okay so I discovered the raw diet....I've been eating only raw fruits and vegetables since tuesday...
I know some of you would never even CONSIDER doing this...but from what I hear the benefits are unbelievable, and even after 4 days of eating raw I've had an incredible change in energy...a positive one at that
Tonight I had a salad with a little chicken and cheese (I know, not veg at all)...after I ate it I felt so full and disgusting...and I'm inspired to go back to raw...
has anyone here ever tried raw?
I know some of you would never even CONSIDER doing this...but from what I hear the benefits are unbelievable, and even after 4 days of eating raw I've had an incredible change in energy...a positive one at that
Tonight I had a salad with a little chicken and cheese (I know, not veg at all)...after I ate it I felt so full and disgusting...and I'm inspired to go back to raw...
has anyone here ever tried raw?
35 Replies (last)
You sprout radishes?? Or have i lost something?
sorry, i didnt' no this was possible?
sorry, i didnt' no this was possible?
About sprouted rice --
That's really just a novelty in the raw diet, not anywhere near a staple food. You'll find that for the most part, raw foodists don't spend nearly as much time on food as you might imagine (with respect to sprouting and other make-ahead preparations), and in most cases raw foodists spend way less time in the kitchen that cooked food eaters.
People who crave the taste and texture of rice after they go raw usually end up using vegetables instead. If you process cauliflower or parsnips, for example, until they are in fine rice-like bits, and season them in various ways, you can make really tasty dishes that satisfy the rice craving. (The calorie count on "rice" dishes goes WAYYYy down when you're using veggies instead of real rice, too!)
My favorite "rice" dishes:
cauliflower sushi rolls (season with rice vinegar, pine nuts, and honey)
parsnip spanish rice (season with tomatoes, chili peppers, oregano, and other herbs)
That's really just a novelty in the raw diet, not anywhere near a staple food. You'll find that for the most part, raw foodists don't spend nearly as much time on food as you might imagine (with respect to sprouting and other make-ahead preparations), and in most cases raw foodists spend way less time in the kitchen that cooked food eaters.
People who crave the taste and texture of rice after they go raw usually end up using vegetables instead. If you process cauliflower or parsnips, for example, until they are in fine rice-like bits, and season them in various ways, you can make really tasty dishes that satisfy the rice craving. (The calorie count on "rice" dishes goes WAYYYy down when you're using veggies instead of real rice, too!)
My favorite "rice" dishes:
cauliflower sushi rolls (season with rice vinegar, pine nuts, and honey)
parsnip spanish rice (season with tomatoes, chili peppers, oregano, and other herbs)
You sprout radishes?? Or have i lost something?
sorry, i didnt' no this was possible?
Radish sprouts are awesome! They're tiny little greens that grow from little red seeds about 1/3 the size of a pea, and they have a really spicy kick, almost like eating radish concentrate. They're good to put into sushi rolls, on salads, maybe as a topping on a sandwich.
You get the seeds from a health food or garden store, or you can order them online (e.g. from sproutpeople.com). It's really easy to grow radish sprouts, and they're so tasty and good for you.
sorry, i didnt' no this was possible?
Radish sprouts are awesome! They're tiny little greens that grow from little red seeds about 1/3 the size of a pea, and they have a really spicy kick, almost like eating radish concentrate. They're good to put into sushi rolls, on salads, maybe as a topping on a sandwich.
You get the seeds from a health food or garden store, or you can order them online (e.g. from sproutpeople.com). It's really easy to grow radish sprouts, and they're so tasty and good for you.
oh wow, i'm going to have to buy some radish seeds!! sounds awesome!!
The rice thing sounds really interesting to me to....so how do you process caulflower or parsnips into rice like bits? do you cook them first or do you chop them and blend them raw? then do you literaly eat them eactly the same as you would rice?
sorry if i sound stuipd but some tips woudl be great as I'd love to try this!!
do you make the "rice" dishes you mentioned yourself?
The rice thing sounds really interesting to me to....so how do you process caulflower or parsnips into rice like bits? do you cook them first or do you chop them and blend them raw? then do you literaly eat them eactly the same as you would rice?
sorry if i sound stuipd but some tips woudl be great as I'd love to try this!!
do you make the "rice" dishes you mentioned yourself?
