How I did it: Simple food is the key, don't make it too hard, leave plenty of time for enjoying life & all the extra energy & happiness you'll find! The only tricky thing worth having is raw dehydrated bread &/or dehydrated crackers. Ani Phyo's Raw Food Kitchen recipe book is quick & easy & a great place to start & learn how to convert your old favourite meals into raw ones. She doesn't dehydrate much, & hydration is certainly better for you!

Lessons & tips: Green smoothies kill all cravings. Nuts & avocados & moderately
high-fat foods are great for transition. Soaked nuts are better, as
some fat is turns into protein during the beginnings of germination.
Nut milk is fabulous. Soaked buckwheat + seeds & dried fruit makes a great cereal. Good quality blender is a must. A hardy but cheap-moderate$
food processor is the next must-have thing, followed by a basic temperature-adjustable
dehydrator for making bread & crackers if you want to.

Snack on
fruit & raw nut-based cookies & cakes, include plenty of greens, & you won't have a problem. A good (very rough!) place to start is eating a third greens, a third fat, & a third fruit, then adjust fat up & down, & greens up if you need to. Might find you want more fruit in summer & more fatty/heavy food in winter... Eat seasonal produce! It's at the height of nutrition & flavour, so it's far more satisfying & enjoyable that way...

& remember to have fun. Eat what appeals to you, not what you think you "should" eat. There will be plenty of raw food that you find appealing. Starting with a diet based on raw desserts is better than not starting at all! Change breakfast first, then snacks, then lunch, then dinner to raw.

& remember, most folks eat high raw (around 80+% raw food in their diet) most days, rather than 100%. Don't aim for perfection immediately. Take it one meal, one snack, at a time. Don't go straight raw from omni unless you're quite sick, either, & need better health with urgency - in which case, seek assistance in a centre or from a raw food coach. It's easier to go vegetarian first, then vegan, then raw. Less of a shock to your digestive system & to your lifestyle habits as well. Most people are more likely to keep it up that way. It's more enjoyable if you're comfortable!

Don't overdo it on superfoods - they're expensive, & a little goes a long way. A well-balanced diet is the key, not magic potions or ingredients. Don't be afraid to supplement B12 - most raw food community leaders with nutritional/medical/etc training advocate it.

As with all things - balance. Don't obsess over your diet constantly, & remember all the other factors at play in living a healthly life overall: being kind to yourself, being kind to others, being kind to the environment. Focus on your diet for a while, sure, but don't forget other people, animals, & your impact on the world. There are other things in life that contribute to health of mind & body, & that includes contributing to the improving the health of others as well as yourself. Helping others will be helping yourself as well! Don't restrict yourself to the raw food community, either. Keep interacting with the rest of world. You - & the world - will be better off. Share your good health with others, & you will inspire change just as others have inspired you & helped you come to enjoy the fresher life & energy of raw food, too.

Resources: BOOKS:
Recipes & health:
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo
The China Study by T Colin Campbell
The Raw Revolution Diet by Cherie Soria
any advice & theory in the books by Gabriel Cousens
Lifestyle/practical & ethical advice:
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
Introduction to Animal Rights by Gary Francione
Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World by Bob & Jenna Torres
Evie's Kitchen by Shazzie (for raising raw vegan kids)
Raising Vegan Children in a Non-Vegan World by Erin Pavlina (for raising vegan children)
WEBSITES:
Vegan Radio: http://veganradio.com
Ani Phyo: http://aniphyo.com
Ani's Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/aniphyo
GiveItToMeRaw community: http://www.giveittomeraw.com
Raw Mom: http://rawmom.com/
Kristen's Raw: http://www.kristensraw.blogspot.com/
GF Vegan: http://glutenfreevegan.wordpress.com/
Gone Raw recipes: http://goneraw.com/
Vegweb: http://vegweb.com

Feb 18, 2009, 05:59PM PST | 0 comments | 1 cheer