The One Month RAW Challenge

[mtmouse]

A cheap dehydrator will do just fine! At least, as long as it can dry at low enough temperatures. The only problem with cheap is that it may not last as long, but hopefully by the time it dies you'll know whether or not an investment in an expensive one will be worth it to you.

However, the blender deal is very different, I think. I'm not sure it's the wattage that makes the difference, but rather the rpm's and possibly the design.

I made perfectly fine green smoothies in my $35 Hamilton beach blender for months. So you simply don't have to do any different.

But what you get from the Vitamix (and presumably the other, too) is texture. Smooth, velvety, creamy stuff, without little identifiable bits and pieces. It's absolutely not essential, but for the long haul, for me it's indispensable. I completely agree with you that just munching on carrots and apples and celery sticks could get boring in the long run (though ask Sim: she's now swung back to that end of the spectrum, I think!).

So things that give you a variety in texture, like the spiralizer (probably the very best value for $25 you'll ever find) and the Vitamix and a dehydrator, and even a food processor, make a huge difference in feeling satisfied without our old comfort foods.

So if you're wavering, absolutely start small and inexpensive and see how it goes. Then when you want to get a more expensive version of whatever it is, your motivation will be very high and you'll find the money much more easily!

[Sim]

Hi everyone!
Mtmouse is so right on in her assessment of blenders; I had a cheapie Hamilton Beach which was fine BUT approximately six months after moving into raw, I bought my Vitamix and it's the best investment ever! Who would have thought a blender could make such a difference. Again, my old HB was perfectly okay but the Vitamix brings the taste and texture of everything to a new level. But please only do what you can afford. In my case, I had to make a choice between a new dishwasher and the Vitamix...the blender won out and boy, am I pleased with my choice. Same goes for the dehydrator...I've never had a cheapie but I'd heard they were uneven. I got the Big E and I've not ever been disappointed. Of course, I have no more money, but I'm eating well

If I had to say what my kitchen essentials are I'd say: the Vitamix with variable speed, Cuisinart food processor (11 cup or larger), Excalibur 9 tray with timer, spiral cutter, and my Omega juicer 8500, more or less in that order. Of course, the most important tools of all: good, sharp knives. Add a veggie peeler or two (I highly recommend the addition of the new specialized "soft fruit and vegetable" peelers....the BEST for mangoes, eggplants, etc.) and a bamboo cutting board (large) and you're in business forever. Or until the warranties run out

Kram: I experimented too...somewhere I read to slice the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. I did and dried them right on the plastic trays, not on the teflex. So here's what I'm doing right now (they're in the dehydrator as we speak): I sliced them 1/2 in. thick because I thought they dried to way too thin a slice to use in recipes. BUT they were the greatest snack ever! Now I want more to use in my recipes, so I'm making them thicker. Also: don't slice them crosswise, like when you want to put a slice on a sandwich. Slice them vertically; less lacy when they dry. It's all a big adventure anyway. If something doesn't work the first time, tweak it for the next. I have never had anything come out inedible. My worst disaster was a loaf I made from Boutenko...not her fault; I used soaked flax instead of dry. So what? I took the goop, spread it on a teflex sheet, and dehydrated the mess into the most delicious crackers!

Made some healthy truffle cookies the other day, when I didn't have all the ingredients I needed but my sweet tooth was acting up. What to do? I took one apple, a mixture of walnuts and pecans (that was all I had in the house!), some dried coconut, handful of raisins AND SOME RAW CACAO, just a little for texture not taste. Cuisinarted them, made little balls, rolled them in more coconut. Hit the sweet tooth dead on and unfortunately, my family loved them so I had only a couple. So gratifying. Normally, I would have used dates instead of raisins and no cacao but cinnamon. I had very little in the way of nuts, too. But see? It all works out....

Hi Nina! Ooh, I don't think fame is in the cards for me...I'll take solvency, though But if I ever do have an ongoing business, like my dream of a raw food restaurant/education center, everyone here just needs to come in and tell me who you are and you're my most welcome guests, everything on the house!Wow. Even as I typed that, I got such a thrill. Nothing in this world would please me more.

Yes, it's true: I have moved back into salads and simpler whole foods that have less shoyu, less tamari, less processing (as it were)...I'm finding that dehydrated foods mimic cooked foods so much for me that they pose a problem with digestion and the quantity I start to crave. Raw has water that hydrates my body and soul, dehydrated sometimes feels dead to me so I use those things sparingly when I start to crave something "cooked". It's all a learning process for me, my buddies, as it is for you. No one fact or opinion or bit of info is right for all of us. We have to seek out what satisfies each of us the most. I know raw people who just can't stomach green smoothies and I know others who eat dehydrated foods all the time with no adverse physical or psychological effects. Still others insist that pates and soups are unappealing and then others who swear that those things are their lifeblood. Find your formula, change it up every now and then. Above all, have fun and enjoy. I've said this before: if it doesn't thrill you, don't eat it because it will turn you off raw and onto SAD. Our memories of our most "fun" SAD foods are so ingrained that it's easy to go backward if you're not finding delicious raw foods that satisfy in the same way.

