* What’s New?: Customer Testimonials

* Feature Article: Eat Today for Energy Tomorrow

Customer Testimonials

Just wanted to share these testimonials sent in to me by a couple of satisfied customers

Catherine says:

Dear Swayze,

Your help has been priceless on this low-fat raw vegan journey. It can be very tricky to find the right information out there in a clear and concise way. I am finally understanding much better what to do and what not to do, thanks to your mini-courses and e-books. I am finally finding recipes that I like and finding my groove in the diet.

I do not really have cravings, but I find it very hard to not eat the food at potlucks and family dinners. I did cheat twice and felt awful. I had a migraine the next day and was a monster to my partner and children. I have finally found the solution to my health problems. I am so grateful for your help and I am convinced that I am on the right path for healing and feeling great!

Thank you so much!

Catherine Forest
Canton-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada
http://catherine-et-les-fees.blogspot.com/

Laura says,

Hi Swayze,

I have really enjoyed the recipes. I am still at the start of my journey to convert to low fat raw vegan. The information in the Bonus Lessons has been helpful and I am making changes in the right direction. I have enjoyed many of the recipes. I really enjoyed the plantain pudding (never knew you could eat plantains un-fried). But I think that my favorite recipe is the caramel dip. I eat it with celery while I am cooking my non-raw family dinner their food. So, I am eating my first course then and eat a salad during their dinner.

I can tell that this is going to be a long process, and I have only a 1 or 2 truly raw days, but I know that I am doing better things for my body every day. One of my main struggles is eating out (my family eats out a lot). My family feels self-conscious when I bring my food into a restaurant and as you mentioned in your “cravings” book, I really cannot get volumes of good fruit in a restaurant. I have about decided that Golden Corral may be the best place to go when eating this way. Assuming that I can stay away from the cooked food section, they tend to have a lot of fruit and a salad bar. Funny, on any other diet, I would never think of going there. Unfortunately, my family is not really into the Golden Corral scene.

Anyway, thank you for your encouragement. The eBooks have really helped, especially at this stage of my transformation. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Laura Wallace
Fort Worth, TX

Thanks so much, guys!  Remember Laura, there’s no need to go 100% raw right away.  Depending upon your reasons for going raw, a slower progression may be a better option for you.

If you’re really having trouble at restaurants or other social events, a great option is to eat your fruit ahead of time.  If you’re still worried, bring a bunch of dates along with you.  They’re the easiest of all fruits to transport and have loads of calories!

Plus, it’s a lot easier to carry a bag dates than it is a bunch of bananas.  People won’t look at you so funny.

Swayze

P.S. To purchase the low fat raw recipe book and cravings program mentioned above, follow the links below:

Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes

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

21 Days to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings

www.cookedfoodcravings.com

Eat Today for Energy Tomorrow

Let’s say you have a very busy, activity-filled day tomorrow.  You’ve got your morning workout at 8, hang gliding at noon, mountain climbing at 2pm, and some white river kayaking at 5pm.  Oh, and don’t forget your east coast swing dancing lesson at 8pm.

Now that’s my kind of day!

So what do you do to prepare yourself?

Besides making sure you have enough food for the day, you probably hopefully reserve time to get lots of restful sleep so you can have energy for the day ahead.

While this is a GREAT idea, it’s not the only step you should take to ensure you don’t stall out in the middle of your day.

Calories, Calories, Calories

Whenever we talk about getting enough calories, we usually refer to the day in which we are eating.  If there is a particularly active day coming up, we tend to only think about upping our food intake *for that day*.

But look at it this way.  We don’t sleep well tonight to feel well-rested today, do we?  Of course not.  We sleep well tonight to have enough energy tomorrow.

And when we don’t, we feel it the next day.

It’s the same with food.

Take a Tip From the Trainers

I’m sure you’ve heard of what endurance athletes call “carbo-loading.”

Carbohydrate loading is when an athlete eats a diet high in carbohydrates for a few days (sometimes preceded by a period of intense exercise and carbohydrate restriction) before a big event.  This helps to maximize the amount of glucose the muscles take in and, therefore, helps the athlete’s endurance and overall performance.

You see, our bodies use glycogen stored in our muscles and liver.  When we are not well-fueled, these stores deplete much quicker, leaving us tapped out and fatigued.

It’s a lot like a car.  Just as you need to fill up your car with gasoline for it to run, you need to fill yourself up with glucose for YOU to run!

