Are you new to the raw food diet and finding it hard to maintain? Do you feel like a raw food newbie, surrounded by thriving veteran raw foodists?

Fear not, dear reader!

These 5 know how tips will give any raw food beginner the confidence and the know-how to succeed on a low fat, raw vegan diet.  You’ll be a thriving raw foodist in no time.

#1: Know How to Pick Good Quality Fruit

This is #1 on the list for a reason.  Knowing how to choose fresh, ripe, and delicious raw produce – as well as knowing how much food you need for the day and what fruits you enjoy – is a huge factor in your raw success.

My original decision to give low fat, high fruit raw vegan a chance was rather impulsive.  I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and didn’t know where to turn.  I had been on what I thought at the time was the healthiest diet in the world: cooked vegan.  The anemia, excess weight, and joint pains that plagued me screamed that the diet wasn’t working and so raw foods seemed like the next logical step.

Unlike most of the decisions in my life, I just kind of went for it!  I started by eating about 75% raw and saw results immediately.  I had much more energy, experienced immediate weight loss, had more focus, etc.  This got me so excited that I felt I had to go 100% raw right away!

Because I was still a new player in the raw food game, I had to go through a lot of trial and error.  It became shockingly clear how little I knew about produce and what a newbie I was at choosing anything close to edible.  I can’t tell you the number of times I threw away wads of cash on rock hard, never to ripen, out of season, tasteless fruits and turned to cooked foods for sustenance!

My best advice to you is to take it slow.  Gradually adding in raw, sweet fruit to your diet will allow you to learn as you go along without worrying about “slipping up” on cooked foods.

For more on transitioning, I suggest you check out my free mini-course The Fool Proof Transition to Raw.  A new lesson will be sent to your inbox each week and all you have to do is subscribe in the box on the right or visit www.fitonraw.com and subscribe there.

Did I mention it’s free?

#2: Know How to Make Simple (Yet Tasty) Raw Recipes

Many raw food beginners feel that a low fat raw vegan diet is completely tasteless and way too boring.  I understand that eating foods in their whole states can seem a little bland at first.  Okay, maybe REALLY bland!

Well, that’s where raw recipes come in!

To get started, I recommend that you experiment with fruit salads, fruit smoothies and green smoothies.  A fruit salad is just a few different varieties of fruits mixed together.  For instance, I love equal parts of chopped papaya, orange, and pineapple mixed together in a big bowl.  So juicy and refreshing!

A fruit smoothie is a few different fruits blended together.  In most cases, the base is a denser fruit like bananas, mangoes, or papayas.  Smaller portions of other fruits are then added to the base.  My favorite smoothie is 3 bananas, 2 oranges, and 1 cup of wild blueberries.  How much water you add to your drink will depend on how thick you like it.  I usually start with 1 cup.

A green smoothie is just a fruit smoothie with greens added to it.  These are great to help cut the sweetness in your meal and help you get in your greens for the day.  An always popular green smoothie is 5 bananas, 1 cup of blueberries, and 2 handfuls of romaine.  When adding greens, start with small handfuls.  Trust me, a grassy smoothie is not very appetizing.

I also recommend that you have at least one savory recipe that you really, really enjoy.  Salsas with lots of tomatoes and celery are great and you can use them as a dressing over greens to give a heartier feel to the dish.  You can also make lots of delicious raw soups or blended salads using saltier veggies as your base.

For more healthy and tasty raw food recipes, be sure to check out my e-book Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes here:

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

#3: Know How to Eat Enough

Yes, I know I harp on calorie consumption A LOT.  That’s because it’s important!  The best quality fruit and the tastiest raw recipes will do NOTHING for your success if you don’t eat enough.  It becomes all too easy to slip back into cooked food eating habits when you’re running on empty.

So how do you make sure you are consuming the right amount of food?  First, multiply your ideal weight by 10.  This is your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the calories you would need if you remained in bed all day. Second, add any calories that you burn during the day to your BMR.  This is dependent upon your lifestyle.  For instance, someone who works in construction will use many more calories than someone working a desk job. Lastly, add any calories you burn from exercise.  Voila!  Now you have a rough estimate of how much food you need per day.

