Dehydrating ......good or bad

[Rastadawta]

Hi.. I just finshed reading some information from this raw website..which I will not promote.... stating raw foods should not be dehrydrated..It becomes unraw :confused: .. I love Alissa\s recipes and I know dehyd. is a transition. Yet I just wanted to find out some of the members Ideas..
On a postive note.. I made raw pizza using Alissa's nut cheese (i will soak the nuts before making the cheese to soften next time) and the pizza bread from the raw calendar I received from our fellow member (THANKS :p :D )..
Thanks for the replies..

[luckitri]

I am no expert but when I first learned of raw that was my instinctive reaction. I laughed to dh about it - how can something that has been dehydrated for 18 hours have any raw enzymes in it? Would the cumulative heat not kill it? I still want to learn to make the transitional items like flax crackers and onion bread.

[luvmyfruit]

All I can tell you is that when I first went RAW I had no dehydrator and felt OMG wonderful and also lost 12 lbs in 14 days without trying...Now that I have the dehydrator I'm trying more and more dehydrated and I don't feel as good..
For ME I'm just saying that fresh is the best

[Rawkinlocs]

Aww come on guys...cut me some slack here. Now yall KNOW that according to that last major posting Alissa posted that RFT is in support of a raw diet as pertaining to the way Alissa teaches and promotes it in her book and yall know that dehydrating is a part of that.

Having said that, Rastadawta I think the best thing to do is to conduct your own little test/experiment rather than take someone else's word for it, so try this...take some grains and put them in the dehydrator for about...I guess about 18 hours (since that's the number luckitri gave us ;) ) and set it on an "acceptable" temp - anywhere from 95 to 110 degrees. Take the grains out and soak them overnight and then drain. Put in a jar or a glass, etc. for a couple of days or so and see if they sprout.

Betcha they will!

Some here will say it's good...others will say it's bad....do what YOUR body says is best and if you have no problems with dehydrated foods, eat them. It's not like you're having to have it daily. If it will help keep me from eating SAD pizza or cookies, etc. then I will use it if I feel I want it. Of course fresh is definitely best as luvmyfruit says...but that doesn't mean dehydrated has to equal "the debil"!

[trinity082482]

I dont see how dehydrating is cooking anything, really its drying out food.. taking out the moisture.. not really cooking it..

[Davylp25]

PREACH RAWKIN, PREACH....

Fresh is always best, usually someone who is raw, the majority of the food they eat is FRESH, not dehydrated, so make them dehydrated meals, it's not like that's the only food u will eat. My dehy's are like amazing treats, but my most important foods are my green smoothies, my fruits, nuts and seeds. Dehydrated food adds spice to the diet.

[Ariannah]

My opinion about dehydrated foods is that they are a passable alternative for someone in transition, still needing to satisfy some tastes that are hard to break. For many people, they feel they need it and if it is the springboard for healthier eating, then it's a worthwhile thing.

However, I feel utterly sublime and superb, and healthy like no other, when I have a diet of simple, fresh, unaltered, un-"reciped" foods. Yes, I still enjoy many things but they are slowly fading into the background while the tastiest fruits are turning my body into something that feels a measure of health unlike when I was even in my 20s!

Dehydrated things, to me, make me feel like I've eaten something cooked, which makes me daydream about something cooked. It may be better than food put in the fire, but for me, there's no need when instant grapes, bananas, peaches, plums, pears, apples, etc, are at my disposal.

[DavidZaneMason]

I agree with RawandNatural. I think you should eat them as a transitional food - especially if it helps you to incorporate more fresh, raw plant food...and generates more enthusiasm in your heart to eat well.

-David Z. Mason

[meinleben]

dehydrating is fine....but very binding...so you gotta drink water....or will be backed up

[Davylp25]

I ate nothing but raw food for 1 year, no recipes, just simple raw food meals, green smoothies, nothing dehydrated. I was starting to go BORED. So I started some dehy meals, still felt fine, my body is clean enuff to handle it. I drink tons of water, plus watery fruits, so it's all gravy. Whatever works best, for ya! Try and see.

[Veganforlife]

PREACH RAWKIN, PREACH....

Fresh is always best, usually someone who is raw, the majority of the food they eat is FRESH, not dehydrated, so make them dehydrated meals, it's not like that's the only food u will eat. My dehy's are like amazing treats, but my most important foods are my green smoothies, my fruits, nuts and seeds. Dehydrated food adds spice to the diet.

