Redefining the ‘Raw Food’ Diet

“What side of the raw fence are you on?”

Glamorized as the popular ‘all-you-can-eat’ plant based diet that helps you lose weight, feel great, and reverse sickness or aging, the ‘raw food diet movement’ is one that has gained interest by a mass of people whom are sick, sick of being fat and tired, and all around want change.

 Being a raw vegan chef and a detoxification specialist, however, I see both sides of the ‘raw food diet’ and because of my work in both parts of this split lifestyle (which many do not know about) I have found it difficult to coach people and trying to merge the two. What are the two types of the ‘raw food diet’?

One is the typical, gourmet ‘raw food diet’ which you can read about online, visit a raw vegan restaurant to experience, or buy a multitude of raw vegan books with thousands of recipes to indulge your taste buds and inspire a new perception of ‘more than greens and nuts’. This version includes a bounty of nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit, but usually in a very difficult, hard-to-digest form that might taste great, but can cause gas and indigestion problems.

The wonderful thing about this version is that yes, people do experience many health benefits from removing the main culprits (meat, dairy, refined foods)…. But eventually they come to a time (around 4-6 months) that they hit a plateau of either weight gain or not losing the weight, not feeling as great as they felt initially, and/or still have sickness that hasn’t healed. There’s reason for this – and it’s because:

 

1) The average raw ‘gourmet’ eater eats more fat than the Standard American on a very high-fat, high-animal protein junk food diet. Most raw food recipes ]are fat and sugar bombs that are very dense calorically. They may still include a bunch of nutrients and mineral you may have never consumed on the standard American diet, but most raw food recipes are composed of 60-70% fat compared to the 40-50% high fat American diet. Neither of these is acceptable.

As carbon-based individuals, we are meant to run on carbohydrates and like our cultural ancestors, a high-carbohydrate low protein, low fat diet is optimal – raw or cooked. Raw always wins because of the live-enzyme, high-vibrational, detoxifying properties.

But regarding high-fat this also causes another problem:

2) Hyperglycemia /Hypoglycemia on a raw vegan diet.

When you eat fruit and fat together (as Dr. Doug Graham talks about in his book “80 10 10”) the fat blocks the absorption of glucose into the cells, thus causing a spike in insulin in the bloodstream and high blood sugar! You will suffer consequences from blood sugar problems:

          – fatigue

          – weight gain

          – irritability

          – acne, skin problems

I’m not saying all fat is bad – but optimal levels are 10-15% which daily can range from ½ cup almonds to ½ an avocado, etc… You get PLENTY of essential fatty acids from these healthy plant sources (much better than animal saturated fat which causes atherosclerosis & cholesterol problems) but over consuming them will not do you good either.

Because of this overconsumption of fat, it’s not unusual for one to be lacking on the fresh fruit and vegetable intake (even though this is a raw vegan diet, go figure) and consuming too many nuts, seeds, oils, and refined additives instead. You don’t need me to say this isn’t optimal…

Which brings me to the other side of raw veganism. Although this lifestyle isn’t as ‘glamorous’ because of its simplicity – I personal noticed abounding health benefits when switching from a ‘standard raw vegan diet’ to a simple “80 10 10” style. In this context, this means 80% carbohydrates from fruits & vegetables, 10% protein, and 10% fat. –If you need validation on why this is scientifically acceptable and fits human needs read “80 10 10” by Dr. Douglas Graham.

In this type of the lifestyle – you feel CLEAN. Inside, outside, mentally, spiritually, it’s inevitable you will feel your vibration raise with an abundance of fruits, leafy greens, some vegetables, and minimal nuts and seeds.

 

A typical day might look like this:

Mono breakfast of bananas & Dates – 1200 calories

Snack of 6 oranges – 300 Calories

Lunch (Mono meal of your favorite fruit or two fruit meals) + green juice 600-800 calories

Dinner – BIG salad full of leafy greens and vegetables following a fruit meal or simple low-fat raw vegan meal like zucchini pasta with mango/tomato/and dill dressing. Yum. (Optional add a little bit of avocado and you’ve gotten your fat – which fruits & veggies all already average 5% fat)

 

It may seem SUPER boring and bland – but that’s another thing with going raw, ALL senses increase immensely! You can TASTE the flavors so boldly, you can feel the vibration of a light fruit meal compared to a heavy, dense, pate with dehydrated crackers, and the physical health benefits that accompany it are astounding. (Plus you get to eat as MUCH as you like – there are NO long-term fat fruit eaters or pure low-fat high carbohydrate eaters in the world… it doesn’t work with our chemistry that way.)

Expect to experience crazy gains in your physical fitness, stay lean and trim while eating as MUCH high-water content food as you want, and experience complete peace mentally and spiritually from such a high-vibrational diet.

Now do you see there are two different types of a raw vegan diet? This does not discount that the first version is very fun to partake on when you come from a Standard American diet, but it is very difficult to maintain glowing health or achieve it all the way until you switch to a simpler version.

EVERY single individual I’ve talked to has always achieved some level of better health by eating this way. If you’re having problems with a certain sickness – sometimes it’s important to look to certain organs and glands from the state our genetic weakness has gotten to and use herbs, but that’s different than detoxifying and healing on a raw diet.

All in all – I’m sharing this with you to help you find the BEST way to eat raw (although your personal preferences on certain foods, amounts, and more may vary) so you can stick with a high-vibration lifestyle for LIFE! I realize that I share a lot of high-fat gourmet raw food recipes, but for anybody who is looking for the healthier alternative – I still say go ahead and eat away. It’s like saying Doritos vs “Better than Cheez-its” crackers (that are raw, full of veggies, harm no animals, and are way better for the body).

When you eat live, plant foods that dominate the diet it’s inevitable you will feel great. Maybe now is a good time to re-assess how much fat consumes your raw diet and think about how you, too, can simplify your palate and life with easier to make, naturally delicious, and high-vibrational foods.

What side of the raw fence are you on?