Hello, Help please

[kwiley]

Hi, I am totally new to this in every way. Never posted, new to raw food idea and I am still unsure. I need an encouraging word to help me know that I have made a good choice. I am 30 years old and have been overweight most of my life. I was browsing the web about agave nectar and came across this website. I was intrigued and decided to read more. I was initially convinced that this was a great choice since I have made the decision to make some serious changes in my life, but now I am not sure if I will be able to stick with it. I have had trouble in the past sticking to changes and diets so I am scared that I will fail again. I want to make the change to eat better, but I am still a little unsure if 100% raw is the way to go. I've heard that some foods need to be cooked in order to obtain their maximum potential (hearty leafy green vegetables). So any words of advice and encouragement would be definitely appreciated. Thanks for reading.:)

[Springtime]

Hi

welcome to raw, kwiley!
I'm new to this tooso I don't have any expert advice but GO FOR IT. Why? It's easy, simple, great tasting and healing.

It is a very free way of eating, there are no rules except for the ones you give yourself. The only thing this is about is listening to your body. Doe raw feel right? Go for it. You don't have to be 100%, just make sure you do what's best for you. Add stuff, like fruits for breakfast or try a recipe from the recipe forum. I've been reading lots of great things on this and other websites. i think you should keep on reading, maybe get a book (Alissa's perhaps) and follow your stomach.

Keep up the great work!
love
/rebs

[maraw]

Boy are you in the right place for encouragement and advise! I believe that if you try it, you will fall in love, as all of us have. It's just making the leap from the standard American fare, to well, a healthier way of eating! Think of it not as leaving other foods behind, but that you are entering a whole new (and very delicious, I might add) way to prepare meals. It's a lot like a rebirth of sorts. You are renewing yourself in good health and long life. It doesn't take long to get hooked, but you could do with some good tools. A good recipe book or two is very helpful. Do you have Alissa's yet? I highly recommend it. Also, Rawvolution is another good one, and The Complete Book of Raw Food too. There are many that have great recipes and have a lot of good information, but Alissa's is always my first choice. That should help you a good deal. Also, start sharing it with your friends and family. No doubt you will have several of them eating raw with you before you know it!

Best wishes, and please post here - often. You will learn a lot, and gain many friends in the process.

Welcome!
Anna (Maraw)

[Morn]

I too worried about if I could stick to this or not. The benefits far outway any other way of eating. Don't let fear of failure keep you from trying this. If you are concerned about it just try it and keep it to yourself for awhile. You will notice improvements in how you feel almost immediately. I now have more energy and vitality than ever before. It is a journey that is worth taking! I have been raw for almost 6 months now and so many things have changed for me. The main reason I initially came here was to lose weight and now I am 52 pounds down. Do this for yourself! It will be the best gift you ever give to You!

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW......Welcome to MY World....

[StudentforLife]

First of all, congratulations for taking responsibility for your health by exploring methods out of your comfort zone. Raw food is intimidating at first for everyone, but just the fact that you have an open mind to this should make you very proud of yourself.

I think one of the main reasons why people are unsure about going raw is the simplicity. All of our lives food has been complicated, from all of the creepy ingredients that have been put into standard food to the intracate meal plans that the standard diet gurus say is the best way to eat. Eating raw is experiencing food freedom for the first time. That is the thing I am truly greatful for.

For me personally, I felt trapped with food due to my unhealthy relationship with it. With eating raw, I'm the healthiest I've been, the happiest I've been and I have a healthy relationship with food.

Before you dive into raw it is important to read as much as you can. This forum is far and away the best tool to use. You will get answers, tips, recipes and tons of support. I practically lived on this forum the first months of strating raw. With learning more you will gain the confidence you need to start your raw journey.

The best of luck to you!:)

[RowanC]

Go read the archives, too... LOTS Of wonderful information there.

Good luck!
You've done the best thing for yourself that you can do!
Welcome.

[luckitri]

I think that I have only heard of one person who came to raw and stuck with it with no slips from the first try.

Most people bounce back and forth for years. There are many posts on here from people coming back to raw after having slipped off of it - sometimes for years.

The whole point of having this forum and the 30-day challenges is to make it easier. Their very existence tells you that yes this is hard to do but oh so very worth it in how much healthier you will be.

Some of us are just high raw - meaning not 100%. Sometimes I do sit down and have a meal with my family with mutually acceptable SAD food. That is just me. I would rather be 100% and have my family that way also.

I don't do recipes. For me just cleaning the produce and keeping it fresh and getting it in me is enough. I do like to have a salad in the evening with two non-raw vegetarian salad ingredients included. Doing the recipes is too much stress for me so I just don't for the most part.

For most of us - well we are "transitioning". The very terminology that has evolved tells you that this is not something that most people can do all the way right away. But do as much as you can. You will feel better. I guarantee it!

[luckitri]

The people who are advocating cooking an item have found that a certain nutrient (ex: lycopene in tomatoes) is more bio-available from the cooked form. You still get that ingredient raw - just less of it. Meanwhile - all the complementary nutrients that are killed in the cooking are no longer available. Perhaps down the road further study will prove that the complementary nutrients are necessary for maximum absorption of the lycopene.

If someone is extremely ill there is justification for very light cooking in some philosophies in order to aid someone whose body is not doing much at all due to severity of condition.

[Veganforlife]

...I need an encouraging word to help me know that I have made a good choice...:)

You need one word? Okay, here it is:

BELIEVE

as in yourself...

[Nini]

You definitely have made the right choice.

I remember telling my SAD doctor that I was eating raw now. Waiting for him to speak his mind, he instead said, "How can I tell you that eating fruits and vegetables are bad for you? Go for it."

15 months later, he agrees with me. It's been a lifesaver. For real.

[maraw]

You definitely have made the right choice.

I remember telling my SAD doctor that I was eating raw now. Waiting for him to speak his mind, he instead said, "How can I tell you that eating fruits and vegetables are bad for you? Go for it."

15 months later, he agrees with me. It's been a lifesaver. For real.

I had the same experience with my physician. He was very supportive and even curious to know what sort of meals I was eating. He thought it a great idea and even invited me to come back a few months later and have some blood work done to see how I was faring regarding iron, cholesterol, proteins, weight, etc. He was very impressed to say the least.

[rawpriestess]

welcome welcome welcome

[annie p]

Hi, I am totally new to this in every way. Never posted, new to raw food idea and I am still unsure. I need an encouraging word to help me know that I have made a good choice. I am 30 years old and have been overweight most of my life. I was browsing the web about agave nectar and came across this website. I was intrigued and decided to read more. I was initially convinced that this was a great choice since I have made the decision to make some serious changes in my life, but now I am not sure if I will be able to stick with it. I have had trouble in the past sticking to changes and diets so I am scared that I will fail again. I want to make the change to eat better, but I am still a little unsure if 100% raw is the way to go. I've heard that some foods need to be cooked in order to obtain their maximum potential (hearty leafy green vegetables). So any words of advice and encouragement would be definitely appreciated. Thanks for reading.:)

I am new too and have learned in a very short time that 100% raw is the way to go. You are missing no nutrients. Get a good juicer and just juice everything, greens with rockmelon, pears and strawberries is very good.
Sweet like a thickshake! All the best Annie

[soulstar]

Welcome, kwiley

I am glad you were somehow led to Alissa's forum. What a wonderful twist of fate, that you happened upon raw food while search for agave nectar! Perhaps one day you may call it divine providence! :)
This forum is an incredible place for support, information, and creating raw community to exchange thoughts and experiences.

This is my second serious commitment to 100% raw. I feel more able to succeed now, since I have read more, I am more committed to my own health. ANd I am not allowing all of the excuses that led me away from raw to take root again. Part of what I find helps me stayt 100% is checking in here everyday. I am in the middle of the notorious 30 day Raw Challenge. Today is the 19th day! and once april rolls around I will hop on board and start another 30 day challenge. But truly, raw food or any major changes for the better, are always a one day at a time process.

I have struggles with being overweight most of my life! I have had low self-esteem, lethargy, depression, moodiness, and general unhappiness. When I first went raw I was amazed at how my mood lifted, and my health and energy increased. And still I failed to maintain the diet when I moved to a new state. It has taken 18 long months of unhappiness, and poorer health to return me to the one diet that gave me the health, energy, and results that I prayed for.

Start with one day at a time, or even one or two meals at a time.
Some folks start with a raw breakfast , and a big salad for both lunch and dinner with a few SAD things added to lunch and or dinner.

Others leap in all the way, as ALissa suggests, and start 100% raw right away. Of course, when you start 100% raw, you will see the results you are seeking more quickly, but you may not be able to always stay 100% raw even though you intended to at first. SO you may go for the 100% and somedays achieve it and others, you may succumb to eating with family, or eating sad food out at a social gathering., I am just saying, it is never too late to start a new day with the intention of 100% raw. Or 50% raw for that matter.

SOrry I have rambled for so long!;)

I am just glad you have found your way to a truly healthy, natural, living diet. Please invest in Alissa's book and DVD when you can. Read threads on this forum. Check out the recipes in the recipe section. And keep asking questions. There are so many kind, generous people here who will be more than wiling to help you.

Feel free to private message me if you like.

Best of luck! We are all rooting for you! We are all in this together!

Elena

[Sharon in Colorado]

I've heard that some foods need to be cooked in order to obtain their maximum potential

Are you obtaining your maximum potential with your present diet? If you are not getting it with your present diet, why be concerned about it now?

If cooking denatures 99.9% of nutrients, it wouldn't be prudent to destroy that many nutrients just to make one or two of them available.

There really hasn't been enough scientific evidence to show that we require those specific nutrients in any amount. Nature offers us a perfect balance in the food it produces, but science constantly challenges it, and attempts to isolate 1-2 nutrients, thinking that we 'need' them more than how nature already provides them to us.

By eating plant foods in their fresh form you are going to be getting essentlially all of your nutrients. A full, prefectly balanced spectrum.

[Mona]

Even if you go just 75% raw, good things will start to happen. Take it step by step. I think you will want to increase the amount of raw food when you feel how light and full of energy you are when you eat raw. Let it take some time. Start with raw breakfast for a couple of weeks, extend it to breakfast and lunch and so on. Order Alissa´s book. It is full of good recipies and information about how to make the transition.
Raw food IS a great way to loose weight, I´ve heard it from so many and experinced it myself.

Good luck and very welcome!