The rice thing sounds really interesting to me to....so how do you
process caulflower or parsnips into rice like bits? do you cook them
first or do you chop them and blend them raw? then do you literaly eat
them eactly the same as you would rice?
Food processor! Essential equipment for the modern raw gourmet. Just chop the veggies into chunks and chop them in the food processor (my machine's setting says "chop") until they are in very small rice-like bits, and before the mixture turns into a puree.
No cooking needed. When you add seasoning to the "rice", the vegetable soaks up the flavors.
sorry if i sound stuipd but some tips woudl be great as I'd love to try this!!
Gosh, not at all. I realize this isn't commonly done. That's why I like hanging out on this site, so I can share this kind of information.
do you make the "rice" dishes you mentioned yourself?
Yep, fairly often. One head of cauliflower from the farmer's market renders into about 1 litre of "rice", which I then lightly season with salt and keep in the fridge. Then throughout the week I take a bit as I need it. It makes great fast food!
Last week I made myself a Moroccan-style dish using the cauliflower "rice" as the couscous, tossed with red bell peppers, parsley, turmeric, cinnamon, raisins... I forget what else. But I took pictures. :)
I work as a personal raw foods chef on a part-time basis, and the rice dishes are usually the most popular side dishes.
Food processor! Essential equipment for the modern raw gourmet. Just chop the veggies into chunks and chop them in the food processor (my machine's setting says "chop") until they are in very small rice-like bits, and before the mixture turns into a puree.
No cooking needed. When you add seasoning to the "rice", the vegetable soaks up the flavors.
sorry if i sound stuipd but some tips woudl be great as I'd love to try this!!
Gosh, not at all. I realize this isn't commonly done. That's why I like hanging out on this site, so I can share this kind of information.
do you make the "rice" dishes you mentioned yourself?
Yep, fairly often. One head of cauliflower from the farmer's market renders into about 1 litre of "rice", which I then lightly season with salt and keep in the fridge. Then throughout the week I take a bit as I need it. It makes great fast food!
Last week I made myself a Moroccan-style dish using the cauliflower "rice" as the couscous, tossed with red bell peppers, parsley, turmeric, cinnamon, raisins... I forget what else. But I took pictures. :)
I work as a personal raw foods chef on a part-time basis, and the rice dishes are usually the most popular side dishes.
Here are a couple of raw dishes you could try that involved "riced" cauliflower.
I haven't tried these specifically, but I've made similar things:
Curried Cauliflower
Tabbouli Salad
(The cauliflower takes the place of bulgar wheat)
Spanish Rice
Keep in mind you can use any vegetable you would normally eat raw -- parsnips, carrots, broccoli, whatever you think tastes good. People like using cauliflower because it tends to be softer, and the whiteness reminds people of rice.
I haven't tried these specifically, but I've made similar things:
Curried Cauliflower
Tabbouli Salad
(The cauliflower takes the place of bulgar wheat)
Spanish Rice
Keep in mind you can use any vegetable you would normally eat raw -- parsnips, carrots, broccoli, whatever you think tastes good. People like using cauliflower because it tends to be softer, and the whiteness reminds people of rice.
I must say, that sounds really good...alas, I am abroad and leaving in 2 months and can't buy a blender or any real kitchen equipment...it's been hard, especially since I am eating more raw food and slowly being convinced that it's best.
Actually I am skeptical of the science behind raw food, with the enzymes and seemingly overrated claims to prevent disease (I mean, please...chemicals that cause cancer are all around us and diet is one small part...though important, it's not all), and while I acknowledge that any cooking lowers nutrients and causes some negative chemical reactions, I don't think cooking or the loss that results renders the food by any means extremely poisonous (for instance, steaming) or without value.
But I do agree that the foods chosen according to edibility while raw (although I wouldn't include any animal products) are indeed the best foods to be eating...and making a commitment to only eat raw foods would ensure that I'd also only be eating the best foods and getting the full nutrient value of those foods...so by default, i agree with raw although I could lose what people seem to turn into ideology. Also, this would mean less money on food, as I already eat organic.
