why so many recipes taste disgusting to me?

[Teo]

Hi,
I am a continuous raw food beginner....I have more than once wondered why so many raw food plates, dishes, taste nearly disgusting to me, definitely even sickening! I am talking about some recipes of Alissa's, but also about many others! When I had started raw food the first time in my life, about one year ago (and then I kept on being raw and cooked about every other month), the same plates, or others as well, tasted a little bit less disgusting, but then they tasted worse...could you guess why?
Thank you so much....

[luna99]

I can't really give you any help other than to say when I first started making Alissa's recipes I noticed that the girl loves her garlic! Sometimes some of the foods would be too strong in garlic or other flavors for me.. and I read a review somewhere recently where someone mentioned a recipe in "rawvolution" being too strong on garlic.

You really have to experiment, try things out, taste as you go, and make things according to your own preferences.

good luck and don't give up! You will find things you like!

[marybd]

I have made probably 100 of Alissa’s recipes in from her book and I have to say that I loved all of them.

I cannot say that for other books. I don’t like half of what I’ve made from other sources.

[ThnkYouJesus!!!]

Buon Giorno Teo,

I understand what you are saying. This is my second round at going raw. One of the reasons I stopped was it just became so time consuming, expensive and I wasn't really liking what I was making. Mostly everything I made I didn't like. This time around I am trying to keep it as simple as possible, and try to stick with the things that I know I like. Not to say that I won't try new things...I definitely want to venture out and try things I haven't. But my thought is that if I'm "venturing", I'm not going in with any expectations that may or may not be bruised down the road.

Hope that helps.

[Thick]

If you aren't sure whether you will like a recipe, just make a small amount. Don't make an entire pie or 10 veggie burgers, just a ramekins worth of pie or one veggie burger or meatball.

Few things are as annoying as using all your expensive nuts on a recipe you dont like.

I could tell you what I like, but you need to discover what you like. Start with what you like completely plain. Tomatoes? Avacadoes? Pecans? Which fruits are your favorite? Which vegetables? Start by using what you like. If you don't like the tester recipe, you will still have all the leftover ingredients to enjoy in other ways.

Just try to combine things you like in a simpler way. There's no need to make everything into a gourmet recipe. Or gore-may =)

[Marin Mom]

I also didn't like many of the recipes but I found that by experimenting with some of them I could modify them more to my liking. Sometimes too much oil or agave would be called for, as an example. Some things I really loved I would simply get tired of after a few months. I found reading the recipe board section on this site often helped- when I noticed a recipe everyone seemed to go crazy for I would try it and loved it (like the chinese sea kelp with cashew/almond butter marinade). It also helps if you find some raw desserts to love (chocolate mousse made with avocado anyone?). :p

[cara4art]

All good points made by others, but it also sounds like you might be more oriented towards a simpler raw diet. Start with plain foods, and only add a little bit of something to them, and go from there. You can go far with simple smoothies, salads, dips/spreads/dressings wraps, cold soups, and even mono-meals if you choose. Trying a junior-sized version of a recipe is a good idea - then you don't have to feel bad(and be out the money for ingredients)if you don't like it that much. People have different tastes too - some like more complex combinations and stronger flavors, others prefer simple. Right now, a lot of my meals are very simple as it seems that my body is just wanting simple fruit meals, along with some greens and nuts.

[andra]

Being a newbie, too, I have yet to start making recipes. BUT, I did attend a raw foods class by a certified Alissa instructor. I was very surprised how good the food tasted. Granted, it was very different than what I am used to, but that is not a bad thing. I think a person's taste buds get damaged or over stimulated by unhealthy, chemical based junky foods (I am not saying that is what you have been eating prior to raw).

Having said that, I bought some raw bread/cracker food from the HFS; it is made with all sprouted grains and dehydrated adhering to the guidelines of raw. I tasted it.....it was like nothing I have ever tasted. It was not bad per say and I think it will be ok if I make a mini open-faced sandwich with it, but it tasted definately unique.

I like what others have had to say. You can try to keep it simple and then begin experimenting in small amounts. Also, do you have access to any raw restaurants? Or maybe some raw classes? That way you can try different recipes and see if you like them before making them yourself.

andra

[MarciaN]

I'd say give it time - keep on keeping on. Experiment and let your taste buds have the time needed to change. I recently ate a sample of a dish - loved it - & asked for the recipe. It was from a cookbook I owned. When I looked up the recipe, I had written "yuck" by it. Now when I make it I love it. My taste buds had changed.

[RawSinger]

Raw food is so different from cooked food for one thing. And in raw preparation, you're at times combining items that you've probably never combined or maybe never even had before. Your palette is not used to it. Also, for me personally, many of the mock recipes-I'm used to cooked lasagna and when I tasted a raw one it tasted so bad because I expect lasagna to taste like one thing and then it didn't. So that can be very strange. I know many recipes are sickening to me; most of what I made in the beginning. But I just stick to the types of recipes I know I like. You learn as you go. I don't have that large of a selection yet but I know it will get bigger. Everyone gave you really good advice. Keep on keepin' on.

[JEN]

I noticed that in the beginning for me I didnt like any recipes either. I mostly ate fruits, salads, and had smoothies. As long as you are still having any processed foods with chemicals in them, or anything cooked it will be hard to like "raw". It takes some time for your tastes to change but when they do you will start to like many raw foods and the longer you eat raw, the more you will begin to eat a simpler raw diet. Just eat as raw as possible and dont give up. The less of the other stuff you eat the easier it gets. Enjoy the journey!!

[Teo]

Hi, I thank you all of you with all my heart. :) I still do not know what to think :confused: . I can say that I like better simple raw foods, fruits and vegetables, than the raw dishes, which surprises me, because as a beginner I would expect the opposite. Raw food dishes are usually recommended to beginners, and not simple foods, arent' they? And I can hardly beleve that our taste buds wil adapt later to raw food preparations, dishes, because I would expect the opposite. It is also hard for me to prepare just small amounts of new dishes, because of lack of time, as whenever I prepare a dish, I make it to eat for dinner or lunch, it is a big effort in itself already.
I could say for example that, as for Alissa's dishes (but I can say the same for other authors' dishes!), not all the the few ones I liked were so good for me to decide to make them again. What upsets me is the large amounts of food I have had to throw in the bin!!! This makes me feel awfully guilty!!!:(
The last time was just today. This time I had been rather lucky, because I had prepared a recipe which was rather good (eggplant parmesan), but after hours od dehydration the eggplants were nearly rancid, moreover their taste was a bit burning, so that, after eating a plate of it, I have had to throw it away. Moreover I had prepared too much of it (as it often happens), but I had just followed the book instructions! I find it is not so easy to regulate the exact amounts of the ingredients in raw food dishes. Last week I threw away a large plate of Creamy Pea Soup! I cannot believe that there is someone who might like it, on Earth....:rolleyes: I was so sad (as usual) I could have tasted those wonderful and sweet peas by themselves...I would have liked them so much! Anyway I have not prepared and tasted so many Alissa's recipes until today...I still have to taste a lot of them.
Anyway I thank you for your so many encouragement words, i do need them, because all these failures really discourage me, and I am always tempted to let it go!!!

[Teo]

I can't really give you any help other than to say when I first started making Alissa's recipes I noticed that the girl loves her garlic! Sometimes some of the foods would be too strong in garlic or other flavors for me.. and I read a review somewhere recently where someone mentioned a recipe in "rawvolution" being too strong on garlic.

You really have to experiment, try things out, taste as you go, and make things according to your own preferences.

good luck and don't give up! You will find things you like!

Thanks, just wanted to say that the recipes with garlic ar usually good for me!!;) The big problem with them is that I cannot believe that someone could really eat them and lead an ordinary life...:D I mean: after eating 2 recipes with it, I smelled like...a piece of garlic!!! So I decided to take it away from the recipes, not to use it any more.

[Teo]

Being a newbie, too, I have yet to start making recipes. BUT, I did attend a raw foods class by a certified Alissa instructor. I was very surprised how good the food tasted. Granted, it was very different than what I am used to, but that is not a bad thing. I think a person's taste buds get damaged or over stimulated by unhealthy, chemical based junky foods (I am not saying that is what you have been eating prior to raw).

Having said that, I bought some raw bread/cracker food from the HFS; it is made with all sprouted grains and dehydrated adhering to the guidelines of raw. I tasted it.....it was like nothing I have ever tasted. It was not bad per say and I think it will be ok if I make a mini open-faced sandwich with it, but it tasted definately unique.

I like what others have had to say. You can try to keep it simple and then begin experimenting in small amounts. Also, do you have access to any raw restaurants? Or maybe some raw classes? That way you can try different recipes and see if you like them before making them yourself.

andra

I went to a raw class last year, and I am going to go again next June...but some of those recipes were special, and they cannot be prepared every day, anyway those recipes are among the few which I can say I liked (they weren't Alissa's)

[jsorensens2]

Just today I was telling a girlfriend that I am on a quest to find killer recipes, because so far I only have 2 that I really like and it's been almost 90 days of trying and throwing out! I'm disgusted with the waste of food and money. I can't trust the ratings that people give because recipes that got rave reviews are either horrid or just tolerable.

As an example, I spent more than 24 hours preparing a pizza, so that I could sit at the dinner table with the rest of my family (who got to eat BBQ pork, mashed potatoes, carmelized onions, and steamed broccoli THAT I COOKED FOR THEM!). As their plates were being filled I sat in front of a semi-warm plate with my two pieces of 24-hour pizza. I'm telling you, after the first bite, it was all I could do to keep from SHUDDERING with disgust. All that work! I didn't let on how bad it was, but I kept on eating, after all I'm dedicated to the raw life. Oh boy, their meal looked and smelled amazing. Mine was awful. It was the crust - so the rest of the crust went into the trash. Fortunately, I only "topped" two crust pieces so I still had the toppings left to put on other things.

