One way to get fresher and more nutritious produce is to shop locally. Not your local grocery store :), but local farms, co-ops and farmers markets if available in your area.

Here in Arizona we're in the midst of citrus season (among other crops) and it's easy to find plentiful oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and lemons. We recently had the opportunity to visit a friend near Phoenix that grows all the above and it was a memorable visit. Our friend informed us that he fertilizes the trees with an organic compost every season and waters regularly. We tasted most of the fruit and noticed how dramatically different it was from even the organic produce at our local co-op. Fresh off the tree taste can't be duplicated.. just delicious! We went home with bags full of fresh fruits and have enjoyed them for weeks.

Our friend's dogs are also vegetarian... they eat all the fruits off the trees and any other vegetable growing in the garden. The neighboring mule 'Burrito' also enjoys the grapefruits and oranges. It's amazing how animals thrive eating what nature has to offer instead of man-made 'byproducts' and other animal products that give them 'man-made' diseases just like humans get. Coincidence?

Enjoying the tastes of local produce, I also found a nearby farm that is currently growing a mixture of green vegetables, including green onions, mixed greens, brocolli and assorted green lettuce. The tastes are equally fresher and it's a pleasure to support local farms in growing sustainable, organic and fresh fruits and vegetables. With the massive proliferation of factory farming, it's more important now than ever before to support your local farmers and keep them growing!

To find a farm or farmers market near you, visit LocalHarvest.org

To your best health!

Mark

As one transitions to the raw/vegan lifestyle, the tendency to overeat fats, mostly in the form of nuts is quite common.

It's understandable to eat large amounts of nuts when transitioning... they are more "filling" than fruits and vegetables and satisfy the hunger as your body adjusts.

In the long term, this can lead to many problems. In his book, The Raw Secrets, Frederic Patenaude describes this in detail and offers alternatives to avoid the difficulties and make the necessary adjustments. A full review of his book is coming up.

Many leading raw food proponents recommend a 80/10/10 ratio... 80% carbs, 10% protein and 10% fats.

In my experience, the urge to eat larger amounts of fat diminishes over time. Eating an adequate amount of fruits and vegetables along with seeds makes up most of your daily intake, satisfies you and lets you happily keep your intake of nuts to a minimum.

Keep it healthy and raw!

Mark
The Vegan / Raw Diet

Ran across these rules from Joel at RawLifeLine.com originally written by GoDaddy President Bob Parsons and found them applicable not only to life in general, but to a raw food and healthy lifestyle as well. Change some of the words and apply them to your raw adventure and enjoy and be well!

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."

(The above rules for living is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright © 2004-2006 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.)

Most of those interested in the raw food diet are looking to lose weight... to release extra weight. But some are concerned about maintaining their weight when transitioning to a raw food diet.

Here's a question I received recently:
Read more...

I often get questions about whether I recommend the Hallelujah Diet (also known as the Adam and Eve Diet) since it appears to be related closely to the raw vegan diet.

First, let's define the Hallelujah Diet. Here's what the official Hallelujah Acres website at HAcres.com says about the diet:

Read more...

As you may recall, a directive from the Almond Board of California and backed by the USDA was put into effect in September of 2007 requiring all almonds to be pasteurized.

Read more...

I often get asked what one book I would recommend for advice on eating raw and vegan.

Although there are many excellent resources, there are two I'd recommend today, you can choose the one best for your situation.

The first resource is The Garden Diet by Storm and Jinjee. Storm has been eating raw vegan for most of his life and you can see the benefits by just looking at him. His entire family is an inspiration. He and Jinjee share their research on the benefits of a raw vegan diet, their experiences along with delicious and easy to make recipes. One note, they don't use or recommend a dehydrator (often used by many raw foodists) so their recipes can be made and enjoyed simply and quickly. I would recommend their entire collection of ebooks which includes the Garden Diet, Anti-Aging, Raising Healthy Children, The Orange Juice Diet and several other related titles (ten in all). This collection is all meat, no fluff - direct and to the point. You get to know Storm and Jinjee throughout the books as well as learn about the benefits of a raw vegan lifestyle.

Note, this collection is in online and downloadable format. I would recommend downloading and then printing your copies for reading at your convenience. I've found that printing the recipes, hole punching, slipping them inside plastic sheet protectors and into a 3 ring binder works best for reference when preparing meals in your kitchen. Read more about the Garden Diet.

The second resource I recommend is the The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. Natalia offers a flexible and sensible approach to adding raw food to your diet. The background on the benefits is not extensive, but offers the main one, detoxification, as the primary reason for eating raw. By eliminating the buildup of toxic and unused waste from your system, you regain the balance your body needs. She focuses on elimination, and for good reason. If your system eliminates quickly and easily, there is no ongoing buildup to clog your system and it can deliver and use the nutrition your body needs. Natalia offers different levels of the raw food diet which may be helpful to some. She offers a good set of recipes, and a special section for children and family eating. She is flexible in her approach and offers a plan that most readers can relate to and follow easily. Compared to The Garden Diet, I would describe Natalia's book the "light" and introductory version of learning about how raw foods can benefit your health.

As much as I recommend the book, there are a few issues I don't agree with Natalia on.

First, she recommends the use of Splenda as a sweetner. I don't agree. Splenda (sucralose) is a man-made abomination that has been linked to dozens of health problems including enlarged kidneys and liver, migranes and reduced red blood cell count among others. Read more about the effects at Healthy Living Talk. So skip the Splenda and enjoy the rest of the book!

Second, Natalia doesn't specifically advocate a vegan diet. I believe the benefits outweigh the occassional eating of fish, meat or dairy products and although not for everyone, I highly recommend it. Once you get used to fresh, organic and raw foods, your body no longer craves the processed foods you ate in the past and instead craves more fresh, raw and nutrient dense foods.

This book is a hardback although also available in a download version from Amazon.

Search for The Raw Food Detox Diet at eBay
Search for The Raw Food Detox Diet at Half.com

May your journey to enjoying fresh, raw foods be filled with health and happiness!

All the best for your health,

Mark