Oh My... embarassed

[Firicia]

I just got Alissa's book like 2 hours ago, and I have to be honest, I feel so overwhelmed. I don't know why. I was looking at the recipies and seeing so manye of them with foods I don't like that I started freaking out about possibly not liking anything. I mean staples like tomatoes, and dates for the desserts. Not only that but finding some of the ingredients. I know it all takes time, did anyone else get freaked out at first?

Maybe this isn't even about it being food I don't like, maybe this is what leaving your comfort foods zone feels like? It feels scary :eek:

Anyways I hope I'm not making a fool of myself here :o

[Morn]

It is overwhelming in the beginning especially if you are coming from a Standard American Diet of eating anything and everything. Eating this way will be very foreign for awhile until you find some staples you enjoy. Don't be discouraged as it may take some time for you to find the things you like. I have been raw for 4 months and I am still figuring out what works for me. The key is have lots of variety of fresh fruits and vegtables on hand especially in the beginning.

It is scary leaving those comfort foods behind. But soon you will find other foods that will replace them and you will feel so much healthier and better.

Take one day at a time, read as much as you can and get educated and it will get easier!

Best Wishes to you as you explore this new lifestyle.

[chilove]

Hi there!

Don't get scared! Spend some time thinking about all of the fresh fruits and vegetables that you DO like and you will be surprised at how many there are! Just pick out a few recipes that look good to you and focus on getting the ingredients for those and trying them first. You will adjust. Don't worry. Remember that a lot of cooked eaters eat the most of the same meals all the time, over and over again. You just need to find a few things that you like and build from there. You can also always just focus on very simple fruits and veggies if the idea of a lot of food prep is intimidating.

All the best,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[trinity082482]

I did freak out at first cause I didnt know what I was doing or how to make raw foods. I mean when I heard about sprouting and enzymes and how you should soak seeds and use all these machines like juicers and processors. Before raw I never used a processor before.. But you learn and it will be okay. Keep it simple.

[JEN]

Know that your tastes will change!!! Just give it a little time. It took me about a month. There are many things that I hated before that I love now. Its strange to know that I hated bell peppers before and now I eat them right out of the fridge. I didnt like dates either and now I love, love, love them. Just eat raw for a month as much of the raw foods you do like. Eat a lot of your favorite fruits and veggies. Then as your tastes start changing try recipes. Youll be surprised how yummy they are.

[DavidZaneMason]

Eating this way CAN be as simple as simply gradually increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that compose your diet for a lifetime! :) Only YOU can make it more or less simple. There are no raw food police. Set YOUR goals and keep them. Stay focused on THAT - forever - and you'll be 99.9% ahead! :) What do you think?

-David Z. Mason

[Dimond]

There are foods that I normally didn't like SAD, but in raw recipes, I love them. And I've always been a picky eater. Now I have so many more options & there's very little raw I don't like. So much fun eating raw. I wish all the restaurants would carry options besides salad so that we could all enjoy these wonderful dishes everywhere we went.

[Ariannah]

When I started raw it was a very literal start. I thought, "Great! a way of life where you don't have to 'make' anything!" I just bought and ate.

Start with things you do like - in their natural state - and then work up to recipes from the book which contain the ingredients you like.

I'm a slacker when it comes to raw food. If I don't have to prepare anything, I don't :D Amazing, Food you can bring home and eat, and not even have to wait for the 2 minutes that the so-called "instant" boxed foods tell you to wait! Works for me!

I started raw food though before I had read all the websites telling me how hard it is. Who knew? :D

That having been said, Alissa has carefully selected recipes and seasonings which can satisfy pretty much every craving! So try it - I've enjoyed many of the recipes. :)

[Nimmanu]

I know what you mean. I hate macadamia nuts, in all honesty. And they're in everything! :eek

But the thing I've noticed as I've gone ahead and given it a try is that even though it has them in it... it doesn't taste like macadamia nuts.

Make a small quantity of the recipe, and see if you like it. There's nothing saying you have to make the full amount right away- halve it and see how it goes.

[vegan1]

I found this book helpful: Raw Food for Busy People (http://www.amazon.com/Raw-Foods-Busy-People-Machine-Free/dp/141161836X/sr=8-1/qid=1170428366/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0379870-4784063?ie=UTF8&s=books)

It has a variety of food choices and is not overwhelmingly. I too am overwhelmed with the idea of dehydrating, sprouting and juicing. But I think the important thing it to take is slow and add a little more each day.

