Answers to Your Questions

Here Are a Few of The Most Commonly Asked Questions You May Have While Embarking on Your Raw Food Journey…

Q: What is raw food?

A: Raw is cuisine in its real form: Organic, from the earth, and uncooked. For food to be considered raw it can be chopped, blended, pureed, juiced, dehydrated, or combined into infinite flavor combinations, but whatever the end result, all raw recipes, are vegan (totally vegetarian: no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy) and "living."
(Definition from Chef Juliano's awesome recipe book called "Raw")

Q: If I don't eat meat where do I get my protein?

A: You're in the right place to get all the protein you need. Basically, it would be difficult for you to be deficient in protein on a raw food diet. With 22 amino acids being present in the human body, 8 of these are what science calls essential amino acids. Our bodies cannot produce these essential amino acids on their own without the help of food.

When you are eating a raw vegan diet you receive your best sources of proteins (amino acids) from sprouts, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Once again, the human body cannot properly assimilate or breakdown animal protein. Amino acids being present in the body are what makes protein.

Please go to our Meat Free page to find your personal favorite foods to get your protein.

Q: If I don't eat dairy or drink milk where do I get my calcium?

A: You will get your calcium, and plenty of it, from eating a diet chock full of greens, seeds, and nuts. Most people were taught to drink milk, or consume yogurt, because it "does the body good." However, "The Dairy Council dropped its popular slogan, "Milk: It does a body good" after a lawsuit brought by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine alleged that milk actually contributes to disease and does not indeed do a body good." (The Complete Idiots Guide to Vegan Living, by Beverly Bennett and Ray Sammartano)

Dairy for so long was said to provide calcium! Here's the thing…it does give the body calcium, but what they forgot to tell consumers is that it puts ones body in an acidic state and when this occurs the body seeks to balance itself out into an alkaline state…thus, during this process, it leeches calcium from the bones causing osteoporosis among other bodily diseases!

Q: What does the raw food diet consist of?

A: Mainly green leafy vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and sea vegetables.

Q: Do I need to take a daily vitamin? How about supplements?

A: We are not here to diagnose or prescribe and you will find varying answers when it comes to this important question. However, for ourselves we do not agree with ingesting synthetically made pills. What we do agree with is taking supplements such as probiotics, enzymes, and a B-12 supplement.

We resonate well with Matt Monarch's book "Raw Spirit", where he quotes Dr.
Fred Bisci saying: "Supplements heated at low temperatures, and taken from whole foods are still, in my mind, food." We also agree with taking in
Superfoods of your choice.

If you have further questions regarding a plant based diet and your nutrient needs, an excellent source for you would be "The China Study", by T. Colin Campbell, PHD and Thomas M. Campbell II. Here is just one example in full of what they write about regarding supplements. They write:

"Because nutrition operates as an infinitely complex biochemical system involving thousands of chemicals and thousands of effects on your health, it makes little or no sense that isolated nutrients taken as supplements can substitute for whole foods. Supplements will not lead to long-lasting health and may cause unforeseen side effects. Furthermore, for those relying on supplements, beneficial and sustained diet change is postponed. The dangers of a Western Diet cannot be overcome by consuming nutrient pills."

Q: If I have a medical issue will a raw food diet heal my disease?

A: We cannot diagnose any medical condition and we would urge you to check with your health practitioner first.

Q: Do you suggest I only buy organic?

A: Yes, we do! Buying organic food should be your first concern when shopping. It is extremely important that you avoid toxicity, pesticides, sewage sludge, wax, etc. on your produce. A big concern for many people is the price difference between organic foods and non-organic foods.

Do you know what the best way to save money on produce is? Grow it yourself!! It will save you a lot of money AND provide you with fabulous, fresh alternatives to purchasing your food from the grocery store. By the way, if this seems a little bit strange to you at first, don't worry, we wouldn't be surprised if you had a few sprouting jars in your kitchen soon…you just wait and see!

Q: What is the first step I need to take if I want to journey into the raw food lifestyle?

