Just wanted to ask you how long had you been raw before your eyes changed to blue and was it on 100% raw?  I believe that's a sign that you body had detoxed/ healed?

Hi KittyK

Although I certainly value your views and input Durianrider, I agree with KittyK that moving for food supply, particularly when you have a family is not the most practical of solutions for most of us, nor is living a nomadic lifestyle (no is it what some of us wish for).   

I have 3 little kids, husband and me and these are some of the ways I have managed to reduce my food bill:

* I shop at the organic wholesalers, mainly Back to Eden on a Monday as they have a "retail section" where you can buy smaller quantities of boxes they want to get rid of which is usually mostly high quality, so I can get 1 or 2kg of various vegies in season plus I mostly get my fruit in bulk boxes.  I don't have an ABN number.
* A certified organic farmer on the Central Coast who comes down to the Flemington markets on Fridays prepares a box of greens (which I pre-order) for me.  This box is then picked by a courier (only costs me $7/box with Fastway couriers to my house) and delivered to my place (once a week)
* I also ask non certified organic farmers at my local farmers market whether they spray or not and how they grow their produce.  Generally they are quite happy to chat about this and if you look them straight in the eye you will generally know if they are telling you the truth.  A number of old fashioned farmers don't find a need to spray etc which is actually more expensive for them if it is uncessary.  This way you can get the benefit of 'real' food without paying the certified 'organic' premium.  I know there are a couple of such farmers at the Frenchs Forest markets in Sydney
* I used to be part of a co-op near me which organised bi-monthly deliveries (this has since increased to once a week).  see Sydney Organic Buyers group (http://groups.msn.com/SydneyOrganicBuyersGroup/buyersgrouproles.msnw)
They advertised their existence through various fairs, word of mouth etc.  Although I no longer have a need to be part of this co-op, this is a great idea and one way to advertise it may be through any sustainable initiatives your local council may have.  You may be surprised that there are a bunch of other people in your area also interested in this idea.   
*another idea may be to find out if there are any local farmers nearer to you who don't spray and would be willing to prepare a box for you which you could pick up or be delivered as in my case via courier. 
*lastly, we also have a small garden which has weeds growing in it (edible) and in which my husband has planted various greens and vegies (only a small contribution but it all helps plus its fun too for the kids)

Hope that is helpful

Dear Emi, i'm glad that you are back on this forum and enjoying life.  Your posts used to be the first ones I went to. 

Not sure if you want to share this, but I'm interested in understanding what symptoms you had around your health going backwards after a long time on 811. 

I've never had a problem with weight and nearly always have pretty high energy levels, however I have a few small ailments that I wonder whether they are not getting better due to my mostly 811 diet (Exzema still hanging around although getting better with homeopathic treatment, hair loss after birth of my twins has not 100% returned, only about 75%, plus a few others).  Would love to hear more about your experience.

Although my little ones were nearly 100% past 12 months, with Dad not too interested in high raw, it was too hard to fight against the tide (little ones wanted what Daddy had as well) and I would say they are now only high raw.

Love reading your posts here - always very motivating

Just reading your post KittyK.  That's an awful lot of weightloss - congratulations.  You must be feeling so much better for it as well.  Its good to hear what is possible to encourage others on this path

Thanks Vata, yes you are right about sticking to soft foods.  I do still feed them 3 times during the day and at least once at night however I don't have that much milk plus on the 2 days i work they only get breastmilk in the morning and evening so no lunch time feed, hence they have quite a bit of solids.   

Many thanks again Emily;I will persevere with the greens. Yes like you I give my little ones a rinse off in the bath after most meals, its a bit of extra effort, but lmuch ess effort than listening to their crying if they can't do it themselves!. 

Are you able to share the beetroot dip recipe?  I happen to have a whole lot in my fridge at the moment.

Thank you so much for this link Patricia

I have to say a big thank you to Emily for the idea of putting green smoothies into popsicles.  My 3 year old loves them, although she wont touch a normal green smoothie. She'll eat 3 in a row at the moment.

Unfortunately my 15 month old twins have completely gone off green smoothies, won't touch them even though this used to be staple.  I'm hoping this is just a phase.  They also won't eat that I try to feed them, they will only eat it if they can eat it all by themselves or with their own fork or spoon, so yes they are making a huge mess at times. 

So at the moment they will eat a whole nectarine or peach or apple.  My little girl will also attempt to eat celery sticks (with limited success since she only has 8 teeth) and lebanese cucumbers.  It is a bit frustrating however I'm going with the flow and will just have to come up with some new tasty recipes they can have by themselves.  If anyone else has had similar issues, I'd love to hear any suggestions.

The things they do still have regularly are green juices (carrots, cucumber, celery, greens, apples), young coconuts (juice and meat), soft fruits cut up, nut/fruit balls

I have a friend with a young child who may or may not have cerebral palsy.  She is very little so it is too early to confirm however she has some of the potential symptoms.  Does anyone know of any alternative treatments to help/ heal from this condition?  Many thanks for any of your suggestions

Other Vegan foods which contain omega-3 also include walnuts, pumpkin seeds and of course dark green vegetables.   

Thanks for sharing your Harley.  Your commitment to live this lifestyle (low fat raw vegan) is inspiring despite it not working for others, for whatever reason. 

I'm still trying to find the right balance for myself and each of my 3 little ones.  I may just follow your lead with the no overt fats for a month or so and see how I go as I am still suffering from Candida so I think my fat intake must be too high.  I'm also going to start taking some antimicrobial foods.... yes I know I've gone on a tangent...

Look forward to reading your posts..

Just as an aside in terms of sleep I did come across a website by a guy who found that he needed more sleep on a high fruit diet and less once he ate more green and vegies...I think it was www.drbass.com

Hi RGG

Love reading your journal.  Your posts are always lovely, personal, thoughtful... and I'm sure a lot of people like myself benefit from reading about your experience. 

Your're obviously feeling a lot better lately which is great to hear.   Do you think adding some cooked foods have helped you heal or is it just that you couldn't have them raw so you really had no choice?  Although I'm not wedded tio 100% raw, I notice that bad food combinations or having some cooked (even a little bit) the day before makes me wake up with swollen eyelids, tired, etc.

Hi Emi

Wow - I think you and your family are doing what a long of people would like to do but don't have the courage to do.  Fear holds a lot of us (including me) back from doing what we would really love to do. I think its absolutely wonderful and look forward to hearing about your experience this year.  Hope to still see you on the forum while you are travelling. 

I've had problems with receding gums as well since having my 3 children (I think breastfeeding plus pregnancy must have depleted my store of nutrients). I understand from the book by Weston Price that this is a result of inadequate nutrition.  I have been 95-100% raw for the last 5 months or so.  I tend to follow the 80/10/10 diet

I was wondering if anyone on this forum has had success in reversing this condition or know anyone that has and what they have done.  I am having lots of greens but perhaps i need to have more wild greens.

Many thanks for your replies