The more glucose we have in our system, the longer we can continue to perform (whether that be performance in an actual sport, or just everyday life activities).  And the only way to take in more glucose is to EAT!

A Daily Lesson

Getting enough fuel today for energy tomorrow is ESPECIALLY good advice if you are active early in the morning like I am.  I usually like to take my dog for a walk and then follow it up with my workout, all before 10am.  I don’t have breakfast until right afterward, so it’s important for me to make sure that I ate well the day before.

And I can always tell when I don’t because I so do NOT want to workout!  When I do get enough fuel the day before, I have MORE than enough energy for my workouts.

Practicing eating today for energy tomorrow is a good preventative measure for cravings as well.  It is much, much easier to resist tempting cooked food favorites when you’re well-carbed from the day before and on into the current day.  In fact, it’s even MORE likely that you won’t have cravings in the first place!

And What’s the Best Fuel?

Sweet fruit, of course!  As I already mentioned, our body uses glycogen.  What’s glycogen?  It’s nothing more than long chains of glucose, the simple sugar found in sweet fruit!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Here are some raw recipes to help you make sure you’re getting plenty of the sweet stuff.  I’ve even included a 7-day meal plan to help you get started.

Follow the link below to learn more and purchase the e-book:

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

Do you find them bland and boring?

Here is a quick tip for you that will make sure you are getting the most flavor out of your raw fruits and veggies.

Forget the Fridge

Many people like to keep most or all of their raw foods in the fridge to extend the food’s shelf life.  This is fine for some fruits, such as strawberries, which tend to rot quickly out on the counter.

The problem is that when food is cold, it is impossible to get the full flavor of the food.  You miss out on all the little subtleties.

Even the texture is changed.

What’s the solution?  A few hours before you plan to have your next meal, simply take the food out of the fridge so that it can get to room temperature!

It takes seconds and I promise raw produce tastes so much better at room temperature than when eaten straight from the fridge.  I do this with all my food, even my greens and non-sweet fruits.

Give it a try!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Still not enjoying the taste of simple sweet fruits, tender leafy greens, and nuts and seeds?  Still turning to cooked food for flavor and comfort?

Perhaps my step-by-step, daily program can help:

21 Days to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings

A Daily Guide for Ending Cravings on a Raw Food Diet

www.cookedfoodcravings.com

* Feature Article: When is the Right Time to Eat Raw?

* Special Offer: 72-Hour Holiday Sale!

When is the Right Time to Eat Raw?

I was recently sent an email from reader Bethany regarding when is the best time to eat delicious, fruity raw meals.

Bethany said:

Are there “certain time frames” that you should eat raw food, to preserve optimal digestion? I hear from some that you shouldn’t eat after 6 or 7 PM, some that say don’t eat breakfast, or do eat breakfast, or dont eat after 3, or dont snack, or do snack…all this conflicting info, and it leaves me befuddled.

Thanks for the email, Bethany!  I’ll do my best to “un”-befuddle you.

Dinner

The general rule when it comes to night eating is that you should finish your last meal at least 3 hours before bed time.  This ensures that you have fully digested all of your food before you go to bed, which is important because digestion can compromise your sleep.

So if you’re a total homebody and social dunce like me who actually enjoys going to bed at 9pm, then you would finish your last meal no later than 6pm.

Personally, I find my own time frame to be much more lenient than this.  While I do try to have dinner between 5-6pm, there are plenty of times when I don’t finish eating until 8pm.

I still sleep just fine.

Now, waking up and snacking during the middle of the night is a whole different issue.  Not only does this waste your precious sleepy time, but it can definitely effect the quality of your sleep for the rest of the night.

Breakfast

The argument behind skipping breakfast is that most people are not hungry early in the day and that it is better not to force yourself to eat, but to wait for true hunger.

There is really no hard and fast rule on this one, but the raw foodists who do decided to follow this rule typically stick to very few meals (for obvious reasons).

For instance, when I skip breakfast, I generally do not eat until between 12-2pm and so it would be very difficult for me to eat 3 full meals on those days.  It is much easier to make my first meal a large one – which is perfect since I have not eaten all day – and then have a “normal-sized” dinner meal a few hours later.

If you find that you are not hungry until later in the day, feel free to forgo breakfast until you are truly hungry.  If you find that you are absolutely ravenous first thing in the morning, by all means, EAT!

Snacking

For various reasons mentioned in my week as a raw food grazer, I much prefer eating 2-3 big meals during the day as opposed to 4-6 smaller ones.