A: Get crystal clear on your "WHY." Why do you want to begin this journey? Are you tired of feeling lethargic, overweight or simply know that you need to become healthier? After you discover your "why" we would then start slowly incorporating fresh, organic foods into your diet. Begin with eating fruit and only fruit before noon. This is a great first step. Then, find a support group to join either online or offline so you can enjoy this new experience with the many others who are going through some of the same things as you will be. (i.e. A local Meet Up group or join up with other raw spirited friends on GiveItToMeRaw.com. There are hundreds of fantastic and helpful sites out there!

Q: Do I have to live completely raw?

A: No, not at all! Every step is your own step making this entire journey your personal journey! The key to this question is to listen to yourself, your body and how you feel! You will know when something you eat, or learn, or hear resonates well with your soul! There is no reason to label yourself as 50% raw or 75% raw, which is a bit of a trap people fall into in the beginning thinking they have to fall under a certain category. You are who you are and it is what it is!! Most people that enter the raw food lifestyle take baby steps, although under certain circumstances there are people who choose to go raw basically overnight due to medical concerns. In either case, there is no right or wrong, just be true to yourself!

Q: Is going raw more than just salads and celery?

A: This is truly a great question and one that was absolutely what we asked in the beginning of our raw food journey. Simply put, there is an alternative for everything you can think of! From a burger, to a glass of milk, to a sundae, to a delectable favorite pasta entree. It can be made, and it can be made raw!! Yummy! One of our favorite things to do is to visit our local Farmers Market when available, or shop at our natural grocery store and invest our time seeking out new seasonal veggies or fruits!

Q: Can I still eat out at restaurants?

A: Absolutely! Our hope for you is that you really consider your raw food journey as a way of life and not a diet. You need to really love this process and try some of the wonderful vegan restaurants that are hopefully available in your area. You will obviously find some restaurants easier to choose from than others, yet at most locations owners and chefs are becoming aware of the health conscious that are seeking healthier alternatives while dining out. When you change your mindset and fully understand that you are beginning to eat for your health instead of dieting, you will see everything in a new light, including menus!

Q: Can I still drink alcohol? Is wine better than beer?

A: Like anything, this is a personal choice that only you can make. As for us, 'Eat, Drink, and Be Merry' was the motto in our family. We have to share that we grew up in a household where everything was a celebration, alcohol included. Let us start by saying that some people have a hard time giving up ice cream, or pizza, or even meat. We have struggled with saying no to a cold beer by the ocean, or a nice glass of wine with friends.

HOWEVER, we are aware of the fact that alcohol does reap havoc on ones internal organs, not to mention ones skin. Have we consumed a lot less after understanding the consequences of alcohol on the system? Absolutely. You must feel good doing what you choose to do and like everything in life there is a little, pretty, price tag we all have to pay once we are informed and continue to do so.

The main thing we need to share with you is that alcohol is extremely acidic. Are you aware that disease results from an overly acidic system? Not good news. Regardless of the facts that have come out about wine and all of its antioxidants and how it is beneficial to your health, it is still alcohol. It is still a depressant. Cold beer is, too. On a happier note, you must do the best you can and live your life being as true to yourself as possible. That's what we do.

Q: Why is raw food better than cooked food?

A: Raw food is simply fresh, unchanged, living food. When you add heat higher than 115 degrees Fahrenheit you will be altering the foods natural state and you will then be consuming nutrient deficient foods. Raw foods pass through your body in 24 hours where as cooked foods remain in the system for 2-3 days, sometimes often longer, causing a backed up, toxic system.

Q: What do you recommend if I am pregnant? Is it alright to eat raw?

A: As always, we're not here to take the place of your health practitioner and we would recommend that you advise him or her first. That being said, in our opinion, we would not suggest that a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding consume a diet of completely raw foods. Obviously, it is beneficial for any woman to eat a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables no matter if she is pregnant or not. Everything in moderation during this time is our suggestion.

Do you have any other questions we can answer? If so, email us and let us know.

Susan and Stacey
The Raw Body Twins

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