guacamole I made with lemon juice, garlic, onion, cilantro and serrano and tomato with sea salt and ground black pepper. I put these also on romaine hearts or sometimes just ate the guacamole straight up. What can I say, I just pretended it was my new ice cream. I would eat another salad around this dinner time. And after a few hours in the evening, I might have a pear or grapefruit if I felt hungry again, but I found it was hard to sleep because the fruit was giving me so much energy. After that I'd leave my body until the next time in the morning. There wasn't much variance in what I ate. Pretty much the same things over and over again. One thing I did notice after about the first week or two, was that no longer did I have hunger pains or a sense of hunger like I used to. Sure my mind wandered all the time to many cravings but even those reduced over time (still working on fading them away completely). Sometimes I would forget to eat, especially if I got busy, and felt like I just was okay. I did do a bit of fasting at first, just for a day or two at a time, but that's only because I felt fine. When my body got really hungry then I would eat and I feel personally this helped in assisting in the cleaning being that I was pooping way more than I was eating. I hope this information was helpful to you. Be well and Blessings for your new found way of life! Enter in joy, happiness, gratitude and begone sadness, pity and strife! Yay raw vegan foods! Sincerely, Bobby Michelle Smith <michellesmith0 wrote: Bobby that is SO SO cool! So run me through a typical day - from back in your strict days! I am SO EXCITED about my new lifestyle - I feel so great! It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Toolbar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hi Michelle, I understand how you feel! There is a lot of differing ideas about the ideal way to eat. But, you don't have to go there... Keep it simple. Here's what I keep on hand when I'm eating 100% raw- -of course it can depend on the season. I am limited by my budget and the length of the growing season in Northern Illinois. I like to eat local and I am a bit nervous about the environmental and social impact of eating tropical fruits. That said, here's my list: Bananas Frozen berries and cherries Oranges Apples Mangos Melons Pineapple Lots of salad greens, the darker green the better Flaxmeal or hempseed, sunflower seeds, and unhulled sesame seeds Broccoli and cauliflower Cucumbers Red and yellow peppers Lemons (for juicing over my salad) Dried fruit such as raisins, prunes, dates (limited!) Raw nuts (limited!) The occasional avocado or specialty fruit (I LOVE papaya and pomegranate) I also sprout some green seeds, beans, and grains. I have found that soaking nuts makes them more digestible. But I would say that these are kinda advanced techniques and not necessary for a beginner. I think the problem that most people run into in the beginning is not eating enough! They don't realize how few calories are in fruits and veggies. And then they say, " Gee, I just must be one of those people who NEEDS meat (or insert whatever their desired food is) " What they really NEED is enough calories to sustain their body. The other side of that coin is people who overeat dried fruit and nuts and other calorie concentrated foods. It is easy to get way too many calories there, so beware of that, too. If you are trying to reduce your weight, you might also want to be cautious with the smoothies. When you blend your food, you don't have to chew it. Chewing signals the brain that you are eating and thus increases satiety. It is easy to overdo the smoothies. The way I think of it... Eat the food in the closest state to natural as possible. How would the food occur in nature? That way is probably the ideal. Marjorie rawfood , " Michelle Smith " <michellesmith0 wrote: > > Pls could someone give me some introductory tips on how to get started on > raw food 100% - I am clueless despite reading many books and web pages, > which have given me conflicting information. > > > > I am 27, female and overweight. I am hoping to cleanse, lose weight and > more importantly turn back my metabolic age. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Michelle, I'm sure it _would_ be easy to overdo on smoothies if they were fruit alone. However, I usually drink a half gallon of green smoothies per day. It isn't easy to get enough calories from greens otherwise and that's where my minerals come from. Eating food as close as possible to its state in nature would be ideal if I were able to get out there and pick/harvest it fresh. As it is, though, I have to buy most, if not all, of it in stores and, by the time I get it home and eat it, the nutrition has degraded. The result is, I need to eat more to get the same nutrition level. That's when green smoothies come in handy to insure that. And they aren't " fast " raw food. I try to take as long to drink a green smoothie as I would take if I ate the contents in their natural state. It _can_ be confusing trying to sort out all the different ways to eat raw. Stick with high fruit (and you'd be surprised how many " veggies " are actually classed as fruit)/low fat from nuts, seeds, and avocados and you'll shed those pounds and improve your health. Leave off the " raw " olives and oils. They aren't necessary for good nutrition. Tender greens are essential. Eat lots of them however you decide to do it. Good luck and all blessings! Tommie http://reallyrawfood.com http://reallyrawfood.com/forum Marjorie wrote: It is easy to overdo the smoothies. The way I think of it... Eat the food in the closest state to natural as possible. How would the food occur in nature? That way is probably the ideal. There is no key to happiness ~ the door is always open. - Anonymous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 12, 2007 Report Share Posted April 12, 2007 Hi Tommy, Can you give me a recipe for green juices? I have tried making my own and they are VILE lol _____ rawfood [rawfood ] On Behalf Of Tommie 12 April 2007 12:12 rawfood [Raw Food] Re: Getting Started Michelle, I'm sure it _would_ be easy to overdo on smoothies if they were fruit alone. However, I usually drink a half gallon of green smoothies per day. It isn't easy to get enough calories from greens otherwise and that's where my minerals come from. Eating food as close as possible to its state in nature would be ideal if I were able to get out there and pick/harvest it fresh. As it is, though, I have to buy most, if not all, of it in stores and, by the time I get it home and eat it, the nutrition has degraded. The result is, I need to eat more to get the same nutrition level. That's when green smoothies come in handy to insure that. And they aren't " fast " raw food. I try to take as long to drink a green smoothie as I would take if I ate the contents in their natural state. It _can_ be confusing trying to sort out all the different ways to eat raw. Stick with high fruit (and you'd be surprised how many " veggies " are actually classed as fruit)/low fat from nuts, seeds, and avocados and you'll shed those pounds and improve your health. Leave off the " raw " olives and oils. They aren't necessary for good nutrition. Tender greens are essential. Eat lots of them however you decide to do it. Good luck and all blessings! Tommie http://reallyrawfoo <http://reallyrawfood.com> d.com http://reallyrawfoo <http://reallyrawfood.com/forum> d.com/forum Marjorie wrote: It is easy to overdo the smoothies. The way I think of it... Eat the food in the closest state to natural as possible. How would the food occur in nature? That way is probably the ideal. There is no key to happiness ~ the door is always open. - Anonymous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2007 Report Share Posted April 13, 2007 Hi, Michelle! First of all, I don't juice greens, I blend them. Usually with fruit, often as a savory soup. If you go here>> http://reallyrawfood com/forum/index.php?board=5.0 you will find recipes for a variety of smoothies and soups. They aren't all optimal but you'll find some good ideas that you can build on. My mainstay is bananas and greens--whatever kind of tender greens I have on hand. There are people who can do kale and collards in smoothies but I'm not there yet. Good luck! Tommie http://reallyrawfood.com http://reallyrawfood.com/forum Michelle wrote: Can you give me a recipe for green juices? I have tried making my own and they are VILE lol There is no key to happiness ~ the door is always open. - Anonymous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 Michelle, I should have " shrunk " the address so it would come through correctly. Here it is again: http://tinyurl.com/27xhm4 with the hope that it will come through right! Tommie http://reallyrawfood.com http://reallyrawfood.com/forum Re: Getting Started Posted by: " Tommie " jerushy jerushy1944 Fri Apr 13, 2007 4:59 am (PST) Hi, Michelle! First of all, I don't juice greens, I blend them. Usually with fruit, often as a savory soup. If you go here>> http://reallyrawfood com/forum/index.php?board=5.0 you will find recipes for a variety of smoothies and soups. They aren't all optimal but you'll find some good ideas that you can build on. My mainstay is bananas and greens--whatever kind of tender greens I have on hand. There are people who can do kale and collards in smoothies but I'm not there yet. Good luck! Tommie http://reallyrawfood.com http://reallyrawfood.com/forum Michelle wrote: Can you give me a recipe for green juices? I have tried making my own and they are VILE lol There is no key to happiness ~ the door is always open. - Anonymous There is no key to happiness ~ the door is always open. - Anonymous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.