going vegan

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Permalink Reply by Kristen's Raw on June 13, 2008 at 4:05pm

Dark Vegan Chocolate ROCKS! (I love the organic dark vegan chocolate bars from Trader Joe's - inexpensive and yummy.) Raw Vegan Chocolate is EVEN BETTER and so much healthier. I'll post a raw chocolate recipe later today here for all of you craving chocolate like crazy :)

1) I was just going to recommend Skinny Bitch. My other favorites are John Robbins Food Revolution and The China Study by T Colin Campbell. Also check out MilkSucks.

2) It's important to stay informed and educated because this can really help you during weak moments. Knowledge is empowerment!

3) Being a part of a community such as this is a huge blessing and makes it all easier.

4) Baby steps are important. Set a schedule that you can stick to and phase things out one by one. Write it down on your calendar.

5) Don't stress, feel good about your progress, and if you "fall down" then just right back up :) because the next meal is your chance to start again.

6) Blog about it (or keep us updated here at CSL)...this creates accountability because you're telling the world what you're doing and we're watching you and cheering you on.

7) Be prepared. Don't get stuck in a situation where you're "too" anything (tired, hungry, upset, etc). When this happens, we tend to grab whatever is available. But, if you're prepared, have snacks available that you love and that are healthy so if the craving for cheese comes, you eat the healthy snack you love. After time, it's easier to give up cheese. The hardest part is in the beginning.

8) Green Smoothies! These work wonders for a range of addictions. Anyone trying to give something up should start drinking these EVERY day and see how much easier it is to give up the addiction :)

9) EXERCISE! Get off your tushies and do some physical activity. This works WONDERS on the brain and attitude. It helps you to "not" want to eat bad things.

10) Lastly, for cheese issues, I recommend checking these out from Dr. Neal Barnard who talks about understanding why we crave certain foods video and this webMD

Cheers,
Kristen's Raw

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Permalink Reply by Jill on June 13, 2008 at 7:13pm

Hi Kirsten,
I can't eat the raw cacao as it makes me wired and dizzy. I've never tried the raw carob so just wondering if it's an acceptable substitute in recipes. Is the taste similar?

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Permalink Reply by Kristen's Raw on June 13, 2008 at 8:22pm

It's a wonderful susbstitute but it doesn't make it taste like chocolate per se. But it's still so yummy!!! Yes, try it.

Raw carob is fantastic and supposed to be very alkalizing.

Cheers,
Kristen's Raw

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Permalink Reply by Jill on June 13, 2008 at 8:43pm

Thanks so much, Kristen! I'll try it and let you know how it works out.

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Permalink Reply by kta on June 16, 2008 at 10:27am

hey kristen,

thanks for the pointers. baby steps, gotta remember baby steps, take a deep breath and remember the baby steps :). and thank you MUCHO for all the those vegan chocolate recipes - i'm not sure it's possible to go over board with chocolate, (i joke, well, sort of...)

hope you're keeping well --kta

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Permalink Reply by Kristen's Raw on June 16, 2008 at 4:11pm

My pleasure :)

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Permalink Reply by bav on June 13, 2008 at 12:45pm

kta,

girl, replace your dairy cheese and chocolate with raw nut cheese (you can make tons of different flavors, does taste like cheese) and raw chocolate of all kinds. it tastes better than what you are currently consuming, is better for you, doesn't make you feel yucky afterwards - physically or mentally for having consumed it.

believe me, you won't miss the other a bit.

hope that helps!
:)
b

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Permalink Reply by bav on June 13, 2008 at 12:49pm

oops, forgot - if you aren't ready for nut cheeses, which are super quick and easy to make - you just need a blender or food processor, the better alternative to buy is raw goat cheese (brand I see most often is Alta Dena). Goat's milk is the closest to human, so easier for us to process.

And it isn't about your self-discipline or patience, girl, it's about learning about alternatives that satisfy you. Once you get that under your belt, I have every confidence in you!!

:)

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Permalink Reply by kta on June 13, 2008 at 1:58pm

thanks bav for your thoughtful reply and encouraging words :) while i empathize with others vegan-esque struggles, it's nice to know i'm not the only one

like you and others have suggested i am going to look into the vegan/raw chocolate. i will chit-chat this board up with my experiences. i love my chocolate dark dark dark (93%+) so as long as it keeps up with that blissful cocoa bitterness i'm sure i'll be a happy camper.

as to the nut cheese, i have yet to google it, but can you make this cheese from almonds? i'm allergic to nuts (amazingly enough it makes being veggie much more fun) so that may pose a problem for me... again, i'll post any almond cheese recipes i find

thanks again! --k

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Permalink Reply by Anastasia on June 13, 2008 at 3:31pm

Bav,
what's your opinion on blue cheese made from raw milk?
stasia

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Permalink Reply by Whole_Body_Healer on June 13, 2008 at 2:10pm

One "cheese" type of taste I love, is "Pamesan Cheese". It's basically 1 cup of brazil nuts, a clove of garlic & 1/3 tsp of sea salt all blended up in a food processor-takes about a minute to make & it's really good! I use it on top of salads...AND this is a great way to get selenium into your diet, which helps in the anti-cancer efforts for your bod, whether you got it or don't want it.

Aside from the suggestions already given relative to cheese, another approach might be to look at the types of foods you would normally eat that have cheese, or are you just talkin cheese alone? If it's in the dishes, then I would suggest trying more raw versions of these. For instance there are raw pizzas & raw lasagnes that taste great. There are a couple of stores that are starting to carry some raw cheese type things here in CA, WF is one of them, but don't know if they're carrying them all over the country.

Check out GoneRaw.com for some recipe ideas. Also I Am Grateful recipe book from Cafe Gratitude (you can get this on Amazon) has some GREAT dessert recipes with chocolate (raw cacoa) that are heavenly! This might help you transition away from regular chocolate. And there's also chocolate puddings made with raw cacoa & avocado (probably GoneRaw has some recipe).

There are some Raw chocolates that you can get, but they will in general cost more than regular chocolate...I'm assuming because of time to make, ingredient cost, & lower volume than regular chocolates. Phillip (here) makes & sells some & most of the big raw food supply sites have raw chocolate bars for sale. So, if your'e willing to pay more to get your fix, that might be an option. Some health food stores carry a small selection of raw chocolate bars.

Hope something in here helps.
Michalene

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Permalink Reply by Mary50 on June 13, 2008 at 5:12pm

vegan is nothing with a heartbeat. so I do almond cheese. nut allergy...soy yorqurt in cheese cloth over a cup. eat what is in the cheese cloth. easy recipes macdougal....

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