Your most important raw tip...

[Queen Bean]

If there is one bit of advice you can give an aspiring raw fooder, what is it?

[Dimond]

Surround yourself with raw food of all types so you never feel deprived & keep it simple.

[sweetlime]

always have a ton of food around.

[ViolinCyndee]

I was going to say the same!

[EZ rider]

Tune in and listen to your body as your raw food coach.

[Gaius]

When you first begin, start off with a bombardment of nutrition with a superfood powder like Vitamineral Green. It will help you stave off the cravings by making it nearly impossible to feel hungry and will speed up your physical changes all the more.

[jgunn]

do not discuss your food, diet with anyone that you dont feel will be supportive :)

[klomasius]

Like my mumma said...

'Eat your greens!'

[Gaius]

do not discuss your food, diet with anyone that you dont feel will be supportive :)
I second this soooooo much.

Only discuss your diet with another person if that person is another raw vegan. If a non-raw-vegan asks you about your diet, keep it as brief as much as the other person is being a supportive.

Don't discuss it with regular vegans or vegetarians even. They aren't as bad as SAD eaters but they will hate you almost as much. Just don't do it. It almost always leads to ruin no matter how well you can argue because people turn into complete brick walls when you try to justify it to them.

[ReneeH]

If you fall to temptation (we are all imperfect), don't beat yourself up about it. Don't think of it as "starting over again". This is a journey. Just pick yourself up and continue on eating RAW.

Also, a wise person (Dave) once said, "This is a lifestyle...and you have to FEEL it. You have to make it something that you love, that makes you feel good..." I thought this was such a profound comment.

[Springtime]

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

have fun with it, don't focus on the struggle, but on the few minutes of extra smiles, the bliss of looking out the window, the clear feeling of waking up with out an alarm. Just rest in the fun, moving, spritual moments, and they'll give you the energy to fight your way through cravings and detoxes!

[DharmaGirl]

Springtime,

RAWsome post... thanks for those words of inspiration!!! DEF words to LIVE by :D

[katacykls]

Enjoy the threads, raw food books, experiment by preparing 1/2 of what recipe bks. call for (ingredients) that way if you don't like the recipe a lot at least you only made 1/2 of it and don't have lots of food going to waste. Also, experiment with your own recipes don't feel like you need to stick to the book or like you have to buy everything you don't have right now. It takes time to load up on your kitchen gadgets, jars, strategies, shopping etc. etc. Most importantly keep it fun, use your creativity and share with people that are open to new food !

[gritsnla]

Keep coming back here and read and learn and share as much as possible!

[Raw Angel Mom]

Green smoothie, lol..... Seriously, you make room for that no matter what your diet is, and everything will fall into place naturally.

[RAWmen-Noodles]

This pertains to if you slip up and eat something you know you shouldn't.
1. Don't give up
2. Don't beat yourself up
3. Forget it and move forward
4. Come to the board for support and ideas!

[Shoney]

I found that the way I prepare meals in a raw kitchen is totally different than when I eat SAD. So for me, cleaning out the cupboards, the fridge, even washing it down with bleach water, helped me mentally prepare for the change. Granted, I am in the early days yet, but it truly helps.

After cleaning out the fridge and taking stock of what raw I had on hand, I went grocery shopping, with a list, and the only part of the store I permitted myself to be in on this particular trip was the produce section. I took my time, tried to go at a time of day where it wouldn't be busy.

Learn what YOU like to eat, and have lots of it. And get comfortable with a few recipes from Alissa's book for variety.

Really, it's all about making up your mind to do it!!

[mstrish]

To do what feels right to you and to not be so rigid when eating a raw food diet.

[Charov]

Chew your smoothie until it gets warm and get that "sweet" taste, and then swallow it. That will produce more spit-enzymes to mix better with the liquid and will help your digestion even better than if you were only to drink it as it is.

And do not rush drinking it, take your time! :)

[Sygma]

Absolutely make your food BEAUTIFUL!

Look at the food as you buy it and carefully prepare it as perfect food for your perfect health. Feel a profound sense of gratitude toward yourself and the food you eat.

Also, I recently read about irradiation of fruit (cooking it, basically), which was why it was so hard for me at first (because I wasn't buying organic). As soon as I consumed primarily organic I stopped craving. I would say organic is worth the cost on all levels...it has natural B12, doesn't deplete the environment, and isn't irradiated. You're worth it, and our world is worth it. :D