# Raw Mamas...



## *green*faery* (Feb 6, 2005)

HI!
Ok, I'm not looking for a debate ( like I've seen in some other post), I'm looking more for support and to share ideas, recipes, and experiences with each other! My husband and I have experimented with raw, I've read a lot, taken classes for raw food prep and for us it really works. We've both been veggie for a long time and I've never felt better then when we ate all raw(usually lasting 4-6 weeks at a time). We decided to eat all raw in February and after that we will assess and see if we can keep it going.

I'm starting to eat more raw now to make the transition easier. I'm going to start dehydrating some goodies and buy nuts & stuff in bulk. I had my first baby a couple months ago and now am a SAHM









I just ordered a new food processor (my old one broke) can't wait to get it!

So, are there any raw mama's or aspiring raw mamas that want to chat???


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Yes!

Count me in any time for a chat on raw!
I am 100% now for almost 4 months, after about a year and a half of transition. I don't know if I can keep it forever, but right now it's great.


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Planta*
Yes!

I am 100% now for almost 4 months, after about a year and a half of transition.

awesome!









would you tell us the logistics of that transition time? I've been reading lots and having raw days here and there but nothing stable, since early 2005. Any tips? Thanks!


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## Peace~* (Oct 26, 2005)

Hi Mamas,







: i have wanted to go RAW for a long time, just have had so many changes in the last few years, it's been tough to even eat Really well! My Third is on the way and my oldest Just turned Three! So.... i'll come on over here and see if i can get motivated. Might help for after baby comes.







:

Happy New Year!








Peace~*


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Mab,

Thank you for your interest. I am happy to share what I found out - I must say I sweated a lot for it. A few ideas:

1- The biggest factor that leads to failure is the social one. I think that even people that would have it easy otherwise can fail because of the surrounding pressure. It is hard to battle day after day with the world, both at the level of cravings and at other psychological levels (such as the sensation of being the odd one out, not fitting with the rest, etc).
Sometimes I dream of how it would be in a society of at least 50% raw foodists. You go out and you see adverts for gorgeous fruits or raw treats; when you feel like eating a bite you easily find a place selling tons of different juices, smothies, raw treats; when you want an evening out you find a nice cosy restaurant serving gourmet elaborate raw dishes; at the mom/baby gatherings the snacks are delicious slices of fruit or dehydrated raw crackers, etc. Furthermore, you have friends that don't think you're a loony when you explain your diet, but share their latest raw recipe.... Dreams...
It all adds up. At first, the enthusiasm of discovering the raw diet shades everything else, but afterwards you beginn to feel either a lonely soldier, a mad case or the victim of a funny, passing fashion.
I am super-lucky that my husband embraced the raw idea too. Otherwise I'm almost sure I wouldn't be eating raw today. I can't imagine how some people manage to stay raw in a cooked family.
The advice I can think of for this point is to find some friends that are at least somewhat supportive of the diet. If real people are not possible, then the forums on the net become vital.

2- There is no universal best plan for the transition, because we are all adapted differently to the cooked diet.
This became clear for me right from the beginning because dh and I had totally different reactions and preferences when we started. He, a sweet tooth, was very happy to jump straight into eating tons of fruits and felt fantastic, as if a weight had been lifted off him. I couldn't eat much, was unhappy and had many points of really hating everything raw.
The key is simply perseverance and trying lots of tips from the many nice people on the net.
For example, I had problems with eating sweet fruits - it was making me dizzy and sometimes fainty. I read that these could mean some hypoglicemia and a temporary solution was to mix fruits with nuts (even though in general is considered bad). I made delicious smoothies and it helped a lot. Later I discovered that the sluggishness I had could be due to too much fat in the diet. I analysed my diet and I was scared to see it was true. I started to reduce it and at the same time increased the amount of fruits and I started to feel better and better. In several months I managed to conquer the unpleasant sugar-related symptoms and was free to eat anything! Now the problem were the cravings and the hidden idea that 100% is somehow incomplete. I stayed at this stage for about 1 year, eating mainly raw but with some cooked additions (such as cheese on salads, roasted nuts, tortilla chips, some meat, etc). After moving to Belize, out of stress, I started to eat a bit more cooked. Then I realised I wasn't really deeply craving or needing that food, so I decided to try a 30 days raw challenge (an idea from Alissa Cohen). It was great and I decided to continue it to see when the cravings kick back in. Well, so far they haven't! (soon 4 months).
I have the impression that everybody, including the famous raw "gurus", overemphasizes the personal experience. I am sure I would have done the same if it wasn't for my dh that had a different transition experience. The trick is to find, among the people that give advice, the ones that were in a similar metabolic situation with you at the starting point and describe having similar problems. All the others might be well intentioned and knowledgeable, but this field is still young and they might be wrong in your particular case.

3- Even though I believe the transition is an individual journey, I think that the "ideal" human diet is more or less universal. Humans are incredibly adaptable, but there still must be one diet that our physiology is best adapted to.
I'm not very sure of what this is, but I excluded from it: grains, all other plant material unedible raw and large amounts of animal products. I think our physiology is a vegetarian one (fruitarian more precisely), but there isn't any proof that small amounts of animal products aren't needed. At the moment I am vegan because I want to be able to produce or gather all my food, and I simply can't imagine killing and eating raw an animal (I can only imagine picking eggs, but they don't atract me at the moment). If this changes in time maybe I'll consume animal products, raw.
So, at the moment we eat lots of fruits in the morning (simple or smothies, juices), we have a giant salad at lunch or dinner, and fit in some nutty meal during the day.

4- It is essential to eat enough. The total callories should not be under 1500, preferably much higher. All the talk about needing less calories when eating raw, etc, does not apply during transition!
If enough raw food simply can't be eaten, then some cooked should be added (preferably towards the end of the day). Otherwise starvation will lead to severe problems (even for overweight people) and the original purpose will be missed completely ("jumping over the horse").

5- Cooked food will always win if given a chance!
Some long time foodists say that in time cooked becomes less and less attractive. Maybe so, but only if there is a strong mental component. At the instinctual level we'll always prefer cooked, as all the animals do.
I am still very attracted by certain cooked smells and dishes, but I just "know" they are not for me. If I don't see or smell them I don't want them.
Minimizing temptations is vital during transition.
I think huge cravings should be given in to. It can be counterproductive to struggle so much.
One trick is to always eat something raw when hungry and not to get to a very hungry state in the first place, by eating something raw on time.

Wow, I've written so much! I hope I didn't bore you to death!
As you see, I'm happy to answer your questions.


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## CrazyCatLady (Aug 17, 2004)

Thank you for taking the time to write all that out. I want to go raw for at least one or two meals a day. But I have no idea of any good recipes or if I could afford it really (nuts are expensive). Can't afford a cookbook right now, so I'll be snooping around here and other threads. Thanks for the words of wisdom.


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Melaya,

It's true that this diet can be very expensive. But if you think you invest in health...
I don't have any raw cookbook because there are tons of recipes on the net. This link is great:
http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/RawRecipes.htm
Also there are many raw forums with tons of recipes.
Many are very elaborate, but some are simple and delicious. I often think that I would have enjoyed some even before switching to raw.

If you make a rough list of what you are comfortable with buying maybe I can think what you can prepare (it would be a nice exercise for me and maybe new ideas).


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## Mountain Chick (Sep 8, 2004)

Meyala,
You should check your library if you really want an uncookbook to follow. If your library is like mine you should find at least a few books.

Also, there is a huge raw food community in Washington. You should check the internet (google.com), or ask in your local healthfood store.

Here's a link with some raw food restraurant in the Olympia area: http://www.happycow.net/north_americ...ngton/olympia/

You don't have to start your raw journey with nuts. Fruits and vegetables would be a great way to start. Do you like avacados? How about a couple of avacados with olive oil, cayenne pepper, onion & garlic powder, dill & salt. Or your favorite guacamole recipe on Ezekiel Sprouted Bread. Or one of my favorite sandwiches is a vegetable sandwich: hummus, green leaf lettuce, tomatoe, cucumber, bean sprouts, avacado, alfalfa sprouts, and red onion...on Ezekiel Bread, or you could use the lettuce leaves as the "bread" and make them like wraps, or rolls. What are your favorite fruits...or raw veggies...how about eating as much of your favorite one as you want, until you feel full. I do that when watermelon is in season. Sometimes I just want and eat watermelon all day long.

If you are going to eat a combo of cooked and raw, eat the raw first to get the enzymes going. And anytime you eat cooked food it would help your body a great deal if you took a good enzyme supplement.

Just some ideas to get you started. Hope they help.


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

Have any of you checked out RawFoodTalk.com?
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/index.php

They even have an area called Raising Raw Kids that also discusses issues from raw pregnancies to breastfeeding.


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Yes, I like this site a lot. I got some nice recipe ideas from it and I enjoy reading it occasionally.


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## *green*faery* (Feb 6, 2005)

Hi mamas~
My power has been out for a couple days







But it's back on now









mmmm, I had a smoothie for breakfast with young coconut, banana and pear, it was really good!

Planta~ That's so great that your husband is into it too! So is mine! A friend of mine was eating raw, making these elaborate raw dishes, and cooking food for her boyfriend! I don't think I would have the will power or energy to do that! 4 months, that's awesome! You must feel really good!

I am convinced that we can eat this way without spending more. In the past when we have eaten raw we would buy a lot of prepared raw treats that are really expensive, so this time I'm going to try and make everything. Luckily I have a friend that's interested so we are going to trade a raw dish once a week. In the summer we will have a big garden, but right now produce is expensive









This week I'm making something like raw power sticks, like these~
http://www.rawfood.com/cgi-bin/order...Food_Items&tc=

They are pretty easy to make, I bought raw nori direct from~
http://www.seaveg.com/sushi_nori_raw.html

Then you just make any kind of nut pate, roll it in thin strips in the nori and dehydrate it.

It's nice to have stuff like that around, so if you haven't really planned ahead or want a snack on the go you can grab those and some fruit and your good







Especially for my husband, he works 10-12hr a day, so these are good in-between snacks, just make sure to drink lots of water with the dehydrated stuff









This company has good prices on raw nuts and fruit~
www.glaserorganicfarms.com

Babys crying, I'll talk to you later~


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## mommaem (Dec 22, 2005)

thanks for all the info mommas! cant wait to incorpurate some things into diet!







:

emily

momma to







:














: 07-23-05








:


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

Great! Finnaly found some raw mamas on this forum. I was raw in September for 3 weeks, but last two I was craving awfully cooked foods, so slowly I went back to cooked, but now after reading Victoria's Boutenko book Green for Life, I am raw for over 6 weeks almost without any cravings! The difference is the amount of deep color greens I consume this time - I make smoothies from mango, banana, pear or apple and greens - kale, dandellion, mustard, spinach, etc. around a bunch a day.
The two days I had cravings were when I did not have a smoothie. On Christmas day I had some weak social cravings, but they are very weak, if your body gets enough nutrients from deep greens.
The other great thing from this is that my sweat doesn't have bad odor, because of the chlorophyl in them.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

HOW IT IS GOING RAW MAMAS?
Did you try any raw cake recipe? I would like to make one for upcoming birthday.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I have a raw strawberry pie recipe that my family (even my parents who are the worst eater ever!) begs for. If you want the recipe let me know. I also have a raw carrot cake recipe, though that's not as good.
We are raw 80% of the time. It's hard for me and I work hard to get closer to all raw. We're vegan, but we're also GF which makes it hard. I'll figure it out someday!
ITA with the avacado idea...that would help anyone! My kiddos favorite is a salad with onion, cucumber, avacado and olives with some olive oil and spices. They get it almost every day!


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

I make a carrot cake that has become a staple for us, we eat it at least once /week. Every time I make more and it still doesn't seem enough. I made it also for my ds's birthday last year, but it wasn't a great success for the "cooked" - they said the taste was nice but the consistency weird.

The original recipe: http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/Recipes/CarrotCake.htm
I modified it like this: I don't put grated carrots, only the pulp. I use the juice to grind the almonds (it's easier on my blender) and sweeten with honey since we are tight on dates here (but it's much nicer with dates!). My icing is totally different: only bananas (usually apple-bananas because we have many and it has a pleasant sourness that way) + generous amounts of carob.

Another cake I tried is the "kumquat and nutmeg cheezecake" from http://www.shazzie.com/raw/recipes/
I never managed it like in the recipe (mainly due to lack of ingredients), but it was always good anyway.

I want to try many more cakes since it is a great way to make raw food attractive to ds.
If anyone has a nice recipe with exotic fruits (mainly pineapple, papaya, banana), please share it. I find lots of recipes with the "normal" temperate fruits which are not available here or are very expensive (an apple costs as much as 10 oranges or 10 bananas).


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## momma2finn (Sep 25, 2005)

So tell me more about grains...I'm wondering about these crackers mentioned by a PP. What is ezekiel bread? I love fruits and veggies (I've always prefered them raw over cooked) but I also love rice and whole grain breads and cooked beans....how does one transition?

Also, is the difference between a raw diet and vegan diet that vegans eat cooked food?


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## tahini17 (Jan 13, 2006)

Hey everybody, I'm new on MDC and happy to find others who dabble in raw. I've been a vegan for a long time (momma2fin: most regular-style vegans do eat cooked food, just no animal products at all. Raw foodists are often vegan from what I've seen/read/experienced anyway, but some eat raw fish or dairy, and thus don't take into account the same moral issues that vegans do.)

I've been progressing towards mostly raw for about 6-8 months, it almost feels like a natural progression from vegan. Right now I'm raw except for the hummus or other veggie pate I dip my veggies in, and it feels great! I eat lots of smoothies, and am amazed at how great veggies taste now that I'm raw- I never used to like stuff like radishes or cabbage, and now I can't get enough!!! My husband, a vegan, is interested too, but not quite to my extent- he still wants his tofu tacos!!! But he eats whatever I make, so that's helpful. I do still feed my 2 1/2 year old some cooked foods, just because I feel like I'm still experimenting for myself and he is growing so I don't want to experiment with his health at this point- raising a vegan child is radical enough!

Anyway, I look forward to chatting with all of you, I especially am interested in quick and easy dehydrator-less recipes- I'm a busy momma, not really into making elaborate things that I can't eat for 12 hours!!!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Subscribing! I'm not raw, but would definitely love to incorporate more raw food into our diet! As for the social aspects of going raw, I think we've pretty much got that covered with our gf, vegan diet in the midwest!









I've been making green smoothies every morning for at least a month. We're going through the kale, collards, and spinach really fast! I've discovered I don't like Romaine lettuce in smoothies (even though I love it in salads).

Anyone sprout lentils or other beans? I make a sprouted lentil salad with onion, red pepper, whatever is on hand, and serve it over torn lettuce with walnuts and raisins and lemon juice.


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## Mountain Chick (Sep 8, 2004)

Quote:

I have a raw strawberry pie recipe that my family (even my parents who are the worst eater ever!) begs for. If you want the recipe let me know.
Please, please, please...







:







:







:


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

It uses the "classic" raw crust. 11/4 cups almonds, soaked 8-12 hours.
1 cup chopped dated (I always use medjool)
1 T. water 1/2 tsp vanilla
dash cinnamon.
Combine all in a food processor-I generally do the almonds first, then add in the dates. Crust should be moist enought to hold together...if not just add a bit of water. Press into an 8 or9 inch pie pan. You can dehydrate in a warm oven, but I don't.

Filling: 4 cups strawberries, quartered

Binder: 6 dates. pitted and soaked
2 cups quartered strawberries
maple syrup to taste
4 tsp. psyllium or I ripe banana.

Place filling strawberries in the crust. Blend binder berries in processor with dates and date soak water to form a paste. Add maple syrup if necessary (depends on your taste) Then add either psullium or banana with the processor still running. Pour over the filling and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve within 4 hours.
I sometimes reserve extra quartered strawberries to decorate the top. You know, if I'm serving it to someone besides my family because it doesn't last more than 5 minutes!


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## momma2finn (Sep 25, 2005)

would any other raw mamas mind sharing some favorite recipes/meal ideas? i need some yummy starting points!


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

Sunflower pate

1 1/2 cups hulled sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, rinsed to remove white inner hulls, then sprouted for 2-4 hours
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp Braggs
garlic to taste

Puree all in food processor. Use as spread on crackers or dip for veggies.
This came from Nomi Shannon's book, it's yummy. You can also add seasonings to it, or chopped red pepper, grated carrot, etc.

Otherwise, I tend not to really make "recipes", I just cut up some fruit or some veg and eat them, lol. Sometimes I'll make a smoothie. I find I usually like to have sunflower pate in the fridge, along with some soaking almonds.

I've been keeping a food log as I transition to raw, so you can see what I eat here, if you are more interested:
http://mama-frog.blogspot.com/


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

I want that recipe too! Thanks for the other ones too - we have some birthdays coming up, and I can also make some for raw food potluck- I am very lucky to live in Los Angeles, where raw foods are very popular. I waited for Nature's First Law book 3 months, because 24 people put it on hold in library before me!
As for dehydrator recipes - they all take long times, because it is drying, not cooking. My son also refuses to understand that the crakers won't be ready untill morning, when I put them in before bedtime. But you don't really need dehydrated foods - they loose around 25% nutritients compared to fresh food. They are good for though, because it helps me to stay raw-their taste reminds cooked. And they are good for taking on the trips and outings.
The difference between vegan and vegan raw is that raw is not heated over 115 or in even 100 degrees. For me 115 is too much - not raw enough for my taste.
I am raw now for 8 weeks and finally started loosing some weight again. So it is not true, that you can not overeat raw, I simply stopped eating after my son goes to bed.
Now I sleep better and lost 3 more pounds(now I am 125 pounds). I do not care so much about the weight, but I still have some fat deposits, so I was wondering.
Did you mamas lost a lot of weight? I heard some rawfooders loose a lot the first half year and then slowly put some back on. Not in my case. I do eat tons of greens in smoothies and salads, and they tend to replace old celles much quicker.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

Oops, while I posted You put the pie recipe up! Thanks so much - sounds very delicious, I think I will go with this one for my birthday. I will add some raw chocolate though!


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## momma2finn (Sep 25, 2005)

nak
mamafrog-great blog!! its good for me to see how easy ans yummy it is to eat raw! approx. how many pounds of salad do you need a week? how bout fruit?

Also, not sure what you mean about hulled in the sunflower pate recipe. can you explain? thank you!


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

It's so funny, I never intended to be raw. I was actually told repeatedly (by different docs) that it would be a death sentence. I have pretty significant digestive issues-so I always avoided raw fruit and veggies like the plague. Then I found Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He's who turned me on to a vegan diet and he advocates mostly raw. On his plan you basically aim for a pound of raw fruit, a pound of raw veggies and a pound of cooked veggies a day. This is along with at least a cup of beans and various nuts and seeds. I started the diet because his research made sense, but it scared me-I didn't want to get sicker than I was-KWIM? It was unbelievable though! I recovered 90 percent within the first month. That was enough for me! I'm actually a hundred percent better now and I owe it all to finding raw! Needless to say it keeps me pretty committed







I am working to get closer to all raw, but as it stands now the only "cooking" I really do is at dinnertime. I'm thinking of phasing that out, but it's difficult because I'm craving stick to your bones food. I'm pregnant, nursing, and it is winter in New England. Any tips on how to get over the psychological aspects of heavy food? Or Good raw choices to satisfy those needs?


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Mama Frog-forgot to say I love your blog. Thanks for posting it, it's giving me inspiration. Sometimes you "forget" about certain options...it always helps to see what other people are eating.


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

Thanks for the nice comments about my blog.









momma2fin - I buy raw, hulled sunflower seeds, which means the hard black outer hull is removed. Then, after you soak them, there is a thin, papery, white inner hull that also comes off. If you pour the seeds into a big bowl and fill with water, you can skim off those little inner hull pieces, and the pate will last longer. You could just leave them, it doesn't affect the taste, but it will spoil much faster.
I posted my grocery list on my blog yesterday, not sure if you saw that. I'd guess I eat 2 or 3 heads of romaine a week, and probably a pound of baby spinach or other mixed greens from Earthbound Farms. That's for my family of 2 adults, a 3 year old and a 6 year old. I'm going to keep track of it, though, and post the next time grocery shop, so I'll know how long each thing lasts me.

Elisabeth - funny, I think that's a really common path to take to raw. People start out trying out vegetarianism, then veganism, with maybe a short side trip to macrobiotics, and then they head to raw. I remember thinking how raw foodies must be nuts, and I could never eat like that. Why would anyone want to? Lol. Then this past summer, we ate a lot of less than optimal foods while we were camping (nothing really bad, just canned beans, canned tomatoes and minute rice, but it left me really craving fresh food). I told dp when we got home that I was just going to eat fresh fruit and veg for a while. I'm nursing, though, and I wanted to be sure I could meet my nutritional requirements, so I started looking for a diet out there that could prove to me I could get what I needed in the way I felt that my body wanted it. That's when I found Eat to Live (Fuhrman). I followed that roughly for a little while, but the sheer volume was hard to keep up with, and I started finding the cooked part of it really unpalatable. That began a slide into raw.

I find now that raw food tastes SO good. Cooked food looks bland. Even cooked veg just don't look as vibrant or delicious. Breads and other starches (which used to be the mainstay of my diet) aren't as appealing either. I'm losing my sweet tooth. I'm pretty much just following what my body says, though, if it really wanted something cooked, I wouldn't hold back, just because it isn't "raw". I make my family dinner and a big salad for me, and I'll sit down with them to eat, so sometimes I have a taste of what they're having. Like last night, they had vegan shepherd's pie - used to LOVE that - had a little bit of it, but it just tasted like the seasonings, and then it felt really heavy. My salad, though, Mmm was that good, sprouted beans and peppers and seeds.


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## ankh (Feb 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elisabeth*
It's so funny, I never intended to be raw. I was actually told repeatedly (by different docs) that it would be a death sentence. I have pretty significant digestive issues-so I always avoided raw fruit and veggies like the plague. Then I found Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He's who turned me on to a vegan diet and he advocates mostly raw. On his plan you basically aim for a pound of raw fruit, a pound of raw veggies and a pound of cooked veggies a day. This is along with at least a cup of beans and various nuts and seeds. I started the diet because his research made sense, but it scared me-I didn't want to get sicker than I was-KWIM? It was unbelievable though! I recovered 90 percent within the first month. That was enough for me! I'm actually a hundred percent better now and I owe it all to finding raw! Needless to say it keeps me pretty committed







I am working to get closer to all raw, but as it stands now the only "cooking" I really do is at dinnertime. I'm thinking of phasing that out, but it's difficult because I'm craving stick to your bones food. I'm pregnant, nursing, and it is winter in New England. Any tips on how to get over the psychological aspects of heavy food? Or Good raw choices to satisfy those needs?

Elisabeth we did have an "Eat to live" thread somewhere, We took a bit of a break for the holidays...







Off to see where it's at....


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## doitmyselfmama (Dec 31, 2005)

Anyone out there raising raw kids? I was a raw foodist for over a year but stopped when I became too poor and busy to keep it up. I think I could manage now, but what I'm really interested in is keeping ds raw for as long as possible after I start him on solids. It seems a shame to plug up his healthy intestinal tract with cooked foods.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

Any tips on how to get over the psychological aspects of heavy food? Or Good raw choices to satisfy those needs?[/QUOTE]

Well, I am raw just eight weeks now, and I had bad cravings just twice so far, once for the chicken salad I was making for my husband for dinner - that was very bad, but I solved it with avocados wrapped in cabbage leaves and seasoned with Bragg's Aminos instead of salt. One did not help, after the second I was satisfied completely. The other time I wanted soup, which is the hardest thing for me to give up - that time I simply thought about what happens if i go back to cooked - to I want for the short several minutes of instant pleasure to get back heavy feeling after meals, low energy, too much weight, not the best skin, bloating, etc. That worked.
If you crave sweets, I can eat sesame seeds or make sesame seed milk. You know, that seeds and nuts need to be soaked, because of enzyme inhibitors in them. After that you can either sprout them or just simply blend up with some filtered water in the blender and you have milk(or you can use raw tahini, if you can get one).
And again - make yourself a nice green smoothie - that always keeps cravings at bay.


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Doitmyselfmama,

It would be so great if you could start your baby on raw foods! I regret so much not discovering raw earlier! I started my ds on the conventional advice of avoiding raw stuff. Such a pity! The foods that kids get early in life influence a lot the later preferences.
My advice would be to start giving your baby any sweet fruits or veggies that he is atracted to, in their raw and very ripe form (and of course preferably organic). I would stay away from any grains and, if you think you must give something cooked, this can be veggie purees (such as carrot steamed and mashed - my ds's first food. He liked it a lot, but I still regret it). Later you could introduce almond milk.
Children learn by imitating. Your kid will want to eat what you eat, so that's the best way to influence him - a motivation for you to stick to good things. I remember reading a piece of advice for adults in search of a good diet: "would you feed it to a baby?".
What is also of vital importance is never to force or coax a baby to eat what he doesn't want to - this is valid on any diet. I am so sad when I think there are lots of young kids that are labeled "poor eaters" because they don't want to touch any food (which is in fact any cooked food). They would eat fruits with pleasure, but parents don't see them as food and even think they can spoil their kid's appetite. So they are forced to accept a diet that they instinctively know is bad.

Good luck with your raw journey!


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## AmazoniaBelly (Jun 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *danieliausmama*
HOW IT IS GOING RAW MAMAS?
Did you try any raw cake recipe? I would like to make one for upcoming birthday.

I really enjoy making RAW Carrot cake and Raw Apple pie....both got rave reviews from all who were lucky enough to get a piece.

I have a few good cookbooks...RAW (collected recipes from the Raw foods community) and Juliano's book (because I have a crush on him)...unfortunately most of his recipes require dozens of ingredients.


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Ohhhhh! Raw Apple Pie! Will you share your recipe please?


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Could those with raw toddlers/pre-schoolers (or who have been there) share some ideas? I find I have a hard time getting enough variety in my kids. I'd like to offer them more options.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

I have a 2.5 year old and he eats a lot lately - he can't wait untill I finish making a salad or peeling an orange. He basically eats what I eat, and sometimes, unfortunately, what my husband eats. But my husband is actually getting better and one day we drove to the store to get salad ingredients, because he was craving it!
Well, right now my son loves sprouts,scallions(in the salad), cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, kiwis, green smoothies, my made dehydrated crakers(soaked flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, bell pepper, onion), apples, oranges, banana. I don't know if I am not forgeting anything? Oh, he loves to graze on celery sticks.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AmazoniaBelly*
I really enjoy making RAW Carrot cake and Raw Apple pie....both got rave reviews from all who were lucky enough to get a piece.

I have a few good cookbooks...RAW (collected recipes from the Raw foods community) and Juliano's book (because I have a crush on him)...unfortunately most of his recipes require dozens of ingredients.

Give us your pie recipes, please. I found Juliano's book to be too complicated just like you- I read it from the library. Is that other Raw book has an author or can you give me the exact title?


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## *green*faery* (Feb 6, 2005)

You mamas are so awesome! It gives me hope that I can do this for longer then a month or so. I have several recipe books, and yeah, Julianos has lots of ingredients, although I have tried a few of his things. I made the raw falafel's once and I must have done something wrong, they were awful!

One of my favorite things is raw pie. It's pretty simple, make the crust with I think about 2 cups of your favorite nuts, I usually use almonds and pecans. Blend them in a food processor until it's powder then slowly add dates until you get the right constancy, add some cinnamon. Then I form a crust in a pie pan. Then I cut up yummy fruit like mangos and berries and put it in the crust. It's simple and soooo good. There's also a whipped topping I've made, but I'll have to find the recipe.
I just made these butternut squash cookies~

http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes.htm

they taste ok, but my dh loves them!

I went to my midwife (she a midwife through a hospital) my blood pressure was a little high, she told me I had to loose weight and she wants to see me in 6 mo. and check my bp again & stuff. I'm like 100lb overweight, it sucks to think I need to loose 100 freaking pounds! I'm hoping this will motivate me even more to eat raw! We are starting 100% on Feb 1st, I can't wait! I've been eating a lot less and I'm so ready to loose weight!! I am breastfeeding my 10 week old and would like to feed him raw once he starts eating. I've been veggie for about 12y, and when we have done raw in the past I don't usually detox very hard, so hopefully baby won't have to endure to many toxins. I've got to go nurse baby and go to sleep, goodnight


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

My kids aren't 100% raw, they often have something cooked for dinner. C likes bread, but L could easily be raw (she's 3). Give her a choice, and every time she'll choose fruit or veg. Now and then she likes something bready, too, though. Both of them prefer their veggies raw, rather than cooked. I believe kids are really in tune with their bodies, and so I won't restrict them if they honestly want some type of food. My kids generally make healthy choices, though.

Let's see, what tips can I think of? In the morning, the kids have fruit. Or some smoothie, if I make one. I like to have a bunch of different types of cut fruits and veg hanging around in the fridge, and that's what L will snack on with me during the day. Sometimes we'll do up some almond butter, raisin, coconut and cocoa balls to keep in the fridge for sweet cravings. I always have apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes out on the counter, free for snacking. We always have a few things sprouting. If we go out anywhere, I bring trail mix (my own mix - sometimes walnuts and figs, sometimes dried cherries and hazelnuts, sometimes raisins and almonds, you get the picture) and fruit. C takes cut veg with hummus, fruit, and some nuts to school. Usually I give him something bready, too, naan with chutney, tortilla chips with salsa or guac, raw almond butter sandwiches, etc. At dinner, I always make a huge salad, and everyone usually has that first. I make my own dressings using Udo's oil. That way they get mostly filled up on the good stuff, and then they will have steamed veg, some kind of whole grain, and usually something proteiny (beans, lentils, etc). I give them a multivitamin most days (when I remember).

My baby (almost 1 year old) eats banana, avocado, grated cucumber, finely grated carrot and sweet peppers, tahini, grated or pureed apple and pear, berries, mango, and he has also had apricot and nectarine. That's all I can think of right now. He's also still breastfeeding.

Our local library has that Juliano book, as well as Nomi Shannon's book, and one by the Boutenko kids. I'm not huge on faking cooked food - I don't have a dehydrator, although maybe in the future I may feel that I need one. I find that if I try to imitate SAD foods, I expect the imitation to taste like the SAD version, and it generally doesn't. I love fresh foods and their combinations, not because they resemble something else, but because they are good in their own right. Juliano is trying to sell it, from what I can see, to make it appealing to the masses, and personally i don't need that. I suppose it's a good way to get the raw message out there, though. Nomi Shannon's book is great for staples, and there is good information in it about food combining and a sample menu. The Boutenko book looks the most practical, although I've only just glanced through it. Is that RAW compilation book any good? The one with recipes from all kind of people? Any other good books? I've seen the Carol Alt one at Chapters, but I don't like that she advocates eating raw animal products.


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

Forgot to mention that my kids also like things like marinated mushrooms and pate. The pate is nice inside celery sticks, or stuffed into hollowed out tomatoes or red pepper.
Or dates, slit lengthwise and filled with nut butter.
Pudding with bananas, mango, strawberry.
Banana ice cream (just frozen bananas that have been mushed in the food processor).
Anything rolled in a lettuce leaf.
I have lots of fun with prep, too, I make sure there are lots of colours, or maybe a smiley face made from sliced or chopped veg. My kids love to be involved in making the food, too.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Great ideas, mamas. My kids are mostly raw (their choice) but dd gets bored really fast. New ideas are always a good thing.
We own a small independant gym, and dh trains this guy from NYC. They were talking diets and the guy mentioned he was 100% raw and had been for years. Dh was interested because that's the direction we're heading but dh is a very active athlete and didn't know if it would sustain him. the guy was very helpdful, but did tell some things took awhile to get used to. Dh asked for examples and the guy told him that the most difficult was CHICKEN uke uke I'm like, honey, please don't ever mention that again. My pregnant mind can't take it.


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## Lizzo (Jul 26, 2005)

Yuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm! I LOVE Raw!!!!My dad bought me a raw cookbook in the spring and then I went to this Raw restaraunt in NYC this summer and fell completely in love!
We have tons of raw coobooks, but not a lot of the equipment (the vita mix or any blender made before 1980, the dehydrator).
Our(Dp and mine) plane is when DS stops EBF or in the summer (produce sucks right now around here), we will do the raw thang. We love it and it make you feel soooooo awesome!!


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

Oh gack. Chicken. :shudder:

Storm Talifero has an ebook about building muscle mass, have you seen it?
http://www.thegardendiet.com/aboutmuscle.html


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## momma2finn (Sep 25, 2005)

Ok-I want (no NEED) to get started. I just don't know exactly how to organize a beginning.







Does that sound dumb? I'm afraid of the horrible cravings I will get...and DP doesn't want to eat raw. Will you raw mamas help motivate me?


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## momma2finn (Sep 25, 2005)

mamafrog-
was reading your blog and wondered- how does one prepare/eat coconut. I love coconut flavor but have never enjoyed it fresh...it makes my mouth water just thinking about it....


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## Boof (Dec 1, 2004)

i'm raw! just subbing now, will post more later


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

What a cool thread! I hope it's okay if I join. I am about 98% vegan (still have the ocassional processed food with non vegan ingredients and am not extremely careful when out somewhere) and have been veg for 13 years. My current goal is 50% raw - my ultimate goal (right now anyway) is 80% raw. I have to transition my family though. I have 3 kiddos and am pregnant and am SO NOT willing to make to meals at a time! I just bought this book which looks fantastic. It's called "Raw in Ten Minutes" by Bryan Au. It looks like he either owns or is planning to open a raw food restaurant in San Francisco called "Pa-Raw-Dise." (kind of corny-but kind of cute!) I'm hoping to visit when we go in June! Anyway, I completely understand the comment about being in a cold place and wanting heavy cooked foods. I'm in Denver and I'm freezing! (Actually the weather's good here now, but I'm always cold in the first trimester and the weather's been cold then warm then cold then....). I am definitely going to try that strawberry pie when we get some good organic strawberries around here. The ones we have now look awful!


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

-Being raw is so simple, just eat an apple or a carrot. But because we are transitioning from cooked style food, it is easier for us to start with complicated raw food creations, so it is up to you how complicated you want it to be. I still want complicated things after 2 months all raw. But I hope after couple years just be happy with a fruit or some greens from the garden or even better - some wild greens...
For now I will learn to grow some edible plants in my balcony, because we live in a condo. I am eating my aloe vera in the smoothies and some mint already. That's live food. Other live food is sprouts from the market. My two year old now a lot into them, so we use like a box a day.


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

danieliausmama, sprouting is sooooo easy! All you need is a quart jar and a lid (you can buy a special lid for sprouting really cheaply). Then you can buy seeds to sprout. Specialty seeds can be expensive, but if you have access to bulk seeds/legumes/etc, its really cheap. For example, sprouted lentils are fast and easy and great in salads!


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

Hi all, i'm late this post. First of all: *Planta*, thanks a lot for your fantastic input. You've inspired me!!!









I want to bring something up: are your children raw as well, or if you like me are trying to go the raw way, do you make your children go that way with you? My son and I are vegan so we are used to eat salads and lots of fruits. he, on the other hand, loves bread and other cooked stuff. he never asks me for something that is not in the house, he just chooses from the various options available. However, I don't know if this is just because he's only 3. Anyone have experiences to share?


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

also, a website on raw kids i ran into today, from a raw newsletter:

http://www.radiantchildren.com/


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Hi Mab,

I'm glad you found something useful in what I wrote.
About my ds (3): I am torn concerning his diet. On one hand I don't want him to experience any discomfort that is brought about by a strict diet, and on the other I feel perfectly silly giving him food that I consider bad for myself (I am 100%). So what I do is try very hard to make raw food attractive enough so that he wants it, but I don't refuse him some cooked "treats" when I feel he really craves them. I comfort myself with the thought that his diet is waaay better than the average and he is very healthy and huge. Also, I hope very much that we'll have our land this year and we'll grow lots of yummy stuff. He is crazy for what we can pick from our garden (unfortunately not much at the moment, only some baby carrots, peas and cherry tomatoes), so I expect him to eat even more raw when he has lots of attractive options.

