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:

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And for even more on dealing with overwhelm and going raw, be sure to check out my recent article on decision fatigue.

Nerdage

I can’t believe I’m actually saying this out loud, but one of my favorite movies is Justice League: The New Frontier.  It’s an animated film that aired just last year on Cartoon Network.

If it helps my case at all, the film is rated PG-13.

Okay.  Go ahead and laugh.

Got it out of your system?  Good.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering what an animated action flick has to do with raw food, so let me explain.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Here is the synopsis of the film from the Warner Brothers site:

The New Frontier takes viewers on an action-packed adventure, exploring the origins of the Justice League.  DC Comics legends Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are all featured in the film as well as Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and The Flash – as they band together to form the legendary super team.  Strangers at first, these very different heroes must overcome fear and suspicion to forge an alliance against a monster so formidable, even the mighty Superman cannot stop it alone.  If they fail, the entire planet will be “cleansed” of humanity.

“Fear and suspicion” of the Justice League is really the focus of the entire film.  The movie is set during the Cold War and the Communist paranoia that defined this time is reflected in the government suspicion of anything “super.”

The antagonist in the film is this terrible force called “The Center” that is threatening to obliterate the human race.  Of course, the government would rather focus on perceived differences than band together with the Justice League and kick some mega-monster butt.

It is this fear of the unknown that leads to inaction, threatening to destroy the entire planet.

Fear Leads to Inaction

Have you ever been so afraid of something that you were “frozen with fear,” too fearful to act?  I know I have.  Just as it did in the Justice League film, fear used to play a large role in my life.

Except a giant, earth-destroying monster wasn’t at the root of my fear.  Nope.  It was much less terrifying than that.  As silly as it sounds, it was my own health and wellness.

When I first became interested in improving my health, I found myself pretty overwhelmed.  I knew how to exercise, but nutrition had me at such a loss.  There were just so many different doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, and lifestyle coaches and few of them seemed to agree with each other.

Instead of feeling in charge of my health, I felt defeated.  I didn’t think that I could ever know enough to truly take good care of myself.  There would always be some necessary piece of information that I was missing for a long, healthy life.

I realize that I was not alone in this fear.  Many people are so afraid of making decisions regarding their own health that they would rather give up all together.

That’s where modern medicine comes in.  When you don’t know what to do, where do you go?  Why, your local doctor, of course!  He (or she) will prescribe you with all kinds of costly drugs and supplements to make you all better and remove all your fears.

And don’t think the raw food movement is impervious to this fear!  Raw foodists are so afraid of deficiencies (i.e. protein, B12, vitamin D, iron,etc.) that it often keeps them at a standstill.  They are too fearful of their own nutritional needs that they end up not doing anything at all.

So where do the raw foodists turn?  Why, the raw food gurus, of course!  They will “prescribe” you all the pills, powders, and processed foods you can handle, all in the name of health.

And you don’t even have to lift a finger, except to punch in your credit card information.

Knowledge Leads to Action

Is this really the way to live?  Do you really want to rely on other people for something so personal as your own health and well-being?  Wouldn’t you rather be in complete control of every aspect of your life?

I know I would.  But what is the solution?

*Knowledge*

The rampant fear and suspicion exhibited in The New Frontier simply stems from a lack of knowledge…knowledge of the strange, knowledge of the new, and knowledge of the formidable.

It’s the same with the health movement, raw or not.

Think of it this way. A person who is looking to improve his health, but is not knowledgeable in that area will probably be too fearful to make decisions on his own.  It is very likely that he will turn to some “expert” who will charge him an arm and a leg for his “expert” services.

But what about the individual who understands basic health principles and is confident in his nutritional decisions?  Will that person be stricken with fear?  Will that person look for more “qualified” individuals to tell him how to live his life?

I don’t think so.

When I finally discovered low fat raw, I felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  I learned that I was in complete control of my nutrition and that I didn’t need doctors or gurus to tell me how to eat.

