Subscribe To This Site
A Raw Diet is Simple and DeliciousI think a raw diet is the best possible way to feed our bodies. This page shows how easy and important it is for stress management to add fresh, raw veggies and fruit to every meal you eat. In our Products area, you can order a set of 5 raw foods posters (for less than $6) that showcase the top ten most important raw foods in each of the following categories:
Included with this set of full-color posters is a FREE ready-to-print Best Raw Foods shopping list to take with you whenever you go food shopping. You can download them all right now from our Products area. Even if you don't plan to eat more than a couple carrot sticks with dip from the next party plate you see, everyone can start eating better by adjusting the food they choose at the Supermarket. A really cool book, Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution My favorite reason for eating raw is... no cooking! I am not a great chef, because it's not fun for me. I don't like how the time involved in cooking and cleaning does not equal the time involved in eating. I can spend two hours cooking something delicious, and my kids might spend 15 minutes eating it (and sometimes the youngest refuses all or part of it) after which I can spend an hour cleaning the kitchen. This does not make sense to me. So, when I figured out that not cooking was one of the best ways to get healthy (and
cure acne
), I knew I wanted to learn everything I could about eating a raw diet. The most awesome discovery I have made is Green for Life I still make it my mission to incorporate more and more raw foods into my every day life. It is also a fun learning adventure. I have always enjoyed reading nutritional books, and the first book I recommend to friends wanting to learn about nutrition is Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss I love The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook: Whole Foods Recipes for Personal and Planetary Health, Second Edition The most detailed nutritional research study ever done, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health I started my raw diet journey (and I'm still just learning how to make eating raw foods the majority of my diet) when I learned about a Christian diet plan, called the Hallelujah Diet. This is why I bought an expensive juicer (the Champion juicer) and continue to drink fresh pressed carrot juice every week. I also acquired a taste for drinking green dehydrated barley and alfalfa juice. Although I credit this organization for teaching me many benefits of eating a raw diet, it is too strict for me to stick to.
A better reference source of nutrition from a Christian perspective is What the Bible Says About Healthy Living Every journey begins by taking one step. It's probably not a good idea to turn a diet upside down from one day to the next. The easiest way to begin a raw diet lifestyle is to add one good thing to the eating day and take away one bad thing. For example, instead of buying a bag of chips, buying a bag of fruit would stop one bad eating habit and add a good one. Beginning with a goal of eating three pieces of fruit during the day is a wonderful start. One could either spread out the servings during the day: adding one piece to breakfast, one piece to lunch and one to dinner; or eat three fruits at one time for a power snack when hunger strikes. Most everyone can find at least one raw vegetable that tastes good when it's cold, washed, crisp and cut for eating. Some "light" ranch dressing or any other favorite "light" dressing or hummus to use for dipping could help some people make an easier transition. HERE'S A FREE STRESS TIP I used to get stressed out when I worried about the nutritional value of the meals I was preparing for my children. The easiest way I know to help my family get veggies into their tummies, is to place baby carrots and any cut veggies on a big plate in the center of the dining room table at dinner time. I wash and cut cucumbers, take out some broccoli florets (although the stems are the healthiest part) and cauliflower florets from a bag I buy at the grocery store, add raw snow peas (the same flat ones in Chinese cooking), some slices of red and yellow peppers and a few tomato slices. I don't just throw the vegetables on a plate in a big jumbled mess, but make a neat presentation that looks fresh and colorful. When this was a new occurrence at my home, I also placed a side of Ranch dressing for dipping at each each child's place. A year later, no one ever even asks for it (yippy!).
My family will take a trip to an organic or hydroponic farmer once a week to get fresh veggies and four different types of fruit. We can also choose to shop at the expensive, specialty grocery stores that have a great choice of fresh and organic produce. However, in between trips to visit Chester- our hydroponic farmer- the local grocery is where we shop. A word about choosing organic: In my opinion, I think organic is worth the price when I will be eating the skin of the fruit or vegetable. No great need to buy organic bananas or oranges, because the sprayed peels are not eaten (however, the chemically treated water that the food used to grow, is another story). The only thing I still see as a hassle with eating a raw diet, is that the veggies must be washed and cut before eating, and that means time spent in the kitchen with a cutting board (I know this is probably not a big deal for many people). At least there are no pots to scrub or a dirty oven to clean afterwards!
Recipe Books
Of course, there are raw diet cook books that can make your meals more interesting. Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People A better choice might be Raw Foods for Busy People: Simple and Machine Free Recipes for Every Day
Probably the best raw diet book is Eydie Mae's Natural Recipes ~For the Live Foods Gourmet ~ If I loved cooking and wanted to use lots of appliances (like a dehydrator) and fancy ingredients, Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow Last Thoughts
Please don't confuse a raw diet with a vegan or vegetarian diet. Vegetarians and vegans can still eat cooked food, fried food, fatty food, etc. They just don't eat food that comes from an animal. Raw diet people like foods that have not been cooked, and have certainly not been fried. Keep in mind, this is not an all or nothing situation. Having the intention to treat our bodies to healthy foods and protect them from "bad" foods; and then doing something that represents this intention, is what it's all about. Just start by doing something, and the entire transition will evolve and get easier.
Do you think you are too stuck in your ways to try eating a raw diet? Let me help you with a movie recommendation. If you have not yet seen the movie Super Size Me RETURN From Raw Diet TO STRESS RELIEF TEACHER HOME PAGE
|
, has full color pages and is so easy to use. It's a wonderful first step in making better food choices.
, because all I have to do to eat raw and get super nutrition and lose weight is throw a bunch of fruit and some greens leaves into a blender, and voila...a green smoothie (
. This is a short, inexpensive and practical book with the best basic wisdom of how food affects the body and what we can do to feed it correctly. It is not a raw diet only book. It is more like an owner's manual for feeding a human being.
because the recipes are gluten-free (that's important), egg-free (good for vegans) and lactose-free. I'm lactose intolerant and believe that milk is NOT good for any body; so although this cookbook is not a raw diet book, it has over 200 attractive recipes, including nutritional information and guides. Be warned: no photos and some unusual ingredients, and the recipes include several preparation steps.
is a classic must read for hard-core nutrition enthusiasts.
. This book provides sound nutritional advice supported with biblical references; interesting for those who can appreciate the approach.
is a popular raw food recipe book for people who are brand new to the raw diet. It has very simple ways to include raw foods in your day with photographs and does not require any unusual appliances or hard to find ingredients. If you have a nut allergy, this book is probably not for you, since many recipes call for some type of nut.
, because, as one guy said: "This is the ONLY book that has things I'd eat, enjoy and are easy to make without exorbitant costs or prep times or weird ingredients."
, a classic book that has some delicious recipes.
would be my choice of a glossy, photo-rich raw diet cookbook with recipes that call for lots of preparation, and many steps.
it can watched for about $3 on your computer right now and it may really shock you. 
