today is day 1 for me...encourage me please...

[ready2live]

Okay....so here I am....I am waiting for Alissa Cohen's book to arrive....but I cannot wait to start this....i am sooo excited.....I have been a vegetarian for 2 years....and occassionally snuck in pizza....with loads of cheese....and do i love sugar....In October (2006) I began walking and aerobics...and watching what i ate...so strict i thought I would die of hunger...but i dropped 40 pounds...I am at 210 right now....and feel yuk....I want to get to at least 140-150....and i want to be healthy....I was diagnosed with Lupus Disease...and I refuse to take their nasty meds...I met a woman in the doctors office who told me about going raw...and juicing...and after 30 days of doing so, her blood levels showed negative ANA...and the doctor said it was a Lupus miracle...(and did she look great!!!)....I am not sure what to do....but i went to the store and loaded up on fruits (some i had never heard of before, but i am feeling adventurous) and some vegetables....I cannot have lettuce....i have IBS/UC...and it irritates that....but i suspect after going 100% raw....that even my symptoms and flares with that will go away forever....any suggestions, comments....recipes...encouragement...talk to me....someone....I will post pictures later today...it isn't a pretty sight....but there are better ones for the future....I am positive!!! Ciao...and blessings....

[Nimmanu]

ready2live, I am also new and waiting for Alissa's book!

I tried making the banana + avocado in the food processor yesterday... delish!

I have gone all over the recipe section, and loved it, but I don't have my dehydrator yet. :eek: I can't wait.

My favorite part so far has been the fruit, though. I have a horrible sweet tooth, in all honesty. And oh my goodness has it been GREAT to indulge it ANY TIME I WANT WITHOUT GUILT!

I'm really on fire to get this going, I cannot remember the last time I waited so eagerly for anything as I am for Alissa's book and my dehydrator, LOL.

Viva la resistance! I have joined the revolution to bring about good health in my body!

[KatK]

Good luck!

The thing that's helped me keep going is to eat a lot. If I ever get too hungry, I get tempted to cooked food. It's been almost a month now, and I feel so much better!

[ready2live]

I am sooo excited to hear form both of you....any weight loss changes in your first 30 days of raw katk????

Nimmanu....I am with you....I cannot wait for the book to get here....I just bought a juicer...and used it this morning....2 oranges and 1/4 of a fresh pineapple....amazingly delicious....and then a little canteloupe cut up....and load of good pure water...you made banana and advocado??? How did you do that....??? I have a hard time following the recipe area....so many people talk about other things there too....but i will keep looking....

Good luck to both of you....!!! I am soooo excited!!!!

[RowanC]

Make a recipe of RHP's brownies... comfort food!
Make an apple/turnip salad - all you need is a food processor or shredder.
Buy a whole box of dates online - I like Barhi dates, but we've all got favorites
Make sunflower refried beans and eat them rolled up in lettuce or kale or collard leaves - there are other sandwich spreads on here too
You can make Nori Rolls w/o a dehydrator
You can make many awesome recipes w/o a dehydrator
There are links on this website to OTHER websites where you can get lots of free recipes. If you can't find them, email me personally and I'll pass them along.

You CAN do this!

Eat a truckload of bananas and avocados if it is what will fill you up.

But STAY RAW! Don't leave the house without food!

YOU CAN DO IT!

[Journeytohealth]

Hi Ready2live I am BACK on DAY 1 AGAIN....I did just as Katk said....I let my self get too hungry and caved....boy did I do it good, I felt so sick the rest of the night!
So, I just have to remember my strategy the first time I did this (and messed up after 3 months but setting for lifetime again) and that is not only to eat alot but to eat more often than I actually feel hungry. If I'll eat every hour and half or so a full plate of something it staves off any hunger feelings for anything else...Hopefully this can work into your schedule too....eventually you get to where your not requiring near as much and don't eat as often but that was definitely the first month for me ......Good Luck and don't give up you'll feel absolutely wonderful!!!

[KatK]

I've lost 14 lbs. despite falling off the wagon a couple times and gaining weight back. Boy, eating bad food after the raw food made me feel rotten! Don't give up, you can go back on it and still be better off than before you started! :)

[Firicia]

Congrats on day 1 of your new and wonderful, colourful, and amazing journy to health! I can hardly wait for my first day, which I think will be tomorow(going for groceries tonight), I just can't wait until wednesday for the book, I'm sure trying to start earlier will only make things better :)

RowanC what are those brownies? I keeep hearing about them is there a recipy anywhere? Thanks :)

[Nimmanu]

Congrats on day 1 of your new and wonderful, colourful, and amazing journy to health! I can hardly wait for my first day, which I think will be tomorow(going for groceries tonight), I just can't wait until wednesday for the book, I'm sure trying to start earlier will only make things better :)

RowanC what are those brownies? I keeep hearing about them is there a recipy anywhere? Thanks :)
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16892

[chilove]

Congratulations on discovering raw!! You will love it!!! It is awesome. I have heard of other people healing lupus with a raw vegan diet. I healed from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, depression, anxiety and other health problems so I know it can be done!!! :-) Stay strong, remember that nothing tastes as good as health feels, give yourself lots of nurturing, do positive affirmations, imagine yourself glowing with health and happiness and you will do awesome!!

