The Fit On Raw Alternative To A High Fat Raw Food Diet
This article is inspired by Whole Food CEO John Mackey’s op-ed The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare. It is the Fit On Raw alternative to the mainstream, high fat raw food diet.
Here are 8 simple rules that will truly take your health to the next level. Prepare to be amazed!
#1: Eat More Fruit
Sweet fruit makes up the foundation of a healthy raw food diet. Fruit is both calorically dense AND high in volume, which means you will feel completed satisfied for several hours after your meal. Plus, fruit is crazy delicious!
And yes, you can live on mostly fruit. I’ve been doing it for years and I’ve never felt better. 
#2: Eat Less Fat
Besides endowing us with flabby guts, a fatty diet leads to all kinds of trouble. We’re talkin’ heart disease, atherosclerosis, arthritis, and depression. Too much fat has even been linked to short-term memory loss!
Don’t get me wrong. I love some creamy avocado with tomato or a handful of pistachios added to a salad. You just have to be mindful of how much you are consuming. A few nuts can easily turn into a few handfuls.
#3: Eat Your Greens and Non-Sweet Fruits
Tender leafy greens and non-sweet fruits are mineral-rich and add great variety to a fruit-based diet. There’s nothing better than a locally grown heirloom tomato or crisp organic romaine lettuce.
Just remember, these foods are very low in calories and cannot make up the bulk of your diet. Fruit must always come first.
#4: Forget Supplements & Superfoods
Expensive supplements and superfoods, such as spirulina, raw cacao, and goji berries, are aggressively promoted within the mainstream raw movement. Do yourself (and your wallet) a favor and stick to ripe, raw fruits and vegetables.
#5: Forget the Dehydrator
Another money drainer. Dehydrators are expensive, take up a lot of room, and are completely unnecessary. In fact, you will do much better without one.
The point of going raw is to eat foods in their whole, natural states. What is *whole* or *natural* about dehydrated nut patties (raw burgers) and dried up fruit bars?
#6: Be Active
Raw foodists are so focused on what they eat that they completely forget about the other aspects of health. Moving your body on a daily basis is certainly one of these factors.
I actually think of being active as separate from working out. I work out about 6 days a week and each session is brief (40 mintues at most), but intense. However, I stay active everyday by engaging in low impact activities like walking or biking with my dog.
#7: Get More Sleep
I’m sure you’ve encountered this one before: “If you just eat raw foods, you can reduce your need for sleep to 5 hours a night!”
While it’s true that you might need slightly less sleep than you did on a cooked food diet, the difference won’t be as astronomical as many raw foodists would like to believe. And if you are following #6, the extra activity will result in a greater need for recovery, i.e. more sleep.
Personally, I am more active than I was on a cooked food diet…so I sleep more!
#8: Get More Sunshine
Sunshine is another health component that is often ignored by both raw and non-raw foodists alike. Your body needs the sun’s rays in order to manufacture vitamin D.
The general rule is about 20-30 minutes of full exposure everyday. Be sure to lay out early or late in the day – when the sun is not directly overhead - if you have fair skin.
And One Extra: Avoid Colonics
I don’t know what it is about colonics, but mainstream raw foodists are OBSESSED with them.
Trust me, you’ll do better to avoid them. There is no “20 year old gunk” stuck inside of you. And if there really is some food matter logged in the lining of your colon, no amount of “suck-age or flow-age” is going to get it out.
Sorry for the visual. 
Eat lots of fruit, limit your fat, live a healthy lifestyle and your digestive tract will be as clean as a…
Well, as clean as a colon should be!
Food For Thought
So there you have it, eight simple ways to improve your health today. And since this is by no means an exhaustive list, I appreciate any and all feedback.
So leave some comments!
Go raw and be fit,
Swayze
24 comments
[...] The Fit On Raw Alternative To A High Fat Raw Food Diet [...]
This is a great guide.
That is a great article!
I completely agree with the point on colonics. I think people are obsessed with them because it is instant (if only temporary) weight loss. I read that you can hold up to about 10 pounds of stuff in your colon but that happens mostly to people who are on a high fat red meat & fast food diet.
The sleep point is great too. I think that people feel so great on the raw food life style that their sleep is so great and they mistake the great sleep for not needing it as much.
Thanks for the information!
Swayze,
I agree with your points about not eating so much fat. I think there is a point where that can be overdone. But I am curious what expert information you are relying on when you say that one should give up dehydrators, spirulina, and colonics? I don’t do colonics, but I use a dehydrator and take spirulina. I think perhaps a medium ground might be in order here. One can have dehydrated foods, take spirulina (give up other supplements instead). Some expert opinions here might be useful (since your own education is not one that would prepare you to make such statements).
Kind regards,
Matt Pearcey, Ph.D.
I totally disagree with the colonics view point. Without them, I wasn’t releasing any weight despite following 811.
I have to say I disagree about the colonics and spirulina taboos as well. When I weighed 260 lbs. I have a boatload of impacted gunk and a 55-inch waist to prove it. I had five colonics, about a week apart and they really helped me get everything moving (in conjunction with a lot of raw foods and exercies). If I could afford them, I’d have one every month because I felt absolutely fabulous after each one.
