back to raw! suggestion tips!

[lydias]

I have tried everything for numerous of health problems. Last year when I went raw I was for some reason not successful and just stopped eventually. But I find the other food doesnt even taste good to me so I must of done something right!

Anyways, I've been trying to juice ( i feel best with juicing), blend, grow sprouts, make raw dishes, dehydrate... This is an absolute full time job itself.

How does everyone do it and work a full time job? How do you not take the fun out of it? How do you survive socially and at restaurants?

Right now I have absolutely no energy. So my husband is thankfully helping me but he is exhausted.

Anyways, any tips appreciated!

[OneBite@aTime]

Well Lydias,
I don't have many answers for you-as I am new to this lifestyle. What I can say is that it seems we all have to find our own way-but so many people here-including me find help, hope and support here-every day, every step of the way.
Good luck on your journey!

[portiz]

The meals you prepare are more for the transition from SAD to RAW...as time passes, you'll find that its easier to grab fresh fruit or blend a smoothie on the go. (One of my friends carries several oranges everyday for her lunch or snack). I'm not 100% RAW yet, but I'm working towards it.
You'll end up getting into a groove where maybe you'll take one day out of the week to prepare your meals for that week, and find shortcuts for quick fixes. I separate fruits and greens in ziploc bags for easy smoothie prep in the mornings. It beats gorging on a fast food breakefast of egg mcmuffin and coffee. (ewwwww)

[Carlsbad]

It takes me a lot less time to prepare foods now than it did when I was eating SAD. I eat fairly simply, though I do make simple deyhdrator recipes every once in a while. Usually it's just a question of throwing something in the food processor and then into the dehydrator. That doesn't take long at all. I do have a fridge at work, so that helps a lot. I eat mostly fruit and green smoothies, both of which are easy to carry with me. For restaurants I'll bring my own raw salad dressing (I put it in a little travel shampoo bottle) and often half an avocado. The salad dressing takes about 2 minutes to whip up in my vita mix.

What is it that you're having trouble preparing?

[lydias]

I am finding I am hungry all the time,

A salad does not fill me up,

I cant have real sugary fruits or maybe no fruits at all cause of candida and blood sugar.

[sfdreams]

I am finding I am hungry all the time,

A salad does not fill me up,

I cant have real sugary fruits or maybe no fruits at all cause of candida and blood sugar.

It takes awhile eating raw before you need less food. At first, you should eat, not exactly mass quanitities, but enough so that you are not hungry. If you get hungry, you are much more likely to fall back on old habits and eat non-raw.

Do you have Alissa's book? She provides a four week meal plan, complete with shopping lists. Twice a week will be preparation nights. It worked for me. As I was 100% raw longer, I was discovering that a salad DID fill me up now, although, like you, it never did before.

What I do now is take avocados for lunch, or cut veggies. Green smoothies in the am. Occasionally I will do a bread or crackers in the dehydrator. I have salads when we go out (carry nuts and raw dressing with me to "beef it up") I, too, not a big fan of fruit. I do 60% greens 40% fruit in my smoothies--which is opposite most people. (It might actually be closer to 80% greens)

I can't speak to the candida problem--but I was diabetic when I started raw. (I don't consider myself diabetic any longer, though I know I will always have the propensity to go that way again--a good incentive to stay raw!) I usually put in a few cashews or other nuts with my smoothies to help even out sugar spikes. Well, I don't know if I need to do that anymore for the sugar reason, but still do it because it helps the smoothie "stick to my ribs" longer.

Hope this is a help to you. Good luck on your journey!!

[lydias]

Thanks so much!

I think I need a lot of greens lfor my blood sugar. I think I am thinking too hard, whether I'm eating too many nuts, too much fruit..., trying to eat balanced. I'm sure it will come after a while.

Thanks for the tips and encouragement!

[EZ rider]

I think the amount of effort it takes to be raw is directly proportional to the way you do raw.

[hibisanpo]

i think we just have to find our own groove as to how much/when/what to prepare, and it just takes a little time.

right now i'm finding my biggest time suckage is how much time i spend at the sink washing my blender and food processor! which it's much.

have fun with it!