Welcome to the VIBRANT LIVING NEWSLETTER

Here in the northern hemisphere Autumn is here and we'll be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday in a few short weeks. Of course gratitude for life and all it has to offer can be given at any time of day or year. I am grateful for you and hope your lives are blessed at this time and throughout the year.

This newsletter could be a game changer and perhaps even a life saver, for a large number of you particularly if you have serious health issues or have struggled with the raw diet. I would like to encourage you to read through the entire article and do some research on your own. This version of the raw vegan diet could be the very thing that brings your health into total alignment with your beliefs of where it should be.

Enjoy!

Raw Ketogenic Diet

Recently a close friend dealing with cancer shared information about a raw ketogenic diet she had discovered. At first the idea of eating this way seemed quite strange, but when I thought about it I realized it’s not that far off from the Hippocrates diet.

What is the Ketogenic Diet?

A ketogenic diet is somewhat like fasting. After the first few days of a water fast your body switches from burning glucose to burning ketones derived from your body fat. On a ketogenic diet your body burns primarily ketones derived from dietary fat and body fat. The ketogenic diet is often referred to as simply the keto diet.

Basically when following a ketogenic diet the bulk of your calories will come from healthy fats like avocado, coconut, olives, and other nuts and seeds. This along with moderate to low levels of protein and carbohydrates constitute the raw keto diet. Depending on the way you shape your particular keto diet a certain percentage of the fat burned for fuel will be dietary and some will be body fat.

I was first open to the idea of trying a keto diet because it is such a cleansing diet, particularly when combined with many fasting hours between meals. I have wanted to do another long water fast for some time but am unable to take 5 to 6 weeks off work to fast and recover so this seems like an ideal solution for me. I have been following a raw ketogenic diet for over 3 months now and have experienced some great cleansing.

I wanted to have at least several months on this diet so I would have first-hand experience before I shared any information with you. I have been reading books and done much research via the internet on the keto diet and now feel like I have a good baseline. There are many people who incorporate animal products into this diet, but there are also many that are quite successfully following a vegan raw ketogenic diet. As you do your research don’t be dissuaded by those that tout the meat only path.

What about fasting Symptoms

During the first 2 months of the diet my experience was a lot like fasting in that some days I felt great, and others, not so much, but was still able to function at work. My personal diet has a slight twist, which actually lends it to be more cleansing.

I am in the process of having my overbite corrected with Invisialign braces. Because of the movement of teeth and the process I am unable to chew some whole foods like lettuce and other greens so I am mainly on a smoothie regime. Thus I am having two smoothies a day, one for breakfast and the other for lunch about 6 to 7 hours apart. With each meal I also have a stalk of celery, an avocado and or some nuts and coconut butter, or a similar food that I am able to chew carefully. As you can see this meal structure gives me a long fasting window each day.

About eight years ago I was following a two meal a day regimen and loved it except at that time after about 2 years I found that I was often a little hungry in the evening and was losing some weight because of that. I didn’t want to add any more fruit or fat, because together that’s not a good combination. I finally went back to three meals per day. The thing I loved about that protocol and the one I’m following now is that I have so much more time and can get so much more done in the evenings.

Eating more Fat to lose Weight

An interesting thing about this diet, at least for me so far, is that I am never hungry, not for breakfast and certainly not for lunch. I just eat because I know it’s time to ingest calories and high quality nutrition. For those looking to lose weight the research shows that this can be an excellent vehicle for you.

With the raw ketogenic diet, as I did before, I incorporate fresh sprouts and herbs, and some therapeutic spices into my diet. I try to make everything that goes into my body high quality. High quality in…high quality health, high performance, and longevity in return.

At present I feel quite well on the diet and seem to have adapted to burning ketones very well. I’m sleeping better, my energy is good throughout the day and I don’t have any detox symptoms, at least I haven’t for about the past 30 days or so. My flexibility has improved and a few minor joint aches I had have disappeared. I have lost a little fat, however it has been replaced by muscle so although I may look slightly leaner and more cut, I weigh the same.

The more I read and research the ketogenic diet the more I believe in its viability as not only a healing diet, but a diet for long term health and longevity. Shortly I’ll have a comprehensive blood test done as I do routinely to see how all my numbers pan out. I plan on continuing the diet for now with no set time schedule and will continue to update you with my experience.

There are several keto recipes listed below to give you an idea of how easy this can be. For some of you this may be a radical change and for others, who like myself have been reducing fruit intake over the years it will be much easier. At any rate there are so many solid studies and peer reviewed research today that point to the harmful effects of glucose and fructose (and other sugars) on every aspect of our health. The research also shows the many benefits from burning ketones as fuel. I think the forward thinker is at least looking to lower their intake of fruit and perhaps even moving on to burning fat for fuel.

If you’d like to learn more about the raw ketogenic diet then Fat for Fuel: A Revolutionary Diet to Combat Cancer, Boost Brain Power, and Increase Your Energy, by Dr Mercola is an excellent book to start with. Just an aside, I used to think Dr Mercola didn’t have a clue about diet and nutrition; although I still don’t agree with everything he says I do find him to be a very useful resource for information these days.

Even after 17 years on a raw or high raw vegan diet, I am learning and trying new things, and my health is benefitting from my flexibility and willingness to open my mind and question many long-standing beliefs. It is my hope that you too are open to new information and ideas that may come your way.

All the best to you and yours.

Raw Ketogenic Recipes

Keto Smoothie

Raw Keto Pate

I'm always happy to receive new recipes at the site, but please send along a photo of the recipe and a paragraph or so telling about the recipe, i.e. nutritional value, why you like it, the story behind it, etc. Just do your best and I'll do the rest. Having a photo is really important so please make that happen. If for some reason it won't load send it by email and I'll add it on this end.

Cheers!

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.