There’s always room for improvement.

That’s why every New Year, I make some kind of health-related resolution. It has to be a goal that is manageable, a goal I’m confident I’ll achieve by the end of the year.

And this year is no different. Check out the video below for my New Year’s resolution for 2012.

My Raw Food Resolution for 2012

What’s Your New Year’s Resolution?

Let me know in the comments below!

Go raw and be fit,
Swayze

P.S. Looking for the education, motivation, and support you need to make your raw food resolution a reality? That’s what my Rawkin’ Raw Club is all about:

“The Rawkin’ Raw Club”

Providing the Education, Motivation, & Support You Need to Go Raw, Get, Fit, & Live Naturally

To learn more and join today, click on the link below:

==> www.RawkinRawClub.com

10 Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

Are you really eager to go raw, but just can’t seem to muster up the courage to get started?

These are some of the top 10 benefits of the raw food diet that most every raw foodist has experienced. If this doesn’t convince you to go raw, I just don’t know what will!

#1: Improved Digestion

If I had to give you my top raw food benefit, improved digestion would be it. It is the one result that almost every single person who attempts a healthy raw diet experiences.

Not only that, but it usually occurs very quickly. Many indigestion symptoms go away in just a few short days, if not less.  Whether you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or just the occasional upset tummy, you will see major improvements after going raw.

However, if you continue to abuse the #1 food combining rule, then your results will not be as great. No amount of raw food can undo the effects of the sugar-fat combo.

#2: Permanent Weight Loss

Hmmmm…maybe permanent weight loss should be the top benefit?

I don’t think it’s going too far to say that close to 99.9999999% of people struggle with their weight at some point in their lives. Many of us go on diet after diet after diet, hoping that we will see *some* kind of positive change in our weight.

Unfortunately, the only change that most of us witness is a higher number on the scale. And if we do happen to lose weight, it’s usually at the expense of our health (i.e. calorie restriction, dangerous diet pills, frozen food programs, etc.) and typically comes back to haunt us sooner or later.

On the other hand, eating a healthy raw food diet allows you to lose weight *permanently* while improving your health substantially. Plus, you get to eat *pounds* of food on a daily basis, without any gain or the guilt!

#3: More Energy

Unlike what you read/hear from many well-known raw foodists, raw foods do *not* give you energy.  Nothing you eat does, whether it’s a burger or a banana.  Eating food of any kind *requires* energy, just as everything else that you do during the day requires energy.

What makes following a healthy raw vegan diet truly special is that it requires less energy to process inside your body. 2 pounds of grapes literally takes *minutes* to be fully digested by the body. This is opposed to cooked foods, or even a complicated fatty raw dish, which take hours to be digested.

The one *true* energy provider is sleep, which brings me to benefit #4…

#4: Better Sleep

Since I’ve been raw, I rarely ever feel tired when I get into bed. Even after being raw for so long, I still get ready for bed sometimes and think, “Gee, I’m not going to be able to fall asleep right now. Maybe I should just stay up for a little longer.”

However, I convince myself to get into bed and the moment my head hits the pillow, I feel so relaxed. Within minutes, I’m out.

The best part? When I wake up, I feel completely awake and ready to begin my day. No more groggy mornings for me!

This is a far cry from my bedtime routine from two years ago.

My daily routine was this: feel absolutely exhausted by 4pm. Try not to fall asleep at the wheel on the way to a client’s house. Feel a little better after a 30-minute nap. Feel exhausted again by 7pm. Get into bed still exhausted by 10pm. Remain awake for an hour. Wake up at 7am groggy and grouchy. Repeat.

Yikes, that makes me tired just writing it!

#5: Mental Clarity

I’m sure that many non-raw foodists will disagree with this one. Raw foodists are supposed to be tree-hugging, hippie nut jobs, right?

On a raw food diet, because you are no longer weighing your body down with hard-to-digest cooked foods, you have more energy to use your brain!

Of course, this has a lot to do with sleep as discussed previously.

Because you spend less energy digesting your foods, you sleep more soundly. This means that you have more energy during the day, meaning your thoughts are generally much more clear and your focus greatly improved. You are more mentally, and even emotionally stable.

It’s really a cycle, isn’t it? The more raw foods you eat, the better you sleep. The better you sleep, the more energy you have. The more energy you have, the more mentally stable you are. The more mentally stable, the easier it is to stay raw.

And the longer you stay raw, the healthier you become!

#6: Soft, Smooth, & Clear Skin

To be honest, I’ve always had pretty good skin. I’ve had maybe three blemishes in my entire life. In fact, the worst my skin has ever been was for the first few months *after* I gave up salt! But that’s for another article…

I’m not trying to brag. I just want to be honest. I’m not here to make up crazy transition stories about how going raw made me grow 5 inches taller and gave me the power of flight.

Anyway, I’m sure that many of you struggle with skin problems, whether it’s a blotchy skin tone, dry skin, oily skin, visible pores, blemishes, etc.

You *do not* need an expensive, chemical-laden skin treatment routine that only serves to further irritate your already abused skin. All you need is a good heapin’ helping of water-rich raw fruits and veggies.

And some sunshine couldn’t hurt either.

SIDE NOTE: I did have one skin problem prior to raw: keratosis pilaris (aka chicken skin). Click here to see how I bested it.

#7: Thick, Healthy, & Shiny Hair

I’ve always had really thick hair, but it was very dry and hard to manage before I went raw. The worst part was that I would shed like crazy!

My Mom was always pulling handfuls of my long locks out of the rollers of the vacuum. Yuck!

Now that I eat plenty of nourishing, water-rich foods, my hair is silky and soft. And I’m no longer a shedding machine!

#8: Healthy Teeth & Gums

But aren’t your teeth supposed to rot out of your head when you go raw?

NO! The fact that so many long-term raw foodists have suffered tooth decay is simply a testament to the fact that the mainstream raw food diet *does not work*.

On a healthy raw food diet full of sweet fruit, vegetables and little fat, you will not experience teeth problems. In fact, the condition of your teeth and gums is likely to improve!

The real key is to have a solid dental care system in place and not to make dehydrated foods the base of your diet.

#9: No More Aches, Pains, or Minor Illnesses

How many of you have struggled with “everyday” illnesses and pains such as headaches, migraines, colds, flus, tummy aches, joint pains, muscle cramps, allergies, etc.?

We all have at some point!

Personally, I used to struggle with…

• anemia
• restless leg syndrome
• muscle and joint pains in my legs and feet
• seasonal colds about 3-4 times a year (pretty much whenever the weather changed)
• the flu every couple of years
• headaches
• heavy menstrual flows and horrible cramps in my abdomen and lower back that left me in tears

And of course there were the seemingly random and unexplained aches and pains that would crop up every once in a while.

Every one of these has been *completely eradicated* since I went raw. No more headaches. No more colds. Perhaps best of all, no more heavy periods and gut-wrenching cramps!

Sorry guys, but that really is a big one for the ladies.

#10: Save Some Green

When you decide to take your health into your own hands and go raw, you can expect to save some dough in the process.

No more money wasted on unnecessary drugs, supplements or “superfoods.” No more expensive doctor’s fees. No more high insurance rates.

You can finally focus on *you* and spend that extra time and money on the things that actually make you more…well, you!

Still Waiting to Go Raw?

What are you waiting for? Each day that you remain a slave to your aching back, your extra fat, or even your trip to the local pharmacy, is a day that you could be living raw and loving it!

UPDATE

It’s been over two years and these are still my top raw food benefits. But what about you? Which raw results have you enjoyed the most?

Don’t be shy. Leave your comment below!

Go raw and love it,

Swayze

P.S. A raw food diet not giving you the radical health results you’ve been longing for? Click here to see what you’re doing wrong.

* Feature Article: Stop Complaining and Go Raw Today!

* Your Questions Answered: Can Low Fat Raw Vegans Get Pumped?

Stop Complaining and Go Raw Today!

Quit complaining about how hard it is to stay raw, how difficult it is to find quality fresh foods, how much it sucks feeling isolated from your friends and loved ones.

Wah wah wah.

Today is seriously the best time to start a raw food diet.  Seriously, it is.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Go RAW and be FIT,

Swayze

Can Low Fat Raw Vegans Get Pumped?

Chris asks:

My question is, can somebody please show me examples of STRENGTH athletes that are low fat raw and filled with muscle? All the examples I’ve seen people point to have been endurance athletes… or the high fat, supplement consuming raw foodists who also are weightlifters.

Specifically, does anyone know of any powerlifters, MMA fighters, football or some type athlete that needs a lot of muscle who is raw and thriving? I really would like to see some other examples of success other than “amateurs”… or distance type athletes that are thriving on raw.

Thank you Swayze… your blog is great! You’ve given me great guidance… can you help me with this area too?

Are you talking about strength or size? Yes, it is possible to build strength on low fat raw. No, it is not possible to build substantial size (like you would see in cooked food bodybuilders) on low fat raw. A low fat raw, enhancement-free vegan could never compete and win in any contest judging for size and form.

Look up Charlie Abel for a low fat raw vegan bodybuilder. He’s certainly ripped, but I’ve seen female lifters bigger than he.

I just want to be clear, I’m not knocking Charlie or other raw vegan lifters. I think he looks GREAT, really toned and healthy. I just don’t want to give any false hope that someone eating a clean and simple fruit-based, carbohydrate-rich, low-fat, salt and steroid-free raw vegan diet can grow to look like Schwarzenegger or Stallone.

Hope that helps!

Swayze

No one was really surprised by either win, thanks to the sheer athleticism, power, and track record of both players.  But EVERYONE was dumbfounded by the match that began Tuesday, June 22, 2010 and finally ended Thursday, June 24, 2010.

When it was all said and done, American John Isner finally beat French player Nicolas Mahut after 11 hours and 5 minutes spread over 2 days.  The score came to 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6 and 70-68!

John Isner

That’s a total of 183 games played!!!

