If you knew THEN what you know NOW...

[being]

If you could go back and talk to your newbie-raw-self,
with all the knowledge and experience you have currently,
what would you say?





---------------------------------------------------------------------
As a newbie myself, fresh off the starting block, and not yet 1 day raw, I'd really love to find out... I'm feeling a bit muddled, having read far too much and wondering where exactly should I begin?

How do I get through the first day all raw?

What happens when I live with a very non-raw person, with whom I share a fridge and kitchen?

Should I stop drinking black coffee and all teas immediately too?

[rawbeliever]

I would say "Green Smoothie!" over and over until I'd heard it clearly. :) I would also say, "keep things simple." Salads, whole fruits. I was lucky: in the beginning I couldn't afford a dehydrator, so my diet was more simple than it is it now, and I think that was the better (and healthier) plan.

wishing you great luck,
Robbie

[mud]

Should I stop drinking black coffee and all teas immediately too?


Go for it!

[DavidZaneMason]

-Move toward your fears with love and acceptance.

-David Mason

[Denise Nicole]

Nothing, I am enjoying the journey. :)

[being]

I would say "Green Smoothie!" over and over until I'd heard it clearly. :) I would also say, "keep things simple." Salads, whole fruits. I was lucky: in the beginning I couldn't afford a dehydrator, so my diet was more simple than it is it now, and I think that was the better (and healthier) plan.

wishing you great luck,
Robbie

Green smoothies hey? This is daily? I have them now and again, usually using lettuces, parlsey, different sprouts and/or spinach. I guess I should branch out and use a wider variety of greens. Thanks!

And wonderful quote by the way. Inspiring. And timely reminder ;)

Mud - I'm sorta scared to give up coffee in the mornings. It's more for my :o uh, morning movements than anything else.

DavidZaneMason - That's some powerful wisdom there... I have been doing a lot of fear-facing recently and it's exhausting. But empowering. It's difficult work, hard work...

Do you think there comes a point where one can eradicate fear entirely?

When I look closely, I see how much of my life is governed by fears, irrational ones, nonsensical and certainly detrimental to my being.

seasiren - I admire your ease with just enjoying the journey. I think I think way too much! :p

[Lay-Lay]

KISS - Keep it Simple Sweetie

Don't need all the raw equipment in the world.

[misslinda]

Journal everyday. :)

[DavidZaneMason]

Being:

-It do not defeat our fears....but rather create a space of acceptance and love so large in ourselves.....that fears become lost! LOL. When conscious energy moves through fears........the energy of those fears returns to you!

-David Mason

[Naiad]

I have no regrets and feel that I've been doing a reasonable job going towards my goals.

If I really wanted to go back into the past, I'd have told myself a decade ago to listen to my mom and not drink coca-cola like water :(

[lissomllama]

If you could go back and talk to your newbie-raw-self,
with all the knowledge and experience you have currently,
what would you say?

---------------------------------------------------------------------
As a newbie myself, fresh off the starting block, and not yet 1 day raw, I'd really love to find out... I'm feeling a bit muddled, having read far too much and wondering where exactly should I begin?

How do I get through the first day all raw?

What happens when I live with a very non-raw person, with whom I share a fridge and kitchen?

Should I stop drinking black coffee and all teas immediately too?



I have no regrets, I really am enjoying the process with love and joy and seeing wonderful things and I'm glad I learned it all but her is my long-winded advice that might help answer questions.

1.) Just DO it. There is no secret weapon, no miracle method to becoming and staying 100% raw. YOU have simply make an iron-clad decision and stick with it. Treat cooked, non-vegan foods as a deadly drugs because that is exactly what they are.
2.) Be willing. don't let people deter you. Make sure that you are the only person who could ever make you eat cooked. There is no one else to blame or hide behind if you fail and eat cooked
3.) Love yourself, don't be too hard on yourself, mistakes are no fun and are a setback but one or two short mistakes can sometimes give you the willpower not to fail ever again and can give you a new perspectice on how much better raw is than cooked/SAD.
4.) Just because something is technically raw does not mean it is healthy. In the beginning, foods like raw cacao nibs, grains extracted oils etc. can help you get along and enjoy it a little more but in the long run, these items really aren't that healthy or natural and eliminating or severely limiting them from your lifestyle or better yet, not even starting with them is the best thing for most people.
5.)Just because the package reads 'raw' does not ALWAYS mean it is raw. Things like nut butters, most jarred things etc. have been somehow heated either in sealing/jarring or in the nut grinding process or whatnot. It is very common for companies to use all raw ingredients and then during the processing it often becomes cooked and denatured. Also, these things are almost always processed and lacking nutrients because once you cut or grind that fruit, nut or seed, the nutrients are quickly fading and it is no longer as alive. This is why eating things in their most natural state is the best and most natural way to live. Don't get me wrong, enjoy a few gourmet raw treats that have been put in the food processor and whatnot but you'll find that after a while you'll be eating more simply, strait from nature. But remember that things that have been removed or extracted from their main plant parts (except for whole fruits and veggies and nuts and seeds of course :) ) are not the best choice and should be used very sparingly if at all
6.) Enjoy the whole spectrum of raw. Don't make this only about food, your raw journey is also about healing and becomming healthy and happy. Concentrating only on the food aspects can make things a litte unbalanced and can make you obsess and start craving cooked.
7.) Detox takes TIME. Often it takes a long time, like months sometimes. Be patient, allow your body to rest and drink lots of water. You probably ate acooked all your life so far so your body has no obligation to make a speedy 2 week recovery just because you say it does. Everyone is different. Some people take 1 week to detox, some take a year or two and many take at least 1-2 months. Detox xomes with nasty symptoms, raw is not causing them, raw is letting them get out of your body for good. Don't take medication, don't fight it, let it pass and it will go away more quickly. Detox shows many of us how horrible cooked is because we see what has been hidden in our bodies all these years. Trust raw veganism, it does not create any illnesses or weaknesses, it is the natural way that humans were meant to live and our bodies are self healing and do not contract dis-ease when we simply eliminate what we don't need and eat what we do.
8.) Emotional detox is very real too, you might feel depressed, scared, cry alot etc. for a while, that's normal. You are releasing all the pent up emotions that you 'fed' when eating cooked.
9.) The benefits are WELL worth the trouble of this major transition. Stick with it and you'll see amazing results eventually. Wonderful things usually take time ad work and instant gratification simply isn't a part of raw AT FIRST.
10.) Drink enough water. Water is a very energy receptive substance, so infuse love, healing and vitality in all your water before drinking and your body will thank you.
11.) If you son't go 100% you probably won't get through full detox or see the wonderful results as fast or at all.
12.) Trust it. Don't make judgements about raw until you've been 100% for at LEAST 6 months and if you know your body is slower then take that into account.