To me, cooked grains are a real enemy to kids. Adults can make a conscious effort to limit the intake, but for kids it's hard. I heard of so many kids that want to eat practically only grains (of course in a million forms, but that doesn't change the ingredients). This leads, in my opinion, to a lot of vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can't be simply solved with supplements. A solution could be introducing raw crackers (based on seeds, fruits and veggies) that give the satisfaction of something dry and "filling" (actually bad for the stomach, but that's where the cooked diet led us).

The radiant website is great - it's motivating to see that raw is possible for kids!


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

I do not like that either, but i do go to the forums on her website, because they are very active and most people on them are vegan raw, but as you can understand you are not alowed to critisize her views and I think that is fair, since it is her website. Although sometimes I get annoyed by moderators there trying to push her books and dvds.


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## Fanny1460 (Jul 1, 2005)

I begun eating raw before getting pg but have put it on hold because I just couldn't eat raw anymore when pg.
You are all a great source of inspiration for me, and I plan to eat raw again after my little one is born in June









For the moment, I eat organic chicken once a week, salmon once a week and tofu once a week. The other days, I have my protein by grains + cheese or grains + beans. I eat nuts every day and a lot of kombu, wakame, etc....


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Planta*
About my ds (3): I am torn concerning his diet. On one hand I don't want him to experience any discomfort that is brought about by a strict diet, and on the other I feel perfectly silly giving him food that I consider bad for myself (I am 100%). So what I do is try very hard to make raw food attractive enough so that he wants it

I get your point, and I agree. I read today an article by Valya, the daughter in the Raw Boutenko Family, she talks about how she was 8 when they went raw and how making it attractive was important.

http://www.rawfamily.com/articles/He...20Children.pdf

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Planta*
To me, cooked grains are a real enemy to kids. Adults can make a conscious effort to limit the intake, but for kids it's hard.

...

A solution could be introducing raw crackers (based on seeds, fruits and veggies) that give the satisfaction of something dry and "filling" (actually bad for the stomach, but that's where the cooked diet led us).

I know. I feel that's what happens with ds. he loves his fruits and veggies, but once he has a sandwich, he just wants more and more. I'm researching for options, because I understand that raw breads and crackers can only be done with a dehydrator, right? which I don't own, so, still looking, but thanks or the suggestion.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Planta*
The radiant website is great - it's motivating to see that raw is possible for kids!

I got lots of inspiration from Kytka's kids in www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com . She's got a whole section on her 3 kids being raw.

Today I made us the famous raw carob-banana ice cream. Ds loved it! Well, I loved it too


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## doitmyselfmama (Dec 31, 2005)

So exciting to hear from other mums who are keeping it raw with their little ones! It really inspires me and gives me hope for ds. He's too little for solid food just yet but I will keep checking in and share how my journey goes with him. Also, if anyone wants to talk method, I was 100% raw for a year, as aforesaid, and I also worked as a raw chef while I was pregnant. So I know quite a bit about food prep and sprouting. Good job, raw mamas, keep it up!







:


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *doitmyselfmama*
I also worked as a raw chef while I was pregnant. So I know quite a bit about food prep and sprouting. Good job, raw mamas, keep it up!







:

















Ooohh!!! please, do share!!!!!!!!!!!!!







we want recipes and ideas!!!


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## ChrisCountryGirl (Dec 8, 2004)

I hate cooking and I have been reading a lot about the "raw diet" I don't like using recipes since I only feed myself, so I just eat lots of fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds etc. One thing I do love making is guacomole!!!


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

Subscribing to an awesome thread. Thanks for sending me the link.

Our whole family has been vegan for most of the last 25 years. Our three kids grew up mostly vegan and continued that life style. And now we have two grandchildren who are (100% and 70% respectively) vegan.

Anyway, for the last three months I've turned to a mostly raw diet. I am up to 80%. dh eats whatever I fix and he is fine with it. Our kids are looking into it also and my older grandson is smitten with the idea. He asks lots of questions and loves to eat at grandma's house.

We have family dinners once a week with are 80% raw. So basically everyone is being lured into it.

My kids are 37,35,34, - with spouses.

Now, what we don't eat raw is whole rye bread (sent from Canada), brown rice, millet, whole wheat noodles, soups (although lots of raw things go in at the end), polenta, whole wheat pita bread, and maybe a few other things but that's about all I can think of.

Everything else we eat pretty much raw. But I do heat things up to make them 'seem' cooked. I heat no higher than 120 degrees if that high.

I found you don't have to have anything special or equipment to sprout. Any bowel and lid or plate that fits as a lid will do. Don't buy special seeds. All seeds, nuts, grains, legumes you can buy in the grocery story in the dried section, you can sprout. Lentils are excellent sprouted. So are all your beans, nuts, seeds, etc.

I put them into a bowel, cover with water and a plate, and let it set over night. In the morning I rinse and wash the bowel out real well the first time. Then I resoak some things like grains or legumes, things like seeds don't need soaking a second time.
After soaking, I drain them, rinse, and put them back into the bowel. It needs to be rinsed every morning and every night. Within two days little sprouts grow. You can eat them at any time after that.

I like my lentils after the sprouts have grown a bit longer. The longer the sprouts get the milder they taste. We set them into the sun and let the sprouts get green before eating.

Some thins like buck wheat groan we just soak and eat in a few hours. The turn mushy and don't seem to sprout. Quinoa doesn't seem to sprout either but is ready to eat after soaking for several hours.

What we mostly use is my cooked base and cover with raw things. And top off with lentil sprouts. Add a salad...Hmmmm....

We still drink (1 cup of) coffee and (a few) beer but do only sun tea.


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## doitmyselfmama (Dec 31, 2005)

Some words about sprouting.........

Buckwheat groats can be tricky, they do get a bit mushy if you're not careful. Firstly, be sure you are buying raw buckwheat (yellow with a greenish tinge) and not "kasha", roasted groats. Then, soak for 6 hours, and then rinse REALLY well. Get in there with a sink sprayer if you can. Make sure all the slimy stuff is gone, and then rinse in filtered water. Tranfer to a collander or jar and the next day, they should be sprouted. Rinse again before using. They make a really fantastic base for crackers and pizza crusts. As for quinoa, just add enough filtered water to barely cover and keep your eye on them. By the end of the day, they will have sprouted. These are great for tabouleh - add some tomato, cuke, lots of parsley, mint, onion, sesame or hemp seed and a little oil and lemon juice and yummy!

As far as sprouting legumes, there is some confusing information out there, but it is now known that raw sprouted legumes are generally a no-no. They are very diffucult to digest and will give you gas and other discomfort. They will also impede nutrient absorbtion from other foods by slowing down digestive process. The only time they are helpful is when thet are sprouted with a very long, soft tail (think mung beans often used in asian cooking). I ate sprouted legumes for a long time, as there are many recipes for them out there, but once I stopped eating them I found it easier to feel satisfied after meals. Not so many air pockets in the belly.

AMAZING RAW THAI COCONUT SOUP
This recipe includes water which generally blands out raw recipes but works here. Also a caveat; organic thai coconuts are extremely hard to find and the conventional ones are very chemmie.

2 cups coconut water
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups young coconut meat
1 medium garlic clove
1 inch ginger
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of two limes or lemons
cayenne
1 cup cilantro
1 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup chopped green onion

Blend all ingredients except the last three. Add cilantro, blend lightly. stir in tomato and onion. Serves 2-4


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

: You are right, the quinoa IS sprouting. Those sprouts are so wee tiny, I never even noticed... thanks for the buck wheat info. You are right, they marked the food bin buckwheat but it is kasha. It is of a dark brow color so I do believe it is roasted.

Another question, we sprout flax seeds. The water is slimy, hard to pour off. Any suggestions?


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## doitmyselfmama (Dec 31, 2005)

Gitti, once again I would siggest just really getting in there to rinse them. A sprayer sink attachment works if you've got one. Flax doesn't sprout much in my experience (but hey if you can do it, more power to ya!)







and the seeds are super tiny so I would put th whole mess in a mesh seive over a bowl, flood the bowl and get in there with your hands or a sprayer and break up the flax. Then rinse. Flax is extremely nutritional without sprouting, however, even more so if soaked first. Take some soaked, gummy flax, add carrot pulp from the juicer, minced onion, lemon juice, parlsey or cilantro, little salt and anything else you think would be good and spread thin on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate. Makes awesome crakers! Once you get the hang of it you can experiment with any flavour you like. I don't have much experience with oven drying but I've heard it's mostly just using a pilot light or the lowest setting with the door open. Yeah raw grandma!


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

Thanks for the recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out. I will be 'drying' it Sunday.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

I made that cake with almonds, dates and strawberries for my birthday - turned out great - my husband could not believe it was all raw!


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## Idahoveggiemom (Jun 7, 2003)

Hey, count me in as well. I am high raw aspiring to be all raw! In fact am making lots of yummy dishes and desserts tomorrow to get me through!
I haven't read through all the responses yet, but heard about this raw thread on here from a raw board that I frequent!
So, had to come check it out! I think this is great!
Where do you all get your recipes? If you have children, are they raw too and what about dh?

Pam


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## Idahoveggiemom (Jun 7, 2003)

I have to recommend www.toprawmen.net Their recipes are easy and inexpensive and they have 3 recipes on their web and the Chinese broccoli is wonderful and I am making that up tomorrow!

Pam


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Hey there! I just had to look forever to find this thread. How are you all doing? I am all over the map and looking for support. I have serious gut issues that make absorption near impossible for me. After being a vegan I was convinced to add some animal products back into my diet by my nutritionist because my test results were bad. I'm not loving it, but I'm pregnant and nursing, so it isn't really about me. I will admit that my energy levels have increased. But I do best mostly raw. I need to get back in touch with that. I figure I can do minimal animal products and meet my requirements and just make sure that everything else is a living food with intact enzymes. I'm considering a dehydrator. I'm thinking that will get me back into the swing of things because I can do fun stuff the whole family will love. Problem is we have NO money. So, is it worth it? Or is there a better way? Any recommendations for you smart mamas? Any help would be appreciated.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Anyone there?


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

I'm glad you bumped this thread! I was looking for it yesterday and couldn't find it. In fact, I realized that I had never subscribed to the February veg thread (if there was one), and here it is March!

I made your raw strawberry pie for lunch on Valentine's day. My son was delighted to have pie for lunch; my dh on the other hand, seemed a bit "stuffy" about it. LOL It was delicious! Thanks for posting the recipe, firefaery!


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

That's what I like best about eating raw, dessert can be breakfast! And it's legitimately healthful. Strawberry pie and apple pie are staples in our house especially when the summer hits.
I have been doing alot of reading on www.thegardendiet.com which I am now looking back and seeing has been recommended. Hav eany of youread or seen their stuff? I'm intrigued, but wary. They are 100% raw (including their kids) and don't supplement at all. They say you get all your B-12 from the veggies. That's a tremendous leap for me. Especially since their kids don't eat alot of veggies-they call them "fruit bats." I don't think that I could go all raw with no fish or meat of any kind and NOT supplement for B-12. Their argument was that the father has been raw for 27 years and has never supplemented and would "know" if he were deficient. My argument is that you go VERY low before you know, and an adult would have adequate stores from a childhood of meat-eating. Kids don't have that luxury, and that particular deficiency isn't always easy to detect. Am I way off base here? I'm open to being wrong, but it concerns me...


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

I'm with you, ff. From what I've read, vegans need a reliable source of b12 and veggies aren't it! I've also read that *some* people can store b12 for years, but again you have to have some in the first place...


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

e


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Really? That's very interesting. So it must be true. It's hard for me to grasp after having a daughter who was FTT and one of her issues was a B-12 deficiency. I get nervous, but it's my thing, and I know that. I clearly need to read more!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

FireFaery~

What is FTT?


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

Has anyone made buckwheat bread? I'm interested in making it, but don't want to use flax (texture). Are there good recipes for this?

