Make IT RAW

[rawpriestess]

Okay, I may get a thousand PM's or emails or contradictory posts on this thread and that is okay, but what I don't understand is this.

I see so many posts, with questions about is this fat better than this nut, or is this dressing with avocadoes have too much fat, or is this going to be enough nutrients etc?

When I was eating SAD nobody I knew ever cared about nutrition, when I went to vegetarian, again, I never heard a word about nutrition, then I went veggie, then to raw.

NOW, it seems all I hear is "where do you get your protein?, are you getting enough nutrients? what about suppliments? are you sure you are getting all your B12? how will you know you are eating the right percentage of carbs, fats and proteins?" and this isn't from the SAD eaters, this is from the RAW foodists.

All, I can say, is "Why does it have to be so complicated?'' I mean God/dess made us WANT to eat what we need, our bodies KNOW what to eat, and we are drawn to eating more veggies one day, and more fruits another day, more greens another day, one day smoothies sound great, the next day, we don't want them, we want a huge salad with olive oil, the next day we want fresh tomatoes, and melons.

It just seems to me that we are trying to second guess what our bodies are telling us, it really is no more complicated that simply going to the grocery store, head over to the produce department, and pick out one or two of each thing that you see that "looks" good that day, then go home and eat it.

I mean, yes, we do like to make pates' and soups and all, that's fine, have fun and enjoy the prep and all the creativity, I love that too. But I don't worry about if 1 T of olive oil and 1 cup of nuts in a dish is "too much" "TOO MUCH" for whom? I like my gourmet raw foods, Alissa's recipes are to live for, for sure.

I really enjoy making gourmet dishes.

But, what I enjoy more is the freedom of NOT having to think about all of the nutrition. I just eat what I like.

And the benefit is, I can prepare lots of tasty gourmet foods if I want, or not, because an orange or kiwi will be perfect too, and I can have the freedom of not having to worry about recipes, and having this or that exotic thing in the house, will this spoil before I can use it all up?

I simply eat what calls to me, and I keep dropping the weight, I feel great, my hair is growing for the first time in 25 years, and my skin looks radiant.

People tell me I look younger, and refreshed, and I am happy.

So, FOR ME, this works, this may not work for you, but FOR ME, I just eat what I feel like eating, and I don't think a thing about fats, or low fats, or too much greens, or too little, or sweet fruits, or acidic fruits, or if my banana is ripe or not, I just eat what "feels" good to me.

[Ariannah]

Amen to that! I almost felt like posting something similar, but you articulated it so beautifully!

Raw is beautiful! Eat what you think YOU need, and don't worry!
Ariannah

[JennaBoBenna]

Gosh! I loved this post! Ain't it the truth! When I was eating SAD, nobody asked questions. Now, I'm bombarded(by SADers) with "where do you get your protein?" and I feel like shouting back "well, where do YOU get YOUR protein!?" :p
Beautifully worded, RP :)

[Rawmommie]

Thank you so much. Wonderful post RP!! :)

[TimmyC]

Amen RP!! Well said.

[squidly]

I love the way you write and agree whole heartedly - THANK YOU!

[Rawkinlocs]

Well said RawPriestess!

[vegggeeemom]

GREAT post! I agree totally.

Pam

[tracyinfo]

I also agree. I have lost a good 45 pounds, while eating whatever it is I want. I have maintained that weight loss over months without worrying in the least bit about fat, protein, calores, etc...

My skin has improved 95%. I have rosacea. Last year at this time, my face had been bright red every day, with pimples for the 10 previous years. These days, I am no longer red, unless I eat a super hot jalapeno. I have a few pimples to work on, but I trust that the longer I am raw, the more they will go away.

Just keep it raw is my motto.

[misslinda]

.....it felt like I just took a cold shower :: cheers :: :)

[shakalover]

i appreciate that. that's where i want to be, w/ the freedom to eat what i want w/out worrying about it.

[Lauri]

Do you think it's possible to be raw without a dehydrator or juicer?

[Beanie]

Well, I obviously totally agree with you RP!! I've been getting jumped on for saying that I don't think raw fats are bad for you. So now I listen to my body and when it wants something light I give it that. But at other times, it wants something heavy/fatty. So I give it that. By February, I will have bood tests done and then my cholesterol will tell me for certain. But I'm tired of worrying over what is healthy/or not! I want my body to tell me!! When I try to intellectualize it, and do what I think is right or what others tell me is right rather then what my body tells me is right, I end up hurting myself and feeling bad.

