Why raw?

I have not been happy with the way I have been eating lately and I knew a while back I wanted to change it however being unemployed did not leave me much room for spending money on groceries.  For the most part the better it is for your the more it costs.  In the past I feel I ate better than about 80% of the population but I knew I could do better (so could my waistline).  One night I watched Food, Inc. and somehow from there and looking around at similar topics I came upon Raw for Life.  I watched some clips and it seemed really interesting.  Next month when I was able, I purchased the Raw for Life Encyclopedia.  While I was not impressed with the DVDs content (more later), it did make many good points and it seemed like it would work for me.  My main goals were to eat more local food, reduce the amount of meat I eat, and finally to loose weight.  I don't think this is going to be an easy 30 days but I think it will be well worth it.