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[rawpriestess]

If you have a sweet tooth, it may mean that your body needs calcium, sesame seeds are the highest form of calcium that our bodies can assimilate, so either just dot them on crackers, or salads, or in a smoothie, or you can eat raw tahini, I like mine with fresh crushed garlic and lemon, and extra virgin olive oil on crackers, with a bit of tomatoe or cucumber, yummy.

You can also make almond milk shakes

1 cup almond milk (make this yourself- do not use store bought)
1 cup ice
2 to 4 dates (I like it sweet, so I use 4 medjool dates) pitted,
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash cardemom

blend, yummy

I actually blend it all up first, then toss in the ice cubes, it makes it frothy, soemtimes, if I want it super slushy, I put it into the freezer for 15 minutes or so to chill it up

brownies

1 cup walnuts
1 cup medjool dates (pitted- not soaked)
1/4 cup cacao powder or carob

blend in food processor until chunky but holds together, press down into a pyrex pan and pop into the fridge or freezer, cut into brownie squares, then put into a ziplock baggy to store, I keep in the freezer so I won't eat them all in one sitting

these help to quench my sweet tooth until the sesame seeds start making me crave less sugars

keep eating raw, and remember it's a process towards progress, it's not a race, and it's okay if you eat what you eat, just keep coming back to raw, you will eventually make the commitment that it is the ONLY way you choose to eat, and until then, have fun with it, life is too short to be unhappy or feel guilty about eating cooked food

blessings,
rawpriestess

[RawVee]

Okay....so here I am....I am waiting for Alissa Cohen's book to arrive....but I cannot wait to start this....i am sooo excited.....I have been a vegetarian for 2 years....and occassionally snuck in pizza....with loads of cheese....and do i love sugar....In October (2006) I began walking and aerobics...and watching what i ate...so strict i thought I would die of hunger...but i dropped 40 pounds...I am at 210 right now....and feel yuk....I want to get to at least 140-150....and i want to be healthy....I was diagnosed with Lupus Disease...and I refuse to take their nasty meds...I met a woman in the doctors office who told me about going raw...and juicing...and after 30 days of doing so, her blood levels showed negative ANA...and the doctor said it was a Lupus miracle...(and did she look great!!!)....I am not sure what to do....but i went to the store and loaded up on fruits (some i had never heard of before, but i am feeling adventurous) and some vegetables....I cannot have lettuce....i have IBS/UC...and it irritates that....but i suspect after going 100% raw....that even my symptoms and flares with that will go away forever....any suggestions, comments....recipes...encouragement...talk to me....someone....I will post pictures later today...it isn't a pretty sight....but there are better ones for the future....I am positive!!! Ciao...and blessings....

Ready2Live,

That's awesome that you're trying raw. I've been on and off since June and I'm now on my 3rd day of a 30-day 100% raw life. :) It's been easy peasy. Any time I've had a craving for a specific cooked food, I examine the craving and figure out what it means and where it's coming from. Almost everything I love from the cooked world can be made raw in some way. That's what I like most about eating this way--the possibilities are endless. I've found I really enjoy simple eating for the first week, so I can concentrate on getting my body readjusted. :) Good luck!!!

[RowanC]

Do a search on brownies and see if you can't find the recipe. I'm sorry, I'm not good at computering or I'd cut and paste the link for you. Maybe someone else can do it. Be sure and read all the posts. There were some problems with it not sticking together for some of us. Probably depended on the dryness and texture of the dates we used. I ended up frosting mine, then making apricot-sized balls and putting them inthe fridge... they RAWK!

[Mona]

This is the start of something really great for you! This is my 21st day raw so I´m just beginning myself. I just want to say, don´t be afraid if you have some detox symptoms in the beginning. It can be headache, tiredness, moodswings or just about anything. It will pass. Your body is healing. I felt hunger and pain in my stomach for the first two weeks. It passed. Now I feel really satisfyed eating raw food. Adjustments has to be made. Just trust your bodys healing process. When I had some raw months for about ten years ago my body healed from menstruationcramps. Unfortunately they came back when I started to eat cooked food again. So this time I hope I will heal a second time, and I´m sure I will!

Good Luck!