Okey doke...off to find some wage-earning work...part of me enjoys the unemployment, part of me is panicked. Oooh, it's such an adventure....I think I'll leave the panic home today

[aikenjoi]

Thanks for the advice mtmouse and Sim!

I'll be going to look at the less expensive blender tomorrow, but I really do have my mind set on getting the blendtec or maybe the vitamix (I'm now still deciding because from the reviews there are pros and cons to both of them).
My family and friends say that I'm probably the only 16 year old saving for a blender. I think I'll look for a job in October because I don't know how else I'll get the money for the appliances and even buying organic raw foods can get kind of pricey and I'm not sure my parents will be wanting to buy certain ingredients besides the regular commercial fruits and veggies. But until I get a job I'll make it work. Just last Wednesday my youth group learned that I had been vegetarian for 2 months and that's so weird for them. I guess a lot of Oklahomans are raised on meat (I was). I'm sure there are plenty vegetarians here, but just none that I know.

The enthusiasm for raw foods here is a real encouragement and has helped me the last couple months, before I started the cleanse, to incorporate more raw foods into my diet and I didn't know until last week, but just doing that I lost 10 pounds before the MC.

Thanks for the recommendations Sim. Once I have money I'll start saving for those, but I'll have to decide later if I want the omega juicer since I have a champion one already that my mom has had for years. But maybe once I get into wheat grass and those things I'll get one, but I'll probably need to keep it simple at first if I want to last on raw foods.
And I'll have to buy sharp knives too. The knives in this house are pretty crappy. A 16 year old saving for knives....that sounds rather dangerous, don't you think?

[TeePee]

Hi girls!

Sorry I haven't even read the posts to catch up!! I have been soooo busy starting the school year back up. Too many nights at school until 8 pm will do me in....I am glad to see everyone still going strong, even though I'm pooped. I'm off to bed to rest up for another long day.

Have some raw fun!

[Ginger]

Hi ladies

Had alot going on since I got back from Curacao. I've had a cyst on my nose for awhile. It kept breaking open in Curacao. When I got back they biopsied it. The biopsy came back positive for basal cell carcinoma. Today they cut a huge (dime sized) chunk from my nose and did a skin graft. I'm pretty freaked about the idea of being disfigured. But, this too shall pass.

Last week they removed a lyphoma from my right arm, I have a 2 inch incision from that. Seems like I'm being cut to pieces. LOL.

Needless to say, I've held off on starting a fast.

Did anyone see Oprah today? They had Dr Oz on and showed some studies they've done. One on a detox (not the master cleanse). They had two groups, one who ate a "normal" diet for 10 days. The other did a detox diet with vegetables. Testing the bloodwork etc on the two groups and showed no difference.

They also had twins who ate the same foods, but one drank lots of water, the other drank none. No difference in their skin after a week!!

they exposed a woman to ultaviolet rays to give her a sunburn. Then had her eat about 4 tablespoons of tomato paste a day for about 4 weeks, then exposed her again. The difference in the sunburn was significantly lower. Amazing what lycopene does.

There were alot of other experiments they showed. It was really cool. One involved Omego 3 (flax seeds). Very good for you.

[Pooper]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some general eating help. I have a huge problem with self-control and eating when I am not hungry. I've found out through the MC that I am good at all or nothing diets, but I need a really good reason to stick to it.

I've done a few MC's, and my last was 20 days long. I have been vegan for three months now and have only given in to dairy temptations a few times. Since reading a Victoria Boutenko book and other raw info, I have been about 50% raw for a few weeks now.

My problem is when I get home at the end of the day. I just find myself binging on soy ice cream, cookies, and potato chips, and then feeling really guilty afterwards. And its not just eating some snacks, but a half a giant bag of chips followed by a pint of the soy ice cream. A switch just turns off in my head and I feel like I'm literally not in control of my own hands and mouth.

This probably sounds really weird but I am wondering if anyone else has these kinds of self control problems. Does anyone feel like they have been in this position that could offer some words of advice? I'd really appreciate anything you all have to say.

[Kram]

Sim - Thanks for the tip. I am a spaz when it comes to cooking and have a knack for really making a mess. That's why I ask for directions. I couldn't imagine just throwing things in the Cuisinart (whose blade I dropped on my foot the FIRST time I used it - thankfully no stitches necessary, but I'll have the scar forever to remember that blade-handling is important). I can't wait to try the tomatos.

Aikenjoi: I love it - the 16 yr old saving for a blender. I would have been that kid at your age (except the concept of being vegetarian was pretty foreign to me at that pt).

