how do you all keep warm in winter? I have been transitioning far too long to raw, and the cold winter weather is another excuse for me to eat something cooked. I feel so cold, even indoors. Today, I had a bowl of oatmeal to feel warm. I especially liked holding the bowl to warm up my hands.

Are there any raw foods which help promote a feeling of warmth? Any special visualizations or exercises?

With much thanks,
Mislu

I would recommend a sweater

Foods like chili and ginger are good warming foods.

You can warm foods to body temperature, about 100deg F (40 deg C), works well for raw soups.

Do some exercise, this probably helps the most.

Make sure you are getting enough calories in your diet, energy from food is converted to heat energy by your body.

And of course I agree with Thomas, put some more clothes on, turn up the heating!

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

Hello!

I simply where a pair of white ankle running socks, khakis, a t-shirt and a hooded sweat shirt. I turn the heat up a bit in the evening and turn it off during the day.

Does the sun's beams come through any of your windows and hit the floor? If so, I sit in that spot.

Thanks,

Arilraw

Exercise, sunlight, deep breathing and room temperature foods should do you fine! Of course, I support you 100% in whatever YOU think you need to do!

-David Z. Mason

Other wise I crave fat like a demon, which isn't so easy on the liver and gall-bladder. I wear little knitted cap on my head indoors. OK, not such a fashion statement, but I bought a pretty white one. I wear layers - turtleneck with sweatshirt or sweater over it. Winter silks - long undies and such will help. And I wear a really thick long pair of wool sockies. And I'm good to go.

With love,

Piano Gal

This is a really good question - they say that we're meant to be tropical animals and every time winter comes round and it's time to wear layers and layers again, I feel in myself that this is true.

THAT SAID - I am continually grateful for how much less I'm feeling the cold nowadays! It seems like the longer I'm a rawfooder, the less I feel the cold. Even before raw, I used to be the coldest person I knew - that is no longer the case.

But I wanted to reiterate what David said too: the best way to get warm is to _move_! Even deep breathing exercises and Chi Kung can warm you up really fast. I'm so grateful that I'm well now, that when I'm cold I want to bounce around and move about whereas before when I was sick and had no energy I would just want to curl up and die when I was cold.

On the question of what you put _in_ your body - some people say that drinking some warm water can be good because water carries in your body. The cup can definitely be nice to warm your hands on I don't find myself doing that much though. But speaking from experience, I've noticed that when I eat more fat or more spices - even supposedly warming spices like chili or ginger - I actually feel _colder_! One food that definitely does seem to be warming is dates.

Hope this is some help!

Thank you all for your thoughtful advice. I am drinking a cup of tea as I write this morning. I am going to be removing snow from my drive way soon. I am sure I will be cold at first, but I am sure to warm up as I work. I will have to look up those breathing exercises.

thank you

i drink hot herbal teas. i would prefer not to.

Actually the "warming" spices got the effect of COOLING you, because they got the property to open your pores and makes your body getting rid of heat, instead of keeping it. That's why alot of people in warm countries (India etc) uses hot spices.

Take warm footbaths, breath, make love and fall in love. =)

Healthybun,
Would eating cooling foods trap in heat? but feel initially cold at first?

Well, I live in the midwest. I was getting so cold in 65 degree weather. There has to be something wrong there, because, if we live in this type of climate, shouldn't we be somewhat comfortable even if it gets cold? I'm eating about 65% raw and I feel comfortable even in 40 degree weather again. It just seems normal again instead of shivering bundled up in turtle necks , long johns and a heavy coat. I keep thinking what people in the midwest are meant to eat in the fall and winter. What is available? Sure, I could go to the grocery store and buy food that is from the tropics, but I don't live there, so why eat a lot of it. So back to steamed potatoes I go.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2006 08:09PM by shep252.

18 degress now going down to at least 4 tonight. I'm not doing anything different than what I stated under the post called A 10 year live perspective.

elnatural

Shep252,
What would be the natural wintertime food in your area? Are potatoes native to the midwest? Somehow it doesn't seem like it. Aren't they from south america? I have heard of some governments creating a wintertime food supplement from sea buckthorn. Its supposed to help people combat the cold. If it really works, shouldn't eating sea buckthorn in the winter help? Its not so available in the united states, but some people are doing trial crops. It makes wonderful lotions, soaps etc...but very expensive. Its also an excellent source for a number of nutrients, including omega 3 fatty acids, which is pretty unusual for a berry. But aslo vit c, e, and folic acid, as well as many others, plus many trace elements.

I have been drinking ginseng tea, as that is supposed to be warming. I'm tempted to take some b-vitamins, but that is kind of a last resort, as I don't often feel so great taking multivitamins, multiminerals.

Sure, I see where you are coming from. What I meant is that you can actually GROW potatoes here, you cannot grow a mango here or a banana. (I do eat bananas, though, now and then.) (I do kow that one of the countries potatoes came from was Europe and started being cultivated in Virginia by the settlers.) Anyway, I eat a lot of harvested apples, they come from this area. But the point is, in my opinion, that there is somthing wrong when a person gets very cold in the climate they live in such as 65 degree weather, or even 40 degree weather with a coat on. I found the reason I was so cold was because I was getting acidosis really bad from all the fruits I was eating. (Which alot of you probable don't do or can matabolize acids better.) But anyway, what causes some raw fooders to become so cold? I know of some raw fooders that move to warmer climates because they can't handle the climate they live in. I do believe you can be comfortable in the climate you live in by eating foods that can grow in your area.
My question to you is, do you believe it is normal to feel as cold as you were or are?

