What Do You Want To Do?

Before you automatically give up on this one, first take a look at the “claimed” benefits:

Improved Sleep Habits
Increased Energy
Clearer Skin
Cures Many Diseases
More Strength and Stamina
Easier Digestion
More Vitamins
Easy Weight Loss

The benefits of eating raw foods are well documented and many believe it can actually reverse the body’s aging process! I personally love meat and nearly all cooked foods, so I was very hesitant at first; I just couldn’t resist all the claims of perfect health, energy, and longevity. I made the decision to give it a week and see if any of these claims were true.

Along with giving up cooked food, I had to give up caffeine too. I drank a lot (maybe 10 cups of coffee/tea/soda) of caffeine during the day and since nothing raw seems to have any caffeine, I had to give it up too.

Giving up caffeine caused severe headaches throughout the first few days, but even with the headaches, I could feel the benefits of eating raw. After the third day, all the headaches were gone and I felt great. I decided that I would continue eating raw for a second week, but I really wanted a cooked meal. The hardest part about eating raw is not having (what I consider) a good meal. I could eat as much as I wanted, so I never felt hungry, but I never felt the same fulfillment like I do when eating a hot meal.

After two week of eating +/- 95% raw, 100% vegan, I assessed my overall condition. Here are some of the differences I noticed:

Sleeping - I slept great every night while I was on the raw food diet. When I went to bed, I would fall asleep withing 10 minutes and wake up 7 hours later completely awake and refreshed.

Concentration - I work from home and normally have a hard time concentrating and getting work done. While eating raw, I was thinking more clearly and I had a noticeable improvement in concentration and focus.

Weight Loss - I lost nearly 20 lbs in two weeks, while eating any time I was hungry.

Aches and Pains - I don’t know if others have noticed this, but while eating raw, my joints and muscles seem to feel much better. Because of a motorcycle accident several years ago, many of my joints are in constant pain, but I barely notices the pain while on this diet.

More Energy - I never once felt tired or drained during the day and I felt like I had more energy, even though I was sleeping less and only eating fruits and vegetables.

Overall, I was amazed with the results, but I still missed eating “real” food, so after two weeks, I started eating cooked foods again, while incorporating as many raw foods as possible.

Eating raw was both fun and challenging, and it was a great experience that everyone should try at least once. I found new foods that I love and I feel like it’s improved my health and lifestyle. For me, It’s too early to say whether eating raw can do everything listed above, but I do know that it made a big difference in my life and maybe it will do the same for yours.

My favorite raw foods:

Morning smoothie - Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.
1 Cup Frozen Pinapple
1 Cup Frozen Mango
1 Frozen Banana
1-2 Cup(s) Orange Juice (depending on how thick you like it)
1 Cup Ice Cubes

Lara Bars - Try Whole Food, Wild Oats, Jimbos, Trader Joes, or other natural food store.

Bananas, Apples, Raw Nuts, Grapes

Let us know how you feel after one day of eating raw and if it feels right for you, try it for a week. Tell us about your favorite recipes and if you are a raw food veteran, help us out with more tips and advice.