Pasta and bread do strike me as particularly addictive, from my experience. In fact, to avoid feeling over-pasta'ed a few months ago, I used grated raw zucchini, and then only later saw that people do that all the time (I know, I am really trying to see myself as clever...sorry) but anyway the "rice" dishes are good ideas for when I return though, thanks.
A side note that has little to do with the posts here already: Another concern is oil. I don't think adding cold pressed olive oil to things is a good practice, which raw food chefs seem to do quite a bit. Liquid fat, and a calorie supplement as well, so it seems. No thanks. I'd rather have a nut butter or something like that.
Actually I am skeptical of the science behind raw food, with the enzymes and seemingly overrated claims to prevent disease (I mean, please...chemicals that cause cancer are all around us and diet is one small part...though important, it's not all), and while I acknowledge that any cooking lowers nutrients and causes some negative chemical reactions, I don't think cooking or the loss that results renders the food by any means extremely poisonous (for instance, steaming) or without value.
But I do agree that the foods chosen according to edibility while raw (although I wouldn't include any animal products) are indeed the best foods to be eating...and making a commitment to only eat raw foods would ensure that I'd also only be eating the best foods and getting the full nutrient value of those foods...so by default, i agree with raw although I could lose what people seem to turn into ideology. Also, this would mean less money on food, as I already eat organic.
Pasta and bread do strike me as particularly addictive, from my experience. In fact, to avoid feeling over-pasta'ed a few months ago, I used grated raw zucchini, and then only later saw that people do that all the time (I know, I am really trying to see myself as clever...sorry) but anyway the "rice" dishes are good ideas for when I return though, thanks.
A side note that has little to do with the posts here already: Another concern is oil. I don't think adding cold pressed olive oil to things is a good practice, which raw food chefs seem to do quite a bit. Liquid fat, and a calorie supplement as well, so it seems. No thanks. I'd rather have a nut butter or something like that.
Actually I am skeptical of the science behind raw food, with the
enzymes and seemingly overrated claims to prevent disease
The enzyme theory pisses me off. I wish raw foodists would give that up. It has so little to do with the benefits of raw food, it's most likely bunk, and there are so many really great, very concrete reasons to eat raw that.. well, it just pisses me off. Anti-scientific nonsense.
(I mean, please...chemicals that cause cancer are all around us and diet is one small part...though important, it's not all), and while I acknowledge that any cooking lowers nutrients and causes some negative chemical reactions, I don't think cooking or the loss that results renders the food by any means extremely poisonous (for instance, steaming) or without value.
Nor do I. But the fact that most people consume less than 30% of their food raw means that the other 70% has been nutritionally depreciated and made subtly carcinogenic.
Now, it's not that the body can't handle a little cancer here and there under normal circumstances. It's that we're not living in normal circumstances. We're living in a world of hybrid pesticide-laden produce, increasing air- and water-pollution, and ever-greater life stresses, all of which conspire to drag our bodies down and wear us out faster. Disease and aging aren't just from cooked foods, you're absolutely right -- they're from a cooked WORLD.
The idea behind raw foods is that there is at least one component of all the environmental stresses we subject ourselves to that we have almost complete control over, and that's our diets. So, we supercharge our diets as an antidote to the super-craptacular everything-else going on. And you know what? It works a treat.
Claims of preventing disease? Well, they're no different from the claims of preventing disease that the touters of green tea, dark chocolate, and red wine are making. It's more or less proven at this point that antioxidants decrease inflammation in the body, and inflammation increases the likelihood of diseases and disorders. Where do you get antioxidants? Well... fruits and vegetables. Hmmm!
I'd love to see a "national cortisol level" in the U.S. and the rest of the world, to compare stress around the globe and over time. Of course to collect such data would be ridiculously invasive and absolutely wrong, but I can dream. :)
A side note that has little to do with the posts here already: Another concern is oil. I don't think adding cold pressed olive oil to things is a good practice, which raw food chefs seem to do quite a bit. Liquid fat, and a calorie supplement as well, so it seems. No thanks. I'd rather have a nut butter or something like that.
You certainly don't need to, and I'm mostly with you on that. However, if you look at the entire recipe where you're (for instance) adding 2 Tb of olive oil to the mass of a large cauliflower means that, per serving, you're eating maybe a teaspoon of olive oil.
I also don't think olive oil is the Best Oil Ever. I try to work in hemp seed oil and flax oil whenever possible.
I'm actually on a campaign to greatly reduce the use of nuts in my diet and in the foods I prepare for people. They're hard to digest and carry the potential of induced allergies in the long-term. Most people I've prepared food for (including myself) seem to feel better when I based breads and pates on seeds rather than nuts.
The enzyme theory pisses me off. I wish raw foodists would give that up. It has so little to do with the benefits of raw food, it's most likely bunk, and there are so many really great, very concrete reasons to eat raw that.. well, it just pisses me off. Anti-scientific nonsense.
(I mean, please...chemicals that cause cancer are all around us and diet is one small part...though important, it's not all), and while I acknowledge that any cooking lowers nutrients and causes some negative chemical reactions, I don't think cooking or the loss that results renders the food by any means extremely poisonous (for instance, steaming) or without value.
Nor do I. But the fact that most people consume less than 30% of their food raw means that the other 70% has been nutritionally depreciated and made subtly carcinogenic.
Now, it's not that the body can't handle a little cancer here and there under normal circumstances. It's that we're not living in normal circumstances. We're living in a world of hybrid pesticide-laden produce, increasing air- and water-pollution, and ever-greater life stresses, all of which conspire to drag our bodies down and wear us out faster. Disease and aging aren't just from cooked foods, you're absolutely right -- they're from a cooked WORLD.
The idea behind raw foods is that there is at least one component of all the environmental stresses we subject ourselves to that we have almost complete control over, and that's our diets. So, we supercharge our diets as an antidote to the super-craptacular everything-else going on. And you know what? It works a treat.
Claims of preventing disease? Well, they're no different from the claims of preventing disease that the touters of green tea, dark chocolate, and red wine are making. It's more or less proven at this point that antioxidants decrease inflammation in the body, and inflammation increases the likelihood of diseases and disorders. Where do you get antioxidants? Well... fruits and vegetables. Hmmm!
I'd love to see a "national cortisol level" in the U.S. and the rest of the world, to compare stress around the globe and over time. Of course to collect such data would be ridiculously invasive and absolutely wrong, but I can dream. :)
A side note that has little to do with the posts here already: Another concern is oil. I don't think adding cold pressed olive oil to things is a good practice, which raw food chefs seem to do quite a bit. Liquid fat, and a calorie supplement as well, so it seems. No thanks. I'd rather have a nut butter or something like that.
You certainly don't need to, and I'm mostly with you on that. However, if you look at the entire recipe where you're (for instance) adding 2 Tb of olive oil to the mass of a large cauliflower means that, per serving, you're eating maybe a teaspoon of olive oil.
I also don't think olive oil is the Best Oil Ever. I try to work in hemp seed oil and flax oil whenever possible.
I'm actually on a campaign to greatly reduce the use of nuts in my diet and in the foods I prepare for people. They're hard to digest and carry the potential of induced allergies in the long-term. Most people I've prepared food for (including myself) seem to feel better when I based breads and pates on seeds rather than nuts.
good points venix. I struggle with non-scientific claims. (I agree re the cortisol thing too - can't go round asking for urine samples without offending people - but... I would personally like to track mine!).
I posted my own question on raw food just today (didn't notice this one!). So thanks all for some good arguments :-)
I posted my own question on raw food just today (didn't notice this one!). So thanks all for some good arguments :-)
wow, thats so much for the tips and receipes - gonna buy myself a processor tonight! it sounds so easy and simple, yet tasty and so good for you!
I don't eat raw alll the time i have to admit but i way for it and fully understand the benefits!
i was under the impression that raw helped fight things like cancer (some foods anyway) and i bet you dont hear of many rawist that have cancer or have many healthy complications??
I think the danger lies in meat - you read articles in the paper all the time about a new danger with meat - i feel much safer being veggie!!
I don't eat raw alll the time i have to admit but i way for it and fully understand the benefits!
i was under the impression that raw helped fight things like cancer (some foods anyway) and i bet you dont hear of many rawist that have cancer or have many healthy complications??
I think the danger lies in meat - you read articles in the paper all the time about a new danger with meat - i feel much safer being veggie!!
Venix - would you mind if i added you as a friend? i'm so excited about trying this out and might have a few questions??
@Venix: Your posts are really refreshing - its great to see someone into raw who evaluates things critically and isn't obsessed with the idea that absolute purity is attainable. Sadly, that most raw foodists are dogmatic became my overall impression of nearly all of the webpages I've seen (I don't know anyone who even knows what raw foodism is in person), but I hope the Internet, full of people with strong opinions and lots of time on their hands, is just indicative of a sampling bias...
If I ever do try to eat all raw or close, I don't think I'll tell anyone about it (unless I have to...) and skip the parts of the books/advice/websites that I don't find relevant. Not that I don't use my own judgment, but seeing the unscientific claims or even just arguments without proper logic is very off-putting and makes me want to resist all self-identification with these people and almost defend cooked food...which of course is silly...the focus should be on personal health, after all.
If I ever do try to eat all raw or close, I don't think I'll tell anyone about it (unless I have to...) and skip the parts of the books/advice/websites that I don't find relevant. Not that I don't use my own judgment, but seeing the unscientific claims or even just arguments without proper logic is very off-putting and makes me want to resist all self-identification with these people and almost defend cooked food...which of course is silly...the focus should be on personal health, after all.
sarah1983, please do add me, and ask away. :)
wow, thats so much for the tips and receipes - gonna buy myself a processor tonight! it sounds so easy and simple, yet tasty and so good for you!
Definitely. Just like in the world of cooked food, you start building a repertoire of stuff to make, both simple and complicated, stuff that makes you feel good. It's just about learning a new set of tricks.
I don't eat raw alll the time i have to admit but i way for it and fully understand the benefits!
Heheh, cool. Of course there are many raw foodists out there that say you'll never "really" understand until you go 90 to 100% raw, but...
i was under the impression that raw helped fight things like cancer (some foods anyway) and i bet you dont hear of many rawist that have cancer or have many healthy complications??
Errr... yes and no. Eating a really high-mineral, high-vitamin, low-"bad stuff" diet seems to help people heal their bodies in ways they couldn't manage before. The role of diet has been so severely misunderstood and underestimated by medical science that most people (including doctors) are utterly dumbfounded when people fight off sickenesses after they clean up their diets.
To say that eating any particular food fights cancer is erroneous, because not everyone gets the same effects from any particular food. More accurate would be to say that when a person is suffering, there are most likely a handful of foods they could be eating to assist their bodies in working back up to full strength.
It's important to remember: You are NOT "what you eat". You are what you ABSORB.
As for raw foodists being pictures of health... quite a few people find their way to raw by way of getting really, really sick, and being very mishandled by traditional medicine. So while occasionally you do see the kind of "paradise health" that all raw foodists strive for (David Wolfe is totally the poster boy), on average you see a really broad spectrum of people, all at different levels of health.
The only constant you see among people doing "high raw" (80 to 100%) is that everybody's improving! Some faster than others, but all in all, really inspiring.
wow, thats so much for the tips and receipes - gonna buy myself a processor tonight! it sounds so easy and simple, yet tasty and so good for you!
Definitely. Just like in the world of cooked food, you start building a repertoire of stuff to make, both simple and complicated, stuff that makes you feel good. It's just about learning a new set of tricks.
I don't eat raw alll the time i have to admit but i way for it and fully understand the benefits!
Heheh, cool. Of course there are many raw foodists out there that say you'll never "really" understand until you go 90 to 100% raw, but...
i was under the impression that raw helped fight things like cancer (some foods anyway) and i bet you dont hear of many rawist that have cancer or have many healthy complications??
Errr... yes and no. Eating a really high-mineral, high-vitamin, low-"bad stuff" diet seems to help people heal their bodies in ways they couldn't manage before. The role of diet has been so severely misunderstood and underestimated by medical science that most people (including doctors) are utterly dumbfounded when people fight off sickenesses after they clean up their diets.
To say that eating any particular food fights cancer is erroneous, because not everyone gets the same effects from any particular food. More accurate would be to say that when a person is suffering, there are most likely a handful of foods they could be eating to assist their bodies in working back up to full strength.
It's important to remember: You are NOT "what you eat". You are what you ABSORB.
As for raw foodists being pictures of health... quite a few people find their way to raw by way of getting really, really sick, and being very mishandled by traditional medicine. So while occasionally you do see the kind of "paradise health" that all raw foodists strive for (David Wolfe is totally the poster boy), on average you see a really broad spectrum of people, all at different levels of health.
The only constant you see among people doing "high raw" (80 to 100%) is that everybody's improving! Some faster than others, but all in all, really inspiring.
I hope the Internet, full of people with strong opinions and lots of
time on their hands, is just indicative of a sampling bias...
heheh, brilliant way of putting it. Luckily I think your hope is correct.
If I ever do try to eat all raw or close, I don't think I'll tell anyone about it (unless I have to...)
That is actually the problem -- most raw foodists that I can stand to be around are totally hidden and don't talk about it.
That included myself, until I realized I could do a lot of good by being more visible. Then I started making a career out of raw food prep, and now I'm in school for nutrition science... so it's not real easy to hide anymore. :)
and skip the parts of the books/advice/websites that I don't find relevant. Not that I don't use my own judgment, but seeing the unscientific claims or even just arguments without proper logic is very off-putting and makes me want to resist all self-identification with these people and almost defend cooked food...which of course is silly...the focus should be on personal health, after all.
Yep, that's the way to do it. Use your intuition over anything else. Read and absorb tons of information, do scientific dietary experiments on yourself, and figure it out little by little.
It's strange: "The Path" as I look back on it wasn't so much in learning to eat all (or mostly) raw foods, even though that's what I thought my goal was. It was in learning to really follow my intuition -- as opposed to tables of numbers, or my traditional comfort foods, or the dairy industry, or the medical establishment, or some raw foodist's assertion that "all you need is sweet fruit and love" -- and find out what truly, genuinely improves me as a person.
--Naomi
heheh, brilliant way of putting it. Luckily I think your hope is correct.
If I ever do try to eat all raw or close, I don't think I'll tell anyone about it (unless I have to...)
That is actually the problem -- most raw foodists that I can stand to be around are totally hidden and don't talk about it.
That included myself, until I realized I could do a lot of good by being more visible. Then I started making a career out of raw food prep, and now I'm in school for nutrition science... so it's not real easy to hide anymore. :)
and skip the parts of the books/advice/websites that I don't find relevant. Not that I don't use my own judgment, but seeing the unscientific claims or even just arguments without proper logic is very off-putting and makes me want to resist all self-identification with these people and almost defend cooked food...which of course is silly...the focus should be on personal health, after all.
Yep, that's the way to do it. Use your intuition over anything else. Read and absorb tons of information, do scientific dietary experiments on yourself, and figure it out little by little.
It's strange: "The Path" as I look back on it wasn't so much in learning to eat all (or mostly) raw foods, even though that's what I thought my goal was. It was in learning to really follow my intuition -- as opposed to tables of numbers, or my traditional comfort foods, or the dairy industry, or the medical establishment, or some raw foodist's assertion that "all you need is sweet fruit and love" -- and find out what truly, genuinely improves me as a person.
--Naomi
I've been 100% raw for over 4 years. Works great for me. Pretty much everyone I hang around with knows I'm raw ... no big deal. I used to teach raw food classes and give free demos -- but my job is taking all my time right now. I'll get back to teaching tho, because so many folks think raw is only celery sticks and salad and that is so not true.
I don't have a bunch of rules I follow (except that it be raw and vegan) - I pretty much eat what I'm hungry for and it is extremely easy. Feeling good is important .. and that is what it does for me.
terry
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