And why are so many raw fooder so against the potatoe? It IS a food, isn't it? People have lived off of potatoes when famine came many years ago.





Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2006 04:02PM by shep252.

shep252 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And why are so many raw fooder so against the
> potatoe? It IS a food, isn't it? People have lived
> off of potatoes when famine came many years ago.

Probably because you can't really eat it raw, some say it is posionous when raw.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

I started drinking warm water.. First I thought it tasted bad it really helps me stay warm without the extra calories. Add some lemon to it and its like a warm lemon tea

Shep252,

Normal or not, I would rather feel a bit warmer. And actually today I did feel quite a bit warmer. I even went for a bit of a walk with the wind blowing and snow falling down on top of me, and I didn't feel cold. I don't feel so cold in the house either. But, its probably 15 to 20 degrees warmer than it was a few days ago. In fact its expected to start raining early tommarrow morning.

Yes, I think it would be a bit off to be very cold in warm weather. I have seen people who are cold and wear hats and coats, scarves and even a heating pad indoors, when its 70 degrees.

It makes sense to eat locally as much as you reasonably can. I have heard of people doing the '100 mile diet'. For one year these people ate only things grown within 100 miles of their home. That would take a lot of research, I don't always see all produce and foods clearly labled as to their origins. Health food stores seem to be the most clear about this point. But regular groceries, its not always marked. Sometimes all it says is 'from florida' or 'from Texas', or 'product of mexico'.

With a little search on the internet, I found that potatoes are claimed to originate ultimately from peru.
[www.theallineed.com]
A second site confirms
[www.npcspud.com]

This webpage seems to think that raw potatoes are safe to eat.
[www.healthypotato.com]
This says only green parts are toxic.
[www.food-info.net]
I've tried raw potatoes, but I'm not sure why! I didn't like the taste, and they made my stomach feel sick. Some webpages had recipes which included raw eggplant, and I tried that...I also didn't like the taste, and it made me feel sick.

I purchased some quamash bulbs and planted them. I hope that they come up this spring. If they grow well I will have some attractive plants and maybe I can harvest some bulbs. They are edible, and its reported that they can be eaten cooked or raw. I feel a bit better growing them, as they are native to where I live. I also think I probably won't have to dig as much to get the bulbs.
[en.wikipedia.org]

There are some other roots I would like to grow. Jerusalem artichoke, waterchestnuts, bitter root, chinese licorice, and some wild roots from alaska, which I don't know the common english names at the moment. Ideally I would like to grow as much food as I can from my garden, and buy local to make up for what I can't.

Its interesting now that you mention it, I naturally seem to favor local produce, and I don't eat a whole lot of sweet fruit. But alot of people seem to think that we need an abundace of sweet fruit.

Interesting sites! I found another site that said potatoes came from Europe, but I think they came from different places. (I can't remember where I found it.)

I find that eating a raw potato is harder to digest.

Shep252,
Thats great, I would be interested in reading about european potatoes. Yeah, I found that raw potatoes are awful tasting to me, and I suppose harder to digest given that it made me feel sick. If eating some steamed potatoes keep you warm, happy and healthy, I support you.

By the way, you have a cute sort of magical look about you.

Move to Miami!!!!

eat dehydrated foods and bars and such
eat carbs and things that will be burned in the body and create energy
have warmed up raw soups (put in larger bowl of hot water)
wear long underwear and multiple layers
exercise
ive heard coconut oil is burned and creates warmth. in the artic they eat a lot of fat for this purpose.

heres my new favorite though, put good size flatish rocks/crystals on your heater. then you can put these rocks in your pockets, on your clothes, in your bed, etc. you could make bags of rocks. i put a few of these rocks in my pockets and around if im cold and it feels great. ive also used them for pain and other problems.
this is a survival technique where you warm rocks by the fire and use them as personal heaters.
u dont need to drink a cup of hot tea to hold something warm in your hands and have it heat you up.

brett

Coconutcreme,
Miami sounds good right now. However, isn't it too hot & muggy down there? What about crime & pollution?

Oh NO, it is super nice here. It's image has been cleaned up.. it's an international mecca.. everybody wants to move to Miami..it's all glitter,manicured lawns and fruit paradise..

Pollution? We are on the ocean!!! It's the cleanest air to breathe in USA





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2006 11:06AM by coconutcream.

Thanks Mislu.

The air by the ocean is the cleanes air you can breathe. My husband said so, since he lived on a carrier in the Navy for 5 years.

Miami's air is ok (especially on the beach and compared to filthy cities like NY and LA), but not the cleanest in the country.

I do like Florida though, 20 something cold winters have been enough for me for a lifetime (though I may choose to travel and ski a few times a decade). I'll be back in Florida (Central where the summers aren't so miserable) in just a few months.

Thats nice to know about miami's air quality!

Hey you know you can use cayenne in drinks to warm up , I heard, it makes like its hot.. like in raw cacao drinks or something..

You can always try baking some goodies. There are many goodies that aren't eaten cold. Many you could probably stick in a dehydrator and warm them up a little bit. Imagine some tastey raw cookies! Wooohooo!!

Thats an idea. I don't have a dehydrator however. I have heard of people lightly heating things on a pan on the stove. There is the chance of cooking some of it, so one would have to be careful. Thanks for the suggestion!