*After The Cleanse*

[mtmouse]

Those pizzas are totally gorgeous, Res!

What are you going to do with them until you can eat them? I always freeze my crusts and make each pizza up fresh, but someone (TeePee, maybe?) said she makes hers up like you did and then freezes them that way. But mine usually have lots of spinach and onion and mushroom on them, and so far I haven't been brave enough to freeze and then thaw those ingredients. :o

Congratulations on finishing your cleanse! Of course, now I'm jealous because the end of mine is a looooooooooooooong ways away! LOL.

[Res]

Thanks Kathy: I can't wait until you're back in here! :) How long is this cleanse?

Well, I must have read Cohen's book wrong then. I thought she said she loaded up her pizza's and then dehydrated and froze them. That's what I've done 3 times now. When I want a pizza I just pop it from freezer to dehydrater and warm it up, or I'll take it to work and put it on top of my Server (it's warm. lol) and a few hours later I'm good to go.

These are going into the freezer, unless when my son gets home and devours them again. lol :) I really did these up this time. I can't wait.

I have a spirulizer now and will make a lot of zucchini (spaghetti) dishes. I'm going to see if the spirulizer works with beets. After I ordered it I read the reviews and it was about 1/3 really bad reviews to 2/3 better reviews. I still need a mandolin but the one I want is $70 and I'm not ready to fork that over yet. It sure is a beauty though (mandoline (http://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?a=b&item=47317)) - but I'm not sure if I'll use it that much so I dunno.

I squeezed some oj and ended up with a doozy of a headache. Coincidence? I don't thinks so. So I squeezed some grapefruits and felt a bit better. I've also had coconut water - I cracked that Thai coconut open myself and I must say that if I was ever asked what my favorite beverage was I'd say the coconut water. My gosh - it's amazing. It has saved peoples lives. It has the same properties as blood and has been used in IV's in place of plasma. Weird huh? :)

Off to watch a movie after slaving away in the kitchen all day and loving it! LOL ;)

Love,
~Res

[mtmouse]

Hmm. I don't remember reading that in Cohen's book. But I might have missed it!

Your mandoline link didn't work for me.

You know, based on your raves, I actually went out and bought two young coconuts (which I'd never seen before or even heard of before this list and raw food books). I love coconut but it's no good on my BTD, so I don't usually eat it.

We finally got it open. And I tasted the juice and hated it! And then I tasted the meat and hated it! LOL.

And there seemed to be so little meat, and it was all slimy and everything, and so hard to get to. I seem to remember when I used to get the brown coconuts, the inside brown skin was easier to split off from the meat.

Anyway, I'm glad you can enjoy them, but I just can't see what anyone would like about those things! :D

I guess I just like SUGARed coconut, huh? Mounds Bars sound pretty good right now, now that I think about it. Mmmmmmmmm. :D

[Res]

"Mounds bars".... LOL

Yes, the inside of the young coconuts is very "pudding-like" and that's the draw for a lot of us. I've made raw cacao pudding with the young coconut meat. I love it. :)

I haven't re-read Cohen's take on the pizza's but I'll do that after my movie. Either way I really like doing it this way AND the house smells like an Italian Deli! :D

I just clicked on the mandoline link and it came right up for me. Try again. ;)

[mtmouse]

I did try the link again, and all I get are three choices: Fusion, Oxo-something, and oxo.com. When I click on oxo.com I don't get any specific product.

It does say something about being a member. Are you a member? Maybe you get a different screen.

[Res]

That's so odd. When I click on the link it takes me right to the mandoline. Nope, not a member. Here's what it shows;

http://www.oxo.com/OA_MEDIA/hotmedia/oxo/imagesprod/1_1054752_3a_1.jpg

I wonder if it's your browser. What are you using?

[mtmouse]

Yeah, could be my browser. I use Firefox. Every once in a while it gets left out of the party.

The mandonline does look nice. Are those little round things different cutting blades?

The big problem I have (if we forget that my thumbs are a lot shorter now, LOL) is that when you slice something like a small zucchini or carrot lengthwise, you lose half of it because the pusher won't go down far enough. I did take your suggestion and use a fork, but that was pretty awkward. Did save my thumbs, but I didn't get much more sliced veggie.

And I think this one, spiffy as it is, would have the same problem.

For a while I looked at the hand-held julienne gadgets, but same deal, except you have to hold onto the other side of the veggie, so I'd probably lose my palm skin too! :eek: I decided to pass, LOL.

But if I simply steel myself to the fact that I can only slice half my veggie, and I use the pusher faithfully, then my $10 mandoline does work just fine. :D :D :D

[Res]

Yes those are different cutting blades.

All the less expensive mandolines out there now don't come with the handle to hold the veggies with - so you end up paying an additional $7.99 for a knob to hold them. :o

I've been pretty scared of buying one because of what you Ladies said about cutting fingers! :eek: However the zucchini recipes say slice the veg thin. I tried that manually - what a pain. So I dunno.

[mtmouse]

Yes, it does slice things nice and thin, I will say that. Does onions really well.

The answer with zucchini, of course, is to buy a thick one. Then you don't waste so much (and of course you can always eat the extra somehow but I still don't like having to deal with those leftover pieces).

With carrots it's just really hard. I now buy the little fingerling organic carrots at Costco, and they're only about a half-inch thick at best, and I'll get maybe two pushes of julienne out of them. It's frustrating.

Oh, I think you asked about beets in the spiralizer. Definitely! I've made some beautiful salads with both angel hair beets and also using the thin-slice blade. (I think one of the beet salads may have been Ani Phyo's. Or else it was Cornbleet. But it was fabulous.) To use the thin-slice blade you need to first make a cut to the center, so you don't get one long spiral. But it's great.

Now, what I'd like is to find something that will slice ginger, either flat or julienne. That's REALLY a bear in the mandoline. And most ginger is too small around for the spiralizer. I adore my new raw pickled ginger, but the last time I actually julienned over half of it by hand. (Did the rest on the mandoline, but it just wasn't enough.)

Anybody got an answer for that one? I wonder how the Japanese sushi ginger people do it.

[Res]

Hmm, you know maybe a meat slicer is the answer for the ginger. I used to own a crummy one and didn't use it much. It got passed around from son to son and one of them might still have it.

[Res]

MMm, the wakame/miso soup is amazing. Yum. Read about wakame:

http://www.masaki-wakame.com/eng/what/image/menu3.gif3. For your diet, beautiful skin and face's sake... Together with Mineral balance, Wakame's specialities are rich food fobers, low calories, and various vitamins.

As you know, food fibers are not digestive inside our body. therefore it is highly recommended for people suffering from constipation. If constipation resolves, rough skins and heavy stomach effected by this also will be better.

http://www.masaki-wakame.com/eng/what/image/image_3_2.gifNeedless to say this, but Wakame is a good natural food for diet. Low calory but contains much fibers, protein, calcium, various vitamins, Wakame is a best partner for your diet.

One more thing shouldn't miss for Wakame is its 'beauty skin effect'. Wakame contains most calotin (3,300ug within 100g) among all sea weeds. Calotin is believed to be effective for protecting your skin from rough skin or pimples.

Since all the above nutritions are contained, old saying goes 'Miso soup with Wakame is best For your after childbirth care', or 'Wakame is miracle Medication to keep youth'.

A few bits of interesting wording, but you get the picture. ;)

[aikenjoi]

I had some watered down orange juice today and it was not satisfying at all. I'd rather just have water. I've been using a blender with a juice dispenser because I just don't feel like squeezing by hand...so to get it to blend I have to add water anyways and it just doesn't have a good flavor. I had a few glasses today and quite a bit of water. Then later in the day I made a glass of lemonade and that tasted better to me. Tomorrow I think I'll start having a smoothie because I miss strawberries and bananas. I won't have to much and I don't think it'll be too early.
Today my mom made beef stew, corn bread and banana pudding and I almost couldn't control my body from just licking a spoon of that pudding and the potatoes looked amazing. I barely managed to escape them, but I definitely want a dehydrator to make some tasty things. I probably should have gone longer on the MC but I don't want to make my mom crazy. She was going to make me eat today. She says that I seem so lethargic and don't look well, but I always respond with,"Compared to who?". Then I usually look at my dad and sisters. I've done more today than most of my family and she doesn't say anything about them.
I may still have cravings, but I've really been demonstrating self control....more than my entire family combined.

[mtmouse]

Well, if the watered-down OJ doesn't do it for you, try the straight stuff! You don't have to water it down; it's just that many people find it too much straight. You may be different!

[aikenjoi]

I'll try that tomorrow, but I'll just have to squeeze them by hand because the blender I currently have doesn't blend them without enough water.

[mtmouse]

Sounds good!

Just remember: breaking the cleanse is actually harder than doing the cleanse! It's very important to go slowly, and very hard.

So watch those smoothies, stop long before you want to :p, and then wait to be sure they sit well. Even then, don't assume that you can have a lot more the next time you have some. Keep drinking lots of water in between to help fend off the desire to eat more.

Did you read the thread on Kira's tips? I'd recommend that.

[Cristy]

Thanks Res for the link also! I didn't know those bars existed, I'm definitely going to place an order for some, love the fact that they are raw!

[aikenjoi]

I read it before the cleanse, but thanks for reminding me to read it again.

I have the priobotics, but I was going to wait until the day I actually had solids to take them, but I'll take them in the morning.

So, I'll try to stick to the orange juice tomorrow. Is there any other juice I might take? Grape Fruit is just too strong for me. I suppose I wouldn't be able to have any watermelon until a couple of days?
I'm so looking forward to having a banana. That's one of the foods I've craved the most.

[mtmouse]

I personally have had some watermelon (I blended it into "juice") the second day after breaking the cleanse. I don't do well with grapefruit juice either. Just start with a relatively small portion of it and then wait an hour to make sure you handle it, then have some more.

But don't eat half a watermelon! At least not yet! :D

I hear you on the banana. Again, my guess is you can probably try some toward the end of the day.

[aikenjoi]

Okay, I'm going to get some watermelon tomorrow! And I'll take my time on it. :D

[mtmouse]

Ha!

Okay, I'm holding you to it! :D :D Check-in tomorrow! Don't make me turn you in to the authorities!

[aikenjoi]

Haha! Don't worry I'll check in! ;D

[Res]

Cristy: I just got a message from Amazon that they're back ordered. lol I think that's a good thing because if they're out, then it means they're good! :D I can't wait to make this: SmartMonkey bar cereal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW-hxdN3Hi8)



aikenjoi: You've done fantastic! :D Kathy's right! Breaking the cleanse is hard and you need a lot of self control but you can do it! :)



Love,
~Res

[aikenjoi]

I posted yesterday, but now i see that the post didn't show up....I must have gotten logged out.

Well I didn't get a watermelon yesterday or today....I won't go into it, but who knew it would be so complicated to just get a watermelon.:rolleyes:

Yesterday I had some orange juice, a fruit smoothie (banana, strawberry, raspberry and grape), a banana, and kiwi. The kiwi made my tongue sting for a while and that's never happened before so I'm just going to take a break from kiwis for now.

Today I started with a fruit smoothie like yesterday except added most of an orange to it. Later I had some almonds....then around 5m I had some raisins. Then a couple hours later I made a salad of romaine lettuce, tomato, and some sunflower seeds.

I had piano lessons today and my teacher is the first person besides my family to comment on how much weight I've lost. She said I looked like a different person. She sounded a little worried at first, but she was pretty amazed that I had done a fast and that I'm just eating raw foods. She probably thinks I'm starving myself by not eating meat and potatoes, but I've was really full after that salad. She said if I lost any more weight to eat some potatoes and gravy.:D

I guess I do look different without that chubby face, but since I see myself everyday I don't see such a drastic change as what others see. In fact, I still want to lose a few pounds on my tummy and thighs because it's hard enough being short without being horizontally challenged.

But I know the last couple days...especially today...I've eaten more than I should so hopefully I can cut down some tomorrow.
I suppose I'm not having any bms because of how I'm eating.

[aikenjoi]

Oh, and my mom made the most amazing homemade wheat bread today. It looked so fluffy and delicious. It had to be the best she has ever made. I wanted it so bad, but maybe once I'm off the one month raw challenge I'll allow myself to have some of her bread once in a while.

[mtmouse]

Ha-ha. I had computer problems yesterday. Just a little while ago I looked and didn't see a post from you, so I was wondering!

But it sounds like you're doing really well. Congratulations on a successful cleanse and a successful transition!

Usually it takes 2-3 days to start eliminating normally again. If you stick to raw, you shouldn't have any problem in that arena because of all the fiber.

And again, if you stick to raw, you really don't have to worry about eating "too much". If seems that, for the most part, if you eat raw, you don't really have to pay too much attention to portions or calories. So just enjoy! Eat until you're full and then stop, and then eat again when you're hungry.

Bottom line: well done!

http://www.freesmileys.org/emo/gen013.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org)

[mtmouse]

Oh, and my mom made the most amazing homemade wheat bread today. It looked so fluffy and delicious. It had to be the best she has ever made. I wanted it so bad, but maybe once I'm off the one month raw challenge I'll allow myself to have some of her bread once in a while.

I think that's a good decision. In the past, the very worst thing for me to eat post-cleanse was bread or other grains. I really, really wanted them, and they sat like a brick in my stomach and felt awful.

So again, give yourself time with that kind of stuff! A month of delicious raw foods isn't that long, and by then you'll have a much better sense of how it feels versus eating the cooked stuff, and be able to choose how much of each you want to have.

[aikenjoi]

Haha, yeah, I didn't mean to hide what I was eating!
If I take to long to post than I can just get logged out automatically.

Thank you! The encouragement from you all is helping me stay raw because I don't want to come on the forums saying that I slipped and had some tortilla chips or something.
So thanks for cheering me on!:D

I'm still learning to stop eating when I'm full because I love my fruit smoothies so much! I've always loved fruit smoothies. So, if there's more in the blender I'll just put the rest in my cup and have at it. I wish I loved veggies as well as fruits then going raw would be sooo easy. I like vegetables pretty well, but I still feel like I have to eat them so I'll be healthier. With fruit I feel like I'm having a treat.
The rest of my family thinks I'm strange for eating salad without dressing....they think I might as well go outside and eat a leaf or some grass. But I stopped putting ranch dressing on my salad quite a while ago because I figured out that even if the salad was healthy the ranch was fattening and was covering up the nutrients so I'm pretty used to a basic salad.

It'll take me longer than expected to get the new blender and dehydrator because I won't get the job I applied for since they don't hire at 16....I would have to be 17. I might reapply in December, but until then I have to find some place else. My mom said that if I did well in school and practiced a lot then she would help me buy the blender so I can't wait! I really want to try some dehydrated recipes, but I'm going to have to put a hold on that. But my extended might think going raw is crazy so maybe if they tried some dehydrated foods they would really like it. I still be on the raw food challenge when I'm down visiting family so those few days are probably going to be difficult.


And about the bread: I will give myself time. and you're right, a month isn't that long so I'll make it. If I did the cleanse without cheating that I can do one month raw without cheating.
But I still want to continue to do as much raw as possible for life, but once in a while I'll let my mom make me some vegetarian chili (It has this dried vegetable protein that when in water it kinda taste like meat. It's so delicious...better than chili with real meat) and homemade bread. There's me fantasizing over food again and I'm not hungry at all.

[Res]

The thing about the one month challenge is, you'll be eating. You won't feel "deprived" at all.

The smell of fresh baked bread gets to me too but I have a theory. I've always put on weight when eating bread - but I never stuck to Organic only bread ingredients. I believe (sorry still on this Trudeau kick) Kevin Trudeau is right. The non organic ingredients in bread along with stablizers and things added that are just not food are intended to "addict you and make you fat". I'm going to experiment with this later on.

Eating raw brings so much freedom and excitement. :) For breakfast I had an organic gala apple. Then a mid morning snack was a home grown tomato with homemade pesto (home grown basil) with all organic ingredients. Yum.

Lunch was a stuffed chili pepper with mole sauce, and marinated kale in olive oil, lemon, with garlic. I have a little bag of carrots for later.

I dont' have dessert because I forgot to bring it but I have Organic whole raw cacao beans at home. Also fresh figs and I'm out of Medjool dates which is just about my favorite dessert. The possibilities are endless! :)

I can eat that food without guilt and without feeling sick. My body is thanking me. :) I've had no elimination issues after the cleanse and I'm post cleanse Day 5. Things have been working fine all along.

I owe thanks to the Ladies here and to the recipe books I bought because they suggested it. I plan on making a trip to Sim's restaurant when she opens it to thank her in person. ;)

There's such life in this forum and I'm grateful to everyone for their input. :)

Love,
~Res

[mtmouse]

I plan on making a trip to Sim's restaurant when she opens it to thank her in person. ;)


Me too, me too, me too!

:D

[aikenjoi]

That's my family's problem....they think I'm depriving myself and that I have no energy. My mom told me that I looked really pale today, but I always look pale because my face hasn't been actually tan since elementary school.

We went to the health food store today and I saw some of David Wolfe's raw cacao and it looked so good, but I doubt I'll get any until I get a job because I mom doesn't want to pay $10- $20 on chocolate. And none of the grocery stores have dates, but the health food store had medjool dates for $9.87 a pound. So, once again, I'll need a job.

Maybe I can get my mom to use organic ingredients for when she makes me bread. I suppose I'll see.
I really want to get some uncook books, but I'm just going to wait because there isn't really a point if I don't have the appliances. But I saw Ani Phyo's recipe videos a while ago and I've wanted to try that cereal forever, so once you try it, Res, tell me how it is! Those donut holes look really good too...I want to try that Spanish Breakfast Scramble. A lot of her stuff looks good.
And I don't have any elimination issues anymore either. That problem resolved practically right after I posted about it.

[Res]

So this morning has been crazy so one of the managers brought in donuts for all of us. :) lol I whipped out my SmartMonkey bar cereal and munched to my hearts content on a; cacao cookie bar, raw sunflower seeds, fresh organic gala apple, buckwheat krispies and vanilla almond mylk. My stomach is happy - I have no donut crash and burn insanity with my body and I don't feel sick. Yes, donuts appeal to me, but when I think about trans fats, white sugar, white flour and zero nutrition it loses the pull ALOT! :) I'm no angel but boy o boy do I love raw food and YOU GUYS! ;)

Love,
~Res

[mtmouse]

Don't know why that post of yours made me think of this, Res, but who cares? LOL.

I used to hate carob. It was always chocolate for me, thank you very much.

And even in this last year, eating really almost all raw, I've always used the raw cacao powder for everything chocolaty. Then I learned that carob has like a fraction of the fat that cocoa does. I looked for raw carob online and could not find it anywhere!

Then I happened to check in my very own health food store, and there it was: raw carob, at a fraction of the price of raw cacao! So I got some to try.

Now, this was about four days before I started cleansing, so I haven't had a chance to give it a real audition. But I put it in my frozen banana ice cream that I make almost every night and it was delicious! I couldn't really tell that much difference between that and the cacao.

Maybe my tastes have actually changed here. Or maybe raw carob is a lot different from the carob I was trying 30 years ago. But once I get off the cleanse, I'm going to make Sim's chocolate sauce using carob. That'll be a good taste test.

But even if I'm still attached to cacao in that recipe, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy the carob in various fudge balls, ice cream, shakes, etc. And if that cuts the fat and calories, so much the better! :)

But that's a ways away .....

[mtmouse]

Ive been doing this, just cause its easy to do, am I harming myself?

I'm not sure what you mean. It sounds like you're trying to do lemonade fasts for a few days at a time without any laxatives?

I don't think it's a good idea, but perhaps others will have comments.

[aikenjoi]

This talk of carob and cacao is making me crave something something chocolaty.

Anyways, eating raw foods has been going pretty well and it's very satisfying, but I still have a problem. I keep eating even when I'm full. I tried not to today, but if food is there I eat it. Especially foods like seeds or raisins...I tend to over eat those because I can without actually having to prepare anything. I feel like I'm gaining weight because of it and that doesn't feel good. I suppose "feel" isn't the right word because raw foods are making me feel really great...I seem happier after eating them. I just don't like seeing the tummy....but I had a bigger tummy before the cleanse so I shouldn't complain too much.
I may do some alfalfa sprouting this weekend, and I don't know when I last had sprouts, if ever.

irhxcbcziuzxs: I agree with mtmouse; I think you should do the laxative tea because even though it can cause uncomfortable symptoms, it's worth it. Towards the middle of the cleanse and after I think the tea made more of a difference than the swf although the swf if important too. So, if you want good results the laxative is needed.

[nmnick]

Hi Everyone!

I am actually on Day Nine of the Master Cleanse. This is the second one for me, since May, and I have vowed to go all raw afterwards so I don't slip-up and have to do the MC a third time anytime soon.

I have plans to leave Albuquerque and go to the annual Raw Spirit Fest in Sedona Arizona. I plan to go to a lecture by Victoria Boutenko in Scottsdale on Wednesday and, going to both places, they have a couple of raw food restaurants I am dying to try. (There are NONE in my city!)

The trouble is, of course, if you do the math. Do I have to get in at least ten days of the MC before doing juices? See my plan was to end the MC today - on Day Nine - and do the juices tomorrow (Tuesday), and hopefully be ready to partake in raw food restaurants and Boutenko's workshop on Wednesday. Is this at all realistic, or am I just setting myself up for jeopardy?

[Res]

The Skinny on 4 fad diets (http://health.yahoo.com/experts/joybauernutrition/19885/the-skinny-on-4-fad-diets/comments;_ylt=Asv92M824KtgoOO.DxaKRAoa788F?cin=240#comment)

This is a hoot! The Master Cleanse gets praise and gets slammed (along with the other "fad diets"). The comments are hilarious on one hand and asking for a fight on the other. lol ;)

[jmommy]

Okay I am haivng a problem. After the cleanse I am 100% raw. I bought Victoria Boutenlos books and have been drinking my green smothies daily. But I am gaining the weight back that I lost on the cleanse. THis is not good because I still need to lose weight. I am still about 30lbs to where I want to be. I do yoga and pilates. I'm not sure why I'm not losing any more. Should I be doing more cardio than my daily walking? Could this bwe my problem? HELP!!!

[kiropa]

hang in there. what do you mean by 'gaining the weight back'. 3-5 pounds+ is a given and does not equal gaining weight back, it's just food in the digestive system.

are you overeating? how do you feel? how do your clothes feel?

i am all for cardio -- i just don't want you to upset yourself with something that is expected.

post a day's food intake, we can analyze.

if you go raw, you will be fine! hang in there. transitioning back is scary.

kim

[jmommy]

Okay I have gained 6 lbs back but I did not know that 3-5 pounds was food in my digestice system. phew!!! I thought i was gaining it all back. My clothes fit fine. Great actually. I've had to go shopping twice since last month for new clothes. I guess I am just obssessed with the number on the scale. I blame our culture for that one. I don't think I am overeating because I really don't eat much. Here is what a typical day is for me.
Morning- banana with some type of nuts on top (walnuts, almonds etc.)
10-11- green smoothie
around 2- some fruit (mango, apple, whatever I have in the kitchen)
4-5- green smoothie
dinner- usually a salad of greens and veggies

that's what I am eating now. Before I had a horrible diet consisting of takeout, pizza, and just not healthy things. I am feeling more energized now. Better than I have in a long time. I use to be on antidepressants and anxiety medicaiton but now just after a month I am not longer on them because I don't need them. I guess I am doing everyhting right. ITs just that I am so new to this I don't want to mess it up because I want to keep the good feeling I have. It's weird, but I have nevr been so clear or happy. I even changed my Majorin school to something that would make me happier. I was a business major because I grew up with paprents telling me that I needed something that would surely make me money. I was absolutely miserable studying business. Now I am an art history major and am thrilled with my decison. ITs sounds funny but I don't think I would have made the change if I had not done the MC or started eating raw. Before I was going through life with a clouded mind. NOw I see clearer and am an better wife and mother for it. Plus its great that my family is trying to make the transition with me. My husband still loves his steak but drinks the green smoothis with me :D

[Res]

Aww jmommy, what a cool story, a cool major change and a cool hubby. :D As Kiropa surmised, you're doing fine. :) If you feel like you want to branch out a bit more foodwise (down the road) first check out the 30 day challenge thread and then the lemonhead recipe box. :)

Love,
~Res

[Res]

Four Healthy and Delicious Seeds Worth Snacking On
by www.SixWise.com (http://www.sixwise.com/)

Have you ever been caught in a traffic jam, on a delayed flight, or in an incredibly long meeting, all while feeling starved because you had to miss your breakfast or lunch hour?
Of course you have! We've all been in fixes where we're hungry and have nothing to satisfy our appetites -- sometimes even when we're in our own kitchens, yet "nothing looks good."
http://www.sixwise.com/images/articles/2007/10/10/37793921[1].thb.jpg
Sunflower seeds start out black or grey in color (sometimes with stripes). You can purchase them with the shells on, but they're widely available already shelled, which gives you the edible, inner kernel without any of the trouble!
Well, we have here some incredibly simple, satisfying and healthy snacks that will fill you up in a good way, and, get this, they're all seeds!
All of the seeds below make excellent "right out of the bag" snacks, but you can also mix them with some shredded coconut, dried fruit (raisins, mango, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, you name it), raw nuts and even a handful of dark chocolate chips for a healthy trail mix (kids love this!) that you can take with you anywhere.
Seeds are also great stirred into yogurt or cottage cheese, or sprinkled on salads, but don't underestimate their "stand-alone" value. All of the seeds below are delicious and definitely worth snacking on. (Ideally, eat them raw (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/08/01/eating_raw_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_according_to_various_experts.htm) to get the most nutritional benefits.)

1. Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are tiny but they have a big nutty flavor. They're loaded with beneficial minerals including copper, magnesium and calcium (they're actually one of the best food sources of calcium (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/10/03/calcium_better_from_food_says_new_study_here_are_the_26_top_calcium_food_sources.htm) out there!).
These seeds also contain protein, iron, phosphorous, vitamin B1, zinc and fiber, along with lignans, beneficial fibers that may help to lower your cholesterol and have been shown to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E in animals. Plus, sesame seeds contain a substance called sesamin, which may protect your liver from oxidative damage (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/12/21/why_you_need_to_understand_oxidative_stress_--_and_how_to_avoid_it.htm).
Sesame seeds also have the highest phytosterol content of all the nuts and seeds commonly eaten in the United States, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Phytosterols (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/10/05/phytoestrogens_the_latest_compounds_to_reduce_lung_cancer_risk_and_where_to_find_them.htm) are plant compounds that may reduce your cholesterol, enhance your immune system and even decrease your risk of certain cancers.

2. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds have a subtle nutty flavor and a tender texture, plus they're loaded with the antioxidant vitamin E and beneficial phytosterols.
They're also full of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, protein, zinc and selenium. Selenium (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/11/30/to_fight_osteoarthritis__amp_multiple_other_chronic_diseases_make_sure_you_get_enough_selenium.htm) has been found to help repair damaged cells in your body and inhibit the spread of cancer cells. Just a quarter cup of sunflower seeds gives you almost 31 percent of the recommended daily value for this healthy nutrient!


Love seeds? Want recipes? Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes (http://shop.sixwise.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=229) has the raw seed recipes you crave, plus a host of other tasty raw food dishes that can be prepared in just a few minutes!


3. Pumpkin Seeds
Who can resist the sweet, nutty flavor and chewy texture of pumpkin seeds? These nutrition powerhouses contain magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, iron, copper, protein, omega-3 fats, carotenoids and zinc.
Like other seeds, pumpkin seeds also contain beneficial phytosterols, along with compounds that may promote prostate health in men.
Animal studies have even shown that pumpkin seeds have anti-inflammatory properties, and adding them to the diet has a similar effect on reducing inflammatory symptoms as using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs!
Pumpkin seeds have also been used traditionally to remove parasites from your body and treat urinary tract infections.

4. Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds are sometimes referred to as the world's most nutritious seeds. They contain protein, essential fatty acids and fiber, are rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin E, and contain minerals, including magnesium, iron and zinc.
They also have a high content of phytosterols that may help:

Promote heart health
Reduce the risk of cardiac arrest
Maintain normal cholesterol levels
Treat certain cancers, including colon, breast and prostate
Delay the neurologic effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
Treat rheumatoid arthritis
Prevent and treat osteoporosis
Reduce inflammation
Treat atopic eczema and psoriasisAnd don't worry, hemp seeds won't get you high. Whereas marijuana contains about 5 percent to 20 percent THC (the compound that produces the "high" associated with marijuana), hemp has a maximum limit of three-tenths of 1 percent, which is not nearly enough to produce any psychotropic effects.

[Res]

The Best-to-Worst Ways to Cook Your Food
by www.SixWise.com (http://www.sixwise.com/)

You take great care in choosing the right foods for your family to eat, but did you know that the way they're prepared can have a large impact on their nutritional value?

Whereas some cooking methods will preserve the food's nutrients and flavor, others can actually diminish nutrient content and create harmful substances within your food.

It is always preferable to cook foods at lower temperatures than higher temperatures, not only because the nutrients are better preserved but also because the oils that you cook your food with -- particularly vegetable oils like soybean, corn and canola -- are easily damaged (oxidized) by the heat, posing health risks.

Fortunately, there are many cooking methods out there that are good for your food and good-tasting. Here we've outlined some of the most popular cooking methods, starting with the healthiest methods and ending up with the worst.

1. Eat Your Foods Raw
Well, it's not exactly a cooking method, but it is a very healthy way to consume many of your favorite foods. Raw foods (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/07/08/01/eating_raw_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_according_to_various_experts.htm), advocates say, are higher in vitamins and nutrients, which are destroyed by cooking. Eating raw may seem extreme, but you can actually prepare some pretty tasty dishes if you know what foods to combine.
If you would like to try out some delicious raw food recipes for yourself, Alive in 5: Raw Gourmet Meals in Five Minutes (http://shop.sixwise.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=229) is packed with them (raw lasagna, spaghetti marinara, stuffed mushrooms, broccoli in cheese sauce, apple pie and more). They're healthy and delicious, even if you're new to raw foods!

2. Steaming
Simply put a little water in a pot, put in a steamer basket or colander, and add your food. As the water boils, the steam will gently cook your food. Be sure not to cook your food for too long (veggies should still be brightly colored and slightly crunchy when they're done), and you can also add some spices to the water to flavor the foods as they steam.
This method works especially well for fragile vegetables like leafy greens and fish.

3. Poaching
You can poach chicken, eggs and other foods by simmering them in a little bit of water or broth on your stovetop. Use a covered pan and take the foods off the heat when they're tender.

4. Baking/Roasting
Baking in your oven is a perfectly healthy way to cook, though it's preferable to use a lower temperature and a longer cooking time than a higher temperature to cook the food more quickly (roasting is typically done at a higher temperature). You can bake meat, fish, poultry, veggies, bread, fruit and anything else. To keep in some of the moisture, try keeping your baking dish covered.

5. Stir-Frying
Stir-frying is a fast, healthy way to cook. Chop your meat and veggies into small, uniform pieces, add a little oil or broth to a pan or wok, then stir the foods until they're just cooked through (add meat, which takes longer to cook, before the veggies). To preserve the nutrients in the veggies, cook them only slightly.

6. Braising
When you braise a piece of meat or fish, you brown it slightly in a pan, then cover it with a small amount of liquid such as broth. The pan is covered, and the food is left to slowly and gently finish cooking. After the food is removed, the leftover juices can be used to make a flavorful sauce.

7. Boiling
Boiled foods are healthy in that no harmful substances form when using this cooking method. However, there is some concern that nutrients may be lost when foods are boiled, and they may become overcooked. Steaming is a preferable cooking method to boiling.

8. Sauteing
Sauteing (cooking foods in a small amount of oil on your stovetop) is an acceptable form of cooking, although it does pose the problem of oxidizing oils. To avoid this, replace the oil with some broth instead and don't turn the heat up too high.

9. Grilling and Broiling
Many people love to grill their foods, however there are some potential problems to be aware of. Barbecue grill smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Meanwhile, heterocyclic amines form when food is cooked at a high temperature, such as those used in grilling and broiling. The chemicals have been linked to cancer.

Advanced glycation end (AGEs) products are also produced when meats are cooked at high temperatures. AGEs, according to researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/12/21/why_you_need_to_understand_oxidative_stress_--_and_how_to_avoid_it.htm), inflammation (http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/02/22/inflammation_the_secret_leading_cause_of_disease_and_what_to_do_about_it.htm) and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

10. Frying
Frying foods is the absolute worst way to cook your foods. The high temperatures produce cancer-causing heterocyclic amines, along with AGEs. Meanwhile, frying exposes your foods to large amounts of oxidized (rancid) vegetable oils, which then soak into your food and wreak havoc in your body. You should avoid frying your foods and use the cooking methods higher up on this page instead.

[Res]

Egads, I love a good bbq - even bbq'ing veggies. I wish they would've said something like, "turn the bbq down to low and this is an acceptable way to bbq." I eat corn on the cob raw because I like the juicy way it tastes but I also love the burnt flavor of the corn which apparently is bad.

Things get more and more interesting every day.

And I have hemp seeds sitting in the fridge. I haven't tasted them yet. Anyone else eat hemp seeds? Ani says in her book that these should be a staple.

[kiropa]

res, try this one for me, will you (a craving i am currently having):

beautifully ripe avocado chunked and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lime. sprinkle with hemp seeds and enjoy!

the hemp seeds give a nutty texture that is hmmm, hmmm, good!

[kiropa]

see, you just freaked yourself out for nothing.

your typical day looks inspiring. you are doing great.

yep 5-7 pounds could even be normal for you. i'd use 5 as a gauge.

i would keep doing what you're doing. if the scale starts to climb higher, then maybe i'd re-evaluate.

sounds like you are off to a GREAT post-cleanse lifestyle!


Okay I have gained 6 lbs back but I did not know that 3-5 pounds was food in my digestice system. phew!!! I thought i was gaining it all back. My clothes fit fine. Great actually. I've had to go shopping twice since last month for new clothes. I guess I am just obssessed with the number on the scale. I blame our culture for that one. I don't think I am overeating because I really don't eat much. Here is what a typical day is for me.
Morning- banana with some type of nuts on top (walnuts, almonds etc.)
10-11- green smoothie
around 2- some fruit (mango, apple, whatever I have in the kitchen)
4-5- green smoothie
dinner- usually a salad of greens and veggies

that's what I am eating now. Before I had a horrible diet consisting of takeout, pizza, and just not healthy things. I am feeling more energized now. Better than I have in a long time. I use to be on antidepressants and anxiety medicaiton but now just after a month I am not longer on them because I don't need them. I guess I am doing everyhting right. ITs just that I am so new to this I don't want to mess it up because I want to keep the good feeling I have. It's weird, but I have nevr been so clear or happy. I even changed my Majorin school to something that would make me happier. I was a business major because I grew up with paprents telling me that I needed something that would surely make me money. I was absolutely miserable studying business. Now I am an art history major and am thrilled with my decison. ITs sounds funny but I don't think I would have made the change if I had not done the MC or started eating raw. Before I was going through life with a clouded mind. NOw I see clearer and am an better wife and mother for it. Plus its great that my family is trying to make the transition with me. My husband still loves his steak but drinks the green smoothis with me :D

[Res]

Kiropa: Gladly. :) beautifully ripe avocado chunked and sprinkled with sea salt, pepper and maybe a squeeze of lime. sprinkle with hemp seeds

[nanay]

Res: Hemp seeds.....mmmmm. It's been a while but I remember them having a buttery/nutty flavor...good in shakes too. and have Kiropa's "avocado special" for me too. That sounds ssoooo good!

[jmommy]

That does sound yummy. I've been snacking on almonds lately. I am also a huge fan of the avocado. Every time I have a craving for mexican food i mix avocado, corn, cilantro, a little bit of lemon juice, some jalapenos (I like my spicyness) and tomatoes all wrapped up in some romaine lettuce. yum yum yummy.

[Res]

Nanay: Commercial bread and even homemade that isn't made with "organic" ingredients causes me to gain weight. I know I sound like a broken record but that's my discovery. I believe that Trudeau is right when he says you can eat almost anything that's Organic or made with Organic ingredients without adding weight/toxins etc to your body. Weird huh? We were never intended to eat cluttered food! Most of the additives are fillers and junk to "addict us" (yes folks addict - watch Supersize Me) then kill us. <-- Sound brutal? The truth really hurts.

I'm going to step down off of my bandwagon for now. I'm so glad today is Friday. ;)

Love,
~Res

[Sunnyshine]

AMEN to that Res! Sounds like we're on the same bandwagon!

I've read Trudeau too--I think he's got plenty of good things to say that more people need to hear.

To what you said earlier Nanay, no one has all the answers about nutrition, but keeping it simple and real is what it's all about. The more you can make yourself from all organic ingredients, or eat a place where you know the ingredients and integrity of preparation, the better off you will be.

[Res]

...but keeping it simple and real is what it's all about. The more you can make yourself from all organic ingredients, or eat a place where you know the ingredients and integrity of preparation, the better off you will be. Oh my gosh I love you. Simple words chalked full of simplicity with the simple "TRUTH". Nice, nice and nice. :)

[CitrusB]

Although I still have 5 more days to go reading this has made me feel less hopeless-right after the last Mc i was confused as to what to actually eat i started strong and then over time got sloppy ...this created a feeling of what's the pt !? -&of course from everywhere people started giving me suggestions w/out me even asking..i think part of how i ended up so toxic this time was i gave up trying& contented myself w/ the fact that@ least i had cut the amt of coffee in 1/2& cut out all cheese about 75%.
So @ this mo. i am feeling better even though i am tired of not eating and have a terrible metal taste in my mouth thankyou to all of you who continue to contribute - getting me though one more dayCitrusB

[CitrusB]

Thankyou so much for all who contributed to this thread- I was feeling a little frustrated as to what to do after the cleanse& my last one I had such strong convictions and fell so short of them- reading these has given me some renewed purpose in making sure before the cleanse is over to have a plan in place. Thankyou so much for the great information/strong suggestions it really helped to keep me on track& to get me thru more day/CitrusB

[Res]

Citrus: I hear ya. I was the same way. It actually wasn't until the "30 day challenge" thread that I started to get it. I hope you take a peek. This doesn't mean you HAVE to stay all raw. It does however take the guesswork out of what to eat for 30 days and during that time all the puzzle pieces fall into place. :)

Love,
~Res

[Sunnyshine]

Happy Monday!

So I started eating solid food on Saturday after 25 days w/o. An apple, some grapes, and celery was all I could eat. Funny how half an apple made me full! It seemed ridiculous, but I listened to my body and didn't over eat. I've actually lost another 3 lbs in the 3 days since I ended my MC :D I found that fruit is actually too sweet and I prefer veggies right now, so I'm going to stick with that as long as I can. I usually have quite a sweet tooth. I was looking forward to eating dates, but celery, cucumbers, and nuts sound more appetizing! :p

I've been taking my probiotics too. I bought a Kombucha Synergy drink yesterday. All raw, organic goodness. It's chalk full of probiotics and amino acids and not too sweet at all! Kinda pricey--16oz for $3.50, but then a friend at work pointed out what I had been paying 2-3 times a week for an organic cappucino at Starbucks--duh! What a better investment the Kombucha is!!

About probiotics, I'm planning to take them everyday for the next month (I'll also be 100% raw!), but after that should I keep taking them? I trust their importance, but is it something you need to take all the time?

[TrueLivingKN]

Okay I'm technically not done with the cleanse yet but I will be soon! Tomorrow I start the orange juice. I can't wait. I've been getting awful hungry. I know I could drink more lemonades but I just want different tastes at this point. I crave good foods at least.

Anyway I'm switching over to this board now. :) I know my first sip of OJ will be an adventure lol.

[babsy]

Today is day Ten for me but I am going to extend it for a couple of more days. After breaking my fast I would like to continue the raw diet. I look through a lot of raw cookbooks and recipes on site but the only problem i am having is finding some of the ingredients. Is anyone out there from Philadelphia? Can you suggest some possible places to find these(tahini, shoyu, agave nectar, dulse flakes/ powder, etc....) ingredients?

[TrueLivingKN]

Today is day Ten for me but I am going to extend it for a couple of more days. After breaking my fast I would like to continue the raw diet. I look through a lot of raw cookbooks and recipes on site but the only problem i am having is finding some of the ingredients. Is anyone out there from Philadelphia? Can you suggest some possible places to find these(tahini, shoyu, agave nectar, dulse flakes/ powder, etc....) ingredients?

I don't know about dules flakes / powder but whole foods sells a lot of that stuff, and their site says there is one (or two?) in philadelphia.

[TrueLivingKN]

Here goes my first sip of OJ!


.... MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! :D

I can get used to this ^_^

[TrueLivingKN]

I had read different opinions about when to take the probiotics after the cleanse... some said right away... others said to wait until eating solid food as to avoid an upset stomach.

I decided I wanted to take them the first day off the cleanse, even if it meant I would get stomach pains. I took it at half dose (1 pill) with my orange juice in the morning and so far no pain at all... no gas, nothing. I'm going to take it at half dose until I can start eating normally in a day or so.

