What is the one thing vegetarians, vegans, and raw vegans are all known for, besides the obvious absence of meat eating?

A lack of muscle tone, which leads many to believe that anyone toying with the idea of giving up animal flesh is destined to a life of comments like, “You’re too skinny.  Here, have some meat.”

Don’t believe the naysayers.  You can totally build lean and healthy muscle on a raw vegan diet.  Wanna know how?

Eat More Fruit?

No, but good guess!  Eating more fruit is my answer to just about everything else.

The correct answer is STRENGTH TRAINING.

Overload and Recover

If you want to build muscles, you just have to do two things: overload and recover.  This is called training and if you don’t do both of these, you will not build any muscle at all.

You can eat all the fruit smoothies you can stand, but it won’t make a lick of difference if you are not:

1. Overloading the muscle using some form of resistance (e.g. hand weights, machines, resistance bands, or even your own body) and
2. Allowing for adequate recovery time.

Super simple!

Eat More Fruit

Okay, I know I said fruit isn’t the answer to building muscle, but it is part of the equation.

You see, when you start strength training, you will start burning more calories; the mere act of working your body burns calories by itself.  In addition, muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat so once you’ve gained some muscle, you will be burning more fat just sitting around doing nothing.

Sweet!

And since you’ll be using up more fuel, you will need to eat more food.  Sure, you can try to limit your caloric intake in order to lose weight quickly, but I definitely do not recommend it.

Not only will calorie restriction leave you very hungry and craving less optimal foods, all your muscle gaining efforts will be thwarted as well.  Eating enough food is part of the recover process and is necessary if you want to build healthy lean muscle.

So there you have it!  Exactly what you need to build some mighty muscle on a radically raw diet.  No disgusting hemp shakes or gagrific protein bars required.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. There are many, many great resources out there for getting fit and building muscle.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. www.bodyrock.tv – A super sexy lady with super kick butt workouts!
2. www.rosstraining.com – A former fighter with some ingenious exercises (sledgehammer swings, anyone?)
3. www.veganbodybuilding.com – Check out the strength building section of the forum for some good tips and routines to try.

Feel free to add some of yours below!

There’s no disputing the fact that everyone, regardless of the foods you eat, should brush their teeth.  But what about flossing?  Is it necessary even on the healthiest of all diets?

If You Eat, You Should Floss

Let’s face it: getting food stuck in your teeth is an uncomfortable part of eating, whether you are consuming a raw or SAD diet.  I mean, how many times have you eaten a green smoothie or raw salsa only to walk around the rest of the day with little bits of lettuce and tomato skin in your teeth?

Aesthetics aside, letting food live between your teeth is simply unhygienic.  It fosters bacteria and leads to lots of uncomfortable (not to mention costly) dental problems we’re all too familiar with, e.g. CAVITIES!!!

How Often to Floss

The general rule is to floss once each day and I think it’s a good one.  No matter what you’re eating, even if it’s just bananas and water, you need to clean between your teeth.  You will get food stuck in there and there will be some plaque build up as well.

Plus, how hard is it to floss?  You’ll already be at the sink brushing your teeth anyway (I hope) and it only takes a minute or two to finish up with some flossing.

If you are eating some particularly sticky/stringy foods, you may need to floss more than once.  For instance, if I decide to have mangoes for lunch, I’ll definitely floss afterward.  Leaving stringy bits of mango in my teeth all day is just gross.

What to Floss With

While any flavorless floss will do just fine, I personally prefer the floss with the little handle, like this:

These are disposable, but reusable products are also available.  Here’s one I found at amazon for $5.

Word of Caution

Ya know the phrase, “Too much of anything is a bad thing”?  Well, this applies to flossing as well.  You can overdo it when flossing; it is definitely not unheard of for people to floss too hard and actually wear down their gums.

So be careful when flossing and make sure to only floss the sides of your teeth, NOT your gums.

Go raw, be fit, and floss those chompers,

Swayze

Recently I commented on an article stating that eating a restrictive diet of any kind is classified as an eating disorder.

I completely disagreed.

However, I did end the article warning against food obsession.  Today I’d like to continue that topic with 10 signs that you are obsessing over your food.

Are You Obsessing Over Eating?

Answer true or false to the following statements to see if you are an obsessive eater:

#1: You worry about food all the time.

#2: You worry about your weight constantly.

#3: You measure every little bit of food before it goes into your mouth.

#4: You severely restrict your caloric intake.

#5: You refrain from participating in activities you love because of your diet.

#6: You feel superior to others because of your strict diet.

#7: You measure your own self-worth based on whether you stick with your diet or not.

#8: You have a really hard time sticking with your diet.

#9: You try to convince everyone that they should eat the way you do.

#10: Your diet makes you unhappy.

If you can relate to any one of these statements, then you should definitely take a step back and reanalyze

I threw in number two because most often food obsession can be traced back to an obsession over one’s weight.  Let’s face it, people who don’t fret about the number on the scale don’t weigh their food at every meal or severely restrict their calories.

Number nine may seem strange, being that this is a site dedicated to convincing others to eat the way I do, but there is a difference.  I don’t go out into the world trying to convert anyone and everyone.  I let those who are interested come to me.

If you think raw is the way for you, then you’re in the right place.  If not, that’s fine.  I won’t waste my time or yours trying to convince you of something that doesn’t interest you, even if taking my advice would be in your best interest health-wise.

Number ten may seem strange as well, but it is definitely not uncommon.  In fact, I would say that most people are ultimately unhappy about sticking with their diet.  For raw foodists, it comes down to the social aspect.  Sure, the health benefits are great, but going to restaurants, visiting family, and the feelings of isolation can be tough.