And it was all much more simple than I could have ever imagined!  I had always enjoyed raw fruit and so I found eating mountains of it both mind-boggling and exciting.

Come on, how fun is it to eat dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Take a Stand

You have to take a stand.  You have to educate yourself about health.  You cannot rely on so-called experts, within the raw food movement itself and outside of it.  You have to do the research on your own and learn from your own experiences.

Luckily, we now have the internet and so this learning process is much easier.  However, it also means that there is A LOT of inaccurate information out there that has to be sifted through.  It can be difficult at times to know which sources to listen to.

That’s what Fit On Raw is all about!  My intent has always been to provide solid, sound information in an easy-to-understand and useful format.  I try to sift through all of the junk and provide simple, practical guidelines that allow you to begin your health journey as soon as possible.

Hopefully I’m achieving this goal.

Final Thoughts

I couldn’t think of anything deep or meaningful to say, so I’ll just leave you with some profound quotes:

There is nothing to fear except the persistent refusal to find out the truth, the persistent refusal to analyze the causes of happenings. ~ Dorothy Thompson

Fear is not the natural state of civilized people. ~ Aung San Suu Kyi

Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive — the risk to be alive and express what we really are. ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

And my personal favorite:

Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is. ~ H. Jackson Brown

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Finding it hard to put all that raw food know-how into action without some healthy and tasty recipes? Don’t worry, I’ve got ya covered…

“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

President Obama’s health care reform bill passed and I’ve been in a sour mood all week. (If you read my John Mackey article, you know that I am thoroughly opposed to nationalized health insurance of any kind.)

The worst part about the whole thing is that Obama is being hailed by his fellow Democrats as a champion of human rights, social justice, AND health care.

As someone who strives to be a TRUE champion of all things healthy, I beg to differ.

What About the Food Pyramid?

Anyone who has ever come across well-known nutritional literature such as The China Study, Eat to Live, The Pleasure Trap, The 80/10/10 Diet or even Skinny Bitch knows that what we put into our mouths has a direct effect on the state of our health.

And any knowledge of human anatomy and physiology makes it painfully obvious that the USDA’s “balanced” Food Pyramid is seriously flawed.  Not only does it promote a reliance on cooked foods, but it builds a foundation on fatigue-inducing, addictive cereal grains, coupled with acidic, mucus-forming, cancer-causing animal protein.

If Obama honestly cared about your health, would he really sanction a governmental department that encourages the citizens of his country to fuel themselves with nutritionally-bankrupt, harmful foods?

What About Food and Drug Control?

Many people assume that America’s Food and Drug Administration does an adequate job of approving safe, effective drugs for our use.

This could not be further from the truth.

For instance, there are MANY non-toxic, completely harmless drugs out there that are being suppressed by the FDA.  As Daniel Haley notes in Politics in Healing: The Suppression and Manipulation of American Medicine:

…it is well established through clinical studies that the saw palmetto herb is more effective -  and safer – at shrinking a swollen male prostate gland than the ‘approved’ brands whose advertisements are everywhere.

If a manufacturer of saw palmetto wished to state this known truth on its label, the FDA would haul that manufacturer into court in short order for having committed the sin of making health claims. The fact that they might be true is beside the point, for the FDA has arrogated unto itself the right to censor them.

Gerson Therapy is an excellent example of this censorship.  Gerson therapy, a natural cancer treatment with a focus on toxin removal via raw plant foods, supplements, and enemas, has been used successfully for over 75 years (the Loma Linda Clinic in Fukushima, Japan has been using Gerson Therapy for over 16 years with a 50%+ success rate).

This simple, effective, and cheap treatment has never been FDA approved.

But what if those like the saw palmetto manufacturer or Max Gerson himself wished to get their medicinal product FDA approved?  Haley writes:

A 1997 study by Tufts University found that the cost of getting FDA approval for a new drug costs upwards of $200,000,000 and may take ten years or longer.  In May 2000, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that getting a new drug approved could cost between $300 and 600 million.

All of this to sell an herb or eat more raw foods? What if parsley were found to be an effective treatment for, I don’t know, facial hair removal?  Would it have to be FDA approved?

And what of the drugs that DO get FDA approved? Are they really safe (or even necessary)?

I’m sure you’ve seen those obnoxious commercials for Yaz, an FDA approved monthly birth control pill…

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday” blah blah blah

Well, some women recently filed a lawsuit against the company for experiencing several additional side effects, including blood clots, stroke, gall bladder disease, pancreatitis, and heart attack, from taking the drug.

Regardless, Yaz is STILL FDA approved.

If Obama honestly cared about your health, would he really sanction an organization that censors harmless, effective, inexpensive health products in favor of deadly, ineffective, costly, completely unnecessary drugs?

What About Freedom of Choice?

Haley again:

While every other kind of freedom is fought for by both liberals and conservatives, there’s strange silence when one brings up Health Freedom – freedom for anyone to consult the doctor of one’s choice, to obtain any therapy of one’s choice, toxic or non-toxic, and to have it paid for by one’s health insurance.

Our talk and preaching about free markets helped to bring down the Soviet Union.  But we don’t practice what we preach, for we have no free market in non-toxic therapies in the U.S. – in things which by definition can’t hurt us.

And now, thanks to Obama, we’ll have no free market in health insurance either.  Of course, that’s not to say that government regulation hasn’t already had a heavy hand in health care, the results of which include:

…a high death toll from cancer, the absence of effective medicine against viral diseases such as AIDS and against many bacterial infections, and the most costly health system on the planet…

…most Americans do not die from accidents, but from degenerative disease.  Many treatments for the latter are excluded from the market, or their capabilities censored by the FDA, which has usurped for itself the right to dictate to manufacturers what they can say about their products.

If Obama honestly cared about your health, would he deny you the freedom of taking it into your own hands by forcing you to buy into a health system that does NOTHING to promote or encourage health for its participants?

Obama Just Doesn’t Care

Obama doesn’t care about our health and he CERTAINLY doesn’t care about freedom, personal responsibility, fairness, or the US Constitution.

If Obama really cared, wouldn’t he severely reduce the censoring power of the FDA?  Wouldn’t he promote a free market economy and the inevitable inclusion of cost effective, non-toxic products?  Wouldn’t he sing the praises of a low fat, plant based diet and lifestyle?

So then what DOES Obama care about?  Oh, I think we know the answer to that…

ahem *power, money, those lovely pearly whites* ahem

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. Obama may not give a rat’s rear end about our health, but I sure as hell do and you should too!  And if you were unaware, one of the absolute best ways to improve your health (and look fabulous to boot) is to adopt a healthy and sustainable low fat raw vegan diet.

And I’ve got just the thing to help you do that…delicious raw recipes, of course!

For more info and to purchase Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes, check out the link below:

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

Hey, at least I’m ENDING on a positive note!

You know what really gets my goat?

Wastefulness.

I hate the thought of wasting time.  I hate the thought of wasting energy.  I even hate the thought of wasting food.

I love efficiency.

I love getting things done in a timely matter.  I love only using as much as I need.

And I LOVE a low fat raw food diet.

Where am I going with all this?

I really don’t consider myself an environmentalist.  I don’t petition for the polar bears and I don’t support the EPA.

I am currently taking a course on health and environmental justice and constantly feel at arms with my fellow classmates and their views on eco-responsibility.

And yet, I am the most environmentally conscious person I know!

Why?

Because I eat a raw food diet.

Cooking is NOT Environmentally Friendly

Because the topic has already been covered extensively, I’m not going to focus too much on meat and dairy consumption in regards to environmental efficacy.   Suffice it to say that the livestock industry has a profound effect on the earth’s trees, topsoil, and water supply.

If you have any doubts that world-wide meat consumption is completely inefficient and has devastating consequences for our environment, be sure to check out the link below:

Eat To Save The Environment?

Let’s consider a cooked vegan diet that excludes, meat, dairy and eggs and typically includes lots of grains, soy and other processed products as well as fruits and vegetables.

Not only is this seen by many as the healthiest of all diets, it is viewed as the most environmentally friendly way to eat as well.

But is this true?

Here’s an example of some of the damaging effects of grains on the environment from Grain Damage: Rethinking the High-Starch Diet by none other than Dr. Douglas Graham:

Modern grain farming has resulted in the loss of almost all of our topsoil.  What was sixteen feet of topsoil a century ago has been reduced to six inches or less on most of our farms.

And a little further on:

The following is a partial list of toxic chemicals used in the processing of grain.  How much residue from these chemicals remains in the grain itself, versus how much is simply dumped in concentrated form onto our top soil is of little consequence.  In either case, these chemicals end up polluting our bodies and the environment.

Mercury
Cyanide
Ammonium salts
Chlorine

(Each of the above, in high enough doses, can cause insanity or even death).

Flourine
Mineral oil
Allum

(These are high-potency toxins).

And we all know how much cooked vegans love their soy!  Here’s a quote from an article from 2004 on the effect of soy cultivation in Brazil:

Soy – at this moment – is the most important driver for deforestation, directly and indirectly,” says environmental analyst Jan Maarten Dros. “Directly because the cerrado is being converted from natural vegetation into soy fields. But indirectly, because in this region a lot of cattle farms are being replaced by soy farmers buying or renting land from cattle farmers.”

This means, according to Dros’ 2003 WWF study on the impacts of soybean cultivation in Brazil, that the “cattle farmers tend to advance into new forest area, causing more deforestation.

*But that’s not all!*

Have you ever thought about all of the wasted materials that go into packaging these “environmentally responsible” foods?

Plastic, aluminum, steel, tin, cardboard, etc. are all used to contain prepared products such as oatmeal, granola, pasta, organic chips, gluten-free frozen foods, and the like.

*And we certainly cannot forget about cooking!*

All the heat used to bake, roast, grill, and steam vegetables.

All the water used to cook pasta, potatoes, rice etc.

By the way, do you know how much water it takes to boil a pound of pasta?  4-6 quarts.

That’s at least 1 GALLON of water!

The TRUE Green Goers

If you really want to be as efficient as possible, if you really want to go green, if you really want to do everything you can for Mother Earth, you can’t do much better than eating a healthy raw vegan diet.

The reasoning is quite simple.

The more whole, raw foods you consume, the less processed, packaged ingredients you buy and the less cooking methods you use.  The less processed, packaged ingredients you buy and the less cooking methods you use means less wasted materials and a healthier planet (not to mention a healthier you).

When I compare the amount of material and energy waste before I went raw to after, the results are quite astonishing.

Sure, I was eating a vegan diet and consuming lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, but I was also consuming packaged products everyday, such as oatmeal, sprouted bread, prepared juices, tofu, and lots of dried herbs and spices packaged in plastic bags and containers.

Plus, I ate a whole lot of brown rice and pasta that had to be boiled and a good amount of steamed and baked vegetables.

On the contrary, the foods that I consume now—fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds—require very little to no packaging at all.  In fact, my first two meals of fruit is just that…fruit!

No plastic wrap, no cardboard containers, no twisty ties.  Just peels and/or seeds that can easily be composted for a lovely, eco-friendly home garden.

And all of this doesn’t even begin to consider the fact that I am no longer supporting destructive agricultural methods, while at the same time encouraging the growth of environmentally AND ecologically friendly fruit trees.

According to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation:

Fruit trees heal the environment by cleaning the air, improving soil quality, preventing erosion, creating animal habitat, sustaining valuable water sources, and providing healthy nutrition.

And here’s another one from Grain Damage:

During the great floods of 1993, for example, millions of acres of grain crops were destroyed in the United States, while tree crops flourished.  Whereas grains crops lead to depletions and loss of precious topsoil, orchards pull their water and nutrients from deep down in the subsoil, assist in the building of topsoil, and aid in nutrient recycling.

Fruit and nut trees are durable, they protect the soil from erosion, and they encourage biodiversity.

Trees also act as grand air filters, causing particulate matter to fall to the ground.  As we replace fields of grains with orchards, we can expect our air to become cleaner, sweeter, and healthier for us.

Food for Thought

Here’s one last little bit of info from Dr. Graham.

An acre of orchard will feed 250% more people than an acre of grain.

How’s that for efficiency?

Go raw and be fit,
Swayze

P.S. Cooked food cravings keeping you from eating the most environmentally-friendly foods on the planet? I’ve got just the thing…

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To learn more about everything that’s included and order your copy today, click on the link below:

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The basic theme of Mackey’s piece is that health care is not a birthright and that every person is responsible for his or her own health.  Public health care is not only costly and unsupported by the US Constitution…it’s just plain WRONG!

Many Whole Foods shoppers are now boycotting the company, citing John Mackey’s insensitivity toward those Americans who cannot afford proper health care as their reason.

Why Is John Mackey My New Best Friend?

I have had great respect for John Mackey ever since I learned about his support and usage of Health Safety Accounts at Whole Foods.

Even though I rarely shop at Whole Foods, Mackey’s support of individuality and personal responsibility resonates highly with me.  His recent op-ed has only deepened my warm feelings toward him and his company.

Don’t be surprised if you see me sporting an “I Heart Mackey” shirt in the near future.

Because John Mackey Believes In The US Constitution

All of the following quotes are from Mackey’s article:

Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That’s because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America.

Mackey brings up two great points here.  First, the best quality health care is provided by the private sector.  The increasing cost of insurance and care that we see today can both be linked to government intervention (an unequal tax code and the inability of health insurance companies to compete state-to-state, for instance).

And I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly 100% confident in the competency of the US government (or any governing body, for that matter).  Our own government can’t even count votes accurately, for Pete’s sake!

Second, there is no Constitutional right to nationalized health care in this country.  Period.

Because John Mackey Believes In Personal Responsibility

Rather than increase government spending and control, we need to address the root causes of poor health. This begins with the realization that every American adult is responsible for his or her own health.

Bingo.  Too many people forget or choose to ignore the fact that our own health is our own responsibility.

Mackey continues:

Unfortunately many of our health-care problems are self-inflicted: two-thirds of Americans are now overweight and one-third are obese. Most of the diseases that kill us and account for about 70% of all health-care spending—heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity—are mostly preventable through proper diet, exercise, not smoking, minimal alcohol consumption and other healthy lifestyle choices.

Another nail on the head.  Just think how empty those hospital beds would be if everyone took responsibility instead of turning to the government and “Big Pharma” to solve their health woes.

Because John Mackey Knows True Health Doesn’t Come In Pill Form

Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat. We should be able to live largely disease-free lives until we are well into our 90s and even past 100 years of age.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.  Well, I can be a little bit more specific…

-    Eat lots of fruit
-    Eat minimal fat
-    Don’t forget your greens
-    Exercise
-    Get plenty of sleep
-    Get plenty of sunshine
-    Etc.

But if living healthfully is so simple (and cheap), why isn’t everyone doing it?

Fear Leads To Inaction, Knowledge Leads To Action

If you remember from a recent article of mine Raw Food: The New Frontier, I discussed fear and the role it plays in peoples’ aversion to personal health.  Many people fear that they are not competent enough to take good care of themselves.

As a result, the general public turns to modern medicine and the government ( and your tax dollars) for help, falsely believing that fancy credentials and even fancier attire mean unending nutritional and fitness expertise.

They don’t.  The current state of human health proves that they don’t.

Take A Stand

Just as I did two weeks ago, I am encouraging CHALLENGING you to take a stand.  Arm yourself with all the raw know-how you can and become your own health guru!

Oh…and don’t forget to showcase the power of personal responsibility (and support my fondness for John Mackey) by purchasing some delicious organic produce at Whole Foods.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze