Things That I've Found Difficult Being on the Raw Path and What I've Learned

1. Location

• ... not necessarily WHERE I am, but knowing where to get the things that used to be easy to aquire while living in Florida... There was a locally owned whole foods grocery store called Native Sun that had almost everything organic you could think of... (even daipers and toilet paper, hehe) not that I don't like where I am living, I guess I just took it for granted because I can't just hop in the car and go pick it up anymore, lol... I'm having to improvise! The interwebz is invaluable for this.

2. Getting to know the seasonal veggies.

• Things change ALL the time! It will be root veggies for a while, then greens then herbs... sometimes I can find cilantro, sometimes I can't (and it's called coriander over here... both the seed AND the leaf, not just the seed, lol) Anyway, you should know what the seasonal veggies are... eating seasonally is important!

3. Eating raw foods sometimes WITHOUT exotic ingredients!

• There's the whole superfood thing, which is great to supplement your more 'normal' veggies, but if you run out of Maca you gotta use normal food... I know it can be boring but we've got to get into the habit of eating normal veggies and then supplementing with the exotic, not the other way around... I'm guilty of it because smoothies are my thing... you can put anything in a smoothie and I have a habit of using Maca and spirulina in EVERY smoothie... maybe I can cut down to a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon, lol, otherwise the rawfood lifestyle gets expensive! Although I do think these things should be more 'normal' and more readily available... We should be able to have a tablespoon of Maca or other superfood everyday BECAUSE they are so nutrient dense, but it's not finacially feasible for those of us starting out. Save up some money and get a bunch of superfoods at one time, or ask for them for birthdays or xmas.

4. Not having the right tools

• You don't HAVE to have THE Vitamix... there are others out there that will do just fine for you untill you actually NEED a Vitamix... You don't HAVE to have THE Champion Juicer... the same goes for this thing. You don't HAVE to have THE Excalibur Dehydrator... Through the magic of my own cheapskate-ness, I have found plans on how to build a dehydrator with cardboard and masking tape and a little screen, with the help of the Sun(for summertime) or the radiator(for the wintertime... no, the radiator in your house) these other machines are all 200-300 dollars/pounds a piece!!! NO WONDER there are people falling off the wagon and not eating raw because they can't do the MAJORITY of the recipes that are out there... Just IMPROVISE! :))  If you start small and work your way up you'll be better off for it. When you get the hang of the raw food lifestyle, THEN you can invest in THE machines... And, really, you can only get the hang of the raw food lifestyle if you work with what you DO have.... That's why I've had to start from the beginning, think about what I can do with what I got and go from there.

And also, if you don't know what to make other than a try of veggies and some dip, then get the right BOOKS! The BEST ONE for beginners is 'Raw Food Made Easy'. What this book has that not many others do is a shopping list... Basically what you should have in your kitchen.. (for the recipes, too)

This wasn't supposed to turn into a book review, lol, but I just find this book great for being the first one on your shelf to use while you're researching the next step... the many superfoods in existence, that is.

5. Getting the trace minerals your body needs from doing 'RAW' wrong....

•  Even if you're eating organic foods you are still not getting the proper minerals you need. Make sure you have a good trace mineral supplement and that you are absorbing the nutrients you are getting as well as eating those foods in the right combinations

Well, the hubby is home from work so I will continue this later :)

To Be Continued...