Hi I am new to the forum and new to the raw food diet. While I want to do everything the right way and go completely organic I can't because it is so high in price.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on starting out and some grocery list suggestions. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome,

You don't have to eat everything organic. It's nice but not necessary. There are lists even on this forum of what foods are not as sprayed, etc.

Get yourself a free fitday.com account to plug in your daily intake and supplement where you are lacking.

Consider transitioning to raw rather than going 100% as detox can be overwhelming. Start out by incorporating more raw fruits/veggies into your daily regimen. Observe food combining rules and eat sweet fruits by themselves, etc.

Consider fasting a couple of times a year. In order to rid your body of any drugs, you will have to fast on distilled/alkaine water for at least 10 days. I didn't do that until the 2nd year so no need to rush.

Start detoxing your environment while you start your raw journey, too. Consider reading "The Cure for All Diseases" by Hulda Clark.

There is so much to learn but you'll learn it if not through research, by trial and error. Good luck. Therese

Hi Pet! The 'right' way is a way/process that is sustainable by you forever. Eating 1-2% more fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables every week.....consistently.....forever....would have you all-raw within 1-2 years. A VERY reasonable time-frame (most want to undo a lifetime of poor eating in under 30 days....heh..heh). You don't HAVE to make changes all at once....or eat organic to receive all the benefits of a health/conscious eating plan. This is just my opinion. Sample grocery list/menu:

1) Breakfast: Fresh squeezed orange juice (2-4 lbs), 1/2 Cangeloupe, 1 banana

2) Snack: 1 lb of fresh grapes

3) Lunch: mixed Romaine and Iceberg lettuce salad, topped with the raw nuts of your choice. Dress with fine minced garlic & lemon juice. Vary your greens as time goes on (Kale, spinach, etc.)

4) Snack: 4 apples and some raw almonds.

5) Dinner: Vegetable wraps: Use large Romaine lettuce leaves. Then Julienne strip vegetables: carrot, radish, sweet pepper, celery, etc. Shred some iceberg lettuce or cabbage fine and lay down a bed in your Romaine lettuce leaf. Lay in your stripped veggies. Make a fresh salsa by mixing Roma tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic & fresh basil (or your herbs of choice), & 1/2 jalepeno (if you wish)...and top your 'burrito'. Add fresh sunflower seeds & sprouts (any kind) if you wish). Wrap the whole thing up and eat like a burrito! (use a big plate to catch the fallout!) Ha! ha! Dip in home-made guacamole if you wish.

6) Snack: Find a late-night fruit that is appealing to you. Apples are a good choice. Slice and eat as much as you want.

-For those transitioning, drying your own fruits/veggies with a box fan and 4 cheap paper air filters is a great cheap & non-heat way to get in more of those potent nutrients! Just lay the fruit (slice thin) in between the wedges of the filter, then put another filter on top. Do another layer the same way, then bungee the whole thing to the front of your box fan and air-dry on high for 48 hours! Fun fun!

-I'm sure the great folks on this board (including myself) will be very supportive of you and any questions you might have!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Thanks everyone!

I do believe I have started detoxing to some degree because I have had a headache that started sometime late yesterday afternoon. I'm not even sure if that is possible, but it is really the only thing I can think of. I thought it was from not eating enough, but even when I ate more it didn't go away.

The next step is to stop smoking, and that is going to happen very soon (within the week). I'm trying to stay positive and keep going.

As for transitioning, I have really bad digestive problems when eating cooked food to the point where it is uncomfortable. I've seen a drastic improvement as far as that goes already (woo hoo!). I have kind of an all or nothing attitude when it comes to food. I'm bulimic, but also eating raw foods I haven't felt the fear of eating or like eating everything in the house. It feels okay to eat, which is something very wonderful when you can't remember a time when it was ever okay. So already raw food had done a lot for me. I am still very excited about everything.

I will register to fitday.com, to make sure I am getting all that I need!! Thanks for the advice and the well wishes!

Dear Pet,

I am just switching to what I expect will be a high raw lifestyle[and it is a lifestyle] in a matter of weeks, and I have found that Angela Stokes's advice is sound: try to eat more raw foods every day, gradually working your way up to whatever "percentage" is OK for your body. This limits the rate of detoxification and allows your palate to adjust(personally, I think THIS is what throws people off track most often--the "this tastes/feels weird" response). It also helps you to accustom yourself to really listening to your specific biological self talking to you: for the first time since childhood, you may hear your body telling you what it likes, what it doesn't like, what nutrients it needs, and whether it's truly hungry, by appetite. This is a foreign sensation to most of us in the developed world, I bet, but it's so important to regain it. I do wish you luck, and hope that your best efforts work for you. Every little thing you do to clear out; like quitting smoking, brings you closer to your original health--stick with it!

Tamukha

Just be your natural self. Eat the natural foods and respond to your body's natural signals and enjoy the natural result of your better choices. May your journey be a healthy one.