LIVING A RAW LIFESTYLE

There are many benefits to the raw lifestyle, but you will come to find that we each have our own personal reasons for making the switch. When I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in New York, New York several years ago to become certified as a Holistic Healthcare Practitioner, my diet was already predominantly raw. During my studies at IIN we were introduced to many different eating styles including South Beach, Ayurvedic, Atkins, and, of course, raw. Although my diet was predominantly raw, I chose to eat the way we were being taught at the time. So if we were being taught Atkins, I would eat an Atkins diet. If we were being taught microbiotic, I would eat a microbiotic diet. However, I soon came to realize that these eating styles were diets, not lifestyles. The raw diet is a raw lifestyle. When I tried the other diets they made me physically sick. On the other hand, the raw lifestyle resonates down to my soul. When I eat this way I feel at peace, which is a gift that no money can buy. Once you begin to feel that peace in your heart and notice how your body works for you on a daily basis, you will come to understand the answer to the question, “why raw foods?”

Raw foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and seeds that are uncooked. Because raw foods are never heated above 118°F, they retain all of their nutrients, allowing your body to get the most out of your food.

While a raw diet is a lifestyle change, it’s much easier to follow than you may think. For me, a typical day starts with juicing wheatgrass in my Tribest® Green Star juicer. Sometimes I also make a vegetable juice in my juicer and store it in a glass jar to drink throughout the day. For breakfast I also have a smoothie which I make in my Vitamix® high-speed blender. Lunch usually consists of a salad of greens, sprouts, fermented sauerkraut, chopped vegetables, and a pâté. Many times, I don’t even eat dinner as I find that I’m not hungry. Instead, I usually have a vegetable juice or watermelon juice in place of dinner. If I do feel like I need more than just a drink, I will have a handful of almonds or a few raw crackers. As you can see, my raw diet is really very simple—and yours can be, too!

THE RAW LIFESTYLE: NOT JUST A DIET

For some, “raw” means more than just changing your diet—it can also be a powerful lifestyle transformation. The quest to grow emotionally, spiritually, and physically is a lifelong endeavor. I am always striving to expand and grow beyond my current limitations; in my mind, there is no ceiling on what you can accomplish. Once I started to live a healthier lifestyle with raw foods, I grew so much emotionally and spiritually. You would not believe how much bad food choices and an unhealthy lifestyle can hold you back from reaching your true potential.

TRANSITIONING TO A HEALTHY WAY OF EATING

Many who have heard me speak have heard me say, “Set yourself up for success, and take it one step at a time.” Start by making smoothies for breakfast. If you do nothing more than make smoothies for one month, then so be it. For people without allergies or dietary restrictions, it may be easier on your head, your body, and your family if you take it one step at a time.

Another great way to incorporate healthy foods into your diet is, contrary to what your mother always said, by starting with dessert. I have made raw chocolate mousse pie at many events, and no matter what the guests’ eating preference was, the dish was always a hit. Try to add a new dish each week, or even just each month. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Look at it as an exciting adventure; a chance to try something new. In a perfect world, try to get the entire family involved. If not, start by just bringing in one dish at a time. If your kids like to help you prepare meals, then get them on board. Let them change their diet and watch them have their own awakening. It will happen, and when it does, everyone benefits.

But in order to reach that potential, you must learn to be selective of what you put into your body and into your life. Discernment is important in all aspects of your life. You must be discerning when you choose what foods you put in your mouth. Ask yourself, “Will this food support my body? Will it give me more energy? Will it build me up or tear me down?” My oldest sister passed away from cirrhosis of the liver. Some folks say wine is good for you. What are my thoughts? After watching a loved one die from excess alcohol, you can’t ever convince me that it’s good for you—excess of anything can be harmful to the body and to the mind.

Beyond switching to a raw diet, part of the raw lifestyle is to take a look at your life to see where you can make positive changes. Perhaps you can benefit from reassessing who you associate with, breaking some bad habits, or creating better boundaries for yourself. If I had not changed my diet and got my body healthy, I would not have been able to make better emotional and spiritual choices.

Start your journey today by taking baby steps to transform your life. Below are five simple steps that every person can take to improve mental and physical health and prevent disease. I’m happy to say I follow each one in my day to day life, with wonderful results:

1. Don’t smoke or drink.
2. Exercise daily.
3. Promote a healthy diet.
4. Manage your stress and mental health with release activities.
5. Sleep eight hours a day, in a regular sleep pattern.

If it works for you, also try keeping a food diary to write down everything you eat over a two-week span. Then, try and revise your diet so that you can eat better and live better. Once you clean out the unhealthy food in your life, it is amazing how easy it becomes to clean out the other unhealthy parts of your life.

Study these five steps and determine whether you’re on target, or whether you need to make some changes in your lifestyle. Remember: change isn’t bad—it’s good. We are always growing and changing. Don’t stay stuck.

In "The Complete Book of Raw Foos, volume 2", Lisa Montgomery, editor, Hatherleigh Press, 2014, excerpts chapter 1. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.