HELP- want to be a raw vegan!!!!!

[yvettemelissa]

Hi there
So a couple years ago i researched my way and gradually moved into a raw vegan type way of eating...
i didnt realise it was this way, until this day...i look back...

I was eating a typical meal plan that looked a little like thissss...

break-fruit until lunchtime, herbal tea

lunch- a big fresh salad, with a litttleeee sweet chili sauce (store bought), and maybe some tofu, if not, it had fruit chopped into it. basically it was a big pile of greens and fruit segments.

snacks were typically raw almonds, and fruit.

dinner was usually also a big vege salad, with tofu or whatnot.

now..a couple years later, im eating store bought muesli bars, tortilla wraps, etc etc..ontop of salads and fruit..but i have gained back ALL of the weight that had previously just FALLEN off me.
I have had bingeing, and starving. & feeling down in the dumps, with food cravings, and bloated tummys, and basically just unwell!!!

a week ago i transitioned my diet into a vegan diet (i still didnt really eat animal products so i thought id go str8 into a vegan diet as ive once done before, and loved it)

now...ive stumbled across something known as a 'raw vegan'..
and i want to go back to my old ways of eating..but i have some questions..

if a raw vegan does not cook their food, what happens if we stir fry tofu? or vegetables? Or cook corn on the cob?? isnt this a destroyer of enzymes otherwise intact?

i really want to go back to my old ways, and i know old habits die hard..so i guess im back to BEFORE i ever experienced healthy eating and vegan eating..and im just overwhelmed and not sure where to start!!!

right now my diet looks like this..

brek- fresh fruit, tea, till lunchtime

lunchtime- salad, tofu/ or falafel (cooked and store bought), with heavy handed dressing (store bought), and maybe some type of bread such as a store bought tortilla, or sometimes ill ditch this altogether.

snack- is like a gluten free vegan muesli bar

and a snack if i get hungry after work is either a store bought muesli bar, or roasted cashews/nuts

dinner is usually a salad, with or without a stirfry- consisting of sauces (store bought), and maybe some protein...(tofu/falafel/vege pattie cooked)

but my plan is to introduce olice oil mixed with organic nut butters as a dressing..
to snack on raw nuts
and to forgo the vege patties/tofu/falafel, and instead, add chopped fruit, and dried fruit to my salads to make up for the lost.

can anyone else give me any suggestions/ ideas?
Im an all out or nothing person, so i know i dont need to transition. If i make a mistake..ill get back on the wagon and go for the 100%
i dont have any money to buy the 80/10/10 book yet..but until then..share with me your ideassss...

Thanks for readin :]

Me. x

[Raw Angel Mom]

Why don't you try a 30 days on raw food and see where it goes.

I have been 100% raw food for two years and i don't look back. I will occasionally allow myself to eat steam rice or bake potatoe but i always go back to 100% raw because this is what i like the best.

Soy has been bad news for me. I didn't want to believe it but i did experiment and replace soy milk with rice milk at the time and i lost over 15lb doing nothing else and eating the same. This was an eye opener to me.

At first, it seems confusing to do raw food but buy Alissa's dvd and read about green smoothie www.rawfamily.com I promise you that you will get hook on green smoothie, they are so delicious and this has been my coffee,.lol...

Raw food is only a different way of preparing food, once you get use to it, you will see that this is so much easier then cooking. No cleaning the kitchen because of the fat, no pot rubbing and everything so much easier. The more you do raw food the more you will find yourself wanted to eat more simply. I am in heaven eating a red pepper for lunch. I never thought i my wildest dream that this could happen. Don't get me wrong, i still prepare raw gourmet and i enjoy doing that but i have no problem either to eat in a very simple way if i feel like it.

Enjoy your journey

[yvettemelissa]

how do i do it???

jst eat no cooked foods?
what about tofu? do i cook that?
do i cook veges?
help :(

[gs4life]

i agree with rawangelmom--soy is bad news. i also felt much, much better when i stopped eating soy. i would eliminate the tofu from your diet. replace roasted nuts with raw nuts. and beware that almonds and cashews labeled as raw in the store are not truly raw.

yes, start having green smoothies! you will grow to love them! basically fruit, leafy greens and water. start with less greens and then add more as you get used to the flavor. but the fruit is really powerful and the greens are hardly noticeable.

there are really basically 2 kinds of raw...high fruit and high fat. if it's not high fruit, it's high fat by default because veggies do not have hardly any calories. you mentioned the 80/10/10 book...this would be the high fruit approach. i personally find eating a high fruit diet with plenty of leafy greens to work wonderfully for me. i have more energy than ever before, my skin has cleared up, i have mental clarity, etc. etc. obviously the book has lots of great info in it, but you can find lots of info for free on the internet.

also, alissa's book has tons of info in it and recipes! it comes highly recommended!! you can keep it simple or you can do fancy...or a mix of both--simply and some raw gourmet. just start eating more fresh fruits and leafy greens and you will find what works for you.

so no, i wouldn't cook tofu--i wouldn't eat tofu at all. also, just eat your veggies raw...but of course while transitioning there is no problem eating lightly steamed veggies, but fresh will be best.

do some google searches and you will find lots of info, advice, recipes and tips to going and staying raw. good luck!

