weight loss or gain after switching to raw

[stayhomemom]

I have 2 boys – 3 and 5 year old. They have been vegan all their lives and now I am trying to convert them to raw. They have allergies. I thought that vegan diet would help with that but it didn’t. After researching raw diet, I am convinced that I found the answer. My only concern is a weight loss everyone experiences after switching to raw. My boys are already very skinny despite the high amount of avocadoes, nuts and olive oil in their diet. I want to ask parents whose kids were switched to raw after eating cooked foods if their children lost any weight or maybe gained some? I would also like to know how much your kids eat a day – not recipes, just how much fruit, vegetables, nuts, etc. I know that every kid is different, but I am new to this and would feel less nervous if I have at least some examples of what other families are doing. Thanks in advance for your time and help!

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi and welcome stayhomemom!

Not everyone loses a tremendous amount of weight when they go raw...it really depends a lot on the previous dietary habits, etc. and other factors.

For example, your boys were vegan, so they may not have a lot in the way of toxins (which are usually stored in the fat cells) that will be eliminated from their bodies once you switch. Also, genetics and metabolism, water-weight...it's a great possibility they could gain a little weight. When you begin to feed body what it needs in the way of raw foods, it will balance out on it's own and make necessary adjustments accordingly. This could mean weight loss for one and weight gain for another.

My children are not 100% raw, but are mostly raw. My oldest daughter (12) was always on the slim side and she is growing at a normal rate. My oldest son (14) is slim and slimmed out after changing our diet but he had began to become a little chunky when we were eating cooked. My youngest daughter is also slim but none of them are getting slim-ER. Their weights have all stabilized to a steady weight that increases as they grow more.

Now my youngest son (2 yrs.), he is a little chunkster!LOL! Not too chunky, but a "healthy" chunky that most people expect a 2 year old to be. I've even had people comment that he is kinda big for a 2 year old (I don't think so, but that's what some folks say) But he is my main raw baby as he is not too picky and will eat just about any and every raw thing I present to him. He LOVES to eat! Not a lot of fat, but he eats mostly fruit, salads, raw oatmeal, smoothies and raw treats I make. But he'll also eat nut pate', nut "burgers", crackers, etc. when I do make them!

A typical (good raw) day for our family is:

Breakfast: Green smoothie or oatmeal with apples and/or bananas cut up in it
Maybe a mid-morning snack of fruit of some kind
Lunch: cut up veggies with dressing or a few pieces of fruit or a nice bunch of grapes.
Maybe some nuts too or raw treat such as cookies, brownies, etc.
May have a snack a couple hours later or so
Dinner: Large salad followed a little later with some fruit as a snack or...
like tonight, we had zucchini-sweet potato "pasta" with marinara sauce with veggies diced up in it. A while afterwards, we had cantelope as a snack (my younger one had a raw brownie because he doesn't like cantelope).

[stayhomemom]

Rawkinlocs,

Thank you so much for your reply and support. We started with raw breakfast and snacks till I figure out what recipes for other meals will work with my kids and which wonÂ’t. I am going to order AlissaÂ’s book ASAP. My kids like majority of fruits and nuts, so it wonÂ’t be a problem. I just canÂ’t make them eat raw veggies. The only one they eat is cucumbers. They will eat almost any veggie as long as itÂ’s steamed or baked :(. Green smoothies are the only way i can get any greens in them. Do you know any tricks, besides green smoothies, how to get kids to eat more raw veggies and greens?

Thanks!

[Rawkinlocs]

You're welcome.

About getting them to eat more veggies raw...my kids LOVE stir-dry!

Do you have a dehydrator? If so, get some of your kids' favorite veggies for stir fry and cut them up as you normally would. Make a mixture of a little oil (we use olive), Nama Shoyu, a little bit of sweetner (agave nectar, honey if you use it, etc.), garlic and onion and ginger powders, and a dash of cayenne (and/or any other seasonings you might like).

Put the veggies in the mixture and mix well with hands to evenly coat.

