More Info on Raw Foods

"Did you know that over 77,000 chemicals are produced in North America? There are over 3,000 chemicals added to our food supplies, over 10,000 chemical solvents, emulsifiers and preservatives used for food processing, and over 1,000 new chemicals introduced each year. I don’t know about you, but to me these numbers are pretty overwhelming."  Raw Food Cleanse (Kindle Locations 229-231).

I don't like being a Henny Penny, but we know the government doesn't disclose everything to us and the above is just scary. 

"In the documentary film Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days, six people with diabetes went on a 100 percent raw diet, and within two weeks each one was able to drastically reduce or eliminate his or her insulin needs. It’s a very powerful example of the restorative, healing power of a good diet.

Besides significant weight loss, people have reported arthritis elimination, lifting of depression, removal of arterial plaque, and reduction of the need for insulin. All of these conditions, which are caused by a poor diet, can be helped and possibly reversed by following a healthy diet of fresh, raw foods."  Going Raw (Kindle Locations 325-330).

"A UCSF researcher has determined that a key reason for the epidemic of pediatric obesity, now the most commonly diagnosed childhood ailment, is that high-calorie, low-fiber Western diets promote hormonal imbalances that encourage children to overeat.

In a comprehensive review of obesity research published in the August edition of the journal Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology & Metabolism, Robert Lustig, MD, professor of clinical pediatrics at UCSF Children’s Hospital, says that food manufacturing practices have created a “toxic environment” that dooms children to being overweight." taken from here.


According to Penni Shelton approximately 90% of the SAD (standard American diet) is processed in some form!!!  Wow!  She goes on to say that 85% of degenerative diseases are to our lifestyle, our diets in particular.  I cannot remember the source (I wasn't thinking I would repeat it) said that some such goverment agency admitted that the majority of our current toxicity is linked to our environment and our diet especially. 


"The air inside your home can be more toxic than the outside air because of furniture treated with formaldehyde and fire-retardant interior house paint; hairspray; and fried-food vapors. Keep your windows open when the weather is warm and get an air filter—or even better, learn how to grow your own fresh air." Going Raw (Kindle Locations 3037-3039).


So what can we do?  Make our own cleaning products, educate yourself on products that you put on and in your body (deodarant with aluminum is a no no!), indoor plants can help filter the air.  Magical Housekeeping has recipes for homemade cleaners and you can find a ton online as well.  Be aware that not all products from health food stores are safe. 


Remember how I said to save your money for the organics that are important?  Judita Wignall agrees: "You should always buy organic strawberries, apples, celery, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, blueberries, nectarines, kale, peaches, cantaloupe, apricots, green beans, grapes, and cucumbers." 
Going Raw (Kindle Locations 359-360).


I may be going 100% raw faster than what I had said.  I was thinking I should transition (recommended, especially for taxed systems such as mine) slowly.  Spend one week with no meat and one week with no animal products.  Some systems I have read over are very complex in the transition process BUT I have been barely able to tolerate meat since Christmas and eat very little at the moment AND I don't believe humans should drink milk (I'm not a cow, I just play one time to time to nursing infants) so I might consume a serving of Greek yogurt with my granola for breakfast AND I am very sensitive to eggs so the days I don't have granola I might have fried potatoes with one egg.  Which leads to a mainly vegetarian/vegan diet.  And the more I think of raw foods, the more I crave them, lol!


Did you know that more and more goal and habit changing authors are saying that you shouldn't dive into a new project?  They claim that you have a higher success rate if you set a date and allow enthusiasm to build.  Very interesting?!?


I really liked the truth of this raw foods plan:
"Keep it simple by following this plan:
For breakfast have a smoothie, chia pudding, scone, or granola cereal.
For lunch have one of the many different salads offered in this book or create your own. You can make the dressing a couple of days in advance, and the salad can be prepared the night before. Just don’t add the dressing or cut the avocados and tomatoes (if you’re using them) until you’re ready to eat.
For dinner have an entrée or another salad or soup that you’ve planned ahead for.
For dessert have something sweet on hand such as ice cream or brownies. I make only one or two desserts a week, and it usually feeds my husband and me the entire week."  Going Raw (Kindle Locations 2943-2949). 


I find the following very encouraging as I said yesterday that I have troubles getting enough fat.


"What I Eat
On most days I eat a very simple diet. So simple that if I made a recipe book of what I normally eat on a daily basis, you probably would not have purchased this book or even wanted to try following a raw food diet. My typical day is:
Green juice a couple of hours after I get up
Small serving of seasonal fruit for breakfast
Green smoothie with superfoods for lunch
Hummus and flax crackers for snack
Mixed green salad for dinner with sprouts, herbs, dulse strips, avocado, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, or just soup if I’m not that hungry.
Mind you, I’ve been raw for four years. My appetite and diet naturally evolved into eating this style of menu. When I first went raw I needed familiar foods that reminded me of the cooked foods I used to eat. I also wanted that feeling of fullness that cooked food gave me, but surprisingly, within a few weeks of being 100 percent raw, I started to lose those cravings and wanted to eat simpler. It wasn’t something I even thought about. My body was craving less fat, less salt, less concentrated sugar. My taste buds changed. I didn’t need a ton of seasoning, and I started to appreciate the natural flavor of naked food. Almost every raw foodist experiences this phenomenon, and it’s actually really liberating."  Going Raw (Kindle Locations 2880-2891).


I am still studying sleep and will keep reporting on my trials with that.  The house continues.  It is so much fun.  So far we have put more things in the garage sale and donation piles than we have kept.  Glee <claps hands wildly>. 


And obviously I would recomment Going Raw, lol!