How to Eat Raw Foods

I love raw food.  I love the way it tastes, how my skin and hair responds to the influx of nutrients, how it makes me feel more alive and energetic, and the intensity of the flavors.

I enjoy using my creativity in designing a menu, in creating new recipes and arranging unique combinations of my tried and true favorites.  It’s an art form and a fun way to express myself.

But this doesn’t mean raw foods are the only foods I eat.  I am constantly being asked about what I eat and honestly, I hesitate to tell people, because one diet does NOT fit all.  I don’t want somebody trying to model their dietary approach after mine; what works for me and makes me thrive may make another person feel depleted and sick or bloated and tired.  And vice versa.

I teach bio-individuality to my clients.  You need to discover what the ideal diet is for your body based on a little bit of trial and error and a lot of tuning in to and recognizing the signs your body gives you as to what it needs to perform optimally. 

So, how does one eat raw?  I’ve compiled a few tips for someone who is just starting out on the raw-venture and needs some guidance.

My tips for How to Eat Raw

1. Evaluate your starting point.  A person coming from the Standard American Diet (SAD), which is high in processed foods, sugar, meat and dairy, will need to start more gradually than someone who already follows a primarily whole foods diet, or they will experience uncomfortable detox symptoms as their body rids itself of accumulated toxins.  This process can be slowed down by introducing raw foods at a gradual pace rather than trying to make too many changes at once.  
2. Introduce one new habit at a time.  This will ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed and think that this new lifestyle is too extreme or difficult for you.  This is not something that needs to be committed to 100%…nor is that recommended in most cases.  Some people do swear by being entirely raw and think any amount of cooked food is detrimental to one’s health, but I do not agree with that philosophy. Depending on the time of year, I fluctuate from eating 60-80% raw; the remainder of what I eat is cooked, all natural foods.
3. Add a green smoothie everyday first thing in the morning (I have plenty of green smoothie recipes I am happy to pass along).  Most people do not eat enough leafy green vegetables and this is a great way to rectify that.  Starting your day with greens with set up an alkaline base in your system and will prevent sugar cravings as well.  Plus you are getting calcium, antioxidants, and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals in a readily absorbable form.  You will notice immediately an increase in your energy level.  Once you get used to how you feel drinking green smoothies, you won’t want to look back!
4. Drink lots of water….alkaline water if possible.  (I just ordered an incredible alkaline water filter for my home…ask me about this if you are interested in learning more about it).
5. Eat at least one substantial salad every day.  Salads never need to be boring!  Add a handful of your favorite nuts and/or seeds for a protein boost; add some healthy fats such as avocado and olive or flax oil, plus whatever vegetables you have on hand, and some dried and/or fresh fruit. Use your imagination!
6. Begin to reduce or eliminate your caffeine, sugar and processed foods intake.  You may find that after a couple of weeks of drinking daily green smoothies and eating large salads that your cravings for these things start to diminish all on their own.
7. Begin to reduce (or eliminate) meat and dairy.  Just as with the sugar and caffeine, you may find that your desire for these foods starts to go away as you improve the quality of the other foods you are taking in.
8. Learn 3 or 4 easy, “go-to” snack recipes that you can always have on hand for snacking without the guilt.  (Homemade trail mix and granola bars are perfect)
9. Once the daily green smoothies and substantial salads are second nature to you, add in a green juice in the afternoons as a pick me up and extra dose of vitamins!  I think of juicing as taking a supplement.  So many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are packed into that one drink…it is infusing your system with life force!  You will feel a jolt in energy …real energy, not the false energy you get from sugar and caffeine that makes you crash afterwards. (Read my article on the benefits of juicing for more information).
10. Get creative!  Choose one day a week where you are going to try something new…either buy a vegetable you’ve never had before or try out a new recipe to avoid falling into a rut.  Just do something that will keep your interest in raw foods alive.

Most important of all, relax and enjoy your food.  Stop beating yourself up about what you eat.  Do the best you can with the information and resources you have and savor your food as you eat it.

Eating is an art form in and of itself. 

Bon appetit!