Welcome to the VIBRANT LIVING NEWSLETTER

The weather is superb and the raw foods abound. I feel blessed to be able to have access to so much fresh produce from my own garden and the farmers market. I truly hope that you are also enjoying the fresh raw bounty and are experiencing the wonderful benefits of a raw food diet.

In this issue of Vibrant Living I revisit the discussion of fruit vs fat as the two main sources of calories for the raw diet and discuss viable options.

There is a great new testimony at the website and I have posted a link to that, there are also a number of recipes for changing up your diet.

Enjoy!

Revisiting the Fruit or Fat Discussion

Most people who have been on a raw diet for any length of time know that the main sources of calories come from fruit or fat. What many people don’t realize is that the raw diet they start with may look very different a few years down the road. There’s sort of a natural progression as the body cleanses, heals, and builds new cells.

Looking at the raw community I would say the majority of people start on what would be considered a high fruit raw diet, certainly the people I have known over the years. I think a high fruit diet is an excellent cleanser and healer for most people, but it does not provide the overall nutrition and balance required to sustain one long term.

After the first 6 months as a raw fooder eating everything in sight I switched to a mainly mono fruit diet. For years I found this way of eating to be amazing in its simplicity, ease of prep & clean-up, and of course the great tasting fresh seasonal fruits. At the time I imagined I would eat that way for the rest of my life.

Ah, but then the natural order of things took its course. I Began to feel not quite so satiated and a little out of balance. No matter how much I upped the fruit consumption the feeling persisted. To try to remedy this after my mono breakfast I began to eat greens, cucumbers, or celery with my fruit at lunch and I found this to be more balancing.

The Raw Food Snob

Looking back perhaps I was a little bit of a raw food snob at the time, eating the majority of my meals out of hand including my evening meal. I used to come home from work and head right out to the garden with an avocado in hand to pick and eat my dinner right there in the garden. I perceived eating complex raw recipes or blended meals as just short of blasphemy.

At the time I was navigating my way to finding a more balanced diet I met a wonderful woman who became my girlfriend. Every morning for breakfast Linaka would have a large green smoothie with ingredients calculated precisely to give her complete nutrition for the day when figuring in her other two meals.

Linaka recommended I try one myself, but being the purist I was I just couldn’t bring myself to put my fresh fruit into the blender with greens. Over time, as in months, I opened to the idea to try a green smoothie to see if I couldn’t find some balance. And Wow, I was hooked! I felt satiated and balanced for many hours until I was ready for my next meal. When blended, the greens digest and assimilate really well for an extremely high nutritional boost.

Alternatives to Fruit or Fat

Fast forward 11 years and I still have a green smoothie every morning and love how it makes me feel. A few hours after the morning smoothie I have part of the same smoothie in a quart mason jar packed in my lunch box. Several hours after that I have a cucumber and a small handful of sprouted nuts or seeds, or raw hummus and celery, or perhaps a large green/vegetable juice, or something equivalent, but very rarely any fruit. Fig and jujube seasons might be the exception to that rule.

For dinner it’s a very large salad with vegetables and avocado, or one of my recipes that are made up of more calorically dense vegetables in a quick and easy recipe. The website has pages on raw rice recipes, raw soups, and raw stews that are very filling and more calorically dense than a salad with greens. They take less than 15 minutes to prepare and are delicious. Over the last year I have moved from having 3 meals a day to 4 slightly smaller ones, which I feel aids digestion and assimilation and I almost never feel like I have overeaten.

After being 100% raw for more than 15 years, about 6 months ago I began to add some steamed cauliflower and kale when I felt like it. The steamed veggies give some great nutrition and extra calories that are not from fruit or fat. I’ve even tried black beans and quinoa. I was drawn to trying this just as I was drawn to the green smoothie so many years ago. Call it intuition or whatever you like, but it is working really well for me now.

Part of what I really like about eating occasional cooked food is it takes the whole stigma of being “100% raw” away, and any pressure on those just beginning or struggling with the raw diet. Our goal should not be about being raw, but rather being the healthiest individual we can possible be. I would encourage you to master the high raw diet and then move on to 100% raw after that if you feel you want to.

For years in these newsletters I have been writing that I felt a high raw diet was probably best for most people to follow for a number of reasons, not the least of which is gleaning more nutrition in a meal that does not come from fruit or fat. I could never eat 2 heads of raw cauliflower on top of my large green salad, but that’s easily done when they're steamed.

My purpose in sharing my story is so that you can see how my diet changed over the years and how yours might also. Now your diet may progress differently because we all have different nutritional needs and differ in the amounts of fruits, fats, and greens that make us feel our best and perform our best. It’s all about finding that natural balance that is just right for each of us.

At present I know what level of fat and fruit my body and mind need to feel best. And when it comes to greens I eat copious amounts including lots of fresh sprouts. At this point I have fine-tuned my diet and can tell intuitively what the best diet is for me, and if I need to make an adjustment here and there.

What does Overdoing Fruit or Fat Look Like?

It’s usually much easier for people to tell if they’re overeating fat because it’s so calorically dense and tougher to digest than fruit. If one overeats fat within minutes they can usually tell as they become lethargic and have the feeling of having eaten too much. Too much fat can also slow down the digestive system so you feel lethargic that way too. With too much fat in the system it’s also possible to elevate glucose levels.

It can be more difficult to tell if you’re consuming too much fruit, particularly if you’ve been doing it for any length of time. The markers for excessive fruit consumption can take longer to manifest in physical form. Some of the things that can arise for people overeating fruit are:

• High cholesterol

• High triglycerides

• High glucose levels

• Fungal issues

• Dental issues

• Never feeling satiated

• Feeling spacey

I will say that there are those that can handle a higher fruit diet, just as there are those that do well on a higher fat diet. So if your diet is working well for you now then that’s great! Enjoy it and just be mindful that changes may or may not be in the stars for you.

Hopefully this has been helpful for you and my experiences can serve to help your transition to a healthier you smoother and timelier than mine, although sometimes we have to take the journey as it comes and at our own speed. All the best to you.

Weight Loss Testimony

Weight Loss Testimony

The idea is to have one of these recipes instead of a green salad loaded with fat or other similar meal.

Click on the photos to see the recipes.

Although I believe strongly in a diet comprised mostly of fresh raw foods, I do supplement with super green powders, nuts, seeds, sea vegetables, and the occasional dried fruit. If you’re like me you’re always looking for a good deal on quality food whether it’s fresh from the farmers market or purchased online.The following resources may be helpful for you.

The Raw Food World, the Fresh Network, Vitacost, and sometimes Amazon can be a good source as well for good deals on green powders and such. The important thing to remember is that fresh is best and these products are supportive and should not be your mainstay. Enjoy!

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Continuously Updated Web Pages:

There are a number of new testimonies at the website which I hope you will read and pass on to others when you feel they would benefit. And please feel free to leave your own story if you feel moved to do so.

You need not be 100% raw to share a testimony; the fact is most people on the raw diet are not 100% anyway. Your story may inspire someone else, perhaps from the other side of the globe, to give the raw food diet a try.

Success stories.


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Please send me your health questions, they can be submitted anonymously if you prefer, and you may help someone else improve their health and quality life. Your questions.


Please contact me with other questions, feedback and comments here.

Be Well and Wonderful, Hugh

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https://www.raw-foods-diet-center.com

hugh@raw-foods-diet-center.com

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

The contents of my website and my newsletter are gleaned from my experiences and observations, meant only for educational purposes and not intended to replace medical advice, consultations, or treatment of any kind. I recommend you see your professional health care provider if you suspect you have an illness or disease of any kind. I'm not medically trained, and I would never suggest or imply that I know what is best for someone else's body or overall health, ultimately each of us is the only one who knows what's best for us.