At the end of my post, “Update on the Raw Food 30-Day Experiment” last week, I put it out there to the community and asked if this experience was something you wanted me to continue sharing.  (Photo:  Veri Kleiner Winkel)

Everyone I heard back from was in favor of it.   Some people said if I were to start a new blog specifically devoted to the raw food lifestyle, they’d become active subscribers.

Other people like Rhonda James said, “I think whether people want to admit it or not, they are constantly thinking about weight and health.  Slowly but surely everything you report about will start to “sink in” and you will be helping to change a lot of lives.”

Even though this blog appears to be about overcoming adversity because of the title, it is a personal development site covering a wide range of topics including health-related issues.

Think about it for a second - if we aren’t taking care of our bodies with the food we eat, what will happen?  We’ll get sick.  What happens when we get really sick (cancer, diabetics, etc.)?  We have to see the doctor or go to the hospital for treatment.  Think of my raw food journey as “preventive medicine.”

So while I am still thinking about creating a separate raw food blog, I am committed to sharing snippets of what I’ve learned right here at Adversity University for the time being.

You already know that 30 days after I started eating primarily fruits and vegetables, I lost an additional 10 lbs and trimmed another 2.5 inches off “belly to belly” measurements.

You also know from last week’s gratitude post that I’ve been feeling a sense of inner calm along with improved financial, emotional, physical and spiritual well being.

David Wolfe in his book “The Sunfood Diet Success System” was right when he said improvements in the way you eat tend to spread to other areas of your life because when you’re operating with higher energy, a sense of calm and a disciplined mind, you’re also developing better habits, making well informed decisions, improving interpersonal skills and aligning yourself with the Divine, among other things.

When I first started this journey in September 2008, I came in with virtually no knowledge other than what I heard in terms of extraordinary health benefits.   Most of my assumptions about the raw food lifestyle were, to my surprise, incorrect.

The first book I picked up (”The Raw Detox Diet” by Natalia Rose) cleared up many of the myths for me.   Even though it was specifically written for women, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy regardless of your gender.

Okay, let’s start by shattering commonly myths surrounding the raw food lifestyle:

Myth #1 - Raw Food is BORING!!!

The raw food eating lifestyle is boring because you’re constantly eating plain celery sticks, carrots or unappetizing green leafy vegetables like the way gorillas do.

NOT SO!

There is an incredible array of fruits and vegetables out there, many of which I’ve never heard of before.  The more I educate myself, the more I become aware of funny-sounding fruits and vegetables.  In fact, there are so many of them that it’d take several lifetimes to try every single one of them!

You can get creative and learn how to mix and match, create appetizing (and easy to create) dishes that will dazzle even the worst doubters.

While I’m certainly no raw food chef, I am making myself delicious, easy and appetizing meals like slathering raw almond butter on my celery sticks, making green smoothies for breakfast and creating an avocado/cherry tomato sandwich for lunch.    Nothing sophisticated but they’re all easy (and quick) to make!

As far as the green smoothie is concerned, it takes very little time to prepare.   All you need is a good blender, throw in spinach leafs, a peeled orange, 8 oz of water, a peeled mango, frozen strawberries and you’re in business!  You can try different ingredients in the blender.    The more variety, the more fun!

Myth #2 - I’ll always be HUNGRY

Not if you eat every three hours (which is what we’re supposed to be doing anyway).   This is not about denying yourself anything.  Note:  There is fasting but that’s another whole subject for another article.  (Photo:  JeffreyWiden)

Without getting too technical, eating every three hours not only prevents hanger pangs from attacking you, but you it also keeps your metabolism running around the clock.  Believe it or not, this can actually help you lose weight.

Eating as consistently as possible (every 3 or 4 hours) also keeps your blood sugar levels stable (instead of the energy spiking and crashing).

Myth # 3 - I’ll be severely lacking protein, calcium, etc.

When I make my morning smoothie, not only do I get my protein, calcium and vitamins but I am also getting countless minerals, many of which have properties scientists are still trying to identify!

The key is to arm yourself with knowledge and then go forth and conquer the supermarkets!

Myth # 3 - Going Raw Will Prevent Me From Interacting in the Social World

Unless you’re a hermit, it’s impossible to not to go out in the world.  As a professional speaker, I travel, which means I can’t always make my green smoothies in the mornings or prepare my favorite raw dish.

So what do I do?

I adapt.

When I go out with friends to a restaurant, instead of just ordering “any ole thing,” I now look for the “healthiest” items on the menu and order them even if they’re not 100 percent raw.

Let’s say everyone in your group wants to go to McDonald’s for lunch - not exactly the healthiest of places but you can still order one of their salads and bring your own dressing.    See what I mean?

It just takes a little planning, that’s all.    If you’re going to a dinner party, you could always prepare your favorite raw dish and bring that along.   I stay in hotels throughout the year.   Your server can be asked to bring you a plate of fresh fruit or a melon for breakfast, etc.

Myth # 4 - Buying Fruits and Vegetables is EXPENSIVE

Not to bury my head in the stand on this one but while the total grocery bill may, in fact, be higher than your normal grocery bill, think of the long term ramifications.  (Photo:  Lab2112)

Think of how much you could potentially save on medical expenses if you kept eating the way most Americans do (i.e. fast food, meat, pasteurized dairy products, etc).

Personal development is very much part of the raw food journey because not only are you enhancing your state of being and getting healthier but you’re also telling yourself that you are WORTH the extra expense.

For instance, buying organic bananas versus regular bananas will cost you more money but aren’t you worth eating something that hasn’t been treated with chemicals and pesticides?

Myth # 5 - If I go Raw, I must go 100 Percent Raw!

While there are many people who have committed themselves to eating 100% raw fruits and vegetables, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to as well.

Really, it’s totally up to you how you go about doing this.  If you love chicken or beef and you still want to eat them, by golly, who’s going to stop you?  In fact, Natalina Rose (”The Raw Detox Diet”) and even  former talk show host Montel Williams said in his book “Living Well, 21 Days to Transform Your Life, Supercharge Your Health and Feel Spectacular” that you do not and should not go 100 percent raw overnight.

Why are they saying this?

Because this journey is about YOU listening to YOUR body and making appropriate decisions at a pace you are comforable with.

I remember Montel telling his readers that every once in a while he’ll crave a hamburger from his favorite joint.  He goes for it and doesn’t feel guilty but he’s just careful not to make that a habit.

Natalina recommends that you ease yourself into the raw food routine and take your time with it.   The key is to go slow, give your body a chance to adjust (especially if you’ve led unhealthy eating habits throughout most of your life).   On the other hand, if you’ve maintained a relatively healthy diet over the years, you might be able to start with a higher portion of your diet in fruits and vegetables.

Natalia has a great chapter in her book to help you determine your personal “raw food transition number.”   In this chapter, she has 15 questions for you based on previous eating habits.  Then she gives hints on how to make the transition to raw food based on your score.  I found her little quiz very helpful and I think you will too.

As you gradually detoxify your body, you might end up wanting to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables to a higher percentage but that, of course, would be totally up to you.

Myth # 6 - I’ll Have to Count Calories, Carbs and Fat Grams, Which I HATE!

The beauty of this way of eating is that you NEVER have to worry about counting calories and other stuff again!  Instead of how many calories you are consuming, you’re now asking yourself a totally different question: Can my body break this down?

(Photo:  Charm and Poise)

If you had on one hand an avocado (which has 400 calories and 14 grams of fat) and a Power Bar on the other (which has 200 calories and 2 grams of fat), which one do you think most people would choose?

If you said the Power Bar, you were right.

According to Natalia, your body processes these two things very differently.  With the Power Bar, the body sees that and thinks, “that’s loaded with sugar and chemicals which I can’t break down.  This causes me to store fat and gain weight.”

On the other hand, your body sees the avocado and says, “I know exactly what to do with you.  I can break you down completely!”

Over a month ago, I would have chosen the Power Bar over the avocado because I would have erroneously made my decision on the wrong information.

Myth #7 - I’ll NEVER Have to Exercise AGAIN!

Not in my experience.  Certainly if you never exercised and ate nothing by raw fruit and vegetables, it’s plausible that you’d lose weight and/or improve your skin tone.  But I didn’t lose 4.5 inches around the waist over the summer by sitting on the couch!

I believe strongly that vigorous exercise goes hand in hand with any kind of diet.  As for myself, I go to the gym at least 5 times a week.  Most experts say 3 times a week is sufficient.

I usually start off with a cardiovascular workout (i.e. treadmill) for 30 minutes followed by weight training.  The results speak for themselves.

Myth #8 - Eating Raw Means I’ll Have to Buy Expensive Equipment

While I did buy myself a top of the line blender (Vita-Mix), if you can’t afford one, there’s no reason why you can’t start off with what you already have in your kitchen.

As you progress further and  become serious about turning this into a new lifestyle for yourself, you will probably want to upgrade to better equipment like the Vita-Mix blender.

In other words, you don’t necessarily have to rush out and buy high-end equipment.   While I did go out and buy a Vita-Mix blender (about $500),  I still haven’t bought a juicer or dehydrator and I don’t plan to for some time.

More on this in a future article.

Myth # 9 - I’ll NEVER BE ABLE TO EAT CHEESE AGAIN!!

For those who don’t know me, I LOVE cheese.  If I could, I would eat a whole slab of cheese for lunch AND dinner for the rest of my life if I knew it wouldn’t clog my arteries and give me a fatal heart attack!

Believe it or not, I am STILL eating cheese but it’s of the raw/unpasteurized kind.   Have you ever tried raw cheddar cheese?   Tastes just like the pasteurized version!  Unbelievable!

There are more myths but these are good enough for now.  They are based on my personal experience.

Until next time, have a great beginning of the week!

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