Mississippi River by Heidi OhlanderOne of the biggest falsehoods about raw food is that you will eat the same things all the time. Or raw Food is raw food is raw food. Or you can eat anything you want, as long as it's raw.
This could not be further from the truth. When you enter into a raw food lifestyle, and especially when you are transitioning to a raw food lifestyle, there are always changes to be made.
Even people who don't eat raw food make changes. When you were a kid you probably ate totally different foods than you eat right now. Raw food is no different. We all grow, we all change, it's a part of life. If you get too stuck on avoiding change, you could get into a food rut, and sometimes that is why people stop eating raw food. They don't know how to go to the next level.
It is always a good idea for everyone to take time to examine what you are eating now and plan ahead for even healthier eating and living.
We call this:
The Raw Food Check-Up
Here is a simple set of questions to think about your raw food diet. We suggest doing these exercises by yourself, with pen and paper or on a document on your computer. If you like, you may want to write the date on these exersises and save them for a later date to look back and view your progress.
Part One: Inventory
When deciding on changing your diet, here are some key questions to ask yourself:
- What are you eating right now? You don't have to keep an obsessive food log, writing down everything, weighing everything down to the ounce. Instead, just write down some of the common things you are eating lately. Take note of specific fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, supplements, superfoods, or any other items you are consuming right now. Write down any recipes you make on a regular basis. This simple question will help you think consciously about your food.
- What are your goals? Is your current diet helping you achieve your personal goals in life? In other words, don't just change your diet because you believe it is "better for you." What does "better" really mean? Your goals need to have substance. You need to have a reason. If you don't have any goals, now is a great time to choose something, even if it is one goal. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Do you want to release weight?
- Gain more energy?
- Do you feel like you still have not reached a goal you have set for yourself?
- Do you want amazing health but you are are still getting sick sometimes?
Know why you want to make a change, and decide today to start working towards your goal. Write down a few ideas about what you can do based on your current knowledge and take some action today.
- Do you want to release weight?
- Take a food inventory. Do you feel your diet is absolutely perfect? Probably not. We all have things we would like to do differently, or eat more of or less of. Most people want to be eating more leafy greens.
Find out what foods in particular are working for you. Find out if there are any foods that are giving you any sort of reaction, or just don't agree with you. Sometimes just putting in one new food or superfood or supplement into your diet can give you astounding results. And sometimes low energy, allergic reactions, and weight gain can all be attributed to one or two raw food items that do not work for your individual body or circumstances. - Does your diet make sense to you? In other words, is it logical? Rational? What does your intuition tell you? If you are one who is influenced by scientific papers, are there studies to back it up? If you are thinking about going raw, have you read the books that talk about the scientific side of raw food? If you are raw, what are some of the reasons you feel passionate about when it comes to raw food?
- How do the people promoting your diet look? If you are considering going raw, or trying a particular style of raw food, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Do they look healthy?
- Do they act healthy?
- Do they seem to be radiant, or attractive even deeper than a physical level?
- In other words, do they have the results you want to have?
For example, if you are interested in a low glycemic raw food diet, you could look on the web to find people who are eating this lifestyle and see how they look and see what they say about this way of eating. If you find out that people who are eating a particular way do not look healthy, you may want to keep looking until you find some positive role models of health that feel right for you.
- Don't be influenced by emotion or authority. Just because a friend of yours says that you should eat kale everyday because they eat kale everyday, doesn't mean you have to if it doesn't feel right to you. Trust your inution, trust your emotions. Ask yourself these or similar key questions. When you arrive at your answer, the best thing you can do for yourself is this: try it out.
Food is an amazing constant experiment. One recipe can upset your stomach now, but it can be your favorite recipe next year. Taste buds are always changing, and your digestion should continue to improve on a raw food diet. It is an ever expanding experiment full of twists and turns, and it has some of the best surprises in life.
Give yourself a time frame to try out your new way of eating. If you are not yet eating 100% raw and want to, start to make the transition. If you are 100% raw, look at what you are eating right now and see what you could do differently to eat even better than you already are. Maybe it is time for you to try some superfoods, or maybe it is time to stop eating a container of raw nut butter every night before bed. Everyone is different, but if you take some time with yourself in a quiet room, your inner self will probably have some guidance for the next direction for you.
Set a time limit. Do you want to try eating 80/10/10 for a few weeks? Is it time for you to try eating 100% raw? Are you ready to experiment with no agave nectar for 30 days? Determine a specific time limit, go for it, and do your best to reach that time destination.
After a time frame that you have selected, ask yourself:
- Did you achieve your goal?
- Do you need to make changes?
- What are your results?
Words of Wisdom...
Diet is a path, not a destination. It requires constant change and tweaking to find out what works for you.
Give yourself a Food Check-up today and see what happens next on your personal adventure on Planet Earth!
Good luck on your journey, and remember, we're here for you wherever you are on your path,
- Heidi and JS
Raw Food Right Now
---------------------------
If you plan on reprinting this article on your website, please include the following credit and link:
Heidi & JS Ohlander are the creators of Raw Food, Right Now!, a website dedicated to making the raw food diet fun and easy for everyone. Heidi & JS help bring raw food to your world by offering tips, news, and information on integrating raw foods into your daily life.
Visit their site at http://www.RawFoodRightNow.com