I'm amazed how much energy the orange juice is giving me! I only had two glasses so far today (I woke up around 10 am and its 6 now), and I feel fine. I've been making lots of stuff in my dehyrator... almond butter, an almond cinnamon banana spice loaf, and some no-wheat thins that I'm trying to make taste nacho-y. We'll see how it all turns out... was mostly spur of the moment stuff cause I can't wait to eat.

So far so good. :) I'm craving a salad like you wouldn't believe... I'm determined to stick with the OJ for today, possibly even all day tomorrow... but since I feel okay I'm considering maybe taking a nibble of some fruit tomorrow night. We'll see.

Oh. And I was surprised / happy to see that it only takes two oranges for one 8 oz glass of OJ. :)

[babsy]

Thank for getting back to me truelivingkn:). I will look into that.

[Res]

I take probiotics Day 1 too. :) Welcome to food TrueLiving. :)

Love,
~Res

[TrueLivingKN]

Its really quite nice to be eating again. :) I find myself craving better food and also being satisfied with healthy snacks. I think a candybar would be far too sweet even if I did find myself wanting one.

[CitrusB]

I am on day 3 post my 2nd MC & although i had the oj&water 1st and 1/2 of the 2nd when i made the soup i felt pretty filled up but good so today i experimented with some more solid foods- ie: breakfast - baked flourless sprouted toast with organic pumpkin, rice flour&egg whites, lunch- lettuce rolls with guacamole then dinner was raw cashews, grapes and gotu( i think thats what they are called) berries- i am now not feeling so good just filled up - i have a feeling i got a little carried away & from reading some of the other posts thru out the months i can see this isn't hard to do- so tomorrow is another day and i will start with a green smoothie to get back ona more raw food track - i am determined to at least get to 50% raw by my next cleanse in feb '08.
i want to especially thankyou res for continuing to support&suggest in your great style- it is so appreciated by people like me who need some guidance as i find my way. CitrusB

[Res]

Citrus: Some of us have been out of the loop a bit due to the fires here in San Diego. Thanks for posting here! :)

How are you doing?

Love,
~Res

[jaays]

I did a 7 day fast in June and have been drinking the lemonade for breakfast daily since. I thought that I saw this recommended and now I can't find it. Is this alright or will I jjust drink myself into Diabetes?
Thanks

[lefsj]

Jaays,

I believe Burrows does recommend including the LA as breakfast. Realistically, it has no more sugar in it that a really bad bowl of cereal (it probably has less!!) I would say go for it!

Question for moderators out there...

I found a recipe for minestrone soup in the early posts of the recipe box and was going to make that as my ending fast soup (without the pasta in my serving). The recipe calls for chix broth, which I was going to sub with organic low sodium veggie broth. Will that be ok? Thanks!

[caligirl2510]

I on my second post cleanse day and taking it slow with juices and little else. It was my husbands birthday yesterday and I made the terrible mistake of eating the smallest slice of cake and off to the bathroom I went-Ugggh!!!!!

I have a question out there for all you raw foodists. I am contemplating buying a juicer, but after browsing many raw food cookbooks they keep referring to the champion juicer and also the vitamix blender in preparing many of their recepies What is the difference? and which one would I get the most use out of in attempting a raw food lifestyle? I would appreciate any and all suggestions as I really want to purchase one of them.

Many Thanks,
Caligirl

[lefsj]

The minestrone soup here in LV! Even though I can't have it yet, I'm glad that my dh & bro-in-law enjoyed it. I may have to watch them to make sure that there's some left for me!! g'night!

[NewDirection]

Morning Lemonheads -
I have a couple questions for you lovely Rawbies! :)

I am trying to get all of my ducks (carrots) in a row before
I end my cleanse. I'm on day 19, and can tell my time is
growing near, but have no set date for "the end".

Since it's getting close, and I don't want to be unprepared
for my new raw lifestyle I've started filling my Amazon.com
shopping cart with the books and supplies I am going to need.

The only thing I am getting hung up on is the dehydrator.

I've read many of you say Excalibur is hands down the way
to go so that is what I am going to buy, however, there are
a few options I'd like to talk about before I make such a large
purchase.

First - 5 tray or 9 tray?
It seems silly and my gut reaction is to buy the 9 tray since it is
only about 1/4 the cost to almost double the size... but maybe
I would simply never use all 9 trays and it would be a waste.
For the record I have a family of 4, and my kids are very healthy
eaters so they would definately be eating the dehydrator stuff.
Opinions?

Second - Teflex Sheets?
I've seen the name while reading the boards and in a few uncook
books but I still don't know exactly what they are, or if I need them.
Comments?

You are all amazing and have already been very helpful in my Raw
world planning. Thanks for your time!

-ND

[TeePee]

NewDirection

For sure the 9 tray and you do need Teflex sheets if you are going to make crackers or anything that starts out like a batter, so to speak.

Good luck!!

[absolutesissi]

Hello All,

I'm just on my day 3, and I am exploring the possibility of eating raw after the cleanse. I am wondering where you would get your protein, and what is a classic daily diet?
Thanks for sharing.

[Res]

jaays: lefsj is correct. Burroughs does recommend it so you're good to go. :)


lefsj: Sure, substitute veggie broth and you're fine. Ya know, at the back of Burroughs book he includes a pretty hefty soup for breaking the fast. It looks pretty good. :)


caligirl: The Champion is a juicer (you can also make frozen treats with it) but it's primarily a juicer.

The Vitamix does a LOT! You can't juice like the champion does, but whatever you throw into the Vitamix becomes juice and they say the whole fruit/veg is better than simply juicing. You can make all kinds of things in the Vitamix, soup, peanut butter etc. I have both and they're both worth it. Hope that helps. :)

Love,
~Res

[Brienne]

worried about when i end the cleanse. last time i went raw for 3 mo. and have never weighed as much as i did then! i work out every day, have very physical jobs and only eat 3 meals with two snacks a day. a doctor told me its because of the cleanse that i put on so much weight, something about the body hoarding the food and metabolism not working properly because of the cleanse. When i ended my last 17 day i gained 20 pounds in less then two weeks which i couldn't get off (iwas eating raw/ strick vegan at this point). Now in day 7 of my cleanse and i've lost 10 pounds! anyone have advice how not to gain the weight back?

[Sunnyshine]

Hello there! I went totally raw for 8 days after my MC and now I'm feeling good on about 90% raw. I've noticed that when I do eat a cooked meal (which has so far only been in the evening--social events, ya know) if I do the SWF the next morning I feel fabulous. But if I don't, I'm sluggish the next day.

I imagine it's fine to do the SWF 2-3 times a week, as long as it's first thing in the morning (?) My dad told me that his Grandfather used to drink salt water every morning but he just thought that was because he was from Sicily! :D

[Res]

Brienne: Giving this LOTS of thought...

We spend a lifetime eating wrong (junk) - then cleanse or diet and lose weight and then gain it back. For the most part, everyone goes back to eating the same way as prior to the cleanse/diet. Some don't.

When I stayed raw for 3 months I gained back 4 lbs (which annoyed me at the time) and since then trickling back into eating a bit of bread here and there I've gained weight. I'm still learning discipline and as hard as I've tried to make it stick overnight - it hasn't for me.

Some of us "Eat for comfort" plain and simple and those who don't won't understand it. SO, it's "Eating and Emotions 101" and I think I'll probably always be in class until the end. :)

Also we can't beat ourselves up for this: There are toxins/chemicals EVERYWHERE and these cause us to gain weight! Did you know your "fabric softner sheet" is FULL of harmful chemicals? Yeah is smells nice but guess what's smack right up against your skin? - the clothes you just plied with chemicals from the fabric softner sheet. All of this including the crap the industry is allowed to add to OUR FOOD is meant to make you and me fat. So, we have to keep coming back to School to condition ourselves and learn to live and eat right.

Next are emotions: These are like being on an out of control roller coaster! What do we do? So many confessions here about turning to food. Well God love everyone with this problem because it's as real as pollution. Unfortunately there are no simple answers. Exercise is an ENORMOUS help and we need to force ourselves to do it. Our lives depend on it.

Here's something that might give everyone a kick start. I took this test a few day ago. :rolleyes:

REAL AGE TEST (http://www.realage.com/reg/regvar/st1.aspx?mod=LONGFORM) Be honest. No one else will know. Hopefully your results will be better than mine. Thankfully I'd already started an exercise program before my results came back so at least I started on my exercise journey or I would've taken a long walk off a short bridge. :o

Back to work for me. :)

Love,
~Res

[lefsj]

Brienne,

I'm sorry to hear that your experience the last time was so poor! I followed the eating for life by Dr. joel fuhrman and did not gain the majority of the weight I lost! You might want to read his book and see if you can incorporate his ideas into your eating lifestyle!

An update on the minestrone... everyone loved it! It made a huge batch and I added some Mrs. Dash to it. It is very yummy! I've 'watered' it down with extra veggie broth to give me more broth but it a great soup! I tried the easy brkfst recipe that Res recommended (banana, dates, celery) added some cashews to it and Yum Yum! it took me an hour to eat it and I am still full - thanks for the recipe.

Happy post cleanse!

[tigerrr]

Hey everyone it's Day39!

Tomorrow is the last day for me- wahoo! I really need some advise on breaking the cleanse, I did ask in another thread but didn't get any responses! i have read other threads on breaking it and Kira's tips etc. i have a very sensitive stomach and bowels, i have IBS so I'm concerned the OJ will be too acidic for me . Would it be OK if i use carrot,apple, and celery freshly juiced? I love this combination- it's so gentle. I'm thinking of staying on that for 3 days. day 4 try juicing some vegetables, day 5 soups and if all goes well day 6 i could try some solid fruit and veg?

Also i have to go in for a blood test Monday- will the MC have any effect on the results since i will not have eaten any solids for 43 days by then?

Would appreciate any advise :)

Peace, love, and light

tigerrr xxxxxxxxxx

[NewDirection]

Evening Lemonheads!

I'm almost done! One more day and I'll be squeezing oranges instead of lemons!

I need to prepare so I'm coming over a bit early but am looking for some
after cleanse information and hoped I could find some help over here.

I will be breaking from a thirty day cleanse - and while I have picked up
that I need to add many days to my breaking period - I'm still a little foggy as to what
order I need to do things in. A ten day cleanse is very clearly laid out - but
a thirty day, not so much.

When would I add the veggie broth/soup? How many days should I have
JUST oj/grapefruit juice? Is it just listen to my body and go from there?

I'm sorry for having so many questions - but this is one area not covered in
either book so I have to come to you CleanseGurus for help.


Thanks Aftercleansers!!


-ND

[sopheetsa]

Dear NewDirection

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS FOR (soon to be) DOING 30 days!!!! woo hoo! WOWEE KAZAOEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/huepfen/jumping-smiley-021.gif

To answer your question, the recommendation is to go for 1 "juice day"-- ie fresh squeezed organic OJ, or grapefruit, for EVERY 10 days on the cleanse. So in your case, that would be THREE days of juice, transitioning to the broth on the FOURTH. But that's just the recommendation. You could also, slowly introduce fruit like oranges and grapefruit... over 3 days...Basically, as I've mentioned in another post, go easy from here.

Drink plenty of water. Introduce foods slowly. Get PROBIOTICS. You can do so by clicking here (https://therawfoodsite.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=77). Read Kira's Tips:

Kira's Tips (http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1642&page=3) For a copy you can print, click on : Kira's Tips On How To Come Off A Long-Term MC PDF format (http://sopheetsa.org/MC/KIRA_MOON_sTIPS.pdf)

Keep us posted, stay on the bb especially The Raw Food Lifestyle (http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=5)!

tigerrr http://www.websmileys.com/sm/happy/1074.gif congratulations to you for JUST ABOUT getting to 40!!! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/huepfen/jumping-smiley-022.gifhttp://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/huepfen/jumping-smiley-027.gif

I am not the expert here -YOU are on your own body- and I can understand your concern about the OJ. Try it first and see how you "stomach" it. You could "water it down" with pure water NOT TAP. The idea of keeping to citrus is partly that it is easier to digest, it has high vitamin C, and is very close to the cleanse itself. Even though it seems "acidic" it actually "alkalinyzes the body! You could try mixing OJ with grapefruit, or as you suggest, you could juice celery-- and maybe mix it in with grapefruit. Your body may be able to tolerate the OJ having gone through the MC, but some people do do things differently. I don't know for sure what would be best for you, but whatever you do, try--to keep things as simple as possible, because your stomach will take some getting used to with every new food! The main thing is to take it slow and don't introduce too many new things too soon! Basically your plan sounds excellent.

From at least some other folks here on the bb (and myself)-- blood tests have usually been VERY GOOD after an MC-- ie the effects are usually GREAT! But you can only go in and see-- and TELL US WHAT HAPPENS!

My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer (yesterday-and just recently also with thyroid cancer) and because things are a bit turbulent-- I will not be posting a whole lot. Her surgery is probably going to be on Monday-- and I will be taken up with thinking about her.

Wishing you all the best on your healing journey!

Love, and Light,

sophia

[NewDirection]

My books arrived today!

They were delayed - but great timing anyway! First day post cleanse and I
get a big box of books to help me focus on my decision to be raw.

I am nervous though - maybe a titch more than nervous. I am SO hungry
drinking the juice that I keep having creeping thoughts of what I am going
to do once I am allowed to have solids. I hope this goes away... :rolleyes:

Am I the only one to have a really big problem with the juice? It's simply
not satisfying me - not one bit. I feel like I'm about to start chewing on my
arm lol.


-ND

[Res]

Soph: You know my heart goes out to you and your family. Thanks for filling in places here while I was out sick. You're the best - truly. *hug*



ND: Uh yup. You're not the Lone Ranger - try s l o w l y eating a piece of orange or down a few Organic blueberries or whatever berries are fresh in your neck of the woods. Upping my water intake sort of helped me - but I think it's actually more mental. I wanted to TASTE everything last post cleanse and you really have to get a grip on yourself to not dive face first into any food that passes by. It's all part of the journey. Just keep telling yourself to take it slow and that you're not deprived and that you'll be back to eating shortly. :) You can do it - sometimes this is more difficult than actual cleansing.

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Day 3 post cleanse and my question of the day is:

Once you START eating the veggie soup - how exactly do you stop! :eek:
<laughs>

I know I shouldn't be touching the veggies yet, and I am well aware of the
horrible discomfort I am risking eating them - but once I started making my
soup I couldn't resist tasting a bean, nibbling a cabbage leaf... and all of a
sudden there was a bowl of the most delicious soup in history in front of me...

I am eating AS SLOWLY as possible, taking baby bites chewing an extremely
long time, drinking lots of water but yeah - I know I'm in for trouble. :o

On a side note to my stupidity lol - I honestly can't believe how everything
tastes. I knew it would be different now - but I am amazed that beans and
lentils taste like heaven. The cabbage is so good I am having a hard time
resisting the urge to dig every piece out of the pot and eat it now - the
zucchini the celery the onions - it ALL tastes better then anything ever has.


I love the MC...

[Res]

hahaha - ho boy...not sure what to tell you. Been there, done that. :)

Go slow

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Unless the pain and torment I've heard so much about is slow in showing
I think I am okay... wonder if that's a good thing? <laughs>

I have had many child size bowls of soup today (barely cooked crunchy veggies including such evils as cabbage and a dozen types of beans and lentils), an apple, one lemonade (cause I'm craving it like mad) and a few glasses of fresh squeezed o.j.

Many many hours later I feel fine - no stomach ache, gas, nausea etc.

I'm thinking using pulp in my LA's during the cleanse and starting daily dophilus
on the last day of my cleanse is helping me out - and I certainly need it -
I am addicted to that soup. :p

[solei]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site and I just ended my first 11 day MC (woohoo!). I've been vegeterian for about 7 years now. It was such a wonderful experience, as you all know. Here are my questions:

1st- starting on day 9 I began to develope a rash on my face. I wanted to keep the fast going a few more days since it was a great sign of detox, but I decided to end the fast on day 11 because Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I didn't want my "coming off" the cleanse to overlap it. Now the rash is not going away. I've been off the MC for 3 days now. Has anyone ever experienced this rash or know what it could be?

2nd - day 1 off the fast I juiced and then had a small raw salad. Felt great. Then on day 2 I just had to have a small bowl of brown rice. I'm still drinking OJ during the day and lemonade in the morning. I hope the brown rice is ok. I feel fine but not anywhere near as wonderful as while on the fast. I find that I'm a bit paranoid about eating now as well. There's something a little sad or depressing about coming off this fast, isn't there? I'm not sure how I feel about that.

3rd - I'm thinking I want to go right back on the clease after Thanksgiving. I don't feel like I'm done at all! Is this ok?

I appreciate any response. I'm grateful I found this website just in time. I'm most concerned about this rash.

Thanks!

[NewDirection]

I'm waaaay overly happy about this new attitude I have!

I'm still not over everything tasting amazing. Aaaaand - I have some pretty
exciting hope re: my family following my raw ways! I made the raw apple
pie from the lemonhead recipe box and my family, shockingly, ate almost the
entire pie! So nice to finally be able to say yes when my son asks for seconds
of dessert! :D

The massive pot of veggie soup I made for coming off the cleanse was polished off
in a day. Everyone in my family loved it - even though it was
nothing like anything they had ever had. (Coming of the cleanse EVERY
vegetable imaginable sounded good, so pretty much every vegetable I could
think of ended up in the soup - not to mention tons of garlic and onions. :o)

I'm an overly happy camper right now. So many worries have been laid to rest.
Not only am I not worried about living this lifestyle - I'm really enjoying it!

Btw - update - I've been eating solids for two days now - and today I ate
all raw fruits and veggies - and still no issues at all. :) I made a lemonade
today pre-workout cause I think it helps me push harder... and man did it
taste good. Can't wait for MC2!

I'm gonna go put my perky rear to bed now.
Be well everyone!

[mtmouse]

I'm waaaay overly happy about this new attitude I have! ... So many worries have been laid to rest.
Not only am I not worried about living this lifestyle - I'm really enjoying it!


Hooray for you and congratulations! You're on a roll now and it's going to be a great ride!

[Lin]

I got a recent email from Carol Solomon about a series of webcasts on the site:

http://www.everydayqi.com

I'm not sure if anyone is interested about this or not.
These webcasts can be listened to for free. Carol is going to do one on EFT but I don't know the date. They are broadcast most Thurday evenings at 8 pm and then they are available for a limited time if you miss them.

Also, a friend of mine gave me another site which may interest many of you here who follow a mostly raw food diet.

http://www.rawsummit2.com/

These webcasts are on most evenings at 8 pm too, for a limited time. They've already started, but I think you can still get in on them. They too, are free. Ani Phyo , Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and Sergei Boutenko are just a few of the people doing these presentations. Serrgei Boutenko's presentation is on tonight at 8 pm and then will be available until tomorrow evening.
I'm finding these presentations really motivating.

[Res]

This is very cool and I can't wait to look into it. :)

Thanks for posting!

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

I am extremely pleased with myself for finding this information -

I am "busy" online doing some more Raw kitchen shopping - and just found
this very interesting little tidbit on the Excalibur Dehydrator:

*The 5 tray model is not appropriate for raw food as the temperature gets too high.

Learn something new every raw day....

[NewDirection]

I'm really quite bad about asking for help but I really need some support here.

I love raw. I believe in raw with all my heart. Nothing, ever, has made more
sense to me than this lifestyle. I have invested waaaaay way more money
in a raw lifestyle than I should have, but feeling so good about
it I justified it saying it was an investment in the rest of my life. I am still
reading Victoria's 12 step book - though I haven't had much time over the
last week.

Yet -

I keep messing up. I don't understand how I could feel so passionate about
raw - then stupidly cave and eat a roll... or - something vegan yet cooked..
or any of the other things I've been messing up with.

I feel terrible immediately and for at least a day afterward. I have turned into
the BIGGEST wench since my eating habits became not quite crap but far
from great. I keep getting headaches, my tonsils hurt every morning, I have
zero energy...

I am frustrated. I am upset.

I guess what I am looking for is somebody to tell me they were stupid and
messed up trying to go raw too. I just need to hear some words to make
me believe that I will be able to do this, that this is a common situation
for post cleansers trying to live raw...

Thanks for giving me a place to vent. My better half, while supportive,
simply doesn't understand why this is such a big deal to me - or why I am
being a completely untolerable b***h.

I just want to go back on the cleanse. Life was easy on the cleanse. :(

[mtmouse]

NewDirection,

Awwwwww! {{{{{{{{{{{hug}}}}}}}}}

It sounds like (1) your body is being kind of hard on you, and (2) you're being kind of hard on you!

I've been kind of out of the loop lately, but have you checked our 30-Day Raw Challenge thread? If you haven't, I think you'd feel a lot better reading it. The whole thing isn't too long, and you can follow our progress (and challenges) as we went through it. And you can participate even now, if that will help you commit!

But the fact is, most of us aren't 100% raw. I know of two who are (or at least were), but most of us are somewhere on the spectrum. I think it's far more important to be kind to yourself than to put an artificial limit on there that you aren't ready for yet.

So maybe cut yourself some slack? Don't expect quite so much so soon? Start playing around with it?

However, if you regularly find yourself eating foods that actively make you feel physically bad in addition to the emotional guilt trip you then go into, then (warning: risk of shameless self-promotion!) something like EFT could be very helpful for you. You can download a free how-to manual at my website (below) or at www.emofree.com. We often have emotional drivers that get in the way of our attempts at change, even when what we choose keeps us miserable.

So take it as slow as you need to, and just keep choosing what's good for you in addition to the other stuff, and see if you can start appreciating what you've accomplished instead of where you still need to improve. And come over to the Challenge thread. Lots of support there!

[NewDirection]

Thank you Kathy for your reply!

I will read that thread and check out your site. I know I will never be perma 100% raw vegan because - well - I am madly in love with Feta and to give it up for the rest of my life would cause much heart ache! :rolleyes: lol

I do want to be very close to 100% though, so I am ready to receive any and all suggestions on how to beat the habit loving demons inside. I have to keep telling myself 20+ years of severely bad eating habits are not going to go away overnight - regardless of how passionately I feel about it. People who smoke for 20 years, or abuse alcohol can't simply walk away without struggling a bit - and food isn't an optionall substance!

I am feeling better today. Not great, but not quite so hopeless.

Thank you again for taking the time to reply. Be well!

[mtmouse]

Sure thing!

I figure it's a process for us all. So we might as well enjoy it!

Of all the various food plans I've ever tried, I actually feel the best with raw (well, I follow the blood type diet and so I always do that no matter what else I do, but after that). At my "best" I usually eat all raw all the time at home, with an occasional piece of salmon or meat and an occasional bite of rice or piece of bread. I don't sweat it. And when I go out, I eat what appeals to me.

However, I don't feel physically bad when I go "off". I just maybe don't feel quite as good. Even so, it gets easier and easier to choose it, so it really feels like a choice. (Except for now, because I ate almost all cooked (and almost all bad for my blood type) on a recent vacation, and now I'm definitely having trouble getting my food and my psyche lined up again for raw. But I will!

So just keep putting your best foot forward and give yourself a break!

:)

[Res]

Where are you all? :confused:

Happy Holidays Buddies http://emoticons4u.com/img/party.gif. I need to get back on track. No need to explain I'm sure. ;)

I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all.

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Where are you all?

I know I'm a royal newbie - but I have been thinking the SAME thing!
I hate to post because the whole page shows up as me... visual proof that I talk too much! :rolleyes:

Quick update: Still reading my Raw books. Still eating tons of veggies and a decent amount of fruit. Cutting my nut consumption back cause I realized they are becoming something of a problem. Living pretty raw with the exception of steamed broccoli (such a love of mine... mmmm). I've gained back 4 of the pounds I lost - which considering I lost 27ish on the cleanse, and I've been off of it for nearing a month eating WAY more then my fair share of nuts, and I've not been able to get to the gym very often with shopping, decorating etc - I'm more than okay with 4! :) My Excalibur is embarrassingly still boxed in my office. I would like to use time as an excuse, but really I think I am afraid of it. Ha ha.

Anyhow - my reason for popping in today is because I (sadly) just made my first green smoothie! (Yes I'm a dork that feels she must report things like this! :o )

I was getting ready to go shopping and taking inventory of the vegetable supply and noticed I had a huge bag of carrots that I'd forgotten about in all the holiday madness. I decided to juice em to keep them from going to waste and allow me to buy some fresh ones.

Then I decided to make some orange juice cause the carrot just wasn't satisfying the old palette. One thing led to another and I was throwing handfuls of spinach and strawberries into the Vitamix and viola! My first green smoothie! Spinach, carrot, strawberry, & orange.

The taste? I might just be REALLY hungry this morning - but I am loving it. I got so carried away that ended up with a whole blender full but it's disapearing quickly. I let my 6 year old help with the process - and even though he was afraid of the blackish brownish goo in there he wanted to try what he had created - and he has now polished off two glasses.

I feel like this guy right now! :D

Okay. Done with my dumb tangent lol.
Have a most wonderful day all!

[Res]

Anyhow - my reason for popping in today is because I (sadly) just made my first green smoothie! (Yes I'm a dork that feels she must report things like this! :o ) HAHAHAHA, you're so cute! :)

Congrats on the GREEN SMOOTHIE thing. Kathy will be glad to hear it. :p

Yeah it's slow going around here. Things at work are so busy for me and I don't really have time to respond from work anymore. When I get home from work the last thing I want to do is be in front of a computer. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it! ;)

I sure miss everyone and that's enough to get me back here putsying around.

I'm glad you posted. Take up the entire page. Take up the entire thread! :)

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Soooo todays smoothie is not the success that yesterdays was.
Buuut I am also willing to admit I might have messed it up lol.

When you make smoothies with gignormous leafed greens ie: red chard do you cut off the stem? I didn't. I figured - well it won't kill me and I'll ask about it later lol.

I used the whole bunch, 1 cup strawberries and 2 cups fresh oj.
Not tasty. :p ha.

But I'm slurping it down and will try again tomorrow. I bought lots of different greens yesterday, and scared as I might be - I'm gonna try 'em all!

Side note: Yesterday's smoothie wasn't the greatest to look at -
but todays honestly looks like sludge from the mean streets of NYC or somthing.
Blech.

[mtmouse]

NewDirection,

LOL! Been there, done that! :p

The stems don't matter. If you've got a Vita-Mix, they'll disappear. If you don't, you'll feel them in there and you might want to cut them off in the future.

When I make a smoothie that doesn't taste so good, I just keep adding stuff until it does. More fruit (apple, pear, pineapple, watermelon--which I froze this summer!), maybe some agave, some vanilla.

And a little beet will turn the green/brown sludge into a gorgeous bright magenta! Makes a huge difference.

Anyway, you're doing fine! Keep experimenting. And if it goes down, it'll be good for you! :D

[NewDirection]

I do have a Vitamix, and they did vanish (into goo) so in they'll stay. :)

As for the add till it doesn't make you yack sentiment lol -
My bunch of chard was SO large that between the strawberries, juice and
LOVELY </sarcasm> chard I was already pushing the limits of the blender lol.

I am excited about them though. Two days in a row I've felt like I used to
when I abused energy substances (coffee, canned energy drinks, energy
supplements etc.) immediately after drinking my smoothie. More energy
than I know what to do with - and no guilty feelings of leaving my children
Motherless when my heart gives out under the strain of stimulants.

They will get better with practice and more experimenting. Right now the
only thing I'm really going to play with is the greens, then I will experiment
with the more expensive fruits and juices.

Btw THANK YOU for the beet suggestion! That might be the best advice I've
read anywhere regarding these smoothies. I am very much so a visual eater -
my meals have to be just so, table just so, presentation just so... you get the picture.
If it doesn't please my eyes it could be a $100 plate of the best food in the world and it won't cut
it for me. Not seeing that color will make this new habit a lot easier to swallow... pun completely intended lol.

Have a wonderful day all!

[NewDirection]

I am having a might bit o trouble mentally.

I am struggling with not pushing my family into being raw with me -
because I really believe what I read about it in Victoria's 12 step book.
At the same time, though, I can't stand watching them eat bad things.
For the record, when I say "bad things" they are by no means SAD -
but still things that I know aren't the best for them.

I know the BEST thing I can do is to just keep up being healthy
and hopefully they will see and follow my lead - but it's FRUSTRATING.

COOKING dinner for them, uncooking dinner for me -
more work than I have time for. I haven't found the balance.

I am falling into a rut of green smoothies, salads and cut fruits & veggies.
Healthy yes. Stimulating no. I am getting bored - which is dangerous.

Okay I am done venting. I really do love my glow, my energy, my healing
power! (I went snowboarding and hurt myself-- bad - about a dozen times.
4 days later and I was back to normal - 100%. Amazing. :D) I am just
ready for it to be January so I can go back to the cleanse, where life is easy!

Hope you are all having some quality time your own families.

[Res]

You're fine - vent away. Sorry I've been away. I'm dealing with things on the 'sidelines'.

You're right about the "rut" being dangerous - expand. Soon this thread will be busy again and you won't be able to get a word in edge-wise. ;)

One more thing; your 'rut' is a healthy one which is good. Try some spicy guacamole with carrots/bell peppers/celery etc for chips. There's a breakfast that's simple and delicious with celery/bananas/dates and chopped walnuts on the top. Simplicity is peaceful. mtmouse's Ginger Nori Roll find is great tasting and easy and easy. Cornbleet has a zucchini pasta with marinara sauce that is amazing! I'm pretty sure all the recipes were copied here.

Thanks for posting your concerns here. We're glad YOU'RE here! :D

Love,
~Res

[mtmouse]

So glad to have you back, Res!

My recent butternut squash hummus is also fast (in the VM) and terrific!

But I know just how you feel, NewDirection. Finding our groove (and staying in it) isn't easy.

I'm starting a cleanse this Friday to find mine! :D

[SDpurrrr]

[QUOTE=
As for the add till it doesn't make you yack sentiment lol -
My bunch of chard was SO large that between the strawberries, juice and
ANYWAYS =) ,

LOVELY </sarcasm> chard I was already pushing the limits of the blender lol.

[/QUOTE]

Hey --

I once had a bunch of arugula that needed to be eaten and threw that into a smoothie -- NOT RECOMMENDED. It took me a good 6 months to be talked into tasting it again. It was way to concentrated and downright evil on my tongue =(

From reading up this link, Res has a history of green smootihies, so she can relate when it comes to disappointing, not what you expect, blah kinda "green" smoothies. I use green in quotes, cuz yup, a beet makes a world of difference, and I'm the first person to think that color matters. BTW, this is all taken, or varied from Boutenko's 12 Steps to Raw, and I LOVE them. I call it my "pond scum," (and co-workers go along), but those same co-workers are the same to eye it and ask to taste it and BAM. Not so bad is it? Actually pretty good right? I'm not so crazy :D

My fav (and remember in case it came from Boutenko =) :

1 banana (as ultra-ripe as possible -- the sweeter the tastier)
1 mango or 2-3 apples (honey crisp, gala or fugi -- qty depends on size)
1 1/2 - 2 cups filtered water
2-3 cups baby spinach or baby spring greens
1 Tbs hempseeds (you need a little fat to absorb those nutrients -- and they are yummy -- and high in omega-3's)

Here's where I throw in extra:
1 Tbs Super green food
1 tsp+ Crystal Manna
and sometimes a frozen ice cube's worth of E3 Live (living algae)
OH -- and about a Tbs of bee pollen

It's a fantastic "open your eyes and let's rock" kind of cocktail. I've changed out the fruits with various others, all quite tasty (but I always keep the banana -- it adds sweetness without added sugar -- I think an ultra-ripe banana does wondrous things, instead of adding more sweeteners. Although a bit of agave or yacon syrup still blows the competition away!

[Res]

I call it my "pond scum," Hahahaha :D

Eww arugula - it tastes (to me) like a combo of the worst BO (body odor) and what an unwashed trash can smell like. Blech - no arugula for me.

Spinach is mild and is a really good base - so is chard. They don't jump out at you and shout GREEN! So far my favorite green smoothie is purple - it's the blueberries.

I'm up for a much needed MC starting mid January. Glad to see a bit of life here. :)

Waves to Kathy http://www.kurts-smilies.de/wink2.gif

Love,
~Res

[Kram]

My biggest rules on the green smoothies are that if you make it and taste it and it's disgusting, it's ok to throw it away. No reason to try to force yourself to eat/drink yucky stuff since there are so many yummy ones out there. My first couple of weeks, I had some good raw cereal on hand as a backup at breakfast.

Res - ages ago you had given me a couple of website recommendations for stuff to make with my dehydrator. Could you remind me what those were? My dehydrator has been in the box since I moved at the end of August, and now that things have slowed down a little, I have time to experiment! Thx!

[Res]

Egads! :eek: Not sure if I can remember! This one is fun and I use it periodically: http://www.living-foods.com/

Rhio's is pretty spiffy: http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/recipes/dehydrator.html

If you google dehydrated raw foods you'll get a huge hit on mostly raw sites. If you find anything good let us know. ;) :)

Love,
~Res

[Kram]

I'll let you know what my experimentation finds (I'll post it on the Lemonhead thread) and the other thing I'm on the lookout for is a fresh tomato pasta sauce. Going fully raw hasn't really worked for me, but I'm definitely into trying to find fresh, healthy options. And I was frustrated with the recipes that came with the Vitamix - mac & cheese recipe used velveeta! That's what I'm trying to get away from!

I'm glad to see that you're about to do another cleanse. You were starting yours in August/Sept as I was finishing my last one, and I'm trying to schedule my next one now.

Thx!

[Res]

Yeah! I was pretty annoyed that they said to use velveeta too! What's up with that? :confused: duh....

Cornbleet has the best raw marinara sauce! Search the recipe box for "marinara" someone may have posted it. I've used it with "zucchini pasta" made with the Spirulizer. It's amazing! Heat it up in the dehydrator on 105 for about 15 minutes. lol I was eating everything cold until someone mentioned they heated food in the dehydrator. That made all the sense in the world. :)

[mtmouse]

Yes, I agree! The Vita-Mix recipe book has disappointingly crappy ingredients!

We just have to stick together, rawbies, and make our own way!

:)

[Res]

Kram: Cornbleet's Marinara sauce (http://therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?p=48303#post48303) recipe is in the Lemonhead recipe box. :)

[Res]

This is Hilarious at first and it's entitled, "If Michangelo's David Lived In the US Today". If Michelangelo were to create a symbolic sculpture for today, it’s not impossible it would look something like this photo; (it's actually pretty sad but at first look it's darned funny). Read the Article here (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/12/29/if-michangelo-s-david-lived-in-the-us-today.aspx).

http://articles.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2007/12--december/David.jpg

as opposed to this;

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Michelangelos_David.jpg/450px-Michelangelos_David.jpg

[Res]

That's it! - I wanna be a young king and fight and win battles. :mad:

[Wendyooo]

Hi:
Just finished reading the book and plan to start the MC Jan 1. Planning ahead a bit....where can I find the recipe for the soup that you are to start back on after the cleanse (after the OJ)? I thought I could find it on here.

[mtmouse]

Check out the General Help for Newbies thread:

http://www.therawfoodsite.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1154

On page 1 there's a Table of Contents. Scroll down and you'll find an article on how to prepare the soup.

Happy cleansing!

[NewDirection]

My drastic silence (especially for me :rolleyes:) has meant exactly what it looked
like - Iiiiiii fell off the wagon. In a BIG way.

Two days before Christmas I had a dinner party. The dinner day itself I did
really good. I did have cooked foods - but only veggies and most of them
were only barely steamed. No breads... no dessert... a little wine...

However - the day before and the day after? What. A. Joke.

I was stressed about the party, then stressed to finish Xmas eve and
I ate to prove it. It was amazing the things that had stayed so far off my
temptation list for so long - that I was finding myself eating before I
even realized I was losing my willpower...

On the bright side it made me immediately sick and I have been since.
Fitting punishment. :D

All I can say thank goodness I already had a cleanse planned. I am running
back to my SWF and LA's in the morning with open arms... My raw attempts
will be waiting for me on the other side shining bigger and brighter than
ever I'm sure.

Thank you ladies for your kind words re: my last post. Glad I have somewhere
to turn when I am done and once again trying to cement habits...

Happy 2008 everyone...

[Res]

Aww ND: Cooked food happens. ;) You're safe with us. :)

Love,
~Res

[NewDirection]

Thanks Res!

You people are the only reason I was able to start cleanse 2 today with
a decent amount of maintained weightloss and an unimaginable amount of
excitement! I know on the other side I'll again have the support I need to
fight for raw again - and maybe even win this time! :p


Much love -

New D.

[Marina Mermaid]

Dear New Direction,

I know the guilt and sickness you recently experienced. I was invited to dinner the week of Christmas and the hosts were SO sweet, they said "we heard you're eating vegan, so we went to whole foods and found this vegan whole grain pasta, and vegan cake!" I felt so bad, and I didn't want to be rude, so I thought, "one plate of pasta won't kill me." I paid for it later that night, spending a couple hours in the bathroom. THEN, two days later, all hell broke loose. I spent seven hours in the middle of the night until dawn vomiting and eliminating everything I had eaten in the past two days.

I've fallen off the wagon a few times before too, and it's so fascinating how when you're eating organic/raw/vegan, you don't even miss the crap in the Standard American Diet, but when you fall off, you start to get a taste for the junk again, and if you don't stop it, then before you know it you're eating everything in sight wondering, "how did I let this happen?"

Good luck on your next cleanse, and the great people on the bulletin board will be here to support you!

[Marina Mermaid]

I have a question regarding something I've experienced a few times when eating raw after doing the cleanse.

I've had a few episodes where I've gotten these burps that taste and smell like rotten eggs. This is followed by stomach cramping and vomiting for a few hours or a day. I'm sorry, I know it's gross, and not ladylike, and it's embarrassing to be posting this. But I need to know if anyone else has experienced these "eggy" burps and can shed some light on this for me. Thanks! :confused:

[Res]

M Mermaid: I wish I could help but I haven't experienced what you're going through. Hopefully someone else will be able to comment. I have "other" issues ;) when eating all raw but adding a bit of cooked food resolves. it.

Love,
~Res

[Marina Mermaid]

Can anyone tell me where a raw vegan gets their vitamin B12? I've read from fermented foods, spirulina, or unwashed produce, but in every scientific study I've read, from multiple sources, it seems these are not adequate sources of B12. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Res]

Injections? That's what I ended up doing for a while. A dermatologist explained it to me at the time, had to do with a vit b12 pill not being absorbed through the stomach.

Next....

[Lin]

I'm vegan, but not raw vegan. I do eat a lot of raw food though, probably more than 50%.

I get my B12 from a sublingual veg formula by TwinLab called B-12 Dots. You just put it under your tongue and let it dissolve in your mouth.

When you swallow B12, most of it gets destroyed before your body can absorb it. You can also buy liquid formulas that you place under your tongue too.

[NicoleG]

Hi all, I'm still cleansing (today is D10), but once I'm done I really want to start including more raw foods in my family's diet.
To that end, I've been poking around a little and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for good 'how to' books.
And I'm curious...Do I need special equipment if I'm going to 'sprout' or can I use items readily available in most kitchens. In fact, tell me anything you can about sprouting. I've read some about it, but still feel tentative...Like where do I get items to sprout, can (say) any store bought dry rice or chickpea sprout, how about barley....There's so much to learn!:eek::)
Thanks for any help.

[mtmouse]

NicoleG,

Please go up one level, back to the Raw Food Lifestyle forum, and read The One-Month Raw Challenge thread. You should start at the beginning. It's not that long, and it's chock full of exactly the answers you're looking for!

[NicoleG]

Thanks MTMouse, Sorry I didn't catch that thread myself!:)

[NewDirection]

Two questions:

1. Mtmouse the spiralizer you own gets really iffy reviews, but I know
sometimes reviews don't reflect the product well due to user error. I saw
posts saying you liked it soon after buying it but nothing since. Do you still
use/enjoy/own the Joyce Chen (?) one? I have been trying to buy one on
Amazon for about a month but can't get over the bad reviews on cheaper
models - and too far in raw kitchen debt to buy one of the expensive ones.

2. Maaaaany recipes call for the Champion (or like model) Juicer - which
I do not own. I bought a $100 juicer after my last cleanse and it's been
serving me fine - for juice - but wondering if I need to try and take it back
for a Champion. This is a two part question I suppose - is there anything I
can do for those recipes in place of using the blank in the Champion? Are the
beni's to the Champion great enough to purchase one? Oops - three part -
does the Champion do wheat grass because that would seal the deal right
on the spot as I am looking for a wheat grass juicer at the moment too.

I have NO problem investing in my kitchen - we don't pay for medications,
Dr's bills or health insurance so I see it as fair trade - but I don't want to
spend money on something that doesn't greatly improve my raw kitchen -
ya know?

Your advice on these matters is, as always, greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

New D.

P.S. To help with the "Is there anything I can do in place of using the blank"
question I have these tools to use instead - if it will work - Vita Mix Blender,
11 cup professional food processor, Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a regular
decently heavy duty juicer. Thanks again!

[mtmouse]

Hi NewDirection,

I ADORE that spiralizer! For the price, it's the best thing I ever bought for my raw diet. I love and use both settings (angel hair and wafer) and would buy it again in a flash if someone stole it. :)

I have a Champion juicer. Since discovering smoothies, I never juice any more, because I want all the fiber every piece of fruit or veggie has! We have a grain grinding attachment for that, but now I grind my grain (for DH's bread) in my Vita-Mix. I even make toona in my VM (that substitutes for the "blank" in the Champion).

That said, I do use the Champion to make cranberry scones, because they call for carrot pulp after juicing. I don't know any other way to get carrot pulp without using a juicer. It certainly wouldn't need to be a Champion, though.

I *think* the Champion does wheat grass. You'd have to do some research about that. However, my thinking (again just a guess) is that the cutting blade would clog up pretty quickly on wheat grass, and that it wouldn't be as good as something that was designed specifically for it.

Hope that helps!

[NewDirection]

Kathy THANK YOU!

If throwing stuff in my Vitamix will work instead of having using the blank
in the Champion I think I will stick to the juicer I have. I didn't even know
what the blank did :rolleyes:. My juicer makes lots of lovely dry carrot
pulp for recipes - so I am good there.

Might still read around a bit but I think you've just convinced me to stay
put. Thanks for that too btw - I'd rather spend money on stuff to put IN
my toys than more toys at this point. lol.

Have a great evening!

New D.

[Newlease]

I am coming off 10 days tonight and feel pretty good about myself. I finished what I started and I do feel "cleansed". I have a couple of questions about the next few days, as I'm not going to be going totally raw, but will be eating healthier...

1) When making the vegetable soup SB gave in his book, is it OK to add just a touch of organic chichen broth?

2) I want to be sure that I don't take the lax tea or SWF any more, and I don't take the lax tea tonight, right?

3) If I find that the OJ isn't enough the next two days, can I still drink some LA to tide me over?

4) I'm guessing that it's OK to keep drinking lots of water?

Thanks for answering...I re-read both SB & PG's books again, but didn't find these answers.

[mtmouse]

I am coming off 10 days tonight and feel pretty good about myself. I finished what I started and I do feel "cleansed". I have a couple of questions about the next few days, as I'm not going to be going totally raw, but will be eating healthier...

1) When making the vegetable soup SB gave in his book, is it OK to add just a touch of organic chichen broth?

2) I want to be sure that I don't take the lax tea or SWF any more, and I don't take the lax tea tonight, right?

3) If I find that the OJ isn't enough the next two days, can I still drink some LA to tide me over?

4) I'm guessing that it's OK to keep drinking lots of water?

Thanks for answering...I re-read both SB & PG's books again, but didn't find these answers.


1. Burroughs p. 26: "no meat or meat stock" in the soup.

2. Correct.

3. Sure.

4. Definitely!

Congratulations on completing your cleanse!

[Meedis]

Day 3 Post Cleanse...so far everything's okay. I haven't had my first real poop yet, though. :(

I made my special soup Day 2 and ate some later that day. I also started the first probiotic. Day 3's started with the morning probiotic and then my meals were oatmeal w/cinnamon for breakfast, more soup for lunch, and even more of my soup for dinner. I later had a red grapefruit.

Hopefully something will give soon. I feel like I'm just refilling my intestines at this point...:)

[Newlease]

1. Burroughs p. 26: "no meat or meat stock" in the soup.

2. Correct.

3. Sure.

4. Definitely!

Congratulations on completing your cleanse!
Thanks, mtmouse...and congratulations to you, too!

[Lin]

I'm on my 2nd day post cleanse and doing well. I drank grapefruit juice and lemon/limeades yesterday. I've been doing the same again today.

A little while ago, I decided to try a little whole food, so I ate a couple of cherry tomatoes and they were so good! Then I ate a couple of baby carrots. I'm really starting to feel hungry!! I know that I have to go slow and it's really hard. I'm just so ready to eat!! :D

I'm planning on eating raw for the next few days and then I'll gradually go back to my vegan diet. I really like the McDougall Program and right now, at this time in my life, it's working very well for me. I've been eating a lot of raw foods since the cleanse that I finished back in Sept. '07. I really really love those raw green smoothies! I've been craving one for days!!

I think I should be able to eat a small salad by tomorrow and am looking forward to it. :D

[Res]

From Peter's Newletter: This is HUGE! :D

"1. Victory for consumers on labeling of genetically engineered growth hormone in Pennsylvania!
In my December 2, 2007 newsletter, I urged you to send an email to Pennsylvania's Governor to let him know you value labels on milk saying it comes from cows NOT treated with genetically engineered growth hormone (GEGH), and you do not want their use restricted. His Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture wanted to prohibit labeling of milk saying it did NOT come from cows treated with GEGH. That's right. They wanted to prevent consumers from being able to make a choice between milk from cows treated with GEGH and those that weren't!
The ban was rescinded January 17 after a review by Pennsylvania Governor Rendell due to consumer outcry. Your emails and calls to Governor Rendell urging him to not to put this ban in place worked!"

I sent an email! I'm so happy this worked! :D :D

Love,
~Res

[rain]

I have a question regarding something I've experienced a few times when eating raw after doing the cleanse.

I've had a few episodes where I've gotten these burps that taste and smell like rotten eggs. This is followed by stomach cramping and vomiting for a few hours or a day. I'm sorry, I know it's gross, and not ladylike, and it's embarrassing to be posting this. But I need to know if anyone else has experienced these "eggy" burps and can shed some light on this for me. Thanks! :confused:

Hi Marina Mermaid: I've experienced this a number of times. All but one of those times, it was in my SAD diet days, and I ate too much dessert. I thought it was due to an overdose of sugar, but I have a vague memory of reading somewhere that, when there's an overproduction of bile, it tastes and smells like rotten eggs. So maybe it was the overindulgence in the fats in the desserts that did it.

That would explain the last time I had a few of those eggy burps: last month, soon after I'd come off the MC, when I was eating raw. I think I ate too many nuts (not alot, but I guess too many for having recently come off the MC).

I think I also got kinda gassy and bloated. (But no stomach cramping or vomiting.)

[gerryvanrooyen]

Knock-Knock-Knock. Hi everyone, can I come in?

I have completed 21 days MC and yesterday I still had the SWF. I then had four LAs then early afternoon I had freshly juiced apple and pineapple. Believe me that it was fitting enough for the Gods. Later I had cucumber, celery, carrot and apple juice. WOW Had to consciously slow down.

This morning I had two LAs and later apple, celery, cucumber, yellow cling peach and baby spinach smoothey. Then one LA followed by the remainder of the apple, celery, cucumber yellow cling peach and baby spinach I had made earlier. I am also taking probiotic.

At the moment I am really feeling wonderful.

Light and Love.
Namaste, Gerry.

[rain]

I've finished my 4th day post-cleanse. I've been "pushing the edge" (okay, breaking the rules :p) at times, but not enough to feel really bad. I started on cashews and dried apricots (one of my fav raw snacks) yesterday. I'd like to eat more nutty treats, but my body doesn't want to, so I won't!

I've been thinking I'm just coming off a 10-day MC. But, over the past 2 months, I've fasted for 27 days: a 10-day MC, an 11-day MC, plus 6 days of preparatory colon cleansing with diluted citrus juices and then nothing but psyllium and bentonite shakes (that part didn't work so well...none of the p&b that went in came out! :eek:). And 30 days of 100% raw.

I need a raw replacement for a good pot of veggie soup...something I can eat lots of (if I must!) without suffering from too much. Not smoothies (I wanna chew...although my lumpy smoothies are almost chewable!). Not salad (although I did have a pretty good Waldorf-type cabbage-fennel salad today). Maybe a big jar of marinated veggies... Maybe I'm having an attack of cooked soup envy just because I can't have it. :rolleyes:

[mayablue]

Hi Rain... Have you checked out the Lemonhead recipe box yet? I read through the entire thread and there are a ton of raw soup recipes in there. I've now been craving gazpacho for days and I am on day 21 of my cleanse:rolleyes:. The gist of it is... take some of your veggies and puree them in the food processor or blender, then take a bunch of diced veggies and add them together... then season to taste - fresh herbs, cayenne:p, maybe some braggs or shoyu. You could do this with a bunch of different combos to get different flavors so that you don't get bored with it!

There are also some awesome recipes for marinated veggies that you put in the fridge and let sit for about a day... that would help with your need to crunch.

If you go to page 3 of the 30 day raw food challenge - I found peanutterb's link to her blogspot http://pbrawmenu.blogspot.com/, and there are great raw ideas on there... I really want to try the marinated greens (chard or kale or collards) That also looks super good... I've been copying recipes for days now...

[Res]

Knock-Knock-Knock. Hi everyone, can I come in?


WELCOME Gerry! :D Doesn't the food taste great? :)

Go SLOWLY. One of the pitfalls to returning to food (raw or not) is overdoing. It's not your fault! You want to taste EVERYTHING. :) Be careful though.



Rain: There are a bunch of RAW soups in the Lemonhead recipe box. Do you have a vitamix or a really heavy duty blender? Take a peek. :)

Love,
~Res

[gerryvanrooyen]

Thank you Res.
Yes, I have really been careful and I have not had any problems. Today is the fourth day after my MC and starting from 05:00am I had four LAs this morning and then this afternoon for lunch I had banana, peach and mango smoothy. From lunchtime onwards watermellon only. I could live like this forever and a day.
Love to all who so graciously give of their precious time giving advice based on your own experience and also the huge amount of time you have devoted to research and also the fantastic recepies you have found and posted for us to choose from.
Light and Love.
Namaste, Gerry

[rain]

Hi Mayablue and Res: I forgot to say in my previous post that cold (or lukewarm) soups don't appeal to me at all. I like soup when it's almost too hot to eat...definitely not raw! Perhaps I'll grow to like raw soup sometime (thanks for your condensed-version recipe, Mayablue...it almost makes raw soup sound appealing to me! :)). But first I'd rather go with what sounds good. So I guess that big jar of marinated veggies I was considering making yesterday will be it. I made that a few times last month, and it was pretty good (and I could learn to make it better).

I read some of the Lemonhead recipe box in bits and pieces last month as I searched for recipes. I'm so looking forward to going through it (as well as other threads in this forum) from start to finish as you've done, Mayablue. But there's a project I have to get done first, so I'm trying to not get too caught up in uncooking quite yet, although that's what I'd most like to do!

No, Res, I don't have a heavy-duty blender yet. I have an Osterizer that does a good job considering how old it is. But I'll only be able to drink those lumpy smoothies for so long! I'm having trouble deciding between a Vitamix and a KTec. From what I've read and heard, it's impossible to get everything out from the bottom of a Vitamix (not fun if you're making just a small amount of something) because of the blades, and the sealing ring on the KTec jar is prone to breaking. But the KTec jar is only about $50 to replace (maybe I'd save that much by not wasting food stuck in the bottom). I guess either blender will do the job, with some minor annoyances. I just have to decide how I want to be annoyed! :p :)

gerryvanrooyen: I'm impressed by your self-control (and your juices and smoothies sound so good)! I've been doing well today, though. Interrupting my munching to come here and post instead is helpful. :)

[mayablue]

I'm having trouble deciding between a Vitamix and a KTec. From what I've read and heard, it's impossible to get everything out from the bottom of a Vitamix (not fun if you're making just a small amount of something) because of the blades, and the sealing ring on the KTec jar is prone to breaking. But the KTec jar is only about $50 to replace (maybe I'd save that much by not wasting food stuck in the bottom).

I'm still reading old threads and I came across some recommendations... If you like hot soup, but want to stay raw... get the Vitamix. It will actually do hot soup (I don't have one yet, but it's on my list - next time Costco has them!). I think that if you want it to stay raw, you have to watch how long you blend it for, but I guess it works! Also, there was some discussion on the "Magic Bullet" - I have been wanting one of these for awhile and now I think that I am going to go find one. I've been seeing them everywhere, so that shouldn't be too hard. They are very good for blending just a little bit of things, so you don't have to fight to get the food out like with the Vitamix. Also, they blend things "upside down", so you can just pull it out and snap on the lid to save it for later - some of them come with cups as the blending container, so you just blend it, then unscrew it and eat it right out of the cup. Sounds pretty great to me!

[rain]

mayablue: To me,that the Vitamix heats things up (if it's on for a long time) isn't an advantage. Despite liking hot soup, I want my food raw, not hot. And I don't want warm or hot smoothies (although it sounds like, in the time it usually takes to make a smoothie, there'd be little or no heating). I don't need to heat things up in a blender when I have a dehydrator and a stove.

The Magic Bullet (and the Personal Blender, which Alissa Cohen sells) will blend small amounts. But they don't have the power of the Vitamix or the KTec (so, I imagine, back to lumpiness...or at least not as smooth). I've also read that some people are disappointed with the Magic Bullet, that it's prone to falling apart and doesn't last (but some other people do like them). You could probably pick one up cheap on Craigslist, or maybe even get one for free on Freecycle.

[Meedis]

Yeah I was considering the Magic Bullet myself but I've heard mixed reviews on the Magic Bullet...some enjoyed it and others were disappointed by it. The common denominator for the disappointed ones being that the plastic wore out within a year. So I'm not so sure about getting one.

[gerryvanrooyen]

Hi rain, thank you for the kind words.
I open myself to the Divine in passive meditation when I am noncooking or preparing some of my unconventional concoctions and then whatever comes to mind is what I use in the food that I am preparing. I have tried many recepies only to change and or add or not even use some of the ingreadiances listed. What sometimes seemed to have been a complete disaster during the making have turned out to be absolutely fantastic combinations that satisfy the taste buds and also the hunger pangs for extended periods. I find that when I allow my reactive mind to dominate my thoughts and feelings, everything ends in disaster. This is why I have conditioned myself to listen to that small voice within myself and follow the instructions because I now realise that my body knows exactly what is required for maintaining optimal health and this has been communicated to my subconcious and then made known to me through that small voice that tells me what I need to know.

Light and Love.
Namaste, Gerry.

[mayablue]

Hi everyone! I'm on my first day post-cleanse:D I just finished 21 days. This morning I ran a bunch of cara cara navel oranges plus some ruby red grapefruits through my juicer so that I would have some nice juice with the pulp all ground up. YUM! I was cutting the skin off of the oranges and just had to eat the little bits that were still clinging to the skin. If anyone out there has the opportunity to try a cara cara navel orange - you will never go back to regular navels again:D! They're a cross between a navel and a ruby red grapefruit so the fruit inside is the color of a tangelo orange's skin! So GOOD! In the last week I read through the entire lemonhead recipe box thread and now I am onto the 30 day raw challenge... I won't be going 100% raw, but the recipes are very interesting, so I am going to be trying a bunch of them out to see how I like them... then, who knows? I lost 18 lbs so far, and I would like to lose maybe another 8-10. I'm going to keep meat off of my diet for awhile, but I am planning a sushi trip sometime in the next couple of weeks... I really love sushi and like to go at least every two months... so it's getting time again:p... Sushi, after all, is mostly raw... there's just that little matter of the white rice to deal with... but YUM:D, I couldn't ever give that up! I'm pretty excited about my soup that I am making tomorrow night. I'm going to try to have some friends over to eat soup and watch a movie because it is supposed to storm here again tomorrow.

[apple_cinnamon]

Wow congratulations mayablue!
the cara cara navel orange sounds good i should try them when i finish my cleanse
can you take only grapefruit though? do you mix water half and half like orange? they are what i have available right now just in case I decide not to go on after the min 10 days
but i hope i can go for 21 days too....or at least till my right-now-orangish-looking-tongue turns pink...hmmm but then again i wonder if the organic grapefruits which i bought along with the lemons will last till then

[Res]

Maya: Congrats on completing your cleanse! :D



The magic bullet is great - love it.

The Vitamix only makes hot soup if you add hot water. Smoothies are amazing and you can just throw in frozen fruit with a small bit of fruit juice and you have a delicious frozen fruit dessert. Kind of like a sherbert but without the dairy.

It is a bit annoying to have to dig out food from the bottom but it's worth it actually and it's not as bad as all that. If I would've known ahead of time it probably wouldnt' have annoyed me at first.

I've made raw marinara sauce in both the Vitamix and Magic Bullet. The bullet is great for 1 or 2 meals and the Vitamix is great for more. Either way you can't lose. :)

Hope that helps a bit.

Night Lemonland. :)

Love,
~Res

[mayablue]

Wow congratulations mayablue!
the cara cara navel orange sounds good i should try them when i finish my cleanse
can you take only grapefruit though? do you mix water half and half like orange? they are what i have available right now just in case I decide not to go on after the min 10 days
but i hope i can go for 21 days too....or at least till my right-now-orangish-looking-tongue turns pink...hmmm but then again i wonder if the organic grapefruits which i bought along with the lemons will last till then

Thanks! Today I did ruby grapefruit juice in the morning, cara cara navel juice in the afternoon, and now I am finishing up a bit more ruby grapefruit juice. YUM! Put your grapefruits in the bottom bin of the fridge - that's where they last the best for me, then they'll be nice and cold when you juice them.;) I only mix water with my juice if I am either drinking it too fast or if it is bothering my tummy. Drink it nice and slow to make sure that you are adjusting to it.:D

[mayablue]

Maya: Congrats on completing your cleanse! :D


Thanks! I'm currently enjoying reading through the 30 day raw challenge thread and getting a kick out of all of the banter back and forth, as well as getting some great menu and recipe ideas. I don't think that I can realisticly go raw right now, but I'm thinking of being 75-80% for now:D

I just love this board!:D:D

[Christa22]

Hello everyone,

I did a 20 day cleanse 7 months ago and have been about 95% raw ever since. If i ever stray from it, its amazing how awful i feel now that i know the true potential of how good i should feel. :)

Anyway, on to my question....Every morning I have a different combination of fruits with a green or two blended up into a smoothie. And I always buy a big bag of wheatgrass to add to my smoothies.

I have a vitamix, so i wasnt worried about it burning out my blender or wrapping around the blades as i've heard.... but i recently heard something about not being able to digest the grass unless its juiced? :confused:

Does anyone know anything about this? I've been blending it up almost daily and have never seemed to have any problems. I always feel good after drinking them.... but i guess i dont know if it could be of any harm without me knowing?

THanks so much!
Christa :p

[Gypsy Jo]

Sorry for posting this everywhere but could anyone tell me where the new thread button is? I read the q&A page and it said on the left hand side, but I could not find it. If you can help then toss me a private message. Now watch as the Universe 'shows' it to me moments after I hit the send button.
I would like to have some input from others on the following statement/idea but don't know where or how to go about posting it, this doesn't seem to have ever been a topic here.
I am interested in hearing if any one has taken a close up of their eyes prior to their MC, or perhaps gotten an iridology photo done. I took a few close up photo's of my right eye (a reiki practitioner told me I had an energy block over my right eye) and will be taking some again upon completion of the MC. (I have not began the MC as yet)
I would love to hear if any one has done this eye photo idea, and if they saw any noticable changes.
Thanks!!
Gypsy Jo
:)

[flowerbox]

PLease Help!
Let me start this with the discaimer that I'm an idiot.

I did my first ever Master Cleanse (or any cleanse for the matter) for 10 days. On day 9 and 10, I could barely stomach the lemonade anymore and so I was very weak by the time the cleanse ended because I was not getting enough calories I'm sure.

Thinking I was "listening to my body" and ignoring the book, on day 11 I had juice in the morning and then ate a cup of plain spaghetti (which I had been craving since day 1). For lunch I ate two veggie tacos and finished it off with a Quinznos veggie sandwich for dinner. No problem! I was eating. I was happy. No nausea.

Day 12, I ate a big salad for lunch and then nothing but a yogurt for dinner. That night....

exorcist type vomiting...

and nausea and really bad mental thoughts. Had to miss work the next day because of extreme weakness. All I could do yesterday and today was sleep, and try to ignore the intense migraine.

The vomiting was roughly 48 hours ago. Yesterday, all I ate was grapefruit juice and tea and some of the homemade veggie soup that I should have eaten in the first place.

Today, more juice and tea and soup. But I am still nauseaus (I have been constantly) and weak and am having muscle cramps in my calves.

I am afraid and feel like maybe I went to far or this was a bad idea for me. Has anyone made the mistake I made and is this a normal reaction when one eats too soon? Will I feel better? Any advice, please? Thank you!