I hear all the time, "I would never eat coconut!" "Saturated fat.....too much fat!" "How do you live on lettuce?" "You're too skinny to be raw!" And of course, "Where do you get your protein?"

And if maintaining raw isn't hard enough, now I have people saying that I eat too much fat! But if I'm hungry, and I can't eat wheat, rye, barley or oats, what else am I going to eat? Cooked?? Fruit right now and mono meals just isn't enough for me and not satisfying. Raw fats are so filling and satisfying and make food so much more pleasurable. So, I'd rather keep it simple and just eat raw!! I think my body will tell me what is right/wrong.

And yes, I do enjoy prepared meals. And yes, I do enjoy eating. I think I deserve that! I feel good when I listen to my body........

[JennaBoBenna]

I hear all the time, "I would never eat coconut!" "Saturated fat.....too much fat!"


Poor coconut and its bad rep for being saturated fat! :( I love coconut and can't wait to get some coconut oil to help fix a digestive problem I have. I just read a book about it, it's such a good fat!
People(SADers) are so worried about fats, yet they eat things like bacon which is mostly fat! People can be so weird sometimes... :p :rolleyes:

[orchid]

what book did you read, may i ask? i was talking with my fiance about this thread and he was talking about how cocoanut is highly saturated in fat and etc. so i'd love to read whatever book you just got done reading! :o

[AutumnBreezColordLeavz]

Supplements needed if you are eating raw.

http://icare4u.com/Nu0022.htm
Many sites show the need for B12, most Vegans are aware of this as well.
Not looking down on eating raw at all, just making sure we have what is needed. Deficiency sometimes takes time (years) to show up, but it is then irreversible damage that has taken place. Nerve damage, plus a few others.

[Ariannah]

Do you think it's possible to be raw without a dehydrator or juicer? Certainly. Raw food is just that: raw. You don't need any special equipment to keep a raw food raw ;) ... I was raw for several months without a dehydrator. I still am. While I do own a dehydrator, it's mainly to make things my family likes, to increase the repertoire of living foods they like.

As for me, I'd never grow tired of fruits, greens and nuts just plain or in a smoothie. I don't own a juicer; just an el-cheapo Osterizer.

I do have a food processor, but I didn't buy it. It was handed down to me years ago before I ever became raw, and people who eat cooked use those things too :)

[firefly]

This is such a great post, RP! I agree COMPLETELY! :D

[Ariannah]

When I first became raw, I did it with very little information on hand. I leapt into it pretty much 100%, and didn't know much about "raw eating" except "no more cooking".

Armed with only that much information, I felt FREE! I went straight from hearing about raw, immediately to the produce section, and almost felt like jumping for joy and cheering! I mean, I could have a mango, fresh pineapple, oranges, kiwis, cucumbers, bananas, a wide variety of lettuces, fresh grapes, avocadoes, papayas, uncooked (soaked) almonds, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupes, watermelons, celery, kale, cauliflower, sesame seeds, etc, etc. The entire produce section was MINE!

My first thought was "how hard can this be? All you have to do is eat raw food, right?" To me, it seemed like the easiest way of life on the planet, to just buy something and eat it then and there (like fast food, only better).

I came home and went on the internet again, and saw a wide variety of articles (I had not yet discovered this site) about how "hard" and "time consuming" eating raw is. About how some people "had to" plan their meals days in advance and had to put everything through a dehydrator, juicer, or sprouter. I boggled at this thought. I didn't know it was supposed to be a big difficult, complex issue. I thought it was just supposed to be as simple as eating food!

This is one of the first sites I came upon where raw is not presented as something difficult. Even many of the dishes and recipes are as simple as throwing some things together.

The point is, raw is not difficult. It IS as simple as "just make it raw". Even if you are not in the mood or don't have the patience for a dehydrated dish or whizzing something up in the food processor, it's as easy as getting some apple or celery and just eating it. It's whole real food, the way the Creator intended it to be enjoyed.

[rawredbone]

Very well said RP. I concur

[karotw]

Thank you RawPriestess - very well said and such a simple concept. . . .

[Revvell]

Do you think it's possible to be raw without a dehydrator or juicer?


Certainly. I hardly ever use either. You just have to find the recipes or realize that although some things ~ such as loafs and burgers; even cookies, say to dehydrate ~ the mixture/"dough" often taste wonderful just as they are. Sometimes my cookies or burgers never make it to the dehydrator. Burger and loaf recipes can be wrapped in kale, lettuce or nori sheets.

R,

[JennaBoBenna]

what book did you read, may i ask? i was talking with my fiance about this thread and he was talking about how cocoanut is highly saturated in fat and etc. so i'd love to read whatever book you just got done reading! :o

The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil by Bruce Fife, N.D.
it has a cute hula-girl on the front wearing pink flowers :)

[Beanie]

Thought I would bring this thread up because I'm feeling like this is becoming an eating disorder board obsessed over this gram of fat and that gram of fat and supporting it. So I'll pull this up and I'm ducking out!! I'm here for health and happiness and SUPPORT on becoming raw, not to get an eating disorder nor to participate in that thinking........ I guess I was mistaken in Alissa's viewpoint to just eat raw, avocados, nuts and all.

[twinee1]

When I first became raw, I did it with very little information on hand. I leapt into it pretty much 100%, and didn't know much about "raw eating" except "no more cooking".

Armed with only that much information, I felt FREE! I went straight from hearing about raw, immediately to the produce section, and almost felt like jumping for joy and cheering! I mean, I could have a mango, fresh pineapple, oranges, kiwis, cucumbers, bananas, a wide variety of lettuces, fresh grapes, avocadoes, papayas, uncooked (soaked) almonds, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupes, watermelons, celery, kale, cauliflower, sesame seeds, etc, etc. The entire produce section was MINE!

My first thought was "how hard can this be? All you have to do is eat raw food, right?" To me, it seemed like the easiest way of life on the planet, to just buy something and eat it then and there (like fast food, only better).

I came home and went on the internet again, and saw a wide variety of articles (I had not yet discovered this site) about how "hard" and "time consuming" eating raw is. About how some people "had to" plan their meals days in advance and had to put everything through a dehydrator, juicer, or sprouter. I boggled at this thought. I didn't know it was supposed to be a big difficult, complex issue. I thought it was just supposed to be as simple as eating food!

This is one of the first sites I came upon where raw is not presented as something difficult. Even many of the dishes and recipes are as simple as throwing some things together.

The point is, raw is not difficult. It IS as simple as "just make it raw". Even if you are not in the mood or don't have the patience for a dehydrated dish or whizzing something up in the food processor, it's as easy as getting some apple or celery and just eating it. It's whole real food, the way the Creator intended it to be enjoyed.


Amen to both !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[heather]

Thank you Rawpriestess. I really needed to hear this today!

[karotw]

Thanks for bringing this thread back up - as someone who is recoverying from an eating disorder (and disordered thinking about food, in general). . . it has been a real challenge for me to even believe that if I just eat raw and learn to listen to my body, that things will change. . .

I am grateful that "regulars" and the moderators on this board continue to help to remind me that its not about calories or carbs or grams of fat (or whatever else I could obsess about). . . and this change is happening for me slowly. . . .There are days when I don't keep track of what I've eaten. . and there are days that I don't feel guilty about having eaten 10 pieces of fruit. . . .and slowly as my thinking shifts, so does my body. . .and my mind. . and then my body some more. . .and then my mind again, etc. A process. . . .a journey :D

We each, individually, come here from where ever we are to try this raw way of being. . . for some of us it may happen differently than for others. . .but my point (and I do have one, really!) is that if we just keep eating raw we will change. . .we can't help but do so.

So thanks again - RP for starting this thread, Beanie for bringing it back up and everyone else for your insights along the way.

Many Blessings,
Karen

[ReneeSC]

I've been 'yelling' about this for months now.

JUST EAT RAW FOOD!

JUST DO IT.

For Pete's Sake ( whomever Mr. Pete IS ) - JUST EAT!

You go, People!

[Smoothie]

Thanks RP, Beenie and everyone. I completely agree. I was getting concerned about some of the obsessing going on about eating too much of this or too much of that. Thanks for putting it so well.

And I agree.......................when you talk to people who eat SAD........they worry about us eating one too many tomatoes. It's a hoot. They can eat nothing all day but donuts, cookies, french frys, cokes and burgers and they worry about us getting enough nutrition. Plus, never in the history of mankind has there ever been a case of protein deficiency. If anything, people on the SAD eat way too much protien, way more than thier bodies can process. If it wasn't soooooo sad and true, it would be funny.

