*hint, hint* Hunger is NOT painful!

You Aren’t Hungry…You’re Sick!

What Does Hunger Feel Like to You?

Leave your answer in the comments below!

Go raw and be fit,
Swayze

P.S. Having trouble giving up the crap cooked foods so that you can experience true hunger for yourself? I’ve got some tasty and healthy raw recipes that should do the trick…

“Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes”

Delicious and Healthy Raw Vegan Favorites for Every Meal

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

To learn more about the book and order your copy, click below:

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

You may be surprised to learn how easy it is to go raw the wrong way.

In fact, it’s no secret that most raw foodists are eating a diet that isn’t healthy.

Do you fall into this category? Let’s find out…

Here are 5 warning signs your raw food diet isn’t working:

#1: Indigestion

You should not have any signs of indigestion on a healthy raw food diet. If you’re overly gassy, have smelly gas, experience stomach pain, painful/difficult bowel movements, constipation, or any other signs of indigestion, your raw food diet isn’t working.

Check out these 4 indigestion-causing mistakes that will help you figure out what you’re doing wrong.

#2: Too Much Weight Loss

Too much of anything is a bad thing, even when it comes to weight loss. If you’re losing far too much weight and your body fat is approaching an unhealthy level (below 3-5% for men, below 10-12% for women), your raw food diet definitely isn’t working.

You need to gain some fat by eating more calories and build muscle by strength training.

#3: Cravings All The Time

You should not have overwhelming cravings for cooked foods – or even fatty, salty gourmet raw dishes – nor should you be hungry most of the dayl. If you don’t feel satisfied for long after your raw meals and/or are often tempted by “naughty” foods, your raw food diet isn’t working.

For more on how to eliminate cravings for good, check out my cravings crushing program How to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings at the link below:

==> www.CookedFoodCravings.com

#4: Prolonged Detox

Most people will experience some detox when transitioning to a raw food diet. Headaches, fatigue, nausea, runny noses, indigestion, and joint pain are pretty common symptoms. But if you are still experiencing these or any others months later without any let up, your raw food diet isn’t working.

Check out this article for more on the “dreaded diet detox” and this one on how to avoid it.

#5: Low Energy

As stated above, it’s normal to experience some fatigue when you first go raw. But if you still have little energy weeks or months after transitioning, your raw food diet isn’t working.

Too much weight loss and low energy go hand in hand. Those raw foodists who are too thin are typically fatigued as well. You need to eat more calories from fruit and limit your fat intake if you want to have abundant energy.

Be Honest

Many raw foodists have a hard time looking at their diet objectively, even when they are experiencing problems directly related to it. But this is what you must do if you want to achieve optimal health.

So if you’ve been experiencing any of the above warning signs, be honest with yourself and take a good hard look at the foods you’re consuming. Here are some questions to ask:

• Are you eating enough calories from fruit?
• Are you limiting your intake of nuts, seeds, avocados, and other fatty foods?
• Are you getting in your greens?
• Are you limiting your intake of dried fruits, nuts, and other raw food products?
• Are you limiting the amount of salt, spices, and other condiments you consume?
• Are you paying attention to other health factors, like exercise, sleep, and sunshine?

If you answered “No” to one of these questions, that’s a good place to start. If you answered “No” to all of them, then you’ve got some work to do!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. All of the problems above can be linked to eating the wrong raw foods.

Most people who struggle with cravings, indigestion, low energy, weight loss, and detox are those eating the mainstream raw food diet. This diet is far too high in fat and irritating condiments and far too low in nutritious fruits and vegetables.

Why is this way of eating raw so popular? Because it’s tasty, that’s why!

But what most people don’t know – and this is exactly what leads to their inevitable “failure” on raw foods – is that a healthy and sustainable raw food diet that DOES focus on fruits and vegetables can be just as tasty!

Don’t believe me? Check out what satisfied customer Shelah said about my healthy raw recipe e-book Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes:

Dear Swayze,

I am sooooo happy that I decided to purchase your e-book!

You did a fabulous job putting it together. It’s hard to know where to begin my praises — I know…the recipes of course! 

Even though I’ve been eating completely lfrv for well over 3 years, I can always appreciate a fresh idea. I especially loved the PLANTAIN PUDDING (never had enjoyed plantains til I tried this one!) the SWEET AND SALTY SLAW (gotta love The Date People) and the CARAMEL CAMEL DIP (great for parties). From the savory section, the RED CURRANT PASTA was a novel idea for me (and delicious) and the RADICALLY RAW PIZZA proved to be a great hit around my place!