[mayablue]

Hi Flowerbox ~ It sounds like you either ate too soon or actually had food poisoning. It almost sounds to me like it would be a good idea for you to go back on the lemonade for at least two more days and then properly break your fast. Either that or stick to a mono food diet for a few days (try a meal of only strawberries, only watermelon... something like that) Or just stick to fresh squeezed and water diluted juice.

[Christa22]

Hello everyone,

After my 20 day cleanse 7 months ago, I have been about 95% raw ever since. :) Feels great!

Every morning I have a smoothie mixed with fruit and a combination of greens. I always buy a big bag of wheatgrass to use all week in my morning combinations. But i've just recently read that wheatgrass should be juiced because we somehow can't digest the rest of the grass?

I have a vitamix.... so its not like i'm eating it in clumps... it is definitely liquid by the time it gets done with it. And i've never had any problems in having any stomach issues after drinking them or anything. Does anyone know anything about this? I'd hate to not be getting the benefits of it because i'm not juicing it. the stuff aint cheap!! ;)

Thanks so much! :D
Christa

[squeakyclean]

Hi Res,

I had a question, i finished the cleanse like 2 weeks ago and i feel great i couldn't do the raw diet for 30 days because i'm training for a 1/2 marathon and i didn't think it would mix well with that...but i have started eating vegetarian.....in the book i had read that peter and his wife occassionally do the salt water flush when they go out to eat with friends or feel they ate too much...i was wondering if you u knew how often they did this..or just in general how often this can be down with it being healthy to your body. thanks! --oh and by the way i have spread the word about the cleanse and 3 ppl from my job have already started it!!!!

[flowerbox]

Thanks. I will try that. My experience is that the time AFTER the cleanse has been much harder than on the cleanse. I'm really looking forward to being able to eat (healthy) again.

[boneyardpixie]

I finished my MC 3. Today I had some OJ for breakfast and ate a few peices of deheydrated Mango slices. My tummy didn't hate me for it. I'm sticking to water, until I can go home and eat my veggie broth that I made last night. I really hope this time that I can keep up the weight that I lost during this cleanse or at least continue toning up through excerising.

[boneyardpixie]

My tummy is a little rumbly, but so far I can eat solids =)

This morning I had fresh oj with my veggie protein shake mix. Later I had some sugar snap peas, kim chee, some veggies from my veggie stock, and a little bit of fake veggie meat. So far so good. Hope everyone is well.

[mayablue]

I'm having so much fun "un"cooking - that I haven't been on the computer as much the last couple of days. I'm feeling great and all this raw food I have been eating is going right through me, so I have to eat every couple of hours:p. Hope everyone is doing well! I'm gonna start posting some recipes as I find some really good ones! I haven't commited to going raw, but I am about 85% right now. I still have some veggie soup left from the other night, but I'm really having fun with all of the new recipes that I copied and printed out while cleansing:D

[Bonnienonnie]

I broke a 21 day cleanse Monday - now am going into fourth day. Eating all raw. All is well except no elimination yet. Any suggestions as to how to get things moving again?

[kristi12904]

Hi. This is my first time with the cleanse. I've read both books and was wondering a) is there a good recipe for the vegetable soup and b) can you put dressing on your salad and if yes, what kind? A balsamic vinagrette perhaps?

[gerryvanrooyen]

Not 100% raw but mostly so. Had to introduce un-raw to slow weight loss and I was also still in heavy detox mode. I can see the benefits of raw and have started to make more sprouts which I am including into just about everything on the menu.
Ros. Bless you for your wisdom. Elaine has come to the watering hole as you predicted and eating the all the raw concoctions that I have made from your collection so far. And she is really enjoying them as much as I do. I also extend my appreciation to everyone for your contribution of absolutely super receipies with some changes and in making these boards so interesting. The marinated vegies are a great hit with both of us. I added two ears of young corn which I cut off the cob and a batch of lentil sprouts after the vegies had cooled.

Light and Love.
Namaste, Gerry

[Meedis]

Hi Christa...I remember a year or so going to a Jamba Juice and requesting some wheatgrass. They indeed grounded it to a juice which I drank straight from the cup before drinking a smoothie. So maybe there is some theory to getting full benefits from juicing it. Incidentally I'll have to find somewhere that sells wheatgrass so I can try it on my green smoothies.

[jazzisit]

Is it okay to continue the salt water flush after the cleanse? (I tried to find it here but the couldn't)

[mayablue]

Is it okay to continue the salt water flush after the cleanse? (I tried to find it here but the couldn't)

I think in Peter's book he mentions doing it once in a while after a heavy meal, but I don't think that it is something that you want to do on a daily basis unless you are fasting.

[rain]

Like you, mayablue, I've been having lots of fun uncooking up a storm since I finished my MC last week. :) I've been eating so well that it doesn't feel like I'm eating 100% raw. But I am.

Although, technically, I'm not really. Besides the nama shoyu and the "raw" agave nectar I'm eating that are probably not raw, there's the cashews and walnuts that (I've read) have likely been heated to get them out of their shells. And the "raw" nonorganic sunflower and pumpkin seeds from my cooked days that I'm using up because I can't afford to give them away. And I've read that food can be heated by the sun in its shipping container to a degree that it's no longer raw. And maybe the spices I'm using have been heated.

But that's all okay, even to my perfectionist self! :rolleyes: I'm just learning.

I really need to get some exercise into my routine. I already do yoga (but not regularly enough). I plan to also start doing some combination of running and going to a gym. I used to run, and remember how good it felt. I definitely want that to be part of my routine by the next time I do a MC!

[NewDirection]

Wow. I ended my cleanse just in the nick of time - there is no way I could have kept up with my insane schedule and the cleanse at the same time!

So I am back to work full time (over-time!) and running like a madwoman. I have felt terrible falling off the grid like I did - but it couldn't be helped. On the positive side of this though I'm making good money again, having lots of fun and get to travel for work next week - all good things!

I have been the most beautiful level of raw the last few weeks. I've made myself a green smoothie every single day, and have been marvelously creative. I stopped using juices and use water as a base now which I actually like better. I did use a Lemonade as a base one day cause I was craving one like mad and it made the tastiest smoothie ever with strawberries mangos pineapple and a big fatty load of swiss chard... I passed it around @ work and had a few people try it - the people who never stop giving me grief about living like this - and they all loved my "sewer sludge."

I've been so busy I've not had time to prepare ANYTHING. Chopping carrots, celery, cucumbers etc down to size to pack them with me is as much as I have had time for. The most complicated meal I've had the last couple weeks was a bowl of chunky chopped tomatoes, baby cucumbers, celery, avocado & baby portobellas with a little sea salt, course ground pepper oil and vinegar. (Trying to not fry myself with the drool on the keyboard remembering... )

And you know what? I have never, ever felt better. I feel way better than I did even before when I was raw but preparing complicated things all the time. I've only lost 2 pounds from my first cleanse (coming off my second cleanse I was actually UP in weight - go figure) but nothing I own fits. My pants are so big I can't even get away with wearing a belt. NOBODY from work believes I haven't lost weight since fall.

I am not losing weight (two pounds is hardly note worthy) but my body is reshaping itself like mad. My face is thin and my cheekbones look wonderful. My collarbones are quite noticable, my rear end (which I am famous for - in a bad way ha ha) is just disapearing. I keep being told I look "so healthy, glowing". I got asked if I had bought a new puppy... lol.

I am not eating more than an ounce or so of nuts a week because they are a problem for me. They not only trigger me to over eat the nuts, but they start of cycle of me over eating everything till I feel sick so - they don't get to be part of my diet right now. I am living off greens, fruits & veggies in their whole form with occasional use of sea salt, pepper, olive oil & vinegar.

I am loving the simplicity. I am loving that I am in love with the flavors of the fruits and veggies without having to make cook food substitutes. I am loving - well everything. I am very very happy in my little raw world. :)

I am not at all loving dealing with snide/ignorant/rude comments about smoothies and raw and veganism etc... but that is something I will have to seek advice on after I get back into town next week.

Thank you ladies for all you have taught me. I give gratitude quite often when I think of how your knowledge, time & support have completely changed my life.

Hope you are all well. Don't have time to read posts but I promise I will catch up on everything when life returns to normal.

MUCH LOVE -

New D.

[rain]

Thank you, NewDirection, for your inspirational post! I'd been wondering how you've been, and am happy to hear you're doing so well! :)

It sounds like you've found the simplicity of doing the MC while eating!

I've been eating all raw (with nuts and seeds), but often feel like I'm still eating my former vegetarian cooked diet. Your experience is inspiring me to eat as little nuts/seeds as possible (I'm eating less than last month)...but also to stay gentle with myself about it, as this is a transitional diet. Having a life full of something that's positive and non-food related would really help!

That's so interesting about the body re-shaping without weight loss. I've been wondering whether that's been happening a bit with me, too. I did lose 7 pounds during my last MC, but look like I've lost more. When I run my hands over my face or shoulders, they feel so different...bony! My double chin is almost gone. :)

Your LA smoothie sounds delicious. I'll have to try that when strawberries come into season here.

I've decided to start collecting posts (so I have them easily accessible to re-read when I need that) that inspire me to take my raw diet further and to do the MC longer next time, and your last post will be one of them.

Your healthy glow must have a strong impact on the people who make the snide/ignorant/rude comments, even if they don't acknowledge it outwardly. It must contradict their beliefs; maybe it also makes them feel envious, or worse about themselves. But you're planting seeds, just by being who you are...giving back the experience and knowledge you were given.

[ninjashoes]

a little weird right after but I do have a strange clean feeling

[ninjashoes]

Im also a vegan but I have decided to feed my kids meat. Its harder to get them to eat certain soy products and they dont care for the taste of alot of teh stuff i feed myself.

[ninab64]

hi Christa!

there is a lot of information out there about the benefits of wheatgrass, here are two i have been reading recently

http://www.hippocratesinstitute.com/Wheatgrass.aspx

http://www.wholelifegreens.com/

i am going to be growing my own, and juicing my own (i've juiced a couple 4x4 squares of grass that i bought at my local grocery store, so i could try it out at home) but also visit Jamba Juice a few times a week, as it is just as convenient to have them juice two ounces for me, as for me to have some ready to go, juice it, and clean up after myself.

check out this page with a question and answer about blending wheatgrass:

http://www.wholelifegreens.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=5

[Res]

Egads.... :(


Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Organic foods are a $16 billion a year business, and some are concerned that Department of Agriculture standards and independent third-party verification may be insufficient to prevent fraud.

But Spanish scientists have developed a method of using "nitrogen isotopic discrimination" to determine if non-organic, synthetic fertilizers were used on plants. Since organic fertilizers have nitrogen isotopes that differ from synthetic fertilizers, it is possible to distinguish produce grown using the two different methods.

USDA organic standards are widely considered to be trustworthy, because independent third-party assessors check on farm practices. The USDA recently cracked down on at least one large dairy that let its standards lapse.

Sources:
The Daily Green February 5, 2008
Journal of Environmental Quality January 4, 2008; 37:182-185 (Free Full Text Article)

http://articles.mercola.com/themes/blogs/MercolaArticle/mercolaimages/Dr.Mercola.jpgDr. Mercola's Comments:

Greenwashing, the practice of branding a conventionally grown or processed food as natural or organic, is becoming a pervasive problem. If the label works, then the food inside does not actually have to be organic; an impression of organic-ness is all that is required to partake in the organic goldmine.
Since true organic produce should be grown without synthetic or otherwise toxic fertilizers, being able to introduce a testing procedure that can produce reliable and verifiable results would go a long way to ensure that you’re actually getting what you believe you’re paying for. Unfortunately, as this article states, it may take a while before this method can be put to use on a wide scale, due to costs.
Until then, your best bet is still to be an informed consumer, if not a bit of a sleuth, and do your homework before buying.
Think About It – Does the Label Make Sense?
I’ve already warned readers about the substandard and distorted image of organic foods promoted by companies such as Wal-Mart (http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/More-Deception-by-Wal-Mart-With-Organic-Foods-15099.aspx). Last year, fraud investigators found Wal-Mart guilty of deceptive organic labeling on several products, including Silk Soy Milk and Florida Crystals Natural Sugar, as well asvarious fresh produce items.
Some advertising experts have expressed the belief that the organic trend (http://www.mercola.com/2003/may/21/organic_food.htm) may soon be coming to an end, especially with the wake-up call of products like NATURAL Cheetos hitting grocery store shelves.
The question you need to ask yourself is this: Does the label really make sense? Is it possible for Cheetos to be processed and still be considered a natural health food?
Believe me, the day you see “Organic Cheetos” in your grocery store you can kiss the value of the term “organic” goodbye. It will be absolutely worthless as a marker of healthy food, and merely serve as another manipulation tool to deceive the public and take more money from you for unhealthy products.
Other major corporations like Dean Foods (http://www.mercola.com/blog/2005/nov/10/any_difference_between_organic_pasteurized_milk), General Mills, Unilever, Mars, Kraft and Kellogg have also jumped in to reap some of the fat margins that are present in organic foods, further distorting the real meaning of organic, and all-natural.
If You Can’t Trust Them, Avoid Them
The trend of organic fraud may linger for years before enough consumers begin to demand to know more about the food products they buy.
Until then, your only solution is to seek out LOCAL suppliers of healthy food where you can actually get to know the people who are growing your food. A good start is to check out some of the suppliers I mentioned in my previous article, How to Get Inexpensive, Organic, Locally-Grown Vegetables (http://www.mercola.com/2006/aug/17/how_to_get_inexpensive_organic_locally-grown_vegetables.htm).
Always remember, just because someone slaps an organic label on a food product, that label does not somehow magically transform a junk food (http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/4/junk_food_usa.htm) into a health food. “Organic” sugar and “all-natural” processed foods are every bit as pernicious to your health as conventional sugar and processed foods (http://www.mercola.com/2005/aug/23/is_processed_food_really.htm).


Related Articles:

http://articles.mercola.com/themes/blogs/MercolaArticle/mercolaimages/bullet.gif More Organic Food Deception by Wal-Mart (http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/More-Deception-by-Wal-Mart-With-Organic-Foods-15099.aspx)

http://articles.mercola.com/themes/blogs/MercolaArticle/mercolaimages/bullet.gif You Are Being Ripped Off by Much of the ''Organic'' Food You Are Buying (http://www.mercola.com/2006/oct/12/you-are-being-ripped-off-by-much-of-the-organic-food-you-are-buying.htm)

http://articles.mercola.com/themes/blogs/MercolaArticle/mercolaimages/bullet.gif The Backlash Against the Eat-Local Movement (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/21/the-backlash-against-the-eat-local-movement.aspx)

[Sim]

Res~ You are the best! Thanks for the links...I love Dr. Mercola!!!!!

[sopheetsa]

Hi Folks:

Just thought I'd ask a question-- while we're on the "organic" topic. I was up in Vermont last weekend--and-- well-- partly due to a joke (by Res) I thought of looking into maple syrup. I usually order my Grade B organic by mail, but I thought why not check it out... So the place I stopped at had Grade B, but it WAS NOT LABELED ORGANIC. The storeowner vociferously maintained that it nevertheless WAS organic. She pointed outside (to the many trees) and said-- "what do you think they do-- spray here?". The maple syrup was made by a long time local farmer...

Well, the problem is, I have no idea, and I was convinced at the time, but it still bothers me now-- and the taste, I'm afraid, doesn't seem to be as good as the one I usually order.

What do you think on this?

THANKS!

Soph

[Heidi000]

Hi all, now we are post cleanse for 8 days...My question is that I was pretty thin to start, 5'6", 125 lbs) with and now it seems even good fat is gone MEANING that my neck looks like it aged and my skin overall looks older.:(Close to 120 lbs now. How can I get some elasticity back in my skin? I feel great but co-workers say I look tired. Used to look young for my age, but need some collegan or something! Thanks, Heidi

[Sim]

HI Heidi~ No worries! Yes, after the cleanse you might be bereft of some youthful fat deposits, but once you're back to food (good, healthful food!), it will come back iin the best way possible and you won't look drawn or tired. Great job on the cleanse!

[Heidi000]

Hello,
we are now 10 days post cleanse. I am about 75% vegetarian anyway pre cleanse and have been vegan since Feb 7. Mostly raw, but have cooked brown rice with veggies twice. I am not craving fish just yet, though sashimi crosses my mind sometimes, but I am really wanting a cup of coffee with milk and sweetner. It's been three weeks! I like tea but just would love a cup of joe. Why is caffiene so bad for us? And a little milk, sould that creat havok on our squeaky clean insides? Plus the wrinkly skin issue, as Sim put it, mine is bereft of fat and even healty oil. Any advice here? Feel great but look like I aged 5 years, except for my skinny but! :o

[Heidi000]

Hello all,
In addition I go to the gym and feel I need protien after a work out. I am taking wheat grass supplements and eating some sprouts but fear it isn't enough. :(Though I feel good, I cannot help but think my system is a bit over-depleted. I would consider going on the cleanse again in a few months for a longer perios of time than 10 days but fear it would age me even more. I have followed the cleanse to the leter now 3 times but was just sapped tremendously this last one. Tired and hungry and slept a lot during, and pretty much put working out on the back burner throughout. Maybe it was just tones of holiday excess coming out, I don't know but it will be a while before we do this again. My husband lost 15 lbs, looks terrific and likes the food we are eating, which is good as he is of midweastern steak and potatoes backround. Me, no meat in over 30 years, just a bit of fish sometimes, though not an everyday thing for sure. Thanks again for the support of this BB. Heidi :)

[NewDirection]

Hello Ladies!

Just stopping by for a quick check in/up. :)

I am now 30+ days 100% raw. That includes three weeks of business trips
with no blender, dehydrator (which really - Ive only used once or twice for
fruit going bad - not yet proving to be money well spent) or really anything
other than a fork, knife, spoon & cooler.

None of my coworkers are giving me hell for being raw vegan anymore, in
fact when there are new people around they talk about it in a positive manner
talking about my insane transformation.

I am only 4 pounds under my lowest weight reached on my 30 day cleanse -
and yet I've lost over a FOOT of fat (love saying that) and I am much
stronger than I was last season. In fact I have been on a slight upward
gain in weight (a few ounces - half a pound per week) and my clothes are
totally hanging off of me - so much so I've had to replace most of my business
attire.

I didn't sleep over 4 - 5 hours a night for well over three weeks, at the same
time I was putting in 60 - 70 hours @ work, plus taking care of my family,
snowboarding, and going on fun photo shoots. I am back to sleeping 6 or
7 hours now and feel like I can run a marathon each day.

I can't even explain. I am so in love with raw... it has been said and I know
I will repeat myself again in the future but it's the best thing that ever
happened to me.

I'm done blathering now. I miss you people terribly. I look forward to work
slowing down so I can stop in more frequently - and actually read while I am
here.

I hope you are all well.

:)

[fxyMNgrl]

Day 1 post cleanse.

I did the orange juice, and ate some orange segments. I also took Daily Dolphidus (sp?) probiotics. All is going well! Feeling much better than I did on the cleanse.

I did 16 days on the cleanse, and lost 5 lbs. I suppose I didn't have a whole heck of a lot to loose, but somehow I thought all the toxins I got rid of would weigh more. But I'm sure I'll keep detoxing on a raw diet, which I'm really looking forward to :)

NewDirection Congrats on staying raw!

[dkotschessa]

My problem with a raw diet comes down basically to cost. I was wondering if anybody here can be specfic with regards to the amount of money they spend on their raw groceries.

Anybody that eats raw or has done the 30 day challenge - how much did you end up spending in a month?

I'd really like to work towards a raw diet but I just feel like it's hopeless sometimes with regards to my financial situation. :(

-DaveK

[Heidi000]

:confused:Hello all,

I am having a bit of an issue with fatigue right now, completed our 3rd cleanse in a year 17 Feb. On my days off I feel like sleeping....a lot. I am about 80% raw and even the 20% is oatmeal or brown rice and veggies, totally vegan. But I am T-I-R-E-D!:(Just sapped of energy. I do get it together for work, of course, but just come home and drop. My husband is back on chicken and veggies but careful about combining. (I never eat chicken and have not eaten red meat in over 30 years.) But I did eat some fish prior to this point. Hubby says I need to eat some protien, I say I am still in a state of detoxing, probably alcohol since that was the worst that I put in my body and now none in nearly 4 weeks. I just want my energy back. Oh, and my skin took a beating this last cleanse. Do I need more flax oil? Anyone out there have some advice about: 1) Protien, how should I get this back into my system and 2) healthy oil to brighten my skin? Oh, and should I be taking supplements? (I am taking probiotics, C, calcium and wheat grass tabs).

SIM, I am inspired about your taking the raw challenge to new levels. I found a place about an hour from home that has weekly raw uncook classes I am going to check out.

Anyway, thanks to all, again. So glad I found this site!:p

Heidi:)

[dkotschessa]

I have to admit I am kind of disappointed at the silence I always run into with this issue. I always see things like "wel cost shouldnt' be a consideration for your health." and so forth. Some of us really need to consider cost though. What are we to do? Sometimes I think the raw diet is a rich diet.

Sorry for the rant, but this is frustrating.

-DaveK

[mtmouse]

I feed two people. I'm raw most of the time; he isn't totally.

I buy organic when I can, but not if the price is too high (I googled "20 top foods to buy organic" and pretty much stick to that), and I do comparison shop so I buy my groceries at three or four different stores. I also buy many things (like agave and raw cacao powder) online. But lately my health food store has had raw carob and bulk goji berries at very good prices, so that's where I buy those. I buy a lot of nuts and produce at Costco.

We eat virtually no packaged foods of any kind and make everything from scratch. We rarely go out to eat because it costs so much more and it's so much less satisfying.

We spend about $425 a month for the two of us on groceries. That didn't change when I went raw.

[dkotschessa]

Oh thank you! I'm glad I'm finally getting some info here. I guess that's not really bad for that many people.

Is cosco one of those member places? I don't think we have one around here.

-DaveK

[mtmouse]

Yes, Costco is a member club, like Sam's Club. But what's important is just to check around where you live and check out prices.

[rain]

I'm poor, and have been raw for only a few months, and am determined to find a way to make it work for me. I have noticed that I've been spending more on food than i can afford long term (I'm eating into my small savings fund). The organic nuts seem to be the worst for this. But this is a transition period, and i think my appetite may already be diminishing.

I'm looking for some other raw foodists to place bulk food orders with, because I've found a raw food business to order from, and it's cheaper to buy large amounts. For a number of things, it works out much cheaper than any of the health food stores I've checked out. And I just buy the cheaper kinds of nuts and seeds.

I have a veggie garden that feeds me so well i can get away with buying almost no veggies for about half of the year. I'm planning on doing my fasting more in the winter, when produce is the most expensive (but, of course, I can't fast all winter). I also plan to learn which of the "weeds" that grow in my locale are edible. Wild edibles are many times more nutritious than the pampered veggies we're used to eating. (Just don't pick the ones that grow along busy streets, because they're really good at picking up the poisons from car exhaust.) Where I live, some wild edibles (ex: dandelion and chickweed) grow all year.

Finally: this doesn't help right now, but I've read that, as one's body adjusts to a raw food diet and becomes more efficient at assimilating nutrients, a person needs and wants less food.

[dkotschessa]

I see there are food dehydrators out there for as low as low as $40.00:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G20TCQ/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I6G4DHS9VSYQ4&colid=3ULL0VEHI9NTX

Does anybody have any like this and use them? Any problems with them?

I'm getting all excited about the prospect of owning one now, so I don't want to be disappointed when I get it. I'm sure it'd be better to get a higher quality one - but maybe I can just hold off and save for one while using the cheaper brands.

-DaveK

[dkotschessa]

I'm poor, and have been raw for only a few months, and am determined to find a way to make it work for me.

Thanks for your input, I have this same determination! There's just gotta be a way. I'm glad I'm not alone.

I've been researching this all day. One idea that I'm excited about now is the idea of a dehydrator.

The dehydrator allows you the cost savings of buying in bulk, becuase you can preserve foods, and as long as you dry things under 116 degrees they're still "raw." So this is the idea I'm messing with now. Also when you wind up with an excess of one type of veggie or another in your garden you can dehydrate it.

If you're interested I've just started another thread on dehydrators that you'll want to check out. I think it will advance our cause considerably! :)

-DaveK

p.s.

The other thread isn't showing up yet - I guess new threads need to be approved.

I just found this http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/dehydratorstryder.htm

If I can get the right kind of box somewhere, I am building this thing THIS WEEK!

It's a start until I can save up for something better.

[rain]

dkotschessa: I love being excited about raw (and i am!). When i was considering building a dehydrator, I didn't find that site you just gave. Those dehydrator-building instructions look easy! I spent some of my small savings on a dehydrator. There's a Yahoo group called "Freecycle" (there's a group for all of the larger cities) where people can offer things they don't need anymore and ask for things they want. This summer, I plan to ask to pick from people's backyards the fruit they're not using and dehydrate it (and will offer to give some of it back to them, dehydrated). So, hopefully, the dehydrator will pay for itself. I've only read a bit about dehydrating veggies, and it seemed they don't dehydrate as well as fruit, but I didn't read very much about veggies and will try them as well in my dehydrator. I'll have to check out the survival books mentioned on that site (the library in the city i live in has many books on raw food, including almost all of the best raw uncook books).

It really helps to have a blender to do raw. I read on another raw food forum that the old oster blenders (from the 70s) are better than the new ones (excluding the vitamix, of course!) because the working parts are metal, not plastic. So I found a 70s-vintage oster for $6 from a thrift store, bought a new sealing ring at a hardware store (about $5 for 2, I think) so it would stop leaking at the bottom, and it does do a pretty good job (and now only occasionally leaks a few drops from the bottom). It will make decent smoothies from kale if I let it run for 4-5 minutes.

Here's a thread on another raw forum called "raw food for poor folk" that I read some weeks ago and was impressed with:

http://www.createphpbb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=495&mforum=thegardendiet

Here's someone else who's done raw on a low budget:

http://frugalrawnews.blogspot.com/

I'm not going to pay $15 for her ebook, but it's good just to know it's possible (and she's posted some of her recipes). :)

[dkotschessa]

I love freecycle! I've been using it to get rid of a lot of clutter. (Cleaning my mind, body AND apartment!) So that's a great idea.

The best ideas I've seen about dehydrating vegetables involve a lot of cutting in certain ways (veggie chips mmmm) or blending and combining them into some kind of chip or roll. There seems to be a lot of good recipe books out there as well.

Interesting ideas on the blender. I'm pretty sure mine is cheap. It gets hot if I run it for more than a couple of minutes. A similar model I had before actually burned out from running too long. What crap they make these days! I have a goodwill outlet store near me... Maybe I'll check there or ask on freecycle for one.

Thanks for those other threads...Exactly what I need.

-DaveK

[Christa22]

Thanks for the opinions :) I can't seem to find much information on it! I was looking at your links, and i'm quite interested in getting a juicer. (as if i don't have enough contraptions around my kitchen) Does anyone know of a good wheatgrass juicer?

I'm halfway thru my (3rd!) cleanse right now.... so i'd actually kill just to chew on some wheatgrass right aobut now!

THanks again! :)

[dkotschessa]

Well I tried making the first part of my dehydrator today - hooked up the light bulb thing to a dimmer switch and a plug and...nothing happened. I really don't know what I'm doing. :( I spent about $23 on this stuff! I think it's the plug.. These things assume you alread know all about wiring I guess.

Sigh..

[BIGLU]

These are apart of my diet.

Please rank them as good or bad and if possible list a healthy alternative.

2% milk

Honey smacks cereal

7 pieces of fruit

Assorted mix nuts and dry fruit

Subway sandwich grilled chicken

Quiznoes sandwich grilled chicken

Grilled chicken salad no dressing

Tuna fish (Can)

Green peas (Can)

Campbell soup veggie or chicken

Ham and 2%cheese sandwich no mayo

whole wheat bread

Fajita Tacos

Chick-fil-a breaded chicken sandwich with fries

1 chocolate filled donut a week

Don't laugh please...

[Honey]

I finished my 12 days (5th MC) 2 days ago. I feel great! I went from 144 to 132 pounds and all my pants are too big!
I drank grapefruit juice yesterday and today I had grapefruit juice and a salad (my stomache hurts a bit as I ate too much). I will have tomatoe soup for dinner. I also started the probiotics today.
Will miss you all, but till next time HAPPY MCING!!!!;)
-- Honey

"It's always too early to quit!" -- Norman Vincent Peale

[dkotschessa]

Sooo to Answer my own question, in case anybody else that's reading is curious:

Ronco
The Ronco Dehydrator on amazon appears to get almost nothing but bad reviews. What cinched it for me was reading one customers attempt to get satisfaction from the company due to one of the products heating elements melting. No luck. When I read something like that I get very suspicious.

Nesco
For only $25 (or $20 if you get it used) more it seems the Nesco Dehydrator gets much better attention:

http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-FD-75PR-700-Watt-Dehydrator/dp/B000FFVJ3C/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

And I might just buy one on ebay anyway.

Home made
In the meantime, I've made the cardboard box, tinfoil and lightbulb dehydrator. Only food I even had in the house during my cleanse was some cherry tomatoes which, after 24 hours are barely wrinkled. lol It was a fun experiment anyway. I guess you have to slit tomatoes first and I don't think they're even the best kind for drying. I'll try some fruit later when I get home from work. I don't trust this thing when I'm not here!

-DaveK

[dkotschessa]

Have you folks heard about this? Thought I'd pass it on, though I don't know what the date on this article is or if it's old news:

http://cornucopia.org/index.php/almonds/

[dkotschessa]

Good or bad is relative. If you want to know if they're RAW or not, just use the criteria. If it's canned it's probably not raw. If it's processed it's not raw. Meat is out, donuts - forget about it! Most of the stuff you listed isn't raw.

But you asked if it's good or bad. Who can know that but yourself? I don't believe in letting dogma dictate my food choices. How do you feel after you eat those things? How often do you eat them and how much?

As far as alternatives...

Milk - There are recipes for raw alternatives out there. Coconut milk. almond milk, banana milk to name a few. Soy milk is not raw but that's what i use.

Cereal - There are raw alternatives to cereal as well if you look at the recipes here. What I personally do with cereal is buy one really yum-yum cereal (but not too sugary) and a very high fiber cereal. I fill my bowl with the high fiber cereal and I put a little yum-yum on top.

Mixed nuts - I saw an interesting video the other day where the person mentions how raw foodists have a tendency to go overboard with nuts. She said about a handful a day is enough, the criteria being "What could you pick off a tree in a day?" More than that is probably too much fat.

Raw nuts? Better. Soaked nuts - even better. Salted and Roasted - not so good from a raw perspective but still vegetarian.

Chicken - Well I probably don't have to tell you about all the alternatives to this. My favorite meat-like thing is tempeh. Not raw but very satisfying for someone whose teeth and stomach feel the need for something meaty.

Tuna - There's a healthfood store here that has a non-tuna sandwich. Somebody here could probably tell you how it's made. I don't even know what the ingredients were.

Bread - I've only been researching raw a couple of weeks but it looks like most of the recipes for bread alternatives involve flax seed or somethign sprouted. Hopefully somebody else will chime in.

Tacos - There's a taco recipe in the Lemonhead Recipe box! Do a search for it! It's an all raw recipe.

As I said - and this is only my opnion. You have to make your choice about this. I haven't commited to giving up meat completely but I'm working to reduce it pretty drastically from what I was brought up with.

-DaveK

[Res]

dkotschessa,

Yes this went into effect September of last year. Some of us participated in the petition that didn't work.

[dkotschessa]

Been drinking orange juice and water today. (Used my my last lemon on my last day!)

Having my first orange now.

This is the best orange I have ever tasted in my life.
I want to marry this orange and have it's grandchildren.
I would die for this orange.
I am trying not to eat it too fast and chew thoroughly.
Ohhhh

-DaveK

[dkotschessa]

I had the raw breakfast this morning! (The celery date banana thing) I don't seem to be following the Burroughs plan for coming off the cleanse but I am taking it easy. So far it's all raw. All I ate yesterday was an orange, an apple and some (soaked) walnuts and orange juice. I feel fine so I don't think I'm going too quickly.

For lunch or dinner I am going to have the cucumber avacado mint soup! I thought it would be lunch but I still don't have much of a need to eat since breakfast, which is great. I have plenty of energy.

-DaveK

[tmf04]

Question!

Okay -- so Saturday (03/08/2008) was my first day post-MC. I drank nothing but orange juice and water on that first day. Yesterday, I drank juice during the morning, had a banana & a few grapes mid-day, and a veggie soup with the veggies (not just broth) at night. Today, I had a smoothie during the day and I've snacked on a handful of grapes earlier this evening. Its now 8:30PM and I'm not really hungry all though I feel like I should be eatting something.

My question is -- is it okay that I'm not eatting that much because I feel like I should be. I'm happy that I have an understanding of what it means for me to be "full" but at the same time, I don't want to starve my body, ya know? I just want to be healthy.

I'm thinking that I may try to eat a little soup or salad in a few hours or so. An answer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all! :)

[boomcleanser]

Anyone in the NYC area? It would be cool to have a mini group of raw foodists (100% or not) to meet up. I'm on day 7 of a 14 day master cleanse. However, I would like to get together with people and talk about sprouting and maybe go to Quintessence?

I'm Jackie. :)

[dkotschessa]

tmf,

I was away this week and I'm sorry to see you didn't get any responses to your post. This thread seems not to be as lively as the one for the actual cleanse. I hope you found some answers perhaps on your own.

What I tend to learn, post-cleanse, is that I don't really need that much food at all. Not nearly as much as I thought I needed before.

I just spent the week at a monastery where they don't eat after noon. I ate very little during the actual meals. I felt fine and had plenty of energy. When I started to feel hungry I just drank some water. This was only for 3 days, but the monks that are there live like this exclusively. It was an interesting way to follow up my cleanse! I wasn't able to go all raw (you kind of have to eat what's offered) but the food was vegetarian and very healthy.

-DaveK

[em13adam]

Hello Everyone,

I'm excited to join the club! Just finished my first MC yesterday and am very excited
to see where this road takes me. I love how it has inspired other members of my family
to do the cleanse... this nice thing about shifting your ways, the impact it has on others.

Like many of you, I have my fears about life after the cleanse, but will turn to this board
for inspiration and support.

I'm really worried about going to Europe this summer for my wedding, and all the food
temptation abroad, and how I'm going to maintain my weight, keep my dress fitting the
way it should, etc. But I have the months ahead to begin developing new and good
habits.

Thanks to you all for your insight and group support!

Emily

[Malenka]

There are a couple of raw food Meetups you could join:

http://rawfood.meetup.com/12/
http://rawfood.meetup.com/342/

[Vana]

:eek:Argghhh I love Cacao, and am planning on doing 30 days raw after I finish my MC.

But whilst searching for recipies and ideas I came across an article about Cacao being less than perfect, does anyone else have any other information on it as this link http://www.living-foods.com/articles/toxiccacao.html was all I found on the subject.

[Res]

The Selling of Organic
http://articles.mercola.com/ImageServer/public/2008/March/3.20cowfarm.jpgOrganic farms have historically been small, family-run businesses producing for local markets. But as conventional agribusiness and the supermarkets move in, organic shops are expanding, being bought up, and increasingly resembling their non-organic counterparts.
Under pressure by Wal-Mart, many multinational food corporations have developed organic versions of their best-selling brands, including Heinz, General Mills, Kellogg's, Groupe Danone, Nestle, Unilever Bestfoods, RHM, Mars/Masterfoods, Kraft, Premier Foods, Northern Foods and Pepsi-Co.
You can now get “organic” ketchup, rice crispies, and ready meals -- what started out as a method of producing healthy and nutritious food is now turning out highly industrialized multi-ingredient products.
These industrial organic foods are being marketed along with vitamin-enriched products and functional foods; in the eyes of General Mills, “organic is not a revolution so much as a market niche.”
Sources:

Organic Consumers Organization February 2008 (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10652.cfm)




Find Out More (http://store.mercola.com/b/abmc.aspx?b=185&z=2)

http://articles.mercola.com/themes/blogs/MercolaArticle/mercolaimages/Dr.Mercola.jpgDr. Mercola's Comments: I’m not at all surprised at this development; it was bound to happen. How could any self-respecting, profit-driven, integrity-challenged food company ever let a swelling “market niche” go untapped?
That doesn’t mean you have to buy into their watered-down, kinda-sorta-organic-even-though-mass-processed versions of what could be real food, however.
You still have the power to circumvent these con-jobs and demand the real deal.
It’s mainly a matter of knowing where to find locally harvested organic foods (http://www.mercola.com/2006/aug/17/how_to_get_inexpensive_organic_locally-grown_vegetables.htm), buying from sources you want to see thrive, and reading packaged food labels (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/07/22/do-americans-really-pay-attention-to-food-labels.aspx) like they’re the hottest thing from Oprah’s book club.
The fact of the matter is; true organic IS better. Both for you and for the environment.
What is Organic?
To be labeled “certified organic” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the food must be free of most:

Pesticides
Synthetic fertilizers
Hormones
Antibiotics
Genetic modification
Irradiation
But many argue that true organic food also entails respect for locally produced food, respect for livestock and employees, and environmentally sustainable practices -- something that is rarely a goal of large-scale food manufacturers.
Now there is also "organic" food being imported from countries such as China, Sierra Leone and Brazil, where standards, wages, and growing conditions are difficult, if not impossible, to monitor and enforce.
This is one of the reasons why buying locally farmed organic produce is your best bet when making your shopping decisions (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/03/04/in-defense-of-food-michael-pollan-on-nutrition-food-science-and-the-american-diet.aspx).
Organic -- More Nutrients, Less Toxins
Back in 1998, Regina Hildwine of the National Food Processors Association told the press during the debate over organic standards (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/epa-muzzles-organic-benefits.aspx), "Organic does not mean safer. Organic does not mean healthier."
Well, those famous last words were NOT the last word on this issue. Studies have demonstrated, again and again, that organic foods are FAR more nutritious than their conventionally grown counterparts.
One four-year long, $25-million study into organic food -- the largest of its kind to date -- found that:
<LI style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants <LI style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Organic produce had higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc
Milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidantsThey even found that eating organic foods can help increase the nutrient uptake in people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day!
And, that doesn’t even take into account the health benefits of simply reducing your chemical intake, hence reducing your overall toxic load.
The 2007 report “Hazardous Pesticides in the European Parliament (http://www.mdrgf.org/pdf/Pesticides_%20parlement_europeen_oct07.pdf)” reveals the disturbing truth that conventionally grown fruits are far more toxic than you might think.
Eight fruit samples, randomly selected at the GB express supermarket in the EU Parliament building in Brussels, were found to be contaminated with no less than 28 different pesticide residues (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/pesticides-in-food.aspx), averaging almost five residues per fruit.
These chemicals included:

10 known carcinogens
3 neurotoxins
3 reproductive and developmental toxins
8 endocrine disruptors
Two of the chemicals are classified as “Highly Hazardous” by the World Health Organization (WHO), and three of the samples contained such high levels of residue that they were, officially, illegal.
That said, do keep in mind that even though organic vegetables (just like fruits) are better, don’t use this as an excuse to avoid non-organic vegetables. If for whatever reason you can’t obtain organic vegetables, non-organic veggies are a much healthier option than none at all.
Remember also, if you’re a Carb Type (http://www.mercola.com/2003/feb/26/metabolic_typing.htm), most of your carbohydrates should actually be in the form of vegetable carbs, not grain carbs. Loading up on grains instead of vegetables because it’s difficult to find organic veggies will likely lead to a health disaster.
Organic Farming Protects Your Environment and Your Health
Organic farming differs from conventional farming in the methods used to grow crops, which has a major impact on your environment.
For example:
<LI style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Where conventional farmers apply chemical fertilizers to the soil to grow their crops, organic farmers feed and build soil with natural fertilizer, which is far less likely to cause any long-term environmental complications.

<LI style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,51)">Conventional farmers use insecticides to get rid of insects and disease, while organic farmers use natural methods such as insect predators and barriers for this purpose.

Conventional farmers control weed growth by applying synthetic herbicides, but organic farmers use crop rotation, tillage, hand weeding, cover crops and mulches to control weeds.

While herbicides are not nearly as dangerous as insecticides, they still are synthetic chemicals introduced into the environment and clearly are not something that will improve your health.The article “Better Beef (http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/my-diet-works/Better_Beef.shtml),” written by California rancher Dave Evans and published in the March 2008 issue of Best Life magazine, gives a great in-depth view of the many benefits of grass-fed beef, from environmental sustainability to the sheer difference in taste and nutrient content of the beef.
Evans also offers this list of grass-fed beef ranchers in the United States, where you can find good-quality meats:

Panorama Meats – Black Angus and Red Angus
www.panoramameats.com (http://www.panoramameats.com/)
Country Natural Beef – Hereford and Angus
www.countrynaturalbeef.com (http://www.countrynaturalbeef.com/)
Tallgrass Beef
www.tallgrassbeef.com (http://www.tallgrassbeef.com/)
Niman Ranch – A network of more than 600 independent farmers and ranchers, and probably the easiest to find locally
www.nimanranch.com (http://www.nimanranch.com/)
Pacific Village – Entirely grass-fed cattle since 2002
www.newseasonsmarket.com (http://www.newseasonsmarket.com/)

[Sim]

Hi dkotschessa et al...I have to tell you guys (and girls) that I was (am) poor too...but from everything I was reading, I knew there was no dehydrator that would compare to the Excalibur. It is the only kind that people who love to dehydrate use...and that's because it circulates the air freely and things dehydrate at an even rate, regardless of the position of the trays and the amount of food. Please see if you can locate one on Craigs List or eBay...the Ronco and the Nesco don't do the job at all.

The same holds true for the blender. I used my regular Hamilton Beach blender for 6 months...and it was okay. Then I did all the reading again and found that everyone was talking about the Vitamix. Guess what? There's a good reason! The motor will not burn out because it has a shut off if it gets too hot, which by the way, I have never had to worry about because the Vitamix is so exceptional. And my smoothies no longer have pieces of green in them...the Vitamix is worth it's weight in gold. Just thought I'd weigh in....

[rain]

I want to modify what I said earlier about my old Oster blender. It's been getting hard to drink my smoothies lately, with those lumps and bits of green in them. It doesn't blend chard or tougher leaves of kale very well. Drinking my last smoothie, I kept getting the sensation that there was hair in it. But it was little "hairy" pieces of unblended kale. :eek:

I'm going to fast-track my acquisition of a VM (looking for someone to hit up for a short-term loan...maybe my brother?), and hope I don't get turned off smoothies for good before I get one! It would be worth living mostly on things like sunflower seeds, the cheapest fruits, and weeds and veggies from my garden for a few months to pay for it.

[mtmouse]

Rain,

Don't know if you read my suggestions in the Green Smoothies thread, but one thing I did when I was still using my cheap blender was to make sure I blended my greens first, in the full amount of water I intended to use for my smoothie.

Then only when the greens were liquefied would I start adding other ingredients. That really helped.

[rain]

Hi Vana, Thank you for posting that link! I've been in the middle of a chocolate feeding frenzy. I'd heard negative things about cocoa before (along with positive things) but hadn't gotten around to researching it yet. So I don't have any more information, but this article refers to some credible people who are quite negative on cocoa. Now that it's in my face like this, I'm going to quit eating it...after my (almost depleted) supply runs out (that's addiction...). I've given up other things I loved (sugar, diet coke, cheese...). I found the craving for those things went away some time after I stopped eating them. I don't love them anymore. And I feel so much better without them.

After finding a negative article about agave syrup on that same website, I'd planned to look at the list of their other articles. I did that after reading this article, and found one that's very negative about salt (something that's also not totally new information to me).

Sooo...after my next MC (which is coming up soon), I plan to give up both chocolate and all forms of salt. I'm curious to see how I'll feel if I do that, and how food will taste when the effect of the salt on my taste buds wears off. This is an exciting adventure to me. I want to know what it's like to feel really vital and alive, and not drugged by food.

That's my intention. In the meantime, I have some cocoa to use up. :o

[rain]

Kathy, Oh yeah, I did read that (and then forgot...so many new things to learn!). Good idea...thank you. I tried it yesterday , and it helped some...only had to fish out a few furry bits of kale! :p I'm going to continue doing that, plus I'll also try putting the toughest leaves through a fine sieve after I've blended them.

[cleanmaggie]

:eek:

I'm a newbie, and finished the master cleanse (10 days) a week ago. It was great!

Even though I eat at least 70% fruits and vegetables, I've had very few BM's since the cleanse, and what I've had have been tough (hard) to pass. What's up with that? Do I need to do another cleanse - that is, was the last one not sufficient? Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

cleanmaggie

[mtmouse]

If your stools are hard to pass, it may be because you aren't drinking enough water. Even after the cleanse you should be drinking "half your body weight in ounces" of water. (I.e., if you weigh 140, you should be drinking 70 oz of water, or about 9 glasses.)

You may also want to add a fiber supplement. (I take psyllium husks myself when not cleansing.)

And did you start probiotics after your cleanse? That might affect things one way or the other, too.

:)

[joyfulbeginners]

I'm at the end of Day 9 of 10 now. I'm just wondering what people know about the salt water flush outside of it's association with master cleanse. I've read some stuff online, which basically retells what the MC books say, but what i'm really curious about is- since all are in agreement that it is beneficial, would it be good to work it into my post-MC life with any regularity? would this be too much? maybe weekly salt water flush is good? maybe not?

thanks! 8)

[mtmouse]

You might check out the General Help for Newbies thread. I think peanutterb has an article in there that addresses using the SWF every so often in a "regular life".

[joyfulbeginners]

okay i'll check that out. thank you!

[thesavage]

Doesn't being happy have any weight? I mean credibility weight.

I'm all for detoxing. I'm here. But when we spend our lives searching out foods to fear, I don't think that makes us healthy. For me, the best barometer is how I feel. After you have done a cleanse or two, you should have a good sense of how food affects you.

If the cacao makes you feel bad, stop eating it. But if it makes you happy and you feel vibrant and healthy, then why be on the constant lookout for ways of depriving yourself?

We are here for joy. Eat joyfully.

I believe that our thoughts and emotions are at least as important as our food. I think you can be healthier eating taco bell in joy than the 'perfect' diet (whatever that is - it changes daily) in fear.

Live. Love. Eat. Laugh.

[miss aimee]

amen above!

[rain]

If anyone felt criticized by my previous post, that was not at all my intention. I was speaking only for myself (and coming from a place of exploration and excitement). When it comes to what we put into our bodies, I think we can only speak for ourselves and have no right to dictate to someone else what we think is best for them (ex: to live our version of what we think is happiness). If someone wants to eat cocoa and feels deprived without it, that's their choice (and it may turn out to be my choice, too).

I have no idea how someone could think I'm constantly looking for foods to fear or ways to deprive myself, based on what I've posted here.

I've hung around this forum because it's one place where I've felt supported and respected around how I choose to nourish myself. I imagine alot of us know how deflating it feels to be criticized for doing the MC. Because of that, I assumed there was more sensitivity to one another here than there is in the "real" world (and, for the most part, I've found that to be true).

[Vana]

If anyone felt criticized by my previous post, that was not at all my intention. I was speaking only for myself (and coming from a place of exploration and excitement). When it comes to what we put into our bodies, I think we can only speak for ourselves and have no right to dictate to someone else what we think is best for them (ex: to live our version of what we think is happiness). If someone wants to eat cocoa and feels deprived without it, that's their choice (and it may turn out to be my choice, too).

I have no idea how someone could think I'm constantly looking for foods to fear or ways to deprive myself, based on what I've posted here.

I've hung around this forum because it's one place where I've felt supported and respected around how I choose to nourish myself. I imagine alot of us know how deflating it feels to be criticized for doing the MC. Because of that, I assumed there was more sensitivity to one another here than there is in the "real" world (and, for the most part, I've found that to be true).

Rain, I don't think any of the posts above were aimed at anyone personally (or at least in the spirit of this board I hope they aren't!). If they were then that's not your 'stuff', so don't worry yourself with people getting their knickers in a twist :)

Being concerned about what you put in your body is not 'looking for foods to fear.', I very much doubt anyone is having a panic attack everytime they catch a glimpse at foods that may be 'toxic'.
I stumbled across the cacao article and wondered if anyone else was aware of it so posted it - I really didn't mean for anyone to get upset !

[miss aimee]

no knickers twisted here. i was obsessing the chocolate devil when i posted. i think that savage was probably just affirming (his?) decision not to give it up.....

and on this note... i just wanted to say that i read both that article and the one that preceded it and i in no way criticize anyone for posting useful information. i applaud it. nothing personal rain and my admiration to you for your strength and love towards your very own temple/house.

chin up and take care.

aimee

[Vana]

nothing personal rain and my admiration to you for your strength and love towards your very own temple/house.

chin up and take care.

aimee

I second that lovely message for Rain :)

Funnily enough I had a delivery this afternoon from goodnessdirect, and forgot I ordered even more cacao, off to make raw cakes and cookies for friends .... will be omitting the health warning stickers on this batch !

[rain]

Vana and miss aimee,

Thank you for your kindness...it's a relief to read your words! :)

Yes, I can sometimes find it hard to not take something personally on a forum, with the communication being limited to what we can do with our keyboards (even when I suspect I may be doing that, LOL!).

I have that chocolate obsession myself right now, miss aimee (and am indulging it). I'm starting another cleanse soon, and am curious to see if I can replace my chocolate cravings with something else (maybe just having that intention will help?). But I believe in also making room for gentleness in my relationship to food.



Funnily enough I had a delivery this afternoon from goodnessdirect, and forgot I ordered even more cacao, off to make raw cakes and cookies for friends .... will be omitting the health warning stickers on this batch !

LOL, Vana! Parts of that first article got rather gross, huh? The same day I read it, I also heard something on the radio about government standards for stored grain (how many insect parts, etc are allowed in it). Those standards sounded similar to what that article says they are for cacao! The person on the radio was saying that, when they see the grain starting to move, they know there's critters in there and they kill them (with poison, i imagine!). It's just taken for granted that that's what happens to huge amounts of stored grain, and it's still considered saleable. So cacao isn't a special case, in that regard.

[thesavage]

I had not the slightest intention of offending anyone. I didn't even see prior posts.

I just wanted to affirm to myself and anyone who might be interested that we are here for joy.
Food happens to be one of the things that brings me joy.

I have gone through cycles in my life where I have forbidden myself food. And every time I come back to forbidding myself nothing. I'm always happier, healthier, MUCH more productive and fit when I follow the joy route.

(side note: I used to be very overweight. When I finally stopped forbidding specific foods - even french fries and cookies and such, I lost weight. A LOT of weight. And it was the easiest thing I'd ever done. Knowing I could have as much as I wanted made them a non-issue. And now I've been darn-right skinny for 16 years.)

And please never take offense at anything I or ANYONE says. Even if it IS meant 'personally' (which it wasn't), anything anyone says is a reflection of themselves. Always. Besides, I'm up to my eyeballs in lemonade. No one should take me seriously!

Rain, clearly you are a great contributer to this forum. I look forward to mixing it up with you.
Joyfully, of course!
the savage

[rain]

Hello thesavage,

What you've said makes me smile (thank you!).

I also learned, in the past, about the power of not forbidding myself any food. It was one of the most important pieces in my getting past being out-of-control bulimic (many years ago). I'd forgotten about that until I read your post yesterday. And then that seemed to trigger some kind of insight for me that's not clear. And then I had a great yoga session last night, which I haven't had for awhile...like something had let go. Maybe it has something to do with trusting my body and letting it lead me. (Sometimes I laugh at how I seem to like to do things the hard way!)

Hooray that you found your way to a normal weight through a similar insight. What an impact on your sense of wellbeing!

As I've started eating a raw food diet, I feel like I've found another important piece. I'm getting a sense of how little control I have, of how much my thoughts and feelings are products of the biochemistry of my body, which is influenced by the kinds of foods i eat.

I think what's most important is that (as you've said) we are here for joy. I love what Joseph Campbell said about following your bliss. He said if you do that, the universe will support you and doors will open for you that would not open for anyone else, because we each have to find our own way, our own unique path into the forest.

I'll be drinking lemonade with you next week, as my next cleanse is fast approaching. Although I imagine you might be enjoying food again by then. It will be fun to see what kind of sense we can make to one another then. I look forward to it as well. :)

[shanemilehi]

Burroughs says that if you are a meat person that you can have rice with your soup broth on the 2ND day. But it seem vague as to if it is on the 2nd day or the 3rd.
I would love to have some rice with my broth this evening. ANY THOUGHTS?????

Shane

[shrkbyte9]

Does anyone have any ideas for what kind of food to pack for hiking/ camping trips? My family usually packs oatmeal, trail mix, and soups, but I always miss fresh fruit and veggies...

Thanks!

[shrkbyte9]

Also, how much seeds and nuts is okay to eat throughout the day? I know that they are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and protein, but they are also high in calories and fat. Does anyone care to share what they eat during the day?

Thanks!!

[Res]

Each persons body reacts differently. Try a handful and see how you do. :)

[shanemilehi]

Hey. we just bought a excalibur dehydrator and immediately filled it up with bananas. The booklet said 10 hrs. We were going on 18 hrs and it still felt mushy on the inside. We stopped because they taste yummy. My question is how do you know your food is done with these things. It is totally new thing for me.
I will say that I am totally excited about all the different foods that we can make and with the garden getting ready to plant, we will have lots of stuff.

[Bogi]

Shane,

Most of the recipes state the dehydrating time. If not, then you just try the food, and according to your taste you can dehydrate shorter or longer time. It's really up to you. The only thing what you really have to pay attantion is the dehydrating temperature. If you're on the raw vegan lifestyle, then never go above 118 F.

Banana chips...sounds yummy! ;)

[Bogi]

Anyone in the NYC area? It would be cool to have a mini group of raw foodists (100% or not) to meet up. I'm on day 7 of a 14 day master cleanse. However, I would like to get together with people and talk about sprouting and maybe go to Quintessence?

I'm Jackie. :)

Sent you a private msg, check it out! I'm also in NYC.

[JKC]

I'm a new user of this website (and new to on-line bulletin boards), and I hope that I'm posting this in the right place. I wanted to ask a very odd question about BM: I've done the fast twice. I did it for 10 days last October with great ease and success, and I did it in March for 10 days (it was much more difficult the 2nd time around - I think I was very stressed at the time which added another element to my experience). I noticed that my BM floated before the first fast, and that during and after that fast they sank to the bottom of the bowl. That hasn't changed since October! I have tried to maintain a new healthier eating lifestyle. I've been vegetarian for years and years, but now I go raw as occasionally. I"m just curious to know if this (the BM's not floating) is an indication of health (good or bad)? Is it an indication that more minerals are being absorbed by my body or less? I thought I'd heard once before that they were supposed to be buoyant, but I'm not sure about that. I would like to do another fast again in August, but I want to be sure that this isn't my body sending me a signal that fasting isn't good for me.

[mnop610]

well done gays let me tell you a jokeAn old man named bet365 was in his golden years, but that didn't stop him from trying to pick up the younger ladies. He went to the local bar, approached a very pretty and very young woman and said, "Where have you been all my life?" The young lady takes one glance at him and says, "For the first half of it, I wasn't even born yet." by bet365 (http://whser.com) have a nice day today

[darjeelingirl]

Also, how much seeds and nuts is okay to eat throughout the day? I know that they are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and protein, but they are also high in calories and fat. Does anyone care to share what they eat during the day?

Thanks!!

According to Farmer Al at almondsalive.com,

"About 24 almonds is an ounce and along with all of their nutrition benefits, an ounce of almonds is equal to a 2 ounce portion of the USDA Meat and Bean Group.

In Addition an ounce of almonds also provides the antioxident equivlent of 6 servings from the Fruit and Vegetable Group."

So like Res said, everybody's different, and maybe a handful or 2 a day will do? Based on this info, you have a good idea of how to judge?

[sgman316]

I just ended the cleanse yesterday and I am now doing the OJ. I went out and bought some raw peanuts and pistachios. I know I need to soak/sprout them but how do I go about doing that and do they need to be dehydrated/dried afterwards?

Also, I bought some organic dates and figs are they ok to eat as they are or do they need to be rehydrated as well? The dates don't look like they are dry but the figs look a bit wrinkled.

Don't worry I wont be eating these until Sunday afternoon or Monday, if I can keep myself under control :D

[Cbossman]

Hi this is my day 6 of my first cleanse. I am half way there and still wondering if I can finish. I never drank a tea before. I have a very hard time drinking anything warm. I believe that I have done everything as prescribed if the book. Its nice to be able to visit with others doing the same thing.

[Res]

Hi CB, you're kind of in the wrong thread for Day 6. :) You want to be in "What day are you on and how are you doing?" thread.

Drink your tea cold if you don't like it hot. It won't matter. Also you've made it to Day 6 so heck yes you can make it 4 more days! ;) Keep going!

[IDmgm]

My last day will be Saturday, I don't know what I'm supposed to do after I'm done. What am I supposed to drink or eat? Where can I find the information as it's not in Lose Weight, Have More Energy Be Happy book. Secondly, I'm not sure if I'm on the right thread or not, but my question is regarding this title.

[Thoughtful Cat]

My last day will be Saturday, I don't know what I'm supposed to do after I'm done. What am I supposed to drink or eat? Where can I find the information as it's not in Lose Weight, Have More Energy Be Happy book. Secondly, I'm not sure if I'm on the right thread or not, but my question is regarding this title.


Here's your answer paraphrased from one of the "stickies."

Breaking a long fast is very, very important. If you go right to solid food devouring everything in sight, you're going to feel very sick to your stomach.

You should ease your way back to solid food after at least one day of juice. Burroughs says fresh-squeezed orange juice, but if you find it too heavy, drink fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice instead.

If you have been a meat eater and/or milk products consumer, shift to cooked vegetable soup on the afternoon of the second day and a salad for dinner.

Keep the lemonade drink as your breakfast drink after that.

Of course, you would do better with the least amount of meat and no milk products as they are very productive of mucus and hinder digestion and absorption of nutrients.

If you are going to be eating raw fruits and vegetables, you may do so on the afternoon of the second day with a raw salad.

[kink008]

hi!! I'm new to this site, this is my first post!
Yesterday morning I finished my first ever 10-day master cleanse, surprisingly I didn't find it as difficult as I thought I would! Through-out the ten days I even managed to build a work-out regime, which is a BIG step for me and I hope to continue.
After the cleanse I transitioned with a glass of pulpy V8 in the morning, thick orange juice in the after noon and a smoothie in the evening... but, as you all know the 4th of July comes with lots of barbecues and my family was hosting one, I intended to go all raw after the cleanse but I let myself have some chicken&cheese with a bit of bread. It wasn't much at all, but it actually didn't taste as good as it used to, so I vowed to have that be my last cooked meal (for a while, atleast.. it'll be pretty hard to stay away from cooked food my first year of college in a cold city).
Anyway, this morning I had 3tbs of raw nuts and seeds, mixed with a little bit of almond milk, and had an all raw, completely organic salad for lunch.
So everything sounds like it would be going great right? but the thing is I'm really jittery and anxious, this hyper, uncomfortable feeling that just wont go away. I went for a 45 minute run, and did some stretching afterwards, hoping that it would tire me out or relax a bit but I still feel jumpy and jittery.
Is this it possible that I transitioned too fast? Anyone have any idea what this could be?
I just want to calm down!!
Thanks to anyone who can help me!

[KathyKath]

I'm currently on day 4 of my cleanse and I just started reading 12 Steps to Raw Foods. What an inspirational book! Seriously, i had no idea what to expect when I started, but even after reading only 5 chapters, I fully intend on pursuing a raw food lifestyle after my cleanse. I can't believe the negative effects that cooking has on food, and I also can't believe these facts about cooked food aren't more well-known to the public.
Anyway, being a first-timer with raw foods, I was wondering if anyone had any good websites or books that have a lot of recipes. I know there are some in the Raw Foods book and on this site as well, but I'm sure there are many many more out there! Anything would be helpful :)
Thanks!!

[aerdna]

Hello Everyone!

This is my first time posting on this thread, but I started reading it diligently on day 10 of my 12 day cleanse to make sure I got the got the breaking part down and it has been extremely helpful! Speaking of breaking, on day 9 of my cleanse, my face started BREAKING OUT and I am now on day 8 post cleanse and it is NOT GOING AWAY. :( I have always had super-clear skin, even through puberty it was like one pimple every few months (spoiled, I know) so this is really screwing with my head. My diet post-cleanse has been 50-75% raw (I just realized we have a juicer so have been juicing like crazy...it's so good!) but I still eat cooked food and some dairy and fish occasionally. I don't want to go 100% raw because I love cooking---and eating cooked foods. Anyway, does any one have any advice or experience with the pimple/breakout thing? Will it EVER go away??? I tried everything: drink more water, wash my face religiously, bought a tea tree oil toner, no face makeup for fear of clogging pores even more...do I need to eat less raw food in order to stop detoxing (if that is what is causing this?) Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance,

Andrea

[rnnr226]

Well, I'm on day 6 of the Cleanse and feeling great! I was looking at recipes for the vegetable soup cause I'm heading to Whole Foods this weekend and wanted to get my ingredients. This may sound like silly question, but does anyone know what "green vegetable tops" are? I'm assuming they're like brocolli, but just the head part with the stem cut off ... but I could very well be wrong. Any help would be great! :)