I'm almost in tears ...

[Apples'nAvos]

The weirdest thing is happening to me. I was so excited to get Alissa's book and my dehydrator and to get started on making all sorts of yummy things. Yesterday I made the apple pie, and the later, the corn chips and flax crackers. I soaked some raw oat groats overnight and put together my first raw oatmeal for breakfast this morning (with banana, raisins and some mixed chopped nuts).
My problem is this: it ALL tastes "bad" to me - to the point where my stomach clenches up and says "No more!" after just a few bites. The only thing it seems to want is whole fruits, a salad made from romaine lettuce, baby spinach, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts and avocado, and sprinkled with nama shoyu (sometimes sunflower seeds too), and strawberry banana smoothies.
Has anyone else experienced this? I want to be able to enjoy the yummy recipes in the book (I don't think I did anything wrong with the recipes I made - I followed the instructions to the last minute detail. Besides, the odds that I made ALL of them so incorrectly as to taste bad to me, are not very good) but I'm scared to try new ones now because I might have to waste them.
I was so looking forward to almond butter on the flax crackers. :(
Will this pass, is my body detoxing (no other detox symptoms) or is this just the way my body wants to be nourished and that is that?
:confused:

[twinee1]

I found the same thing when I first went raw. I still prefer the veggies and fruit in the natural state but in the 4th month I can now eat things that gagged me before...like the Dulce, and hemp powders. Now I like them. Also the crackers I did not like at first but now I do..and raw bread was gross now I love it. My twin said the same. She laughs at the thought she threw out the first raw bread she bought ! So no worry just eat as your body tells you and at some point you may find the other foods palatable. and some you will not. I always had a dislike avocados and coconut, tried them off and on, same, still uck...and suspect I always will.

[Corbella]

Sometimes i think some foods are just too strong to start out with. If you only want things as they come from the earth, then I think that is good for you...good you know and go with it.
I used to make all sorts of recipes, and the longer i was raw, the less i wanted to mix stuff. I just wanted carrots now, in five minutes an apple, then some nuts, then some salad....like grazing.

I also wouldn't feel bad about the feeling in your gut saying "no more!" because i definitely get that too! Raw hummous and I just don't mix! EVER! LOL!

[truthseeker]

The thing I learned over time was the flavors and "strengths" of certain foods and their combinations with other foods. I did cry after I made several things and they came out "bad" to me, because it seems that I had made about 10 or so things and I didn't care for any of them. I felt I was wasting food. Then I learned what combos I liked and didn't like. I wouldn't say it was that the recipe was bad per say, just that I had my personal tastes. I was trying nachos and tortilla chips and taco shells for a LONG while till I figured out that what I didn't care for was the sunflower seeds or the amount of flax in the recipe...so I cut them way down and they're great now.

I can look at a recipe now and have a good concept of what flavor and texture each ingredient will lend to the final product and if I will like it or not.

In my opinion it takes time and exposure.

[Halo Aglow]

Yes, this has happened to me. The more I stayed raw, the more certain foods started to get tastier. Starting out I had to concentrate more on fruits and veggies in their whole state (though I still definitely enjoy that).

The way it was for me, I like to compare it to if someone stayed in the dark for awhile and then was suddenly exposed to a lot of bright sunlight. At least, it was like that for me. I had to gradually get use to most of the sunlight/raw foods.

But I do believe there are some recipes that I just don't like, I agree about that hummus! I don't believe I will ever like raw chickpeas, no matter how many times I rinse it. I have not tried that no bean hummus yet though.

You might want to try scaling down recipes as to not waste a lot if you end up not liking it.

[Apples'nAvos]

Thanks for the fast responses. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who feels/felt like this!
I will just go with how my body feels and not worry about it.
LOL ... and I don't do raw hummus either - I've only tried the beanless hummus made with zucchini (the recipe came out of another book) and it didn't go down well at all - I thought it was just the tahini, but i've eaten tahini before (on falafel wraps) and had no problem with it.

[DrPr]

This is my third week on raw and I'm finding that bitter foods aren't so bad to me anymore, but I still can't eat certain foods because they are too strong or too bitter (or both simultaneously- YUCK!). I felt bad at first about not liking certain raw vegetables, like I was being childish. But if I don't like 'em, I don't like 'em! :rolleyes:

[levamssg]

I had the same response when I first went raw ... bought a dehydrator and made all sorts of things -- and the compost pile was nicely fed. I didn't like much of anything except trail mix, salads and fruits.

As the months went by, I found I started to like most everything, and started to make and enjoy all sorts of concoctions. So, your taste buds will change. Eat whatever you are "liking" right now. Your 'cravings' will change as time goes by.

Now, a year or so, and a vast collection of uncook books later, I find I am going back to simple stuff again (green salads, fruit salads, simple breakfasts, and plain juice), with an occasional "gourmet" dish thrown in now and then.

The raw journey is always interesting ...

[Arky]

I would agree with many of the comments here. One's palate certainly does alter (in a positive way), the more raw one eats.

I would also point out, however, that SAD eating renders one's tastebuds specifically-trained to enjoy excessive sugar and raw eating includes many relatively-bitter vegetables, particularly the dark-green leafies. This is always going to a significant stumbling block to begin with.

