I am a 16 year old girl who is interested in eating raw foods as a way of life

In a message dated 1/26/03 6:55:27 PM, Lyndsey writes:

Hi Rhio!

I am a 16 yr old girl who is interested in eating raw foods as a way of life. I was wondering how I might approach the life style, and the things I would need. Is this a good eating plan to try at my age? Thanks!

Lyndsey

Dear Lyndsey,

I wish I had started eating raw foods at 16!! I was learning about them then, by reading many books, but did not get fully convinced and motivated until much later. I applaud your resolve.

Please understand that I am not a practioner of any kind so accept the following only as an exchange of ideas and information.

Below are some ideas for getting started.

1) Add as many organic raw and live foods to your current diet as possible.

2) As you gain some knowledge and practice in preparing raw food main course dishes, you can start to substitute these for conventional main course dishes. Learn to make raw foods in all the categories that you enjoy with cooked foods. Blender soups, dehydrated chips and crunchies, raw pizzas, lasagnas and veggie burgers, nut and seed milks, sprouted raw cereals. In almost any category that you can think of in cooked foods, you will be able to find satisfying raw food alternatives.

3) Read and study as many raw recipe and lfestyle books as possible. A book that is written by teenagers for teenagers is Eating Without Heating - Favorite Recipes from Teens Who Love Raw Food by Sergei and Valya Boutenko. These teenagers were able to leave serious illness behind through adhering to the raw food diet and lifestyle. Serge had juvenile diabetes and Valya had asthma. Today they are well. I think you will find this book particularly interesting.

4) Study about the body's detoxification process so that you will know what to expect once your body starts cleansing.

5) Go to classes, lectures and seminars with raw food speakers.

6) If at all possible, go to one of the Institute's that teaches the lifestyle, like the Ann Wigmore Institute of Puerto Rico, Hippocrates in West Palm Beach, FL or The Optimum Health Institute in San Diego, CA.

7) Do not follow any raw food teacher's ideas without passing them through the fine screen of your own intelligence. Think (and experiment) for yourself.

Many Blessings for your exciting journey into Nature's Power Foods,

Rhio

Dear Rhio,

Thank you very much! How kind of you! I will look into it {Boutenko's book}. I really need some recipes I like! Everything I have made so far is horrible!

Lyndsey

Dear Lyndsey,

What kinds of foods do you enjoy eating? Maybe I have some suggestions.

Rhio

In a message dated 2/5/03 2:19:06 PM, Lyndsey writes:

Dear Rhio,

This is probably going to sound pretty trashy, but I really like Italian food like pizza and pasta, etc. I like Chinese food...hmm...anything sweet is also good, which is why fruit has been easy to add in my diet. I am kind of a junky, but I would like to change it! I currently own a dehydrator, and have income enough to buy the foods I need. I also have a blender. Thanks for keepin in touch!

Lyndsey

Dear Lyndsey,

It doesn't sound trashy - Italian food has delicious flavor and so does Chinese too, but the good thing is many raw chefs have been able to recreate some of these flavors with raw foods. Check my website next week - there's a section in the Recipes section that says Recipe of the Month. I haven't updated that recently, but I'll put a Lasagna recipe up there soon.

In the meantime, if you want to try a cookie recipe in your dehydrator, try this one, it tastes like a sugar cookie but all raw and only banana sugar.

2 cups soaked Brazil nuts (soak them in fltered water overnight)
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp. cinnamon

Drain the water from the Brazil nuts. Put the nuts into the blender and pour new filtered water over them, just to cover the Brazil nuts. Blend the nuts and water. Then add in the bananas and cinnamon and blend again. Pour the cookie batter, in the shape of round cookies, onto dehydrator trays lined with Teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 95° F for 1 or 2 days. Makes approx. 18 cookies.

A dehydrator and blender is a good start. An important piece of equipment for a raw food enthusiast is a juicer like the Champion or Green Life which will give you the flexibility of making juices, pates and ice creams.

Good Luck,

Rhio

In a message dated 2/10/03 6:10:27 PM, Lyndsey writes:

Whoopee!!!

Rhio-- I made a lovely and delicious raw pizza yesterday! Have been on the raw food 100% for 3 days now! I love it, and my food is tasting great!

In a message dated 2/11/03 8:31:45 PM, Lyndsey writes:

Thanks Rhio! I have heard of the Champion, but how much does it cost? It will probably be a while until I get one, because I will have to earn it (I don't have a job) and my mom does not support raw foods. It is a little difficult, but I am still going on it. The only problem is that sometimes mom and I get in little fights because she is offended that I would think of cooked food as toxic to my body because (in her words) "It is the normal food". Besides that, all is well, and thank you for still writing me though I am sure you have plenty more to do!! I am trying those cookies you told me tonight! :)

Dear Lyndsey,

I learned about raw food at your age but had no one to give me a helping hand or any encouragement with it.

I admire you soooo much for your courage and resolve.

Be patient with your mom... and kind. Your mother is offering you the best that she knows - she just doesn't realize the truth about foods yet - maybe she never will - and that is her choice - just as you are making your choice. I'm sure she will like the cookies though. Dry the cookies enough so that they are crunchy. If you live in an area of the country that has a lot of moisture in the air, like Florida, store them in the freezer to keep them crunchy. In NY, I just keep mine in a cookie jar at room temperature.

About the Champion - sometimes you can find new machines that have been sitting around in someone's garage. People sometimes buy juicers and then unfortunately lose interest in using them. If there is a paper that sells used stuff in your area, keep looking in there. You can probably find one for $50 to $75. The price new is approx. $225.

Let me know how you like the cookies.

Rhio

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