It’s important to remember that this is just an estimate.  If you don’t feel satisfied eating this amount, just gradually increase how much sweet fruit you eat during a meal.  The general rule is that satiation should last between 3-5 hours after you have eaten.

#4: Know How to Move Your Body

Exercise can be a lifesaver if you are new to raw foods and struggling with cooked food cravings.  As I stated in my How to Earn Your Raw Food article, breaking a sweat can create true hunger and actually have you craving simple raw foods.  I’ve never enjoyed my simple fruit meals as much as I do after an intense workout!

If you’re new to exercise, don’t sweat it (pun intended)!  A simple jog around the neighborhood or a game of badminton or a dip in the pool can do wonders for your eating efforts.  A little exercise goes a long way!

#5: Know How to Have Fun

Just this past month, I had a lot of fun produce shopping.  Not only did I visit my favorite farmers market, but I also learned about a Hispanic market a few minutes from my house.  I had actually known about this place for quite some time, but was hesitant to go there because it was in a not-so-nice part of town.

Anyway, I headed over there and was amazed by the variety and quality of produce available.  There were at least 10 different types of greens that I had never heard of!

But the really spectacular part was the produce.  Not only did the store have sapodilla, mamey, guava, and my favorite mangoes, they carried JACKFRUIT!  I could not believe it.

It really is so much fun to come across foods that you have never seen in person or never even heard of.  I am constantly surprised and amused by all the different varieties of produce out there.

And even “normal” produce is exciting!  Just look at some of the foods you will be dining on: bananas, oranges, grapes, apples, peaches, strawberries, cantaloupe, pears, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, tangerines, mangoes, nectarines, apricots, blueberries, watermelon, romaine, boston lettuce, bok choy, celery, tomatoes, bell pepper…all of which can be found at your local grocery store!

And don’t forget all the fun you can have making (and eating) simple raw recipes with these ingredients.  The combinations and taste sensations are endless.

Update 2011

I would say the most important know-how tip out of this list is the first one, knowing how to pick quality fruit. And now, I don’t just mean buying organic. I mean eating food when it is ripe and delicious.

You can buy all the organic produce you like, but if it isn’t good quality (i.e. it rots before it ripens) or you eat it before the fruit has a chance to ripen, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

Then, of course, there’s the eating enough issue. Everyone struggles with this one in the beginning. Part of it is a perception problem (i.e. 5+ bananas for a meal seems like overkill) and the other part is an implementation problem.

It can be hard for someone used to eating low-volume cooked foods to start eating pounds of food in one meal. It takes some practice so that the stomach can stretch to accomodate the food.

Finally, let’s talk about recipes. Most people don’t have much trouble with finding fruity recipes that they enjoy. It’s dinnertime and getting in their greens that they struggle with.

My recommendation is to find one delicious and healthy salad dressing that you love. For ideas, check out Frederic Patenaude’s 70 Healthy Salad Dressings e-book that I offer along with my e-book Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes:

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

If you can tackle these issues—eating quality ripe fruit that you like, eating enough, and having a tasty greens-packed recipe that you love—you’ll be on your way to raw food success.

Go raw and be fit,
Swayze

The following article was originally published during the summer of 2009. Unfortunately, too many people (raw gurus included) are still struggling with maintaining a 100% raw food diet. If that includes you, keep reading…

I have spent a good amount of my time on raw food forums over the past couple of years. It is a great way to learn about eating raw and to gather information from others who are thriving on the diet.

While visiting these forums, I have noticed a problem that is expressed over and over again by various members. Many people complain that they find it too difficult to stick to a raw food diet. They find themselves extremely hungry and experiencing cravings for cooked dishes on a regular basis.

And I’m not talking about brand new raw foodists. I’m talking about people who have been attempting a raw food diet for years and still can’t seem to stick with it!

So what’s the problem? Why is it that such a vast majority of raw foodists fail on a raw food diet?

Not enough calories, Too much fat

In general, the raw foodists I’m talking about are consuming lots of greens and vegetables, avocados, nuts, oils, dehydrated mixtures like flax seed crackers, some vinegars, and dried fruit.

Even though the raw foodists described above are eating large amounts of greens and other vegetables, these foods do not offer a substantial amount of calories.

Here’s an example…

Typical Salad without Overt Fats

A large salad of one pound of romaine lettuce, one medium red bell pepper, and one medium cucumber is only 153 calories. All of that food has less calories than just two bananas!

This is a problem because the average person needs between 2000-2500 calories a day. To eat that much food from romaine lettuce, you would need to eat 25 pounds (about 50 heads) of lettuce per day! This is completely impractical, not to mention rather unpleasant. My jaw aches just thinking about it!

We’ve now established that it’s nearly impossible to get enough calories from vegetables. While salads like this are high in volume, the satiation is short lived because the caloric needs are not being met.

So where do these raw foodists get their calories from?

Avocados, raw nuts and seeds, and cold-pressed olive oils.

To be precise, fat. These fatty foods are used to make dehydrated dishes like “raw” crackers, breads, and “mock” pizzas. They are also eaten on their own or put atop salads.

Let’s return to the salad example…

Typical Salad with Overt Fats

One pound of romaine, one medium bell pepper, and one medium cucumber is 153 calories. Now, add just one medium avocado and one tablespoon of olive oil. That takes the amount up to 561 calories!

The avocado and oil alone provide 2/3 of the total calories in this dish. Not only that, but the addition of the avocado and oil took the fat content from 10% to a staggering 61% of fat!

As you can see, it only takes a small amount of these foods (fatty fruits, nuts and seeds, and oils) to exceed your needed calories and fat content for the day.

Again, this is just one meal. Many raw foodists have two salads during their day and these are frequently even more fat laden (and contain far less nutritious greens) than the example I have shown above.

This does not even consider the popular complex, dehydrated recipes that are mostly comprised of high-fat nuts and seeds.

With this knowledge in mind, is it surprising that the average raw foodist consumes a whopping 60% of his or her calories from fat everyday? How many times have you come across raw foodists who claim to eat several avocados a day and handfuls of nuts in just one sitting?

Maybe this isn’t surprising, but it’s certainly unhealthy.

What’s the Alternative?

While greens and vegetable fruits are very important in a healthy raw diet, they simply do not provide the necessary calories to fill you up and combat cooked cravings. However, you do not have to get your calories from low-volume fatty foods.

You are not destined for raw food failure.

There is another way…

Sweet fruit

By eating substantial amounts of whole, raw, simple, delicious fruits, you will feel completely satiated and will no longer suffer from cooked food cravings. You will also get the absolute best nutrition available and fuel your body right.

And it’s so easy to get started!

If you still eat a cooked diet, simply replace your breakfast with as much fruit as you can eat and move on from there. If you already eat raw, just replace the majority of the fats you eat with sweet fruit.

If you are having a hard time getting enough calories from whole fruit, try blending them into tasty smoothies!

So put down the avocado, pick up an apple, and start succeeding on a raw diet today!

2011 Update

Even today, more than two years since I published the above article, crazy cravings are still the biggest problem within the raw food movement. And it still all boils down to far too much fat and too few fruits.

Just look at this ridiculously fatty raw bread recipe that I recently critiqued. I mean, over 80% of calories from fat? That’s just insane.

That said, I’m seeing more and more people giving the fruity raw way a go, often bypassing the high-fat raw way altogether! I couldn’t be happier.

Go raw and be fit,
Swayze

P.S. Still struggling with cravings on a raw food diet? Be sure to check out my cravings crushing program…

“How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings Once and for All”

A Guide for Destroying Cravings on a Raw Food Diet

To learn more about the program and order your copy today, click on the link below:

==> www.CookedFoodCravings.com

These foods are promoted for their superior nutritional content, being good sources of various vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidant and protein-rich.

But as I show here, these products are not so super at all. In fact, the REAL raw superfoods are plain and boring fresh fruits, greens, nuts and seeds.

Don’t believe me? Check it out:

SIDE NOTE: The following percentages given are based on the Percent Daily Values (%DV) for a 2,000 calorie diet.

Vitamins

Fruits are known for being an excellent source of vitamins, including vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K and folate.

For instance, just 3 medium mangoes (605 calories) contains 10,907 IU of vitamin A (218% DV), 1.2 mg of vitamin B6 (60% DV), 366.9 mg of vitamin C (611% DV), 9.07 mg of vitamin E (30% DV), 42.3 mcg of vitamin K (52% DV), and 433 mcg of folate (108% DV).

Greens are also great sources of these vitamins, especially vitamins A, C, K and folate. For example, one head of romaine contains 54,525 IU of vitamin A (1,090% DV), 25 mg of vitamin C (41% DV), 641.6 mcg of vitamin K (802% DV), 851 mcg of folate (212% DV).

Minerals

While fruits do contain necessary minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium, greens typically contain a higher amount. That’s why it’s so important to get in your greens in addition to sweet fruits.

For instance, one bunch of spinach (12 ounces) contains 337 mg of calcium (34% DV), 9.2 mg of iron (51% DV), 269 mg of magnesium (67% DV), 167 mg of phosphorus (17% DV) and 1,897 mg of potassium (54% DV).

Nuts and seeds are also good sources of minerals. Just one ounce of brazil nuts contains 107 mg of magnesium (26% DV), 206 mg of phosphorus (20% DV), 0.49 mg of copper (24% DV), and 543.5 mcg of selenium (776% DV).

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are substances that inhibit oxidization. Within the body, these substances help to counteract damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules that have been linked to aging, inflammation, and cancer).

Antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E, as well as beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A primarily found in fruits and vegetables), lutein, lycopene, and selenium.

As I’ve shown above, it’s easy to get enough of vitamins A, C, and E and selenium from raw fruits, greens, nuts and seeds. But what about lutein and lycopene?

Lutein, a carotenoid necessary for healthy eyesight, is found in high amounts in kale, spinach, green peas, zucchini, pistachios, broccoli, and kiwi. Lycopene is found in gac (a Southeast Asian fruit), tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, pink guava, and papaya.

If you eat a diet of raw fruits, greens, nuts and seeds, you will get plenty of antioxidants. In addition, you’ll avoid many of the health factors – such as eating meat, cholesterol, fried foods, too much fat, drinking alcohol, and smoking – that lead to excess free radicals in the first place.

Protein

As I spoke about here, the human body does not need much protein at all. As long as you are meeting your caloric needs, you’re likely getting enough protein.

According to this 2007 report by the World Health Organization, the average protein requirement for adults is 0.66 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day, while the safe level comes to 0.83 g/kg per day.

So a woman weighing 120 lbs (54.4 kg) would need about 45 grams of protein each day (54.4 x .83). It’s actually very easy to meet and even exceed this “safe” requirement on a raw food diet high in fruit and greens.

Check out this sample low fat raw vegan menu plan:

• Breakfast: 5 medium bananas
• Lunch: 4 mangoes
• Mid-Afternoon: 8 peaches
• Dinner: Salad of 1 bunch spinach, 1 cucumber, 4 med. tomatoes, and 1 ounce brazil nuts

This example plan comes to 1,975 calories consisting of 448 grams of carbohydrates, 26 grams of fat, and 47 grams of protein. That’s MORE than enough protein for the average 120 lb female…all from just fruits, greens, and an ounce of nuts!

Calories are King

You can’t just eat a few bananas, a bowl of grapes, or a normal-portioned (read: tiny) salad and expect to get all the nutrients you need. If you wish to get enough vitamin C, folate, magnesium, iron, what have you, you have to get in your calories.

So save your money for the real superfoods: fresh fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds. You can get all the protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants you need from a healthy raw food diet predominated by fruit with generous portions of greens and limited amounts of nuts, seeds, avocados, and other fatty foods.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Are you finding it impossible to maintain a REAL superfood-rich raw diet because of crazy cravings? Are you constantly tempted by unhealthy salty, fatty raw food dishes and even your old cooked food favorites?

