I’ve been dappling in RAW foods for almost 1 year, it started as a totally unexpected side effect of our forced minimalism when we made the life altering decision to live in an RV, and has dramatically spiralled from there. It was a tumultuous 12 months. If you think choosing to live in an RV with 12 kids and a husband and a dog was tough for me, you have no idea how incredibly difficult going RAW was. It’s taken me 1 year to deal with the demons that make me an emotional eater, and even now it’s a daily struggle to stay on course.
First there was a huge learning curve, hell, there is still a huge learning curve. My main focus when I originally wanted to go RAW was two-fold. Simplicity and weight loss. I wanted to simplify my life and I wanted to lose a ton of baby weight … fast. Turns out that’s not enough of a reason to keep me going on a RAW food diet for much more than a few weeks. So then it was soul searching time. Lots of prayer and meditation and yoga and pilates. I asked myself the hard questions.
And the more I read, the more I educated myself, I knew that I wanted much much more for myself and my family in regards to health and energy. So what was my hold-out. Why was I being so weak? The answers to these hard questions came slow but in the end I came out on top. I can do this, because the motivating factors are more important than the mitigating factors.
To be honest, I want to live forever, I want to continue to be here for my kids and grand kids and great grand kids and I want Dan with me. His major accomplishment is that he’s given up Energy Drinks!! He had to endure a few days of excruciating caffeine headaches, but he’s replaced those drinks with Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar! It’s THE healthy energy drink that’s a natural thirst quencher & energy boost.
Anything that he does to stay healthy is fully supported by me. I love him with all my heart and if I’m going to live forever, he has to as well because I am not going to be a widow … ever. My goal is to be the 90 year old grandma who is still snowboarding and running rivers with her family. The 90 year old whose 90+ year old husband takes his great grand kids caving and kayaking. This is what keeps me focused on a daily basis.
A RAW food diet does all these things and so much more!
And of course, I want to continue to look like I’m 35 — at most. The vain part of me will always wants to look good in a swim suit, have clear glowing skin and healthy hair. I want my immune system to be uncompromisable!! I want our bones to stay crazy strong and our energy levels to be through the roof. I love all the perks that are immediate, like the fact I need less sleep and that it’s just so easy. I peel a couple carrots or a banana or I combine some nuts, cranberries, apples and oats in a food processor, dehydrate them and walah … granola bars. No mess, no kitchen full of dishes. And since we live in an RV this is golden!!!
To make the transition easier, it’s always good to have great books at the ready that contain RAW food “recipes” that are ridiculously easy and out of this world delicious. My favorite today is a little book titled: “Raw Energy: 124 Raw Food Recipes for Energy Bars, Smoothies, and Other Snacks to Supercharge Your Body” Follow this link to purchase it on Amazon … Amazon.
The recipes in this book are delicious, easy to prepare and chock full of health and vitality. Many of the ingredients are duplicated throughout the book so you aren’t buying an obscure item for just one recipe. My kids have devoured every recipe in here, especially the muesli recipes!! RAW, healthy cold cereal without all the sugars and harmful additives you find in store bought brands is a huge plus in my book. This really helped up our RAW food consumption and make it easy for Dan and older kids to really make a big transformation in their lives toward a healthier, natural lifestyle!!
Another book which is akin to the RAW food diet bible is, “The Detox Miracle Sourcebook: Raw Food and Herbs for Complete Cellular Regeneration” — this book educated and kept me focused more than any other. Any time I felt myself slipping and about to cave, all I needed to do was open this book to any page and start reading. All the reasons stated above were written in this book. Here’s the link to purchase it on Amazon …Amazon.
A good blender is the next step … Vitamix is my blender of choice, but they are crazy $$, so really read the reviews that are all over the web and make your decisions based on budget because it makes no sense to “wait’ until you can buy a Vitamix. buy what you can afford and get blending!!:) Here’s a great one on Amazon … Amazon
The same goes with Juicers. I’ve tried every kind and my preference boils down to ease of use, little preparation and fast cleaning. I use my centrifugal juicer more than our masticating one because it takes little to no preparation of the food which is the biggest bonus. I know friends who swear by their masticating juicers, so again, your health, your time, your choice!! :) This is the one we use … Amazon
Next up is the dehydrator. We just received one of these babies from Raw Rutes and let me tell you, it’s transformed my RAW experience. I am going to write a full review on this machine, so I’ll save the deep info for that, but I love this thing, the kids love this thing. It’s been running since we got it. We are a super active family, on the go from morning till night and it’s so fabulous to be able to make granola bars, brittle, sweet potato chips, trail mix and so much more that is made with nothing but natures pure food. I can’t believe it’s taken us so long to jump on the dehydrator wagon … I will never, for the rest of my life, be without one. The one we just received is here: Amazon
These are just a few suggestions from a plethora of research and trial and error. If you are interested in learning more about our journey or need further motivators, feel free to comment below and I can steer you in the right direction toward some people who have had a profound affect on my outlook and perspective regarding feeding my body and that of my children.