I was 100% RAW over the summer, fruit and veggies were in abundance and inexpensive. I lost 20 lbs and felt more amazing and radiant then I ever thought possible. THen Fall and Winter came...I began to have difficulty staying RAW with in the work that I do. I have my smoothie every morning and a huge salad at night, and a piece of fruit for snack, but the in between time I eat with the Kindergarteners in my Waldorf School. I make the food, it is typically whole grains and such, all organic, seemingly good for you food. It is impossible for me to bring my own food to eat in front of the 5-6 yr olds and I have no break during the school hours. I am at a loss as to what to do! I have gained a few lbs back, which bums me out a bit. I have tried to cut the amount of nuts and seeds I eat but I get soooo hungry I can't cut the fat out. I love to run and do yoga and all that, but it is a challenge to do anything when the SUN stays hidden behind the gray rain clouds and I don't get home until dark and the house is soooo cold. I know I am droning on, but I am just frustrated with things. ANy advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I feel you. I live in New York, so I know how it gets in the winter. My advice...


Cheap staple fruits - have mono fruit days when you feel that you're not at your best and weight gain may be resulting from eating cooked food. The fruits that are cheap throughout winter are bananas, citrus (oranges, grapefruits, etc. are usually abundant here), apples, and pears.


Greens for dinner. One of the greatest craving inhibitors and the most craved food for me lately is raw organic baby spinach. It tastes so complex and earthy - it's delicious. I don't put anything on it, I just eat it out of the package. Earthbound Farms and Olivia's produce delicious organic spinach that was grown in a neighbor state to me.


Avocados. I reccomend having one half to one avocado, once to twice a week. An avocado averages around 280 calories per fruit and 25-30 grams of fat, which is why you shoud store half in the refrigerator for later in the week. They're incredibly filling and allow your body to absorb more fat-soluble vitamins from fruits and vegetables when eaten in combination with them. You should be careful to use them sparingly although many raw foodists advocate eating them with reckless abandon - fat is still fat, but avocados are usually the freshest source you'll find of it.


Young coconuts. You can get these at Asian markets and some health food stores. The water inside of them is incredibly nutritious and the meat is fulfilling if you take the time to scoop it out. While a mature coconut is around 1400 calories per fruit and 133 grams of fat, a young coconut is 140 calories with 3 grams of fat - plus it contains more juice. This is a great alternative to nuts and seeds and much more refreshing and invigorating at around the same price.


Dried fruits or investing in a dehydrator. Although dried fruits are sub-par to those that are still fresh, they can help fill a void with winter cravings and produce prices. For example, I wish I had dried persimmons while they were still heavily in season here, but I can't afford a dehydrator right now. You can find dehydrated fruits that aren't available in local stores, and guaranteed raw, online at several raw grocery shops.


Simple raw recipes. One of my favorites of these is the standard raw zucchini recipe, which can be adapted to include more fruits or vegetables. You don't need a Spirooli, although it is a cool invention. Just use a vegetable peeler to cast "noodles" of zucchini fruit onto a plate, and make a raw marinara sauce using fresh tomatoes, garlic (although their health benefits are disputed, I feel that using a small amount of it, if tolerated by your body, is beneficial), basil, red pepper, and other desired veggies and you have a delicious, salt free dinner with barely any fat.

If you're still concerned about staying raw, I would advise to use raw nuts and seeds if you're really craving them. Order the highest quality you can find off of the internet and make sure they're truly raw. The ones on grocery store shelves are usually disappointing, and sprout them whenever possible.

Good luck.

<3

P.S. I edited this to have yummy pictures.





Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2008 02:14AM by rawfrancois.

Hello there . You mentioned young coconuts and I cannot find anywhere around me that sells them on a regular basis. Help! I am looking and calling but only a few times a year. Can I order them online from somewhere?? I wonder how long they last if I do that.
By the way....NICE pictures!
Sandy

[www.youngcoconuts.com]

You can purchase single coconuts from there to try them, and then you can order a case if they're good enough. Typically, coconuts will be from 2-5 dollars, not 8.

I'm not sure why you're getting the answer that you can only order them a few times a year. If I were you, I would scour my area for Asian markets. I live in upstate New York and there are several very close to me that all carry young Thai coconuts in the produce section of their stores. Other places I have seen them are at natural foods supermarkets. The best advice I could give you, if not those places, would be to call your local Thai restaurants and supermarkets and ask if you could place an order with them. Many natural foods stores will also allow you to place wholesale orders privately through them.

wow. Okay, maybe I am calling all the wrong places, I thought I tried a bunch of Asian markets, along with feel-rite and wegmans n tops. I live in upstate NY also, just south of Buffalo.
Sandy

Right now is the time for eating tangerines. Try clementines, satsumas, golden nuggets, page mandarins, minneolas, nova, and others. Soon it will be time for navel oranges (perhaps its has already started).

Why can't you bring fruit to eat with the kindergarteners? Perhaps this will inspire them to eat more fruit, or better yet to demand it from the school.

cool post, rawfrancois, I really liked it...will have a look at your homepage now!

Claire

I agree with Bryan - what's wrong with loads of fruit?
The kids will love it too - I remember loving clementines, tangerines etc when I was a kid because peeling them was fun - trying to get the whole peel off in one go. I'm sure the kids wont mind you eating loads of fruit in front of them!

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