I will eat as much raw as possible, because I am experiencing phenomenal physical results. But I'm not liking much except than smoothies, salads and dessert. In the face of my family who continues to eat SAD, it's damn hard to resist those smells and flavors, especially when I'm the one making them!! Raw food simply doesn't have the compelling flavors, I don't care what anybody says. I have yet to MMM out loud at any concoction.

It's sometimes sad to eat raw, pun intended. However I will continue since I feel so great. Very weird contradiction isn't it?

[Teo]

Ooooh! Thanks for your post! How much I can understand you!!! Every single word you have written!

[andra]

I wish there was some way that we could post 'tried and true' recipes that everybody could agree are awesome, but I dont think that is possible because everybody's taste buds are different and what one person loves, another person may not even like. In the raw class that I took (it was level I of Alissa's) there was no agreement on which recipe was everybody's favorite. Personally, I really liked the broccoli soup--which surprised even me, because I figured that raw broccoli would taste horrible. But the soup tasted so delicate and looked really beautiful, too. I also really liked the marinara--which I am sure will be even better when my tomatoes start coming in from my garden.

Are there any raw potluck in your area that you could go and sample stuff? I know in my area there is a group that meets for potlucks....I am not quite sure how to access it or if somebody so new (who is just eating really simple at this point) would even be allowed to come. Have you tried to order "the box" from rawvolution? That is another way to sample recipes that you could then later make (or not make) if you like/dislike what you try. I am thinking of this at some point.

I do not have a dehydrator, so I cannot really make anything that requires dehydration. I may order raw granola from the web because I think that would be good with fruit. There is a raw restaurant one state away that also offers classes friday night and saturday morning; I am thinking of making a trip at some point (with my hubby for a little mini vacation). I dont know if you have access to any raw restaurants?

I wish I could offer more but I am even newer than you and am just starting to get started!

andra

[Teo]

Thank you so much for your so kind attempts to help me! :) Unfortunately I cannot order the box, even if I would like it so much, because I live in Italy (you can guess it from my awful English...:rolleyes: ), and there are no potlucks here, because raw eating is not as popular as it is in U.S.A.!:(

[networktechnician]

if you like ice cream, find a couple of good ice cream recipes. If you like cookies, find a couple of cookie recipes, crackers, soup , salad, snack food. You have to work at it until you find recipes under these catagories that work for you. Tweak them until you like them. Do not try to eat food that you know you won't like. soup and crackers a good combo, crackers and hummus with veggies also may be good. cookies and almond milk, large salads with the veggies you like,and dressing that you think is great. Trial and error no other way.

[networktechnician]

Try the sunnyrawkitchenblog, great recipes and rawgodessheathy also great. you will find things you like there, guarenteed.

[andra]

I am so sorry Teo, I did not know you lived in Italy. Your english is great; I never would have known you lived in Europe. Well, I wish I could offer some help....I am a total newbie and have yet to begin tinkering with actual recipes. I am just keeping it really simple at this point.

If you have access to raw olives, I would suggest making olive tapenade. I love olives (I am Greek); I have yet to try raw olives so I dont know how they taste. But coming from an olive producing country, I am assuming you would have even better access to olives.

andra

[Teo]

Sorry for my late reply! :( You really have no reason to apologize! I just have to thank you, with all my heart. I like olives, even if they are seldom raw, and they cannot be without salt, in any way.
Well, I hope I will find my way to raw food, sooner or later!;)

[RawDrop]

I don't know if any one else has pointed this out but one of the other things you have to consider is that the modern sad diet has so many additives and chemicals in it that it affects your taste buds.

Certain cereal grains now contain 35% more sugar and additives than they did 50 years ago.

Once you give your body the time to cleanse itself of all those additives your will start enjoying raw foods more.

Some people are lucky to like the raw foods from the beginning, but some have to just give it time.

[Eva]

I don't know if any one else has pointed this out but one of the other things you have to consider is that the modern sad diet has so many additives and chemicals in it that it affects your taste buds.

Certain cereal grains now contain 35% more sugar and additives than they did 50 years ago.

Once you give your body the time to cleanse itself of all those additives your will start enjoying raw foods more.

Some people are lucky to like the raw foods from the beginning, but some have to just give it time.

I was just thinking this same thing! It may just take time for your taste buds to get away from the other food.

Or maybe it's just better to stick with the simple stuff?

[Teo]

You might both be right, and I thank you for your suggestion, but I wonder why I like simple raw foods, vegetables and fruit (even if in the long run they would probably be boring for me, as long as I am not used to simple tastes, to a true raw food eating, I mean), but I like so few raw food dishes :confused:
P.S. for Andra: as for my English, whenever I do not make mistakes, it is just by accident! :D