How would you survive in a cold region on raw food.

[Life'sAJoke]

How would you survive in a cold region on raw food.

Any alaskans here? I hear so many vegans/vegetarians/raw foodists complain about Sarah Palin and how she likes to hunt and eat animals, but she's in ALASKA, where it gets really cold.

[carolg]

I hate being cold and yes CO has some winter weather super bad late Nov through January usually but not always.

Surviving cold regions on raw foods plus clothing tips:

Bundle up with layers of clothing.

Spices that create warmth such as cayenne and ginger help warm you up. Putting cayenne in your socks they say helps lots.

Wear warm underwear or clothing that is geared towards being outdoors for such things as skiing or outdoor sports.

Thermal underwear, sweatshirts, layering should all help contribute to staying warm during the brisk times. Running and sporting goods stores great place to check further. They even have clothing for various temperatures. Amazing how the industry has advanced to help keep people warm. Hand warmers for feet too.

Lots of google tips and here's one to start:

http://www.wikihow.com/Stay-Warm-During-Winter-Outdoor-Activities

carolg

[Dimond]

Leave food out to warm up or use a dehydrator to slightly warm food.

I would think it's fairly easy since you need to keep warm anyhow either with fire or central heat. If outdoors, just have foods that are already at room temperature. Many still drink tea.

[Mango]

I only eat my fruits at room temperature. I like to have a cup of hot water with lemon. Warms me right up. The real problem comes in with the lack of variety in the winter. I get so tired of eating apples, pears, oranges, bananas, and pineapples.

[Raene]

Actually, cayenne is not warming. It's cooling.

Ginger and cinnamon are good warming options. Radishes. Roots vegetables.

[Eva]

I've thought of this -- because now it's getting colder (already!), and I have been a big fan of eating locally as often as possible. I don't really know how much grows here in the winter. I also found myself in her shoes (envisioning, not reality!) when I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle.

It's an interesting book about eating locally. They are not veggies, but they raise and eat their own animals in a loving way. It's a thought. I'm not against eating animals, but I most certainly don't want to support the industry that mistreats and then slaughters them after they've lived a horrifying life. (A book on this for anyone who doesn't know about what really happens when farms/people don't raise their own animals: Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry). So, I can see situations where it could make sense to utilize cooked grains and meat in the winter.

Nevertheless... we live in a modern world with heaters, running warm water, freezers and dehydrators and tropical fruits shipped everywhere. The winter is just another season, and it is colder. It's a very good time to use the D and to warm food enough that it is not colder than body temperature, and it's a good time to not put most fruit/veggies in the fridge.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Potassium will keep you warm and you find this in great amount with pumkin. Tropical fruit are to eat in moderation for the expand your body and help to keep you chill, so it would counter-interact the body that contract in winter in order to stay warm.

I don't live completely in the North, and our winter are pretty warm compare to Alaska but we do have to go through winter and cold sometime that can go down to -40degree F/C which is not often but it does happen, last winter we had more snow then a very cold winter. I like to dring warm water etc... I did notice my diet tend to change from winter to summer but it is pretty much the same for some basic such green smoothies but i tend to make more dish with carrot, squash, etc... they must have something in them to help with the winter. oh i love raw almond chocolate milk that i blend a little bit to warm it up and it simulate and hot chocolate. On summer, i don't want that, it seems to be more a winter food for me.

People in the NORTH NORTH, that consume mainly meat, fish etc.. has been found with bone problem. Meat does keep you warm but at which cost for your loosing your calcium from the bone.

[Eva]

Potassium will keep you warm and you find this in great amount with pumkin. Tropical fruit are to eat in moderation for the expand your body and help to keep you chill, so it would counter-interact the body that contract in winter in order to stay warm.
Just to clarify, in case you mentioned that because of my post... I wasn't suggesting that because it gets cold, we should buy lots of tropical fruit. Actually, I try to have as much local food as is possible. I was merely bringing that up because we just don't live in an age when it's not possible to eat unless you kill Bambi or some other wild animal.



People in the NORTH NORTH, that consume mainly meat, fish etc.. has been found with bone problem. Meat does keep you warm but at which cost for your loosing your calcium from the bone.
Agreed.

Sheesh, of course, I am not enjoying the cold already approaching. It has been such a drastic change in temperature for me, and I am finding myself cold sometimes!

[carolg]

There is a Cool Cayenne, but there is a hot cayenne sold also at hfs. Can google and see. My tongue agrees with me it is hot and so does the rest of my body without the addition of other spices. Even at our rawlucks some tend to believe a bunch of cayenne is good for all, so my tongue really goes on fire. I always have water handy however.

carolg

[Raene]

funny...many Indian spices heat you to make you cooler...I didn't know that there are two types...just know that it's like in Europe...drink hot tea and you sweat and become colder.
I avoid cayenne as my body is already cold and I read for fertility to avoid it as it's cooling. Who knows?

[Eva]

funny...many Indian spices heat you to make you cooler...I didn't know that there are two types...just know that it's like in Europe...drink hot tea and you sweat and become colder.
I avoid cayenne as my body is already cold and I read for fertility to avoid it as it's cooling. Who knows?

If someone is a generally cold person, then cayenne will heat them temporarily but end up dropping back down to make them even colder! And yes, this is supposed to be bad for fertility, in that circumstance. For others, it is OK to use cayenne temporarily for a season. There is a lot of good info about this in Healing from Whole Foods. That is a GREAT reference book.

[D'vorah]

One word: Qiviut.

Love those oomingmak.

:-)

I've spent my summer playing with baby musk ox and a few adults too. Qiviut is gently harvested (by combing) and is the softest, lightest, warmest wool. Yummy to wrap yourself up in.

Read here:

http://www.qiviut.com/store/index.cfm?target=home&CFID=2305617&CFTOKEN=46803767

And here:

http://www.muskoxfarm.org/

Deborah

[shashibala]

If there were no veggies growing outside, I'd grow lots of sprouts and microgreens. I'd stock up on dried fruits, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds.
I'd hibernate if I had the choice!

I can understand that people might choose to hunt and eat meat in an inhospitable climate, but but Sarah Palin takes it too far with her aerial hunting. I don't think she eats all that she kills. That is simply sport and I can't understand how another creatures fear, pain , and death can be fun for her. I heard that she supports aerial hunting of wolves and a bounty for each wolf killed.

[coco]

i don't think the question was about staying warm, i think it was about what to eat.
that's a tough question but you would only be able to eat what was available and affordable. betcha that isn't the variety or volume of produce you can find in a less frigid climate. personally i wouldn't live that far north. that level of persistant cold seems very inhospitable to me, not fit for human habitation. at least not this human!

[Stina]

Dr. Gabriel cousens talks about making raw soups, putting them in a pot on the stove, sticking your finger in it and heating it until warm, not hot.

[Rrose]

i don't think the question was about staying warm, i think it was about what to eat.


Yes, BUT, after one eats warming foods, they won't stay warm for long unless they are properly dressed. You cannot eat warming foods and expect to stay warm just on food, while wearing a short sleeved shirt and shorts! The body can retain only so much heat before it gets colder again if not properly dressed. The body will put all it's effort into keeping the lungs and heart warm, at the expense of the other parts first. Therefore, I would recommend that one wears warm silk sock liners under woolen socks to keep their feet warm and to wear silk underwear for the rest of the body. The head looses the body heat first, so always wear a warm head covering, too. Wear silk, then layer on cotton over that, then maybe a sweater. I always wear a bomber hat in the winter. They keep the body heat in and cover the ears as well.

I'm sorry, but hot chocolate hits the spot for me everyttime!!! I use almond mylk and cocao powder and stevia.. one cup mylk, two T. cocao powder and heat up gently on stove just until comfortable!!! Ummmmmm...yummie.

We have hand and feet warmers that heat up with just by opening the top of the wrapping and they are very inexpensive and last for four hours. They have kept my feet warm when almost frostbitten!!