Check out my cravings crushing program…

“How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings Once and for All”

A Guide for Destroying Cravings on a Raw Food Diet

www.CookedFoodCravings.com

Click on the link below to learn more and purchase your copy today:

==> www.CookedFoodCravings.com

According to the RDA, the average adult needs about 400 micrograms of folate everyday. And if you’re a pregnant or lactating female, you need an additional 200-400 mcg.

Not that I usually agree with the RDA numbers, which are often highly skewed to accommodate the normal unhealthy American who lives on meat, dairy, and processed grains and contain a rather large margin of safety.

Regardless, it’s very easy to get enough folate. And you don’t need to eat braised calf liver or cooked beans (foods high in folate), nor do you need to take folic acid supplements (which have been linked to breast cancer, colorectal cancer, childhood asthma, and narrowing of the arteries and even artery closure) in order to get in your folate.

Pregnant or not, here’s what you should do to fill up on folate:

#1: Eat Lots of Raw Produce

Folate is one nutrient particularly sensitive to cooking, especially the bioavailable folate found in fruits and vegetables.

For instance, one study showed that spinach lost 51% of its folate when boiled while boiled broccoli lost 56% of folate.

If you want to get in your folate, you need to eat lots of RAW fruits and veggies.

#2: Eat Enough Calories

Even if you are eating raw foods, you may not be eating enough. Not only will this cause massive cravings that could (and probably will) lead you back to cooked foods, you’ll also risk nutrient deficiencies including folate.

But as long as you’re eating enough calories from raw fruits and veggies, with your focus on sweet fruit, you’ll get plenty of folate.

For instance, one banana contains 23.6 mcg of folate. Doesn’t sound like much, does it?

But one banana is only about 100 calories. If you eat 7 bananas for breakfast (about 700 calories), you’ll get just over 165 mcg.

That’s over one-third of the 400 mcg recommendation already by breakfast! If you were to have another fruit meal for lunch, let’s say 6 medium mangoes, you’d take in another 174 mcg.

Throw in another fruit meal and a super salad and you’ll be full of folate!

Speaking of super salads…

#3: Eat Lots of Greens

Besides being excellent sources of zinc, iron, and vitamins A, E, and K, many tender ‘n tasty greens are full of folate.

Spinach is well-known for its folate content. Just one ounce of Popeye’s favorite food contains 54.3 mcg! So if you were to eat a super salad containing 10 ounces of spinach you would take in a whopping 551 mcg of natural, bioavailable folate!

Here’s another example: romaine. One ounce of romaine contains 38.1 mcg of folate. A super salad of 16 ounces of romaine contains over 600 mcg of folate!

And that doesn’t include the folate in other fresh foods like cucumber, tomatoes, and celery that typically go in a salad.

Okay, I’m totally reading your mind right now. You’re trying to imagine eating an entire 10-ounce package of spinach or a whole pound of romaine lettuce and you just can’t do it.

I mean, you COULD do it…if it were smothered in fatty and salty dressings. And you know THAT isn’t the healthy way to go!

The solution?

Savory Veggie Stews

Idiot-Proof Recipe System

Click Here!

Savory Veggie Stews, developed by fellow fruit-loving raw foodist Roger Haeske, are full of flavor, full of greens, and full of folate!

I crunched the numbers and just one serving of Roger’s Tex-Mex Stew contains a whopping 489.1 mcg of folate!

Even better? Each stew variation is low in fat, salt-free, garlic-free, and onion-free. And contrary to the name, each “stew” is 100% raw as well.

So if you’d like to get in your greens and fill up on folate, check out Roger’s uber delicious, folate-friendly, hearty and healthy raw stews at the link below:

==> http://tinyurl.com/ygwwahs

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Even if you get enough folate from your fruit meals, you still need to get in your greens. Greens are rich in minerals like magnesium and iron that are lacking in many sweet fruits.

Savory Veggie Stews will help you LOVE getting in your greens. You’ll actually look forward to your savory, hearty, “greens-galore” dinner meals!

==> http://tinyurl.com/ygwwahs

* 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