I have very recently (as of late last night) discovered this lifestyle of raw and living foods. I was watching something wholly unrelated on YouTube and clicked on another video, thinking it was something else, and discovered "raw foodies!" The hysterical thing is, I was eating pizza at the time! Talk about losing your appetite.

I've been making a lot of changes in my life recently and have been looking for ways to grow older healthfully. I'll be 42 in April and I'm pretty healthy. I've suffered my whole life with acne and combination skin.

I think I watched about every YouTube video on the subject and did so much research online that I know I want to make the switch. I'm the type that I could switch to 100% raw overnight and do it with passion and enthusiasm! However, I want to do this correctly, and not be an extremist or in an unbalanced, unhealthy way. It seems like a lot of the better known "gurus" who are doing this are extremists and have their diets so strict that any deviation from it produces unwanted results. For example, contagiously passionate Matt Monarch says that he wouldn't even eat in raw food restaurants for the first four years. Now that others have balanced him out, when he does eat in them, he gets a runny nose. David Wolfe talks about not washing aphids off his garden veggies or eating the ants that get stuck in his honey. This is not what I'm looking for.

I want to live this diet in the real world. I don't know a single other person who eats this way and, even though I intend to, I want to not frustrate my friends at gatherings or make them feel like they have to adjust their lives to accommodate me. I don't want to be a guru and I'm not looking for spiritual enlightenment or clarity in my third eye. I'm very grounded in my relationship with Jesus Christ and have that area covered!

I'm looking for books with real information, not just author opinions, about how to live this lifestyle without risking my health. What kinds of things do I need to be sure to do and not do? How do I combine my food correctly to be sure I'm eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet? How do I avoid becoming deficient in anything? etc., I know enough to know that this is the lifestyle for me. I don't walk into things blindly and do tend to research things to death to really understand them. The problem is, in my research so far, I'm finding mostly extreme (albeit wonderful) people giving most of the information. When I think I've found a book I'd like to check out, I'll look at reader comments on Amazon. Most are wonderful, but I look at what the people who hated it say to balance it out.

For example: Raw Secrets sounded like a great book until I read a helpful one star review that said, objectively, that the author doesn't give any scientific reasoning for his thoughts and opinions; that most everything he's saying sounds like his opinion without any evidence to back it up. (I still intend to review the book myself though.) But, if this is true, this is what I want to avoid - hype and excessive personal opinions. (I enjoy people's opinions and find them helpful, but I don't want to read books that only include the author's opinions. This subject is too important.) People's bodies are different and every person will have to find the balance that works for them. I don't think any one person's opinions are going to be right for everyone.

I hope I'm not coming across as snobby, because that's not my intent! It's just that this is my health I'm talking about and that's pretty important. I want to make sure I make this transition correctly and continue it wisely. What books, websites, and other resources do you recommend? (Here's the part where I truly value opinions!) What are generally considered the "raw foodies must reads" - the "bible" of raw foodies? I'm open to considering everyone's comments and suggestions! I also don't intend to post, get my information, and leave. I'm looking forward to sticking around and getting to know folks! Forgive me for such a long post. I do intend to do searches on this site, but I like to get answers to my specific thoughts, too. Thank you! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

There aren't any raw food bibles. If you are looking for sound nutritional advice, read the DRI books. Some of them are free online.

[www.nap.edu]

Hi Simple Living

There's no specific "bible" for raw foodies. There are, however, some different schools of thought about how to eat optimally on the diet (for instance Douglas Grahams' 80-10-10 vs Gabriel Cousen's Concious Eating and Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine). But at the end of the day the only way to know what is best for you is to jump in and try it. You might find that a low fat/lots of fruit approach like the 80-10-10 diet works best for you... or you might discover that your body responds better to a diet with more fat and greens. You might find you feel best when you take a b12 or D supplement if you live in a colder climate or perhaps you wont feel the need to supplement at all. There is no one size fits all approach.

How do I combine my food correctly to be sure I'm eating a balanced, nutrient-rich diet?

There have been quite a few great threads in the forums that touch on this issue. You can use the search section to find them.