Hope that helps you! I say yes, quit all coffee and tea and whatever is not raw and vegan from yor diet right away. The faster you do, the faster you'll see results.

[chilove]

Hello there,

Great idea for a thread!

I would tell myself:

Don't worry, it gets easier.

The rewards ARE well worth it

It is amazing how wonderful you will feel and how much happier you will be.

You can do this!!!


All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[MendhiGrl]

Use the recipes and keep food in the fridge - if I have food prepared, it makes choosing raw easier.

[healthisraw1]

After almost 25 years of self nutritional and spiritual study and all the setbacks that have kept me on that wheel of death and rebirth.

I might say "DUMBASS" in the tome of Red Forman from " THAT 70's SHOW"

but now I try to thing on the terms of FORGIVENESS of self and to remember life is a forever process and I have time.

NOW IS MY TIME THOUGH, THATS WHY IM HERE.

Bill wishing you peace always, health forever, and love through eternity

[rawpriestess]

I would HAVE to say

"It's gets easier the longer you are raw."

And "Eat as much as you want, don't starve yourself, it is a transition."

AND "Allow yourself all the time you need to change, it doesn't have to be perfect immediately, all life is a process. Just keep doing it."

that is what I would say.

[luckitri]

I am new at this and haven't done recipes yet. Hunger cravings were horrible at first but not so bad now at all. I am wondering if I will crave more and different when it gets cold out. I make a blend of young coconut juice and meat and that and avocados and bananas really quench the hunger cravings. I have olive oil in my salad dressing but honestly I don't know what is going on with me - I just can't eat nuts. I used to love nuts and maybe I will again when I am further along but the nuts are simply too heavy for me right now. I would just tell myself to calm down about the recipes sooner.....I found that just too overwhelming and still haven't done any. I made pesto one day and it was delicious on my eggplant but just too heavy for me and I had to toss it. Eating simply is working well for me I think - just one item at a time and only when hungry - except salad has alot of different ingredients - different kinds of greens.

[sport]

I would just keep my mouth shut (for a change) because I am in a different place now to where I was then and the things that I needed then are no longer needed.
This was not as a result of any knowledge gained but as a result of a natural progression in me.
Yes I know more now but I need less. This does not mean that my needs then were not valid and justified at the start.
I needed crackers to get me off bread and I needed herb teas to get me off tea.
Do what ever you need to do to reach your goal.

[being]

Wow - So many great thoughts here.

Thank you everyone for sharing - I am going to print this thread out!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

[sport]

Wow - So many great thoughts here.

Thank you everyone for sharing - I am going to print this thread out!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh Goody.
I am finally going to be imortalised.
About time.

[being]

Oh Goody.
I am finally going to be imortalised.
About time.

:D :D :D :D :D
LOL

[Conscious Midwife]

I would have invested in the VITAMIXER I needed instead of the Blackberry I wanted. ;)

Iwould have also been more consistent with my exercising, because I always eat better when I exercise. :p

[Pierre]

When I get the VitaMix I'm going to put the Blackberry in it ;) along with the blueberry and some other fruits.

[daisyduke]

That was funny Pierre! This is a great thread.

I wish I had some advice to add. I guess they only thing that I can think of is to enjoy the simplicity of eating raw. I had my husband's whole family over today and we had tons of cooked food. I had to prepare all of the appetizers (about 5 of them) and the main dishes and side dishes (about 10 in all) - my husband's family loves to eat A LOT.

As I cooked and cleaned and heated and kept warm and prepared more and more food, I just kept thinking to myself...I am so lucky that in order to "prepare" my meal all I have to do is peel a few bananas. Am I lucky or what? Oh how I love being raw!

[Gosia]

1) Hi, nice meeting you.
2) Don't be so stubborn about thinking that garlic (or anything else that isn't fresh fruit/vegies) is good for you. One day you may change your mind, REALLY.
3) Dont be afraid to feed your kids raw. They WILL thrive on it!

Gosia