I really appreciate all the contributors’ notes and your tips — they give you the extra know-how to make the recipes come out perfect.

Your meal plans look great and I would recommend them to anyone, especially newbies who may need to see how it all looks in real life.

Also, thanks for introducing us to your contributors — a nice, personal touch.

So, Swayze, thanks agains for offering such a fabulous book — and at such a great price.

All blessings to you,
Shelah

P.S. Oh, I don’t want to forget to thank you for including the link to the recipe photos — I was drooling before I ever made it to the kitchen!!

Thanks, Shelah!

So if you’re interested in going raw the healthy way, the recipes provided in Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes will help you do just that.

You can learn more and order your copy at the link below:

“Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes”

Delicious and Healthy Raw Vegan Favorites for Every Meal

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

Looks like it’s time for a cleanse. And there are several different ways to do it.

You can go on a raw food diet, taking in nothing but raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. You can go on a juice fast, taking in nothing but fresh fruit and vegetable juices. You can try the Master Cleanse (not recommended).

Or you can take on my absolute favorite way to cleanse…

Mono Fruit Cleanse

It’s the AMAZING MIRACULOUS MONO FRUIT MASTER CLEANSE!

Okay, so it’s really nothing more than eating only one fruit for a period of time.

For seven days (you can go longer if you wish), you will eat nothing but one type of fruit. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no processed foods of any kind.

And no dried fruits either. The fruit should be fresh.

How it Works

Eating nothing but one kind of fruit for a week works just like any other cleanse/detox plan. By eating nothing but delicious, nutritious, and satiating sweet fruit, you are cutting out all the other toxic foods that so many of us consume on a regular basis.

No meat. No cheese. No milk. No eggs. No refined sugar. No grains. No cooked foods of any kind. Nothing but fruit for seven days.

Limiting yourself to ONE fruit during these seven days makes the cleanse that much more effective. By only consuming one type of fruit, you are making things that much easier for your digestion AS WELL AS your mind.

You won’t have to worry about shopping lists or recipes. All you have to do is choose your favorite fruit, buy it, and devour it!

Why It’s the Best

First, it’s simple. All you have to do is pick one type of fruit and eat as much as you like for seven days straight. It’s literally as easy as peeling a banana.

Second, it’s tasty. You get to eat as much delicious fruit, any fruit that you enjoy, as you like!

Third, it helps you get used to eating a lot of fruit. This will help you make the adjustment to a healthy low fat, raw vegan lifestyle.

Remember, it’s not what you do during the seven days that’s important. It’s what you do all the days, weeks, and months AFTER that matters most.

How to Get Started

1. Start by picking one type of fresh fruit. It needs to be one that you enjoy and can eat a lot of.

I recommend sticking with higher calorie fruits like bananas and mangos, but you don’t have to. Since this cleanse is short, you can get away with choosing a lower calorie fruit and maybe eating less calories during the week.

2. Next you need to figure out roughly how many calories you need each day.

Nutridiary can help you here. Once you have your estimate, use the nutridiary database to figure out how many pounds of your fruit of choice you will need. Then you’ll know how much fruit to buy for each day.

3. Now you can pick which day you want to start your cleanse.

If your fruit needs to ripen, like bananas, you might need to buy a few days ahead of time to make sure you have enough ripe fruit on hand for day 1. Otherwise, go shopping the day before you start the cleanse.

4. Finally, eat your fruit of choice for seven days!

You can have designated meal times if you like or you can just graze all day. Just make sure to eat when you’re hungry and drink water if you need it. And don’t hesitate to eat more fruit if you find you’re still hungry at the end of the day.

How to End the Cleanse

To end the cleanse, all you have to do is add other fruits, along with greens and nuts and seeds, back into your diet.

For more information about adopting a healthy low fat raw vegan diet, subscribe to my mailing list in the box below and get a copy of my free report The 4 Principles of a Healthy Raw Diet:

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

You know, the lemonade diet that’s suposed to clean out your colon, clear up your skin, and help you lose 20 pounds in just a few days’ time.

But is this all just hype? Is the Master Cleanse really a good or even safe option for cleansing the body?

Let’s have a look, shall we?

What is the Master Cleanse Diet?

The Master Cleanse is a two week cleanse that consists of a home-made lemonade drink, daily salt water flushes (optional), and daily laxatives (optional).

The meat of the program is the lemonade drink, also known as the Lemonade Diet. Here’s the recipe:

• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 8 oz of water

You are supposed to drink 6-12 glasses of this concoction (I think concoction is an appropriate way to refer to this mess of a liquid, don’t you?) everyday for 10-14 days straight.

It is also recommended to drink saltwater each morning (2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 liter water) and take a laxative at night. The only other “food” that is allowed is herbal tea in the evening, if desired.

How Does it Work?

According to its proponents, the Master Cleanse is a great tool for detoxification and weight loss. The lemon juice provides vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, the maple sugar provides calories, and the cayenne supposedly breaks up mucus and helps with digestion and weight loss.

The saltwater flushes and laxatives are intended to clean out the colon and carry toxins out of the body.

Do People Actually Detox?

For the vast majority of people who eat a standard unhealthy Western diet, doing the Master Cleanse will more than likely provide positive results.

But these positive results have nothing to do with the the Master Cleanse itself. They are caused by the simple fact that the cleanse (like most cleanses) eliminates so many damaged and deranged foods and substances from the diet, including meat, cheese, milk, grains, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.

It isn’t the lemon juice, syrup, or cayenne that is “detoxifying” you. This is impossible. The body is what detoxifies and heals, particularly the liver, not the food you eat.

So you don’t have to drink a disgusting liquid or restrict calories to detox and lose weight. A simple diet of fresh, raw produce will give you the same results.

Even better? Such a diet is something that you can (and should) follow for a lifetime, which means that once you start, you will continue to get healthy, lose weight, and keep it off.

What About Weight Loss?

Yes, people do lose weight on the Master Cleanse. Any diet so low in calories will do that for you. The bigger question is whether or not these people can maintain the weight loss.

Permanent weight loss is something that the Master Cleanse, just like any cleanse, cannot guarantee. The only way you can continue to lose weight after the cleanse is to adopt a healthy diet and exercise plan.

If you go back to your same old ways that brought the weight on in the first place, you will gain it all back, as so many people who fall for the “miracle of cleansing” crap trap do.

Is It Safe?

Although extremely disgusting (yes, I tried the diet many years ago), the drink isn’t likely going to send you to the hospital as some sources claim. Remember, the lemonade drink is just that…LEMONADE! It’s nothing more than sugar water with some spicy powder mixed in to make ya sweat.

The biggest problem I have with the Master Cleanse actually isn’t with the lemonade drink, but with the recommended saltwater flushes and laxatives that are used to clean out your colon by making you go number two.

Salt, even so-called healthy sea salt, is unhealthy and should not be consumed for any reason. Laxatives are COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY and laxative abuse has become a serious problem (particularly among women) here in the US and other industrialized nations. I find it quite alarming that taking laxatives is a recommendation in a so-called healthy cleanse.

I use the loo 3 or more times each and every day (2-3 is the “goal” while on the Master Cleanse) and yet I never eat salt nor do I take laxatives. I just eat a healthy low fat raw vegan diet and my body takes care of the rest.

Too much info, I know.

The Bottom Line

You don’t have to drink lemony sugar water to cleanse. You definitely should NOT drink saltwater or take laxatives if you want to detox and lose weight.

There are so many other cheap, effective, healthy and TASTY ways to cleanse and help you get started on the path to a healthy lifestyle.

And in a few days, I’ll show you my very favorite way to cleanse…so STICK AROUND!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

* What’s New: Living It Up in Ventura

* Feature Article: Detox on a Raw Food Diet

Living It Up in Ventura

As I mentioned two weeks ago, I am spending my week in beautiful Ventura, California with my sister, brother-in-law, and little niece.

And really, beautiful doesn’t do this place justice.  I honestly cannot describe to you how wonderful it is.  Perfect temperature, lots of sunshine, gorgeous scenery, lovely people, and lots of fruit (there’s a farmer’s market right next door to where I’m staying!!!)

Here’s a photo I took with my phone…

My little niece showing off the view

…and that still isn’t good enough.

Needless to say, I am thoroughly enjoying myself.  Be sure to check out the Fit On Raw Facebook Page for more updates and pics of my stay in Ventura.

Swayze

Detox on a Raw Food Diet

Another raw food video for you guys!  This one’s about detox – common symptoms to expect, how long it should last, and how to avoid it all together.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. For more on an easy transition to raw foods, be sure to check out my free 5-week mini-course The Fool Proof Transition to Raw.

All you have to do is plug in your name and email address in the form right here…

…and the first lesson will be emailed to you right away.  You will then receive a new lesson on raw transitioning each week!