How do I avoid becoming deficient in anything?

I know of several folks here (myself included) who use websites like Fit Day to plug in what has been eaten and see a breakdown of the nutrients consumed etc. But mainly I try to eat as varied diet as possible and watch my mineral intakes etc



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

I like "Eat to Live" by Dr Joel Furhman. It is not raw per se but does define the benefits of live food. I also like "The Mucusless Diet Healing System" by Dr. Arnold Ehret and "The Cure for all Diseases" by Dr. Hulda Clark. There is not one raw book that I like. I've finally read the 80/10/10 book but wasn't too impressed. I think the best way to approach raw is to research it and then listen to your body regarding what to eat. I read alot in the beginning and spent alot of money on books but the three staples that I continually refer to are above. I also like Fitday.com's software for tracking nutrients in the beginning. The rest of it is recipe books, free raw recipes online, rawfood forums like this one, and inventing raw recipes on my own.

Good luck. Therese

Thank you all for responding. I appreciate you taking the time to do that when doing a simple search could help me with most of this. There's nothing like getting specific answers to your own questions, though!

arugula, Forgive my ignorance, but what are DRI books? Sorry, I'm not up on all the acronyms and lingo just yet.

TheCoconutChronicles, Thank you for the suggestions, and especially the links. That was very kind of you. I'll be sure to give them a look. The more I research this lifestyle, the more I appreciate it. While it would be easier to have a "one size fits all" program to learn, it's perfect that eating raw foods would be different for each person individually, since we're all different. Ideally, if I can do this without the added expense of supplements, that's how I want to do it. Supplements are far too expensive to keep up on a regular basis.

Therese, Thanks for the suggestions! I've seen several people mention FitDay.com so it must be pretty helpful! I love to cook. I'll just have to love uncooking now, too!

I like Victoria Boutenko's work. Green for Life is a great book. But it's by no means a bible. I don't think there are any bibles. Nutritionists tend to say "eat a balanced diet," meaning they want us to eat limited amounts of meat, dairy, a lot of cereal grains, and stay away from the things you already know about.

In general, I think the raw diet and lifestyle is a whole lot less complicated than many make it out to be. My approach is to eat a wide variety of fresh, whole, raw, organic fruits and vegetables. Eat the rainbow. I try to eat nothing out of a container, and little that's been processed. If I do eat packaged items, I read the lables and if there's anything in the ingredients I don't understand or don't like, I don't buy it and don't eat it. I eat seeds (all nuts are seeds), and I try to keep them in moderation. I do some sprouting of certain legumes, not too much. I don't own a dehydrator and don't plan to buy one soon. I blend a lot of what I eat, I use fresh young coconut water as a base for green and fruit smoothies. I keep an online diary of my eating habits. This gives me limited comfort in knowing what vitamins and nutrients I'm getting enough of, and what I'm lacking. For keeping track, I like sparkpeople. I seem to consistently lack vitamins D, B12, and pantothenic acid. So I supplement with a multi. I also use the supplements resveratrol, alpha lipoic acid, acetyl l-carnitine, and rhodiola rosea. I eat a lot of tumeric.

Food isn't everything for maintaining health, obviously. So I meditate, practice yoga, stay calm, don't watch television, and try to hold stress to moderate levels. And every now and then I throw moderation to the wind, and go take big risks. Then I return to equilibrium.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2008 09:44PM by shane.

The above suggestions are great. I certain second Conscious Eating - by Gabriel Cousens - which I found eminently reasonably written and fairly comprehensive. Folks like Ehret have great information on fasting - and the theory behind it. You should also concentrate on those who have been doing this successfully and happily for many many years....and ask them what has worked for THEM.....and what sort of guidance they can give you. They are out there (including myself)....and I am certainly happy to share...if possible.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

For scientific advice, I'd go to arugula... But, I'm lazy.

Anything arugula or Bryan posts is worth reading. There are plenty of other inspirational and supportive people here also, who you might look to for advice.

I've gravitated more toward mono meals because they are easier on my digestion than not. And, well, I'm lazy. Those ersatz SAD meals you find in some of the pricier uncook books are just too complicated for me. I want to eat, not uncook for hours. Buying Juliano's uncookbook was a big mistake for me. I wasn't inspired. I got depressed. He has recipes with over twenty exotic ingredients that take hours. It shouldn't be that complicated.

My body likes Doug Graham's approach. It's simple; I feel good. I do have a couple of his books. (Bryan's suggestions.) And, I read a lot of raw/vegan recipe websites for inspiration. I gravitate towards simple and fast when it comes to food preparation.

Check out foodnsport.com for more about Doug Graham.

I think David Wolfe is well meaning... and quite entertaining. But, I don't follow his approach. He's a character and he inspires a lot of people.

I did use fitday.com for about a month or so. Bryan originally suggested that. I resisted for a long time because, well, like I said, I'm lazy. It was a pain in the *** but it did teach me a lot. I wasn't eating the way I thought I was eating and made some changes that made me feel better physically.

There is as much pseudo science in the raw/vegan world as their is in the SAD world. The difference is that around here you will clear up enough to be able to tell what is working for you. My body and I were not on speaking terms for years. Now, when I eat something my body will let me know with a certain vibe -- either "YUM" or "YUCK" or somewhere in between.

I was overwhelmed at first. You will find your way. Just hang in there.

I hope this helps.

Lee

[www.satipanya.org.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2008 11:41PM by Lee_123.

DRI is Dietary Reference Intakes, the acronym is spelled out in the link. These books provide the basis for the RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances), tolerable upper limits, and the bulk of the science behind why we need so much of each vitamin, mineral, amino acid. If these are intimidating to you, start slow and look up words you don't know.

Then as others have posted you should be using (at least, in the beginning) some nutrient calculator (fitday.com, nutritiondata.com, or cron-o-meter) to track your intakes and see where your weak spots are, to get to know which foods are good sources of which nutrients, to play with your macronutrient ratios (protein, fat, carbohydrate) and see what works best for you. I am in the 15-25-60 range for pfc respectively.

You can be exceptionally healthy on raw if you don't develop any deficiencies, but some people do.

I also like the Fuhrman books as someone already mentioned. He has a few websites also. For general nutrition Marion Nestle is good. She is not raw but veg-friendly and very anti-corporate, anti-current subsidies.

Shane, Thanks for responding. We have a bit in common. As my screen name suggests, I like living simply. I haven't watched television in four years. (I love living without a TV.) I also don't have a stereo, microwave or dishwasher. I have no intention of buying a dehydrator, either. Once I do a bit more research, I do intend to buy a great blender. Perhaps a small food processor, if I find it necessary. (I like adding sauces and purees.) I do want to keep this as simple as possible. I want to live healthfully and consciously, but I don't want food preparation to take over my life. I appreciate your suggestions!

David, I appreciate your approach. (I read your website. Even every Q&A.) Gabriel Cousens's name has been coming up quite a bit in my research so I've been checking him out. I'm very interested in his Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. I'd like to go for two or three weeks to have a monitored and controlled detoxification. Thanks again!

Lee, I appreciate your honesty. I'm lazy right now, too, but that's because I'm exhausted all the time. This lifestyle change is coming at the right time for me. I don't want to be lazy. I have a lot of things I'd like to do but I just feel so heavy and clogged inside. And, you're right, this is all incredibly overwhelming right now. But, that's okay. It's something I'm becoming passionate about and I'm not afraid of being overwhelmed. I have patience. I'm on the right road, I know that now. Even in my "feeling crappy" stage, I'm noting how I feel at different times so I won't forget later. It all gets better from here on out. I want to remember these yucky feelings so I'm motivated not to return to cooked foods later.

My question about mono-eating is this: How do you get all the nutrients you need through mono-eating?

arugula, Thank you, again, for your response. I apologize because I completely overlooked the DRI link you gave me. You can count on my reviewing that information thoroughly! I'm learning how to discern the information I'm taking in. I do know my body and how it reacts, so it won't be very difficult to find the routine that works for me. There is so, so much to learn. It's for things like this that I wish I were independently wealthy so I didn't have to work and could just spend my time studying and going to classes. I love to learn and I've always been interested in nutrition. I will definitely check out David Fuhrman and Marion Nestle. I'm going to the library on Tuesday and will check out any books they have available. Thank you, again, Arugula.

Everyone here has made some great suggestions. Read a lot, read everything you can, and take it with a grain of sea salt. ^.^

I use fitday sporadically just to check up on myself. I find the best weapon to be a variety of fresh produce: if you're eating plenty of different things all the time, it's very hard to run into any deficiencies. Try to avoid excessive amounts of fat (like in a lot of delicious uncook recipes... blah!), consider learning to sprout, munch on the occasional nuts and seaweed.

I don't own a dehydrator. I don't own a Vitamix. I don't own a juicer. Being raw for me is as simple as filling a whole cart full of delicious fruits and veggies, and spending a minute or two watering sprouts three times a day.

When friends come over, I'll leave a bowl of a variety of grapes on the table. My carnivorous boyfriend loves when I cut pineapple for a snack. When I go out to eat, there is always the failsafe "green salad/extra veggies/no dressing." (Sometimes I snack before if I know it will be tough.) As long as you keep a positive attitude, rather than fretting about meals with other people, raw food won't cause any trouble with your social life.

Don't beat yourself up for mistakes.

If anything, raw is very practical. I never waste time cooking, I eat @ $10/fruit a day, my energy levels have skyrocketed, I'm happy, and I'm always exempt from illnesses circulating in the workplace. When people see me eating my packed lunches at work, which are always a cornucopia of fruit, all I hear is, "Wow, you're so healthy," and everyone is delighted if I offer them a strawberry. =)

Like any lifestyle, raw can be practical or neurotic. It's up to you.

This is an interesting thread because it shows the differences that can and do exist in the raw food lifestyle. I give little attention to science and a lot of attention to feelings, both mine and others. The kind of feelings I am talking about are reading the way my body reacts to different foods, activities, experiences and listening to my body's signals and intuitive "feel". I don't look to tables of scientific food analysis to feed my body and I don't use fitday or anything else like that but rather I try to give my body what its looking for. I don't set my dinner bell by a clock but rather use a signal from my body that its ready for food. When it comes to the right approach to starting the raw food lifestyle I just stopped eating any and all cooked foods and started eating nothing but fresh raw foods as mono meals or in simple combinations. No studying - just doing. I continue to eat all fresh raw, every bite, every day. The sooner you start the sooner you recieve the benefits of being all raw. I like to keep it simple and put my body in the drivers seat as to what and when I eat.I remain open minded to all ideas and I appreciate that we are all different and I support you in your scientific approach and look forward to reading more of your posts. Everyone finds their own way to do raw and I wish you success in your journey.

phantom, You said:

Quote

Read a lot, read everything you can, and take it with a grain of sea salt.

This really seems to be the process, doesn't it? I find it incredible, actually.

I do want to own a great blender because I enjoy smoothies like nobody I know! As for the pineapple, I've always found it to be a very smart food. I understand it contains bromeliad, which helps in getting rid of dairy from our systems. Ever notice how the first few pieces of pineapple taste outrageously amazing and then, as you keep eating it, the taste changes a little and your body says, "Yeah, okay. I've had enough now." At that point, it's almost metallic tasting to me. ???

Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate that, and the reminder that eating raw can be practical or neurotic. I do have perfectionistic tendencies. The good side of that is that I research things to death, and, when I'm done with them, I know the subject inside and out.


EZ rider, I'm very grateful for your reply! What you described is actually my preferred method of going about this. I really shouldn't ever use the word "scientific" because I don't trust science very much. Clinical might have been a better word. When I research other things online, I never use professional reviews or comments because I rarely trust them - especially in the area of electronics. I like hearing from the everyday folks. Their experiences speak volumes to me. It's just that, in the case of raw foods, those experiences can be as varied as the number of people you ask!

I'll have to research mono-meals more. I'm sure I'm misunderstand them because I don't see how a person can get sufficient nutrients by eating one to two things for each meal/snack.

Thanks again. Your post encouraged me to not worry about having everything all researched before I begin. Again, it's that perfectionistic tendency in me. Grrr...

General Question: Is it going to be hard to go raw if I hate onions? I mean, I really, really, REALLY hate onions!

What kind of raw food vegan hates onions?!

Simple Living Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> General Question: Is it going to be hard to go
> raw if I hate onions? I mean, I really, really,
> REALLY hate onions!
>
> What kind of raw food vegan hates onions?!

I bought a whole bunch of onions last summer and tried eating, juicing, and blending them with everything. I over did the onions and havn't had an onion in months and my body hasn't signaled for any. I do eat some garlic everyday though. If your body wants onions you will get an urge for them and then they will taste great

EZ rider wrote:

Quote

If your body wants onions you will get an urge for them and then they will taste great

That's the day everyone I know will have me carted away in a white coat! Me eating onions and seeing pigs fly would scare people into therapy. If you ask anyone who knows me, "What's the first thing you think of when you think of Keith?" 14 out of 10 people would say, "He hates onions!"

When a person starts listening to their body's signals the food requested really taste great. One of the interesting things that happened when I went raw was my taste bubs woke up and the raw food came alive taste wise. This resulted in an unexpected surprise. The raw foods tasted (and still do) so good that I havn't gotten bored eating raw foods and I look forward to each food I eat. One of the tricks to having that appreciation of the raw foods is to not eating until you get a SLIGHT hunger signal and then your body and your taste buds just love the tastes of the raw foods, at least it works that way for me Try not to get too hungry before responding because the signals get stronger and stronger and can and cause an eating binge but if your timely in answering an early, weak hunger signal that will not happen. Most of my meals are eaten in response to a slight, first wave, hunger signal.

If you haven't found out already through research on your own Simple Living, mono eating is easy on the digestion and you digest more efficiently vs a meal with 5 or more ingredients plus an overt fat like oil.

I mono eat througout the day and have my more complex meal at the end of the day. I feel best that way. Don't worry about making a mistake at this stage. You will make all the corrections/adjustments you need as you go.

You have a lot to detox in the beginning so it is doubtful you can do anything but good to yourself by eating only whole fresh raw foods even if you were low on some nutrient or other for a short time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2008 05:47PM by Dulset.

EZ rider, Thanks again. If I learn to like onions, the raw food lifestyle will be nothing short of miraculous and people should start watching for more signs and wonders! (I'm open to it, naturally, but I'm not counting on it.[/b]

Dulset, Thank for responding. I haven't had a chance to research mono eating yet. (During the days, I access this site at work and I won't make it to the library until tomorrow.) I can understand how mono eating would be easy on the digestive system, but I don't understand how mono eating would provide all the nutrition a body needs. It will be fun to research.

I am absolutely loving this new journey! I'm considering starting a website to share the whole process, the ups and downs, the good, the bad and the ugly. I can't imagine anyone being terribly interesting in it, though. Oh well, who knows?

I am the same now with beets! I ate so many of them, cooked, shredded in salads, made into chips, and on and on. I LOVED THEM! About a week ago I put beet greens in a smoothie and almost gagged. Then today shredded them for a chopped salad I made and literally had to spit it out when I put it in my mouth. I could taste only beets and it reminded me of what I would think eating dirt tastes like. Ew. So, I guess I am skipping the beets for quite a bit.

What about swiss chard? Anyone know what I can do with it, other than cooking it? My family used to cook it in lard! (Insert gagging sounds)

Here are a couple of delish smoothies I made this am (speaking of loving smoothies!) I used a vitamix to blend them all up.
Handful of strawberries, washed and thrown in with stems and center
Juice of two apples
Banana
cup of water with a bit of ice
So great - I had to juice the apples because this one was for my kids. They really enjoy the juicer much more than the blender.

For me,
about 10 leaves lettuce
1 banana
four-five strawberries with stems
1 scoop chia seeds
cup of water

YUMMY!!

So.., what's with Them ONIONS anyway? :-)

Simple Living , would You mind telling why would you ever want to develop "taste" for onions?

Me personally.., haven't found myself orbiting anywhere near onions/garlic for several years now., And have no plans to do so anytime in the future.

And since you have closed library and strong need to study, why don't you check this site out? I'll give here a link to some info on onion,

[www.rawfoodexplained.com]


RawFoodExplained.com has an abundance of info, articles, "reprints" from books, and studies in possibly any, and every subject studied, considering human, diet, and living, most people imagine, and beyond..

Have fun, And Good luck.
Also You have my full support, let's call it "Perfectionist Anonymous" kind of support ;-)

Free, Open source.Healthy
F.E.A.R. is
an acronym that stands for, False Evidence Appearing Real
F.A.I.T.H. - the First Attribute IN Thoughtful
Health

Everyone has REALLY great insight and I appreciate them offering their experiences (even though i didn't start this thread).

With regard to onions, I have used only one since going raw and have lost my desire for them! Weird, huh? Garlic, too.

But I'mm not saying I won't ever want them.

I started tracking my fitday and realized how excellent I was doing (well, probably eating too much and too expensive but I'm working on it) so I made it public from my blog so people can see how easy it is to get nutrients if they eat variety (i'm NOT talking 500 cals of fruit/day).

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

veggiefreak, I burned out on beets once myself. I'm ready to give them another go, though!

witarianin, Here in Minnesota, everyone seems to love onions. It's in absolutely everything. When I had macaroni and cheese in a cafe, I found chunks of onions in it? What's with that? I have no intention of trying to like them. I guess I assumed that most everyone loves them. I'm the only person I know who can't stand them!

I do love to study. I love to learn. Especially when something is new to me and I take an interest in it. Thank you for the link. And for the support in Perfectionist Anonymous! (I'm working on that, too.)

Utopian Life, One of my favorite aroma's is sauteed garlic. I will miss it. I love garlic and still intend to use it. We'll see how it goes. I'm incredibly excited to see how my body reacts to this change in my life.

I will be checking out your blog to see what you mean when you say that you're probably eating too expensive. Thanks for responding!

I don't put everything I eat on my blog, but it's on fitday. Most, if not all, is organic.

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

You've all taught me that there is no one right way to do this. I get that. I really do. But, is there an optimal way for people to eat when their first starting out?

Something like, in the beginning, while your body is cleansing, try to eat more of this, and this, and this, and eat such and such items sparingly.

My body takes moves towards healthy living changes really well. I don't drink soft drinks and I don't eat fast food. The only meat I eat is usually salmon and very little chicken. I don't eat anything with (high fructose) corn syrup, and if it says (partially) hydrogenated, I never touch it. My body has never reacted adversely and I've never craved these items. I think it's because my brain knows I'm doing the right thing. It will be the same for me when I start eating raw. I'll be able to switch to 100% raw and I won't crave cooked food. I want to be healthy more than I want a pizza or mashed potatoes.

The only items I'll truly miss are Carnation Evaporated Milk, because I put it in everything, and jarred banana peppers. But, when I look at the world of food I'm moving into, I won't even think about those things anymore! I'm really ready for this.

My final hurdle in this, because of my personality type, is that I need to feel I've done enough studying to wisely begin this new lifestyle and not just jump in and find I'm making gross errors in judgment. March 1st is my official start date. I know this aspect of it is foreign to some people, but, believe me, it really is the only transitional thing I'll need.

-You ask great/intelligent questions SL. I think you'll see/hear the answers you need from the folks on this board - and others. The answers are sometimes so simple...that most people will NEVER do them! LOL. Your standard answers (in my opinion):

1) Fresh, raw conventional produce: Simply analyzing what level you are totally comforatble with now...and seeking to set very small goals (with timetables) to increase this amount 1-2% per week for the first 6 months....is a very reasonable plan. A 12-24 month time frame would be even more reasonable - given most folks (like myself) 20+ years of poor eating & emotional habits to work on. Heh..heh. Things to eat more of would be anything non-processed or cooked. THIS is a big enough challenge to occupy most folks for several years! LOL.

-Don't let information overload stop you from setting YOUR small goals...and staying focused on that (what YOU want for yourself and others). When the world is coming down....YOU make the best of what's still around. Thank you Police.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Simple Living Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My final hurdle in this, because of my personality
> type, is that I need to feel I've done enough
> studying to wisely begin this new lifestyle and
> not just jump in and find I'm making gross errors
> in judgment. March 1st is my official start date.
> I know this aspect of it is foreign to some
> people, but, believe me, it really is the only
> transitional thing I'll need.

When I went all raw I joined a 30 day challenge on another forum and started with the group on the 1st of the month and that was very helpful to me. I didn't feel like the only one or that I was Christopher Columbus sailing unchartered waters to the new world. The group support was great and I participated in the challenge thread with questions, comments, and help where I could.
When starting out I realized that I knew very little about the raw food lifestyle and how to make it work but I had a very strong gut feeling that eating fresh raw natural foods from the garden was the right thing to do and I also realized that its a journey of corrections. When they launch a space mission they put the spaceship up there going in basically the right direction and then they adjust the course as they go aiming for "windows". As they adjust their flight path to get through the windows the path becomes right on target and thats how they get to where they are going. You may not know everything about the raw journey when you take the first step but if you are adjusting and learning as you go you will be right on target with your journey. I suggest you not be overly concerned about knowing everything before you step out on your raw journey but focus your attention on the adjustments needed as you go by learning from your misses and successes as you go.

Thank you, David. It's been pretty exciting so far. I definitely have my goals and, with places like this forum to come to to find like-minded people, I really don't foresee any problems. Once the desire and the determination are in place, it's just a matter of momentum.

EZ rider/b], I agree with you. I really like the phrase "journey of corrections." That's a great tagline for a perfectionist personality like me. It prepares the mind for liberty and forgiveness. I'm really not concerned about being perfect because there is no "perfect" until time has passed and I learn what works for my body and what doesn't. There's no stress there, for me. If anything, studying this lifestyle has begun to ease the perfectionistic tendencies in me. I'm much more relaxed since studying this.

I'm not concerned about knowing everything. I'll never know everything because it's a lifelong learning and changing process. I get that. What I want to be sure of, is that I have enough of a foundation going into this that I can make more wise decisions than foolish ones. That's it. Just a foundation. Without a foundation, any structure will crumble in a storm. Thanks again for responding!

Edited to fix a tag. <--- There's the perfectionist in me!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2008 04:42PM by Simple Living.

Remember how I asked if there was a good "program" or structure for a newbie to follow? I was given a link to the Optimum Health Institute's website. It's a retreat and I saw that this is their program while your there:

Quote

As guests and adherents begin the OHI program, they immediately start detoxifying the body by drinking pure water, eating live raw organic vegetarian foods and cleansing the colon in preparation for the vigil of the 3-day juice fast. Lymphatic exercise sessions are also crucial since the body was meant to be in motion, not sedentary. To strengthen and quiet the mind, guests and adherents learn key holistic concepts such as how to properly prepare and combine foods, how the body works and how to cleanse it, how to focus on what matters most and maintain a daily balance for living a purpose-driven life, how to emotionally detoxify, how to achieve healthy self-esteem and how to forgive themselves and others. The third aspect of the program is the spiritual element...<snip>

I wouldn't be able to attend OHI right away, but nothing says I can't adopt a similar program myself in the beginning of my raw foods journey! (I only posted the part about diet and exercise, taking the spirituality section out. I've got that covered.)

What you all of you think? Does this sound like a sound way to begin the dietary portion of the raw food lifestyle? Any tweaks you'd make? Any specifics you'd add? Any foods you'd highly recommend including/excluding during this time? My ears are open...

I picked up Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens at the library last night. I didn't expect it to be so huge!

I was surprised to see that this was the only book they had available about raw foods. The few others they keep in stock were checked out. I would have thought a big city like Minneapolis would have more variety. Then again, I usually find this to be the case when it comes to things I'm interested in. (Little variety/stock at the library.)