low stress raw-vegan

[vegangoddess]

hi i am from the DC area, where believe or not, i can't find a raw restaurant to save my life!

anyway....i believe in a low stress approach to going into a high raw diet. i do not judge others who eat the standard american diet. raw food is how i eat, not my religion. :)

i still eat some cooked vegan foods. my favorite is steamed wild rice!

i exist off of fresh veggie juices, bananas, avocadoes, nut butters and my new favorite blueberry banana pancakes that i make in the dehydrator.

my baby drank my milk and is now a huge vegetable eater and loves fresh fruit and juices and brown rice and is my pride and joy. i am huge supporter of breastfeeding (but i don't judge those who do not nurse.)

i used to be a big meat eater. i used to be a lacto ovo. i used to be a vegan who made her own seitan and nut milks at home.....raw is by far the best lifestyle i have ever had.

i am a runner and bodybuilder and i compete as a raw foodist.

wish me luck as i set out to prove the naysayer athletes wrong.

[RawLibrarian]

hi i am from the DC area, where believe or not, i can't find a raw restaurant to save my life!

Hi there,

I live in Washington DC itself, and there are actually a few raw places:

Elizabeth's Gone Raw (http://www.yelp.com/biz/elizabeths-gone-raw-washington): Raw gourmet; open once a week. Very good food. DC's version of Pure Food and Wine in NYC, so don't expect your meal to be cheap.

Java Green (http://www.javagreen.net/): Two locations: one downtown and one in Dupont Circle. There are raw foods on the menu, and a juice bar (at least at the one downtown)

Senbeb Cafe (http://www.yelp.com/biz/senbeb-cafe-washington): Vegan cafe, not 100% raw. The chef, Khepra Anu, is himself raw and sponsors juice cleanses that are all-inclusive and very reasonably priced--info on his website (http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Fasting-is-Your-Best-Medicine---Jan-2012-Newsletter.html?soid=1101689857026&aid=UiFn38ykACA). I'd call Senbeb before going to see what raw foods are available. Khepra also has opened a raw food juice bar (http://www.yelp.com/biz/khepras-raw-food-juice-bar-washington) on H St. Because of opening the juice bar I'm not 100% sure if Khepra is still affiliated with Senbeb, but the cafe is still there, and there is a small health food store right next to it.

On Georgia Avenue, the Everlasting Life cafe (http://www.yelp.com/biz/everlasting-life-cafe-washington) has some raw food as well. Before going you might want to call to see what raw food they have on the menu.

You can get some raw foods like kale chips, macaroons, granola, crackers, truly raw nuts, etc. at health food stores like MOM's Organic Market (http://www.momsorganicmarket.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=A6B40AE98C7842A98FC8DE47848 80288) (several of them in the Maryland suburbs and at least one in N. Va.). I'm sure Whole Foods has some of those products as well; I don't shop there. We do the vast majority of our food shopping at MOM's.

DC is not California, but there are a few places here to try. There are probably more--I have no idea what might be available in N. Va. or Maryland.

And while this is not a restaurant, Natural Zing (http://www.naturalzing.com/index.htm), one of the best mail order raw food companies, is very close by in Maryland.

HTH.