Newbie here: how do I get started?

[april092776]

Hi,
I have been contemplating raw food on and off for a while. I have IBS, and while I eat a 'healthful' version of the so-called standard American diet, I am intrigued by going raw to see where that takes me. But--and maybe this sounds goofy--how do I get started? I eat no meat or seafood, but do eat eggs and some cheeses. I drink coffee with a little half and half every morning also--is there a good way to wean off of that?

Also, I am not financially in the position to buy any equipment right this second. I have a great food processor and blender already, but do not have a juicer or dehydrator. Are these necessary just to get started? I could afford to buy a book or two.

I have seen quite a bit about the 30 day challenge and would like to do it, but is it an actual plan written down, or is it just 'going raw' cold turkey for 30 days?

Sorry to have so many ??s, but I am kind of OCD and nervous about embarking on this very big adventure. I would be the only one in the house going raw (have a sweet hubby and 2 precious toddlers). Thanks in advance for any advice.:confused:

[billyne]

peace april,
you really don't need a dehydrator or juicer to eat raw foods. i use just a blender and processor and i do just fine!( i have a dehydrator but really don't like the way dehydrated foods taste) have you checked the the recipe section of this forum? lots of good stuff.

[DavidZaneMason]

Suggestion:

-Make a little list with 2 columns. Write down what YOU have determined are your top 5 WORST habits/foods on one side.......and write down the 5 BEST foods/eating habits that you want to acquire on the right.

-Then brainstorm and write down the little goals that you are prepared to do under each item to get there. Include basic time-tables....and keep the goals VERY SMALL and SIMPLE....and make sure that YOU are actually motivated to do them....otherwise don't write them down. Ha! ha! Try it!

-David Z. Mason

[Eva]

If you want to go into it gradually, I would recommend adding a quart of "green smoothies" every day (which is a lot) for a week, then subtracting or adding in other details the next week.

Victoria Boutenko wrote a great (and relatively inexpensive) book called "Green for Life" which has a limited amount of recipes and a lot of information about why green smoothies are so beneficial to our health.

You can use the banana to search for lots of recipes, but the base for a green smoothie is pretty much green leaves (NOT cucumbers and other "green" veggies) in whatever amount you find palatable (I usually do about 50%, but you may have to start lower than that just to get used to it) and mixed with bananas or other fruits. I usually add beets too, which I've been surprised at how much I enjoy. They also make the smoothies LOOK nicer than the strange puke green look I sometime get with my green smoothies!

Alissa's book "Living on Life Food" is also great, and does have a lot of helpful info.

I have a juicer, but I prefer the way the smoothies make my body feel for eating daily. I ADD juice every few days. I do not have a dehydrator, and I've been on this raw journey for several months.

Good luck. :)

[amyambro1]

my suggestion is just start doing it and then do as much research as you can by looking online and reading books. Start out with a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and greens. make the smoothies and salads you know until you discover new recipes. I've been raw about 50 days and I've only had a blender this whole time. I also have a norwalk juicer which I've used a couple times only. Make sure it's a fairly good blender, I use mine twice, maybe three times daily!!

[Lal]

Hey! This sounds dorky, but let's be 30 day challenge buddies! I am so ready to get into shape (physical and mental!), and I'm thinking that if I get into raw foods, I'll be incorporating way healthier stuff into my kids' diets, too! (Gonna keep them on a 'traditional' meal plan for now, because my husband would freak out if I tried to not feed them meat & potatoes.)

[the_lab_rat]

Hi April!

The 30 day challenge is just what you said--staying 100% raw for 30 days. There is also a 30 day meal plan in Alissa's book Living on Live Food, but you don't need it to start the challenge (and some recipes require a dehydrator). Just go raw! Try it out for a month and see what a difference it makes!

I started off with only a cheap blender. That's it, no expensive equipment. Having fancy equipment can make it easier/quicker, but it's definitely not a requirement to get started. Eventually I was missing crunchy foods so I got a dehydrator, but for now, just jump right in and see how it goes. You can always buy more equipment as you learn what kinds of raw food you prefer.

As for coffee, if you feel you can't give it up cold turkey, try just eliminating the half and half, and gradually reduce how often you drink it. I think cold turkey is the easiest way to go, because if you still allow yourself to drink it occasionally it'll always be a temptation. You could try smoothies in the morning instead! With raw chocolate or carob...mmmm, so much better than coffee! :)

[april092776]

Thanks everyone for the awesome suggestions. I am really very motivated to get started--making a grocery list tonight and heading there tomorrow! I appreciate everyone's help and not making me feel like an idiot.

Lab Rat: so interested in a smoothie recipe with the raw chocolate or carob--can you give me some hints as I am new to these ingredients? I am going to the health food store Friday so I can grab these more special ingredients then. I am a chocaholic, so I am excited about this coffee replacement!

Lal: we can certainly be 30 day challenge buddies! not dorky at all (at least not to me). I am in the same position with the family. I will be the only one going all out right now, with the same hope as you to get the kids and hubby eating better. Do you want to just do a thread on this board to keep up?

[Lal]

Yeah, April! Do we need to go to another section? Maybe we'll inspire other newbies to get going! We start tomorrow, cool? That'll be 30 days at the end of August.

I don't think I'm going to give up coffee altogether, but have you ever heard of Java Mate? (There's an accent on the e.) It's not exactly like coffee, but I don't get bad headaches when I have that tea instead of the real thing. It has a distinctive flavor, but I like it. The tea is supposed to help curb appetite, and I have an easier time resisting tempting foods like processed stuff and the salty/sweet combos that have contributed to my weight demise!

[Nurse in the Raw]

Try switching to tea instead of coffee (you are probably craving the hot caffeine) and put your sugar and cream in it just like your coffee and then once you are comfortable with the tea, switch to herbal teas. I was a coffeeholic and I really loved my starbucks. A month later and I don't even give it a thought. There are so many different flavors to tea and so many kinds, they are so much more enjoyable than coffee.

Also with going raw, just replace one meal at a time with raw foods and transition slowly. Before you know it you will be 100% raw without hesitation.

[april092776]

Lal: yes, let's start tomorrow. It will probably be more of a gradual thing for me--maybe not 100% but like 75 or 80 till I get the hang of it. I ate a huge bowl of marinated raw broccoli for dinner tonight and ate mostly raw stuff all day. Definitely going to start out with the much-discussed green smoothies! I have had the mate (Yerba Mate brand chai latte). I am going to try to do herbal tea tomorrow as Stacie suggested because I really love any teas, herbal, etc. Perhaps I will check out the mate selection at the health food store when I go on Friday.

[StarFire]

Yeah, April! Do we need to go to another section? Maybe we'll inspire other newbies to get going! We start tomorrow, cool? That'll be 30 days at the end of August.


LAL.. AND APRIL.... in this general discussion area - you will find the RAWgust 30 Day challenge thread - just jump right in - do the best you can and most importantly... HAVE FUN!! RAW FOODS & VIBRANT LIFESTYLE = FUN!! see you both in the challenge thread!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/hidot.gif RAWK ON!

[EZ rider]

I drink coffee with a little half and half every morning also--is there a good way to wean off of that?
I solved my coffee addition by taking the coffee into the bathroom and flushing it down the toilet -- Problem solved. It felt like I was being wasteful, but hey, its better then continuing down that path.

[Pierre]

I have a blender, but no dehydrator, and I've been raw over a year. I start the day with 500-800 grams of smoothie, then make a salad and take it to work.

I know nothing about coffee except that it's in the madder family - so if you quit it you'll be saner ;) You're probably eating the eggs and cheese for the fat, so put lots of avocados in your salad. The good fat will wash the bad fat out.

[the_lab_rat]

April, check out the recipes section for green smoothie recipes--I've seen lots of yummy ones posted there! Here's one thread that includes some recipes and of course some chocolate! :D CLICK ME!! (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=28996&highlight=cacao+smoothie)

Usually I just take whatever fruit I have (berries, bananas, and peaches are my faves) and toss it in the blender with water, ice if it's a warm day, and a tablespoon or two or three of raw carob powder or raw cacao powder. You can use raw agave syrup to make it sweeter, or I personally use stevia powder (not sure if it's raw tho??) but really the fruit is often sweet enough on its own. Oh yeah, and the green part--spinach and lettuce are pretty mild if you're not used to the greeny taste, kale and chard work ok too. And that book Green for Life has good recipes too, and it's only like $10!

If you can't find the raw cacao in the health food store, there are places online to buy it. Sunfood has it (http://www.sunfood.com/) I'm sure, and you can probably find places that sell it cheaper. Yeah, I'm a total chocoholic too, so I don't know what I'd do without raw cacao! :D

[Lal]

April! Are you doing it? I want to make a post for check-ins, but I'm not sure where. I made a smoothie for breakfast and had some nuts for lunch. Gotta go to the store and get some real food! I swear, thinking of someone else embarking upon this for the first time is a real help!

[rawbeliever]

This is all really good advice. There's an inexpensive book out there called "12 Steps to Raw Foods" that Victoria Boutenko wrote. I haven't read it, but I've really loved her other books, and I've heard this one is fabulous. It might be helpful.