In 2005, the year I got married, I went 90% raw for 5 months and I felt incredible! I now eat a diet that is about 60-70% and probably even more so in the fresh summer months. why not 90% anymore? After many years of learning from my body what feels best, this is where I have landed…its all a journey and trial and process.

So what is the whole deal and big hype about eating raw? Is it a trend or is it the real ‘raw’ deal?

Eating  a raw diet means that you are not consuming any foods that have been heated about 118′, you have a diet based around mainly whole grains, raw nuts, seeds and their milks and butters, beans, lentils, fruit, vegetables, avocados, olives, sprouted crackers and there are even some raw foodies who consume raw, unpasteurized dairy, meat and fish like sashimi. However if you choose to consume raw animal products be sure to know your source and grade.

Most vitamins and phytonutrients are destroyed or damaged when cooked or processed above 118-130 degrees so they aren’t digested properly and make it difficult to assimilate any nutrients in the food. It’s like eating empty foods, or empty calories, that just fill you up temporarily. What’s the point? It’s a waste and you’ll end up not feeling satiated because there are not any nutrients, and your body needs nutrients to feel satiated, for your blood sugar to be stable and so that you can take the ENERGY from the food to use as energy for yourself. Even just the simple change of eating more fresh, organic raw fruits and vegetables will increase the vitamins and micronutrients in your diet and you’ll feel the difference immediately.

It wasn’t always like this. We weren’t always grilling, roasting, toasting, BBQ’ing and frying our foods. Fire was only discovered a relatively short time ago in archeological terms. Before that, there was no intentional cooking ever. Even today, of the millions of species of animals and insects on the Earth, only people intentionally eat cooked food. In fact, we’ve become dependent on cooked food – addicted to it! That the very idea of living on a diet of raw, uncooked, live food seems insane and impossible to most people.

When people hear of our diet, which is not 100% raw but quite high in raw, we are constantly asked with huge eyes and mouths on the floor “What do you eat, rabbit food?”

And I get it! When we don’t know any different, it does seem crazy we’ve never experienced anything like it. The first time I tried anything new along this journey, I always thought this is nuts! But…then I tried it and was soon saying, “ohhhh, now I get it!

We’ve forgotten what real food tastes like, and not so coincidently, we’ve forgotten what it feels like to be completely alive and healthy. Today, we want food to be convenient, fast and taste good….even if the taste is artificially induced. This has become a lifestyle – and doing anything else requires a change in lifestyle. That means more than just more trips to the juice bar. It is a process that requires change at every level – mental, physical and emotional. Most of all, it is an educational process, one that requires commitment, compassion and patience — for yourself.

If you are looking for simple ways to increase your ‘Raw Food Force’ try some of these simple suggestions:

  • Include a source of fresh vegetables at each meal; greens in your morning smoothie, large salad or veggie and humus wrap for lunch, big salad with dinner or raw pad thai to accompany your other dishes.
  • Fresh fruit and raw nuts/seeds for snacks
  • Switch from roasted to raw nuts, seeds and their butters
  • Switch to sprouted grain breads like Ezekiel, Stonemill and Silver Hills
  • Only choose sprouted crackers like Mary’s Gone Crackers
  • Juice daily or even a few times per week
  • Try using spaghetti squash instead of real pasta noodles

Don’t stress about it, just try something new and see how you it goes. All I can say is that I have been feeding my body this way for years, I am extremely physically active and always on the go, I am never hungry, I’m always satisfied from my meals and have the energy I need to keep up with life.

I will be teaching a 3 hour cooking class ‘Simply Raw’ in April, where will be preparing 8 delicious raw dishes for you to enjoy.

I will be co-teaching a seminar called ‘For The Love of Raw’ with 100% Raw Foodie Tammy Frederick at Simplicity Yoga & Fitness Therapy Studio in the next few months so please stay tuned for details.

To listen to me live and learn more amazing tips and tools for your ever-growing healthy and fabulous toolbox, join Dr Laura Foster and I on Saturday March 9th for a 4 hour SHIFT from where you are now to where you want to go

www.shifturlifeexpress/eventbrite.ca

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