The Reluctant Raw Foodist

So many people ask me about going raw so I thought I would post this:

By raw food I mean fruit, vegetables , nuts and seeds .. I do not eat raw meat or fish..

As some of you will know from this blog I had to change my diet as i was told that what I was eating and drinking was literally compromising my health so I had to find a way to change… 

I changed my diet on advice. I am not medically trained and I do not prescribe diets as some people have asked.. having said this .. this is how I changed my diet:- 

Depending on what your diet is like now you may want to convert to raw/ high raw in stages to give your digestive system time to adjust. Some people who make the change fast in an “all or nothing” approach  get diarrhoea and other symptoms as their digestive system is kind of “shocked” by it all and  then they “fail” at the diet saying it isn’t for them..

Just as you cannot (safely) run a marathon if you have never run before, it is often the case that you cannot easily change your diet overnight. Maybe some people can - lucky them! 

So if it feels like it is impossible just change slowly.. it is ok to change one mouthful at a time..

When starting out perhaps just add a daily smoothie to your diet - lots of ideas posted here and on other blogs..

then make it green or have 2 smoothies a day.

Then perhaps add something raw (vegetable or fruit) to your evening meal .

Add some fruit to your lunch and skip the processed dessert.

Consider what suits you. is there a food that makes you feel not so good or aggravates your symptoms? Perhaps cut it out and try something different for a while.

Consider whether your diet is full of processed food .. Check the labels .. would your grandmother have recognised the ingredients as food? If you cannot pronounce it do you want it in your body? what could you substitute instead?

Is there something you can’t possibly consider giving up? Unfortunately we often crave what is doing us harm. Consider whether you can cut it down or out completely for a while and see how you feel. I got tremendous headaches when I gave up processed sugar, and I lost 7lb in weight in about a  week  (I must have been retaining a lot of water because of my sugar addiction!).

Whatever has its hold on you, change it slowly, perhaps cutting down before deciding whether to stop. As you cut things out then do substitute something positive.

• When I cut back on sugar I added a few dates for a while, then I moved to chopped apple. Now I carry chopped carrot and celery.
• I had to give up black tea and coffee so I started to drink green tea.
• My alcohol replacement became sparkling water with a slice of lemon or coconut water.
•  If you eat sweetened yoghurts, then buy plain and add some raw fruit. 

Perhaps eat a green side salad with each meal using fresh lemon as a dressing.. Add a little cider vinegar if you can tolerate it (Not great for for Histamine Intolerance I am sorry to say) .. Please cut out all the fatty dressings that sabotage the immune system..

Convert one meal to raw, maybe breakfast and see how you go. What are your energy levels like?  Becoming amazing? Great. 

Pat yourself on the back and be positive about the changes you are making..

Now change the emphasis and make the raw food the main part of your meal and have a small portion of anything else on the side. It was only when I did this that I realised how much pasta or rice I was eating. 

At some point you may need to start to think big.. I can eat a whole lettuce, head of celery and cucumber a day (usually in smoothies). My breakfast can be a whole melon. Few calories, loads of nutritional value.. living foods.

By the way, try adding a few bean sprouts to your salad.

At some point, add some nuts and seeds .. Not too many  - maybe a handful a day. 

One day you may well find you start to crave all this stuff.

It actually does not matter if you never become totally raw or totally anything.. This it is about incorporating more healthy foods into your diet. There is no competition .. only health to be gained.

I promise you that if you need to lose weight it will just melt away.

As you see and feel benefits you may want to go further .. This is not a diet to me but a way of life now.

It is for you decide on your leanings to vegetarianism / veganism..If you eat meat and fish then do please make it fresh and unprocessed, Eggs - organic, unfertilised, free range.. I react very badly to the chemicals used to cure bacon.  I personally find that raw foods make me think more about what is happening to the planet . Being Vegan is becoming my preferred choice, but that is another story.

Incidentally consider organic foods especially if you are eating a lot of a particular food. I always eat organic celery for example..

A word about dried fruit - it has a higher sugar content than fresh fruit. Incidentally I also react badly to the chemicals used  to process commercially dried fruit. In the UK, generally, organic dried fruit is not dried by using chemicals.. Please do check the labels. 

When you have come far you can consider your options as your skin improves, your fitness improves and your overall health improves. I received so many lovely  comments about my skin soon after I started drinking green smoothies.

If in any doubt about your health, then perhaps do as I do and have your vitamins, minerals and fatty acids checked regularly to ensure you are not becoming deficient..  If you are getting this new way of life right then it is unlikely.. but you never know.

Hope this helps…

I preferred the “change in stages” way.    I am learning and getting better as I go along.. x