Advice on going (semi) raw

[ssandra]

Hi all,

I am going to try and eat a lot more healthier and actually work my way to being completely raw eventually (or, more like 80% because i don´t want it to determine my life when eating out).

I have started this monday and for now will only do this on weekdays. Weekends i will try and eat as healthy as possible but not necessarily raw.

So far I have done this:

Start with cereal (kellogs special K) and milk for breakfast

Have 2 cups of tea (herbal or fruit) without suger

Have a salad with lettuce, cucumber, mais, some red onion, some tomato, carrot etc.
Some days this will also contain a little nuts or other healthy crap...

Have 2 more glasses of water or tea depending on how warm it is.

In the evening (my biggest challange so far) some fruit (banana, apple, mandarine) or vegetable like carrot.
Also some smoothie if I have some.

I am always craving food in the evening, so far i have been filling up with cookies, chips etc.

Now.. besides the point that I (in the future) will have to diversify a bit more, I wonder if anybody has any other tips for me.

I am completely aware that I will fail, and that is ok with me. As long as every day/week goes a little better than the one before.
This worked as well when I stopped with the caffeine (cola light and coffee). I decided to stop completely one day. I failed for about 3 or 4 weeks, but every day a bit less.. and now I am free of caffeine!

I have a blender, not a juicer at the moment. I will buy one when I (financially) can.

My biggest problem at the moment is stomach issues (warning, gross/personal stuff ahead...)

I am having very bad cramps and trouble going to the toilet. This has happened before when eating healthy and usually i solve this by eating some spicy chips that will make things move faster...

Unfortunately my stomach and insides seem to work extremely well on a diet of cookies, chips, MacTrash and other bad stuff.

Is this something i just have to go through? Can anybody recommend something for the cramps and to make stuff moving in the right direction?

Any insight is greatly appriciated!

If anybody happens to have any information on good stores or markets in Brussels, please do share as well

Tnx

Sandra

[carenkh]

Hi, Sandra -

I'm not completely raw, but my diet vastly improved after doing a ten-day raw trial. It's like doing that trial reset my body somehow, because I was like you, eating chips and cookies and cake, especially in the evening. After the ten days, I just didn't want that stuff any more, and I haven't since. (It's been a little over a month.)

I followed the detox program on the Raw Divas, it was good to know the support was there. It's a seven-day detox on their site, I just did it for ten days!

They're very knowledgeable on that site, and they may have some insight into your digestive issues, or know where you might find that out.

Good luck!

[dice]

Add a salad or even just a leaf of lettuce after EVERYTHING you eat that is not raw.

In about a year the bad stuff will slide off. It'll be slow, so consistency is the key. No taking days off!

For digestion eat ginger, cinnamon or apple cider vinegar.

[funchy]

Hello and welcome!

I think you'll find that over time your palate will adjust and raw will come naturally.

So far I have done this:

I don't know how to tell you this but almost nothing you listed is truly raw.

Start with cereal (kellogs special K) and milk for breakfast

Boxed cereal is processed, not raw. sorry.

Milk is not raw, and IMO not good for you. You mention bathroom problems, and milk could be the culprit. A good % of adults are lactose intolerant (varies with race).

Have 2 cups of tea (herbal or fruit) without suger

Putting boiling water on something cooks it. Usually hot tea is not considered raw.

Have a salad with lettuce, cucumber, mais, some red onion, some tomato, carrot etc.

That's a good start. By mais do you mean corn? Most corn is cooked before eaten.

Some days this will also contain a little nuts or other healthy crap...

Be aware some nuts are cooked, not truly raw. I am not a nut eater so I can't give a good list of which is likely to be cooked or not.

Also: try to change your mindset. If you call it "crap" then subconsciously you're rejecting it. "Crap" is the food-shaped plastic at the fast food places. Tell yourself: whole foods are wholesome, natural, nourishing, and real.

In the evening (my biggest challange so far) some fruit (banana, apple, mandarine) or vegetable like carrot.

Why do you feel fruit is a challenge? Do you not like the taste? Do you find it hard to find good produce this time of year? If you let me know why you're having problems with fruits, maybe I'll have some ideas for you.

Have you tried taking the banana and apple and putting them in the blender to make a smoothie out of them?

I am always craving food in the evening, so far i have been filling up with cookies, chips etc.

Don't buy cookies and chips. You can't eat what you don't have.

Are you craving junky foods? or just hungry in general?

I am completely aware that I will fail, and that is ok with me. As long as every day/week goes a little better than the one before.

You're not failing if you only go 80%. Every serving of veg or fruit is a victory.

I have a blender, not a juicer at the moment. I will buy one when I (financially) can.

I've done really well without a juicer. In a way, I'm thinking it might be better for me to make everything in the blender. The juicer removes the big pulp, and the blender does not.

I am having very bad cramps and trouble going to the toilet. This has happened before when eating healthy and usually i solve this by eating some spicy chips that will make things move faster... Unfortunately my stomach and insides seem to work extremely well on a diet of cookies, chips, MacTrash and other bad stuff.

Almost all of what you describe is processed. Adding fiber and healthy food should not cause constipation. If it were me, I'd cut out the dairy first -- completely for at least a few weeks. Then I might break the one big salad into a little big of veg with each meal.

Be aware you might have a food sensitivity, so you may have to include/exclude things until you figure it out.

The tea does have caffeine, just so you know. Tea is also a diuretic which means it encourages your body to give up water. You only mention tea and a little water. Maybe you're going overboard on the tea, and it's not helping your digestive system?

Make sure you're not getting dehydrated in general. I personally had good luck kicking most of my soda habit by making smoothies in the blender daily. I can add water to a thicker one rather that be stuck drinking (boring) water by itself.

Hope my ideas are of some help.

Stick with it. You'll get there. If you just slowly phase in healthy food a little at a time, things will improve.

One thing I also found is that by forcing myself to eat of fruits/veg, I got better at trying new kinds and at picking better individual items. I used to avoid almost all of the fruit/veg aisle. Now I fill a basket with fruit/veg goodies, and I experiment mixing them in the blender.

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by funchy

Hello and welcome!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by funchy

I don't know how to tell you this but almost nothing you listed is truly raw.

Oh.. i know this, i am just starting out so slowly is better for me.

Originally Posted by funchy

Boxed cereal is processed, not raw. sorry.

Milk is not raw, and IMO not good for you. You mention bathroom problems, and milk could be the culprit. A good % of adults are lactose intolerant (varies with race).

I know about the cereal and milk. I have to eat cereal because since i am still working i cannot eat more then 3 meals a day. Fruit just doesn´t last from 7 till 12,30, cereal does.
I will change that when I stop working and eat fruit instead, various times in the morning.

Originally Posted by funchy

Putting boiling water on something cooks it. Usually hot tea is not considered raw.

I know it is not raw, but it is not bad for you either is it? I like my teas.. it gives me such a nice sense of luxury, warmth and cozyness..

Originally Posted by funchy

Also: try to change your mindset. If you call it "crap" then subconsciously you're rejecting it. "Crap" is the food-shaped plastic at the fast food places. Tell yourself: whole foods are wholesome, natural, nourishing, and real.

Yeah.. my mistake here.. i mean this differently. I don´t mean it bad, if you can understand, it is just my way of saying things. My feelings attachted to it, when I say it are positive. While i can say fastfood crap and my feelings are negative (and guilt, because it is so nice!).
But i now what you mean by positive mind set, and I have that!

Originally Posted by funchy

Why do you feel fruit is a challenge? Do you not like the taste? Do you find it hard to find good produce this time of year? If you let me know why you're having problems with fruits, maybe I'll have some ideas for you..

Not the fruit is a challange, I love fruit! The evening is a challange, because that is when i get cravings and hungry.

For the last few days i have been very good, eating fruit, or a smoothie. prepackaged, but at least with just fruits and no conservatives etc.

Originally Posted by funchy

Don't buy cookies and chips. You can't eat what you don't have.

Are you craving junky foods? or just hungry in general?

I know this.. but i come by the store and do my shopping on my way from work to home.. and this is when I am most hungry! Difficult to control oneself sometimes.
As well, by husband does eat chips and cookies and chocolate, so i will have to continue to buy for him anyway sometimes.

Thank you for the rest of the tips as well.

I will stop with the milk but not yet. I like knowing that I can fail, that way i don´t feel guilty, and guilt always makes me eat more...

At the moment i am still very much troubled by my work because i don´t have enough time to do everything and make everthing that i want to do and make.
Next month should go better!

Thank you all for your support, i will keep you posted!

(today went very well, just had a soup for diner. Not raw, but at least it wasn´t cookies!)

Sandra

[Andrew Brunelle]

Going semi-raw is tougher than going all out raw, at least to maintain because there's always this sliding scale, where you end up eating more and more cooked foods, unless you are extremely self-disciplined. Eating 50% raw or more will definitely give you more energy and keep you healthier. I would try to keep a standard percentage and try not to deviate from it too much. Always try to be more than the predesignated percentage in the raw category. Otherwise, it could go back to cooked in a hurry.

I'm not really an expert on this. I eat a mostly cooked diet, but mostly whole foods. I'm not vegan or even vegetarian. I don't eat much meat, but I have at least one serving a day. So take my advice with a grain of salt. I do eat fruit in the morning, which is an incredible way to start your day. I do also do green smoothies from time to time, but with bananas and mixed frozen berries with spinach.

[marty]

I'm just over 6 weeks raw now and its awesome.Really awesome.I do eat pistachio nuts which help with any cooked food cravings but other than that its been easssy!!You just have to do it. I keep telling myself 'Cooked food is poisen' and visualising 'dog-doo' (sorry!), which puts me right off any thoughts of going back.
My skin has improved 120%. It really looks so much better.
My body has toned up noticeably.Very noticeably.I've gone from a little chubby to toned.
Increased energy.Doing more in general and have gone from doing a longest stint on the treadmill of 30 minutes(and being totally puffed) to doing a best of 52 minutes and being very ok after it.
I'm also feel a lot clearer in my thoughts,cleaner in my body and feel good after eating.I used to feel sluggish after eating cooked but never noticed it.Now I feel energized and satisfied after eating.I love it and am going to do my damnest to stay raw.One of the best things I've ever done and its makes complete common sense.

[Angela Leeds]

Hi Sandra! I've got some suggestions that may be of help...

For the constipation, two things:

1) Get a bottle of probiotic capsules from the refrigerated section of your local health food store and take at least one every day.

2) Pick up a small container of "Natural Calm" magnesium while you're at the health food store and add a tablespoon to some hot herbal tea before you god to bed. You could even just put it in hot water with a bit of juice.

These things together will help tremendously in "keeping things moving" and restoring some balance to your system.

For breakfast, I recommend getting some Ezekiel bread from the freezer section of the grocery store -- it s bread made from sprouted grains rather than flour, and makes the most delicious, hearty toast! You can use it to make a semi-raw breakfast that will "stay with you" longer than the cereal! You could spread it with raw almond butter and sliced bananas with cinnamon, for example. Or spread raw coconut oil on it like butter and a bit of raw honey.

You can even use it to make raw-ish sandwiches using avocado & chopped greens (with various seasoning). Avocado & sprouts mixed together with a bit or chopped pickled and organic mustard tastes rather like tuna fish. And you can even use it to make "salad sandwiches". It's a great "high raw" helper.

And finally, start putting your blender to us every day. You don't need a juicer. Make some live green smoothies with a handful of spinach or parsley (good for starters) -- about a cup of greens -- and some fresh sweet fruit, like a few bananas, a couple pears, a big handful or two of grapes, a couple oranges, a mango or two, or a mix. Add water, enuf to fill without overflowing, and blend.

If you have a job where you're able to drink during the morning before lunch, pack up a couple bottles of green smoothies and take to work with you!

These bits will all go a long way to help you be successful with incorporating more live foods into your day.

Good luck!

[ssandra]

Thank you all for the advice!

I have decided for now just to try and eat as much raw as possible but not put any label on it.

For the moment with work and other personal issues going on i don´t really have the time or energy to spend on it.

I am however looking forward to working from home when I can make smoothies (i love those!) and juices etc. Right now I drink a lot of smoothies and juices (without conservatives) from the store, but they are really expensive!

I have also found a biological market on wednesdays near me. So in less than 4 weeks I will be able to go there as well.

Pff it is hard to wait so long until you can do what you want to do and having to put up with things you don´t want to do in the remaining time!

[heatherluv111]

Like Marty, I am about six to seven weeks into going raw, 100%. I did, however, make four or five attempts before this to go raw, and for most of those I had no idea what I was doing. Each time becomes easier and I learn so much from my mistakes. What I am realizing this time around is that I hope to god it's permanent! For the first time I can honestly say I don't miss cooked food, and I definitely was not able to say that in any of my previous attempts.

What I am also realizing is that going raw represents a transformation on so many levels. It's not just about the food. I believe this to be the diet we were designed to eat and that following nature's law has such enormous rewards. I can feel that my digestive tract is healing itself and that my taste buds are changing. I believe that eating cooked food numbs your taste buds. For the first time I am actually TASTING fruits and vegetables and they taste f-ing amazing! I have started looking forward to my raw meals and this is also a big leap forward from my previous attempts.

Eating all of this nutrient-dense food means that your appetite shrinks considerably. When you're using superior fuel, your body simply doesn't need as much of it.

A previous poster commented that maintaining a high-raw diet (as opposed to 100%) is very difficult - so true! The addictive nature of cooked food will keep sucking you back into a diet that's mostly cooked (I know this from experience).

However, I don't want to post any discouraging words. It sounds like you are in the very beginning steps of your journey to health. If I could send a message back to myself when I was starting out, just as you are, I would tell myself five very precious words: Green smoothies in the morning!

Seriously, this will change your life! Put in a couple of pieces of ripe fruit - apple, orange, pear, peach, nectarine, mango, whatever you can get. Add anywhere from four to six chunks of raw ginger - each chunk should be about half an inch long. Then add a bunch of raw greens (someone mentioned a cup - no way! You can use a lot more than that!). My favorites are spinach, parsley, broccoli, dandelion greens, chard, dinosaur kale and a handful of any kind of sprouts. Each morning I will pick three or four of these - so I will have, say, spinach, parsley and dandelion greens. I try to add the sprouts whenever I have them. Sprouts, I am learning, are nature's superfood. They are loaded with protein and energy. Then lastly add 2 to 2 and 1/2 cups of cold water, plus one or two frozen bananas, and blend (at night before you go to bed, peel a couple of bananas, put them in a bowl and stick them in the freezer. In the morning you can get them out and put them in your green smoothie - they make it thick and creamy). So blend it up, pour in a cup, and drink! It makes about two large tumbler glasses full.

When you start feeling hungry in the morning, have one of these. Be disciplined about this, if nothing else. Over time, you will find yourself craving more and more greens and naturally rejecting cooked/processed foods. Your body craves whatever is in your bloodstream - having a big green smoothie every morning ensures that you've got lots of fresh raw greens in your system.

I wish you lots of luck in your journey!

Heather