New with a few questions

[johnled]

I'm new to the forum and have a few food questions.

I am 52 years old and I've been vegetarian for about 4 years with plenty of junk veg food (french fries, etc). In the past 4 months all I have eaten has been oatmeal for breakfast then for lunch and supper I've had rice, veggies & beans. I've felt pretty good since I started eating this way but know I can feel a lot better.

My beans and veggies are canned, is canned vegetables & beans considered raw? Of course the rice isn't raw either. Is rice not possible on a raw diet?

When I came down with rheumatoid arthritis four years ago is when I gave up meat and dairy. Any specific items I should be consuming for RA?

I do not like hard crunchy vegetables, like a carrot right out of the fridge, I like mine more on the soft side so is raw not an option for me? I can do shakes all day so tossing hard fresh vegetables into a shake is something I can do.

I look forward to scanning the forum to see what I can learn.

Thanks!

[Aleesha Sattva]

well eating food in it's raw live form is essential to eating a raw diet... so you'll have to be the judge of what you can and cannot do. personally i seldom eat carrots.

anything canned is not raw. they use heat and heat kills your food. (anything over 118 degrees)

green smoothies are so good for you - as is juicing. perhaps you can juice some of your food and make it more 'doable' for ya.

welcome!!!

[iluvmangos]

Nope, canned veggies and beans aren't raw. Packaged frozen veggies from the store aren't raw either because they're blanched. You can still have soft veggies, though if you have a dehydrator with an adjustable thermostat to insure that your temp stays below 112. Yesterday, I had zucchini and onions mixed with Alissa's Creamy Italian Herb Dressing so I could have a raw version of fried zucchini and onions. Just mix it all together and put it in the dehydrator at 104 for a few hours until veggies are soft. Yum.

Today, I'm making stir-fry in my dehydrator. I made it by mixing asparagus, green beans, carrots, and snap peas with extra virgin olive oil, tamari, fresh ginger, and a crushed garlic clove. It's in the dehydrator at 105 right now.

[johnled]

So no canned or frozen? Well that makes it rough. I live in a pretty small area and we have no great choices when it comes to shopping. If I buy fresh fruit & veggies then freeze them am I wasting the nutrients?

[iluvmangos]

So no canned or frozen? Well that makes it rough. I live in a pretty small area and we have no great choices when it comes to shopping. If I buy fresh fruit & veggies then freeze them am I wasting the nutrients?

Freezing fresh foods is fine. If you live in a small town, you might need to travel to another nearby town if you don't think your town offers enough variety. Also, you can shop for raw foods online, too. There is a store on this site and there are other raw food sites. It might be hard to find raw nuts and seeds unless you shop online. Just because a nut is unroasted doesn't necessarily mean it's raw, especially almonds.

[johnled]

What about powdered greens and other powered items, are they not recommended either? I'm not a huge green lover, I can tolerate a few greens. I have in the past used Barleans Greens in my morning smoothies, is that OK?

[iluvmangos]

What about powdered greens and other powered items, are they not recommended either? I'm not a huge green lover, I can tolerate a few greens. I have in the past used Barleans Greens in my morning smoothies, is that OK?

Some powdered items are raw. I don't know anything about Barleans Greens, but Alissa sells a green powder that I'm sure is raw. If you wanna know whether Barleans is raw or not, you'll either have to call or e-mail them and ask if it's ever heated above 112 in the processing. Same with other powders.

Have you ever tried green smoothies? I bet you could tolerate greens that way. Just add a little bit at first until you get used to the taste and add more in as desired. If you don't have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, blend your greens with the water first and then add fruit. The greens get blended up better that way.

[RaeVynn]

I would highly suggest getting a book on going raw. I can recommend Alissa's book, of course, as it has a massive section on the whys and hows of raw, then it has another massive section of recipes.

If you really like doing the blender thing, I'd recommend Victoria Boutenko's book Green for Life - that, right there, and a Vitamix, will transform your life.

If you want to eat a larger variety of solid food, though, get Alissa's book :p

[johnled]

Victoria and/or Alissa's book, are they available in a bookstore or do I have to order online?

I just had a banana pineapple smoothie with a LOT of spinach in it and it was doable.

I do have a powerful blender, not a Vitamix but pretty darn powerful.

Another question, is raw pretty safe? The best selection of produce in my area is, sad to say, is Wal Mart.

Thanks!

[iluvmangos]

Another question, is raw pretty safe? The best selection of produce in my area is, sad to say, is Wal Mart.

No. Raw is dangerous, but I like livin' on the edge. :cool:

Just kidding! Yes, raw is safe. I personally think it's the safest diet in the world. I won't eat non-organic greens though. Here's why:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=51929

[Thick]

If you live in a small community, do you perhaps have farms or roadside vegetable stands nearby? Here's a link to check

http://www.localharvest.org/

Also, many people make rice dishes by food processoring up some jicama (somewhere between an apple and a potato and edible raw) or parsnip, cauliflower, turnip, squash or _______. This can be eaten with seasonings to mimic your favorite rice dishes or put into the aforementioned dehydrator oven for awhile to soften the rice.

Here's an example http://freshtopia.net/vlog/?p=114

My favorite green smoothies are --plain banana, water and spinach---and green salsa version with cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, avocado lime & salt.

Alissa's book , Living on Live Foods is great, and like spending a few days with a personal raw food coach. Here's another source for recipes http://goneraw.com/recipes

Welcome to the board!=)

[johnled]

I can find a roadside stand or two, the only problem is they are only open for a couple months a year. I live in northern Indiana and summer is much too short!

How about sprouting? I can keep sprouts coming on all year long.

Thanks everyone and especially thanks for the info about the rabbit and the greens!

[johnled]

How about beans? I've been eating canned beans but realize that I need to change to raw, how can I still eat beans but have them raw?

Thanks!

[annavon]

Some beans can be sprouted...mung beans, garbanzo beans and lentis come to mind.

Also, I noted your dislike for hard vegetables. One thing I like to do to improve the texture of veggies is to shred them like you would for a slaw. I shred broccoli stems, carrots, beets, etc. Toss with olive oil and lemon or raw vinegar and spices. Have fun experimenting with different combinations.

I invested in a Vitamix and make raw soups too! If you don't already have a Vitamix, I highly recommend it. It is well worth the price. I use mine everyday. I make a really good soup by blending a bunch of broccoli with a little water, lemon juice, onion (about 1/4 of an onion) and half of an avocado. Avocado is great for giving soups a creamy texture.

Keep in mind that as you start on raw you will find that your tastes will change. I remember reading a post from a lady who didn't really like kale, but used it in her green smoothies. One day she started nibbling on the kale for her smoothie and just ended up eating the whole bunch just plain and loved it.

[annavon]

One more thing, if you have to get non-organic veggies, get a good veggie wash. I think that even the regular grocery stores carry it now. Walmart does carry some organic veggies. It is probably a good idea to wash even the organic veggies with the veggie wash as well because they probably go through many places before the get to the market.

Click on the link at the top left of this page for Alissa's book.:)