Pooper: I can't really offer you any help on this front except to say that you're not alone. I would really like to lose some weight, and even converting part of my diet to raw isn't helping. It's all about portion control and exercise, unfortunately. And yes, I had 1 1/2 Klondike bars after dinner tonight. Am trying to figure out what my approach is going to be here. Was talking to a trusted friend (and basically life coach) and she was essentially smacking me in the head and saying you have to count calories and stick to it. Am thinking of trying Weight Watchers (which I've done successfully before) and trying to adapt it with good raw food. After following her advice and counting calories on some of my raw stuff I saw the problem - I was having a green smoothie when I got up in the morning (250-300 calories) and then at 10am or so when I'd burned that off, I had some raw muesli cereal (which has a shocking 400+ calories). Had no idea until I really looked, but hadn't been thinking that this should have been more than half of my calories for the day.

The other way I look at it is that to focus on releasing the extra weight that I have. It makes my life harder and I don't need it for anything. It does not end up providing me the comfort that I think it might. I'm really trying to focus my brain on only the positive since I think the brain is such a powerful tool. And when I start to have thoughts like "i'm fat" etc, I block those out, tell myself that I love myself and that it was ok that I had eaten that stuff, and get back onto the path that it's time to release it so I feel better. Clearly this is a longer term course of action. But it seems like a positive one to me.

Clearly I don't know about your specific situation, so I apoligize for my rambling. I've been having an in-depth internal conversation about this over the last few days. Good luck.

[Sim]

aikenjoy~ YOU ROCK! If I had your purposefulness when I was 16, I wouldn't have wasted a minute of my life wondering about how to eat! Keep saving those pennies, girl...and buy what you want and what you need and don't worry about the others. You'll lead by example and they will marvel at what you accomplish. And we're all here for you for support, admiring you all the way.

Ginger~I'm sending you GIGANTIC hugs...I have a feeling that no matter what little bits of you have to be excised, you are not disfigured...you're too beautiful to worry about that. Every time something physical changes about us, we stress over how we look. Turn it around and just think: "I have an interesting new feature that I'm not loving but it's somehow going to add character. Character is good." And move past. Most important: we want to know that you're okay. Basal cell is not a happy thing. And did you mean a lymphoma or a lymph node? These are serious and scary...and you certainly can be freaked out about a health issue...but about how you look? No, girl. You'll look just fine and beautiful...just be on top of the health issues, okay? I imagine a cleanse would definitely be out of the question for the moment, so just eat healthily, in whatever way that seems to you. I'm sure there'll be some raw in there and that's good enough if all raw isn't attractive to you at the present. Just be well, Ginger, and know that I and everyone else here are on tenterhooks about your health. We do love you, ya know?

As far as Dr. Oz is concerned, any "study" done based on 10 days or one week has the earmark of failure before it begins. A lifelong smoker who stops for one week will not show significant improvement in lung health but if he/she stops for several months to a year, the improvement will be obvious. There is no quick trip to good health. It takes a good, long while. I don't know the details about the lycopene and tomato paste, but you said that study was done on a woman after 4 weeks and showed improvement. I'm betting that if they had marked her results after only one week, there would have been no significant changes to record. Time, ladies, time. It all takes time.
That's my two cents. Boy, I'm on a (dehydrated) roll today.

Kram and Pooper~ Ooooh, I could go on and on about the journey to weight loss, diets, calories, Weight Watchers (I was a WW Leader for 5 years, am a lifetime member since WW was only 7 years old and I was 14), self-control, all or nothing diets, exercise, portion control, negative self-talk, positive self-talk, internal conversations...I'm not a registered life coach but I'd be happy to talk to each/both of you about it. And about what we're doing here on the MC site and about raw. And about how I think I've finally found the magic that has eluded me my whole life. I never look at calories any more....best part, I don't stress over food anymore. It's absolutely amazing and I'd be happy to share with you if you'd like. I just don't want to bore everyone here! Please PM me! Of course that goes for everyone. Feeling comfortable here is but one step away from real, true new friendships. I'm open to them, to anyone who feels the same. Love you all.

[Res]

I can't wait to be back over here...

[aikenjoi]

Kram: I wanted to be a vegetarian a while back because I love animals, but I just didn't have the self control since meat was really one of my favorite things....that and cheese. My twin sister wants to become a vegetarian too, but honestly, she just doesn't have the self-control that I have. But she said that she's going to start being a vegetarian tomorrow and that she wants me to help her plan what to eat, so I'll see how that goes.


Sim: Thank you! Everyone here rocks too!
I'm applying for a job tomorrow and if I get it then within a month I'll have those things so I'm really excited. I'm plan on whipping my family back into shape. Maybe once they find that raw foods can actually taste good they'll stpo buying chips and ice cream.
Having the support on these forums is amazing so thanks so much! I really admire you all even more because you have committed to going raw and it's really an inspiration.