To recap, grazing means:

• Constant Hunger!
• Tiny, Unsatisfying Portions!!
• Boring Meals!!!

In my opinion, eating a few large meals is just so much easier.  I really hate having to constantly prepare meals…even though “preparing” typically means grabbing some bananas or starting up the blender.

I love food, but I simply do not have the time to eat and think about eating all day!

The Big Picture

All this aside, I really would not worry about any of this in the beginning.

If you are new to raw foods or having any sort of trouble maintaining a raw food diet, it is much more important for you to get used to eating a large quantity of fruit and to ensure enough calories are obtained first and foremost.

In other words…

• If you find that you are hungry an hour before bedtime, then go eat some fruit!

• If you find that you wake up hungry in the middle of the night, get up and eat some fruit!

• If you find that you must eat breakfast to get enough calories during the day, then eat breakfast!

• If you find that you need a fruity afternoon snack to keep you on track, well then, snack it up!

Once you feel comfortable with the basics of a low fat raw vegan diet, then feel free to move on to the minor “when to eat” stuff…

In the mean time, I’ll do my best to keep the raw food police off your back.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

72-Hour Holiday Sale!

To celebrate the Holiday season and all its glory, I’m having a special sale on my program 21 Days to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings!

For 72 hours only, you can purchase the entire program – 72-page ebook along with 4 bonuses – for a $20 discount.  AND…you will also receive my bonus e-book “Surviving Sticky Social Situations on a Raw Food Diet” at no cost.

That’s a total $30 discount!

Check it out at the link below:

www.cookedfoodcravings.com

Swayze

P.S. There’s no reason to wait until after the Holidays to hop back on the raw food wagon.  You CAN fully enjoy the snowy season and completely avoid the cooked food temptations.

Just imagine it…a Holiday spent without the weight gain, headaches, joint pain, and guilt that cooked food brings!

Finish off this year right with my step-by-step, 21-day program and kick your cravings to the curb!

www.cookedfoodcravings.com

In Tuesday’s post I talked about 3 ways to waste money on a raw diet.

You didn’t think I would leave you with that, did you?  Come on, I’m nicer than that.

Here are my top 3 easy ways to *save* money on a raw food diet.

#1: Buy in season

To put it bluntly, food in season costs less.

Here’s an example.  When cantaloupes are in season during the summer months, I can find them for as cheap as $1.50.  When they are not in season, they can cost as much as $3 PER MELON!  And we’re talkin’ really tiny melons with hardly any flavor.

Because the food is at its prime, you run less of a risk of choosing yucky fruit when you buy in season.  For instance, if I happen to buy cantaloupe during the spring, 9 times out of 10 I have to throw it out.  But during the summer, almost every single fruit that I choose is a taste sensation. ☺

And that’s another point to bring up.  Food that is in season tastes a MILLION TIMES better than food that is not in season.  You really cannot go wrong buying seasonal fruit.

#2: Buy in bulk

As I stated in Tuesday’s article, I used to buy all of my produce at expensive health foods stores.  Not only was the fruit expensive, the quality wasn’t even that great!

Luckily, I soon stumbled upon an awesome resource for buying high-quality produce at great prices.

*Buy-In-Bulk Stores*

Buy-in-bulk stores are stores that offer a variety of goods at discounted prices.  Because you buy the goods in bulk, forgoing packaging charges, you are able to save some green.

Costco and Sam’s Club are two examples of these stores.  You need a membership for both of these.  I have both in my area, but I only shop at Costco.  The price is $50 per year and the savings I get more than make up for the annual fee.

Plus, the quality is amazing compared to the supermarket!  I get awesome Ataulfo mangoes each Spring, a variety that isn’t available anywhere else in my area!

Currently, I buy the majority of my food from buy-in-bulk stores.

*Wholesale Distributors*

If you *really* want to save some moolah, visit a nearby wholesale produce distributor.  These are the companies that supply produce and other foods to your local grocery stores and health food shops.  There are even organic specific distributors in some areas.

To locate a distributor in your area, simply do a google search for “wholesale produce distributor.”  You can also talk to the produce department at your grocery store, health food store, etc. to see where they get their produce.

Make sure to contact your distributor *before* you actually head over there to load up.  Some distributors do not sell to the public, while others have specific dates and times for you to come and shop.

I know buying from a distributor seems like a lot of work, but anything is a little bit time consuming when you first start out.  I’ve just started this process myself, and it really isn’t that hard.

