raw food suggestions

Hello there!  I've lately been thinking about adjusting what i eat some because while i've lost a good amount of weight (only 8 lbs left, and 43 down!) i know my eating habits are not the most healthy.  I certainly eat better then i used to but i would like to make some changes to my diet.  Now i've been reading a lot about raw foodism, the idea of eating 75% or more raw foods, and i think giving it a shot might help me motivate myself to eat better.  Plus i'm curious if it does give the boost of energy that the people i know who've tried it claim it does.  I doubt i will eat a 100% raw food diet because i know i probably would not enjoy maintaining in the long run, but i was thinking about trying 75% raw food to start and seeing if it would be enjoyable or beneficial to me.  On that note i'm not so much looking for comments on how healthy this may be, but i am looking for raw food suggestions. 

I absolutely love fruits and veges of pretty much any variety, nuts and seeds as well, but i need variety and am feeling like i'm missing some options.  Can anyone think of some great raw food (aside from the obvious apples, oranges, lettuce, ...) that would work well for a raw food diet?  I also have little worry about reaching my daily calories as i LOVE avocados and nuts which will both be quite helpful here.  So raw food suggestions anyone?

Congratulations on your fabulous weight loss! :D

REALLY RAW BAR RECIPE
2 Cups Organic Rolled Oats
1 C shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 C ground flax seed (brown or gold)
1/2 C dried currants
1/2 C raw sunflower seeds
1/2 C carob powder
1/3 C natural nut butter
1 C raw honey, preferably raised by a local organic farmer

Mix all together really well. Portion into small servings by rolling into rounded bars, or put into a cookie sheet and cut into bars.

YUM!! 

I know you said that you didn't want any commentary on the diet itself, but I have to say, I LOVE raw food such as fruit and veg, but think that going 100% is a little extreme, if for nothing other than the convenience of having things like cooked meat readily available.  That said, I worked at a gym with a guy who was on a 100% raw diet for the past 7 years, and at the age of 43, he looks about 28, so it's gotta be doing something!

i am not a raw foodie and this bar recipe looks really really good! how many servings do you usually get out of that?

Original Post by natalina85:

Congratulations on your fabulous weight loss! :D

REALLY RAW BAR RECIPE
2 Cups Organic Rolled Oats
1 C shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 C ground flax seed (brown or gold)
1/2 C dried currants
1/2 C raw sunflower seeds
1/2 C carob powder
1/3 C natural nut butter
1 C raw honey, preferably raised by a local organic farmer

Mix all together really well. Portion into small servings by rolling into rounded bars, or put into a cookie sheet and cut into bars.

YUM!! 

I know you said that you didn't want any commentary on the diet itself, but I have to say, I LOVE raw food such as fruit and veg, but think that going 100% is a little extreme, if for nothing other than the convenience of having things like cooked meat readily available.  That said, I worked at a gym with a guy who was on a 100% raw diet for the past 7 years, and at the age of 43, he looks about 28, so it's gotta be doing something!

That's interesting. Personally I've been at least 90% raw for the past couple months and haven't noticed too much difference except unwanted weight loss and clearing of my phlegm. And gi-jane and hedgren both didn't recommend this diet. And yet another person is doing well on it. So confusing.

That recipe sounds delicious!  I'm very eager to see if i can pick up the ingrediants at my local health food store and give it a shot!  I'm also curious about how many serving you normally get from it, although i suppose it makes sense to portion it out more based on how many calories you need or want at that point.

I get about two cookie sheets out of it 

Additionally, you can use cocoa powder instead of carob powder, if you don't have any at hand :)

And yeah, the 100% raw diet generally leaves you lacking A LOT of protein.  It's another one of those "take what you like from it" diets.  I find I need more protein in my diet to lose weight (I lost two pounds after going to an all-you-can-eat Brazilian meat buffet!), but as someone who doesn't generally like eating meat, I stick more to veggies and fruit, and get most of my protein from yogurt, beans, and nuts.