[Hygeia]

how do i do it???

jst eat no cooked foods?
what about tofu? do i cook that?
do i cook veges?
help :(

Yup, just eat no cooked foods. Don't eat tofu and don't cook veggies.

Until you are able to purchase a book, do google searches and search on the forum here. There are plenty of recipes available for free around the web.

I found that when I eat something every couple of hours, I feel better and the weight falls off faster. Don't have something for breakfast then wait for lunch. It could be something as simple as an apple or a handful of nuts, but have something every couple of hours. When you're raw you can each whenever your hungry, isn't that great?

Good luck and read a lot and learn. You'll get the hang of it.

[Colorawdo girl]

All I can say is like the popular shoe thang "Just Do IT".

Eat as much raw, uncooked, unheated past 115 to 118 degrees and enjoy the ride.
Learn, learn, learn like we all do. From here or library books maybe. Go to potlucks and ask a ton of questions.

You can do it. We are here for you. Hip Hip Hoooray

[xPIXIEx]

I've only been going at it for 2 weeks, so I don't have all that much advice to offer. :)

Like others have said, google recipes & go to the library. This is what has helped scoot me along. The more foods you try and LIKE, the easier it is to be raw. I just made a raw ranch dressing. I did eat it on a baked potato (I'm the biggest potato lover!), but it's much better than the many other topping options.

I've tried a lot of recipes in my short time. I can't seem to stay out of the kitchen. They've all been amazing, with the exception of 1. Salads are always a good option. There are so many different salads you can make. The possibilities are endless.

This website is also a HUGE help. Good for motivation, and plenty of oh so yummy recipes.

[freshlight]

Jump into the water and enjoy. It's easy and you can do it. Keep encouraging yourself :)

[SweetTangerine]

After a couple of days on raw it gets much much easier. You start to realize that your body appreciates it much more.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Learn to do the basic recipes (Allissa's dvd will be a great help)
Reseach
Toffu isn't raw, if you want to eat cook food while you doing a transition, i recommend to eat in moderation toffu if not to eliminate it.

When you are ready, commit. Until then, start with green smoothie. Keep your diet the way it is and do the research, but only add green smoothie. I recommend to do this in the morning. For the green smoothie, you can research on this board, you will find tone of recipes and also visit www.rawfamily.com

What is important is to feel comfortable with this diet, doing research and not being too religious about it will be a great help.

I recommend also 12 steps to raw food, you will find that www.rawfamily.com

It helps you to deal with your family and friends during that transition.

Enjoy

p.S Don't worry about the protein. GREENS are rich of them, fruits, and so many foods. If you need more concentrate protein, you can consider seeds/nuts. I am more then fine with mainly greens for me, my husband needs more oily food and seeds/nuts. Protein is an amino acid which is found in abundance with raw food.

[yvettemelissa]

so much for the plentiful replies!


actually this morn i woke up..and made myself a green salad with raisins and whole fruit, and nuts..and some olive oil. and it was delicious! except im at my moms so when i go home i wont have all the necessities until payday ( in 3 days)
but nonetheless im guna try n stick to this.
im more of a salad girl anyway...
and i dnt have a blender yet at my flat so i wont be able to make green smoothies.

but i went through the recipe site and wrote down a tonn of ingredient and dressing ideas i can use..
thanks alot!

i know this lifestyle works.
because even without realising it, when i went vegan, i somehow shifted to this way of eating. and the weight fell off me!!!!

im also going to see a hypnotherapist in about 2 weeks i was wondering if anyone has been to one before?
Basically im a negative person, and i am all or nothing, so im wondering they might be able to help me be positive and have a better mindful attitude than the one ive got now.

thanks

x

[spicyfull]

All I can say is like the popular shoe thang "Just Do IT".

Eat as much raw, uncooked, unheated past 115 to 118 degrees and enjoy the ride.
Learn, learn, learn like we all do. From here or library books maybe. Go to potlucks and ask a ton of questions.

You can do it. We are here for you. Hip Hip Hoooray

You are RAWness.........I say ALL the time..........Just be a NIKE and do it.