Hi everyone. So good to find this community. I'm on my 6th day raw. I was raw for about 6 months a while ago, and I'm trying again to make it my way of life. One thing about the raw diet that's always confused me is oil. There are so may conflicting reports about whether it's technically raw or not. One of my primary goals (besides improved health and mental clarity, of course!) is weight loss. Especially FAT loss. I don't want to be eating a lot of fat, but some people say as long as it's raw, it's fine. I make sure the olive oil is cold-pressed, and the best you can buy in this country...and I would find it impossible to eat so many salads without some kind of olive oil, lemon juice, dressing. At times, I also use balsamic vinegar which I think technically you aren't supposed to have. WIll all my efforts be lost if I use say 3-5 tablesppons of oil a day on my salads and a little balsamic? Any advice greatly appreciated! Thanks guys

There are a lot of people on this forum who use olive oil, and many who don't. Processed oils, even when raw, are not really ideal food sources compared with whole coconuts or avocados, but many people use them. I use small quantities of good quality olive oil without too much worry. You should have fat somewhere in your diet. The trick is to find the style that works best for you.

Vinegar is pretty much guaranteed to be pasteurized (not-raw) unless it says otherwise on the bottle. My market carries two brands of raw apple-cider vinegar and one of red wine vinegar.

You may also try looking around for other salad dressing recipes. There are tons of raw dressing recipes out there, many of which have less fat or no fat. Many contain fat from nuts, seeds, or avocados. In any event, variety is fun!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2008 07:54PM by frances.

For most, it is the OVERALL TREND and the BULK of their diet and lifestyle that will determine their health. If you are on a trend towards eating the items that YOU have identified to be the healthiest....then you are in good shape! In other words, I'm sure you will still enjoy great benefits. However, if YOU think vinegar or oil is bad....then I DO think you should set a schedule to limit it...or cut it out completely. Just my opinion.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

thanks guys for the advice. can anyone suggest some yummy salad dressings that are 1) not too creamy (i dont really like creamy-like substances) and 2) are easy to prepare (don't require a blender?
Thanks!

.

Olive Oil, Kelp granules,cayenne pepper

Olive Oil, garlic, onions

Squeeze lemon or lime juice, cilantro

Mix Mustard seeds, bit water, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, if want sweet add agave

Simple Raw Recipes & Health Tips

I have found that my body uses natural fats like fresh raw whole food avocado and fresh raw whole food coconut very well but my body dosn't seem to know what to do with processed fats like "fats in a bottle" and stores it as flab. My body seems to get ahold of "a moment on the lips and years on the hips" and turns the separated fats into love handles.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2008 04:22PM by EZ rider.

Just avocado and tomatoes add a lot of flavor or guacamole or salsa. Corn too. Many options.

Simple Raw Recipes & Health Tips