Thanks.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Failure to Thrive. She had many issues (celiac disease being the big one) but since we were vegan that's what they latched on to. Hard for me because the test didn't lie, you know? It was about her gut being leaky though-she was being supplemented daily. Once we removed gluten her levels all started changing significantly over a period of time. It was a scary time. The enamel didn't form on her teeth, her hair wasn't growing and neither were her nails. This was besides the not sleeping, being cranky all the time and super high-needs. Allergies kicked our butts. That's the one thing that gives me pause...things that are generally true don't apply to people with damaged guts. THere's just so much to know, and forget about relying on doctors for useful info! I have to take everything with a grain of salt and research the hell out of it. At least it makes me smarter


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

d


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Prana-thanks so much. For me it was much the same. Celiac disease is hereditary, and though my mother, brother, grandfather and I all had the symptoms we weren't diagnosed until dd was doing so poorly. It was her that got us the help we needed. I was symptomatic for over a decade and it worsened with each pregnancy. I got to the point where I wasn't leaving my house because I was in terrible pain and in the bathroom every ten minutes. Docs medicated me, but it never really made a dent. Then I found Eat to Live (a mostly raw vegan diet) and although it contraindicated everything I had been told, I tried it. I was immediately better, but not 100%. The diet allows one grain a day, and I was still eating gluten. When someone finally said "celiac disease" I cut it out and am now 100% percent. Unfortunately my (and dd's) gut is so damaged I have to be extra careful. I actually didn't produce milk for either kiddo because I was so malnourished. My hair was falling out (rapidly) and a blood test showed liver damage.
I look forward to the day that I can be vegan again. Our bodies just aren't able to absorb all the nutrients available in the the veggies and they can't convert carotenoids to vitamin A. Dd is also requiring alot of B-12. I prefer to have her eat it than get the shot. We make ethical choices and she uses eggs from pastured chickens that we get down the road. Soon, though, we are healing rapidly.
I wonder if after we heal sprouted wheat berries will be okay. I am also using homeopathy (my homeopath has already made great strides with us) so I am pretty confident we can completely get past this. The body just isn't meant to have allergies.
We are both better, thanks for asking. And man, have we learned alot!


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

I am raw for over 3 months now and it is so much easier.We went to the party on the weekend and I sincerely did not want any cooked food, not even a cake. They had fruit and a salad, and I brought my made big salad and some seed crakers - everyone loved them and even asked me for the recipe!
Cooked foods look like plastic now.


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## newcastlemama (Jun 7, 2005)

Hi raw mamas,
I mostly follow "eat to live" and I am a vegetarian. My next goal is to not cook anything that can be eaten raw. I am interested in going 75% when the spring and summer are here. I will be hanging around and getting some inspiration! Jennifer


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

How many of you dehydrate? I want to start, but just can't afford to buy the one I want. Is there a cheaper alternative? HELP!


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Alright, I'm in the process of going 100%. I want to be completely there with no looking back by the beginning of June. I'm already easily 95%-but the last little bit is the toughest! Any advice for the final step?

Also, I've been doing alot of juicing, and i have a good juicer (read:expensive) but it is a centrifugal juicer. I'm losing so much in the darned thing! Is it worth it to just bite the bullet, sell the thing and get a really good masticating/auger style juicer? Is there really that big of a difference? Anyone?


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery*
Alright, I'm in the process of going 100%. I want to be completely there with no looking back by the beginning of June. I'm already easily 95%-but the last little bit is the toughest! Any advice for the final step?

What is the tough 5%? I might have some tips.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery*
Also, I've been doing alot of juicing, and i have a good juicer (read:expensive) but it is a centrifugal juicer. I'm losing so much in the darned thing! Is it worth it to just bite the bullet, sell the thing and get a really good masticating/auger style juicer? Is there really that big of a difference? Anyone?

The difference can be big. I used to have a bad (cheap) juicer that produced a mash at the back and little bit of turbid juice in front (especially for the tougher stuff like carrots). The one I have now is still quite primitive, but I manage. I rarely lose anything because I use the pulp too. What I do most is:
1- carrot juice. Pulp goes into cake or if I am lazy we just add some honey, raisins, grated apple, etc and it's delicious. Or sometimes I put it on top of salads.
2- pineapple. The pulp is sooo delicious that I don't know what I like more - the juice or the pulp.
3- citruses. OK, in this case the pulp is lost because the oranges here, in Belize, have very tough fibers.
4- veggies (tomatoes, peppers, celery, cabbage). The pulp goes on salads. I discovered that the pulp from tomatoes is actually tastier than the juice because is less sour. I made some delicious tomatoes sauces using only the pulp + added ingredients.

If you consider a dehydrator you'll be able to use the pulp from the juicer even more efficiently - you can make sweet or salty crackers!


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery*
They are 100% raw (including their kids) and don't supplement at all. They say you get all your B-12 from the veggies. That's a tremendous leap for me. Especially since their kids don't eat alot of veggies-they call them "fruit bats." I don't think that I could go all raw with no fish or meat of any kind and NOT supplement for B-12. Their argument was that the father has been raw for 27 years and has never supplemented and would "know" if he were deficient. My argument is that you go VERY low before you know, and an adult would have adequate stores from a childhood of meat-eating. Kids don't have that luxury, and that particular deficiency isn't always easy to detect. Am I way off base here? I'm open to being wrong, but it concerns me...

firefaery,

I've got some interesting resources on how long stores last and as I find them I'll post them (which is why I'm responding now so I'll remember this thread







).

We store B12 in our liver and we inherit our stores from our moms I imagine, so it's not like a baby would start out at zero but, at the same time, I don't imagine my son started his life with a great bank account.

How long those stores last depend on how plenty they are (obviously) and your state of health (in particular pernicious anemia which eats them up faster).

You can get a B12 plasma test but the range of "normal" is highly controversial. You can also get a plasma homocysteine test, an indirect measure of a B12 or folic acid deficiency (can be either or both). And my point here is that plasma tests would be a whole lot more convincing than "knowing you're OK" so I woould like to see the family line up and collect data.

Vegetarian sources of B12:
Victor Herbert 1988, "Vit B12: plant sources, requirements, and assay." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 48(3): 852-8.

He argues that the vegetarian sources of B12 are inactive analogues of B12 -- what's active to bacteria is not necessarily active to humans. He questions the B12 values in some foods if they also use the veg form of B12.

Quote:
"We suspect that people taking spirulina as a source of vitamin B12 may get vitamin B12 deficient quicker because the analogues in the product block human mammalian cell metabolism in culture and we suspect they will also so this in a living human."

Trying to add more raw stuff. Not at all in your league here....







:


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

Can't edit the previous. Odd.

Anyhoo, I realize I read something wrong and the family posted about has had blood work. Blood work for B12 is problemmatic and I would not really be convinced by their bloodwork. I'm more convinced by analogues blocking cell metabolism in lab experiments. I'm also of the BTDT with B12 and other deficiencies. So I will forever be a skeptic.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Amanda, unfortunately that's where I am too. We've had the deficiencies...and it was scary. I will not go back there-not without PROOF. I have no problem (though admit it isn't optimal) supplementing.
I am doing some reading that states that spirulina isn't in fact a source of human-active B-12, but spirulina combines with blue green algae has been shown to be complete. Interesting, and another example of how a little information misinterpreted can do a whole lot of damage (if it's true.) I do have good info on how long stores last, but I'm always up for seeing more! I'm just wondering about the new stuff I'm coming across (spirulina + blue green algae, dark greens being able to manufacture human analogues of B-12 etc.) and don't really know how to check it-I'd like to know for my own info.

Planta, I would love help! I don't really know if you can though. The final 5% isn't really describable. It's not like, "I can't give up my pasta" or something concrete. It's more like-convenience, KWIM? Sometimes I resort to store bought almond milk on the go (for smoothies) Coconut milk in a can isn't raw-that's a tough one. Jarred pasta sauce (for my zucchini noodles) because there aren't any yummy tomatoes here to just shop and toss with basil and olive oil-but that will be easy in a couple of months. Braggs is also an issue. Kids love sunshine burgers-I can make raw versions, but they aren't the same. Also, dd and I have very damaged guts which we're working on healing but we have a hard time with both B-12 (which we just supplement with) and vitamin A-we just don't convert properly. I do some raw egg yolk (aioli) but every once in awhile she and I do eat some fish-sometimes raw and sometimes not. We also use raw butter. I would love to be vegan again, but I need to take care of my kiddos and be really confident that it will be an option for us first. I was a very healthy vegan, but we had extenuating circumstances. I guess for me it's not as much of an issue-it's coming up with kid-friendly stuff that's more veg and less fruit. I'm doing my best to look at links everyone have posted.

Any help (or info) would be welcome! The closer I get the better I feel! Great info on using the pulp. I try to use it, I just don't always manage-but my dear dad just bought me a cheapie dehydrator (he is trying to go raw as well) so I'll be able to experiment! I also get concerned that it may be heating everything.


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Firefaery, have you tried Pure Advantage B-12 spray? I just ordered some from veganessentials.com - its the methylcobalamin which is supposed to be better than cyanocobalamin.

I have a double oven, one of which died a few years ago. I recently learned that Bosch (and maybe others) make a conventional oven with a dehydrator setting. Wouldn't that be cool?!

What do you do with the soak water? I've seen recipes that say to use the soak water from the dried fruit, but what about from the nuts?


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I haven't, but now apparently I have to! Thanks for the tip.

I've never used soak water from nuts-just from fruit. I know you soak nuts to get rid of enzyme inhibitors, so I feel like (no science here!) that it wouldn't be necessarily beneficial to use the water. Just my though process-however flawed it may be!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

Another option if you want additional b12 is the Vitamineral Green from Healthforce Nutritionals; its the same company that makes the green foods for David Wolfe.

My husband and I (both raw) just ordered some to experiment with until we feel healthy enough to lean soley on food for nutrients. Most of us didn't have the best start as far as nutrition goes from childhood and we probably didn't make the best choices as teenagers/college age kids. Food is for repairing the body which is where i think simple supplements come in. After doing a LOT of research, the Vitamineral Green really looks top of the line. The Raw Hike guy, who hikes the pacific crest trail uses this supplement for maintaining himself while on the trail/in everyday life.

FireFaery~ I think I've seen you on rawfoodtalk.com. We have a L'equip dehydrator and really like it

http://www.thekitchenstore.com/697819005281.html


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I actually just got a wholesale account for Vitamineral Greens (long story, but interesting...)someone recommended it for my kiddos and I think I'm going to start as well. You are right-it does have all teh B vitamins. The first shipment should be here on Monday so I'll let you know!

Thanks for the tip on dehydrators. I'll check that one out, but my father already ordered the other one. Alas.


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery*
The final 5% isn't really describable. It's not like, "I can't give up my pasta" or something concrete. It's more like-convenience, KWIM?

I was like that for about a year and a half. At first it seemed that I "needed" the stuff, but slowly it became obvious to me it was simply a psychological hook - I was simply afraid to jump into that scary domain of the crazy raw people. So what I did was a "30 days challenge" of 100% raw to see what happens - what cravings come up, how much weight I lose, how unhappy I get, etc. It turned out a success and I never went back to cooked. I don't exclude the cooked possibility for the future, but I just want to see a reason for it first.
So, I think you will know when the time is right for you. Just try not to slip way back from 95% and it will be great! (forgot to add: eat lots, never go hungry).


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

I just did a quick search in a food index at the library for research that would suggest algaes are good sources of B12. I am not finding anything supportive, except perhaps one article but I did not have access to the full text.

Then I did a quick and dirty search of vegan sites online and found that most don't recommend the vegan forms.

So, point me in the direction of the research if anyone knows of any.

And from the reading, it would appear that a plasma B12 would not be a good test for vegans who eat a lot of the algae form since the test does not distinguish between the analogs and real deal. A plasma homocysteine would be better. This test is pretty common and might be available through you doc, which means insurance would cover it if you have it.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

www.algae-world.com/algae82.html#prana
www.algae-world.com/algae82.html

Again, not certain, but here's something I was reading.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Thanks for the encouragement, Planta!


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## bellona (Feb 17, 2006)

I would love to be 100% raw. I tried it with no transition last summer and for the whole week I felt great. I had so much energy and just felt...great!







But I guess it was too much for me to jump into from my carniverous SAD cause I just crashed. I haven't gotten on it again.

I'd really like to, but I have some concerns. Since that week I have been more aware of my body. Meat, dairy and processed foods make me feel ill. I can no longer stand to eat regular store bought honey, only the raw wildflower honey. I can't stand artificial sweeteners anymore. That's all good. I crave the stuff that makes me sick like crazy though, so I'm not totally off it. I do eat meat about 2x a week, and then it isn't like a big chunk of meat, it's only a little bit in a dish. I rarely have dairy and eggs. I don't eat as many processed foods. I've been working in more raw.

The thing that worries me is that I don't like nuts too much and I don't like alot of veggies. I could live off of bananas and grapes (if I could find organic ones







). I'm anemic, though I'm taking a suplement right now for it. Although its not helping 100% I feel alot better than when I'm not taking it. I've started juicing green stuff (like kale or bok choy or spinach) and making smoothies with it with bananas and chocolate soy milk (though I swear I'm trying to cut that out







). I've also been trying to find out why I can taste even minute amounts of salt in food. I figure it must be a deficiency, someone on here suggested a ph imbalance (which my limited research turned up could be the result of too much animal in diet...I have hardly any)

So anyway, that's where I am. I'm trying to figure out how I can work more raw in my diet, and most days I'm doing better than the day before, but I'm nowhere near where I would like to be









Wow, I wrote alot...I think it's bedtime


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

The truth is that meat eaters are defficient in vit.B12 too, probably because the animals they eat, did not get enough of the vitamin from the plants and soil, because soil is so depleted.
Allisa's Cohen forum has some articles about that vitamin problem. See, it doesn't look like supplements do much for our health, since nutrients work in concert- lycopene in the pill won't protect men from prostate cancer, just the tomatoe will. So why the blood shows more of vit.B12 after supplements are taken? tests do not show, if the it is used by body, or if the body is trying to get rid of daily dose. The same a lot of calcium in the blood is not a good sign - it might be, that body is so acidic, that it drains calcium out of bones to keep blood more alkaline.


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

As for dehydrator - I love my, and use it at least once a week for making crakers, drying left over herbs and vegetables for spices(my goal is to eliminate salt, especially after I found out that my favorite Bragg's Aminos are full of MSG(!), which comes out in the process of making it), cookies, cake crusts and similar things. You could use oven on the lowest setting with propped doors, but I bet with gas prices so high, it would be even more expensive in the long turn.
I would save money and buy it(no less than 5 tray, bigger family definetely needs 9 tray), because it did help me to stay on raw together with a lot of greens, which take care of cravings.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Yeah, I'm leaning toward the excalibur 9 tray. I found a site (not sure if I posted?) that carries juicers, dehydrators and vitamixes CHEAP. I think the 9 tray was like $195 including shipping?

I am loving the juicing thing. I made one today recommended by a friend. Apple, kale, grapefruit and grapes. It was awesome. I did it in hte vitamix, so all the fiber was still there-you may want to try mixing the kale with fruit (it combines fine) instead of masking it with cocolate soymilk. The taste is really quite pleasant. I find that the farther I get from processed foods (off them for a year or so now) the less they speak to me. It just takes that final commitment.

It is true that supplements just don't take the place of foods. We have no idea of how many micronutrients exist-and as they do work in concert no supplement will ever rival the original source. Science will just never get there.


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellona*
The thing that worries me is that I don't like nuts too much and I don't like alot of veggies. I could live off of bananas and grapes (if I could find organic ones







).

IMO, there is nothing to worry concerning this. You could try once to let your instinct loose and eat only what you want (only raw, of course), even if that means grapes all day. The body is very happy with mono-meals as they are easy to digest.
I think the key is to pay attention to what you crave because it can change suddenly. After a week of grapes you might be surprised to find, let's say, that lettuce is very attractive. Your attraction to grapes will definetely not last forever if you eat tons of them. This is unlike the case of cooked stuff.
More on food instincts: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/...graw_eat2.html

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellona*
I'm anemic, though I'm taking a suplement right now for it. Although its not helping 100% I feel alot better than when I'm not taking it.

Have you considered the possibility that grains make you anaemic? I think this was the case with me. Iron is in everything (at least in what I was eating), yet so many people are anaemic. I think this plays a big role:
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/articles...%20article.pdf or the html version:
http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache...client=firefox


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery*
Yeah, I'm leaning toward the excalibur 9 tray. I found a site (not sure if I posted?) that carries juicers, dehydrators and vitamixes CHEAP. I think the 9 tray was like $195 including shipping?

I am loving the juicing thing. I made one today recommended by a friend. Apple, kale, grapefruit and grapes. It was awesome. I did it in hte vitamix, so all the fiber was still there.

I would love the link for the site you mentioned!

I don't have a juicer but make a lot of green smoothies. Actually I make a lot of the same one (water, oranges, bananas, kale or spinach). I'll have to try the one you posted. Anyone have any other good combos with greens?


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

www.rawfoodadvantage.com I talk to Cheryl and I can give you her # directly if you want it. They sell below wholesale in some cases so they can't post prices. I really like them-they have very strong ethics. If you wnat to buy a $250 machine that they sell for $165 you can donate extra $ for the help you get if you feel it's warranted (It always is with Cheryl! I definitely recommend her over the others. She's a raw mama and has been doing this for a long time. She's full of great and helpful info. She even talked me out of a purchase because she felt it would be redundant for me. That's service! It's not their job to sell you, KWIM? They just want to educate-see their site and you'll get what I mean.) I really like them.

I'm a veggie juice mama myself. I tend to juice veggies, but make fruit smoothies. However I am delighted with smoothies that have apple and greens in them. I have mixed other things in, but they're all good. When I juice I do beets, carrots, celery, parsley, and cucumber. That's my favorite!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Oops! I lost this thread. Thanks for the link, firefaery.









One of the raw books I got from the library had a chart on sprouting, so I thought I'd branch out. I've had trouble with chickpeas going rancid in the past, so this time I soaked them in the fridge for 48 hours before I started sprouting them. They still smelled sweet after two days! Then I decided to go for 3 - big mistake! Fed them to the worms.









I also tried sprouting amaranth. It was an overwhelming successing! 3/4 cup of grain and my jar got so full I had to take some out to rinse it. The problem? We don't like it! I've choked some down with berries, etc., but I still have an almost full jar in the fridge. Any suggestions?


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

We don't do grains, so I got nothin'! I bet you could make some crackers or flatbread if you dehydrate though...


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## Little Shepherds (Jun 5, 2005)

Hello my name is Tanya wife to Todd, we have 7 children. Shane, Shannon, Shawn, Maya, Ian, Elijah (Elijah is at home in Heaven) and Todd Jr. (TJ). I have wanted to go Raw along time; my husband has a different opinion on it he does not want to. Any ideas on how to get him to want to change to a Raw diet with me?


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## Little Shepherds (Jun 5, 2005)

Does noone ever post here?


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Very sporadically!







Welcome!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

This site has been changed, now you can't search with short 3 letter words, like "raw"; it makes finding threads like this very difficult. I'm subscribed to this particular thread, but if anyone wanted to find out about raw foods, searching on this forum would prove to be difficult.

There are raw mamas here, they're just hiding.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I'm here! I'm here!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

We're climbing out of the woodwork!


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Little Shepherds*
I have wanted to go Raw along time; my husband has a different opinion on it he does not want to. Any ideas on how to get him to want to change to a Raw diet with me?

I think you should simply not say "now we're switching to raw", but incorporate more and more raw stuff in the daily menus. You could start with the sweet side - lots of drinks, smoothies and desserts you can make. Then you could try occasional raw dishes or courses. For inspiration you could use: http://www.fromsadtoraw.com/RawRecipes.htm
Is he very keen on milk? Could you make him to try once a delicious almond milk (or other nut milks)? Maybe first with his favourite cereal, not straight...
Another idea is to make dehydrated stuff - it can be hard to know whether they are cooked or not. Raw dips can also be delicious.
You just need a bit of perseverance in finding stuff he likes. Don't be discouraged if he says "yuck" to many recipes. Maybe he'll get to love others. I'm sure I would have loved some long before I started raw.

Good luck and sorry if I don't see your posts on time!


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## Little Shepherds (Jun 5, 2005)

Yay! other people! I am going to go raw then share with my family.... maybe they will change too!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

Little Shepherds~

It's great that you are considering a raw lifestyle! I encourage you to go raw first, don't worry about your family for the time being. After you have gotten the hang of everything, (after a few months of a very high, or 100% raw diet) then begin incorporating smoothies bowls of fruit, salads with dinner etc. The first few months can be confusing because your own cravings will drive you a bit batty, let yourself adjust rather than your entire household.

In the mean time, read as much as you can about raw foods, preperation and folks that have gone down this road before. Read as much as you can, inform yourself, and ask lots of questions; people will begin asking lots of questions of you (depending on how much you let people know what you are doing).

Some authors that I would recommend beyond the familiar Boutenko family, Alissa Cohen, David Wolfe, Gabriel Cousens, etc is Arnold Ehret and Norman W. Walker. Overall, ease yourself into raw with whatever books seem pertinant at the time, then deepen your knowledge with more and more books.









Raw families are great, even our dog loves avocados, but first, work on yourself; the way you respond to the change will be an example to your household.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Wow, what great advice! I agree 100%. We are doing a raw challenge on another thread-don't know how to link you, but you may find some good support there as there are plenty of mamas just starting out. We'd love to see you there!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Anyone have a good recipe for raw fake sausage? I had the opportunity to sample some recently, but I couldn't obtain the recipe.







I do know it was made with nuts and spices. It was soooooooo good! The 5 raw cookbooks I have checked out of the library don't have it!


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## stanzi (Oct 28, 2005)

i'm excited to have found this thread! i'm a new mom (ds lucian is 4 mnths) and have eaten raw/living foods 100% on and off for 4 1/2 years. when i became pregnant i was in school for nutrition and was experimenting with other eating lifestyles, i wasn't all raw so couldn't get back to it 100% due to detox. strangely enough, i had a big bout of thrush when ds was born and cut out all fruit - which is killing me! i now am stareting to incorporate low sugar fruits again (apples, pears, berries). by summertime, i will eat all fruits again (i say with intention).

i must say, after all the experimenting, raw/living foods make me feel so vibrant. i now specialize in them with clients.

i've got one issue as i continue my transition back - my milk supply tends to run low when i have days of all raw. i just don't have the time to make elaborate recipes anymore. and as i've travelled on my raw journey, heavy foods like nuts aren't appealing to me anymore. any words of wisdom from other bfing moms?

i'm so happy to have found you all. if you need recipes, i have a huge library of them (i used work in a raw restaurant making yummy dishes!)


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## Planta (Dec 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *callmemama*
Anyone have a good recipe for raw fake sausage? I had the opportunity to sample some recently, but I couldn't obtain the recipe.







I do know it was made with nuts and spices. It was soooooooo good! The 5 raw cookbooks I have checked out of the library don't have it!









I want to try to make some because I think it should be relatively easy (I've become quite relaxed with the raw recipes, I'm starting to understand what's behind them). What kept me from trying is the fact that I don't have access to nice simple spices and spice mixtures. I am put off by all those additives, etc, and I keep postponing the work of making my own mix. Otherwise I would simply buy a spice mixture for sausages or meats and add it to a nut pate (for example walnuts, sunflower seeds and/or almonds + celery and some carrots). I guess some dehydration would improve the similarity to the real sausages.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *stanzi*
i've got one issue as i continue my transition back - my milk supply tends to run low when i have days of all raw. i just don't have the time to make elaborate recipes anymore. and as i've travelled on my raw journey, heavy foods like nuts aren't appealing to me anymore. any words of wisdom from other bfing moms?

i'm so happy to have found you all. if you need recipes, i have a huge library of them (i used work in a raw restaurant making yummy dishes!)









Regarding the milk, no big wisdom from me, just some thoughts. I remember reading that veggies such as cabbage and onion can reduce the supply, while stuff like fennel increases it. Maybe you could look up somewhere for such lists and apply them to your diet?
I'm excited about your library of recipes! Do you have something special with exotic fruits? (They are good anyway, but if you know of a particularly yummy combo) Our staples are papaya, pineapple, banana, oranges, coconuts (young+old). I am a bit frustrated when I see all the recipes centered on "normal" fruits (couldn't have imagined this a few years back, but here we are in Belize...)


