A few years ago I packed on some serious weight going from a normal 212 to about 260. So my main motivation is weight loss and avoidance of health problems that result from the extra weight.

What are books you would recommend for someone who has never done this before.

I have always liked veggies and fruits and have never been a heavy meat eater, so I can see myself adapting to this lifestyle. Plus I have all the motivation in the world.

I'm just starting out myself but:

Here's a list of books I've found on this site and others:

Doug Graham's 80/10/10 Diet [www.foodnsport.com]
Natural Hygiene online book [tinyurl.com]
Matt Monarch's book [www.RawSpirit.org]
Victoria boutenko's books [www.rawfamily.com]
Allisa Cohen's books [www.alissacohen.com]

I'm leaning more towards Doug Graham's book and the natural hygiene online book with some supplementary reading from victoria boutenko's books on green smoothies to see if it helps the cravings. I'm a big salad eater by nature but have to give up the oils that a lot of people use when first getting into raw. I love field greens but need to find a new 'dressing' that isn't using rancid oils.

I've decided, for myself to try to stay fresh and living and as close to "fresh off the plant" as possible with little to no processing even in home. I don't know how well I'll be able to stick to that but it's my goal.

I wish you well in your search. I hope these books help.

[rawfoodtrip.blogspot.com]
[jugglingforjoy.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2007 06:14PM by Fud.

Jennifer Cornbleet's recipe book comes highly recommended for the variety of recipes it contains.

Which of the books on your list would you recommend as the starting point for someone interested in starting asap? I have been thinking it over for a month now and feel as if I could start tomorrow. So I need one good introductory book to get me started. I will read the others as I progress.

MrHaney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Which of the books on your list would you
> recommend as the starting point for someone
> interested in starting asap? I have been thinking
> it over for a month now and feel as if I could
> start tomorrow. So I need one good introductory
> book to get me started. I will read the others as
> I progress.

mrhaney,

a book is not necessary to get started imo...
each book gives a different and often widely differing viewpoint,
so it's hard to recommend a particular book. that would depend on the person
doing the recommending.

i would say
keep it simple

you can certainly start increasing the amount of fruits and veggies you eat today.

basic principles (imo):

fruits will need to predominate in order to get enough calories
organic is often better than conventional, but not always
whole foods are preferred
recipes and food preparation are not necessary
experiment with blending if you so desire because blenders are inexpensive
fresh foods are preferred over dried, frozen, etc
ripeness is important - learn about fruits and when ripe
simple meals are preferred over complex due to digestive ease
your taste buds are a good way to determine what to eat
your appetite is a good way to determine how much to eat
go to farmers markets, organic food stores, and regular food stores
experiment with new fruits and veggies

If you're looking for a book to provide instant guides and quick starts you're probably going to need 2. one for concepts, etc. another for recipes that follow those concepts:

I can only go on what I've read here

Doug Graham's book 80/10/10 diet is a good "info" book on why, etc. from what I've gathered here I believe it has a set of recipes to get you started.

Frederic Patenaude has a variety of books and even a "starter kit" at:

[www.fredericpatenaude.com]

some of the books Frederic recommends are not 100% raw but follow a heavy raw diet. Some are raw. Plus there's a raw news letter you can subscribe to for help.

Books aren't necessary but if you can muddle through them, the right ones are priceless. I agree with Fresh's comments. Simple is better, living is better, do what's right for you.

I've found more information in the past couple of days, thanks to this forum, than I have in the years I've been studying from conventional resources.

My personal goal is to go fresh living/raw foods and eventually have a year round garden much like the commune in England that I read about. They grow their own foods and eat what's in season fresh from their garden or greenhouse. They can't go 100% living in winter months but they dry or freeze only what's absolutely necessary to get them through the winter months and advocate staying away from dried/frozen foods when possible.

Thanks to the folks here I've found a cool calorie counter at [www.fitday.com] which helps tremendously. I've had to customize a couple foods for it but I was able to find the nutritional info on those foods from google searches.

I hope this helps.

[rawfoodtrip.blogspot.com]
[jugglingforjoy.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2007 09:36PM by Fud.

Dont go into TOO much research or you will get analysis paralysis. Just eat raw and eat what you like for now.

Just started my rawfood journey and blogging daily about it here: [journeyforhealth.blogspot.com]

The reason I asked for books is that I am concerned about nutritional balance. I don't want to end up sick.

MrHaney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The reason I asked for books is that I am
> concerned about nutritional balance. I don't want
> to end up sick.


it's the people who are not eating this diet who need to worry about nutritional balance. all nutrients are available in plants. however, finding quality, fresh, ripe food is important.


b12 is a rather contentious issue but here's a website for you.

www.b12.com

analysis paralysis

lol i love it lol

so true

The articles section of this website provides ample information. You may want to first check them out, then decide which author's views you'd like to pursue more.

Wishing you vibrant health

LOL

I've experienced "analysis paralysis"!

still, I think its good to read as much as you can and learn as much as you've a mind to. no doubt you will encounter contradictions and experience some confusion, but in my experience, if you can bear up to that and hang in, you'll come out the other end with a workable synthesis that's uniquely your own.

I use my books as "bibliotherapy". They help to keep me motivated, focused and confident in my dietary choices, which can be very important if you're navigating your boat in a sea of SAD'ers.

bon voyage Mr.Haney

khale

So I went raw on Sunday the day I started this thread. I feel really good so far.

However, I have cheated in mid afternoons by having a piece of cheese.

I will work on cutting that out over the next week.

I am surprised that I don't need my big two eggs and a potato breakfast to start the day off with.

If you are worried about nutrient balance, use a nutritional calculator like nutridiary, fitday, nutritiondata or cronometer.