when has mother nature ever steered you wrong? seriously, she has given us everything that we need to live, to love and to grow. the sun to brighten the world, to help things grow, to provide us with warmth and light. the plants for nourishment, shelter, health and enjoyment. she is always giving us exactly what we need and never skips a beat.
so, how is it that people don't realize that she has provided us with renewable sources of food for centuries and these sources are perfect, whole and tasty? for us vegetarians, fruit, vegetables, greens, nuts and seeds have been a huge part of our diet, but there is a whole other level to this whole being veg thing. over 7 years ago i started checking out raw foods, foods in their purest, uncooked form. it was overwhelming, the recipes were lists and lists of foods that were not always available and don't even mention how time consuming it all was. dehydrating, soaking, mixing, blending, etc. i did love it though and came to a lifestyle that worked for ME. well, now there is more to life than just me, there are two little girls that count on me to feed them the tastiest, most healthiest food, on a daily basis. ahhhhhh, no time for the time consuming. i kept dappling in raw foods over the years and my love of raw has come and gone like the seasons of new england, but i have always been stuck on the idea of green smoothies and eating your greens.
seven years later and here i am, rethinking all of my choices in between. i have always been veg, but not always raw or vegan, nor have my little mamas. those green smoothies, or salad smoothies as one of the girls calls them, have always been high on my list and nagging me to head back to what mother nature put out there for us. it is a bit trickier with little people, they are still growing, still developing, still maturing, me, i am hopefully done with most of that. i am maintaining and repairing at this point in the game. after doing some homework, pulling together my own knowledge of raw foods and varieties of the lifestyle, i came across some amazing resources to aid my journey back to basics.
as i mentioned, raising raw kiddos is a bit more involved, but that shouldn't stop anyone from embarking on the road to raw with your family. check out these links for some great views on raw kids and what their needs are. it may be shocking on so many levels, but it is good to hear it all from someone who is doing it and doing it well.
The Raw Food Family*Ka and Katie Sundance and their beautiful kids
The Raw Mom Blog: a source of wisdom from moms to moms
Shazzie: a beautiful raw mother, her knowledge and wonderful details of raising a raw kid
there are more resources out there, but these hit home with my instincts and concerns.
so, what do we eat? we eat a variety of foods, not all raw and we are transitioning. the girls have always been raised vegetarian and will take some time until the acquire tastes for some things that i may find absolutely divine. creativity is the key when it comes to foods that they may not always want, but is the best for them. i cannot say enough about GREENS! we all need more of them and kids do like them if you make them sweeter and blended. green smoothies are absolutely grand when made well and in our house they are affectionately called 'kermit the frog smoothies', and they do indeed make you jump higher than usual. when we add some strawberries, then we sip on 'miss piggy smoothies'. it is all in the eye of the beholder and in this case they are 4 years old and 20 months and they do indeed slurp this stuff down. besides green smoothies, we do fruit smoothies with added goodies like hemp sides, flax seed oil or udo's oil, bee pollen, and whatever else will up the nutrition and still appeal to the munchkins. we eat a ton of fruit in it's whole state. bananas, apples, pears, avocados, mangos, strawberries, blueberries, melons, you name it, they will eat it and eat a ton of eat some days. a whole pineapple and a quart of strawberries may never see the end of the day in this house. veggies are a bit trickier. they do adore cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and maybe a few others on occasion, but they aren't huge fans of a large array of veg. it will come with due time, but until then, juicing veggies or throwing them in with smoothies will do. as for the cooked foods that they like, brown rice, tofu, tempeh, cooked grains, hummus, and beans top the list. we have just introduced eggs for the first time and both girls have had a hard time adjusting to the taste, so i need to keep on trying and coming up with new ways to make them.
well, now you can see why it is 'an apple a day and some more'. there is so much out there to eat, to enjoy, to make you feel good, but don't get wrapped up in the all or nothing game of it. find what works best for you and your little ones. if it means eating a salad every night for dinner, then great, right on for taking that step. maybe that is the beginning for your or maybe that is just what you want at the moment, but whatever raw foods you start with, enjoy and know that it is helping you and it is a gift from the mother herself.
there is a reason why animals eat their foods raw. hmmmmm! never thought of that did ya? sure, they don't have stoves, but that's not the point. the strongest animals on earth eat green plant life and fruit and never chop it up, dehydrate it, cook it, stew it, bake it or add sugar to it. take a hint from the mother and go ahead and graze, you'll like it if you try it.
ps (need some recipes and details on eating greens? check out 'green for life' for insight and inspiration.)
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