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

My supply has gotten better on raw. I am a low-supply mama, so I know a bit about galactagogues!
Make a sun tea with Red Raspberry Leaf, Nettles, Blessed Thistle, Fenugreek, Fennel and oatsraw. Do it as an infusion and drink a quart a day. You can also use the More Milk Plus tincture to bridge the gap.
You can also sprout fenugreek and eat it. It is very well known for increasing supply. I don't think you will need to supplement for long though!


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

hi everyone

just wanted to share a very good link, Storm's (from thegardendiet.com) blog. He's a 57 yo guy who is in amazing health, and he, his wife Jinjee (whose story is on the website) and their 4 children are raw. I got this on the email a minute ago and I'm really enjoying it. Inspiring stuff









http://jinjee1.securesites.net/rawveganforever/


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

i love Jinjee, not all that in love with Storm. I have their DVD, it was worth watching-once.


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## Little Shepherds (Jun 5, 2005)

I have been raw for a week now feeling great! Having a few cravings but I wont cave.. I can do this!


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## Little Shepherds (Jun 5, 2005)

I have been raw for a week now feeling great! Having a few cravings but I wont cave.. I can do this!


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

:


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## aceboo (Apr 19, 2005)

where are y'all raw mamas!!!!!!!!!!??????????


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

This thread needs reviving.


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## Kerensa (Jan 23, 2005)

We are high raw as a family. With breastfeeding, though, I have been craving things that I have not eaten in years......like eggs!
Any suggestions?
I have been adding flax to everything, etc. trying to get my efa's up.
Kerensa


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## mom2zsel (Jun 11, 2004)

Bump!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

kerensa-

Eating greens is supposed to help with cravings because they contain a high amount of minerals and protein (most people don't realize). We eat green smoothies (banana, pineapple, & spinach or mixed spring greens) each day, sometimes twice a day. I have been working on increasing the greens in the smoothie. We change the fruit according to what is in season and use different greens (kale, chard, beet tops) as they are available.

Cashew and almond butter help me out a bit along with avocados and coconuts, but not nearly as much as eating a ton of greens.


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## Kerensa (Jan 23, 2005)

Yes, I eat a HUGE dark green salad at least once daily. I agree....it helps. Also, my frozen bananna "ice cream" has been helpful.
I am just so craving rich things. Whereas a pear used to satisfy me, now it's gotta be a sliced apple dipped in almond butter, ya know?
Kerensa
www.rowantreetoys.com


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## B2* (Feb 22, 2006)

Been lurking for awhile & decided to browse through the Nutrition forum & so glad to see a thread about Raw. I have been raw since Nov. 2005.

Just reviving the thread & adding my support.


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## Gale Force (Jun 15, 2003)

I'm about 80% raw now.









(I know it's nothing compared to some of you raw gurus.)


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

Eating high amounts of raw is great. 80% is awsome!!

Karensa, some people eat hemp seeds and hemp powder if they feel they can't get enough protein. Eating lots of greens will be the most helpful, but some need more, like the hemp. Check out rawfood.com for hemp products, other sites probably sell them as well.


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## mom2zsel (Jun 11, 2004)

Glad to have this thread-I have been all over the health forums and find myself feeling pretty good here, like I finally fit in!

I have four kiddos and we are raw for two meals/day and all snacks. I have a lot to learn, thank you all for posting the tips and links! Keep them coming!

Michele


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Wow-I've been slipping. I am definitely needing to tweak things again. I am experimenting alot right now dietarily and trying to find where I *feel* best as opposed to where I think I should feel best. It's tough. Glad to see this thread being revived though!


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## mom2zsel (Jun 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *firefaery*
Wow-I've been slipping. I am definitely needing to tweak things again. I am experimenting alot right now dietarily and trying to find where I *feel* best as opposed to where I think I should feel best. It's tough. Glad to see this thread being revived though!

Hi FF-I know what you mean about "feelings"! This feels right for me, right now. Thanks for your help and good luck "tweaking".

Michele


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## mamamelia (Apr 14, 2005)

i am not a raw mama (i do try to eat many raw foods and dishes though, but i still love hot vegetable soups and a steak every now and then), so please forgive me if i am butting in, but i have a question:

i want give my dd as much raw and nutritious food as possible. i thought i would start with fluids. she loves to drink water and i was thinking 20oz a day of water is a good amount (she is 20 months tomorrow). she also likes rooibos tea, but i'm going to give her the weleda nursing mothers tea and/or nettle tea instead (we don't add any milk or sugar/sweetner to tea), about 4oz a day. i also wanted to give her some green vegetable and garlic or onion juice (she loves raw garlic and onion), about 4oz a day too.
anyway, i was confused about the whole juicing at low speed versus blending thing. i've heard that juicing at a low speed preserves the vitamins and minerals, and then when i went on that site rawfoodadvantage.com it basically states the opposite - that a blender be used for maximum benefit because juicers don't juice out the phytochemicals. i tried blending some pears and kiwi tonight and i notice that they turn brown very quickly, probably because of the high speed (which causes oxidation) and it makes me think that blending at high speed indeed denatures vitamins and minerals.

so what do you mama's think? are there any studies comparing low speed juicers to powerful blenders? and do vegetables and fruits blended with a high power motor taste very gritty? mine did even at the highest speed but i just have a braun, not a vitamix or anything.

i'm off to make some raw vegan gazpacho soup for dinner.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I don't know if this is at all helpful...but here's how I have always learned it. I juice veggies and blend fruit. Because of the high sugar content of fruit you want the fiber intact to slow down the absorption process. With greens and most veggies you don't need all that cellulose so it's fine to juice and extract the fiber-actually easier in some respects for the body.

SO-my kids drink green juices, but blended smoothies. The guy at raw food advantage doesn't actually believe in juicing period. He blends even his greens (which I have done, and it's good too.) It's true that you are going to get more nutrients eating the "whole" food, so I can see where he's coming from.

Nettles are a fabulous source of nutrients! My kids do nettles, alfalfa and RRL with me during pregnancy! Yum!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

e


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## DesertFlower (Oct 20, 2004)

Hi,
I'm not all raw, but live surrounded by raw-foodists (my husband use to be the garden manager at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, in Patagonia AZ). I just wanted to reccomend, if you dont already know about it) a book called "Baby Greeens" ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158...Fencoding=UTF8 ) it has been written by a mother in our community, and has great info for raw-food kids. Also, if you need equipement, check out rawguru.com, he has the best prices. Enjoy!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

e


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## DesertFlower (Oct 20, 2004)

another good ressource is Frontier (http://www.frontiercoop.com/ ) they have a great selection of natural products. Also, see sunorganic.com
I got these hookups from the TOL


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

I would also add mountainroseherbs.com for spices, bulk, essential oils etc - lots of organic and wild harvested items. If you have any questions, you can call the company and the folks are always friendly and knowledgeable.

This is also a great place to get seeds for the garden!


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## prana (Sep 27, 2004)

The sunorganic.com has really good prices on nuts and olives! Thanks for the links elfine!


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## DesertFlower (Oct 20, 2004)

you are welcome!
For olives, check out
Adams Olive Ranch
1 888 216 - 5483
[email protected]
most olives you'll find on the market are not ripe/raw, but this guy sells amazing olives. There is a big minimum order, but if you can get other people to go on it, it's really worth it. That's where the TOL and Nature's First Law (David Wolfe) get their olives!


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## mamatoady (Mar 16, 2004)

I'm new to this forum and my mom said that when she was researching raw she found a site that said there was a vitamin or mineral that was missing if you were 100% raw that could cause major problems, but that a supplement for it would take care of the problem...anyone know what this could be because she couldn't remember.

thanks,
sarah


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## DesertFlower (Oct 20, 2004)

That would probably be B-12, if she meant 100%raw-VEGAN. Dr. Gabriel Cousens has tons of info on that. Visit his website at http.://www.treeoflife.nu


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## mom2zsel (Jun 11, 2004)

I am new to the Raw Food idea-although looking back, I have always preferred this way of eating and have taught this to my kiddos-just never had a name for it!

Reading lots of books and web sites-is the e-book _The Garden Diet_ worth it?

Thanks for the info on this thread-really enjoying it!


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

It was an interesting read. He is very passionate and that DEFINITELY comes across. There wasn't alot of research or facts and that bothered me. If you are gathering info it might be worth it. IF you are looking for data and science to back up the choices and know you're moving in the right direction I wouldn't recommend it. For that I'd go for Gabriel Cousens-really well researched and lots of facts that will comfort you. You could also do lighter reads that are still better in my opinion...Alissa Cohen or even David Wolfe-again, super passionate, but better more cohesive info.


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## mom2zsel (Jun 11, 2004)

Thanks for the info, firefaery-off to look those up on inter-library loan!


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## mystic~mama (Apr 27, 2004)

hi mamas

does anyone have any info on the Vita Mix Mark 20 ? its an oldy,,,but is it a goody?

thx


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## DesertFlower (Oct 20, 2004)

I dont know about it, but maybe try putting a post on rawfoods.com or rawfood.com
Personally, I am a fan of the k-tech/blendtech (http://rawguru.com/store/cat/blendtec-total-blender/)
I had a chance to use both a lot, and find you can make food creamier with it than with the vitamix.


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## mystic~mama (Apr 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Elfine*
I dont know about it, but maybe try putting a post on rawfoods.com or rawfood.com
Personally, I am a fan of the k-tech/blendtech (http://rawguru.com/store/cat/blendtec-total-blender/)
I had a chance to use both a lot, and find you can make food creamier with it than with the vitamix.

wow, that looks awesome, I looked on ebay and there are some a little cheaper...I have to get one of those, I know it would get tons of use!

on a side note, on the raw guru description of the blender I was surprised to see the microwave mentioned although I guess that is taken straight from the manufacturer

another side note...elfine, notice you are in patagonia,,,is that where the honey comes from? were in az too


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## callmemama (May 7, 2002)

Elfine, can you tell me which one is louder? I bought a k-tec a couple of years ago because it would fit under my counter and had a longer warrantly than the vita mix (oh yeah, it was cheaper too







), but it is sooooo loud. I have to hold my ears so they don't hurt. Is this typical of all high-speed blenders? Thanks!


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

Hi!
I am new to eating raw, but I'm very excited about it! We decided to just quit buying cooked things, but after a couple of days my dh's grandparents came into town, and I decided it was okay to eat out a meal a day with them... and it ended up being more like two. So we haven't been very raw the last couple of days but we are working back up to it! Luckily we have mostly run out of non-raw things so temptation isn't so bad.

What do you do with all your flour and stuff? I am thinking I should just give it away, but I don't want to regret it. Anyone want to share their experiences with transitioning their pantry to raw stuff?


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## mystic~mama (Apr 27, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *weliveintheforest*
Hi!
I am new to eating raw, but I'm very excited about it! We decided to just quit buying cooked things, but after a couple of days my dh's grandparents came into town, and I decided it was okay to eat out a meal a day with them... and it ended up being more like two. So we haven't been very raw the last couple of days but we are working back up to it! Luckily we have mostly run out of non-raw things so temptation isn't so bad.

What do you do with all your flour and stuff? I am thinking I should just give it away, but I don't want to regret it. Anyone want to share their experiences with transitioning their pantry to raw stuff?

you could make playdough


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

oh yeah, thats a good idea - playdough and other dough crafts.
Thanks


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## frogguruami (Sep 21, 2004)

Are there any Raw Food Books that you can recommend???


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## Jaspersmommy (Sep 19, 2004)

I really like the complete book of raw foods although to be completely honest, most of my favorite raw recipes I found online.


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## Jaspersmommy (Sep 19, 2004)

Hey, is anyone else struggling with trying to transition their toddler to a high raw diet? My little guy loves grains and pasta but he loves fruit. I get greens into him through his smoothie but thats about the extent of his veggie intake. I tried to dehydrate some veggie nuggets but he wouldn't touch them (and frankly I don't blame him







).

Any ideas?


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

My library has a pretty good selection of raw foods books, but, to be honest, I don't tend to use recipes all that often. Anyway, here are some of the books I've read:

- "The Raw Food Detox Diet" by Natalia Rose. Basically talks about how to transition to a raw food diet frrom whatever eating level you are at. She doesn't advocate going completely raw until you have been high raw for a long time, so as a result there are some recipes for steamed veg, grains, and even fish. Lots of nice basic raw recipes, though, so I quite enjoy this book. She talks some about food combining.

