Hi Everyone!

I am new to the concept of raw foods. Without even reading anything about it I am instinctively drawn to the practical value of the diet; it seems to me that any foods that move easily through the digestive tract while releasing water and vitamins and minerals in thier pure state has to be a more healthy diet than eating dead foods that sit in your stomach for too long.

I am just having trouble getting started because I need to begin in a very basic, uncomplicated way. What I need is a healthier diet rather than a new obsession. There just seem to be so many books and so much complication on the subject, when what I really need is the following:

a) simple meal plans or recipes that require little time and effort. I am too busy for complicated recipes and equipment that don't seem very natural to me anyway. Making salads and lettuce rolls is fine, making things that require too much dicing and prep work and equipment is a bit too much for me right now (perhaps when I get more acclimated...)

and

b) nutritional info about how much of each food I should be consuming daily.




I am wondering if anyone can reccommend some books, websites or give me tips on simple meals?

Thanks! Katie

as for menu ideas, simply increase the amount of raw foods you are eating now.
ex= fruit for breakfast, large salad for lunch, raw carrots, celery, or fruit for snacks(nuts and seeds are good for snacks too) then a plate of raw veggies for dinner..... I'm not one for complicated, time consuming meals either. I haven't read any books on raw foods either. I use the members of this site for their help and awesome advice. Amazon.com has quite a few books on raw foods, though.

Sure, here is a short (not necessarily complete) list:

Tips (from my site, links page could be useful to you too)
Basic Raw Food FAQs (check out also the articles page on that site, there is a good food chart there, for example)
Raw Foods Explained (a very comprehensive resource)

Sincerely,
Gosia


RawGosia channel
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thank you for posting these! I hope you don't mind if I referr back to them often, as well!

Not at all. You are most welcome.

Gosia


RawGosia channel
RawGosia streams

Thank you for these links! Very helpful.

I have been increasingly drawn to the idea of eating raw foods due to the fact that other foods feel so heavy and blocking to me and that when I am hungry and just eat an apple or a salad as opposed to what I think I want at the time, I am surprised how full and satisfied I feel.

I am surprised to learn that raw foodists largely eat 75-85% fruit, 10-20% green leafy vegetables, and 5% nuts and seeds. I should say--surprised, but not shocked. I have always thought that we were primarily foragers and migrators and that fruits are one of our most natural foods due to thier availability and the fact that they contain a high sugar content, which is good for producing energy--in it's natural, raw form, that is. I've also thought that seeds and nuts were one of our other natural foods but that thier availability was more limited to us. It's amazing how much of this is instinctive knowledge.

Cheers!
Katie