RAW living

[SarahC (bujababe)]

Hi, I am a 100% raw /super foodie, wonderng if there are any others out there on the challenge who are, or who want to be living a raw food diet. My hubbie and I went raw about 6 or 7 months ago and it ROCKS!!! hey particualrly if you are an aussie who is interested in a raw lifestyle I am keen to connnect as the world of raw is still finding its baby feet in this country.....look forward to connecting.

[Clarissa Kelly]

Hi (name?),

I am Clarissa in the USA (Oregon). I have recently started adding more Raw foods to my family's diet, and I am intending to be 75% Raw by the end of my challenge. My own hubby is doing it right along with me and we're having green smoothies every day and salads, plus more fruit instead of cooked snacks. We still eat at least one meal a day cooked, as I am not feeling well eating more than 2 meals a day Raw. I get dizzy just eating veggies and nuts. I also have the Flu right now so I am living off of smoothies, soup, and toast. :(

I really want to do the Raw Food Lifestyle, as high as possible, but my body doesn't seem keen yet. I already ate a fairly healthy diet so didn't need to wean myself off of junk or anything. Still, my body seems totally addicted to cooked stuff.

I will report back when I am feeling well and strong again, and am able to cope with the detox of high raw. :)
Cheers!
Clarissa

[SarahC (bujababe)]

Hey, this is Sarah, hi Clarissa. Yer, it took my hubbie and I a little while before we were in the groove. Transitioning to a raw diet is quite big, and there is detoxing associated. I have actually found for me that being say 75%raw is harder than 100%. Having said that I really follow a raw food AND superfood diet and follow Raw food guru David Wolfe who is right out there on the cutting edge of where nutrition is and is headed. By superfoods I mean Bee pollen, maca, raw cacao (chocolate) - oh yes, lots of chocolate!, spirulina, goji berries etc etc. I am still breastfeeding a 20 month old, and so I don't think I would be doing very well at all without this super nutrition. David Wolfe is all over the net and has a subscritption website thebestdayever with heaps of info etc. Anyway that is my little angle, I love greeen smoothies too, how good and easy are they!! Also salads with lots of seaweed, and super smoothies made with fruit and all those goodies I just mentioned. I really feel that this diet is propelling my whole being forward to the next level which is pretty exciting, keep in touch, Sarahx
PS. I am finally going to be adding videos after a long time of not having much time (my 5 year old has just started school) and I will talk more about my rawhealth journey there.

[SarahC (bujababe)]

Hi again, Hope you are feeling better soon. I just reread what you wrote and yes, in fact from what I have learned actually cooked food is addictive and that is one of the reasons why 100% raw works better for me, anyway cheers, Sarah

[Clarissa Kelly]

Hi Sarah!
Thanks for the reply! I am feeling a teeny bit better today, still having my Raw Smoothies in the mornings, I love them and I will keep them up, no matter what.

It is really odd, as I totally want to have a 100% Raw diet, everything I've read for years has prepared me for this shift in my health. I am so ready to go! It is just that I end up feeling very "off" when I eat Raw food for too many hours in a row. I am assuming that it is for 3 reasons: 1. Detox feelings 2. Addction reaction 3. Not eating enough fats (or something else lacking).

I am still getting over having the flu, so I won't be able to notice how I truly feel on RAW for awhile. I know that food addictions are easier to break if I go 100%, but I will have to feel stronger before I do that. Wish me luck!
:)
Clarissa

[SarahC (bujababe)]

Hey Clarissa. detoxing definitely is a factor initially, maybe even over several weeks, and just the whole transition is pretty big, both from the head (psych) perspecitve and the physical. As far as what to eat and other lifestyle factors to utilise there is ALOT of info on the internet, and all with slightly differing perspectives.
That is how I got started:
David Wolfe,(mainly),
Dr Gabriel Cousins - Tree of Life retreat centre, Arizona, (he is one of the founding raw guru dudes,and is a medical doctor who has been raw for about 37 years!!!!. ) Also,
Karen Knowler, english and very practical how to do the food thing, prep etc,
Kate Woods, now Majic Woods, also been around awhile and very informed mother of 3 young raw children.
There are others, but this is good start, you will find yourself drawn to what will work for you One thing I keep as a reminder as I delve deeper into this journey, (I am stll just at the beginning, so much to learn and layers to peel away) is something David Wolfe says. You have to make it enjoyable, it isn't about taking anything away or making it hard etc.....he suggests just add in the good stuff and let the other stuff (food/habits etc ) just naturally fall away as the GOOD takes a firmer footing. This has definitely been my experience.
We also eat, which I didn't mention before, lots of avocados, and some nuts and seeds. Avocados are so integral to a raw diet 'cause they hit so many spots, creamy, oily, filling and yummy!!

Hope you are getting better, sorry if this is a bit of a rave, honestly though I am really happy to share and dialogue as I am still so inspired about what is happening in our lives, the transformation it is allowing and how powerful and appropriate a choice being raw is for our planet right now. And the more I learn about it the more internal YES's go off in my being....enough for now, cheers, Sarah.

[Clarissa Kelly]

Thanks again Sarah! I can see now that Raw is a journey, not just another quick diet plan. It is a big shift in the diet, may take my body awhile to be able to assimilate them. I guess it is not all about will power, more about adapting the body to be able to use food in its raw form again. It's not like my body has been doing much of that for 40 years! :)

I can see that avocados and seeds, etc. are a big part of the diet. I was eating lots of veg and feeling ill and starving! I like what David W. says about adding the good stuff and letting the rest all away. That is some of the best advice I've heard! So that is what I am going to do now!!! I am adding smoothies, fresh fruits 2-3 times a day (rather than cookies), having salads with lunch or dinner and I am taking Barley Green drinks, too. I can already tell that my cravings are going, so I will add more nuts/seeds and see where I am after a few weeks of doing those things.

Thanks so much again!
Clarissa xxx

[Clarissa Kelly]

Hi Sarah,
Question! What sort of seaweed do you use? I got some dulse, but I don't really like it, it is too chewy. Hard to ignore that in a salad.

Congrats on the breastfeeding, I did it for 15 months and I thought I would collapse by the end of it. Wish I'd known more about nutrition then! :)

Clarissa xxx

[SarahC (bujababe)]

Hey Clarrissa, We use dulse flakes...already half ground up, in their whole form they are a little hard. Seaweed is quite important I think for minerals....a big part of nutrition.

Yes, being on this diet makes breastfeeding so much more doable. With my first, it was more draining, way more. She is one lucky baby and obsessed about the booby.
Sarahx

[Robinlynn]

Hi I am temporary on raw it's been 12 days and interesting.I am however just experiencing with the raw food only and journaling about my adventures.Wow u have been raw for 7 months that's wonderful for u!

[Emha]

Hey Clarissa, you suggest that you might not get enough fats. Do you take enough avocado's, nuts and oils?

I'd be glad to help you analyse your menu if you want me to. Just let me know.

[Clarissa Kelly]

Thanks Emha! I am going to start writing down everything I eat, I will show you when I do that for a few days!
I do eat avacadoes, a few nuts and seeds, maybe not enough. I appreciate your offer. :)
Love to you!
Clarissa

[Clarissa Kelly]

Thanks Emha! I am going to start writing down everything I eat, I will show you when I do that for a few days!
I do eat avacadoes, a few nuts and seeds, maybe not enough. I appreciate your offer. :)
Love to you!
Clarissa