Hi everyone!!!!

I'm new to raw foods and I am still learning soo much about everything involved with this lifestyle. I find this community to be fascinating and so helpful to each other

I do have a few questions though...
I am a huge tea fan, I drink tons of tea, not the bagged stuff but the fresh tea leaves kind of stuff. Can I still drink tea on this diet? and also, can I sweeten it with sugar or honey and still be raw? Tea seems to calm the symptoms of my autoimmune disease. I especially like red and white teas because they have more antioxidants than most other teas and they are also less caffeinated.

Also, for anyone out there who has quite a few doctors who put you on many medications, should I let my doctors know that I am starting this diet? Should I stop taking my medications? How should I approach this new lifestyle when talking to them? I have a feeling that they may not like the idea of starting this, but I need something that will make me feel better and the medications definitely aren't.

Thank you so much in advance for reading all of that, and I'm sorry for so many questions, but if you can answer one, that would be great!

If instead of telling your doctors you are about to embark on an all raw vegan diet you emphasize that you will be incorporating more raw fruitsm vegetables, nuts, and seeds because they reduce cancer risks, improve antioxidant status, etc. you might get a better reception.

I don't have a problem with tea, a cup of tea is about 2 kcal which would be maybe
0.1% of your total intake. White teas are less processed than green which are less processed than black.

Some raw foodists do drink tea, yes!

Some people here use raw honey (available in many health food stores). Others view honey -- raw or not -- as a no-no. I wouldn't worry about it at this point. You might try raw agave too... usually near the honey or maple syrup in health food stores.

I agree with Arugala about what to tell your doctors. Many doctors, although very well-meaning, know very little about nutrition and will think this way of life is extreme. Once you get into this, the SAD diet seems horribly extreme. But, anyway, I like how Arugla put it.

You may find, as I have, and others have, that you need to cut back on some of your medications as a result of this lifestyle. I have cut out all but one prescribed medication ... and I have a depressing medical history that would completely overwhelm most people. I found, over time, that I needed less and less of what I had been prescribed. (Don't start cutting back on prescribed medications without the help of a flexible, open-minded physician.) My doctor was very willing to supervise me in my cutting back on prescribed meds and was available to me to help with changing prescriptions, dealing with my confused pharmacy ("Ok, you want the timed release of X and the smaller dose of Y but don't change the Z, right?" and health insurance red tape that ensued.

I am, unfortunately, a very experienced medical care consumer. And, what I have learned, after having had way too many doctors, is that a good doctor will support you in your efforts to lead the healthiest lifestyle possible, even if that means your doctor makes less money by seeing you less and performing fewer procedures. Good doctors want their patients to go away because they are healthy. Good doctors would rather see you smiling once a year than suffering week after week.

Sorry for the long tangent.

Welcome! This is a great site. I check in here often and have learned much.


Lee

The above posts are great.

Opinion:

-Think less about 'raw' and think more about eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. This is optimal (in my opinion). Anything that helps you to reach YOUR lifetime goal of eating more fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.....whatever level you choose.....you have my 100% support. I don't drink tea...because I do not find it optimal. If it helps you - go for it.

-Remember: there are no raw food police. No single raw food book or guru....or rules to adhere to. Fresh, raw plant food is a tool for health....if that is on your agenda. It is SO simple.....in it's basics.....that many people feel they HAVE to mix it up and complicate it! LOL.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

i've been making tea plain and finding that i actually like it without sweetener. it took a bit to get used to it but the subtle flavours of the herbs are apparent to me now and i really enjoy them.
you can make tea with warm water instead of hot or sun tea which just sits and steeps in the sun. if i have fresh herbs or ginger i juice it or blend and strain it sometimes, that's really powerful flavour like that!

aloha tea. congratulations on taking radical self responsibility for your health and well being... i am excited for you! i know you're going to experience a lot of amazing things as you travel along this path.

i completely agree with arugula and lee... unless you want to be subjected to a battery of tests or have your doctors speculate aloud to you about all the deficiencies that you will encounter (b12, protein, etc.), you might not want to mention the words "raw vegan". i made that mistake recently at a routine physical that i am required to get to keep my daughter's health insurance... the concerned and overweight physician actually showed me a picture of the USDA food pyramid! i wanted to fall over laughing. i also had to get a series of blood tests -- all of which came back fine. i wonder if i would have gotten the same treatment had i reported a diet much like the physicians? probably not.

regarding the tea, i say if you feel like you want that right now, have it. the coolest thing about eating lots of raw foods is that your body's feedback mechanism gets more pronounced and more trustworthy, and your own ability to tune in to your body becomes heightened. this feedback loop will allow you to continually refine your diet as you go. i have only been eating raw since july of last year, and i have let so many things go -- naturally, because my body told me to, and not because i listened to a bunch of know it all rawfoodists!

(i personally still drink sun brewed rooibos, no sweetener. but i started out drinking 3-4 cups of oolong a day sweetened with agave.)

have fun, welcome, and we'll see you around the boards...

Everybody here hit the nail on the head.

Teas do comprise very little of your caloric intake, and if they keep you from drinking other unhealthful processed things, stick to it! A great rule of thumb is: pay close attention to how your body feels while consuming and after consuming. It will tell you all you need to know. Caffeine makes me a bit wonky now. I also find that my mouth is MUCH more sensitive to hot things.

Same with sweeteners--and another great thing about being raw is you can open yourself up to all kinds of new experiences! Try stevia, try agave, try dates (maybe not with the tea, but it could be fun?). Maybe you'll find your sense of taste improving so you won't even want sweeteners any more.

thank you everyone for all of your great input!!!