Happiness is following the Raw Food Diet!
By Brie Hoffman
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Ok, I was trying to hold off and wait just a little longer before writing this article but I just can't contain myself any longer. I have been on the Raw Food Diet for the past 4 days and I have to tell you this diet is REVOLUTIONARY. I am not exaggerating! I never thought I could last more than a day on such a restrictive regime but it's been 4 days and I feel GREAT! For those of you who don't know what this diet consists of I'll list it here (It's that short).
You only eat RAW food.
Pretty much that is it!
Now if you just let this sink in a bit I'm quite sure you will think I'm totally insane because hey I would have thought that too. So this diet pretty much consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil and if you can get it (which I can't so I don't eat it) raw milk products. Yup, that's it, as porky pigs says THAT'S ALL FOLKS! And if someone would have told me that I would even try a diet like this I would have laughed in their face.
So, what brought me to such deprivation? Well, I started doing these juice fasts (see my other article about Fasting and Prayer) and when I did these juice fasts I started noticing that I felt wonderful, happy and calm. I had more energy, I looked better, I slept better, I was even happier. I started to think if eating crap makes me feel awful then maybe eating really healthy food makes you feel great. So doing these fasts made me start to research other diets and I just stumbled upon the Raw Food Diet. I started the first day drinking a fruit smoothie, then for dinner I had a salad that consisted of lettuce, tomato, onion, kalamata olives, avocado, cashews, carrots and cucumber. I used a salad dressing of cold pressed virgin olive oil with lemon juice and herbs (like parsley, oregano ..whatever I had). The salad was delicious and huge and I hate it all and was totally full. So the second day I also had another smoothie for lunch but went out for dinner to a vegetarian restaurant that had two items that were raw on the menu. I had Autumn Sweet Potato Rolls that consisted of coconut noodles, jicama, carrot, red and yellow pepper, scallion, avocado, and almond ginger dipping sauce for an appetizer (it was fabulous) and Zucchini Linguini which consisted of spinach-walnut pesto, cherry and roma tomatoes, kalamata olives and pine nut cheese. Of course a glass of Sauvignon Blanc added to the meal (wine is raw baby! :) Yesterday I had the same thing I had on the first day but instead of a fruit smoothie I had a carrot smoothie with pineapple, celery, coconut water and orange juice ...again delicious. I had a salad for dinner and some macadamia nuts for desert. Today I had a fruit smoothie for lunch and a delicious spinach salad for dinner. The spinach salad had ½ box of fresh spinach, pine nuts, raisins, red onion, grape tomato and carrots and the dressing was wonderful too, it consisted of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and honey. It was huge, delicious and I ate the whole thing. Then I had 2 organic, raw macaroons that were out of this world (I got these from the health food store around the corner).
Now as far as weight goes I don't know if I've lost weight. I think I have because my clothes are looser. But as far as my energy level goes it has shot through the roof. Today I got up 3 hours earlier than normal without feeling tired and my mood ...well it's like someone has given me a happy pill. Can you hear it in my words?
So, the long and the short of it is, this diet sure seems like the real deal. Sure it's restrictive but once you are on it all your cravings disappear. I can smell a pizza cooking and enjoy the smell (oh I forgot to tell you that your senses are heightened too) and not want to eat it....DO YOU KNOW HOW AMAZING THAT IS? DO YOU? I DON'T THINK YOU DO!
So, for what it's worth this diet has my full attention and enthusiasm but because it's so restrictive I will never say that I will never eat cooked food again (who can say that?) and I am even reticent to call myself a “rawist” instead I just take it one day at a time. However, if I keep feeling as good as I feel today it wont be hard to take the raw food road and never look back.
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Would you ever consider eating a raw food diet?
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Comments
Great, give it a try and you'll see. Let me know how it goes for you. Thanks for writing. Also there are a lot of videos on You Tube that will help.
Hi Brie... I know several people who basically live on what they call live food, all raw and they are doing great. Afraid I still like my Alberta Grade A beef though but often in the summer months a well balance salad is all we eat.
Blessings and Hugs
Well, I'm the last person in this world who ever thought I would even try this diet but it makes me feel so good and as long as it does that I'll keep on keeping on. It also has this weird magical thing of taking away all cravings. I wish I had known about this years ago.
