Hi I'm new here and have no experience with eatting raw.

I am a vegetarian going on 11 years now. My hubby has psoriasis and is over weight he thinks eatting raw will greatly help him. He is a meat eatter at this time and I have been trying for years to convert him over. Now that he suggests this I feel I can't say no. I mean what if this actualy works to have him give up meat?

Anyway I don't know where to start. Also I suffer from IBS and I'm not sure if eatting all raw will work for me. Oh and we have 5 kids ages 20yrs down to 2yrs..the oldest and the youngest are both vegetarians the 3 in the middle eat some meat when we go out to eat/take out, if my hubby makes it, and at school.

The Any advice is welcomed....and Thanx in advance.

Many people have healed from IBS by incorporating raw foods into their lifestyle. You might have a look at David Klein's website on healing IBS/Colitis/Crohn's with raw foods and natural hygiene: [www.colitis-crohns.com].

Hi Moonlit-
I have been eating a partially raw diet for a while now, but have been transitioning into it. Trying to jump into "the deep end of the pool" headfirst does not work for me. I lost alot of energy, was really grumpy, and felt like crap. I was a vegan/vegetarian for a long time, but found myself eating so much soy and fake meat products that I felt worse than when I wasnt veggie. Now, I do green lemonade first thing when I wake up, and then do either more juices or salad/raw veggies during the day, and eat a mostly raw dinner with a little cooked. I have tapered down the amount of cooked over the last few weeks. I no longer drink coffee, very little wine, and I feel really good. I'm certainly no medical expert, but if your husband wants to improve his health I would reccommend raw juices and transitioning into it slowly. Also food combining may help the IBS a great deal...I have/had a case of horrible acid reflux, and it has disappeard since I started proper food combining. But the minute I don't combine right, I do get indigestion.

There is a book called The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose which is GREAT for beginners tranitioning into raw foods. The recipes are user friendly and easy to make, requiring very little or no special appliances/gadgets. I think the book is great in that it allows you to set yourself to go at your own pace and really is easy to read and informative. She breaks down the food combining issue so that its easy to understand and remember which foods work together and which ones do not. She does use Spenda in some of the recipes, but that can be avoided by substitutting agave nectar or something else you like. Some people criticize the book for not being "strict" enough, but thats what I like about it...I didn't feel like I had to do a total overhaul when I wasn't ready for it, and yet it has made a huge difference in how I eat and feel! Below is the recipe for the green lemonade if you want it. Use organics for this.

Green Lemonade

5-6 kale leaves
5-6 Romaine leaves
1 lemon
1-2 Apples
5-6 stalks celery
thumb sized knob of fresh ginger
1/2 cucumber(optional)
bunch cilantro (optional)

Run all ingredients through a juicer, and drink immediately.

Hope this helps you!

Dafodil

How does the green lemonade taste? I need help. Can someone give me a sample menu of what a raw foodist would eat throughout the day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also, I don't have a jucier, so I am at a disadvantage there. I would like to try this raw food diet for a week trial and see how I feel, but I am not sure where to start. What foods should I buy to begin with? also, what types of condiments do raw foodists put on salads? Are dressings allowed, or how about vegedips? Let me know. Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2007 12:19AM by radab1.

moonlit, radab1:

In this post called "Re: What do you eat...why?" I gave some tips from my experience of my transition from cooked foods to raw foods. If you read the "High-fruit low-fat research trial!!!" you'll see the daily menus of people playing with the 80/10/10 raw diet.

Moonlit -
Dafodil has some good points.
I used to have Colitis (think IBS x3 or so ... ) Using David Klein's book, enzyme therapy, food combining and acupuncture I am cured. Eliminating meat and esp dairy and grains makes a huge difference as it eliminates mucus causing agents. The other things that can help with IBS is psyllium husk and flax meal which balance out the fluids in your intestine and help keep you regular
hope that helps.
My general diet is a fruit smoothie w/flax and psyllium in the AM, fruit mono meals throughout the day until I want something green - then I have a big salad and/or green juice/smoothie.
the easiest thing to start with to transition is the smoothies in the morning, it's quick, gets you off to a great start and you can load it up with all kinds of good stuff to give you energy. My bf does this everyday even though he is not raw and loves it!! It's probably good for kids too as it's simple and they can get creative with it and help out.
So hope that helps. Best of luck!

Hey there.....i second the raw diet detox book for beginners.....by natalie rose...it is an amazing book and i am currently reading it...i think it is amazing for starters and will help anyone wanting to get into raw foods but not quite sure what it involves and what to do.....i would of loved it when i started in january of this year.....i didn't i jumped head first into it and did well and have continued it but still i would of likedthat option in case i needed it ahha....but i recommend it highly....hmm the green lemonade is a good thing...or you can make green smoothies to add into your diet to slowly start off...they are yummy full of good for you stuff and like one source said...you can add some fun and get creative (for the kids and you) witht eh smoothies....this diet is great for IBS and weight as well...i commend your hubby for wanting to really get ahold of his health and take control of his life...that is amazing...and especially you being veggie already...you at least don't have to deal with giving up meat huh?? ......starting off slow and leading by example for the kids is best i think....eating raw yourself and living the life...so that the children will see and then try....offer fruit platters or veggie platters with raw dips..like guacomole...or raw hummus's or use tahini butter or some sort of nut butter for dips.....gradually offering more raw into their diet without pushing it really helps.... i just turned 22 last month and when my dad was out visiting i was eating raw...and i didn't encourage him or ask him or push...but he ate more veggie's and now that he is back at home is probably 50-60% raw compared to the 25% before...he still eats meat sometimes but hey he is getting in some raw...so i guess now that i have babbled on haha...it is more of a personal choice for how you start...but getting in there and eating some raw fruits and veggies is great....i applaud your family!! and wish you well...keep us posted on how you do!!
sorry i wrote so much...but i hope some of it helped!!
take care and congrats again!
love earth angel
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxox

Radabl-
I would suggest going to a library or a bookstore and reading up on raw food recipe books to see what they are like. Jennifer Cornbleet has a book out called Raw Food for 1 or 2 People. It is very simple and does not require much in the way of appliances. She specifically wrote the recipes to exclude the use of dehydrators and most appliances save for a food processor or blender. ALOT of leafy green salads with simple vinagrettes or just some olive oil and lemon, nuts, seeds, veggies and whatnot. She even has a recipe for Raw Ranch Dressing if you really want a creamy texture in your salad dressing. I haven't tried that one yet, but it sounds good. HOpe this little bit of info helps. Good luck-
Dafodil

Thank you everyone. I plan on first upping my intake of raw foods while I do some reading. I think I need to go into this slowly as to not cause an IBS flair up it seems any sudden changes causes them for me.

Thanx again,
moonlit

I feel after being raw for 16 months+ that I have pretty much reversed my IBS. I have flare-ups if I am stressed. Also, in the beginning, I had to watch my seed intake. It wasn't such a big thing with nuts, but too many seeds flared me up intially, but now, I can eat a small flax cracker no worries. I still watch just to err on the side of caution.

I eat tons of parsley 'cause I make a ton of raw tabouli. The parsley has had some very curative effects on my gastrointestinal system. I add mint too and that really helps my tumbly (Pooh Bear's term for 'tummy').

Enjoy your raw journey