Reader Question: I’m Getting Started On The Raw Vegan Diet – Help Me “Whet My Appetite!”

Jill and I often consult with friends, readers, and customers of LivingEarthBeauty.com about the Raw Food Diet and about Raw Vegan Skincare. (Jill is a Holistic Health Counselor and Natural Skincare Expert) We’re posting the most popular questions we get and sharing our answers and insights so that you can benefit from our experience.

From Drew:

I’m getting more and more interested in raw and organic foods and I know you and Jill have spent a lot of time researching and testing different things for yourselves and your business.

I was wondering if there was any literature or general recommendations you would make for a novice. Someone just getting into it. Something to wet my appetite.

I make smoothies everyday with organic berries, flaxseed, organic yogurt, Spirulina, wheat grass, cocoa powder and OJ but that’s the extent of my knowledge for now.

I’d love to hear some of your thoughts.

Nice work with the smoothies, that is a great start! My first recommendation: experiment with replacing the yoghurt with Raw Goat’s Milk Yoghurt. It’s very important that this is Organic, Unpasteurized (Raw), and as local as possible. I’m sure there are producers near you that are selling this. The difference between cow products and goat products is striking, especially when you consider the fact that cow milk has evolved for a baby cow to grow from 80 pounds to 1600 pounds, gaining an average of 100 pounds per month. Goat’s milk has evolved for a baby goat to grow from 10 pounds to 110 pounds … a much more human-like growth pattern! The compounds and nutrients in these two milks reflect this fact, as you can read about in this comparison. The difference in growth patterns is a single example that is representative of the many reasons that cow milk is a mismatch for the human body.

Over the long term, I recommend removing all dairy products from your diet, however there are more important things to cut out first. These include gluten, all refined sweeteners (including agave nectar!), and all non-Organic produce and fruit. Choosing to remove meat and dairy from your diet is important because they have an acidifying effect on the blood, and are the #2 contributor to global warming.

Here are my top recommendations as you dive deeper into the Raw Vegan Diet:

1. Take It Slow and learn what your body specifically needs – everyone is different and if you try to go too fast, you’ll get out of balance and start feeling bad. The number one reason that people quit a new diet is because they take it quickly and cannot handle the changes they feel in their body. This especially happens with the Raw Vegan diet due to natural detoxifying.

2. Let The Toxins Go – Make sure that as you purify your diet, you let the toxins exit your body! The more pure your diet, the more ‘old’ toxins your body dumps into your colon. Basically, as we purify, our body is relieved of the load of toxins we’re putting in from chemicals in food, pesticides, gluten, etc. This allows our body to start dumping the old toxins it’s been storing in the cells – the ‘Standard American Diet’ bombards our bodies with toxins and because we usually never detox, all the toxins are held inside. As you go deeper into raw foods, I highly recommend using colon hydrotherapy and enemas to give the toxins a place to go. A good book that takes this into much further detail is Dr. Jensen’s Guide To Better Bowel Care.

3. Read anything by David Wolfe – he is my favorite raw food author, and in my opinion has the most authentic approach to raw foods. He’s not trying to sell any particular methodology or mindset, instead he focuses on empowering you to discover what works for your body. His most comprehensive book is The Sunfood Diet Success System, and next most important is Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future.

4. Quick and Easy Superfoods – Here are some of our favorite additions to smoothies:

• Chia seeds are delicious and contain Omega 3, Antioxidants, and Protein. If you like thick, milkshake-like smoothies, chia seeds soak up a huge amount of liquid and can transform anything from watery to pudding-like in a matter of minutes. (Make sure to get plenty of water in your body along with them!) Here’s a chia seed porridge that Jill created. Also, chia seeds are great for your hair, skin, and nails. You can buy them here.
• Goji Berries are also one of my favorite foods in the world, the #1 superfood, and they contain protein and huge amounts of antioxidants. (I’m eating them as I write this…)
• Spirulina, by weight, is the most dense form of protein in the world (approximately 70% complete protein in its natural state), so you’re doing great eating that. It’s also far more bio-available and digestible than meat protein. (The reason that meat contains protein is due to animals eating grasses that contain protein through photosynthesis.) Try combining Spirulina with other green foods and superfoods to maximize the nutrients – I recommend Billy’s Infinity Greens, which is one of the top multi-green powders.
• Plant-Based MSM is the best substance to support health in joints and skin, and is great for fast muscle recovery after working out. It also helps your cells produce energy. We sell the only certified plant-based MSM in the world. It works best in combination with Vitamin C, best found in Organic orange juice or Camu Powder.
• Cacao Powder – You mentioned that you already include this in your smoothies, and it is a great source of uplifting energy. Be sure to eat cacao in moderation, due to its strong effect on your adrenal glands and liver. This is our favorite Organic Cacao Powder.

5. Organic Is Key – One of the ways in which many cancer and disease-causing toxins sneak into our diet is through non-Organic fruit and produce. Jill and I go to great lengths to eat only Certified Organic foods, and at times I have to sacrifice this when eating away from home or traveling. (Luckily our favorite restaurant uses 100% Organic produce: Cafe Gratitude) Any time you are purifying your life yet eating non-Organic food, you are taking two steps forward and one step back.

6. Protect Your Nerves – Make sure that if you’re moving away from meat and dairy, you are receiving enough B12. This is the one nutrient that has gradually left even the most nutrient-dense diets due to the erosion of topsoil and our habit of washing vegetables – the soil actually contains the bacteria which create B12. Without enough B12, our nerves gradually stop working!  The best B12 supplement in the world is a living culture called Premier Research Labs Max Stress B.

Have fun eating the most pure, joyful food in the world – and gradually deepen your sensitivity to your body so that you can feel exactly what works for you.

Do you have any questions about this post or about the Raw Vegan diet? If so, click ‘Comment’ below and ask away. I will respond to every comment or question.