Thanks for writing.
I do so admire people with will powers such as yourself.
I can see how this diet would work, as putting aside the weight loss, it's got to be the healthiest eating plan I've ever seen.
So that can't be bad can it?
However as I said no will power. But good luck , and a very interesting Hub : }
Well Debbie, I got sick and stopped the diet 100%, so now I'm incorporating 2/3rd vegetarian/raw and 1/3 cooked. I don't think I was getting enough protein. It's a work in progress.
Wel, I admire you even more.
You fell of the horse and got back on, albeit a different breed.
Hope this one works for you.
Me too, it's Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book/diet, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Brie,
How is the reasonably raw diet going -- still 2/3 raw?
Have you been to any of the raw restaurants in Manhattan? Quintessence? Pure Food and Wine?
(I co-wrote the two Carol Alt raw books.)
best,
David
Wow, I'm impressed. I've been to Pure Food and Wine but only to the annex for lunch. To tell you the truth I go on and off. If I could afford to go to Pure all the time I'm sure I'd be 100%!
Isn't that the truth?! Sarma does an amazing job at PF&W. So you've been to the around-the-corner take-out One Lucky Duck?
If you want something more affordable, sit-down and lunchable head to Quintessence in Alphabet City.
I'll give it a try, thanks.
Hi Brie.
Presuming you are still on the raw diet... :-)
and if you are not,Victoria Boutenko and her green smoothie revolution is well worth checking out.
And then there is a book by my teacher called Raw Gorilla that is a good read.
Be happy,what-ever you eat.
I think that is the secret to diet, the happiness part first.Getting the diet right is certainly an important and hopefully fun thing to do,of course.
Gavin
Hi Greenheart:
I go on and off but I just did a fast the other day and boy does it make you feel good.
Great post,Brie. I've been 80% RAW for about a year now and I loving the variety of foods I can choose from and how good they make me feel. Have you had any detox effects? I still can taste stuff coming out of my system that I eat years ago;it seems to be an ongoing process.
You are doing better than I am. In fact, I just started back on today! I initially tried to go 100% right of the bat but I think I will try 50%, then 60 and so forth.
I follow a vegan diet, and it is already difficult from the social point of view. I had heard many time of this kind of diet and its benefits, but i never thinked it is adaptable to a normal life.... But you.... you now.... your words are exciting! And, why not? I can try it for few days.... I have only one perplexity: I have a physically demanding work and furthermore I run about three times per week for one hour. This diet is maybe too low in calories to me..
Just eat more nuts and you should be fine. It is difficult but it does make you feel good. I'm giving it another go.
Great Hub! I discovered Raw 2 1/2 years ago and eat mostly raw now. I wrote a hub about it too! I transitioned and I started by having just green smoothies for breakfast. Now, I can't imagine having anything else for breakfast. It gives me the most energy. Anything else makes me feel sluggish. Thanks for writing! Nice to know there are others discovering life energy too! Cheers!
Yes, we have to stick together!
This sounds really intriguing. I may try it 2 -3 days a week and see how it works. Thanks
Sad to say I haven't stuck with it, but that is partly because I cook for a living so it's difficult when you are constantly around non-raw food. But, I want to go back to it as soon as I can because it makes you feel so good.
Love your enthusiasm. I try to stay 70 percent raw or higher. Someday's it works and others not so much. I do have quite a little collection of raw food books. Especially Sarma's. Thanks for the hub.
Well, if it's any consolation I go on and off all the time. Thanks for writing.
Hi Brie, thank you for this hub. I'd like to try this diet. I dance and I should lose weight, but it's not easy. I don't want to eat only raw food, but most of my diet should be raw.
Plinka: It's a great diet if you can stay on it, I could not. But there are a lot of people who can and do, so good luck to you.
Brie the difficult part of a raw food diet is the variety of foods you have to eat during the day to make a complete protein, We all know animal flesh is a complete protein but if you want to avoid meat but need the protein you can combine rice and kidney beans in the same meal to gain a complete protein.
True..I also eat a bread that has 5g of protein per slice.
SteveoMc 19 months ago
I loved this. Thanks for sharing this discovery. I am thinking that I could do it a couple days a week. I will have to get a little more prepared, but I am gonna give it a try.