easy way to go raw...
TRANSCRIPT
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The Easy Way to Go Raw
From the author of ebook Travelling in the Raw and popular healthy living blog girlonraw.com
www.girlonraw.comRobyn Law
The EASY Way to Go Raw
© Copyright 2012 by Robyn Law, GirlonRaw! ! ! !No part of this eBook may be reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy or otherwise, without the written permission of the author, Robyn Law, unless for personal use.
This eBook is sold on the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or circulated without the author’s consent.
This edition [first] was published in February 2012.! ! ! !DISCLAIMER: The techniques and advice described in this book represent the opinion of the author based on her experience. The author expressly disclaims any responsibility for any liability, loss or risks, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a result of using any of the techniques, recipes or recommendations suggested herein. If in any doubt or requiring medical advice, please contact the appropriate health professional.
Robyn [email protected]
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Contents Introduction 4
What is Raw? 5
Make a Plan 7
The Equipment 12
Social Situations 14
When Your Partner/Family Doesn’t East Raw 17
Want to Know More? 20
About Robyn 21
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IntroductionRaw, living food isn’t only about celery and carrot sticks and lettuce leaves (although it can be if you want it to be!)
This natural and simple way of eating is really exciting and vibrant and not only will your taste buds be grateful but your eyes will appreciate the colours and textures once you get experimenting in the kitchen. Plus your jeans might even give you a bit of a break.
I travelled professionally as a flight attendant for
almost 9 years, dealing with both busy commercial
domestic overnights and private jet international
trips. Although I was not entirely raw during the
whole 9 years, I was always concerned with how I
fueled my body as many of my fellow work
colleagues will agree. I was always the first on the
crew to find the local market after landing and
became accustomed to making my own salads
onboard in the galley, rather than eating the stale
lunch packs the caterers called food.
As well as being fortunate enough to have plenty of experience vacationing around the world, I have also spent the last 6 years living as an expat in both the UK and Middle East. I share with you my tips and tricks for staying healthy (or healthier) when on holiday or a business trip, no matter where in the world you are going.
This eBook is intended as a guideline for all different kinds of people and their varied raw food diets. Whether you are 100% raw, or just wanting to ensure healthier eating habits both at home and on the road, I am certain you will find some interesting tips and tricks in this eBook, to help you on your way to better health and vitality.
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what is Raw?Eating ‘Raw’ usually refers to a living, plant based diet, one in which little or no animal products are consumed. Usually, one can be considered a ‘Raw Foodist’ if they consume a large majority, if not all of their food prepared at the optimum temperature, of no more than 118°F/48°C (different sources can vary on this temperature range).
Even if you only consume between 70-80% of your diet as raw you could still consider yourself a ‘Raw Foodist’. This could be easily achieved by eating raw until dinner time. However, being a ‘Raw Foodist’ is not imperative to improving your health. Making subtle changes and improvements to your diet can work wonders.
It is believed that food loses most if not all of it’s nutrients and enzymes once heated, and any use for it is then destroyed. Our bodies need to work harder to digest cooked foods, and it can sometimes result in our bodies attacking itself through the onset of illness. Haven’t you noticed how cooked food requires so much more seasoning, herbs and spices, to bring the taste back that has been destroyed, whereas eating a ripe piece of fruit, or a delicious, bright crisp vegetable is tasty as nature intended?
As more and more documentaries (Food Inc., Food Matters, A Delicate Balance) and books (The China Study, A Diet for a New America, Skinny Bitch) are becoming more prevalent, people are tuning into the connection of their health with the diet they consume. It is no secret that when we eat a wholesome healthy diet, we feel great, and when we don’t make smart diet choices our bodies do things like catch colds, feel rundown, gain weight and are more susceptible to disease.
It just becomes confusing to the consumer on what is the right diet to eat? With so many new fad diets making their way into our markets every New Year, of course you would be forgiven for not knowing where to start.
This is where Raw Food makes complete and perfect sense. This is not a fad and this is not a diet essentially. This is going back to how our ancestors used to eat, and
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how our bodies are just not designed to digest meat. Carnivores such as lions, have much shorter intestines, perfect for digestion of meat, unlike us. And furthermore, they eat their prey fresh, close to the source, they don’t cook it up. Also look at gorillas, giraffes & elephants. They are all herbivores, healthy, active and lean!
