Hi everyone, this is the first time ive posted here!

About half a year ago i decided to try the raw food diet for a month, i switched overnight and ate nothing raw for the entire month. I was a little cold at times and always trying to find new foods to eat (there are loads!!!)

But people always had such negative responses to the diet that i just said, "yeh, i know... i'm not actually going to keep this diet i'm just experiencing it for a month."

But half a year on and i'm feeling totally bloated, bad skin and i've put on weight.

In the back of my mind i keep thinking, "I bet eating raw would be so much better for me.."

I loved getting rid of all the junk and just eating naturally, i dont even like meat that much anyway.. I love dairy but i can resist it!

I remember when i was about 4 or 5, my mother made me eat some meat and i kept chewing it around and around in my mouth, i couldnt bear to swallow it. the idea of swallowing it made me feel sick- you know that feeling when youre trying to swallow but its making you gag? So i asked to go to the loo, but i hadnt realised my mum had followed me upstairs and when i spat it in the loo she jumped in and told me off, i was made to sit and finish my dinner whilst she poured my pudding/dessert in the bin.

At the age of 7 i wanted to be vegetarian but it wasn't until i was 10 that they finally gave in an let me. I went vegan for a short time at about 15.. but right now im eating pure rubbish... and i guess i'd just love to hear all your opinions about people saying, "you cannot get all the nutrients your body needs from a raw diet."

Perhaps if i can hear your opinions on this it will help me push forwards and embrace the raw diet that i so badly want...

Anyway, the reason why i titled this post 'tofu'.. is because i thought uncooked tofu was 'raw'.. but someone said it isnt raw.. so i was wondering if it goes through a heating process during its making? I like raw tofu.. anyway, id love to know!!


have a lovely day!

Abi

I think tofu is like the sausage of the vegetable industry. My dad worked for a company that made machines(and race car parts!), and he made some kind of equipment that was used in processing tofu.

He actually got to watch tofu being made. Says he'll never touch the stuff!

But my dad is the kind of guy who thinks atkins is healthy, and you don't bother to argue with him about it.

I don't think it's all THAT bad. But it is definately a processed food and not considered raw. Here is an article on how it's made:

[www.enotes.com]

Keyword in that description of course is "cooked."

I have to admit, i JUST ate some tofu in a stir fry. I only got interested in raw food about a week and a half ago and am not 100% raw. Tofu partially fills my need for a certain kind of texture. I actually prefer Tempeh, but I wasn't able to find any this evening.

-DaveK

If you're worried about nutrition, you can run what you're eating through sites like fiday.com. I eat a varied diet full of fruits, nuts/seeds, sprouts, and greens, and have never had to "try" to get any nutrients--sometimes I'm way over, to the point of 1000%!! O.O

There is a lot of controversy regarding B12, and vitamin D you can get from the sun, I shall add.

Even if you start slowly increasing the amount of raw you eat, you're bound to reap some spectacular benefits. Take things at a pace that suits you, and remember to incorporate emotional wellness and exercise. You'll thrive! =)

thank you both for your replies! Much appriciated

I am starting to go back to raw food today, i just can't face putting junk inot my system right now..

Anyway, i'll have to have a think about Tofu.. basically i was eating it in the 'silken tofu' form. It said on the package that it was poured into the carton and then it solidified naturally in the package... then i basically open it and eat it uncooked... but i guess i'll have to do more research on how it's made etc!

Have a great day

abi

I hear you - and some of your frustrations. My take/opinion: personal diet, religion, sex life, and politics are VERY personal issues....and don't need to be discussed or defended unless YOU enable it. I would not even MENTION the word raw to folks....but simply say, "I am eating a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables". NEVER discuss it or defend it....ESPECIALLY in public...or with multiple people.....but only one-on-one, in private...with genuinely curious and supportive folks. Direct someone to this website...if they are genuine curious...and then they can see posts.

-Don't expect people doing the 'wrong' thing to understand you, accept you, feed you or agree with you - they probably won't! Ha! ha! It is up to YOU to be compassionate, understanding and supportive of them. Otherwise - what good is eating well anyway?

-Don't think 'raw'....think 'fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables' and I believe you will be on the right track! Power and success to you.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Hi amooba,

Organic firm tofu is just boiled soy beans squeezed through muslin bag (to make soy milk), then the soy milk is boiled back up again with either nigari or calcium sulfate to make it go firm.

Think of it as clotted over-boiled soy beans :-)

If you wanted to keep soy as a small part of a primarily raw diet, you'd probably be better off just eating soy beans as the double boiling process is pretty intense! The soy is pretty much nuked by the end of the process. The only reason it's so high in calcium is because of the calcium sulfate that gets added to it.

There are recipes for raw tofu on the net, but soy beans have some kind of enzyme that causes belly ache, so I've personally avoided it.

I was a massive tofu fan up until I became interested in raw. I kept tofu as part of my raw diet initially (soft tofu as part of salads) but I've found in time, I've cared for it less and less.

I had a SAD moment a few weeks ago and made a cooked tofu recipe I once loved.

I ended up spitting it out and it ended up in the bin. Ughh.

Tofu is made by first cooking the soy beans (I made it at home once before I was raw).

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

is tempeh raw?

Thanks everyone for the replies- they have all been really nice to read and very helpful

I will eat the tofu i've already bought, but then i'll probably cut it out of my diet.. thanks for the info!!

Hope everyone has a great easter!!

abix

mira Wrote:
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> is tempeh raw?

It's less un-raw than soy (huh?) but no. According to wikipedia, the definitively completely accurate source of everything in the universe, tempeh is soaked and "partially cooked." It is then fermented. If they cook it under 116 degrees it could still be considered raw, but after it goes through this process, it needs to be cooked to be edible. (You can eat it raw, but you'll regret it).

-DaveK

too bad its not raw... its supposed to have good levels of B12

I used to eat loads of tofu, tempeh, soy milk etc.

Then I cut it out when I got interested in Raw.

I really don't miss it at all - weird.

I do still have some edamame in the freezer which I will probably use up. They still seem appetising, but tofu etc just doesn't appeal any more.

I had the same problem with meat when I was a kid. I couldn't chew it enough for it to feel like something I could swallow. Thankfully, my parents were not upset with me for spitting it out, they just laughed at me. These days my mother has gone vegan to support her bone health.

When I first started raw it sounds similar to your experience. I had had months of company visiting, which had meant a lot of restaurant eating and pulling out all my best company meals, vegan cakes, etc... I was feeling bloated all the time and gaining weight. When my last company departed I decided I would break the eating trend by doing raw for a weekend, and maybe stretch it into a week if that seemed manageable. That was last July. I'm still not at 100%, but I have found that it was a lot harder to decide to start raw than it has been to stick to it. I bet you'll find the same thing once you get started with it again!