I'm not writing this blog because I'm an expert at eating raw, or even at eating vegan for that matter. I'm writing it because I want to document my journey into this world of raw & vegan food & hopefully help others in some way along the road.
I don't profess to know the "right way" to eat. It is different for everyone. I'm just trying to eat as healthy as possible for myself, based on what I have discovered in books, research, documentaries, and my own personal experience eating food for the past 31 years (wow...).
That said, I have been thinking of some ways to make this transition easier, because at times it can seem overwhelming, like any change in life. Here are some tips that have helped me. I will be adding to the list as I discover more.
The majority of your groceries should be fruits and vegetables. Find the good deals to buy apples, oranges & pears in bulk. And lots of bananas & greens (i.e. spinach) for smoothies. Trader Joe's has some great prices on produce, I have found. Another great place to buy are farmer's markets, where you can find a lot of local & organic produce for decent prices. When you open up your fridge and see lots of colors, you will be on the right track. :) And with lots of different choices, you will have an easier time having certain ingredients for raw food recipes, or putting your own dishes together. Also, you will never feel like you're going hungry since there will be so much to choose from.
Stock your pantry with raw nuts & seeds. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistacios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, are all great ones to have- they are high in protein, fiber, good fat, and some have omega 3s & lots of other things. Also gets some dried fruit (without preservatives). Then you can put them together for a great trail mix snack when you're hungry.
Every night take a bunch of veggies and chop them up so you don't have to spend all day long preparing food. I've found that the most time consuming part of food preparation is chopping vegetables, so it really helps to have them already chopped and ready to go.
You don't have to make your own nut milk & nut butters at first- you can buy them. There are almond milks out there that are fortified so that they have the same amount of calcium & vitamin D as cow's milk (Trader Joe's Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk is one of them). That is a great way to take out cow's milk and still get the vitamins you need. Also there are lots of good nut butters out there, even though you can make your own (blend up the soaked nuts & add oil). I made cashew butter & it was amazing- tasted like the consistency of fudge, and was so rich & creamy. But it took awhile and I put way too much oil in it and had to take it out later.... So buying that stuff at first can save you time.
When you start to feel overwhelmed (aka- you're hungry and can't think of anything quick to make besides you're old favorites like grilled cheese), just remember: it does not necessarily take more time to prepare raw or vegan meals than it does to cook other meals. It's just that you do different things (instead of cooking, you are chopping and putting them together in salads or smoothies...). But for anyone just starting out, it takes a little bit of getting used to, just like anything new does. After doing it awhile, it will become second nature. So just because it doesn't come naturally, and takes a little more effort at the beginning, doesn't mean it's always going to be that way. Take a deep breath, then grab something easy like apples and nut butter so you're not so hungry and you can think better about what to make next (or you can just look at this blog for some idea). :)
Take a good multivitamin (or at least Vitamin B12, iron, and calcium) to begin. You will be experimenting with different foods and might not get all the vitamins & nutrients you need since you will be focusing on putting together different meals, and not necessarily counting how much of each vitamin you are consuming at each meal. After awhile, I'm guessing that you will start to see your vitamin intake more clearly and know where you might be deficient (Vitamin B12 will be important no matter if you're starting out or an seasoned vegan, no pun intended, since that is found mostly in meat). :)
Make sure you know the vegan sources of protein out there and include them in your meals to get enough protein. (I will make another post with this info.)
Read books, websites, and other resources that give information about "going raw" or a high raw vegan diet. It's great to see so many other people who are trying to eat more healthy & gives me hope and confidence the more I learn.
These are things that have helped me. Now I need to go fold my laundry. Good night everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment