Foods to ease the transition

[celticcrow]

I am trying really hard to make the jump, but continue to find cooked food luring me into its clutches...:eek:

Are there folks on here who have had as equally a hard time getting into the raw way of eating, and if you did, what foods helped you the most? Which ones were closer to the SAD foods you were leaving behind? I have tried some recipes that call themselves one thing, but don't even taste or resemble their namesakes....I know it is going to take a while, but I would love some bridge foods to get me over the hump.....

Thanks!!!!

[Rawkinlocs]

RP's Brownies
=====
NOTE: I'd honestly consider doubling this recipe!

1 cup walnuts, (not soaked)
1 cup dates (pitted, not soaked)
1/4 cup cocoa, cacao nibs ground or carob

put into food processor, blend until they stick together, press into flat pan, cool in fridge or freezer until easy to cut, then cut into squares, pop into a baggie, and go

you can freeze, or whatever

if they won't stick together, you need to blend more, if they are too oily, you blended them too long, but they will still taste great.

you can add chopped nuts if you like, I just stick a walnut half on top sometimes

Yeah, some raw recipes that have a SAD name do and some do not taste like their namesakes but the thing to remember is that a lot of these recipes were created AFTER the creator of said recipes had been raw for a while and to them, having not had cooked food in a while, the dish reminds them of or tastes like whatever they end up calling it.

But probably the best thing to do is to try raw recipes EXPECTING them to be different and not identical and just think to yourself, "this is not ____________ but it's a new dish and a new experience for me!" or something like that.

[EZ rider]

Persistence wins this race. Keep trying and learning. :)

[sport]

I do not think that I would have made it in the beginning without avocados. They were so filling and satisfying in the days when a meal of fruit just did not do it for me.
The other thing that I was gratefull for was crackers. They got me over my need for bread.
I do not need either of them now.
It will be worth it in the end.

[SbutterAMfly]

Pecans and dried fruit are what get me through the day. I'm just beginning, well, I've been working at it for almost 2 months, but I feel like I'm constantly starting over. My weekends always seem to end up mostly S.A.D, and at the beginning of each week I find that if I don't have nuts and dried fruit around I'm craving cooked foods. They cease the craving for me.

I know that the combination of nuts and fruit make some sensitive people feel bloated. So, be aware of your body, and if it makes you uncomfortable, try something else, but it's what works for me at the moment.

Good luck!

[VeGenesis]

I am trying really hard to make the jump, but continue to find cooked food luring me into its clutches...:eek:

Are there folks on here who have had as equally a hard time getting into the raw way of eating, and if you did, what foods helped you the most? Which ones were closer to the SAD foods you were leaving behind? I have tried some recipes that call themselves one thing, but don't even taste or resemble their namesakes....I know it is going to take a while, but I would love some bridge foods to get me over the hump.....

Thanks!!!!

I am still on the hump... but getting there.

Since my mother in law grows Cacao on the family farm, I just smash ripe bananas, add cacao to taste. I add some spice to, like cinnamon, if available.

The other thing was in finding a way to do a lot of different things... A plate of different veggies and some dip or dressing is very helpful as it seems like I get a lot of different things.

I made Guacamole, adapting it for what I can get here.

Play With Your Food!

I know, your mom told you not to do that. I made cole slaw with coconut milk, and wrapped in lettuce leaves. It tasted great - and it was a total mess to eat... We will find a way to make this work...

Don't Beat Yourself Up!

Believe me, I got a month in and decided I needed refried beans. I got the pure vegan ones! That dead food made me sick for four days! Seriously! But I just went back to my raw food.

Don't BUY Dead Food!

That was my deal, I would not BUY what is not good for me. Even the beans above were already in my house... It is easier to avoid the bad stuff when you are "out there" than at home, relaxed, looking through the cupboards!

I'm 99% raw!
I have one thing that is reserved to poison my body with, without guilt. Hey, if you are a superman that went 100% Raw Vegan and never looked back, good for you Clark! For the rest of us mere mortals, I think we have to work at this. I kept the most raw mayo. I love red ripe tomatoes smothered in mayo and I have not found something that I can make with the things I can find here (in Central Philippines).