- "The Raw Gourmet" by Nomi Shannon. Great book with lots of basic recipes, info about sprouting, food combining, weekly menus, etc.

- "Eating Without Heating" by Sergei and Valya Boutenko. Pretty basic book with easy everyday recipes. Discusses food combinations to enhance the taste of your dishes. Lots of European influenced meals - borscht, sauerkraut, etc, as well as other basics. It's good for learning about eating raw every day, and the recipes were all right, although I didn't find any of the ones I tried to be truly stupendous.

Those are probably the best ones I've read.
- "Raw Food Real World" - I haven't read this one in a long time, but I remember liking it for some reason.
- The one by Juliano is nice to look at, but I'd never go to such lengths except maybe for a dinner party in which I really wanted to convince someone who was overly skeptical. Or maybe if I owned a restaurant.
- I've heard a lot about Alissa Cohen, she has a website: raw food talk You don't have to join to view the boards, just click on "message boards".
- Oh yeah, there's a compilation book, too, the Complete Book of Raw Foods, I think someone else mentioned it, that's got recipes from all sorts of people.

That's all I can think of right now, hope that helps a bit.

~ Sabina


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

Jaspersmommy, my littlest guy is 15 months, and he loves to eat nut butters, avocado, small chunks of cucumber, grated salads with carrots, sweet peppers, pieces of tomato, the crumbly tips of cauliflower florets, same with broccoli, thin zucchini sticks with dip, frozen veg (peas, carrots, corn) that we just run under warm water until they become defrosted and a bit soft, pureed soups, berries, soft fruits (mango, pineapple, banana, peeled orange segments, grapes cut in quarters), smoothies, soaked dried fruits (dates, apricots, etc) cut up small or blended, raisins, um, that's all I can think of right now.
I do not have a dehydrator, I only have a cheap centrifugal juicer (oh, he LOVES carrot, celery and apple juice), a small food processor, and a blender. Consequently all his food is either blended, grated, chopped small, or soft enough for him to chew on his own.


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

I liked Eating Without Heating too, as well as Raw Family by the same family.
I just read The Raw Secrets, and it seems really good, but maybe too much for me. I am not ready to hear that I shouldn't be eating nuts etc as much, I am really relying on them right now!


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## mama_frog (Jun 8, 2004)

Sheila, did you find them at Banyan Books, or is there another place in the lower mainland?


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

I got them at the VPL. There is actually a really great selection there, I was pleasantly surprised.
I haven't gotten any food books from Banyen yet, but I love that store! I could spent a fortune in there


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

Hi Raw Mamas,
how goes the raw eating?
We were camping on the weekend and ate mostly cooked, and boy am I feeling it now. It tasted fine at the time, but by sunday evening I was not feeling myself.

When you eat cooked, what time of day is it? I read it was better to eat cooked later if you are going to, but I wonder if that affects my sleep and the next morning?


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Hey I was wondering where this thread went! You guys keep me inspired to keep lots of fresh, raw food in my diet!


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Oh come on! There's GOT to be some raw mamas hanging around! I need the inspiration!


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## Boof (Dec 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ColoradoMama*
Oh come on! There's GOT to be some raw mamas hanging around! I need the inspiration!









Today is my 3rd totally 100% raw anniversary


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

Wow, congrats Boof!
We have totally fallen off the bandwagon lately







I am eating raw fruit for breakfast, but the rest of the day is full of cooked stuff. I can feel a difference and it sucks.
TOmorrow I am going to stock up on fresh raw veggies and fruit though!


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## Jaspersmommy (Sep 19, 2004)

3 years is pretty amazing! Will you ever go back or are the benefits too amazing?

I've been high raw for about 6 months now. The higher raw I am, the better I feel. My only issue has been lately. I've just started a running program and am finding that it makes me oh so hungry. It helps if I eat a lot of fruit but I am still hungry for heavy foods. Any tips?


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

Hm, maybe more seeds and nuts?
Sorry, I am not the most knowledgeable


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## Sijae (May 5, 2006)

: Subbing. I've been 100% raw for 13 days now  I'm also working on a season challenge now - 100% raw from summer solstice to fall equinox. A whole season of raw









Laura


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## Boof (Dec 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jaspersmommy*
3 years is pretty amazing! Will you ever go back or are the benefits too amazing?

I've been high raw for about 6 months now. The higher raw I am, the better I feel. My only issue has been lately. I've just started a running program and am finding that it makes me oh so hungry. It helps if I eat a lot of fruit but I am still hungry for heavy foods. Any tips?

I won't go back! I lost 100 pounds, allergies gone, menorhaggia gone, fertility back! (Became pg 1 year after going raw), back problems gone, etcetcetc. 2 years ago I was going to do a parasite cleanse that involved eating a bit of oatmeal to help the various things you're supposed to take sit in your system longer. I have never been so tired! So newp, not going back.

Dr Doug Graham is 100% raw and trains olympic athletes. Check out his website and the vegsource raw board that he posts to.

I *highly* recommend entering your food intake into nutridiary.com Maybe you're missing out on something. Maybe you're not getting enough calories.

My typical day looks something like this:

Banana smoothie: 4 bananas, hemp seed, spirulina, ice, cinnamon

fruit snacks

mixed green salad with blended tomato dressing and sprouts.

veggie snacks

dinner is something like nori rolls, or lettuce wraps or mushrooms stuffed with pate or almond hummus

I'm lucky enough to live near several raw food places so I can get various treats for desert and not have to go through the pain of making them lol

I get about 55g protein/day which is right on rda target, and the rest of the nutrients I get more than I need like iron, calcium, etc.

Cheers!

Beth


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

Beth, how was your transition to raw? DId you go cold turkey or was it a little bit at a time? Is your family eating all raw as well?


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## Boof (Dec 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *weliveintheforest*
Beth, how was your transition to raw? DId you go cold turkey or was it a little bit at a time? Is your family eating all raw as well?

I took about 6 months to transition. I'm the kind of person who likes deadlines and cut off dates, so I decided I would be 100% raw be June 21, 2003. Starting Jan 1st, 2003, I took the month to wean myself from caffeine and chocolate. In Feb I was having raw breakfast and fruit in the mornings, and a cooked lunch and cooked dinner but started each of those with a salad. By March I was having raw breakfast and lunch, and by the time May arrived, I was nearly 100%, just having some steamed veggies with dinner at that point. So by the time June 21 arrived, I was already raw and didn't really notice.

I also made it my business to try one new raw recipe each week so I had a good repitoire for when they would be my only recipes. But I've found that the longer I've been raw, the less complicated the meals I eat. I often have "mono meals," not on purpose, but because I *really* want peaches right now so I'll eat enough peaches to make me full. Sometimes lunch is several mangos


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## Ex Libris (Jan 31, 2004)

I've got a question for those of you who've been raw for awhile. I tend to be on the thin side anyway, and when I eat too much raw food I start looking anorexic--thin enough that people actually start commenting on it (like wondering if I'm OK). I eat often and until I'm full, but I've got a high metabolism and tend to burn through the raw foods really quickly. Any thoughts?


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Hey Beth! Any chance we could get that almond hummus recipe.....pleeeeeeze? It sounds yummy!


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## Sijae (May 5, 2006)

Woohooo! I just found out that my dehydrator is on the way. I can't wait till it gets here. Now I'd better get my sprouting going so I have some things to make bread and crackers from, lol. How are you ladies doing?

Anybody have a favorite dehydrator recipe they want to share?

Laura


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

Oooooh a dehydrator! I don't have a good recipe, but i can share in the excitment of the possiblilities!

Momandmore2 - I don't know what could help you *not* lose weight. Maybe more fatty things like nuts and avacados? Do you eat raw dairy? Maybe some raw cheese or yogurt would add some fat. If thats even what you want


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## corwinegall (Jul 7, 2004)

: Does anyone know how to make good use of one of those round dehydrators?


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## Sijae (May 5, 2006)

I had to go way back to page 4 to find you ladies
















I don't know how to make one of those round ones work. I have one too and it gets WAY too hot for raw food. My new dehydrator came yesterday and I have yet to use it but I did just pick up some things for sprouting and am planning to make some bread in a couple of days. Wish me luck! The one I got is a 4 tray excaliber. It has temperature control but no timer so I am going to set it up on one of those timers you might use for lights on your fish tank so I wont over do it if I forget.

I haven't had any grains for almost 3 weeks so we'll see how they make me feel.

How is everyone else doing?

Laura


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

I am still mostly in the same place as I was... fruit for breaky, salads with lunch and dinner, but still eating more cooked stuff than I would like.

I think it is emotional eating for me though, when I am eating because I am feeling grumpy or whatever, I crave all the bad things like bread, sugar, chocolate and stuff.

I love the idea of making new raw recipes every week to keep it interesting. One thing that is holding me back is my blender jug broke and I have to get a new one - it is much easier to eat more raw when I can make smoothies and almond milk and stuff.


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## Boof (Dec 1, 2004)

Hey everyone, just wanted to mention that I'm starting a new raw blog on my LJ. There isn't much up there yet, but I'm going to put up my weekly menus, recipes, log what I eat, how I make it, etc. I hope to update it every day. I'm really trying to make a commitment to getting back on track. I eat waaaay too much fat right now and my food combining isn't so great lately.

So if you're interested in following along, drop a note here:

http://wtchywmyn.livejournal.com/12156.html

Cheers!

Beth


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## ashleyhaugh (Jun 23, 2005)

ok, i'll preface this by saying i havent read this whole thread, lol

ok, we had a family at church, the kids were raised 100% raw until they had all their teeth (something linking getting your teeth to how mature your digestive tract is- cant remember it all, but it was interesting) and mom and dad were mostlyraw- it was a vegan whole foods diet, and they had maybe 1 cooked meal a day....
anyway, i was very interested in their ways of doing things, i enjoyed whatever they made when at their house for dinner, or something they brought to a church pot luck, stuff like that. i dont think i want to go fully raw, but i am interested in going partially...we're military, and theyre gone now, so i cant ask them anymore, so i was hoping someone could post me links of info and recipes. i just got a dehydrator, and im interested in the crackers and stuff too(had something similar before, there are a couple of families who are partially raw now).... im in germany, and my commissary is tiny, and i dont have a car, so not too much shopping on the economy, so i think sprouting might be out- ive seen unroasted sunflower seeds, but thats really it, but any information you have, im willing to read-thanks


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## Mab (Jul 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Boof*

So if you're interested in following along, drop a note here:

http://wtchywmyn.livejournal.com/12156.html

Cheers!

Beth

leaving a note


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## danieliausmama (Jul 25, 2004)

I am still raw too, now for 9 months with one two week falling off the wagon. Right now I am trying to eliminate dehydrated or other processed stuff like oil, and salt. But don't worry about those if you just starting, because they help you to transition from cooked.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Still here too! I'm taking my first un-cooking class in less than two weeks...woo hoo!


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## ashleyhaugh (Jun 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ashleyhaugh*
ok, i'll preface this by saying i havent read this whole thread, lol

ok, we had a family at church, the kids were raised 100% raw until they had all their teeth (something linking getting your teeth to how mature your digestive tract is- cant remember it all, but it was interesting) and mom and dad were mostly raw- it was a vegan whole foods diet, and they had maybe 1 cooked meal a day....
anyway, i was very interested in their ways of doing things, i enjoyed whatever they made when at their house for dinner, or something they brought to a church pot luck, stuff like that. i dont think i want to go fully raw, but i am interested in going partially...we're military, and theyre gone now, so i cant ask them anymore, so i was hoping someone could post me links of info and recipes. i just got a dehydrator, and im interested in the crackers and stuff too(had something similar before, there are a couple of families who are partially raw now).... im in germany, and my commissary is tiny, and i dont have a car, so not too much shopping on the economy, so i think sprouting might be out- ive seen unroasted sunflower seeds, but thats really it, but any information you have, im willing to read-thanks


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

www.fromsadtoraw.com www.rawfoodtalk.com www.welikeitraw.com I think those are the best for recipes (that I know of!) That's where I get alot of mine.


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