I havent read all the other replies yet, so forgive me if this has already been suggested.

I agree about not forcing yourself in the morning. However, if its possible to have little fruit snacks during the day, that might be nice. Or even something like carrot sticks and (raw) hummus. As for lunch, a great idea for getting a full serving of veggies or fruits would be to make a blended smoothie or soup. A green soup is very good and fits in a jar. At home, just stick into a blender any combination of the following:

1 lemon
1 apple (cored)
celery
cilantro
kale
broccoli
burdock root
ginger
garlic
onion (not too much)
tomato
avacado
lettuce
cabbage
bell pepper (except green)
any other greens or herbs
any other tasty vegetable
celtic (unrefined) Sea Salt
flax and/or borage oil

Blend and serve or store. I also like to mix in chopped tomato and avacado, and sometimes sliced bell pepper for the munch factor.

For a fruit smoothie, any combination hereof:

1-3 lemons
1-2 pears
apples
berries
mango
papaya
coconut meat and milk
nectarines
apricots
any other tasty fruits
coconut butter (unless you use coconut meat) or flax oil
celtic Sea Salt
Stevia or honey to taste (optional)
water for consistency (unless you use coconut water)

Blend and serve or store.

You could easily make one of these in the morning and bring it with you to work for lunch along with a couple pieces of fruit to munch on if necessary. Just remember to always eat fruit on an empty stomach since it digests faster than greens or fats, and you dont want it to start fermenting in your gut!

Regardless, cooked food is literally addictive. Dont be too hard on your self. If you want an especially strongly argrumentative book on why cooked foor is both poisonous and addictive, read Natures 1st Law: Raw Foods by David Wolfe, Steve Arlin, and... um, another guy (forgot the name). There are a lot of such resources tho. According to raw foodism, cooked food is a drug and these really are addictive cravings we have. The sooner we go 100% raw the better, but dont hurt yourself. On danger with rushing is the tempation to binge after being strict for a little while. Then the body has let down its guard and eating the cooked food hurts even more. Transition is important.

Hope this helps!

I havent read all the other replies yet, so forgive me if this has already been suggested.

I agree about not forcing yourself in the morning. However, if its possible to have little fruit snacks during the day, that might be nice. Or even something like carrot sticks and (raw) hummus. As for lunch, a great idea for getting a full serving of veggies or fruits would be to make a blended smoothie or soup. A green soup is very good and fits in a jar. At home, just stick into a blender any combination of the following:

1 lemon
1 apple (cored)
celery
cilantro
kale
broccoli
burdock root
ginger
garlic
onion (not too much)
tomato
avacado
lettuce
cabbage
bell pepper (except green)
any other greens or herbs
any other tasty vegetable
celtic (unrefined) Sea Salt
flax and/or borage oil

Blend and serve or store. I also like to mix in chopped tomato and avacado, and sometimes sliced bell pepper for the munch factor.

For a fruit smoothie, any combination hereof:

1-3 lemons
1-2 pears
apples
berries
mango
papaya
coconut meat and milk
nectarines
apricots
any other tasty fruits
coconut butter (unless you use coconut meat) or flax oil
celtic Sea Salt
Stevia or honey to taste (optional)
water for consistency (unless you use coconut water)

Blend and serve or store.

You could easily make one of these in the morning and bring it with you to work for lunch along with a couple pieces of fruit to munch on if necessary. Just remember to always eat fruit on an empty stomach since it digests faster than greens or fats, and you dont want it to start fermenting in your gut!

Regardless, cooked food is literally addictive. Dont be too hard on your self. If you want an especially strongly argrumentative book on why cooked foor is both poisonous and addictive, read Natures 1st Law: Raw Foods by David Wolfe, Steve Arlin, and... um, another guy (forgot the name). There are a lot of such resources tho. According to raw foodism, cooked food is a drug and these really are addictive cravings we have. The sooner we go 100% raw the better, but dont hurt yourself. On danger with rushing is the tempation to binge after being strict for a little while. Then the body has let down its guard and eating the cooked food hurts even more. Transition is important.

Hope this helps!

Hello, Fiz ...

Here is a "healthy alternative" to "dead starches" which has helped me a whole lot. Maybe it will help you some, too.

Before "wheat" as we know it, there was a grain called "spelt". People who are allergic to wheat can usually tolerate spelt, and that's how I wound up finding out about it.

A really great thing about spelt is it sprouts so easily and is so delicious after it does, especially with some chopped nuts and diced dried pineapple or papaya on top.

Plus, you can easily put some in a small container and slip it into your pocket or purse for an "emergency ration". It will immediately satisfy any cravings you might have for processed cereals or pastas or "dead starch" in all its many and varied forms.

And it will be chock full of life-giving enzymes!

How To Sprout Spelt:

4 oz spelt berries
8 oz water or more

Soak overnight in a quart jar with a wire-mesh lid so you can drain off the water the next morning, rinse the berries with fresh water, and either eat them right away or let them sprout upended in your dishdrainer for another day. (Remember to rinse them with cool water a couple of times a day if you choose to let them continue to sprout.)

What I do is divide the 4-oz batch of sprouted spelt among four half-pint wide-mouth mason jars for which I bought some white screw-on lids which don't rust. Next, I add a few (pre-soaked and drained) sunflower seeds and sliced almonds. On top of that, I add some diced dried pineapple and papaya ... the good kind that has been dried naturally without any added sulfur. Then I screw on the lids and put the four jars in the refridgerator and feel like I'm ready for anything.

Sometimes I have one "as is". The burst of flavor from the pineapple and papaya is just wonderful, and the nuts and seeds add a sensation of creaminess to the delightful chewiness of the sprouted spelt.

It's really a meal in itself, but sometimes I use it as a "topping" over a bed of *finely-shredded* carrots and cabbage and watercress when I'm in the mood for something more substantial. The trick, here, is to shred your bed of vegetables very, very fine. If you do this, then your "salad" will seem like it already has "dressing" on it because it's so juicy and flavorful.

Since the grain and the seeds and the nuts all have protein in them, you're well covered on that score with this dish. The dried pineapple and papaya contribute digestive enzymes, among other things, and the finely-shredded vegetables and green leaves contribute a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals.

Just between you and me, the addition of sprouted spelt to my live-food regimen made all the difference in the world in my ability to convert to a 100% live-food diet.

Tip 1: You can grind up sprouted spelt in a food processor, add a little honey or molasses, spread it out on a Teflon sheet, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and slip it into your dehydrator until crispy like a cracker. (Score it first so it will break easily into cracker-sized pieces.)

Tip 2: You can grind up half your sprouted spelt to make a "dough", add the other half plus seeds and nuts and dried fruit, shape into little cookie-sized pieces, sprinkle with sesame seeds and dehydrate until just the right consistency. (I'm embarrassed to say that I have yet to take a batch of these cookies out of the dehydrator because I keep testing them for just the right consistency until they're all gone!)

Tip 3: You can add a spoonful of spelt sprouts to your miso/vegetable soup, if you are on a mostly-live-food regimen. It makes it seem like you've added rice, but in reality what you've done is added a mighty mini veggie because, once spelt is sprouted, it's really no longer a grain. It's a nutritionally-powerful plant.

Tip 4: You can put soaked spelt with soaked beans and a couple of snips of sea vegetables into your rice steamer for a "hearty" dish that's perfect for a cold winter's evening by the fire (and very "man-pleasing").

Regards, Elizabeth ...

P.S. I would be very interested to know if adding sprouted spelt to your diet helps you to put your cravings for "dead starches" to rest forever.

N.B. When I use the term "sprouted" spelt, I don't necessarily mean that you have to see "leaves" for it to be "done" because you don't. You just have to soak it for long enough to soften the outside and "activate" the inside. Once you've done that and drained off the soaking water, the only thing that will happen if you give the sprouts an extra day or two to grow is that they will become just that much more nutritious.

Hi again! You're doing great. I love to read your posts and see how you're progressing. I discovered a new recipe that works great for me. I can't remember what raw kitchen equipment you have, so I apologize if these are things you can't make...

I spiral sliced some sweet potatoes (or yams) very thin. Then I marinated them in a salty marinade, then dehydrated them. They were so thin that it took a long time to separate them and lay them on the dehydrator screens. But the next day I had barbequed "potato chips". YUM! And perfect for the trip when the family was eating fried chips from a bag!

Another thing I have done is made sweet potato "pasta" with my spiroli (SP??). If you don't have one, you definitely need one. It has made giving up pasta SO much easier. I use whichever hard vegee I have around (usually carrot, zucchini or sweet potato). Then I top it with a warm "spaghetti sauce" from my Vitamix. I make a tomato sauce with a variety of vegees and tomatoes, and run it long enough to get warm, but not hot. Then I pour it over my "noodles" and enjoy! Joanne has a lasagna recipe posted that I'm going to try soon too.

Hope you'll find what works for you!

Rhonda

Do you have candida? It can cause you to crave carbs - especially stuff like bread, potatoes and pasta, as it lives on sugars and yeasts, and those carbs are a super source of readily available sugars.
Read up on it on the Candida Forum - it may be why you crave carbs.

Or it may just be a case where if you cant have it, you just want it 10 times more!
I am not sure if my inability to leave carbs alone is due to the yeast or weak will! i am in an area that i am unable to be tested for it , however i do have classic candida symptoms. hoping its candida and not an entirely hopeless will!!

xoLeah.