So if I get out the Best Foods - no guilt, no shame! At first that was almost every day... now I am making more sauces that are Raw (like the Guacamole) and more and more days are passing without the mayo.

To those who would be shocked and say - Mayo - Yuck! Poison! Gasp! Well, he asked what worked for me. I've been 99% Raw with about 85% of my days are total Raw. If we had a "truth root" I wonder how many people who are 100% raw today would say they were that way from day one with no slips! Clark may be out there, but for the rest of us it is a process to get away from the process!

Don't Quit!

I think that is what I decided early on. My doc told my wife that I would die. I have been told that a lot. The trick is to DON'T QUIT. If you have a bad day or a bad meal, then start again.

Find What You LIKE!

I like smashed ripe bananas with cinnamon, cooled in the freezer for an hour or so. It taste a lot like banana ice cream to me. Find something you really like and when you feel a little blue, eat that.

And finally, if you really feel bad, consider this Food For Thought...

http://thoughts.acts-29.net/3/

You will count your blessings that you have such good food to eat. If you are wondering about the Philippines ob this page, it is somewhere between Ecuador and Egypt!

Hope This Helps!

[Snoozy]

For me, going completely raw eventually took my SAD cravings away. The first week I remember taking one bite of my kids food three different times. I worried that I wouldn't be able to give it up. But I stuck with it and by the end of the 2nd week, I found that I didn't crave it anymore.

Sure, cooked food smells good still and that's sometimes hard. But I found that as long as I've eaten BEFORE I feed the rest of my family (I usually have a green smoothie) then I don't want the cooked food. Because I'm not hungry when I smell it, I can stick to the raw. I can still eat with my family by just having a little something like veggies with mushroom/veggie dip or a nut and fruit dessert.

I realize this won't work for everyone, but for me, giving it up (SAD) and sticking with the RAW is actually what stopped my cravings.

[VeGenesis]

but for me, giving it up (SAD) and sticking with the RAW is actually what stopped my cravings.

ha ha ha I MUST agree! The more raw I eat the less dead food I want.

Some emotional issues may come into play too. I like to eat with my hands so "finger food" is important. I also like to eat with my family. I am blessed with a very supportive family. My birthday was last night and you are welcome to view the spread of food we had! Photos are at:

http://profiles.friendster.com/lantait

Talking about emotions, check your childhood. I grew up in a time that people died of eating poorly cooked pork (I guess people still die eating pork but I was really talking about Trichinellosis). My mom's friend died of Trichinellosis and around our house it was pounded into our heads to not eat anything that wasn't well cooked.

I remember getting my hand slapped for eating a piece of raw carrot! Raw was bad because it "killed people" was the message put into my young brain. It is still an emotional issue.

So around my house we use the terms "Living Food" and "Dead Food". It works for me and even my kids would rather celebrate with living food than with a Dead Cake and Dead Ice Cream!

We live next to a fast highway that some poor animal gets run over by a big truck from time to time. The kids started calling that "Dead Food" (their meat eating classmates call it "Road Pizza" which I think is just as bad!)

Now picture eating Dead Food or Road Pizza vs Living Food! Hey, if it doesn't gross you out too much it may help you become 100% Living Food!

Intellectually I have no problem with raw food, but emotionally ~ strictly for me and my family mind you ~ Living verses Dead food is a wonderful contrast that even our 5 year old seems to grasp!

I hope this helps you find your way.

[Pitaya]

the key is to alkanize your body either with exercise or food - I had this same problem until I started drinking green smoothies - check out Victoria Boutenko's books, she swears by them, particularly their effect to stop cravings--- and she has so many surprisingly delicious recipes - I never thought getting my greens everyday would be so easy and tasty. try this (one of hers, which is my fave):

4 apples
2 cups water
1/2 lemon (peeled)
4 or 5 leaves of kale

blend together and enjoy!

similar one with peaches and spinach........yummm!