I think there’s a lot we can learn from John Isner and his glorious win.  And you know I can relate it to a low fat raw food diet somehow!

#1: Game Plan

If you want to be a professional/expert in any field, you have to have a game plan.

In tennis, the goal is simple: WIN!  But you must have a PLAN for winning.  You have to know when it’s the right time to serve big, to hit cross court, to slice, etc.   You also have to know your own limitations.

And this plan will change based upon the opponent and the playing conditions (whether you’re playing on clay or grass, if it’s windy outside, etc.), not to mention the physical and mental condition of the athlete himself/herself.

Raw Food Related

When going raw, the game plan also seems simple: stay raw!  But the details vary from person to person:

• What are my favorite fruits and greens?
• How much fruit do I need each day?
• Am I ready to give up salt?
• Do I want to go 100% raw?

All of these questions and more should be answered in your raw game plan.  And it may even change depending upon the given situation, i.e. when you’re traveling, at a restaurant, etc.

It all depends upon you and the dietary goals you set for yourself.

#2: Focus

In order to stick to his game plan and win the match, Isner had to be incredibly focused.

If he wasn’t, he would have been so easily distracted.  There’s the large and looming crowd, the cameras, the commentators.  It’s enough to make anyone lose their concentration and forget all about their game plan!

Raw Food Related

When going raw, you have to be focused too!

Sure, it’s pretty easy to stay raw when you’re in the comforts of your own home.  It isn’t quite the same when you’re out and about, attending lunch and learns, going out to eat with friends, visiting family members during the food-frenzied holidays, etc.

That’s when you have to bring your A-game and stay super focused on the game plan you created for yourself.  A little index card with your raw reasons printed on it and slipped into your back pocket/purse to refer to is a big help here.

#3: Action

There’s a reason athletes of all kinds play their sport of choice for multiple hours a day.  This is how you put both your game plan and your mental focus into action and really hone your skills.

Not only that, but you start to form habits.  Before the athlete knows it, he no longer has to think about watching the ball hit the racket or pronating when he serves.  It becomes automatic.

Raw Food Related

When going raw, you actually have to GO RAW!  I say that in all seriousness because so many people become inactive because of information overload.  They read books upon books upon books about going raw, but just never get around to actually deciding on a program and doing it.

You can have all the knowledge about raw foods in the world, but it won’t mean diddly squat if you don’t actually put it to good use.

If you want to go raw, you have to take that first step.  And it can be as tiny or as giant as you like.  You may even find after giving a raw food diet a go that you need to adjust your game plan.

For instance, maybe you set the bar high with a plan to go 100% low fat raw vegan without any salt, spices, or condiments of any kind.  After a few days, you realize this is a bit unrealistic for you and your current lifestyle so you decide to cut back to a 75% low fat raw vegan diet instead.

Once you stick to a game plan consistently for a bit of time, it will get easier and easier.  Making a big banana smoothie for lunch or having your favorite juicy fruit followed by greens for dinner will just be automatic.

Let’s Recap

If you want to be a successful raw foodist, you have to:

1. Set a raw game plan you can stick to
2. Stay focused on your game plan
3. Put your game plan and focus into practice

We can’t all be tenacious tennis champs, but we can ALL be radiant raw foodists!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

But you’ve also heard about the dreaded COOKED FOOD CRAVINGS and are a little leery about getting started.

There MUST be some simple information out there that will keep the crazy cravings at bay, right?  And once you learn it, THEN you’ll be able to go raw and avoid any and all tempting cooked cuisine.

Might as well sit back, relax, and wait for the “ah-hah” moment.

Not so fast, my fearful “wannabe-fruity” friend…

Stop BS’ing Yourself

Waiting for the “Ah-Hah!” moment—that moment when you are suddenly bestowed with the knowledge and ability to go raw for good with little to no effort—is the same type of thinking that brings you “I’ll start for sure tomorrow” and “Just one bite won’t hurt”.

Sitting around praying for a light bulb somewhere inside your brain to turn on is lazy and completely pointless.

There is no light bulb!

There is no magical ah-hah moment in which you learn some sacred knowledge that makes all your cooked food cravings disappear.

Trust me on this one.

I spent many months on my butt stuffing my face with food, faithful that if I just kept reading more and more books and visiting more and more forums, one day someone’s pithy statement would alert me to all the wonders of the universe and I would be a 100% raw foodist just like that.

You want to know what I got out of all that waiting and reading? Diddly-squat.

Until I actually dedicated myself to going raw and began working toward that goal (i.e. actually EATING a raw food diet!), nothing changed for me at all.

You Gotta Work For It

My big point here is that if you want to stop struggling with cravings, you have to put in the work.

Luckily for you, it’s pretty simple.

Just eat as much sweet fruit to satisfy you every single day—as much as you want and whenever you have a craving—while also limiting your fat intake and getting in generous portions of tasty tender greens. Throw in some exercise, lots of sleep, some sunshine and clean water and you’re REALLY living the good life!

Hey, I said SIMPLE, not easy.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze