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BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

It is exciting to see lots of new people to raw joining the site. Let’s consolidate info in one thread to make it easier for them to get up to speed, kind of a primer thread.

What hints, tips, support, info or links to threads would be useful for newbies? Add information or a link with a little comment to this page or create a new thread that specializes on a subject.

FYI… Blue text are links. Click on the blue text to view the webpage.

(EDIT: 1/24/09 The Goneraw links in my posts have been updated. You will know if a link has been updated if it says (updated XX/XX/xx). If you find a link in one of my posts that does not work (they are the only ones that I can edit) email me. Remember to add links to information that you found useful if it isn't listed here so others can benefit from your journey.
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Comments

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    HC~ You can either start a list on this thread or start a new thread… the choice is yours…:)

  • I think the soaking/sprouting threads and the dead food list from purelyraw.com would be very helpful to the newbies.

  • OneOne

    Thankyou, Bluedolfin, for starting this thread!

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Thankx to germin8 for pointing to this site…

    SPROUTING/SOAKING

    Some great sprout sites
    RawLifer
  • MunchieMunchie Raw Newbie

    As a newbie, here are a few things I would and maybe others in the future would like to know:

    1.) I would like info. on produce. How to tell what’s ripe, things to avoid, how to store it properly. I buy produce almost every other day, and EVERY day I’m having to throw stuff out :o( The “kids” at the grocery store can’t pull their pants up, let alone tell me where I can find a persimmon. Surprisingly, even the folks at whole foods couldn’t identify kale in the bin of greens they have—though they were MUCH friendlier and were willing to help and try and find out at least(actually, the 15 year old girl at the juice counter was the most help and DID in fact know her whole foods.) I have a couple of raw books from the library and just bought another, and while they have a LOT of information, it tends to be mostly recipes.

    2.) Do you use those green stay fresh bags?

    3.) Newbies would like to know what to expect with detox. Duration, range of symptoms, what is happening, etc.

    4.) What is the official raw temp. no no? I’ve heard 108, 112, 116, and 118.

    5.) What order to eat foods—fruit in a.m.? nuts at lunch/snack? veggies in p.m.? ???

    I’m all over the place, I know, I am just a little overwelmed by all the new information for my new raw journey.

    Note to newbs: be sure to check out the threads on natural hygiene. Deodorants, toothpaste, and alternative ‘poos… great info!

    Thank you everyone!

    RawLifer
  • This is a great thread! I love the idea of having a place on the site for newbies and all their questions. I think it would be nice to have some articles such as “Why raw?” and such. Oh, the site is so nice! :0)

    www.rawroyalty.blogspot.com

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    munchie- i think you assume, as i did, that you are going to find the “truth” about raw food. the more i read about it, the more i understand that there are SO many mixed opinions about what to eat, when to eat it, how much to heat it, etc… there’s just no substitute for experience really. there are of course helpful tips, but you may find some don’t work for you later on, and some will.

    1) produce varies. greens shouldn’t be stored WET. make sure to separate the leaves and dab them with a clean towel when you get home. store in ziplock-type bag (you can poke holes in it, and resuse, so the greens can breathe and not get swampy). HOWEVER, you’ll need a lot of greens in my opinion. i usually finish mine off before it goes bad.
    also, you can dehydrate (or freeze, depending on whether or not you believe this to be “raw”) anything that is less than appealing. dehydrated greens make a great green powder to use when you are out of fresh greens in say, a green smoothie.
    certain persimons (the apple shaped ones) are good hard, whereas the longer ones are best very soft.
    {i won’t go through the whole store with you… feel free to ask more specific ones}

    4) it ranges from “don’t dehydrate”, to 118 i think. ani phyo said 104 because that is when it becomes painful to the touch. gabriel cousens says 135 for 3 hrs is best to prevent bacteria from growing, then cranking it down to 115 (i believe). does it matter? you’ll have to decide which you feel more comfortable with. your palate may tell you.

    5) i do fruit till lunch, salad at lunch, something more elaborate (raw root veggie plate, veggie patties, etc…) with a salad for dinner IDEALLY. you want to eat fruit on an empty stomach, so as long as it’s been 3 hrs since your last meal, fruit is a great option, even before dinner.

    i hope this helps.

  • Bluedolfin – thank you so much for pointing out the search area. As dumb as I feel writing this, I never realized it was there!
    Again – duh to me – but THANKS to you.

  • thanks so much for this thread, especially the sprouting and soaking info! love this site!
    you all rock!

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    namadetaberu~ We all go through a learning curve :) ... pay it foward… post a link or info you learned about that is useful to you.

  • MunchieMunchie Raw Newbie

    I’m silly… I once tried to search for a thread using the search feature on the main page, only to find out it was only for recipes. I didn’t think to try the search feature again after entering the forum page. I will have to try that, and use it from now on. Thank you.

    Pianissima- thank you for your post. It was very informative and you’re right I thought there was pretty much a set “science” to raw.

  • Bluedolfin, great topic ideas!

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    Sky~ What other threads, sites, and/or info that have been useful to you that you can share with newbies? Yes, you have some of those and you are not sharing like a nice Princess. ;)

  • lzhptlzhpt Raw Newbie

    Munchie—loved the detox question. I’ve been raw for 2 years. in between went off for about 6 months—well to just 75% raw—so when i went back to 99% (still needed the 1/2 c. am coffee), I detoxed again.You will detox in your weakest area—for me i am prone to a candida type rash—began on day 5 in my ears, went down my neck to my trunk and left on day 10. If i didn’t know i was detoxing, I might have thought it was an allergy to something raw i was eating. Day 5 began some seriously painful intestinal urges upon waking, which lasted about 3 days. Welcome those as your body is eliminating very deeply. Probably TMI.

  • I just got and read the book Green for life basied on the recomendation of someone on goneraw. I am extreamly new to raw food, but would recomend any person investigating raw food to read it.

    It is very informative about nutrition. Half way through reading it my husband ran to the store and made our first green smoothy. I thought for sure it would be unpleasent at best. It was great.

    I am so thankful to all of you and your care and suport you have given me.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    RAW FOODS

    • Goto Forums tab and search on a specific food. There are many discussions on different foods being raw or not even if the package says “raw.”
  • kandacekandace Raw Newbie

    Bluedolfin: Wow, thank you for putting all of these resource links together in one thread. Awesome!

  • greenghostgreenghost Raw Newbie

    Kandace- thanks for bringing this topic up again. I have not seen it before.
    There are fabulous suggestions and Bluedolfin sure did do a beautiful job with all of the links. Cool!

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    kandace & greenghost~ My privilege. I hope the resource is useful.

    Y’all~ The intention of this thread is to be a living, breathing, growing (like the community) consolidated source of info for newbies with many people adding useful links (this is not a Bluedolfin updating only thread). Please! Please! Please! add links that you found helpful or you think a newbie would find helpful. That way new threads are added and info is updated. The links I’ve posted was just to start the ball rolling and might be a bit stale by now… It’s great that Kandace pinned a newbie page in the New To Raw forum. Now this info won’t get lost if the conversation stalls. I can only hope for the sake of the newbies that people will massively contribute to this thread and “pay it forward”.

  • I was just wondering how long the detox usually takes. If anyone could please help with some tips or ideas on how to ease headaches. I am trying to get healthy and lose weight. I usually smoke and drink coffee everyday. Today was torture but I made it the whole day with 99% raw food (I put a little whipped cream on strawberries). I also broke down and had a cup of coffee (as opposed to a pot) and smoked one cigarette. Please don’t tell me how bad my habits are, I did not sign up for criticism, I am just giving some background for a more informative response. I have 2 children that need my attention, so cannot suffer through such a massive headache. Does taking a caffeinated pain reliever (excedrine) alter the health benefits???

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    kung fu mama~ Welcome to the site and congratulations to your commitment to increase your wellness.

    It sounds like you are trying to eliminate a lot of things (cigarettes, coffee/caffine, etc.) all at once that may cause “withdrawal/detox” symptoms. Goto the post above on DETOXING on Jan. 9, 2008 for some links for more info on detoxing. For even more info on detoxing and transitioning, click the Forums tab and search on the keywords “detox”, “transition”, and/or any area you want more info. Many people have posted about their experience and gotten many suggestions. Here are a few suggestions for now:

    • Drink tons of water (at least 1/2 your weight (lbs) in oz. eg. 100 lb person drinks 50 oz of water, more is better to flush out garbage being released by your body).
    • Either tackle one area (like quitting smoking OR stopping coffee OR etc.) at a time not all at once or slow down the transition in those areas.
    • Try to avoid “adding” to the issue by taking OTC medications.

    Your transition is up to YOU. Listen to YOUR body and do what works for YOU! Learn from what other people are doing and apply what you learn when the time is right for YOU. Each person is different! Say that over three times and click your heels. ;)

    May you quickly learn to “hear” your body. Much success in your transition.

  • Thank you for your reply bluedolphin. I think you may be right about slowing it down a bit. I am determined to make this work, if I need to drink one cup and have one cigarette for a week and then try cutting to half I can do that. Or like you said try giving up one and then the other. I have been drinking a lot of water, but not 1/2 my weight. I don’t know if I can drink that much H2O lol. I will check out the links and forums on detoxing. Again, thank you and I can’t wait to wake up without feeling all of the junk I’ve put in body. I know this will pass and I’ll be healthier for it.

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    kung fu mama~ My privilege. You are not alone about the water issue. Notice that you only use the number from the body weight pounds NOT a direct pound to ounces conversion. When you increase your water, at first, it may feel like you are peeing out your brains… like many, you are probably chronically dehydrated. After a “bit” (each body is different) your body gets hydrated and understands it will now be getting plenty of water… woohoo… also adding about the juice of 1/4 of a fresh lemon to 8 oz of water will help the detoxing and give you a little variety. An easy way to measure your water without much thought is to get a 1/2 gallon jug. Fill it in the morning or at the end of your day. Drink from that during the day until you empty it. That is 64 oz. No remembering how many glasses, etc. See the bottom of the jug = 64 body cleansing and lubing ounces of water. :)

    Another suggestion so you can get it out of your head is to write down a plan of transition. Include what you are decreasing and what you are increasing by week. Revise the plan as needed.

    BTW… in answer to your original post about “how long the detox usually takes”... there is no simple answer, each body is different and there are many factors. Think of the process like an onion… you peel off a layer by adding resources to your body like clean, healthy food, sleep, body movement, massage, yoga, etc., and/or reducing toxins like caffeine, cigs, household chemicals, toxins stored in the body from previous exposure, etc., and the “dirt” is exposed. You clean out the dirt and work on the next layer to peel off and guess what? “new” dirt to clean out… Cleaning out the dirt from different layers might look very different. One layer clean out (detox symptoms) might be headaches, another sleep issues, another ???, then another might be the headaches again… This is a life process, not a one shot deal. It’s an adventure!!!

    One last suggestion… be patient and loving with yourself. This journey is not about being “perfect.” It’s about going in the direction of your choice.

    Happy learning. :)

  • just sharing my experiance and amazement her… well first off, i lived for 20 years in latvia (a very small country in europe) until a few years ago i moved to USA. how healthy i used to eat amazing, of course until i came here. all vegetables, fruit etc. always seasonal, RAW, fresh from the garden. sourcrout raw, freshly made. juices-again fresh (actually there is a really good juice from a trea we used to have in spring), apple cider – only fresh. recently, i asked my mom, if she ever heard abou organic food and she said “WHAT?”.she and i never heard of non-organic potatoes,strawberries or anything else of that sort. you cant just go to the store and buy strawberries in winter!!!! even honey- everyone has a friend of a friend who has bees on a farm. now i just look back and say WOW!!! before i started to read about raw, organic food everything just seemed irrelevant. now i realize how important it is, and it is so sad that some countries have it so easy and naturaly… i wish US would be one of them…

  • What about substitutions newbies can use for raw. Here’s a non raw example: no buttermilk so vinegar+milk+butter no oil when baking a cake so use unsweetened applesauce

    Is there non raw substitutes that newbies don’t think of so that we can take our favorite recipes/salads and make alterations? Sorry if my question doesn’t make sense.

  • angie207angie207 Raw Master

    An easy sub for sugar is agave – just use 2/3 the amount of agave as you would have used sugar, and use a little less of some other liquid than the recipe calls for if you’re converting a recipe to raw. Agave doesn’t have a strong flavor like maple syrup or honey, and it dissolves very easily, even in cold water – it’s easy to make lemonade with fresh lemon juice, agave & water. I once saw a salad made on TV that sounded really good, so I converted it to raw by leaving out the carmelized almonds & subbing agave for sugar in the dressing.

    butter – sub coconut oil + sea salt

    fresh garlic + sea salt is a good base for replacing lots of strong store-bought flavors.

    To round out the flavors in a sweet raw dish, try adding a pinch of salt and/or a squeeze of lemon.

    Brazil nuts add a buttery flavor & texture to things like raw pie crusts.

    Raw cashews + water blend up creamy in the blender & can replace the creaminess of dairy in shakes, sauces, etc.

  • I am absolutely new to raw. My Chinese/MD dr suggested I look into it although, I am type O blood type, so the question of enough protein may be an issue. I have to say, I am extremely excited about trying some or all of these suggestions. I am hoping it will help with mood issues and energy levels. This thread and site is full of information. Raw was never an option in the past because I assumed it would be too time consuming. I will look forward to the journey. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!

  • Hello All,

    Still doing my research, start date 1/5/09. Any advice.... already an organic vegetarian looking to take that next step. I need to do this the easiest way with my busy life, so that will be the hardest part. I know what to expect on the detox, I've done the MC a few times. Tried raw last year wasnt ready, i am ready now!

    :)

  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    This thread is a great place to add your first post to the site. What threads or information did you find useful?

    More threads for you…

    GREEN (mainly veggie) SMOOTHIES

    Here are two threads that have some great green smoothie suggestions and information. Enjoy!

    • For additional information: Click on the underlined "Advanced Search" at the top of the page. Click on the red "Advanced Search" on the leftish side of the page. Enter keyword
  • BluedolfinBluedolfin Raw Newbie

    FOOD COMBINING

    CHOOSING PRODUCE

    DETOXING

    There are lots of threads that deal in detoxing… Use the search function on the Forums tab.

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