Eating Raw & Green Juicing (house, transfer, to buy)

[WorshipMusician]

So I started going more raw and I drink 1-2 green juices a day. I started this after a 10 day fast, it's been awesome, been about 2 months now. So who is in to the whole raw scene or whole foods. Would love to hear from you or if you want to get into it. There are amazing benefits, getting clean and detoxing is a big journey but really worth it. Plus does anyone know were I can get some young coconuts?

[Bideshi]

I assume you're posting here because you live in COS. What is the average weekly food cost of your diet?

[WorshipMusician]

Yes I live in COS. Food cost I am still figuring out, but all organic veggies, they cost more. I have all my receipts since I started juicing and going to be tallying soon, just wanted enough data to get a clear picture.

I have one main juicing recipe I use, it's the one for me and my wife likes it too. My background is like most, I came from the typical American diet, starch, sugar, meat, diary and everything processed. I use to go to Outback for the 21oz porter and all the bread I could stuff in my face. There is a lot to this new lifestyle and they are all pluses, ok maybe 1 negative, the food cost, but still not really a negative. Calculate that I don't need coffee, tea or any stimulate anymore, white sugar is all but removed. That was once on a daily basis for my day, so it all balances out.

So Bideshi, are you into juicing?

[otowi]

I saw a chart that suggested the nutritional content of organic foods was much higher, on average, than conventional. But on doing a little more research, it appears that the jury is still out when all the research is considered together. However, the avoidance of chemical pesticides, additives, and lower environmental impact are clear differences that will matter enough to some people to encourage them to try to buy organic. Most studies suggest pesticide absorption into the food is highest for these foods listed below, so if you are going to try to go organic on a budget, these would be priority for spending the extra if pesticide consumption matters to you:
Peaches
Pears
Green Beans
Apples
Squash
Strawberries
Raspberries
Spinach
Potatoes
Tomatoes
These tend to absorb less pesticide overall and so may be 'safer' to purchase conventionally if chemicals are your main concern:
Pineapples
Mangoes
Avocado
Bananas
Cauliflower
Watermelon
Kiwi Fruit
Brussels Sprouts
Eggplant
Blueberries
Radishes
Onions
Grapefruit

[Mike from back east]

I know a dietician who talks about the "dirty dozen" foods with high pesticide levels that are better found in organic versions.

Here's a listing of the dirty dozen I found:
- Apples
- Celery
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Spinach
- Nectarines (imported)
- Grapes (imported)
- Potatoes
- Sweet Bell Peppers
- Blueberries
- Lettuce
- Kale / Collard Greens

Conversely, there are the "Clean Fifteen" items.
1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapple
4. Avocado Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mango
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms


Ironically, it was cantaloupe, grown out in Eastern Colorado by Jensen Farms, that killed over 30 people last year due to contamination coming from nasty stuff found in the rusted equipment they bought second-hand. Yes, they cut corners and costs everywhere in order to please a certain massive chain that touts such low prices on everything. I've been sickened by bad spinach at a local chain deli that's been in and out of bankruptcy for years.

Suffice to say that I thoroughly inspect AND wash everything we eat in the fruit and vegetable categories. I may be over zealous but I hand-wash each and every strawberry before eating it.

I've always scrubbed every potato before baking it, scrub every cantaloupe before slicing it, peel every carrot no matter what type it is, and hand wash every apple, pear, nectarine, plum, peach, bell pepper, etc. Leafy stuff gets washed (even if "triple washed" by the packer) and spun dry.

Meat and poultry are rarely found in this house, they are processed in some of the most horrifically dirty facilities imaginable.

[WorshipMusician]

That is a good list, but still some should be added, like celery is a big one, if you can afford any organic, celery, spinach would be my top organic picks to buy.

Organic to me is more about the lack of chemicals and the richness of the food. I can taste it now, you can also see the depth of color in a side by side. Then again not all organic is created equal either, I like local grown when I can get it. The spraying of the non-organic produce is many times from start to finish with chemicals, not so good, but not everyone can afford to eat organic. I can buy organic, but a person does what they can for what they can afford. Still way better to get a green juice in then not, even if the person cannot afford organic.

It's a vicious cycle, the cheap food is not designed for our bodies and the good food that is, well it's more expensive. I made the choice that I would cut back on stuff so I could enjoy the benefits of juicing and eating living food.

I will state this, just because I juice, I am by no means a green environment person, I don't even observe earth day, fact I may run more electricity that day lol. Though the benefits of eating this way, reach every aspect of that food chain supply.

I am a regular guy, I just have seen the destruction to the world of people around me, it has woken me up, basically changed my life in 30 days. Truth is every step I have taken over the last several years has lead me to this point. This lifestyle will detox you, I have done other things to detox also, but it's a journey that I will continue.

[WorshipMusician]

Hey Mike, I do the same, I scrub the heck out of the veggies I get. It takes longer but so worth it. When one has to really prepare their food and clean it, it connects the understanding. That is what happen to me, everyday is a journey, prep and more prep, but it's all good.

Yep it would be super rare to find meat in my house too, I use to love barbecuing, not anymore, still like the smell but that is just the old mindset kicking in. I never get hungry from smells anymore, like I use to. Now if someone makes me a meal at their house with love, I am going to eat, but other then that, I guess I am a cross between a raw foodist and wholefoods mix.

[otowi]

Growing up here in Colorado, I did not like fruit. I never wanted or craved fruit. None of it tasted good except Watermelon - but what kid doesn't like Watermelon? I am sure my palette has changed, but I do think organic has more taste and I like it better, generally speaking.

I think lots of people do not wash things that have a rind, etc., because they don't eat the rind - but as soon as cut it, anything on the rind where you cut is transferred inside via the knife. So I'm learning washing is a very good idea. So what exactly is good enough for washing - rinsing under the faucet? Somehow that seems like window dressing, but yet it is often what I do in reality.

[Mike from back east]

I've a stiff bristle veggie brush, not sure, it might be a fingernail brush, but it really scrubs well on potatoes, and I use it on melons too.

Apples, pears, peaches, etc, I place under running water and rub it vigorously with both hands. I pull stems out of apples, pears, peaches and get a finger into that space and rub it clean.

[Bideshi]

Originally Posted by WorshipMusician

So Bideshi, are you into juicing?

Yeaahermaybe. I watched "Fat,Sick, and Almost Dead", bought a good juicer, and have actually looked at it several times since it's arrival...