About being raw. These are things I did not know before I embarked on this journey. So, in the interest of full disclosure and in case you are considering following this path, here are a few things I have learnt.
When I started, I thought I was married to my husband. Now, my husband just lives with us, but actually I am married to my blender and my food processor. I spend more hours lovingly scraping soups, sauces, dressings and toppings out my blender, then I do talking to hubby.
I spend more time washing, rinsing and drying my food processor, so I can use it 100 times a day, then I do deciding what to wear. Okay, so 100 times is a bit much, but let's just say multiple times and yes, I'm indecisive about clothing.
Oh, and if I said I use my food processor 100 times a day, I use my scale and measuring cups 1,000 times a day. They are my new best friends.
I used to empty my green bin into the garden compost heap once a week. I now empty it once a day - if it can make it through a whole day. My garden loves me.
I used to floss twice a day (okay, sometimes I only did it once, but don't tell my dentist), now I floss every time I eat. Does 'spinach between the teeth mean anything to you'? (You can substitute kale, parsley, arugula and dill!)
Before I started, I didn't know what a dehydrator was. Now I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of finding one in my kitchen in the morning.
I used to put old toothbrushes to work cleaning bottles, or awkward areas in the house. Now I have a whole collection to use on the poor carrots trapped in the sieve of my juicer. I say 'poor' because they don't make it into the compost heap with their friends.
When I was hungry, I used to just open the fridge and see what was available. When you are raw, you have to plan, plan, plan and oh, did I mention plan.
Things need to soak and sprout and set and freeze. The oat groats for breakfast soak overnight. The buckwheat for my pizza crust soaks for 30 hours. Cheeze topping needs to 'settle' for 2 hours. Cheesecake is best if frozen overnight. You get my drift.
Of course you don't have to do all this soaking and freezing and settling, if you are happy to enjoy a long life filled with iceberg and spinach salad. But, if you want variety in your life, if you want to make your raw food more like 'regular' food, trust me, you'll be doing all these things. Also, the variety encourages you to get a balanced diet, which means you get the full range of nutrients, minerals and vitamins we all need.
Your pantry and your fridge also need to be well stocked. Again, this is for variety. If you've been raw for years, this might not be the case, however if you are just learning, when you get that craving for dessert, or need a snack, you better have some ingredients on hand to whip up a treat. It's not like you can walk down to the local store and find some raw chocolate.
If this is sounding like a pain, it really isn't. It's just that you can't go on with your old ways. When you change to raw, you have to change how you view food and your approach to making it. Considering you don't use your oven, stove or microwave, using the other appliances daily isn't a big deal. It's pretty easy really, I'm just letting you know so you know what to expect. You know how I feel - knowledge is power.
Of course I'd love to tell you more, but my blender hasn't had a hug for at least an hour, so I better run!
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