It is thought that disease cannot live in an alkaline body, but when we consume meat, dairy, eggs, cheese, and highly processed grains (white breads, cakes etc) our bodies become highly acidic. Eating a diet rich in plant based foods – fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts, will return your body to an alkaline state where illness just cannot reside.
Raw food has been attributed to assisting diabetics with reversing their condition completely, reducing patients blood pressure and cholesterol, assisting and healing cancer patients, curing autoimmune disorders, effortless weight loss, healing skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis & eczema, ridding cellulite, curing depression and much much more! When we look after our bodies, our bodies look after us back, by providing us with optimum health. Makes sense doesn’t it?
Eating raw doesn’t have to be boring, or as basic as a carrot stick or limp salad. Since raw cuisine has been popularised by renown chefs and restauranteurs like Matthew Kenney, Russell James, Kristen Suzanne, Ani Phyo etc, eating raw can be just as gourmet if not more so than eating a standard diet. Did you think you could eat a raw pizza, enjoy raw ice-cream or even delight in a tasty raw nut cheese? You can make this as complicated or as easy as you like, but I promise you it will be tasty.
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Make a PlanI was like you too, wondering how I could change the traditions and habits learnt over the last 30 or so years, and even saying it was all too hard. I even gave up on a few occasions, as you may do or have done.
What I do hope to share with you with through this ebook, is not only to present solutions but also encourage comments from you and work through different scenarios, whether you are already vegan, toying with vegetarianism or simply wanting to increase the amount of fresh wholesome food you
consume and feel a hell of a lot better for it! If you have anything to add, please drop me a line at [email protected]
“He who fails to plan, plans to fail” Winston Churchill
1. Define your goal
Whether you were like me, and looking to shed a few pesky pounds, or wanting to improve your diet for major health reasons, or even ethical reasons, your needs and goals won’t look like mine. So have a think about what it is you want to achieve and work backwards from there. But let me warn you, if you are only just now considering a raw diet (I hate that word by the way, as it denotes deprivation which is
something this is NOT) it won’t only be the food you will be cleaning up, it will eventually extend to all aspects of your life! For the better!
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You goal could be:fit into your jeans a little bettereat a more sustainable dietcut the junk food out of your dietreduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, depression, autoimmune diseases, digestive complaints and moreimprove your skinwake up feeling refreshed and energised, not sluggish and flatalleviate allergiesimprove your sleepincrease your fertility (worked for me!)the list goes on…..
2. Decide on your attack plan
We all know there are different personality types out there; eg Type A’s might want to rush out and become 100% Raw Vegan overnight (not recommended – I’ve seen too many people fail as quickly as they began) and others might find a softly softly approach is best. And there might be other factors to account for, ie you might be the only one in the family wanting to make the change and a full blast attack might not bode well with other family members you share meals with.
You might have an end goal to be 50-70% raw (usually what I aspire to) and have no problems with starting as you wish to finish which could be raw food till dinner. Quite easily done in my opinion but statistics do show that if you want this to become your lifestyle and not a fad diet, you’d be best taking it step by step.Despite your style, one which I know works well for most people is by replacing only one meal a day initially with a raw food meal, usually breakfast, but you could select it to be your lunch if you already eat a raw breakfast.
RAW BREAKFASTS examples:Rawnola (Raw Granola – as simple throwing some nuts, sprouted buckwheat, fruit, seeds together) with almond milk Green JuiceGreen Smoothie
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Fruit SmoothieFresh FruitChia Puddings/PorridgesPeaches & Cream
If you are looking to lose weight, according to Ayurveda philosophy, your body is still fasting until around lunchtime so try to only eat fruits and greens (green smoothie) until lunchtime when you can select a more dense meal.
RAW OR PART RAW LUNCH examples:
if you were going to have a cooked meal, half the portion size and load the remainder of the plate with a decent meal sized salad with a lemon dressingHave a meal sized raw salad with or without a cooked grain (quinoa, millet, cous cous, brown rice) tossed throughVeggie wrap using a collard leaf or romaine/cos lettuce leaf, sushi nori roll or vietnamese spring roll wrap as the wrap, with a tasty raw dipping sauceDips like hummus or pesto with veggie crudites – fancy aircraft word for carrot and celery sticks Nut cheese pates make great salad toppers, wrap additions or dipsSprialised vegetables with marinara sauce
Arm yourself with some raw food cookbooks like my favourites or trawl around on blogs and websites for some free recipes – here are just a few of my favourites but not limited to:
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Peaches & Cream
Gone RawKristen’s RawThe Raw ChefChoosing Raw
3. Equip Yourself
Whether than means buying yourself the latest kitchen gadget or just sticking to the basics of Chef’s Knife, Blender and Food Processor, have a real talk with yourself about what the cost of your health means to you. Can you afford those organic berries now that you are not going out as much dropping all that money on booze? When people ask me do they need to spend a small fortune on a Vitamix blender, here’s what I say here but to me it’s way more than my morning smoothie. It’s my nut flours and butters, my desserts and my salad dressings plus so much more.
But don’t go cheap on the Chef’s Knife. Seriously. You are going to be using it way more than you have ever before and trust me, you will be thanking me the day you heed my advice. Go Japanese or German, but just make sure it’s good quality and that you have it sharpened regular. Also rinse well after cutting citrus so avoid damage and DO NOT dishwasher it!!!
Then comes the groceries. Some people like to meal plan, others like to stock their fridge with as much as possible so you can decide how you feel on the day. I’d suggest in the beginning, in the very least do a rough plan on what your raw food meals are going to look like for the week and base your shopping list on it. Clear out any potential threats to your plan – like potato chips, biscuits/cookies, chocolate.
4. Write it Down
Stick your plan on the fridge where you can see it and monitor it daily. Kristen Suzanne suggests keeping a food journal not only with what you eat,
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but also with how it makes you feel, which Makes you more accountable and if you can see what your goals and plans are every time you go to grab something to eat, it will keep you on track!
5. Have Fun!
If it’s not fun, you won’t stick to it, so don’t be a bore, and play around with it.
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The EquipmentWhen first venturing into raw foods, people tend to expect they need to fit out their entire kitchen with the most expensive of kitchen gadgets and hardest to find (and pronounce superfoods!) but I’m here to tell you that’s not the case!
Of course if you do want to start a raw food cafe, or create some pretty intense gourmet raw dishes, you’d be hard pressed to do these without a fantastic blender (vitamix or blendtec), food processor and dehydrator, but to generally just increase your raw and begin to feel the effects of a healthier diet here’s all you need!
A good chef’s knife - this will be your most widely used piece of equipment, from chopping up fruit and veggies for your morning smoothie, to creating that salad or raw pasta dish, to slicing and dicing for nori or vietnamese rolls, you really cannot go wrong.
I’d suggest a knife of Japanese or German make, and a knife where the blade forms part of the handle. A good heavy handle is best (makes slicing through watermelons, pineapples & pumpkins so much easier!) Great brands are Mac & Misono or chat to your local knife dealer.
Blender - I always recommend spending the money on a Vitamix or Blendtec (or even checking out online for some second hand deals – I’ve heard you can buy reconditioned Vitamix’s with a warranty) as I believe even with the hefty price tag, it will eventually pay for itself with the amount of times you will use it. I never regret purchasing my Vitamix, so much I purchased 2 (one for my house and one for my then boyfriend’s house – now husband).
If you already have a good working blender, in your kitchen, don’t despair, this will still do just the trick, you might just find you need to use a little more liquids when blending up salad dressings, and frozen fruit (if you are making soft serve/ice-creams). Also green smoothies will possibly be a little more chunky but that’s ok, you should always chew your smoothies even if they aren’t as smooth as I mention here.
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Things like dehydrating can be done in a oven on it’s lowest setting with the oven door open, you can even slightly warm soups on the stove top (stirring with your finger so that you know to keep the temperature down).
You can make vegetable noodles for raw pasta by ju l ienn ing (matchstick cuts) carrots, zucchini, capsicums & cucumbers all with your chef’s knife. Of course it’s not going to be as quick as using a sprialiser or spirooli which are designed to create quick and easy angel hair pasta, but it can still be done with ease.
If you did want an easier way to create noodles without breaking the bank, a julienne peeler is a cost effective way to make long strips out of hard, long veggies like carrots & zucchini and can be found at most kitchen stores.
Superfoods like maca, goji berries, hemp seeds, green powders, agave (and plenty more) are great, but don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve got to have these ingredients before you can even go raw! My thoughts on these sometimes hard to find and pronounce ingredients are that they are a great supplement to ones diet but really what is wrong with good old fruit, veggies, seeds and nuts. Most of these ‘superfoods’ have had to be sourced from somewhere not usually locally to you, and still require some form of processing. Why not eat food as ‘whole as possible’??
