Easing the transition.

[Pug Ugly]

I'm new to being raw and just curious about easing my transition.. Switching from eating 3 hot meals a day to 1 a good idea or should I just jump into it? My oven only goes as low as 170F and I really would like to eat some food slightly warm. No dehydrator.. I mean, I'm NEW haha.. Any hints, tips or suggestions are great..
If this is exactly like a billion other threads I apologize, a link would be fine too. I'm apparently search function impaired.

[ShelShel]

You know, as many times as I have answered this question, I never tire of it. You go right ahead and ask, that is what we are all here for, support. ;)
Anywho...I began gradually over two years ago. I would eat a fruit and nut breakfast...then the rest of my day...I would eat SAD. After a couple weeks of this I added in a salad or veggie plate for lunch as well. Eventually, about a month later, I started to eat a raw dinner. I was down to Mon-Fri raw when I realized that eating badly on the weekends tired me out, I wasn't able to enjoy the energy I had all week long and so...my weekends became raw too.

Now that I know how and fall off from time to time, I jump right into 100% at a whim. But first starting out...I eased into it. I really believe it is your journey, so, travel it as you like!:)

Good luck! Rawk on ya'll!

[MelissaO]

I am still easing my way in as well. My breakfast and lunch are raw. At night I will have mostly raw food and add some cooked veggies or drink an herbal tea. You can also try and warm raw soups in a blender. I have also tried to use my oven on it's lowest setting, leave the door cracked open and keep checking the temperature- I have 4 cats who are nosey so that method does not really work out for me. Spices also help to warm me- recipes with ginger in them are good for that.


I live not too far from Chicago and it is cold here in the winter.



Good luck and welcome!

[Riiiya]

hey there!
congrats on starting a rawsome journey :D

maybe i'm not the best example at all- i started in the summer so i didn't care for hot meals.. but i just decided to "try" it for a week.. and could not stop! i started with lots of avocados- they satisfied me so much, even when i made a simple avocado+tomato+onion salad (still adore it). And when you add something hot to your meals- like peppers, garlic, etc.. for me that's almost like eating something warm :)

just my 2 cents ;)

[Pug Ugly]

The spicyness!.. That's a great idea.. I think I can get by with heating stuff to just above room temp and it'll still give me that "comfort food" feeling.. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[rawviveyourself]

Welcome!
I'm a jump in with both feet type of person, but that may not work for everyone....(unfortunately, the opposite was true - i was a jump out with both feet person when I fell off the wagon!)

Definitely heat --- cayenne, jalapeno, ancho chile, cinnamon.....

I went through phases in the beginning --- had a big avo craving that I thought might last forever, but alas, it was short-lived. Just think of what you want and make a raw version as close to it as possible. There are lots of recipes here and all over the web to keep you prepping.

Do you have a Vitamix....? Mine is my best appliance for being raw.

Good luck! Post up any questions as often as you need to!

[Emma-Liza]

I second MelissaO's soup recommendation. I also recommend wilted spinach salad, as it's warm.

Without a dehydrator, you can wilt it like this: set a pan of water on the stove to heat. Put the spinach in a metal bowl and add some salt, olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and some nama shoyu, if you like it. (You can also add sliced mushrooms and/or tomatoes.) Hold the bowl over hot water (best if it's not boiling, just steamy). Use a hot pad to hold the bowl in one hand! :) With the other hand, use some tongs or a big spoon to toss the spinach around till it wilts, removing the bowl from the heat and setting it back on every 10-20 seconds. Touch the leaves to be sure they're not getting hot. Should only take a couple of minutes, max. I've tried wilting other greens and I find spinach is the tenderest and quickest.

This is a warm, delicious meal on a cold night.

[oai]

everyone does things differently. :) maybe flip a coin. heads for easing into it and tails for going cold turkey. :p

you can always change up. don't be afraid to try something out. you'll only learn about what works and doesn't work. then tweak the diet to how it suits you.

you've received some great suggestions! try 'em out and goodluck. wishing you lots of health. oh and cayenne is definitely hott! lol. i've tried that. :cool:

[Raw Angel Mom]

You can warm your food many ways.

Hot water in a boll and place your raw food in another dry boll to merge in the water.

You can take your food out of the fridge couple hours before preparring it (no salad though, because they will lose their crunch).

Blend a little bit longer,it warms up the food.

I used to love warm meal, now i can't stand it. It just burn me. The reason i know, is that i had made an exception the other day and had some steam rice and i didn't enjoy the heat at all. I prefere only 100% raw food and feel much better that way, but if i was to make exception again, i would make sure that this is room temperature.

Another trick is to have herbal tea, if you need the warm effect.

If you enjoy spice, add some cayenne pepper or any hot pepper in your food, it does the trick for me.

I have been doing raw food for almost two years and i rarely eat cold except for ice cream or certain desert. This is always room temperature and occasionnally warmer.

Best wishes!

p.s Do green smoothies, it will help you to stick to raw food and do the transition smoother.

[cara4art]

"Do green smoothies, it will help you to stick to raw food and do the transition smoother." - RawAngelMom

Along with the other great advice here, that really helped me. In fact, doing the green smoothies was THE gateway that made me want to get into this as a lifestyle and made it easier. Try at least one green smoothie a day, preferably early in the day, powered up with some hemp protein and chia seeds - this will keep you going until the middle of the day.
As far as how fast to jump in, everybody's different. Lots of people swear by just going 100% immediately, others take time to get up there. But you can start right now with the GS, and add raw foods to what you are eating now. For instance, if you are eating a hot breakfast, have a couple of pieces of fresh fruit even before you sit down to eat. If having a hot lunch or dinner, have a good-sized green salad and raw veggies along with. Instead of chips and sweets for snacks, raw veggies, raw seeds/nuts, or fruit with some raw nut butter. In time, as you increase the amount of raw foods with those meals, you will find yourself decreasing drastically the amount of cooked stuff, and before you know it, you're at least 75-80% raw, and you can go from there up to 100%.
As far as temperature goes, I know, from coming from 3 hot meals this is going to take some getting used to but others have given good suggestions to deal with this and all really help. If all else fails and you feel cold, have a cup of hot water with lemon, a bit of fresh ginger root, and a pinch of cayenne it it - it will take the chill off in a hurry. Some raw nut butter in small amounts in dressings/sauces helps too. And not everything you eat has to be ice-cold straight out of the fridge. Take out your salad veggies awhile before you eat, to bring them up to room temp - it really helps.
Hope this helps!

[Nayeli_Raw]

What if you put your food in the oven at the lowest temp but didn't let it get that hot. Like only throw it in for a few minutes. If you have a thermometer you could make sure the food doesn't get over 105-107.

[Pug Ugly]

You guys kick ass. Today I've been 100% raw so far and feel great, although a little hungry.. I think the green smoothies will be for breakfast and snacks! I guess you can make savory smoothies too.. hmm.

[spicyfull]

I started during the Summer and had time to learn how to survive before Winter came. MY Family has given you such Great advice. Also when its Cold, just keep moving and it will warm you up and whatever is inside you. Glad you are here..........

[Nayeli_Raw]

You guys kick ass. Today I've been 100% raw so far and feel great, although a little hungry.. I think the green smoothies will be for breakfast and snacks! I guess you can make savory smoothies too.. hmm.

If you are hungry then its time to eat. In Alissa's book she talks about people under eating when they first go raw. You should get her book if you don't have it, I think you will find it helpful.