How to transition to raw foods

[TangentLine]

Currently, the only foods I eat that aren't raw are pasta, scrambled eggs, bread and cream cheese, canned beans, yogurt, and milk.

For each of the last three days I've been eating a plain avocado for breakfast. And yesterday I got a ton of good fruits/vegetables from Wegmans (bananas, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, green peppers, and mushrooms).

How should I try to go 100% raw? I think I can live without pasta, but I've been eating four eggs a day for my lunch or dinner the past few weeks. What would be a good replacement for that? Since yesterday I've snacked on carrots a lot. I live in a college apartment and neither I nor my roommates have a blender/juicer, so I can't be that creative.

I can see myself getting blueberries, almonds, walnuts, and maybe kiwis in the future, but how do I put together a big meal of 500+ calories? On Thursdays I have classes from 2-9 PM so when I get home I'm starving.

Some beginner questions I have to ask:
1) Is bread a raw food?
2) Should I get soy milk instead of regular milk?

[Saria]

You could buy a blender at least, you can get a decent one for $25-$30.

I think the easiest way to transition to raw is to water fast for 2-4 days. when you get done with that live, raw foods will taste so good and you won't be interested in dead, cooked food. you could fast on the weekend when you don't have anything planned. Fasting will give you stronger self discipline and better awareness of what your body really needs.

Nuts and seeds are higher in calories. There are trail mixes with raw nuts and dried fruits that taste very good! You could also make guacamole and salsas and dip carrots or celery in this. Smoothies can be higher in calories as well. If you were to fast, when you come off the fast foods like this will more than fill you up. There are lots of raw food recipes too. Personally I haven't experimented with any of them yet I would rather keep it simple for now instead of mimicking SAD foods.

basic bread is not raw. If you can find a raw food vendor in your area, they do sell breads. They're flatbreads almost like a cross between bread and crackers I found a rye bread that's really good.

Soy milk in the store has preservatives in it but you may find a more pure variety or make it yourself!

I live in Chicago and just found RAW in the French Market. Whole Foods has raw nuts and organic produce as well as a small section of raw packaged foods that are similar to SAD again. I find instead of trying to substitute so many SAD foods just acquire tastes for nature's foods. You'd be surprised at how good they taste after fasting!

[TangentLine]

When you say water fast, are you saying to consume nothing but water for 2-4 days? I don't think I would ever be able to do that - maybe 16-24 hours at the most after a big meal. Would changing that to having nothing but water, an avocado, carrots, mushrooms, and tomatoes for 3 days be a goal worth trying?

[Saria]

Yes, that would be a great thing to try! (And a fast on water is consuming nothing but water for a length of time. I sneak in grean tea, however, for a little energy).

Most people when they first hear of fasting think they can't do it. I definately thought this. I had low blood sugar for 4+ years and ate every four hours religiously. Scarcely missed a meal. I was developing some anxiety over eating, mainly because i had to think about it so often, and was bingeing a lot so I decided I had to do something to stop. After a really bad binge I decided to just give fasting a try. I did a heavy jogging/walking workout and went to bed waking up the next day with a resolve to fast.

One way to make it easier on yourself is to start one or twice a week with a 24 hour fast on water. Stop eating at 4pm one day, then wait till after 4pm to eat the next day. That's 24 hours. From there try 32 hours. After a few times of doing this you will find you CAN do it. Also, while doing these short fasts, if you feel like you can continue just keep going. It gets easier every time, too. Build up to 4 days and you will not want to go back to SAD.

It's easier to fast if you eat raw or juice the day prior. I never did this, though. Just make sure you break the longer fast correctly (3+ days). That is the most important part.

[therawmichelle]

When i saw "4 eggs per day" my jaw literally dropped. :) The recommended intake for egg yolk is 3 per week, due to their very high cholesterol content. However, you can eat a lot of egg whites, as they are rich in protein.

If you are serious about going raw, you will need to acquire some kitchen appliances to add variation to your diet. This means blender and juicer at first, and later food processor and dehydrator. Most raw food recipes require at least one of these appliances.

Traditional bread is not raw, it is baked in an oven, but there are raw versions of bread that are made by processing seeds, nuts and herbs, and then dehydrating the mixture for a number of hours.

If you have a way of acquiring pure soy milk and not some supermarket soy milk, then it is a great replacement for cow's milk.

Good luck!

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

When you say water fast, are you saying to consume nothing but water for 2-4 days? I don't think I would ever be able to do that - maybe 16-24 hours at the most after a big meal. Would changing that to having nothing but water, an avocado, carrots, mushrooms, and tomatoes for 3 days be a goal worth trying?

Definitely get a blender. lt is the best tool when starting out doing raw. l would never recommend water fasting; just start off blending greens and do a green juice fast alittle later down the track. Eat lots of sprouted seeds and sprouted greens.

[TangentLine]

Just got my Hamilton Beach 51101B Personal Blender in the mail today. I'm going to get blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and raspberries over the weekend at Wegmans to make some smoothies. What vegetables go well in smoothies to make them more nutritious? It's a cheap 175 Watt blender so I don't think it could blend carrots that well, but could I mix in spinach leaves or green peppers and still have something good?

[Saria]

That's great you got a blender!!

[MysticTree]

Just got my Hamilton Beach 51101B Personal Blender in the mail today. I'm going to get blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and raspberries over the weekend at Wegmans to make some smoothies. What vegetables go well in smoothies to make them more nutritious? It's a cheap 175 Watt blender so I don't think it could blend carrots that well, but could I mix in spinach leaves or green peppers and still have something good?

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?54452-70-Green-Smoothies...

[qwerty988]

Just got my Hamilton Beach 51101B Personal Blender in the mail today. I'm going to get blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and raspberries over the weekend at Wegmans to make some smoothies. What vegetables go well in smoothies to make them more nutritious? It's a cheap 175 Watt blender so I don't think it could blend carrots that well, but could I mix in spinach leaves or green peppers and still have something good?

Along with bananas and other fruit, I usually use sprouts and leafy greens like spinach, collard greens, kale, parsley, turnip greens, romaine lettuce.... stuff like that.

I also add spirulina powder, for extra green power!

Enjoy! Green smoothies are AWESOME. :throwhearts: