Greetings from my first 'raw roadtrip'! I'm currently in Amarillo, Texas traveling from Chicago back to my home in Arizona and the first roadtrip since starting my raw journey.

Many of you have written to share your experiences when traveling and here's how I'm doing it.

My first stop before leaving Chicago was Karyn's, the popular raw vegan cafe, restaurant and marketplace. Picked up a few ready to eat meals (garlic pizza and california rolls... both were great choices) along with some pumpkin seeds, raw crackers and small salad from the buffet. I dropped these into a cooler with some ice packs and went on to Whole Foods Market just minutes away.

At Whole Foods I picked up spring water, 5 bunches of bananas, a quart of fresh strawberries, a bag of dates, and some apples (all organic). Dropped everything in the car and with plenty of food for 2.5 days of driving was ready for my first raw road trip!

In addition to the food I picked up, I had placed an order for the Phi Plus (raw whole food) I've mentioned before and had several bags ready to go.

I started the day with several glasses of water and then several hours later added a few bananas and strawberries. Throughout the day I added dates and grabbed a banana whenever I got hungry. At dinner time I pulled out one of the prepared meals from Karyn's along with some raw crackers. Evening snacks included Phi Plus and dates. I drank less water than I normally do to minimize the stops along the way!

I'm in my last day of travel now, feeling great and still have plenty of food. Eating fresh whole foods I brought along made it easy to eat whenever I was hungry, make fewer stops and gave me lots of energy to be able to drive as long as I wanted.

Share your travel experiences by leaving a comment!

Thanks for reading and all the best for your health...

Mark

A new study released last month notes the benefits of a plant-based (vegan) diet for overweight individuals.

Here's the conclusion of the study:

"Adoption of a low-fat, vegan diet was associated with significant weight loss in overweight postmenopausal women, despite the absence of prescribed limits on portion size or energy intake."

What's interesting to note here is that the significant weight loss existed even though the study participants weren't instructed on how little or much to eat, or how much to exercise.

I believe this establishes that a natural, whole food and vegan diet is not only the healthiest option, but also resets your body to its "optimal" weight regardless of how much you eat or exercise. You see, you can pretty much eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you like without gaining weight. Your body craves nutrients, it uses what it needs and discards the rest.

This contrasts eating an abundance of processed foods that your body sees as "foreign" (since they are not in a natural state) and either stores as fat or accumulates in your digestive system - both unhealthy options and one of the sources of the obesity epidemic in our society today.

Read more about the study at the American Journal of Medicine.

Keep it healthy, keep it moving!

Mark

During the winter months, some on a raw diet look for warming foods. Normally after some time on the raw food diet, the want for physically heated foods diminishes for most.

For those looking to 'warm' up in the colder months, here's a list of warming foods from raw food coach Karen Knowler:
Read more...

This light, but satisfying Gazpacho soup is delicious!

What you'll need:
(makes 1 serving, adjust if necessary)

• 2 tblsp extra virgin, cold pressed organic olive oil
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tblsp raw honey (optional)
• 2 tblsps lemon juice
• sea salt to taste
• fresh basil to taste
• 1/2 avocado (cubed)
• 1/2 red bell pepper (cubed)
• 2 stalks of celery (cubed)
• chopped parsley
• 1/4 yellow or red onion (chopped)

Make organic produce your first choice whenever possible.

How to make it:

First, blend the oil, lemon juice, sea salt, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Add small amount of water if necessary and blend until smooth.

Pour the soup into a bowl and add chopped vegetables.

Mix all ingredients and top with chopped parsely.

If you like a little spice, add a dash of cayenne pepper... wow!

This is a wonderful soup to start your evening meal, or make several servings for a full meal. Easy to make, satisfying and delicious!

Enjoy and all good things,

Mark
The Vegan Raw Diet

Raw foodist Angela was featured on CNN today, a great outlet to help others learn about the true power of the raw food diet in not only losing weight, but regaining optimal health.

Read more...

Just returned from my second raw roadtrip driving almost 2000 miles from Chicago back home to Arizona. This time I decided to start my journey at Cousin's Incredible Vitality one of the premier raw and vegan eateries in Chicago. After a nice visit with Chef Mehmet, I selected several burritos wrapped in collard greens along with a vanilla cheesecake to go.
All the dishes were delicious and the vanilla cheesecake was better than any cheesecake I've ever tasted! Chef Mehmet was welcoming and has made available some unique services to the health community in Chicago. He offers a wide range of classes and certifications including detox sessions, raw food how-to prep classes, associate raw chef certifications as well as yoga. You can regularly find an interesting event hosted there including authors, health practicioners, and for holiday gatherings. Cousin's also has an amazing raw food bar that's 'all you can eat' in addition to its abundant selection of menu items. Stop by to say hello to Chef Mehmet for an experience you'll remember and want to return to regularly.

These to-go meals were great for late afternoon dinners over the next few days while fruit and water kept me satiated in the mornings and evenings.

I found eating raw much easier than stopping and waiting for a S.A.D. meal (as I did many years ago) when I would then normally feel tired from the excess burden of processed foods on my digestive system. Now, I enjoyed abundant energy for the 12-14 hours a day driving and was grateful for the fresh and organic fruits I found at Whole Foods on my way out of town.

Next I stopped in St. Louis to meet a new friend for lunch at 'Eternity Vegetarian Deli'. The food and company were great and learned much. The deli is transitioning into mostly raw and living foods and now has a good mix of vegetarian, vegan and raw dishes. If you're in the area, stop by for a nice treat.

Going through Missouri you'll notice, just before the south end of the state, several factory outlet stores. Of particular interest to me were the wooden bowls... they're perfect to serve dishes at potlucks and get togethers and are great looking as well. I stopped at the Shepard Hills outlet shop and found some nice 'factory second' bowls at about half the retail price.

Just over two days after I started I was happy to be back in Arizona on my way home. Another great roadtrip with fun and healthy experiences!

To your best health,

Mark

Bernando LaPallo just turned 109 years young and credits the raw diet for his long life. He is living proof that eating a mostly fresh, whole raw food diet as the way nature intended slows the aging process and allows you to live a long life without illness. This is uncommon in our world today, but Bernando lives unlike most, he has eaten a mainly raw vegan diet for over 100 years, 2/3's of his diet consists of fresh greens, he walks daily, drinks pure water and doesn't believe in stress. He has outlived some of his children, has never been sick and is more alive at 109 years than most others in the 60's, 70's or 80's.

Read more...