Once you’ve found a distributor that you like and set up a routine, it’s no different than a weekly trip to the supermarket.

Here is a great, in depth article on buying wholesale produce from someone with lots more experience on the subject.

*Other ways to save*

If you do not have a Costco in your area and cannot find a distributor to buy from, you can always look to your local Walmart or grocery store.  Some stores do offer small discounts for buying in large quantities.  However, I have never had any luck with this in my area.

Another option is to join a local co-op.  As a member of a co-op, you are presented every week with a list of available produce from local farmers.  Generally, you can then order from that list and pick up your food on a specific day of the week.  Some co-ops also have annual membership fees.

Joining a co-op also means that you are contributing to local produce farmers, which brings me to the 3rd way to save…

#3: Buy local

The easiest way to buy local produce is to visit your area’s farmer’s market.  Almost every city has one and they generally start in April or May and last until October or November.

Here in Memphis, we have a great farmer’s market downtown.  It happens every Saturday from April to October and has really become a nice outing for my family and I.

Now, I know that many of you will argue that farmer’s markets will actually *cost* you money because the food is more expensive.

With some items, especially free-range meat and dairy products, you are right.  But I have found that fruits and vegetables are generally comparable in price to what is offered at the supermarket.  And almost every farmer offers a discount on bulk buys.

And that’s where you really save money.  Think about it: most people buy very little when they shop and so that’s what the farmers expect.  All of a sudden, you start showing up to the market every week to buy *pounds* of produce.

I guarantee you every farmer will be *dying* to offer you a discount just so you’ll buy from them.

An even better way to buy locally is to go directly to the farms themselves.  I have a wonderful orchard near my home that is keeping me loaded with perfect peaches, nectarines, and plums…for only $.75 per pound!!!!!!

This is the lowest cost I have ever seen peaches.  And nothing beats the added benefit of picking fruit myself that was growing just 30 minutes from my home.

If you have a produce farm nearby, I highly recommend that you give them a call.  That way, you can set up a shopping day that is convenient for you and start building a great relationship with the people who grow your food.

But the best part about buying locally?  The food is super fresh, always in season, and extra tasty!

Where to Get Started

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed.  Start with your local grocery stores first and see if they offer any discounts.  Then, do a search for local farmer’s markets and schedule your weekly trip.

To find a farmer’s market or farm near you, visit Local Harvest and Pick Your Own.

That should be enough to help you find some great produce and really save some green.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

The Benefits of Mono-meals

The greatest benefit of eating just one fruit at a time is that it makes for easy digestion.  What’s easier to digest than just *one* type of raw fruit?

Another plus to eating mono-fruit meals is that it makes you a conscious eater.  When you are eating 5 different ingredients in one meal, it can often times be hard to tell when you are actually full.

However, when you are eating only one type of fruit for a meal, it becomes very easy to know when you are done.  Your palette is not being excited with various flavors and textures.  When you no longer enjoy eating the fruit, you are done.

Yet another benefit to mono-mealing is prep time.  While making a smoothie or fruit salad is still very simple, it does take a bit more time to prepare than, say, pealing a few bananas.

The last benefit, and my most favorite aspect of mono-mealing, is that it tastes better!  I honestly cannot describe how wonderfully simple and satiating a meal of just bananas, or just mangoes, or just apricots is.  Words just don’t do it justice!

If you have never had a mono fruit meal, you are really missing out.

With that said…

Beginners and Mono-meals

If you are brand-new to a raw food diet, you probably find it rather difficult to eat just one type of fruit at a time.  You are not alone.  Most “newbie” raw foodists struggle with this simply because they are still not used to eating enough fruit in one sitting.

It is much easier to make an easy-to-eat smoothie than to get the necessary calories by eating foods in their whole state.

Another reason mono-mealing may be hard on you?  It’s just too boring!

Oh come on, I know you were thinking it.

While I completely disagree that fruit of any kind is boring, I understand your position.

My Experience

When I first went raw, a meal of just one fruit was too radical for me.  I don’t think I even tried a mono-meal until several months later.

I mostly relied upon smoothies for meals, as these were much easier for me to eat and they helped me to get enough calories for the day.

Today, I prefer eating one fruit at a time until I am full.  I rarely ever eat fruit salads or smoothies.  I like the taste of just one fruit and don’t want to spoil it with any other tastes.

And what about you?  Do you prefer mono-meals like I do, or are smoothies and salads really more your thing?  Leave a comment below!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze