new and a question - Raw Food Chat

randomkindness · 11-04-2007

hello :-)
my first post. after doing ok and feeling really great for seven weeks on a raw food diet, i have difficulty keeping it up and have major cravings for cooked stuff (it started when it started to get colder here). So i'm looking for solutions. I often feel like eating something hot or crunchy, or hot AND crunchy, or with at least some different "bite" or texture than all these veggies (or nuts) all the time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I guess a dehydrator is an option, but can anyone tell me if they are as unecological and wasteful of energy as they sound?

thank you!
tobias

nothinkingbehind · 11-05-2007

Hi Tobias,

I completely understand! And you have options... you can either stick to raw and vary your diet, or add some cooked. 7 weeks is still transitioning, so you are still new to this. It sounds like raw is your goal, which is awesome. I just want to throw it out there that eating a bit of cooked food (as long as it's nutritious) is ok. Sometimes it even helps with the long term plan because it's easier to stick to something when you've established habits over a period of time.

But, assuming you want to stay raw, you can do that with GREAT variety. Also remember that the key temp is 115. So you can make warm soup, warm tea. I have a thermometer and warm things very gently and it seems to work ok for me.

A dehydrator is a little expensive depending on what you get and how you look at it. I have an inexpensive one that I had from before I went raw, so that is working for me right now. In a few months I will get a good blender, good dehydrator. From everything I have read, dehydrators are very energy efficient. Although they are on for a long time, they use very little energy. Certainly less than a stove or microwave does for even a fraction of the time. They do make things easier, but you don't have to use them. What things do you eat now? Do you have a decent blender? Have you purchased any good raw foodbooks?

Crunchy can be done with lots of veges.... one good one is jicima, which is a root vege. Very crisp with a mild flavor. I toss sticks with seasonings and dip them in whatever sauce sounds good at the moment.

Also, did you prepare a lot of you food before going raw? If not, you are not only changing your diet, but the way you deal with food overall. So maybe working on smoothies and veges with different flavor dips would help.

Welcome to the forum, and i hope you jump into the many topics here...

Melissa

randomkindness · 11-08-2007

Hi Melissa,

thanks very much for your advice (sorry for my late reply).
Good to know this is still the transition period. Yes, i am including some cooked food, but i got on the slippery slope and went from like 90% to 50% raw. And i'm not yet sure to what extent it is to be attributed to that, but my mood and energy went down. I've been 90% again since five days and they are entirely up again, amazing. Is the experience of having too much energy at night to go to sleep common and attributable to a raw diet, you think?

I think what changed in my way of dealing with food is that for now, there seems to be a lot less to eat, and it's harder to get food when i don't need it (out of addiction). but i do crave for it now and then, like i said.
i have a good blender and i'm eating mainly juices (green and fruit) and salads. we don't have so many raw specialities as in the US, although i could order them but they are very expensive. fruit is not incredible here too, not as in hotter countries.
i should invest some time in being more creative and using some uncookbooks (i have some, yes), but i haven't much time. i'll try to make time. i have some

if i continue this, i'll consider a dehydrator, it's good to hear it's energy efficient.

thank you again :-)

Tobias

anisha · 11-08-2007

Hey Tobias,

So I just want to let you know that I am 90-95% raw and that if I really craved cooked I eat it, however, I am somewhat cautious of what I eat. Like pasta (I know not good), but no fattening milk sauces or meats. I agree with Melissa, that although I am eating cooked it is helping in the long run. I just try not to yo-yo in transitioning.

Green for Life is a great book and has lots of smoothie recipes in it.

Anisha

randomkindness · 11-09-2007

hi anisha,
thanks. yes, the yoyo effect seems to be a problem. it's a slippery slope out thee :-)
when i eat cooked, it is vegan, so most of the bad stuff is out of the question, but still there is a lot of tempting things which i think are not too good :-)
basically, this seems to be just a big attempt to have as much control over my mood and energy level as possible. but sometimes i wonder to what extent we should try to control that :-)

RawFoodGrl · 11-19-2007

I am transitioning myself, but one of the things I experienced recently is the power of adding superfoods to your diet.

There are many, and the ones I use every day are Pure Synergy (a superfoold blend) and Maca (I use the powder). Less often, but still weekly, I have some goji berries and raw cacao.

I find that when I'm eating these superfoods, I feel REALLY GREAT! And the more I do it, the less I want to eat not just unhealthy things, but meat, cheese, even things that don't resonate for my body like mushrooms.

There are many nutrients in superfoods so I know that is playing a role, but I also wonder if it's changing my energy vibration. I am drawn to some foods, away from others - and it's not a big mental chore or decision. I simply don't want them. Sometimes even thinking about eating it makes me feel physically ill.

I think it's worth giving a try, to see how that works for you.

As far as cooked foods, I am doing a lot of cooked vegan foods - but I try to ALWAYS have something raw with it, such as a salad before lunch or a raw soup before dinner.

Also, I'm finding that not only do I want to have whole foods (nothing processed - well, I still like my tofu, vegan cheese, Veat and corn torillas), I'm wanting to not cook the food as long as I did before. I suspect in time I will cook my veggies less and less until I don't cook them at all.

nothinkingbehind · 11-20-2007

I definitely agree about the superfoods. It makes a huge difference for me. I was doing a superfoods drink every afternoon, and it was making a really big difference. I know i need to get back to it, I just have to make the time to put it together every day. I added a lot of things to it, so it was a little time consuming.

Anyway, I wasn't on the superfoods bandwagon until I started using them, now I'm sold!

Melissa