Raw-Foods Book. Don't blow this off. If you don't have one, you’ll have questions that will go unanswered and before long your enthusiasm will begin to flag. Besides, a good raw-foods book will have recipes to help you keep your interest up and to provide variety in your diet. You’ll find before long that you’re experimenting with all kinds of things; even so, you need a good book on your shelf. Look at this website for an example: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/. There are many out there. Don't buy hastily. Get one that will help you go and stay raw.

Blender. This piece of equipment rarely goes into the cupboard because it's used every day for a raw-foods diet and often many times a day not only for smoothies and juices but for sauces and salad dressings. And these are only a few of the things the blender is used for in the raw foods kitchen.

Mini-Blender. Many raw-foodists swear by their mini-blenders. It doesn't substitute for a big one, but it has many uses where the full-size one is not required, so consider adding one of these to your arsenal.

Knives. Invest in some good ones that you can keep sharp all the time. Nothing is more exasperating than trying to cut up a crisp vegetable with a poor-quality dull knife. You’ll want a variety. When you’re mincing herbs or a vegetable, you need a big heavy one that takes a very sharp edge. On the other hand, if you’re doing delicate slicing, you need a lighter-weight, smaller one.

Knife Sharpener. For all the reasons listed above, you can't get along without it. The knives must be sharp!

Cutting Board. You may want more than one. I have a big, sturdy one that I use for mincing and for major slicing jobs; however, it's really convenient to have a thin, sheet-like one when I want to turn it into a funnel to pour out what I've chopped. I also have a little one, slightly thicker and firmer than a sheet that I use just because it's convenient not to get the big one out of the cupboard.

Recipe Collection. Decide on a convenient way to file your recipes so you can find them when you want them. I get really cranky if I can't find one I want. I use the large, three-hole-punch books with stiff pages that have plastic lift-off overlays that I can put my recipes under. I organize them by dish such as “main dish,” “salad,” “dessert,” etc. For delicious gourmet recipes, see Chop to Impress.

Dehydrator. A good dehydrator is not essential but it makes the raw food lifestyle more fun. You can dry a wide range of vegetables and fruits and retain the nutrients. These dehydrated foods can be used as snacks, in salads, as desserts, for easily transportable sources of nutrition for work or travel, etc. Don't overlook this important piece of equipment.

Sprouter and Sprouting Location. You can make your own sprouter or you can buy one that's ready to go to work for you. You’ll need a dark place to grow the sprouts, so look around. If you don't have one that's convenient, you may need to create one. Don't forget how important sprouts are to the raw foods diet. They provide nutrition you can't find anyplace else.

Juicer. Some raw-foodists do their juicing with their blenders, which is OK, but some prefer to have a juicer available for that. They feel that it produces a more refined constituency. Look at the various models and make up your own mind.

Slicer. Again, many raw-foodists don't use this piece of equipment, but those who do swear by it. You can slice thin or thick and create uniform slices. The non-electric ones are inexpensive. They certainly do save time. Look into them.

What I haven't included in this list are storage items. Just remember, everything is going to be raw, and you’re going to need more places to store fresh things, so look at what you already have and think about what modifications you will need to make. Is your refrigerator adequate as it is? Can you modify it to make it more adaptable to your raw-food needs? Some people have added a small refrigerator in their garages to keep their raw foods fresh. What about a root cellar? These are old-fashioned ways to keep vegetables through the winter and are not too difficult to create yourself. Is there room in your pantry to store such things as bags of potatoes and other longer-lasting vegetables? Bins are good for these.

By TTS Health Consultant Gabrielle Gingras