Thanks for this tread.........:)

[Beanie]

I'm glad this helps others too! Right now I've been under a lot of stress and my anxiety level has been high (working on that!) and I've been slightly irritable. So I was hoping that this would bring everyone else down (me too) to just eat raw, enjoy the wonderful raw food out there and treat their body kindly. Not fight over it and especially not between us, but to support one another in our own individual journeys. And thats where the beauty of raw lies. In its freedom. I think theres too much stress out there in day to day life than to spend it worrying obsessively over avocados vs. bananas or this perfect diet vs. that one, etc. Eat what your body demands and leads you to health and wellness, forget about scales, fat grams etc, then put your energy into making this world a better place and achieving your goals! Be your own guru if need be. No two humans were built the same.

Peace everyone!

[TimmyC]

Agreed Beanie...I'm not into the stress raw diet :). I don't weigh myself either. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Tim



I'm glad this helps others too! Right now I've been under a lot of stress and my anxiety level has been high (working on that!) and I've been slightly irritable. So I was hoping that this would bring everyone else down (me too) to just eat raw, enjoy the wonderful raw food out there and treat their body kindly. Not fight over it and especially not between us, but to support one another in our own individual journeys. And thats where the beauty of raw lies. In its freedom. I think theres too much stress out there in day to day life than to spend it worrying obsessively over avocados vs. bananas or this perfect diet vs. that one, etc. Eat what your body demands and leads you to health and wellness, forget about scales, fat grams etc, then put your energy into making this world a better place and achieving your goals! Be your own guru if need be. No two humans were built the same.

Peace everyone!

[RawTruth]

I'm not on this board as much as I was when I first went 100% raw (and I use 100% on purpose because I know there's a bit of disagreement about it -- I deliberately want to emphasize it). So, I miss a lot of the ongoing discussions. That's okay with me since they're usually focused on more beginner issues. However, lately when I've popped on I've noticed renewed and continuing questioning of counting calories, fats, etc. -- and it seems to be more prolonged than usual. I just figured that those discussing this are (for the most part) quite new to eating raw and haven't yet bought books (maybe even Alissa's) or attended lectures or done much research themselves.

I do understand the concern here.

Let me relate an incident that happened to me last night. I attended a talk by Doug Graham and Roz Gruben-Graham. I arrived quite early as I know the people running the venue quite well and planned to visit a bit first. We ordered in some raw food and were still eating as people began arriving. A woman saw the pizza and collard wrap I was eating and began asking me questions which ended up mainly asking how I could be eating that "high fat" food and still be raw. I spend considerable time talking with her though the gist of it was telling her to just eat raw (!). She's not raw, says she's tried a few times and keeps failing. She has a lot of conflicting raw theories in her head and seemed to want to get the "right" answer and get it all understood before she began. I kept telling her to just eat raw -- whatever she wanted to eat at first -- and not worry about fats and such until later down the line. She kept bringing up objections and felt she wouldn't lose weight. I kept saying not to worry at the beginning - just eat raw as much and whatever she wanted. Then, in Doug Graham's talk, he said that SAD eaters and cooked vegetarian eaters eat 42% of their calories in fat whereas (according to him), raw vegans eat 64% of their calories in fat (he says he bases this on 5,000 interviews of raw fooders over the last 10 years). He used the example of raw fooders pouring olive oil over their healthy salads and thus rendering it junk food. I do totally understand his thinking and follow his logic. At this point, he said that it is wrong to tell people going raw that they can eat anything they want as long as it is raw because eating such high amounts of fat cause toxicity and aging in our bodies and we are basically more unhealthy than SAD eaters (my paraphrase here). This lady then turned around in her seat and sent daggers my way -- literally staring at me for at least 60 full seconds. I absolutely didn't care about that -- I just looked back at her peacefully and pleasantly for 60 seconds. What bothers me (obviously or I wouldn't be writing this) is that he didn't explain that -- AT FIRST -- this is exactly what will keep people raw. I know far too many who tried to do it other, more stringent, ways at first and fell off the wagon either right away or months down the line. Conversely, I know so many who did it Alissa's way and are still raw years down the line (and, truthfully, others who didn't use Alissa's method but still ate raw indiscriminately without regard to fats, calories, etc. - because that way works whether they're using Alissa's book or not).

This was a perfect example of what's been going on here on this board where we are all actually strangers to each other no matter the sense of false intimacy we might feel. That woman talked as though she really wanted to be raw. She had done some investigation into it, but she kept getting stuck and hasn't gone completely raw for fear that she isn't doing it right. (I have my doubts as to whether she's as committed as she thinks she is -- simply because she kept coming up with one objection after another, but that doesn't really matter.) I wanted to tell her to JUST DO IT!!! Well, my friend tells me that I did actually say this. Several times. LOL. Geez, what a surprise, huh? I guess that's why this thread drew me in to the point that I've spent 1/2 hour writing this tome indoors on a gorgeous sunny Sunday.

So, to be brief (finally!), I want to add my voice to the chorus chanting: Just do it! Just eat raw. All raw, completely raw. Don't make it into a big deal. AT FIRST (this means in your first 6 months or more!!!) eat as much as you want of whatever you want whenever you want. Later -- when your awareness and your body and spirit have begun their inevitable transformation you will refine and change what you eat. Don't try to go directly there without passing GO first, though. No matter what you're told, eating like this at first is FAR better than the best SAD eating you can do -- or even the best cooked vegan food you might be eating.

There is no comparison. Just do it!!!!

p.s. (I want to emphasize that, again, I'm talking about being ALL raw. I am NOT talking about being partially raw, no matter what percentage one ascribes to it. I do know that is another whole area of contention and hope that no one turns this into a discussion about whether eating Nama Shoyu takes away from 100%.)


- - -

[Sharon in Colorado]

GREAT post Diana.

I have to say I LOVE what Dr. Graham teaches. I know most people realize this. But I never said I follow a 80/10/10 diet. I do strive for it though, and I do love to discuss it.

I think the lady at the lecture was very mean and judgemental to you. Yeesh, she obviously doesn't know Doug Graham well enough to know he didn't start out on an 80/10/10 diet. It literally took him years and years to work out a plan that worked for him and those he trained and consulted. And he is very open about that - he doesn't think people can just jump into any plan from where they are, it DOES take time.

Okay - here's my rant though about a few of the opinions around here that seem to be against the flow of freely discussing phases of the diet - what the heck is wrong with discussing the diet here? Why is there such a problem? Now I don't jump on *certain* people who diss bananas and who thinks Gabriel Cousens is God's gift to the world, now do I?

So let us discuss it, some people DO benefit from food combining, low fat, high carbs, low carbs, high fat, fermenting, dehydrating, sprouting. Everyone is doing this differently, and there ARE folks looking to learn, and I'm here to offer what I've learned if they are interested.

I'm assuming everyone here is already raw or on the verge of going raw. So maybe the folks who are already raw are having some challenges and when able to tweak a few things in their diets, maybe lowering their percentage of fat for instance, are finding some success. So what, what is the big deal. Nobody is pushing anything on anyone, just offering suggestions.

I don't see anyone getting out of joint when others suggest to uptake their water, or get out and exercise, or take an enema, or to take an herb or supplement, or to read a certain book. So how is this so different than other's *opinions* about taking in different levels of nutrients?

When I see a post I disagree with, about 98% of the time, I just don't read it anymore, or pass it by if I notice it moving up in the line again. Hopefully others will discover this habit.

[TimmyC]

RawTruth....well said! This coming from a person who "just did it" overnight, and I'm still going strong.

People will come up with all kinds of excuses why they can't be raw, and they're entitled to their reasons/opinions. They will also come up with reasons to be angry, however, the anger which may have been triggered by you isn't caused by you. The anger is caused by an internal struggle with these people not being "ok" with themselves. In order for these people to survive "the problem" has to exist with other people. They will have this anger until it's dealt with unfortunately. There are also going to be those people who follow one raw food leader as opposed to the other so-called expert. This is ok too. People need to feel ok with the direction they're following.

I truly believe that we must lead by example (which you're doing an exceptional job at BTW), as we'll be the successful ones in the long run. It's the long run that we're after too not the short run. There's a reason for why there's such a strong following of Alissa's program. The reason? There's been so much proven success at this way of living in the long run IMO.

Additionally following her program is peaceful isn't it? I'm not stressed at all regarding this lifestyle, and not even stressed by people with opposing opinions. I just do my thing, and let the evidence be experienced by people watching me, or talking to me.

I'm glad you posted this experience you had! Please don't let it get you down, which I know you won't as this will help a lot of people out there reading it that want to be at peace with themselves.

Be good to yourself!

Tim

[sweetgoddess]

Yes, great post Diana, and thank you for writing it.
:)

[Goddess_girl]

Great post Diana;

I believe it takes a few months to get into the
"natural rhythm" of things so worring about fat is just crazy unless you are going to eat 15 coconuts and 20 avocados a day for the next few months.