The same with Sprirulina – if I could afford it I’m pretty sure I’d be using it. I’ve just read too many positive things about the nutrients and benefits.
Hi Laurie,
There is some documentation of how spirulina is quite nutrient dense and effective in providing super-nutrition. More reading can be found on naturalnews.com about that topic. Although I think Swayze is well intentioned, I wonder where the support for her assertions come from? Although some of her statements in her manual do appear to have some validity (not eating too much fat for instance, getting enough sleep, eating fruits and veggies), some of the statements appear to be authoritative, but lack authoritative backing.
This is not to say that everything we know needs to have science behind it (for instance, love cannot be proven, but we know when we feel it), but some authoritative source would be useful. Otherwise, her statements might instead come from the position, “this is my opinion and this has worked for me” rather than, “this is what is good for everyone” position.
Matt
It makes perfect sense that, given how cleansing fruits are, a high-fruit diet alone will cleanse the gut. That’s why newbies experience some diarrhea for a time. I get similar discomforts whenever I return to a high-fruit diet following a cooked meal or period of time.
In fact, I find that when I eat too much fruit I have indigestion – severe bloating and fatigue. Perhaps this is related to candida, but I think my body can only handle so much fruit. Since it’s medicine, too much can be hazardous. I’m not saying to eat less than 80% fruit, I am saying I need to be careful not to OVER-eat and eat more food than I need, period. There is so much emphasis in the 80/10/10 world to “eat eat eat! get more calories!” that I fear a lot of people forget to listen to their appetite. If I’m not an athlete, I don’t need 3 bunches of bananas every day! I understand that newcomers need to eat more than they understand at first, but after that adjustment period, there is no reason to be shoving food down when we aren’t hungry! I’ve been eating a high-fruit diet for 3 years, and maybe I just don’t need as many calories. I feel best when I eat 1500 calories, and I’m nursing a baby too! But if I eat more than that, I just get indigestion and lose my energy. There’s got to be a balance between taking in fuel, and using it all up in order to digest it.
(If anybody else has similar problems with bloating when you try to eat more than you need, I would like to continue this discussion)
Matt,
c’mon bro, there is absolutely no common-sense reason that a dehydrator would be beneficial for your health! You are REFINING and processing food. It’s totally unatural.
Hi Annalise,
Well, first, I’m not your “bro” (too informal and disrespectful way of addressing me). Second, what is your evidence that dehydrating is not a valid and healthy way to preserve food? Or is this just your opinion? That’s fine if it is…just curious.
Simply because something doesn’t match up with your way of thinking doesn’t make it lacking in common sense. To the contrary, it is more common sensical to deconstruct the process of dehydrating to better understand that indeed it preserves much of the enzymes and nutritional value of the food as opposed to cooking it. I would not, however, recommend that someone chooses dehydrated over raw…but still dehydrated food is better than cooked foods, in many ways.
Most (but not all) foods are still, however, even better for a person if they are taken in the whole food format (avoiding any heat at all). But that does not detract from the value of dehydration as a legitimate way of preserving food for consumption.
Want some references for my comments? You might read Dr. Gabriel Cousins’ work (he is a trained medical doctor and believes in raw and dehydrated food…although he suggests that one not solely rely on dehydrated foods).
Matt
Robert O. Young has adverse things to say about consuming all types of algae in his book “The pH Miracle.” Just because something contains a lot of nutrients doesn’t mean its good for the body. Steak has a lot of nutrients for instance, but it has MORE toxins. You have to look at the big picture. What effect does consuming algae have on the body? Robert Young says it’s a parasite and contributes to microform/yeast overgrowth. In that case, would it matter how much nutrients it has, if it actually sucks up nutrients from your system?
I don’t think anyone here is suggesting eating steak is a healthy choice. It sounds like you’re saying that algae is not healthy, according to your reference. That’s fine, but what is your authority on dehydrated food being healthy or not? I don’t think you have one.
Frankly, your energy is draining me (yes, even over the Internet). I can only imagine what it would be like in person. I’m not interested in discussing this issue with you further.
mp
Heather Reply:
September 9th, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I stay away from algae simply because in raw form, it’s totally unappealing to me. Would I be drawn to eat some algae off the beach? Not so much.
I believe Robert O Young is the man who advocates a 40% fat diet as well. I started reading The PH Miracle but once I realized this, I couldn’t take him too seriously and returned the book to the library.
Oh, and Matt – I think naturalnews is where I originally learned about the algaes. I did buy some spirulina, but I accidentally bought it in tablet form and then learned that our bodies can’t break them down. I tried putting the tablets in a folded towel and hammering them to powder, but it was too labor intensive and I’m too lazy to fool with it.
I’ll eventually buy the capsules and try again. I’m so curious as to how this substance would affect my body. I am thin now, with much improved health, but I still have fibromyalgia symptoms and I’m not convinced there is no cure, as the doctors state. Maybe I just need more time, since I can see improvements in my health almost monthly.
