The Key to Long Term Success with Raw Foods

Eating raw foods is a lot like riding a bicycle.

Would you expect a child to ride perfectly the first time she sat on a bicycle?

No, of course not.

Don’t expect yourself to be perfect when you’re starting out with raw foods.

Just like learning to ride a bicycle, it can feel awkward and unfamiliar at first.  But it’s simply a matter of practice and persistence, and soon enough it becomes second nature.

The most important key to long-term success is not how well you ride…  but rather what you do when you fall down.

Will you get frustrated, give up, blame yourself for being weak?

Or will you stand up, brush yourself off, get back on, and keep going?

Would you rather be losing or gaining?

You may have heard me mention I’ve been reading the book The 100 Year Lifestyle by Dr. Eric Plasker lately.

Today I ran across this passage I wanted to share with you.

The author talks about a time in his life when he was 40 pounds overweight:

My first thought was to lose weight. But there was something about the thought of having a primary goal of losing that did not work for me. I had never wanted to “lose” anything, or “lose” at anything before in my life. … I decided that while the extra weight was going to come off my body, it wasn’t mine to begin with. It was just an extra burden that I was carrying around that it was time to unload. I decided to develop a new relationship with my abdomen and say goodbye to the extra burden while welcoming all the exciting things that I was going to gain … I started saying no to all the foods that tasted good for 30 seconds but were bad for me. I got my “edge” by calling them liars when they would talk to me and tell me to eat them. I started making food and exercise choices that supported my ideal … lifestyle. I started focusing on all the things I was gaining, including more energy, feeling younger, being more active, sleeping better, breathing better, looking younger and healthier, and feeling like a kid again. … If I can do it, you can too.  (Page 53.)

(The bold emphasis at the end is mine.)

I like the way he framed it to himself not as LOSING weight, but in terms of all the things he GAINED.

This is the same thing I’ve been saying about the raw food diet.  It’s not what you can’t have, it’s not giving anything up, it’s not restricting yourself, it’s not confining you to “food prison.”  It’s all about what you’re ADDING to your diet — more fresh, whole fruits and vegetables.

And all of the benefits that come with it.

Happy 1st birthday, Raw Food Diet Now!

happy birthday

Today marks the first anniversary of RawFoodDietNow.com!

Happy birthday, RFDN! 

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already.  So much has transpired…  and so much remains to be done.

Reflecting back on my first post, I feel it was prophetically written for myself.  I have been making small steps every day.  And over the past year, those have really added up.  I will continue to make forward steps every day.

What have I accomplished?  Sharing my message of raw foods with others:  Eat more fresh, whole fruits and vegetables.  Keep it simple.

Having a positive impact on YOUR life…  That’s why I started.

And that’s why I will keep going.  Every day.

Here’s to long, healthy, happy living!

Hypertension, cholesterol, sleep apnea… and now diabetes?

cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, reflux disease, sleep apnea, sleep apnoea

The other day I received this email:

Hello Chuck, Thank you for your e-mails, as I find them so informative. I have quite a few Medical Conditions and I feel like I’m eating myself to death. I know I won’t be able to go RAW 100% to start off with, but I need to lose weight sooner rather than later because my Doctor has told me I could start Diabetes Medication, which means tablets and then maybe Insulin Injections,  and that is not a path I want to follow. I take medication for hypertension, reflux disease, cholesterol and 1/2 aspirin every day. I am not getting enough sleep because of the Sleep Apnoea and my blood pressure is getting higher because of the sleep apnoea. I seem to going round in circles. Will Raw Juicing (vegetables) help with the weight loss. I don’t exercise because I don’t have the energy. Because I have to ease my way into a new way of eating I would like to ask you for your help in working out an Eating Plan for me. I am so desperate for your help Chuck, so could you please contact me ASAP. I look forward to receiving an e-mail from you soon

After reading this troubling note, my heart just ached.  I feel sincerely concerned.  So much so I began to reply right then and there, but then decided to post my reply here in the hopes it could also benefit others: … read more »

Inexpensive Home Remedy for Oral Acidity

food acidity, oral acidity, raw food dental, raw food teeth, tooth enamel erosion, tooth enamel softening

Ever since my trip to the dentist last month, I have been thinking about how to deal with oral acidity.

Now, note that I’m talking about oral acidity, which involves the acidity of foods as they contact your teeth.  This is a different topic from how foods affect your body’s internal acidity.

I am having to deal with this because I eat a lot of fruits.

Oral acitidy issues are by no means limited to raw foodies.  Besides fruits, many common items are acidic.  For example, sodas and red wine.

So that doesn’t mean stop eating fruits.  On the contrary, fruits are an essential component to any healthy diet.  It simply means being aware of the issue, and not allowing the acidity the opportunity to hang out on your teeth and do its dirty work.

I have done some investigation and come up with a simple and inexpensive remedy you can make at home.

There’s a good, nerdy story behind this that appears below.  But if you’re the kind of person who likes to read the last pages of a book first, I’ll let you in on the remedy here. … read more »

3 Life-Altering Secrets to Happiness – Free PDF Report

free pdf, free report, happiness

Here is your free PDF special report, “3 Life-Altering Secrets to Happiness.”

Discover the “crazy” event that changed my life forever — along with the lessons I took away that can help YOU enjoy a happier, more satisfying, more fulfilling life too.

Just use the link below to access the report:

3 Life-Altering Secrets to Happiness [PDF]

(Since it’s a PDF file, you can also print it out or save it to your computer.)

Join the discussion!

• Did you find the report helpful?
• Which of the 3 secrets resonated with you most?
• What are YOUR personal secrets to happiness?
• Or just want to say THANKS for the free gift?

Leave a comment below…

Raw Foods and Tooth Enamel

dental, raw food dental, raw food teeth, raw food tooth, teeth, tooth, tooth enamel erosion

Today was kind of exciting…  I went to the dentist for the first time in literally 10 years!

Now, I’ve never had cavities and I take care of my teeth (no soft drinks, for instance).  But I was a little bit worried because I had started to notice some minor erosion on the sides of a couple teeth.

I generally got a clean bill of dental health — still no cavities.  In fact, even after 10 years without seeing a dentist I got to skip the cleaning/polishing!

What I did learn, however, is that food acidity can contribute to tooth enamel erosion.  What happens is the acidity softens the enamel.  Then when you brush your teeth, even with a soft toothbrush, the enamel can get brushed away in little microscopic amounts.  Similar to how, given time, rain can gradually erode away even a mountain.

I’ve definitely been eating a lot of acidic fruits.  Citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges are some of my favorites.

This is not to scare you away from eating fruit!  On the contrary, fruit is in many ways the most ideal food nature has to offer.

And there are certainly worse things you can do to yourself.  Carbonated soft drinks like colas are 10 times more acidic than fruit juice.

5 Ways To Prevent Tooth Enamel Erosion By Acidic Foods

Based on my visit to the dentist today, here are some simple tips I’d like to share with you in the interest of prevention.  (And most apply whether you’re eating “raw foods” or not.) … read more »

“I don’t have a juicer. Can I use my blender?”

blender, carrot juice, fiber, juicer, juicing, orange juice

Martha, a 7 day raw food diet starter course participant, asks this question:

“I have a question about juicing. I don’t have one of those juicing machines. Can I use my blender then strain?”

Guess what, Martha?  I don’t have a juicer either!  And here’s why.

First, good juicers are somewhat expensive.  Cheap ones usually don’t last very long.  Some types even end up heating the juice from the friction — definitely not what a raw foodie wants.

Most importantly, juicers tend to separate the juice from the fiber.  (Guess that’s why they’re called juicers!)  Our goal is fresh, whole fruits and vegetables — that fiber is good for you and your digestive system.

There’s a lot you can do with a blender.  Peel an orange, remove the seeds, and put the whole thing in the blender for orange juice!  Or add an orange to your next smoothie.  It’ll have a bit more roughage than you’re used to for orange juice, but it’s very tasty and you’re getting everything that nature provides.

By now you’ve probably guessed what I’m going to say about straining your juices — please don’t do it!  Imagine you’re a cave woman or cave man from 100,000 years ago, before the modern miracles of juicers, refrigerated trucking, and Safeway.  You walk out of your comfy cave, go up to a fruit tree, pull one down, and eat it right there with little fanfare.  This is the ideal.  The biology of our bodies evolved to use such natural whole foods as fuel and nourishment.

Now if you absolutely cannot tolerate the fiber — if it means the difference between your getting fresh fruits and vegetables or not — then go ahead and strain.  But I don’t recommend this.  Whole foods were meant to be consumed as a complete package, ensuring you receive the natural balance of nutrients.

Of course there are some kinds of juice a blender won’t be able to make, like carrot juice.  But if you have a powerful blender, you can experiment with adding some liquid.  Chop a carrot into 1-inch or so sections, and add some liquid or a juicy fruit like an orange.  You may find a combination you like.

Finally, be sure to drink your juice as soon as possible after making it.  It starts to oxidize as soon as it’s exposed to air, which isn’t harmful but means the longer it goes unconsumed, the more nutritional benefit you’ll miss out on.

10 Ways To Save Money When Shopping For Raw Food

money, raw food diet budget, raw food diet cost, raw food diet shopping

Are you on the raw food diet AND on a budget?

If so, then I’ve got some ideas to help save you money.

But first, if you haven’t already, please read Is a Healthy Raw Food Diet Lifestyle Expensive? It’s really the first half of this article, and covers what I feel are some very important considerations for your health.

First, let’s cover a few of the more obvious options.  (Don’t worry, these don’t count against the 10 tips!)

• As more of your diet shifts to fresh, whole fruits and vegetables, you’ll save on unhealthy manufactured and processed foods.
• Chances are, if you’re having more raw foods at home, your eating out has decreased.  Eating out is a key pocketbook drain for many people.
• Here’s one I almost hesitate to mention.  Although I don’t recommend it, you could forgo organic produce.  Organic produce can be quite a bit pricier than non-organic counterparts.  The ONLY reason I mention this option is because I believe so strongly in the health benefits of raw foods that I’d rather you eat non-organic raw foods than none at all.  But if there’s ANY way you can choose organic, I strongly urge you to do so.  If choosing organic sounds costly to you, please consider reading this article again.

When you’re in the process of transitioning to raw foods, sometimes it may seem like your grocery bill is going up… but give the above points there’s a good chance you’re spending less money overall.

Now, if you want to cut back even more, here are the 10 tips: … read more »

2009 Italian Street Painting Festival

Today I went to the 2009 Italian Street Painting Festival.  It’s a little street fair where they block off a section of road and all kinds of artists come and do amazing chalk drawings on the pavement.  Some 60,000 people come to see the street art.

My son Rocky wanted to try his hand at the chalk art, so we got a 2 foot x 2 foot square in the kids section.  He drew a picture of me in a grassy field complete with a plug for my web site! 

The budding artist and me, as he contemplates his next stroke.

The final art, complete with website plug!  Doesn’t it look like me??

Me with coworker and featured artist Amber Long, standing on her work-in-progress of Billie Holiday.

More fine art.  There are nearly 200 of these squares and the sheer amount of art talent represented is mind-boggling.

Can’t wait to see this one when it’s finished!