How much would you like to improve your health and vitality? A little…or a LOT? If you want to see improvements in your overall health, you’ll need to become a label reader. Start looking at the ingredients in the food you’re eating. If the list is incredibly long with words you can’t pronounce and have no clue what it is, it’s probably a good sign you should put the item back on the shelf immediately and move on.
For noticeable improvements in your health and energy, begin removing these items listed below.
First list of foods to eliminate are processed and refined foods, as well as dairy:
Processed and packaged foods – Anything packaged in a wrapper, box or in the frozen section (specifically things that don’t resemble a food found in nature) such as candy, cereal, pop tarts, bread, nuggets, canned cheese, etc.
Refined sugar (including high fructose corn syrup)
Wheat & other gluten products
Soda and Coffee
Fast Food
Dairy Products
Take it a step further to experience even greater improvement and remove:
Oils
Salt (or at least limit it dramatically)
Animal products (Beef, chicken, fish, pork, eggs, etc.)
And to achieve the highest state of health your body can offer you:
Consume a diet of all raw, or mostly raw, fruits & vegetables with a small amount of nuts and seeds.
At this point, you’re probably thinking I’ve taken away everything and left you with nothing to eat, right?
You may not know this, but there is a healthier alternative for just about every food item on the market these days.
Instead of processed sugar you can use agave, stevia, 100% pure maple syrup, date sugar and coconut sugar, cane juice and coconut nectar.
Instead of wheat you can have things like amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, oat, coconut and organic corn flowers.
Instead of soda you can drink 100% fruit juice with seltzer water or delicious kombucha drinks that have lots of carbonation but also beneficial bacteria for intestinal health, and there are natural coffee substitutes that will give you a coffee taste made from natural ingredients. You can also find unlimited herbal teas at your local health food store.
Instead of traditional fast food, you can prepare your own food to go or grab an all fruit smoothie from a juice bar or a nice big salad from a local salad bar, topped with your own healthy salad dressing. Maybe even an all veggie taco or burrito. You can create your own at places like Chipotle. Another great place for finding healthy, delicious plant based meals is Veggie Grill.
To replace dairy, there are amazing milk alternatives on the market like rice, oat, hemp, almond and other nut milks that taste delicious.
Maybe this sounds overwhelming at first, so if you’re not an all or nothing type, take it one step at a time moving forward at a pace you can live with removing what you can, in increments that feel good to you. If you do too much too soon, it might backfire and have you binging on all the wrong things if you end up feeling deprived. This is not at all about deprivation, it is about finding alternatives to the foods that are wreaking havoc on your body, allowing your tastes to naturally change and enjoying an abundance of foods that will nurture your body and allow it to detoxify and heal so you can feel better than you’ve ever felt.
It’s also worth noting that most foods that contain soy, corn of any kind including high fructose corn syrup, canola and cotton oils, and even plain old sugar, if not labeled organic, are most likely Genetically Modified or considered GMO, and best avoided.
If you need guidance, I’m always available for consultations through email and Skype. Just click HERE.
Once you begin making a few of these changes, you’re likely to begin feeling like a new person. You’ll notice improvements in your energy, stamina, weight, skin, mood and mental clarity. You’ll find you sleep better, wake up refreshed and feel lighter overall. You will also notice how much more you appreciate the flavor of food and you’ll naturally become more drawn to eating, and even craving, certain fruits and vegetables. Sometimes the changes are very gradual depending on your commitment and you won’t notice how good you feel until you slip and eat something you previously eliminated. That’s when you really notice how much better your body was functioning on the new and improved path.
Don’t take my word for it, check out the following films for proof that changing what you eat dramatically affects your overall health and wellbeing:
To read more about how to improve your health and vitality, click HERE
Hello Raw Synergy,
My name is Kristy and I have been following you for a few years. I have been trying to go raw (801010) for some years and have been struggling with it. I get a lot of water retention especially in my breasts. I have trouble letting go of the coffee because my bowels are quite dependant. I also feel strange if I do not get enough salt in a day. Like if I have been having fruit all day I can get light headed and feel strange. I am having a hard time.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks, Kristy
Hi Kristy,
I’m sorry to hear you’re having a hard time. It’s not uncommon, and sometimes, can take several or many tries. Perhaps you can modify the diet to your own needs which might help make it easier. I now add some salt to my diet and my body is happier.
I remember when I was dependent on coffee as a digestive stimulant too. It’s great to be coffee free now and you can definitely get there as well.
Have you had better digestion on days after you do fruit all day? Sometimes eating nothing but papayas, melons, grapes and/or pears for a day or two can be really helpful in stimulating the bowels and getting them moving on their own.
If you’re like me and tend to get stressed easily, that really affects digestion also. I find if I take time each day to relax, and consciously remember to breathe deep throughout the day with the intention of relaxing, that helps a lot.
Hydrating with a big glass of water first thing in the morning helps to get things moving also.
You may want to try some cultured foods or a probiotic since the beneficial bacteria can help improve digestion and elimination.
I would also avoid all grains and make sure everything you consume is gluten free for a while, if you’re not already, and see if elimination improves. Those were all big factors for my digestion and elimination improvement.
Hopefully these changes will also help with the fluid retention.
Sending lots of good wishes your way for vibrant health and a successful outcome!
Alicia
Will a raw vegan diet help with my IBS.
It can definitely help. Depending on your particular symptoms, you may need to modify it slightly by avoiding certain foods that may be aggravating in the beginning, like hard to digest vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower or even lettuce. Most people experience excellent results when they go on a temporary mono diet, by eating only one thing such as just ripe bananas or just watermelon, for a week or two, which allows the gut to do some deep healing. Or a juice cleanse is another option that will kickstart the healing process. Then, following a raw food diet allows the body to continue to heal thereafter. I had chronic constipation my whole life and a low fat, raw vegan diet has changed that and now my digestion is excellent. I know many others who have had IBS and Crohn’s and have healed their gut with a raw food diet.
I’m definitely having terrible constipation. I always feel bad. I’m going to someone holistic and she is giving me all these supplements. I think it’s to much for my stomach. I believe I need to start slow with a probotics and maybe digestive enzyme. Do you have any ideas. Thanks for the advice. I will try the mono diet.
I can definitely relate to your suffering.
For constipation, I recommend lots of juicy fruits such as melons, mangoes, grapes, peaches, nectarines, pears, etc. Start your day with a glass of filtered water (or ACV drink below) to help move things through you. Then, when you feel hungry, eat your favorite juicy fruit until you are completely satiated and feel fully satisfied. Try to keep it really simple and eat only one type of fruit at a time. Temporarily avoid all grains, breads, pasta, rice, oatmeal, legumes, etc., until you get things moving. Then incorporate them back in slowly, one at a time, to determine if any of these items are the root cause of your digestive issues. For me, I removed all those things and never went back to them because they were definitely the cause of my constipation/digestive issues, and I felt SO much better eating fruits and vegetables instead. If you enjoy leafy greens, eat a really big green salad of romaine or spring mix instead of your usual dinner or with your dinner, and if you need to have some cooked foods, have some steamed vegetables or fresh vegetable soup.
Make sure all the foods you eat are high water content and hydrating.
I also recommend the regular consumption of raw organic apple cider vinegar which has many health benefits and can help improve digestion naturally. Stir 1 to 2 tsps Bragg Organic Vinegar in 4 to 8 oz. of purified Water and (optional) to taste 1 to 2 tsps Organic Honey, 100% Maple Syrup or Blackstrap Molasses. For more info on Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) read here: http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar-FAQ.html
Digestive enzymes are a great idea, as well as slowly incorporating cultured vegetables like sauerkraut into your diet for the beneficial flora. Start very slowly with 1 tsp to 1 TBLS a day and work your way up to more very slowly over time so you don’t aggravate your system. Or, if you don’t like cultured vegetables, then a probiotic supplement is a good alternative.
Regular exercise such as daily walks or rebounding will also help a lot.
Sending lots of good wishes your way for feeling better fast!
I’m always getting heartburn that’s why I decided to give up coffee. I’m still getting some heartburn not as much. I think the combination of the foods I eat are also causing heartburn. My gut needs to be healed.
Yes, proper food combining is key to eliminating heartburn. The apple cider vinegar can help with that as well.
When you do food combination do you do meat with a vegetable or a grain with a vegetable. Right now I will do the fruit that you mention. Can I do sauerkraut with the fruit. I sometimes feel like I’m going to die before my time because of my stomach. I do have to learn to chew my food slow.
Yes, and here is a food combining chart you can print out so you have a better idea of how it works: http://www.stylenectar.com/.a/6a0148c717d3e7970c017d41e99a65970c-popup
You can eat sauerkraut with fruit but based on the food combining chart, I would stick to combining sub-acid and acid fruits with the sauerkraut. Chewing your food slowly until it’s completely mush or liquid before it goes down helps digestion tremendously. I see a huge difference in my own digestion when I pay attention to this verses when I’m in a hurry and eat too fast.
Why does kumbacha make me bloated.
Thank you very much. I’m visiting with my family and it is very hard for me to focus sent I’m the only one in the family that has this issue. When I go back to Texas I will be able to focus on myself.
I leave
You’re very welcome. It will be great for you to focus on yourself and your health when you get home. :0)
Like sauerkraut, kombucha contains a lot of beneficial bacteria & cultures that assist with digestion. However, if you consume too much too soon, it can cause gas, bloating and/or loose bowels or constipation because the body needs time to adapt to these living organisms in the body. These organisms go to work in your gut cleaning up old debris and this can sometimes cause the above mentioned symptoms if too much is taken in before the body can adjust. That’s why it’s so important with the sauerkraut to start off small with one teaspoon or one tablespoon at first and slowly build your way up to more. Same with the kombucha, start with just a few sips and work your way up very slowly to drinking more.
Can I eat meat. I mainly eat fish and chicken and nuts or when can I eat meat.
You can eat it but I don’t recommend it because it’s extremely difficult to digest. Our bodies were not anatomically designed to eat animal flesh so if you feel you need something more satiating to eat, I recommend eating lentils since they’re a little easier to digest than most legumes. It’s best to limit your consumption of nuts since those are also hard on your digestive system. If you do eat them, limit your amount to a tablespoon or two at the most and try to eat some that have been soaked and sprouted for easier digestion. Have you ever seen the film Forks Over Knives? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. If you have Netflix, it’s in the documentary film section. If you don’t have Netflix, your local library may be able to get it for you to check out or you can buy or rent it on Amazon.
I have a cookbook Heal your gut. When I started making recipes out of this book I made soups and that seam to help. Have you looked at this book.
I’m not familiar with this book. I’m glad it has helped you.
I made these last night and it was a disaster so I’m hoping you might be able to help me figure out where I went wrong. The recipe didn’t state what temp to bake at so I just did it at 350 degrees.
I’m sorry to hear this. What recipe did you try to make?