You have to decide if being raw in a cooked food world works for you and makes you happy in the long run.  You and ONLY YOU can make this decision.

Being Organized is NOT Obsessive

I do want to be clear that being prepared and organized when it comes to your food is NOT obsessive.  There is nothing wrong with knowing the amount of calories that are in the foods you eat or exactly how much food you need to buy when you go shopping.

As I’ve said time and time again, preparing and being organized is what success is all about when it comes to going and staying low fat raw vegan.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

* Feature Article: Yes, Raw Foodists Should Count Calories

* Your Questions Answered: Healthy Raw Foods for Endurance Activities

Yes, Raw Foodists Should Count Calories

Last week I talked about how all calories are NOT created equal.  And while many of us (to those of you who posted, thanks for the great comments!) have experienced this for ourselves after switching from a cooked to raw diet, it does not mean that calories should be completely done away with.

In fact, calories and success on a low fat raw vegan diet go hand in hand.  Here’s why:

Calories are King

If you want to enjoy your raw foods and have no problem fighting off cravings, then you need to eat enough sweet fruit.

Knowing the amount of calories you need AND the amount of calories that are in the fruits you enjoy will help you tremendously because you will know exactly how much fruit you need each day.  It will be easy for you to buy enough food and you will always be PREPARED.

You know what they say: a prepared raw foodist is a happy raw foodist!

And no, calorie counting is not an exact science.  But it is accurate enough to help ensure you are getting in enough fruit each and everyday.

Does Swayze Still Count Calories?

Yes, she does.  Every single day.

No, really I do!  But not in the way or even for the reasons you may think.

I don’t weigh my food.  I don’t restrict my calories.  I simply use the estimated calories in food as a guide to how much I need to eat each day.

For instance, if I’ve had 10 mangoes for breakfast and 10 bananas for lunch, I know I’ve had about 2000 calories so far.  To meet my personal quota of 2800 (the least amount of calories I need each day), I know I need to eat at least 600 calories from sweet fruit to start off my dinner meal.

If I still feel hungry after that amount (which sometimes I do), I eat more fruit.  Then I finish off dinner with some tomatoes and other non-sweet fruits/greens and that makes up the rest of my calories for the day.

Having all this information in my head means that I know exactly how much food I need at all times, which means that I’m always PREPARED.

Because I know the calories in all of my favorite fruits, I ALWAYS know how much food to buy.  I ALWAYS know how much food to ripen.  And so I NEVER run out of healthy fruit to eat!

Consistency Really is Key

Once you’ve been eating high-fruit raw vegan for long enough, you’ll know just how easy and automatic this is.

You won’t need to weigh anything or use an online calorie database to log your intake.  The only time I ever use these is when I come across a fruit I’ve never tried (like last year when I had white sapote for the first time!)

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

Healthy Raw Foods for Endurance Activities

Jessica asks:

Have you discovered a way to make a ‘bar’, one that I could take on a 4 hr mountain bike ride? I am trying to perfect one with bananas that I dehydrate mixed with fresh dates and put in the fridge. Do you know of anyone who has tried?

I know some people drink Date-orade or just bring a few bananas – but if that’s not enough – what other 811 friendly ideas are there out there to replace the high fat ‘bar’ version and what use to be my old staple on rides, a Pb&j.

No, I have never made a raw bar before, but your dehydrated bananas mixed with fresh dates is a good one.  What would be even easier would be to simply eat the dehydrated bananas and the dates separately.  You could pack up both in a couple of plastic baggies and easily store away in a backpack.

Any dried fruit would work well for this, actually.  And if you are looking for more whole food options, grapes are always a winner.

Most importantly, I would make sure to drink lots of water and eat lots of fruit the day before, and also do the same an hour or two before the actual ride.

Hope that helps!

Swayze

Earlier this week I posted an article about a study conducted by Princeton University researchers regarding rats, high-fructose corn syrup, and weight loss.

You can read my post here.

In essence, the study showed that rats fed a diet of rat chow and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) gained much more weight than those fed rat chow and sugar water, even though both groups were fed the same amount of calories.

Why is this important, you say?  You are a raw foodist and wouldn’t ever dream of eating HFCS!

All Calories Are Not Created Equal

As I alluded to on Monday, this little study pokes a tiny, but noticeable hole in the “a calorie is a calorie” theory.  It suggests that not all calories are equal, even when they are comprised of the same macronutrient (carbohydrates, in this case).

While you may not consume HFCS or refined sugar (or rat chow, I hope), you may still be buying into the “eat less, exercise more” mantra and believing that you need to severely limit your fruit consumption in order to lose weight.

My Experience

When I began watching my calories on a cooked food diet, I usually averaged about 1500 calories consumed each day.  Even with this low number, I was never able to lose more than a few pounds or get my body fat percentage down below 25% or so.

Now, I eat 2800 calories or more of raw foods each day and yet I still weigh significantly less and have a much healthier body fat % than I ever did on a cooked food diet!  I am a little bit more active now, but not nearly enough to account for the 1300 caloric difference.

Now, I’m not saying that calories are not important.  They are EXTREMELY important, especially if you want to be successful on a low fat raw vegan diet.

But that’s for a later article.

What’s Your Take?

Have you experienced a difference in calories going from a cooked food diet to a raw food one?  Are you able to consume more calories eating lots of fruit without any weight gain, and even with weight loss?  Maybe you’ve even seen a difference between eating high-fat raw and low fat raw?

Whatever your experience, be sure to leave me a comment!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze