I'm curious as to which people here eat some percentage of cooked foods, and if so, what they choose to eat and why.

Are there any specific foods/cooking methods you choose to eat -- or avoid?

Do you eat some amount of preferred cooked foods daily, or just occasionally?

Specific situations or times of year?

ZERO PERCENT.

chocolate
salt
steamed open cashews and brazil nuts
(90 % raw)

I don't know the percentage of cooked foods I ate, but its probably way too much. Its enough for me to maintain vegan and unprocessed foods. I moved to a western town, and there is literally NO vegetarian resturant here. Actually, not even a vegan friendly resturant. Some places are actually vegan HOSTILE! I haven't used that as an excuse. I am still vegan. I am slowly going more and more raw, simply because it tastes better, even with the low quality produce here. I am also growing my own purslane in my window just to get some really fresh stuff to eat, even if its only a very, very small addition. I have been rooting new cuttings, and I think in a month I will be set to start harvesting.

I eat some cooked vegan, especially beans and brown rice. (The two make a complete protein.) My body was falling apart on all raw vegan and no supplementation.

I now supplment with gluten-free Nutritional Yeast, seaweed, chia seeds, and iron (I'm anemic). If I don't take the nutritional yeast, my skin starts hardening and cracking. If I don't take the seaweed, I'm cold all the time as seaweed adds iodine and I have low thyroid. If I don't take the chia seeds, my skin and lips are all dried up and I have to eat lots of high calorie nuts to balance me. If I don't take the iron, I cannot move and am able to stop eating.

I suggest you do what works for you. Eating all raw is dependent on your budget and availability of food. Summer is easier because more fruits/veggies are available fresh, ripe, and on sale.

Good luck. Therese

Life 101, today I found out that Hibiscus tea is an extremely good source of Iron.
[woman.thenest.com]

Some people eat the whole dried leaf, and I am sure fresh flowers are probably really good. In case one is worried about tea being cooked.

I don't eat anything cooked because it has been my experience in the past that ANY amount of cooked food tends to lead me back to a standard American diet and I don't want that. It's a slippery slope.

In my life, I treat cooked food as an addiction because, in my observation, it has the earmarks of exactly that so I just don't allow myself anything cooked. When I watch the eating habits of those with whom I associate, their eating behavior looks fiendish to me. That's a bad sign!

Thanks Mislu. Appreciate your advice. Will look into it. I was drinking Stinging Nettle tea but I think my condition it too extreme for it. The Celiac Disease damage still hasn't healed.

Where did you move to that the location is not vegan friendly? We don't have many vegetarian restaurants here in Northeast Ohio and they aren't gluten-free. Was also curious about your purslane. I've never gotten it to grow. Can you share tips/pictures?

Therese

Hello life1o1,

I started my purslane plants from seed. I just filled a used container from a date box or something. I know its plastic, but money is kind of an issue, and I don't think there are any small rectangular pots available in town.

I filled it with sand and some rocks that I know have special minerals in them. I also put residual herbal tea bags and mixed it into the sand and watered. It took a long time to sprout. At first I wasn't sure what the plant was, the sprout was so tiny. It took even longer for the plant to become something I could ID. It kept growing, and I took clippings from the plant and planted them in similiar pots. The original plant seems to have so much more vigor than the rooted ones.

Purslane likes plenty of sun, and from what I read rather dry soil. I think I have had success because small planters tend to dry out quickly. It is really a very easy plant to grow, Most people consider it a very obnoxious weed and wish they didn't have it in their yards. I dont have yard space but I would welcome the plant if it ever grew.

I moved to New Mexico, and in general there isn't a whole lot of vegan places here. Albuquerque and Flagstaff AZ tends to have more vegan friendly places, but outside of those, there isn't much. I never understood that, because it doesn't seem like it would take much effort to make something for a vegan. But maybe NM just isn't ready for any significant vegan population. I and my partner are the only people I know who are vegan in town. I don't really want to ID the particular town yet, but its not known for diversity, and sophistication.

I just planted some miners lettuce seed this evening. I didn't know that I would do that. I added some more soil to a pot and put them in, rather spontaneously. When I lived in California I had a little planter of them, and they always came up in the winter and early spring. I look such great care of them, mostly by providing them with plenty of fruit peels and minerals. They came up so dark green they were almost black. Whenever I had even a small salad of them I felt so alive. I hope that they come up here, I really miss that.

I drink warn water with lemon or lime juice.
That is cooked water I guess.
Also when I visit grand ma and she makes her famous cake.
You cannot say no to grand ma
Should be able to tolerate some cooked food if I am really healthy.

WARM WATER WITH LEMON JUICE IS NOT COOKED. UNLESS THE WATER IS SO HOT THAT ITHAS COOKED THE RAW LEMON JUICE.
MAYBE THE CAKE IS, LOL

GrandMa does not know how to make raw cake
And she does not want to learn.
And she gets hurt when you do not eat her cooked cake.
She puts so much love into it.

CSR,
Maybe its time for her to learn some new ways. You still don't have to eat the cake. I am sure it will 'hurt' the first time you decline, but it least it won't hurt you physically. Just say you believe in a different paradigm of living.

Someone at work gave me that sad eyed, 'I'm Hurt' look over what I eat and don't. What a projection. Why should I protect her from information which could make her life better? It was just some comments about processed flour, she said, "I see your point". Like I said something judgmental and hurtful to her. Its really rather annoying, because although It might seem innocent to her, the effects of eating that stuff is so apparent. I don't know how else to say that something is harmful.