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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookHi:) I recently read some books on raw (Annie Phyo and Natalia Rose). I have spent a month now, researching raw foodism and I am ready to transition. I am not a practicing vegetarian or vegan, but do not eat a lot of meat and don't plan on going 100% raw right away anyways. I am confused with sprouting and food combining. I would like to combine properly, but practically everything I read about tips and recipes has "poor" combinations--like fruit and veg in a smoothie. I also had no idea that detoxing could be so intense until I read some of these posts. I am worried now! Also, why are people saying to stay away from fats? I thought plant-based fats were fine as long as you weren't guzzling coconut oil by the cup. I thought eating nuts and avocados was encouraged...? I was planning on starting out this way: Breakfast choices--fruit smoothie, vegetable juice, oat groats with nut milk, or maybe Annie's coconut breakfast cakes; Lunch--large salad with mixed veg or a raw soup; Snacks--raw nuts, Lara bars, or raw flax crackers with guacamole or raw goat cheese; and Dinner--grilled fish, steamed veggies, or raw soup or salad. Does this sound do-able for someone starting out? I am nervous about cost and prep times for some things. Should I buy "staples" like different sweeteners, oils, or seeds? Any advice is welcome.
Comments
Hi Lauren,
Welcome! Sounds like you've given this a lot of thought, and that's great. I think your way of starting out sounds really good. I'd say buy a new staple food every time you go to the store, use that ,see how it goes and what you want to try next. That way it's easier on the budget and you may find you love some things and hate others (like for me I love raw walnuts and hazlenuts, but didn't enjoy the sunflower seeds or quinoa raw). Also fat sources- you may find that olive oil is your favorite, or that as a primary fat it's just too strong a flavor. Me, I prefer a lot of avocados, and haven't tried coconut oil yet. Well, all that just as an example. Take it slow and easy and enjoy the transition to a great way of eating!
Blessings-
-osoniye
Hi Lauren, I think your plan sounds really good too. Take it one step at a time and I wouldn't get too hung up on worrying about food combining or fat % just yet as you will learn over time what works best for you.
The meal plans you've come up with sound great. That way you get to benefit from lots of raw food but you are still eating a bit of cooked to ease yourself in. I also eat cooked evening meals and find this works really well for me. I never feel deprived or like I can't eat something. The more raw you eat, the less you'll want processed rubbish anyway. Make sure you don't beat yourself up though if you do slip and eat something you didnt intend to.
Good luck, I'm sure you'll do well as you seem very prepared. I find this site is so helpful for for advise and support, as well as great recipes to try out!
hey lauren!! my main piece of advice for you is definitely about fats. when i first started eating raw foods about 4 months ago, i replaced most of the cooked fats with raw fats. i ate A LOT of nuts and nut butters (way too much nut butter! haha), cacao spreads, and all the other fatty things you can think of. you meal plans sound good now but just watch out for your fat intake because i didn't lose weight going on raw... i gained it. i don't have a weight problem to begin with but i just wanted to warn you about that.
you can find food combining charts on google if you just type that in. they are really helpful. i'd recommend reading 811. im reading it now and it's helping me so much.
Lauren,
I'm a little late with my reply, but I think your plan sounds GREAT. Have you started yet? If so, how's it going?
We always have agave nectar, raw honey and maple syrup on hand for sweeteners. Oh, and also dates. As for oils, we keep olive, grapeseed and coconut oils well stocked.
As far sprouting, it's SUPER easy. I was always a little afraid of it myself... 'til I tried it. Feel free to contact me if you need any help.
Re: detoxing. I think it's right to take it slow if that's what you feel your body needs. My detoxing wasn't really horrible, but I'm only 80% raw.
Lastly, re: combining. I'm still having a little trouble with this, although Natalia's explanation in her books always seems pretty straightforward. I hear that you should always eat fruit by itself with the exception of the apple. But then again, pretty much all of us drink green smoothies. Also, in one of Natalia's latest books there was some fruit (not just apples) that was added to a veggie recipe. Hmmm... So confused, so can't really help you there. Still learning myself!
Good luck!
I think it's smart to lean into it slowly if you are not currently vegan or even vegetarian. Just that is a big transition for most people. When you feel confident that you can feed yourself, you can think about issues like fats or fruits or food combining...these are overwhelming at first, and there's no single way that's successful for everyone every time.