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

More evidence that vegetable protein is the healthier choice and actually protects against developing heart disease. Good long term study (15 years) that suggests by avoiding red meat and dairy in your diet, your reduce your chances of developing heart disease by 30 percent.

Yahoo! News - Too Much Red Meat Bad for Long-Term Health:
"After following nearly 30,000 women for 15 years, investigators found that women were more likely to die from heart disease if they often substituted red meat for carbohydrates. In contrast, swapping vegetable sources of protein for carbs appeared to protect women from heart disease.

'Our main finding was that animal compared to vegetable sources of protein seem to have a different effect on dying from heart disease,' study author Dr. Linda E. Kelemen from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota told Reuters Health.

For this reason, she recommended that people who want to follow high protein diets should stick with vegetable proteins such as tofu, nuts and peanut butter, or healthier meats like chicken or fish."

Check out this video of Philip McCluskey on CBS's The Doctors with his testimony of losing 200 pounds over 2 years on the raw food diet. He gives a clear, strong and confident testimonial of how raw foods helped him lose weight.
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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:

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Several times this past week I have been attacked for making suggestions and encouraging the raw food diet. One in particular was from a 'fitness professional' that lashed out at my so called criticism and promptly removed my comments from her blog.

What was my crime?

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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

One of the questions I often hear is whether or not exercising is necessary since we're already eating a healthy raw food diet.

There is a common misconception that just eating a better diet is enough to gain better health or lose weight. Yes, eating is one main part of the equation, but it's only one part of the big picture.

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