i mentioned my love for raw food in another thread and calalove asked me to elaborate further so here i am.

i am a strong advocate of a raw food diet and its health benefits. i was astounded by the changes i saw in my body after only a few weeks eating 100% raw foods. physically and mentally. i could write pages and pages about how amazing it makes you look and feel, but it will sound like an infomercial full of impossible promises so i encourage you to simply try it for yourself.

i will say upfront it can be expensive, particularly if you stick with only organic (which is obviously the best) foods. price is also effected greatly by location and availability.

eating 100% raw changed the way i viewed food in a way i did not expect.

things i eat on a regular basis:

raw hummus (made with zuchinni instead of chickpeas)
raw lasagna (tomatoes, zuchini, basil, nut "cheese", spices, etc.)
all sorts of salads - lots of kale, spinach, etc.
avocados
cherry tomatoes
grapes, tangelos, pineapple, plums, cherries, apples
fruit smoothies w/ vitamineral green (this stuff is AWESOME)
water w/ vitamineral green (once you acquire the taste & crave)
celery with pecan butter and sundried raisins
sunflower seeds
raw macadamia nuts
raw pecans
blended spicy tomato/corn/southwest soups
raw grawnola

this is the first book i bought/read regarding raw foods. title appealed to my vanity but also made me laugh. the cover of mine actually looks much better as well. it is a great resource at getting started without being overwhelmed.

http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Beauty-...4170855&sr=1-3

I love how the woman on the cover of Eating for Beauty looks like she has Down Syndrome.

As for the raw food diet, I bet you get the shits really bad. At least in the start.

thanks brookelyn.

anyone else on the board do this type of diet?

& i don't mind getting the shits, it beats not getting them at all.

__________________
[ o ]==#

Yesterday was history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift - that's why it's called the present
- Babatunde Olatunji (and Kung Fu Panda)

during the week, for dinner, i usually only have raw foods but i don't think i could do this all the time. especially in winter when you want something piping hot from the oven.

__________________

is there a version of the raw foods diet that includes meat?
i can almost swear i've heard of one where the food was cooked to a certain temp but was somehow still applicable to the diet.

i feel the same way, only not just in the winter. if it's not hot it isn't food. in addition to hot, it should also be greasy.

and i'd rather eat nothing than eat fruits and vegatables. they're like anti-foods and just make me hungrier.

the problem is i'll have to change my ways really soon. so far i've been lucky that i can eat whatever i like and stay in shape and not get sick. but i feel that's starting to change.

i wouldn't go full-on raw foods, but i'll probably start incorporating a lot more fruits, vegatables, nuts and whatnot into my diet.

isn't that the south beach diet?

most of my diet is vegtables and fruits, with a bit of meat thrown in there.
you're lucky to be able to eat whatever and keep your shape. the moment i eat something bad, i tend to gain weight.

__________________

south beach is one of those anti-carb diets.

i wiki'ed raw food diet and yes i was right.

raw foodists have the best skin. you can usually tell just by looking at someone.

How exaclty does it benefit you physically?
I mean apperance wise.

I've been eating alot of raw food lately. Partly because I am poor and lazy.

i agree it is a hard diet to sustain 100% which is why i no longer eat all raw. BUT, its a really great way to cleanse your body short-term and something to strive for long term. i mean live your life but understand that eating excess of anything else is slow self destruction.

when you are eating 100% you literally feel like you are getting younger everyday. its a cool but very weird feeling.

my house is big on raw foods. just due to the preference of taste.
we're very simple eaters...which makes it easier.

i'm interested in using seaweed and i'm going to look into incorporating the vitamineral green.

__________________
[ o ]==#

Yesterday was history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift - that's why it's called the present
- Babatunde Olatunji (and Kung Fu Panda)

i only notice signifigant changes when i eat 100% raw. if i am eating any cooked/processed food i still feel good, but it's different. for me, the most signifigant improvement was energy. i have never been a morning person and all of the sudden i was waking up full of energy at 7am practically jumping out of bed. this was a 180 for me. next was skin. you get a "glow" about you that is hard to put into words. i literally had people stop me on the street or in shops with compliments. there are many other small things, but overall you just feel really fucking good!

i have read a lot about this and some say that it is because our bodies were originally made to eat only uncooked/unprocessed food. as such, anything we ingest that is not raw is seen as foreign and so our body produces enzymes? or something to "process" this "toxic" food. i am clearly not using the proper scientific terms, just going off memory but you get the idea. anyway, when we ingest raw foods, they already have these enzymes so our body does not need to produce them. thus, when we are not ingesting toxic food, our body starts to regenerate itself and function at maximum capacity.

the vitamineral green is just so incredible.
oh yeah i used seaweed sometimes too - really good nori rolls using marinated jicama shredded instead of rice!

this is my favorite raw food cookbook. the restaurant in nyc is yummy and their raw ice cream is SO GOOD, i honestly think its better than regular ice cream and most people would be hard-pressed to determine which had cream and which was totally raw. i took starfucker to this place and got him totally addicted. they have so much good food!!!!

i was abotu to say the same thing as well!

i want to eat more raw food defiantely, but i find summer is the easiest time to do it.

also , aren't some foods actually are better cooked (in terms of the changes to their molecular structure)?

i do think its a great idea though. perhaps 100% for a short period of time for a spring cleanse or something.

i agree completely. like i said, its very hard to sustain 100% long-term, but the benefits gained from even 30 days are nothing short of life-changing. i have several friends that went raw after hearing/seeing my experience and all are forever changed by it. though no one is still 100% all the time for the reasons you mention. it is also a bit of a mental challenge.

yes, some foods are easier to digest if cooked and some things you shouldn't eat raw (like potatoes). opinions on this vary from person to person, some people say our bodies will revert to being able to digest those foods due to all the enzymes or something. its been well over a year since i was really into this and eating 100% so i don't remember all the research, more how i applied what i learned it to my life and my beliefs.

also. if you are hardcore and want warm foods, you can use a dehydrator to make all sorts of things and it also works very well to warm up food. at pure food in nyc, ryan and i had an incredible warm apple cobbler ... they also make some tortilla wraps that are very good and all sorts of desserts, crackers, and snacks.