[Suzy]

I was feeling this way too, as evident by the fact that the last time I posted was sometime in 2005!! That's how long it's been since I started seriously getting interested in the Raw Food way of life, and I am STILL not a raw foodist yet because I just haven't jumped in with both feet! What the heck is my problem!? :confused:

I have had Alissa's book and DVDs since 2005, too. I also have the Raw Food for Busy People book, and Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens. I've read them. I've tried recipes. I have ALL of the equipment! Food processor, VitaMix, Saladacco, Dehydrator,... I got my husband on board with the idea... and still, we aren't raw yet!! I just do NOT know what the heck our problem is! :confused:

Recently I have been having a lot of health problems relative to my sensitivity to perfumes/colognes (all synthetic-based airborne or liquid chemicals seem to trigger reactions), and I have dealt with several auto-immune diseases since I was in my 20s (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Auto-immune Thyroiditis, Epstein-Barr and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and now Environmental Illness/Chemical Hypersensitivity). Because of this most recent problem, I went to see an Environmental Illness doctor in my area (I couldn't believe there WAS one in my area!), and he had me tested for food allergies - to start with. Well, turns out I showed allergic symptoms to soy, wheat, yeast, tomatoes, carrots :eek: , onions :eek: , rice :eek: , and chocolate :eek:. (I was only tested for three other things, and I didn't react to those... oats, lettuce and garlic.)
The carrots and onion reactions were quite severe, and the rice was quite bad, too.
So, my conclusion after these tests (and grieving over the fact that some of my favorite foods have ill-effects on me), I NEED TO GO RAW NOW! No more putzing around and putting it off! I'm just going to have to push past this block I have about it and just do it!
I've been reading about it long enough!

My biggest enemy in this effort is time. I work the standard 40-hour week, but also have an hour commute each way. I'm up at 5, on the road at 6, home by 6, in bed by 8:30-9.
One of the things I found in preparing raw foods from recipes is that they are quite good for the first day, sometimes two, but after that - blech!
Flax crackers were that way for me and my dh. First day -- not bad! Second day -- hmmm... they're okay. Third day -- uh... Fourth day -- I'm throwing these out.
It was a bit depressing because I made the recipe from Alissa's book and they made a LOT! They don't keep well, though.
Gotta learn to cut down those recipes.
I tried the cheeses (macadamia nuts there), and thought they all just tasted like Braggs (one of the ingredients). Not a big fan of the flavor of Braggs. Ended up throwing THAT out after a ton of preparation, too.

So... there's part of my problem. I have a few of negative-associated experiences with spending money and time and yielding poor results. :(
I've got to get over that and start experimenting again!

I apologize, everyone, for rambling on and on! :o
Suzy

[salsababy]

I felt the same way when I first started. Dates were in every recipe and I tried one and hated it. Although I made desserts with dates in them and I grew to like them. I can eat them plain now but I prefer them in desserts.

Avacados, dates, gogi berries, mac. nuts, ginger, kale, spicyness etc. are all things I didn't like before and now I do. I am not 100% raw by any means but I went high raw for a while and adjusted to actually liking these foods! :)

[Sharon in Colorado]

I agree with keeping it as simple as possible. Don't feel pressured to go out and buy a dehydrator and other equipment. Dont' feel obligated to go out and buy raw cacao or carob, a bunch of oils, expensive nuts and superfoods.

Just eat your favorite fruits, vegetables nuts and seeds for now. You don't have to make any recipes at all if you don't want to.

Besides, most of the recipes I've tried (from several different raw books) didn't come out the way I expected plus my family didn't take to them well.

Fresh fruit, smoothies and salads are the most satisfying to me. The recipes are there if you want something different.

[BecauseICan]

David Z. Mason,
I have read many of your posts on the boards and I just want to thank you for who you are. You are very knowledgable and have a wise and level minded way of thinking. I, a woman that runs on hormones, am so happy to have the logic of a man to center me when I need it. Thank you for being you. :)

Barb

[BecauseICan]

For myself, only being raw for about 2 weeks now... I have found that what works for me is mainly smoothies. They fill me up and all I do is put the fruits and a wee bit of grains with a little water in my Magic Bullet, blend it up and all done. I rinse the blade and the cup in hot water and put them away for the next "meal". When I'm in the mood for something to sink my teeth into ~ a quick pick of some baby carrots and/or an apple do the trick with that. For me, I think I'm gonna save the recipes for those "special" occasions or when I want to "impress" someone with raw. Don't get overwhelmed ~ this is the NATURAL way for people to eat ~ if it feels like it's too hard or whatever then you are probably over doing it ~ imho. ;)

Barb :D

[Firicia]

Thanks everyone! Well this morning I am feeling a lot less scared. I think it's normal to get a little freaked out when trying to change your lifestyle(for me anyways). But I'm gonna keep it as simple and possible and just not worry about things for a while. Thank you for all your responces, it means a lot and you all are very wonderful amazing people!

[lydias]

You will be surprised how those foods actually make great desserts! The dessert will not taste like a tomato or even a date per se, it will just give it flavor and sweetness in a healthy way.

I have tried some raw food desserts and they taste BETTER then any dessert on a SAD diet.

It also takes time for your taste buds to change where you actually crave they veggies.

Hope that helps!
Lydia

[luckitri]

I am overwhelmed also. Making the recipes. I just cannot work ful-time and do that too. I am not well and I come on-line alot because I can learn, be a little social, and because physical movement is difficult for me. I need to be able to afford 6 months or more off work to cleanse my body of the Rx I need to go to work every day or this is going to literally kill me and I know it. But living paycheck to paycheck I don't know how to get to the time off part and keep a roof over our heads. So I just eat a ripe pear. I make a salad - that is my most complex thing I make.

[DavidZaneMason]

Oh thank you BecauseICan. That warms my heart.

-David Z. Mason