We have very bitter cold winters here, and it's very hard to pass by the hot veggie soup with freshly ground homemade buttered bread from our oven, but I've mananged to avoid it and stay raw so far.

ttyl

[northernstars]

Having lived in Alaska for almost 50 years, I find that if I eat some warmed foods from the dehydrator it keeps me fairly warm. I am still enjoying my fruits and fruit smoothie for lunch and salad and/or green smoothies for dinner. It is in the morning when I eat warmed foods. We have had a very cool and rainy summer and the temperature only got up to 70 degrees once!

Also, Sarah Palin does not do aerial hunting because that is illegal up here except for predator control by Fish and Game. Many Alaskans use a plane to get somewhere near the animals but cannot hunt from the plane as they must not be in the air. Most people use snowmachines to get where they want to hunt.

[Inca_faerie]

To stay warm I drink hot tea, dress warmly and use lot's of hot spices.

[Bookish Lass]

Hot baths, baby :)

[Rrose]

Snowmachines!! That's what we need. Even a 4 wheeler doesn't get very far here in the winter.

I forgot to mention hot tea, too.

Don't know how much longer I can stay raw with these harsh winters here, though. The cold just gets into the bones and chills them for hours!!

[coco]

Quote:Originally Posted by coco
i don't think the question was about staying warm, i think it was about what to eat.


Yes, BUT, after one eats warming foods, they won't...
We have hand and feet warmers that heat up with just by opening the top of the wrapping and they are very inexpensive and last for four hours. They have kept my feet warm when almost frostbitten!!


no, no! the question was not about eating to keep warm, it was about what kinds of food would be available. am i crazy or was that not the question? was this about staying warm through diet?

[Ilse W.]

I have an electric Cuisinard Fondue Pot. I put about 3 inches of water in it. I puree my vegetables an put the mixture in a stainless steel bowl, which I put over the boiling water. I stir constantly and sample as I go. I also do the finger test, figuring that if I don't feel anything (neither cold nor warm), the soup should be about body temp 98-99F. That's when soup's done.:D

People used to eat mostly root vegetables in winter, all the things that keep in root cellars. At home, we kept potatoes and also apples in the cellar. Of course, we canned a lot of fruits in summer, but they were all done with the hot water bath canning method,, and I suppose that gets the fruit too warm to be considered raw. On the other hand, we have freezers and dehydrators.

[Ilse W.]

Quote:Originally Posted by coco

no, no! the question was not about eating to keep warm, it was about what kinds of food would be available. am i crazy or was that not the question? was this about staying warm through diet?

Actually, the questions was how one would survive on raw food through a winter in a far northern climate. She didn't specify if it has to do with availability or just the fact that it wouldn't be very pleasant to have to eat cold stuff when it's cold outside.
Personally, I don't eat to get warm. You can just move to do that. I do agree, though, that it gives me more comfort to eat something warm on a cold day, even when I'm in a warm house.

[Inca_faerie]

Thick fuzzy lumberjack type socks are also helpful...oh and it REALLY helps to wear a warm hat even indoors on a cold day since up to 80% percent of your body heat escapes though your head.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Just to clarify, in case you mentioned that because of my post... I wasn't suggesting that because it gets cold, we should buy lots of tropical fruit. Actually, I try to have as much local food as is possible. I was merely bringing that up because we just don't live in an age when it's not possible to eat unless you kill Bambi or some other wild animal.


Agreed.

Sheesh, of course, I am not enjoying the cold already approaching. It has been such a drastic change in temperature for me, and I am finding myself cold sometimes!

Dear Eva, i didn't even notice this in your post. Don't worry about what i wrote. I only shared what i found out to help anyone that do feel cold. I personally do buy what i can find for we don't have the great variety of food as some warmer place do. Sometime, i wonder if i should just move, lol... Tropical fruits are my favorite food beside the green now and i still eat them on winter, i just try to follow my body's craving. I don't worry about staying warm or not, for it comes naturally. When i first went vegetarian, gosh i was cold then i was ok after couple of weeks. And when i did raw food, i was even cold on July, lol... it was the air conditioning at work that was just killing me. I think this is due that i lost so much weight in a small amount of time. The fat keep you warm. I am more then ok and i feel more then ok on winter. My body has adapted to my new diet and i love RAW FOOD. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Blessings!

