Hi all,
I have been considering going raw but I do have some questions. I do not have any serious health concerns at this time but I know I could be much healthier.

1. I can probably get on it and start juicing, but for my fiancee who has a 2 hour commute to NYC, how can someone like that stick to a raw diet when they have so much temptation and bad food choices all around them?

2. I've done some research on juicers and it seems like the greenstar is coming out on top in most of the reviews. Does anyone have an opinion on that?

3. I'm not a big vegetable or fruit eater and this is why I want to start juicing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should get started slowly without going cold turkey so that I can adjust and not get discouraged?

I am a relatively new convert to raw also. I planned to start slow but then just flipped more or less cold turkey after a few days because it was just working for me. As a result I have had to work out some kinks along the way.

Anyway, go to your local library and check out the book "The Raw Food Detox Diet" by Natalia Rose. The book is primarily aimed to those who want to lose weight. However, I believe she does a good job explaining how to transition and provides a number of meal plans depending on your current level for transitioning. She provides transition foods and recipes. She does NOT advocate going 100% raw overnight but rather instituting a gradual change.

Also, and this is just my opinion everyone is different, I had a food processor and blender to begin. I thought a juicer was the thing I had to have too. I purchased one but I find that I use my food processor almost more than anything. I will reiterate that everyone is different. I started eating a lot of fruit but have shifted away from most of the sweet fruits and try to focus more on vegetables and sprouts.

Another very good book with simple recipes that you can incorporate is "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet. She gives very simple recipes that you can start adding to your current diet.

As far as bad food choices go....it is just that - a choice. I am definitely not one to be serving up advice about others but your fiance will have to make those choices just like the rest of us. She can carry dried fruits, vegie sticks and nuts or Lara bars (which aren't very heavy). But again, what she chooses to consume is her choice. As an aside, I found that going raw almost immediately got rid of the cravings for the sugary junk that I have struggled with for so many years.

Good luck!

Patty

Thank You so much!

Harry
I have a green star and I love it. It juices everything from wheat grass and vege's through to coconuts. The only thing it doesn't seem to juice that well are mushy things like pears where the pulp comes out fairly saturated. I would still recommend it highly though.

Me too!! I love my greenstar too and I did loads of research before I decided it
was the one for me. I used it every day, almost non-stop when I first went raw. I was juicing all day long. The first raw books I was introduced to were the books by Dr.Norman Walker and I was following his recipes for juices. My juicing schedule looked something like this:

A.M. oranges juice
followed by carrot juice (making extra for the kids to take to school)

P.M. carrot/beetroot juice

Early Evening carrot/spinach juice

My ex-boyfriend turned slightly orange drinking all that carrot juice. It was a good start for us onto the raw path but I was glad to be done with it after a year. My life seemed to be entirely taken up by shopping for carrots, carrying crates of carrots up three flights of stairs, juicing carrots and carrying most of the leftover pulp down the stairs again

Anyway, have a look on the juicing section of this board for more info on juicers and juices.

Francis

haha...folks must have called you 'the carrot lady'.

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in reply to the original post...I live in NYC...I don't see many temptations to do/eat bad things. In fact, There seems to be a store every couple of blocks that services my needs..its quite...incredible.

eating/being healthy is much more of a lifestyle change then a diet or program to stick to. as long as you are doing things that go against what you WANT to do, like if that is to eat crap or whatever..THAT opportunity will present itself over and over. If one truly wants health, theres countless avenues to explore there, juicing is certainly one, and a healthy transitional diet is another one. so at least you arn't 'lost' haha.

Suggestions:

- eat simpler meals - research food combining - and always eat in a relaxed/joyful state

- try to seek out fruits and veggies that you DO enjoy....make those your staples. try to bring consciousness to eating them...if it is fruit..break it open with your hands and examine it...or whatever it takes to have fun.

- try to remove all the processed starches and sugars completly from your routine before setting your raw goals too high (this could take awhile. as it includes all things people know as 'carbs', other than rice and non gluiten grains and the denser cooked vegies). Fruits are really the only healthy carbs...eat as much as you care for!

- always eat the foods you enjoy and make you feel good..and don't eat the ones that have the opposite effect...the foods themselves will probably change over time, but there will never be the possibility for discouragement/failure with this mindset.

- the other suggestion I have in regards to juicing...is: juices don't really 'keep' (maybe with a greenstar if you refridgerate it)...but not for bringing on a trip or to work or whatever. Always is a good idea to juice only on an empty stomach (ie. first thing) anyway