Welcome to my top 30 for 30! During the month of October, I am counting down the top 30 mindset and practical strategies that have made all the difference in my success for 30 years as a raw food plant-based enthusiast to help you on your path!
Day 3 of my top 30 for 30: So far, we’ve talked about establishing a strong ‘why’ and getting clear on goals for creating lasting change. Another key I found to be super helpful when I got started on my raw path 30 years ago is organization. For me, this involved taking stock of the contents of my kitchen. I knew that I would need large bowls for vegetable dishes like salads, utensils, mason jars for drinks like smoothies and juices, a cutting board, a blender, a grater, a juicer/homogenizer for juices and banana ice cream (aka nice cream), and other items. Most of these I had already, or should I say that my parents did, since I was in college when I got started and was living with them for part of the year. I did buy some mason jars initially, and used some saved money to buy a popular-at-the-time juicer/homogenizer and some large mixing-sized bowls. I used my parents’ kitchen blender to make smoothies, that a super-enthused raw friend of mine referred to as ‘chunkies’ since the blender didn’t make the mixture completely smooth. This being said, the simple kitchen tools that I had worked just fine for me and didn’t own a dehydrator or a high-power blender until over 10 years later.
In the beginning, I also found that I needed some time to become familiar with the raw plant foods that were available in my area and how to prepare them. At the time, I was living in New England and it was winter. The fruits available were bananas, oranges, apples, pears, grapes, dried papaya spears, raisins, dates, and a few other choices. Available leafy greens included three different types of lettuce, spinach, and other greens that I had never tried, like kale. These and other day-to-day considerations that one needs to address when getting started with raw food became part of my own self-stylized transition that progressed as I became more educated. I made a shopping list of all the foods I wanted to try and thought of the whole experience as an exciting process of discovery. The produce department of my local grocery store was not a place that I had ever spent very much time so this was a completely different world for my 22-year old newly-empowered self.
The bottom line here is that my organization strategy consisted of determining what kitchen items I needed and then learning about and preparing very different foods than I was used to. I know these seem so simple and self-evident now, but back then, for me this was almost like stepping into an alternate universe with brightly colored food, exquisite flavors, and progressively improving health!
What organization strategies did you use when you got started on your raw food journey and how does this compare to what you are doing now?