[petaltothemetal]

I'm hypothyroid (better, but still...) and I'm always colder than those around me. It's ok when it's 100 degrees. I work in automotive with big garage doors that open and shut all day long and I'm in between them. Plus I go outside a lot in the rain to get cars. I decided early on when I read about some raw foodists not even drinking herbal tea that I would just not last if I did not. I bring a thermos to work and it makes a huge difference to my emotional and physical comfort. I also wear tights under my pants and a vest with a hood and a jacket or coat with a hood that I can remove when it warms up in the afternoon. I think heavier foods with lots of minerals (like the sunflower seed and nori crackers I'm eating now) make me feel warm, too, because they take longer to digest than fruit and salads do. Digestion warms you up.

[Medusa1977]

Someone once told me that he doesn't eat food at extreme temperatures (either hot or cold) because he view the internal thermostat as something like an engine block to many degrees off one way or another can cause damage.
I have had the question on my mind about the finding decent somewhat inexpensive raw foods through the winter here in NE. Sprouts I got, but I'm more worried about some of my staples, bananas, avos, etc.

[ShantiLove]

Sweet fruits, dried fruits specialy dates and apricots, spices (ginger, cinnamon a.s.o.), Fatty foods like nuts and seeds and avocados; , make sweeten nutmilk and warm it to body temperature.
Soups slightly heatet as already mentioned.
I think that the idear with the warm water or tea is great too :-)

[SekhemNefer]

If you have food in the fridge and take it out to warm up in the dehydrator, expect to still eat cold food. Sorry, a dehydrator is not like a microwave where you can warm up food in a few minutes. It took over 30 minutes, when starving, for my veggie soup to even get half-way close to room temperature.

[Revvell]

What's funny to me is, people will drink hot liquids all summer but make a big thing about food in the winter.

I think most of us live in homes that have heaters, blankets, etc. and most of us have sweaters and coats; and most of us can move our bodies, take warm showers and baths..

People in cold climates drink cold beer in the winter; they drink cold soda, in the winter.

People in hot climates eat curry in the summer.

Because we eat raw... what? Food is for nourishment folks!

Yes, a warm cup of something hot feels good in ones hands, so does holding them by a radiator, in front of a fire or with warm gloves.

Enjoy your food at it's natural room temperature as fresh and natural as possible and eat for nutrition. No other animal makes eating as complicated as humans.

[Rinda]

Digestion warms you up.

Makes sense to me! Since on my juice feast, I'm very chilly & cold.

[ShantiLove]

I just read in Gabriel Cousens book conscious eating; that he did a survey of raw people in Alaska and asked them how they deal with cold. most of them had no problem with cold and they used warming spices or exercise to keep warm. Ginsing, cayenne, ginger, curry and black pepper is drying and heating.
Also using a bit of yang food would be good since most of the raw foods we eat is yin. Yang food are ex. sea salt, miso and seavegetables.
Acording to him the coldness is only while detoxing and the body would soon ajust when it become healthier and stronger.
(oh he advised warm cloth as well ;))

[anniez]

bump - very appropriate for right now almost everywhere in US

[greenfeline]

Come on, we live in a modern society with grocery stores and the internet. No one needs to hunt for food. I think people tend to romantacize times gone by, but lets live in modern times and take the conveniences and positive aspects we can. Not that everything modern is better, but lets not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Besides, Sarah Palin does not hunt because she has to, she hunts because she likes to. LIke most meat eaters, she has a completely different worldview than most vegans, etc...

[Coolexplosion]

Come on, we live in a modern society with grocery stores and the internet. No one needs to hunt for food. I think people tend to romantacize times gone by, but lets live in modern times and take the conveniences and positive aspects we can. Not that everything modern is better, but lets not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Besides, Sarah Palin does not hunt because she has to, she hunts because she likes to. LIke most meat eaters, she has a completely different worldview than most vegans, etc...

I mostly agree. Basically, eat locally and organic whenever possible but, when locally isn't an option, it's not the worst thing in the world to actually go to the nearest health food store or even use the internet to snatch up much needed raw roods.