Now, you could allow this to marinate for an hour or longer, but I normally don't because I make it on a whim when everyone wants something like NOW!

Then, lay on the dehydrator sheet (teflex if you have an Excalibur, fruit roll tray if you have a round model like the Nesco American Harvest) and dehydrate at 105-110 for about an hour or longer (the longer you "warm" in the dehydrator, the softer the veggies get) and then serve!

It's so good and my kids fight over the last of it...it's like having steamed and/or stir-fried veggies but not "cooked" at too high of a temp. to kill any nutrients, etc.

So, try it out and see if they like it!

Another way may be to take kale leaves, cut them into pieces or strips and marinate in a slightly diluted nama shoyu OR just some celtic salt, a little oil and seasonings. Dehydrate until dried out and crunchy (like crunchy leaves on the ground!) and those are a nice, crunchy snack.

You could also try wraps. Maybe make them "tacos" using ground walnuts mixed with a couple of soaked/drained dried tomatoes, some onion or onion powder, garlic or garlic powder, chili powder, etc. (whatever you'd use for taco meat) and put that on either romain, green leaf lettuce or maybe kale leaves. On top put diced tomatoes, onions, chopped avocado (or make up some guacamole) and eat or if you feel up to it, make some raw "sour cream"...whatever they would normally eat on tacos; even shred some carrots for the "cheese-effect"!

Hope these ideas help! Let us know!

[sweetgoddess]

Hello. I wanted to share this with you.
If you have a dehydrator,this is a great way to get kids t oeat veggies without them even knowing it.
In a food processor, blend a red pepper, a small head of cauliflower, a large stalk of broccoli, a quarter of a sweet onion, 3 carrots, 1 cup soaked almonds, 1 cup soaked sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup sesame seeds,3 cloves garlic, 2 Tbsp Braggs or namu shoyu, any herbs or spices you like, 1 tsp cumin.
Form this mixture into nugget shapes ( like chicken nuggets) and dehydrate on teflex or parchment covered trays until a little crispy. Flip after 4-5 hours.
Serve with honey-mustard dipping sauce ( blend mustard powder into raw honey) or whatever sauce your kids will eat.
They will not know they are made from veggies! Heres a picture:

ANother thing that may be helpful is making a banana/strawberry smoothie, adding lettuce or spinach , blend and pour into popsicle molds. You cant tell there are veggies in that either.

Good luck, I am sure you'll get lots of great ideas on this thread.

[Rawkinlocs]

Wow! Those look and sound delicious SG!

And they go over well with your kids? I'll have to try those too! Thanks :D

[sweetgoddess]

They are so good, I love them. So does my daughter. You cant taste vegetables at all in them, or see any veggies for that matter. Just call them nuggets! They are crunchy and yummy. :)

[stayhomemom]

Wow, so many great ideas and everything sounds yummy. Thank you, Sweetgoddess, for nice pictures. CanÂ’t wait to try it all. I have a dehydrator, so I can put it to a good use now :).

[SamuelWilson]

SG, that definetly looks good. Real nice presentation as well. Do you mind saying where you got that divided dish?

Samuel Wilson
SamuelWilsonUSA@hotmail.com

[sweetgoddess]

Hi Samuel. I got the dish at Fred Myer's, which is a large grocery store.
I went crazy one day and decided everything from floor rugs to dishes to canisters, fruitbowl etc had to have pics of living food on them...lol
It inspires me!

Blessings~

[vegggeeemom]

Hey, I ought to check my Fred Meyer! You must live in the NorthWest, that is the only place I've ever seen a Fred Meyer.
I would love to try those. My son for sure would love them!
Oh and I have ALL the ingriedents here at the house! Will whip this up after I've done some stuff around the house. That will be my little reward for getting all my stuff done! I love making new recipes!

Pam

[Jo-anne]

Sweetgoddess those food pics look awesome, my mouth's watering just looking at them, I am definitely going to give them a try, I am sure my 15 year old will love them too.

Once again thank you for the posting.

I will post some pics to once I get creative.