Friday, February 6, 2009

Raw foods for beginners, part 2

Now that you’ve got an abundance of resources (of which I continue to add to) to learn from, the next step is to start reading, watching, and trying. Give the detox a shot if you feel compelled to do so. If you’re not that adventurous yet, commit to having one raw meal or snack a day and work up from there. The more determined you are, the more will power you will have, and the faster you will be able to say goodbye to processed/cooked foods and say hello to the energetic, full-of-life you!

You don’t have to be 100% raw, even 50% will give you benefits that will make you feel so wonderful that you’ll aim for more naturally. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that you will be most successful if you set goals for yourself and don’t get disappointed if you make mistakes. It’s only natural in this transitional state. Not every plan works for every body. No one knows you more than yourself, so be realistic and use the strategies that work best for you. It will take some trial and error, but the journey is worth it. Joining online communities can help give you the support you need to stick with it. And don’t forget, I’m here for you too, so don’t be shy ;)

A raw foods lifestyle is like an addiction—the better you feel, the more empowered you become in life. It clears your head, not just your body. Now that I’m over my cold, I am ecstatic to get started on some of my goals to help me move into this field as a career. When you find your passion, doing so really is a pleasure and sparks so much positive energy around you that you can’t help but attract your desires into reality. In fact, my video is already featured on another blog and I will be doing a guest blog post as well. Thanks The Green Smoothie Blog team!

Here are some key points to help you succeed:

  • Use affirmations—your thoughts are powerful, so tell yourself you feel alive from raw foods, post notes or images to remind you
  • Make time—time to learn, to try recipes, to journal, to become part of an online community
  • Relax—don’t be hard on yourself, this is a journey, enjoy all the twists and turns
  • Be adventurous—try new foods and experiment with recipes, it’s ok if it doesn’t turn out quite right
  • Track progress—find a system that motivates you like a food journal or start a blog
  • Exercise—your results will only amplify while your longevity and vitality will keep you young longer, and don't forget to drink plenty of water
  • K.I.S.S. (keep it simple silly)—it’s easy to get overwhelmed and think you need this or that, so step back if you need to, meditation and yoga can help with this
  • Be frugal—you can do this without the expensive blender and dehydrator, it can even bring out more creative ideas
  • Reward yourself—treat yourself to that expensive blender when you reach a goal, or take a trip to a nearby raw restaurant
    Tip: Try not to reward yourself with S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) food as this can lead to binging, cravings, and slow recovery, not to mention how awful your body will feel along with how guilty your mind will be.

I’ll get further into these points in future posts, as they are keys to my success and I want to share and help you as much as possible. So off you go… What is/was your first goal when you took this endevour? I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes (not sure who wrote it): You don't have to get it right, just get it going!

10 comments:

  1. Keep up the great work on this blog -- I LOVE your posts, and will be sending so many friends here that are just starting out on a raw food diet or even thinking about it as you can put things into perspective really well.

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  2. Thanks Tami! I'm so glad I am able to share my experiences in such a positive way.

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  3. I love your blog girl! You are so inspiring! Can you post some simple and quick recipes? Do you have recipes that don't require a lot of "unique" ingredients for those of us that can't make it to the speciality store as frequently as we'd like to? Also, another fun idea would be if you can post the benefits of the different foods used in the recipes. THANK YOU for this blog! I love it!

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  4. Thanks Darice. I'll be posting recipes like that, don't worry. And thanks for mentioning the benefits, they are important. Before I get to those, I'm working on cutting the lecture video and posting those segments--so watch out. I've been reading Dr. Sommers's book and it's terrific. The videos will touch on the key points of his book.

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  5. Awesome Bea! How funny--I just posted about how to go raw on my blog (gorawhavefun.com) a few days ago too! We must have felt the same pull towards helping others ;)
    ~Lenette

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  6. Great tips, this is really helpful.
    My sister and I are trying to do one day a week all raw - but this is challenging without any carb-items. What do you suggest? Also, it feels sometimes like I'm starving myself, even if it is rejuvenating at the same time to eat raw. Any tips/suggestions? Thanks for the inspiration!

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  7. Thanks Lenette. I guess the universe was calling us to share our love of raw :) Your blog is great by the way!

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  8. I'm glad you enjoyed these tips lksistersveg. Congrats on incorporating more raw foods into your diet. My recommendation would be to spread out a few raw meals throughout the week instead of just one all raw day. It could be throwing your body off balance and making you hungrier. A raw diet is actually rich in healthy carbs. You could track your meals on fitday.com or nutridiary for a week to see how much carbs your getting and try to incorporate higher carb foods. Here's some info on why fruits are best for this: rawfoodexplained.com

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  9. My goal is to look and feel great! I want my nutrition goals to catch up with my fitness achievements and goals. I'm going to do the 7 Day Detox to start. After wards my goal is to change my diet to become 50% raw. My first goal towards this goal is to change my breakfast and lunch to be 100% raw. Then who knows...

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  10. That's awesome agusa99! Making that declaration is liberating isn't it? Looks like you've got a great plan too! Best of luck. Keep me posted and let me know if I can help with anything :) I know how determined you are once you set your mind to something, so I can't wait to see how you'll accomplish these goals.

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