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Social SituationsSocialising whilst adopting a new way of eating can be quite daunting, and previous to being high raw, I’d even opted to NOT socialise whilst bedding down a new diet fad or whilst doing a detox. I remember one time, when I was still a flight attendant, deciding to pick up more flights for a month as I was giving myself a 30 day (month) ban of f anything social, just so I could focus on my eating and exercising without having to have the anxiety of peer pressure to drink or eat things I just didn’t want to.
However this was before I went raw, and possibly had an unhealthy association with diets or ‘detoxes’ that would only be for a period of time, and what I found with RAW was that it was something that was going to last me over time and become a habit, and not just last for a short timeframe.
I promise you, there are ways you can still care for your health without dropping out of the social scene.
Here are some tips I’ve employed over the years to stick on track:
• have a treat day and coincide it with your outting: the whole idea of having a treat day is to ensure you don’t have a feeling of deprivation and resent the new way of eating. Treats for me since having gone raw have changed quite significantly and even if they are still considered junk food, as long as I aim to stick to vegan foods, even if cooked, then I am not too stressed out.
• load up: fill up on a green smoothie, cooked or raw soup or salad monster before heading to a party. This will curb your appetite and ensure you are able to stop at just one or two nibblies when you get to the party. Don’t arrive hungry.
• pack your own smoothie! I’ve done this loads, and before you say ‘how embarrassing’ basically it’s not really a big deal at a party. Mostly everyone else is concerned with
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what they are drinking to worry about what you are drinking (usually why I never recommend people to announce ‘they are not drinking alcohol tonight’ as it was probably likely no one would have noticed anyway. I often take a pineapple and coconut smoothie or an equally delicious smoothie – usually my husband will choose to have some of mine rather than alcohol instead. I pack my smoothie in a cold flask so it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and at a party where it is ‘help yourself’ to drinks I just discretely pour my drink into a cup like everyone else’s. In a situation where you are at a dinner party, perhaps make enough for everyone to try. Also green smoothies are a great conversation starter!
• Dinner Time! When I am asked to a friends house for dinner, I never assume they know what kind of food I like to eat, so rather than be ‘that person’ who can’t eat this or can’t eat that, I actually make my own dinner (enough for a full meal size) plus extra for everyone else to sample. I take it along, and if I am lucky then the host has prepared something for me, and I have contributed something healthy and delicious as well. Usually I pick a show stopper – something that will really impress people so it encourages them to try it and I’ve always taken home empty dishes!
• Going out to dinner? If you know where you are going ahead of time, call up the restaurant for a copy of their menu or check them out online. Most restaurants have vegetarian dishes than can be easily modified – think salad minus the cheese, or even ask to speak to the chef and let them know your requirements to see if they can come up with something to suit you prior to arriving. I’ve been known to take a ripe avocado in my bag to bulk out my meal if the options have
been poorly. If you cannot prepare ahead of time by calling ahead, or it’s a spontaneous dinner plan, think of ordering 2 or 3 appetiser size meals if there are no or minimal options in the main meal section. Don’t be afraid to speak to your server about your requirements (you can use the ‘I’m allergic to these foods…will help). I have a friend who carries a business card size card with their food requirements for the server to give to the chef, good idea!
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• Relax your rules: sometimes it’s just not going to be easy to get the exact meal you require due to the fact you are in a social environment that is a little challenging. Don’t stress out, make the most of your situation, hopefully you’ll have a lara bar or some trail mix in your bag to get you by, until you can have your next meal as you want! Try and enjoy the moment for what it is, it’s about being with friends and loved ones, and if you happen to slip up, you can get right back on track when you get home.
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When your Partner/Family doesn’t eat rawAs my Scottish friend Emma says in her awesome ebook “Me Raw:You Cooked”; in theory you might think will pose a problem in your household when you decide you want to make some changes to your diet, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
So many people have learnt the hard way when they have decided they want to make diet changes whilst their partner feels left behind, because let’s face it, sharing a meal with the one you love is ingrained in who we are. We eat to celebrate many occasions from birthdays, to weddings to promotions and just to enjoy each others company or even to get to know each other on a first date.
And changing the way you share food with your loved could lead to confusion, defensiveness, arguments or just plain ignorance.
So here are some tips for those of you that are not BOTH jumping head first into a new diet regime:
• there is no reason to go all or nothing into the whole raw food diet change. As mentioned in the previous post, a 100% raw diet change is not recommended if this is something you are looking for long term. In 6 months time, you’ll still be here, so why try and do it all immediately, take baby steps and be gentle with yourself (and your partner).