Honey Reply:
September 5th, 2009 at 8:16 AM
Hi Laurie,
I had fibromyalsia for about 10 years and have been healed. After fighting for years and getting some relief from drinking lots of water I was lead to the Hallelujah Diet (book by George Malkmus). It’s a 80% raw 15% vegan healing diet. Within 3 months I was off all meds and had lost 20lbs. I had my life back. I got off track for a while and gained the weight back buuuutttt I still don’t have fibro and I’m back on track. You can read at there website hacres.com. I used the fiber cleanse for 3 months as recommended. I no longer have the life long problem of constipation. I no longer have gas issues. I’m 51 and I’m always told how young I look in fact yesterday I was telling my story to someone and was told I looked 38. WOW that felt wonderful. I also use what they sell called barley max (luv luv it). I have never felt so internally clean in my life. I was very very active before fibro and it really brought me to a place that I’m still coming out of. Never give up hope my dear. It took a long time to get where are and it will take time to get back to get and stay healthy and balanced but the wonderful news is that we were created with a self-healing body if we eat right, move, get sun, get rest and drink clean water. I hope this is encouraging to you.
Hi guys!
I hope everyone takes a deep breath and does what works for them ;0) It seems on any given day you can find evidence to disprove or prove something. I think if you take supplements and superfoods and feel great, more power to you. Some people are foodies and like “cooking” with dehydrators and like to have fun with food. Some people can rock a super natural approach a la Swayze. EVERYONE is different with different approaches and needs and that is what makes your journey uniquely yours.
Wow, I’m a little late to this, but what a great bunch of info… I’m new to raw foods but Love our new Dehydrator. From a parenting perspective, it helps give my kiddo delicious preserved fruits on the go that he would otherwise not get to eat due to timing or location constraints. A whole peach isn’t always possible but dried peaches are easily available. And I’d rather dry them from locally grown peaches with no preservatives then buy them at the store.
As for the sleep thing… I have to say, I’m sleeping more and better now then I have in pretty much my whole life. This is one of the many changes that I was really surprised about. I’m sleeping soo much more at night and then feeling so great during the day. Which gives me the energy to exercise more and agree with also getting outside and staying active.
Who Knew?
Swayze Reply:
September 15th, 2009 at 6:59 AM
Yep, that’s a good point. Sometimes we have to be pragmatic and just do the best we can. We can’t always have whole, fresh, ripe, raw, organic fruits. Dehydrating them might be the next best thing.
I’m just finding this particular blog again and was so surprised to see that I made the above comments, and just a short time ago, too! I’ve done enough open-minded reading and studying and experimenting in the intervening few months that I now believe 100% that Swayze’s way is the best way of all. Yesterday was the first day that I actually managed to eat nothing but raw fruits and vegetables (I’ve been at least 85-90% for months), and I slept like a dream. No overt fats, either (yay!!).
I hope this is the beginning of the rest of my 811-RV life. Being convinced is the most important thing, I think, and I believe, I believe!
I need to get rid my pantry of the quinoa and brown rice and canned beans and other foodstuffs I used to think were so healthy, but I don’t quite have the nerve to do it yet. If I can stay completely raw for a month (or maybe even a week) I’ll probably get the confidence to do that.
The problem for me is that I run really low on money towards the end of the month, and I might need to resort to eating that food sometime just to get me to payday. So I’ll just hang onto it for awhile and see how it goes.
Swayze, thanks so much for all the wonderful information you have provided on your website and this blog. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!
Good luck Laurie! We’re on a tight food budget too, so we eat mostly bananas, apples, and lettuce! But I had a ton of food storage of legumes and grains, which we do use in the winters to help us get through financially (in the summer I eat all raw because more variety, cheaper produce, etc.). This is the first winter I committed myself to staying on whole foods and LOW FAT and what do you know? I am digesting those cooked foods better than ever, and it’s not leading to binges, and I am not seeing any symptoms (except for lower energy of course, but not so bad that it disrupts my daily life).
Thanks, Annalise, that is encouraging! I have found a store called Save-A-Lot that has bananas 3lbs/$1 and pears for $.79 per lb. This has really helped a lot as I adore banana/pear smoothies and can drink them three times a day with NO problems whatsoever. A huge revelation for me was realizing I can eat 15 or more bananas a day and it’s OK, I won’t get fat. So many books I’ve read in the past have warned against the evils of the “fattening” banana! I don’t read books that dis fruit anymore – totally bogus!
I’m with you – the main things for me are committing to not eating processed junk food and sugary garbage. Then eating raw as much as my budget will afford, and filling in with other whole foods if strictly necessary to survive.
)
This is what im going to start doing as one of my goals for next year
I’ve had Myasthenia Gravis for four years now and I hope that this time I can stick with it and just cure myself in the long run before I get too old xD I’m 17 btw.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Houston, TX!!
Swayze Reply:
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Well good for you, Jessica, for improving your health so early in life. And Merry Christmas to you, too!