[greenbunny]

Welcome to the site!

It's fabulous that you are getting going with this so young. I wasn't all that much older than you when I started and really wished that I had had someone who knew anything about it to talk it over with -but I was the only person around doing this back then that I could find. I read one book and off I went.

Melissa was a just a little mistaken with her definition of raw vs. live as far as I can make out. I believe that Raw is anything that hasn't been heated over 115 degrees or so like she said. That would include raw nuts. But raw nuts are not live food. Their life force is held in that seed, where as a sprouted seed is a living food. So a sunflower seed is raw and a sunflower seed that has been soaked or sprouted is alive. At least this is my understanding. This differentiation and wording is a relatively new concept and therefore I don't know all that much about it. I'm not very hip with this stuff. I'm still working basically off of concepts that are way over 20 years old (from back when I started).

If I were to go back in time and give myself advice I would say to myself:

"You don't have to do it all at once, fast, do strange things or make such a big deal out of this!"

I would tell myself to change just one thing every three months in order for it to become a long term habit. I just wanted it all changed so fast that I ended screwing myself up and going so much slower. This is a long term dietary change that you want yourself to also be doing when you are 30, 50 and 80 years old. All the fasting and false starts and rollercoastering around set me back. All I had to do was go slow and I would have gone much much faster.

It took me 15 years to figure that out. (Not any great genius am I!)

I also have known people that can make the transition instantaneously and relatively permanently - so it is possible - but just in case you want to go slower, I'll be the elder that tells you that it's ok.

Now, as far as getting this thing figured out... It's really simple: Fresh fruits, vegetables and soaked or sprouted seeds (things that if you planted them in the gound would grow (like nuts, beans, grains, legumes etc.) make up the raw food diet. Couldn't be simpler. If it's been heated over 115 - 118 degrees it's no longer up for grabs. All those crackers, prepared foods, almond milks and butters are out of the picture unless they specifically say raw and if there are seeds in it has to specifically say that the seeds were soaked. So, it's easy. Eat fruit and salads and soak some seeds to put on your salads. All the rest is extra. There are so many great recipes for all sorts of complicated stuff that you will need gadets to make - but that's for entertainment and taste value. If you are in school, which I imagine you are, eat salads and fruit and soak some raw seeds over night and rinse them the next day and put them on your salad. Walla! you are then a raw foodist and a live foodist.

Yes, Melissa is right, people are trying to make all sorts of money out of this thing. It makes me kinda sick. It goes against my grain. It used to be that raw food had a certain culture of generosity, sharing, freedom and openness. Some of that is being lost because of greed.... but not here!!!!!

Ask anything and I will explain it to you as will the others on this great site. I know that I know more than 99% of the books out there because I've been out there living and experimenting with it for so long. There is no charge at all to pick my (and the other experienced people here) brains. It's here for anyone who wants it. Just ask.

Greenbunny