Good afternoon everyone. My name is Marc from Quebec,Canada. I just started the raw food diet and to be honest..It's o.k. I'm starting this for one specific reason...My skin. I have terrible skin and every raw food websites list better skin as a benefit.

I just have one or two(maybe stupid)questions. How important is the organic/fresh juice rule? I'm not rich and where I live, sometimes fruits become very expensive. I'm currently buying some organic food but not all and drinking Tropicana premium orange juice(100%, no added water,sugar or vitamins). Squeezing my own juice is very expensive when fruits are not in season.

I guess the big question I have is can this still work?

Any answers would be great.

Thank you so much.
Marc Jr.

I would'nt drink the tropicana juice because I wouldnt trust it. I have been working hard to clean out my body of the toxic stuff I have ingested.

Congrats on starting raw. Look for some farmers markets in your area. usually you will find fruit and vegetables that are not so expensive.

The best of luck to you and hang in there, it is a learning process.

Hey, go to www.localharvest.org and you can find farmers that grow stuff in season, who sell organic things, etc. to the public or at farmer's markets. Also try learning about hydroponics, or windowsill gardening. I have a friend who grew tomatoes in winter in her house. While organic eating is definitely recommended the truth is more raw fruits and veggies can benefit everybody. So eat organic when you can, but don't feel guilty if you can't all the time! Let it be a joy to you.

I love Quebec. I'd live there if my fiance didn't hate snow
Bonne chance!

Marc, most commercial products are processed unhealthily or cooked.

I know juicing is expensive, but you could try other raw foods first.


Start adding lots of raw greens, vegetables and sprouts to your diet. Greens aren't expensive and you can sprout your own beans, which is better in many ways.

Make sure you chew all your food well to get the most nutritive benefits from it.

Congratulations on making the best choice for your health - lots of people here have improved their skin by switching to a raw diet.


I want to mention one thing: you live in Quebec which is very cold in the winter.

I started a raw diet during the winter (in Vancouver- still very cold) and after a few weeks I found that the cold did not bother me as much as it used to. I don't like the cold, so I was surprised to find this, especially when winter is when I used to crave hot soups and stews, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. I was having raw all day, then a hot meal for dinner, throughout Novemeber and December.


So you might find that eating lots of hot cooked food is partly conditioning and habit.

Check out the rest of this site for lots of info [www.rawfoods.com]

I too live in Québec, I just moved here. I know how you feel, being that I am a not rich college student. I just try to eat as much raw food as possible. As for juicing, it's great but not necesary. Just drink lots of water and eat fruit too, you will still feel great. You can also juice vegetables which is a little less costly and mix in just a bit of fruit juice for sweetness. Good luck.