I agree with this.
I also trust Alissa. SHE has done the leg work. SHE has provided recipes for me. SHE is definitely my Angel that has come and saved me - changed my life. A life of pain to now one of energy, well-being, and mental clarity. SHE has made me alive.
I AM living on live foods!
Thanks Alissa!

[Nenyath]

Some days, like yesterday, I feel like eating a lot of dehydrated stuff, this time Calzone (Oh yum by the way!) it kept me going and feeling great the whole day and it especially kept me from the open bag of chips my mate had left on the table! Other days I do not feel like eating dehydrated items at all. So I figure my body balances it out for me! I don't know if I would have been able to do 100€ raw over christmas had it not been for my pizza and cookies! Do what feels best and be free!

Fly forever free..

[juliebove]

Another way to think about it is that those fruits, vegetables and grains have been growing outside, most likely getting hit with the heat from the sun. We had a bit of unseasonably hot weather this past year and some of my apples got sunburned. They literally got cooked on the tree!

If I pick a stawberry or tomato from the vine on a hot day in the blazing sun, it's going to feel hot to the touch. Does that mean it's no longer live? I don't think so.

Now granted there is a difference once you pick something and in the case of some things like strawberries and corn I believe they taste best as freshly picked as possible. I don't know if this means they have more live enzymes or not.

I do know that as soon as I saw organic cranberries in the store, I bought them. I ate a few and felt better almost instantly. I then dehydrated some because I knew the fresh ones wouldn't be around forever. If I eat a few of the dehydrated ones, I feel good just like I did with the fresh ones. Works for me!

[Bobbie]

I only bought a dehydrator a year ago and was so looking forward to all the recipes I could now try. But my first attempt - pesto mushrooms - made feel so ill I didn't use the dehydrator again for 10 months. It looked and tasted like cooked food and it made me feel ill with the same symptoms. It also triggered cravings for cooked food, the way cooked food does.

However recently I started using the dehydrator to make food for my mum - and eventually I couldn't resist trying some of the food to see what they tasted like. This time, it hasn't made me feel terrible. Yay! I do feel better on fresh plain foods but dehydrated isn't affecting me any more than other prepared foods such as marinated, oily, or salty dishes.

[mershwista]

Dehrydrating is only bad if you set the temperature too high.

I, however, personally prefer to dehydrate very often because I find that the finished product reminds me of cooked food and sometimes leads to cravings.

That's just me, and it may be a psychological thing. However, I have heard others who say this who believe it is because dehydrated foods do not carry as much water. I suppose that is also a possibility.

Nevertheless, i do like my dehydrated products from time to time.

[RowanC]

Well, I've heard that as long as you do not exceed 110 to 115 degrees, the food is still RAW because the heat is not high enough to destroy the enzymes. Any feedback on that?

I personally feel 100% better when I use Alissa's recipes whether dehydrated or not ::shrug::: :rolleyes:

[Lunar*Fey]

I don't really know how I feel about it, I just know that the majority of the few recipes that I have tried dehydrated tasted better fresh to me.

When I think about it...the sun can do the same thing in warm climates, no?

[faith4u]

Having said that, Rastadawta I think the best thing to do is to conduct your own little test/experiment rather than take someone else's word for it, so try this...take some grains and put them in the dehydrator for about...I guess about 18 hours (since that's the number luckitri gave us ;) ) and set it on an "acceptable" temp - anywhere from 95 to 110 degrees. Take the grains out and soak them overnight and then drain. Put in a jar or a glass, etc. for a couple of days or so and see if they sprout.

Betcha they will!



I never thought of trying that. Great idea Rawkinlocs!!

[Rastadawta]

Thanks for all the replies that I recieved. I do realized that it is an transitional part of being raw. esp since I know I wouldn't want to eat a Raw Nut burger every day with Jicama fries..umm.gave me some ideas for lunch tomorrow.. sorry lost track..
My co-worker and I went to Pure foods in NYC and had some taco wraps with sunfflower meat..Yet after eating some seaweed salad with the taco wraps, I felt so full and sleepy so I know I will take dydr..slowly..
Have a wonderful weekend.

[Davylp25]

I forgot to add... I dont ever crave Dehy food and I have been 100% for 1 year. I dont ever crave it, I just eat it because I get bored and want to try something else... I never crave it. I just eat it when I want something new. Also I always always always eat a dehy meal with a salad, but I never feel tired after eating... I ate a whole pizza dehy last week, had it with a cesaer I felt fine. Maybe my system can handle it after all the house cleaning, who knows....

JUST RAW IT OUT...