Angie thanks for your encouragement.

Today feels harder, don't know why exactly.  I haven't really had cravings for non-raw food, but there was a cake that my housemate had made sitting on the kitchen counter today and it looked really good.  But the thing is I know I can make myself raw treats instead, or have some lovely fruit.  Generally I am happier with my raw foods, but sometimes those cooked things do look tempting.  Anyway to avoid the cake I overate on raw desserts.  Not the best solution ever, but at least I am sticking to the all-raw diet.  Which is a step in the right direction.

I've read a bit about doing fasts, that the last few hours are the hardest - you feel like you've already made it so far, so does it matter if you stop early?  Yes!  Because then you haven't reached the goal you set out to achieve.  So I'm going to stick with the raw, no drinking, no coffee for 30 days, so that I've achieved my goal and can beel accomplished about that.  I'll post when the 30 days are finished - June 19 - to begin assessing where I'm at and where I want to go.

Hi Heidi,

When I first started running, it was on a treadmill at the gym.  I started off just doing 1/2 mile.  After a week, that was easy.  Slowly, each week I increased the distance that I ran.  After a few months I could do 5 miles (this was in the US where we measure distances in miles!).

I've been on and off into running over the past 10 years.  There have been points at which I was running 5-8k most days, and other points where I don't run frequently at all (but do different sorts of exercise, mainly ashtanga yoga).  I love running, I hate running, I love running...I used to get the runner's high and would want to keep running for really long distances.  But I found it really hard on my body - knees and ankles especially.  Actually I really miss it, but every time I give it a try my knees end up hurting a lot.  I think I overdid it when I was younger.  So take it slow!

Good luck!

Well Damian, I am a bit of a recipe freak, and I have an absolute field day going through the recipes at www.goneraw.com.  Such a great repository of recipes.  Also many people review each other's recipes, so you can get an idea of how successful they are before you try.  Have a look there for some good ideas.

Thanks dragonfly emi for your wise and encouraging words!  It's really interesting to hear how much going raw changed your life.  I've always been the kind of person who embraces change wholeheartedly, at least when I think it's a positive change, so I'm excited to see what kind of direction this life choice takes me in.  Like you said, I do feel like I'm getting closer to "lining up my choices with my beliefs."  I can't really think of any other way to live!

Here's a company growing chia seeds in WA (sorry no commercial links allowed, contact Jen @ RP for chia seeds).
They seem to be more expensive than the imported ones, but then again it's good to support local agriculture.

Hey Chilli,

Do you like to cook now?  I think this is an important question, because whether or not you enjoy getting creative in the kitchen will probably have a big impact on the way you approach going more raw.

Personally, I have always loved cooking, so when I thought about going raw, I knew that I would have to find a way of eating raw that still allowed me to "play with my food."  I started reading lots of gourmet raw recipes, and became really excited.  There are great recipes on this site, but I especially love to browse through the incredible collection at www.goneraw.com.  I also really love Russel James' Raw Chef Blog.  For me, creating dishes and exploring new techniques, flavors and textures is a lifelong passion.  I couldn't do raw if I couldn't un-cook.

If you don't enjoy cooking, your approach will probably be totally different.  I'm not an expert on this approach, but there are a lot of other people on this forum who eat most of their foods in the natural state with minimal preparation who could give you advice!

Sometimes having a raw treat helps me to fight cravings.  I can make something nice and chocolately and raw that gives me lots of joy and makes me feel better than cooked treats.  Also, making sure you're eating enough throughout the day might help to stop cravings before they even occur.

Though sometimes there are certain cravings that just can't be helped.  I had the worst one last week - my housemate cooked a homemade lasagne!  The whole house smelled like lasagne for the next 2 days, and she left it in the fridge for everyone to eat...everyone except me!  Man, was it hard to resist that lasagne.  When my partner had some for dinner I honestly had to take my raw dinner into another room because being near this lasagne that I couldn't eat made me feel so upset.  I really haven't felt that about any other cooked food, and I honestly never liked lasagne that much to begin with.  It was just that it looked so warm and gooey and cheesy...oh torture!  Thank goodness it's all gone now.  I can't wait to have my own place so there's no cooking of lasagnes going on in my kitchen!

I'm feeling really good today.  Perhaps this is partially because it is my day off from work, so I was able to stay home and work on personal projects all day.  And partially because I've had cacao twice today, and lots of water, and lots of fruit. 

I must say, it is getting harder and harder for me to work as a waitress in a non-raw restaurant.  I just don't believe in what we're selling anymore.  And I feel some guilt about that - I feel like I'm not representing the chefs as best I can, and I feel like I'm deceiving the customers by selling them something I won't buy myself.  However, at this point I still need this job to support myself financially.  In the long term, I need to think about making a change in the area of employment.

I'm still struggling with my skin, but I think patience is the best solution here.  There is clearly a lot of detox that needs to take place, and it's going to take a while.  I think a lot of my unhealthy habits, both physical and emotional, manifest themselves on my face.  At the same time, I'm constantly mistaken for being much younger than I am, so perhaps there are some young-at-heart qualities being expressed here as well!

Oh yay!
I've been wanting to meet all the lovely Adelaide raw foodies.  I missed the last picnic cause I was working and I was really disappointed.  I'll make sure I have next Friday night off.
Can't wait!

Hi Niqi,

The transition to raw is hard!  We have to totally relearn everything we ever knew about food preparation.  I, too, consider myself to be in a transitional state (though I suppose we are all always transitioning in some way at all times, aren't we?).  I was eating about 75% raw for about 5 months before I decided to go 100%.  I've only been eating 100% raw for the past 26 days, but so far I can say it was a great decision.  It's a lot easier for me to stick to 100%, because I just say "no" to all cooked food altogether.

Here's a few ideas for when you're on the run that have helped me.  Keep some fruit on you.  Apples are great - they don't get squashed, they don't take up much space, and they will really fill you.  Also, make little baggies of what we used to call trail mix - nuts and dried fruits.  I like to add cacao nibs to mine for extra energy.  Both of these things don't take too much prep time! 

Also, keep lots of good water on you.  Sometimes when you feel hungry you're just thirsty.  And, the more water you drink, the faster you'll flush out those toxins and get rid of those sluggish feelings of detox!  Treat yourself to some really good water, too.  When you're in a convenience store, buy yourself some really expensive bottled water instead of some prepared food - it will do so much more for you!

Hope these things help...they've helped me.  Good luck, and remember, you can do it!!

I do take small amounts of fruits and cuttings from the botanic gardens, but I don't think we're "encouraged" to do this.  I always try to be very subtle.  But I know nobody else is going to eat those tamarillos (except the birds!) so I don't feel too bothered about it.

While wandering in the Adelaide Botanical Gardens today, I happened upon a tree with big, ripe orange fruit.  I said "those look edible" and I had a closer look at the sign.  It was a tamarillo tree - also known as the tree tomato.  I'd never even seen one before, and there they were, ripe for the taking!  I ate 2 right on the spot.  Really delicious fruit!  The skin in a bit bitter, but the inside very sweet.  I'm going back tomorrow to pick some more - I'll post a photo of the tree!

Just wanted to share my excitement...now I'm feeling motivated to go out foraging around Adelaide!  Who knows what I might find?

According to this website, most quince varieties are too hard and astringent to be eaten raw, except for the "apple quince" variety.  Well, I can tell you from experience that they are right.  I did eat the quince, but it was pretty hard and somewhat astringent (though not so astringent that I couldn't eat it).  The flavor was good though, similar to a sweet apple.

My housemate has a lovely ripe quince sitting in our fruitbowl that she said I can have.  But I've never heard of anyone eating quince raw.  Can it be eaten raw?  Honestly, I've never actually eaten a quince, only quince paste.  Does anyone know about this?  If not, I'll just cut it open and see for myself...

Recently I've noticed a change in my eyes.  It's the first outward physical change I've noticed in my body's appearance.  They seem bigger and brighter to me, even behind my glasses.  I like it - I think I look more alive, alert, awake.

I'm still hoping for a change in my skin, as I've been suffering from adult acne for years.  I'm trying to practice patience, drink lots of water, and think positive, loving, healing thoughts while massaging my face with coconut oil every day.  If anyone has any tips on the skin front, I'd really appreciate them.