Just take your time and don't try to run before you can walk, either in terms of taste OR in terms of necessarily going 100% raw right from the outset. Yes, it does work for some people, but others may find it easier to go 80% raw and gradually work towards 100% if they so desire (and 100% raw is not absolutely essential for good health).

Don't be too hard on yourself, it's a huge change and it will take some time to grow accustomed to. I believe the worst thing you can do is try to go 100% right from the outset, if you are finding the change particularly difficult - forcing yourself to unrealistic ideals will only leave you traumatised and disheartened. All power to those of us here who managed to go 100% raw from the outset - that's great. But if you can't, don't feel bad about it, just do what you can and work towards your personal goal. As I've said in the past, psychological health is every bit as important and relevant as physical health, so sacrificing your psychological health at the altar of physical health is illogical and self-defeating in the longrun. You must find your personal balance and go from there.

Good luck!

J.

[Lauradee]

you're not alone.

i have noticed this myself.

especially with rich foods with tomaote sauses.

maybe the food is just so raw and fillin that the body says enough, too much raw at one time notused to it .

althouth i can eat 12 banannas in the morning yet only half a slice of pizza when starving.

i am thinking maybe we are meant to just keep it smple by eating the entire whole food.

and not get into the gormet side of it. that is jjsut my thought.:)

my stomach preferrs whle wtermln as appsed to wtermln juice.

I know that some concoctions all blended together reminds me of vomit fo r some reason sorry it's gross i know.

hope you enjoy your food more

keep it simple,

take care,

lars

[choleblack]

I don't know if it's my pallet changing or my short attention span but I did the same thing as you AnA. I made a bunch of crackers & was all set to have a raw pizza. By the time I finished dehydrating it I no longer wanted crackers. So I have them sitting in the fridge waiting to be craved. I feel really bad about it though because it took so long to make them & now I still don't have anything that I want to eat.

Chole

[karenisraw]

Remember when you were a kid and a healthy salad was ice berg lettuce, a few cherry tomatoes and ranch dressing?

Huh?? Huh???? Huhhh???

Remember the first time you had a "gourmet" salad? Did you really like it? I did not, but it was sophisticated so I kept eating it and now I love it, the bitter radichio and and the peppery arugula etc.

I think it takes time and if you are a person like myself with a thyroid problem, I have to eat primarily fruits and veggies or I get REALLY big. I guess from a different perspective is where I could not have breads or crackers before, now I can becuse they are healthy and where I could not have cheeses and patés, now I can.

I have developed a taste for most of the stuff that I did not like before, and my other choice is non at all. Since I have discovered raw foods and especially the raw recipe dishes, I have much more enjoyment of variety and flavor than before, because before I could only have the standard steamed brocolli, no butter, chicken breast, (fat soaked up with a napkin), carrot sticks and a baked potato with just salt and pepper. All with no weight loss.

Now I can have two servings of zuchini noodles and marinara and finish off what is left in the blender knowing I did not a thing to harm my body, and I will probably weigh less in the morning than I did the night before, AND it had more flavor and was more filling than what I used to allow myself eat.

If I were you, I would experiment and go nuts on the foods you like and when you are in the mood try a new dish. Eventually I believe you will develop a taste for most things, and remember, you can always add garlic or herbs to things to cover up the taste of something you don't like as much or reduce or replace ingredients.

I am looking forward to some of the new dishes and may be disapointed but i just remember the picture of my SAD diet plate and that's all I need keep me on the straight and narrow. (no pun intended)

Good luck!

Karenramsell


:p :p :p :p :p :

[MoniDew]

whoa! hold on a second...

We have addressed this issue before on these boards, so as a reminder,

Please be sure you are dehydrating and not ROTTING these foods. Often, the dehydrator temperature is too low at the start, and the food is FERMENTING, souring, and spoiling, not dehydrating.

Victoras Kulvinskas (co-founder of Hippocrates Health Institute with Dr. Ann Wigmore,) was given an entire wall of dehydrators by Excalibur to conduct their temperature tests, because, as you have all deduced they got this complaint ALL THE TIME!. Victoras says, you should start your dehydrates at a relatively high heat (he suggests 130o - don't worry, the internal temperature of the food doesn't get anywhere near that!) and then turn it down after several hours. It will have formed a bit of a "crust," protecting the internal contents from bacteria, mold, etc. Then you can take your time with the rest of the process, safely.

Once you master this technique, you'll produce scruptious dehydrates consistantly.

Try those dehydrates again, this time following the guidelines given. I'll bet you'll enjoy them so much more.

[maraw]

Thanks for that MoniDew - that may explain a couple of problems I've had.

But more on topic...

When I first went raw, I went gourmet all the way. I did my best to impress my palette as well as my husband's not wanting to feel as though all of my creative time in the kitchen was going to be lost. I had a few flops, but for the most past, I was pleased. However, recently I find that some of those same meals/recipes of 6 months ago are now making my stomach hurt. I can't make them anymore, because I can't eat them. I am getting into much more simple recipes and single-ingredient meals. I believe our taste buds do make changes as we go through dietary changes.

Hang in there, this too shall pass...