• perhaps don’t announce that you are making these gradual changes to your diet, just start slowly introducing more wholefood, raw options onto your dinner menu subtly. If your partner is someone you suspect would be very open to discussing and joining you on the journey, then perhaps make a mention, but until you have some practice behind you, then maybe lead by example or just go quietly on your way, until you have a stronger foundation.
• serve dinner in a buffet style giving everyone in the family a choice in being able to serve themselves their portions of each meal component and include a raw and cooked component. Ie raw salad and cooked pasta. By not forcing your family to each the raw meal, they are free to take their own serving and hey, if they leave it, there’s more for you later.
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• try and plan meals that can be adapted for raw or cooked. A good example is pasta. I usually make a cooked pasta sauce and serve it atop cooked wheat pasta for my husband and on sprialised zucchini for me, to make a 50/50 cooked/raw meal. I’ve also made veggies burgers this way, where I baked them for my husband and dehydrated them for me, serving his on a wheat bun and mine on a lettuce or cabbage leaf with usual salad toppings.
• try and create a raw version or your partners favourite meal ie pizza or cheesecake, or better still, pick out some potential recipes you think your partner may enjoy or ask them to pick one out and make it together.
• don’t try to force your new found passion onto your partner. This can be very hard to do when you are feeling great results and only want to share it with them too, but you might find they feel cornered and maybe even judged for their way of eating.
• Brings me to my next point, don’t pass judgement your partner’s food choices, as it can push them further away and make them less inclined to want to sample your way of eating. It could also push them away emotionally.
• Declare one day a week raw food night, and make it fun and get your partner involved. Find out what foods they really like and incorporate them into a all or semi raw meal.
• Eating more raw food can change the way you eat ie I don’t usually eat breakfast lunch and dinner the way I used to, I now eat only when hungry, and if this means that you are not hungry when your partner is, still take the time to sit with them whilst they eat their meal. It’s not the food you share but the time, so still make sure you have that time together.
• If you are just starting out eating more raw food, it’s going to be a transitional time for you, so be flexible and keep it light and enjoyable, if you remain rigid and stubborn, it will not only be bad for your relationship but also for your digestion!
Be patient, soon enough, your partner may want some of what you are having, when they see how great you feel and look they might be more inclined to try some of
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your raw food, but if they don’t, don’t worry, this is your journey and if you keep the above ideas in mind it should keep you close whilst you embark on this change for the positive.
Would love to know how you handle a non raw foodie partner or family in your household! Don’t forget email me at [email protected]
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Want to Know More?You can sign up for your FREE raw recipe eBook and newsletters by visiting www.girlonraw.com and clicking on ‘SUBSCRIBE’
Whilst there you can read more about Robyn and her food adventures on her popular blog here www.girlonraw.com, where she shares more recipes, tips and life in general.
Travelling in the Raw eBookCheck out Robyn’s eBook “Travelling in the Raw: How to Stay Raw on the Road and other tips for healthy eating whilst on the road, including recipes” here
Raw Food ClassesAlthough usually based in Saudi Arabia, Robyn does travel frequently and has conducted raw food classes and workshops in her home country of Australia and in other parts of the Middle East.
For more information on her classes or availability visit www.girlonraw.com and click on ‘EVENTS’
You can also follow her here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GirlonRaw2
Twitter: http://twitter.com/girlonraw
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/girlonraw
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About Robyn
Robyn is an Australian raw food chef &
former international flight attendant, based in
Saudi Arabia, with her husband and son.
As a health nut and devoted foodie, she has
turned her passion and enjoyment for all
things delicious and nutritious into a lifestyle
that she takes great pleasure in sharing with
people.
In April 2010, she attended Matthew Kenney’s
Academy (formerly 105 degrees) in Oklahoma
City, USA, for training in the Fundamentals of
Raw Cuisine, where she was trained directly
by UK’s leading raw chef, Russell James.
Here she expanded on her knowledge and practice as a High Raw ‘foodie’ and she connected with other raw chefs, ate more food than she ever had and came away feeling clear, healthy and even released a few kilos, without even trying!
She is currently undertaking a Diploma in Clinical Nutrition to complement her culinary skills learnt from Matthew Kenney Academy and is training directly with Karen Knowler , The Raw Food Coach, to become a certified Raw Food Coach.
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