Don’t get me wrong, I love America just as much as the next gal!  But is that really what the holiday is celebrated and remembered for?

No, not really.  It’s all really about fried foods, fireworks, and getting faced.

Well, I don’t care for fried ANYTHING anymore, I’m much too old for fireworks (okay, I still like fireworks), and I don’t even know what it’s like to be intoxicated!

So then what do you do if you’re obligated to attend a 4th of July bash?  Is there any way for a fit and fruity raw foodist to truly enjoy this hot summer holiday?

Fruit, Of Course!

In my opinion, the 4th of July is the easiest holiday to celebrate on a raw food diet because it occurs during the summer.  Think about it: The bigger and even more food-focused celebrations like Thanksgiving and Christmas go on when it’s frosty outside.

It’s definitely more difficult to enjoy a tepid fruit smoothie when everyone else is warming their innards with comforting cooked soups and casseroles.

Not a problem for the Fruity 4th of July.  There are just so many wonderful fruits available during this time of year:

• peaches
• nectarines
• mangoes
• blueberries
• cherries
• musk melon
• watermelon
• jakfruit
• lychees
• tomatoes
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• cucumber

The list is very long and very delicious.  And the list of raw recipes you can make with all these ingredients is even longer!

Here’s a great themed idea for all you creative types: You know how every year around this time there’s at least one magazine with an American flag made out of cake on the cover?  How about one made out of fruit!

Fresh Fruit Flag

Fresh Fruit Flag

*What You Will Need*

• Wooden skewers – 7 or 8 for each flag
• Strawberries – about 10 small strawberries for each flag
• Blueberries – about 20 for each flag
• Bananas – 2 medium bananas for each flag
• Lemon juice

*What To Do*

1. De-cap strawberries and slice in half (small strawberries) or quarters (large strawberries.) The key is to slice strawberries into uniform pieces so the skewers align.

2. Rinse strawberries and blueberries, then dry. Your preschooler can help with this step!

3. Peel bananas and cut into at least ½” slices. If the banana slices are too small, they tend to break apart when you put them on the skewers. Add a little lemon juice to the bananas so they do not brown.

Note: You can use apple slices instead of banana slices. Be sure to use lemon juice for apple slices as well.

4. Begin by creating the stars by threading about 5 blueberries onto a skewer. Slide the blueberries to the (non-pointy) end of the skewer. Repeat this for three more skewers.

5. Take each blueberry skewer and create four ‘stripes’ by adding one banana slice (lengthwise), one strawberry slice, one banana, and one strawberry. Repeat for each of the four blueberry skewers.

6. Create three more skewers of stripes by adding a strawberry first, then alternating bananas and strawberries until you have seven stripes total.

7. On a plate, arrange the skewers to create the flag.

Pretty cute, and clearly great for kids.  You could also use raspberries instead of strawberries and cubed coconut meat instead of bananas.  And I would put the fruit on toothpicks and stick them into a rectangle base for a fancier presentation.

And for all you lazy loafs like me: bring a fruit platter!  Just cut up your favorite seasonal fruits and arrange on a fancy plate.

A favorite combination of mine is peaches and blueberries.  Uber simple, but oh-so hard for anyone to resist…especially on a hot summer day.

Cooked Cravings

If you are new to a raw food diet and worried about cravings during the celebration, the best advice I can give is to eat beforehand.  And not just a few measly handfuls of leftover blueberries.  I mean an entire fruit meal.

If you’re good and full, you won’t have to worry about cravings one bit.  And if you are just a big worry wort, go ahead and take some sugary sweet, calorific dates along for extra insurance.

Actually, eating beforehand is good advice for all fruit eaters.  I know if I tried to bring a fruit flag without eating my meal beforehand, there would be nothing left but skewers by the time I arrived!

Happy July 4th (and a wonderfully raw weekend to all my non-American readers!),

Swayze

* Special Offer: Send in Your Testimonial for a Free Report!

* Feature Article: How to Convince Your Loved Ones to Go Raw

Send in Your Testimonial for a Free Report!

First, I want to send a big “THANK YOU!” to everyone who has purchased my recipe e-book…

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

It was released mid-January and has already sold over 100 copies!  I’ve gotten some really good feedback from those who have purchased, like this lovely gem from Shayla in Texas:

Dear Swayze,

When I first heard about becoming raw, it was hard to figure out just what to eat.

I would look through  recipe books and all I would get is recipes involving a dehydrator or other pricey equipment; and I know I can’t just eat 10 bananas! The “Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes”  really helped me figure out what to do! I just love the Radically Raw Pizza! I’m glad I bought it and I thank you for putting it together!

Sincerely,

Shayla Stagg,
Cameron, Texas, USA

Who wouldn’t love getting comments like these?

If you have also purchased the Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes and are enjoying the tasty dishes, I would love it if you would send me a testimonial to use on my site.

If you do, I’ll send you my free report “Dealing with Diet Dissenters: How to Handle Unsupportive, Argumentative, and Downright Rude People on a Raw Food Diet”

Simply email me your feedback at swayze@fitonraw.com and I’ll send you the report straight away.

Thanks again, everyone!

Swayze

P.S. To learn more about Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes and read some more testimonials, simply visit the link below:

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

How to Convince Your Loved Ones to Go Raw

I know how exciting it is when you first go raw.  You see all these wonderful bodily and mental improvements that you never experienced on any other diet.

You truly feel like you have discovered the “Fountain of Youth” and you just want to bombard everyone you know with all the raw food and fitness information you’ve got.

Please, don’t do it!

There is a better, gentler, and much more *effective* way…

Don’t Force It

Let’s face it.  Even though the popularity of the raw food movement is growing, most people still think eating a raw food diet is for wackos.

And no matter how supportive or encouraging your family and friends are, they probably feel the same way.  Don’t be surprised if they view the whole raw food movement as a food fad and fully expect you to come running back to “normal” cooked fare in no time.

And this makes perfect sense!  Just think back to your cooked food days: how would you have reacted to someone (even a close relative) trying to convince you to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds? AND nothing is cooked?!?

Just some crazy new trend, right?

And how about the nerve of this loved one telling YOU how to live YOUR life as if they could possibly know what’s best for YOU!

The audacity!

Bottom line, you can’t force people to change their mindset and you certainly can’t force people to change their eating habits.  If you try, you will fail.  Not only will you fail, you will risk losing valuable relationships in the process.

Flaunt It!

The best thing you can do to convince others to go raw is to lead by example.  Simply live your life and people will be drawn to your successes.

When people start noticing how healthy and vibrant you obviously look and feel, everyone will want to know your secret.  All of a sudden, people who were never interested in your diet or exercise regimen (or perhaps even shunned/poked fun at what you’re doing) will be dying to know your secret.

No one can resist the raw glow!

Most importantly, they will be coming to YOU for advice, instead of you bombarding them.  It will completely be their idea and their CHOICE.

Proof is in the (Raw) Pudding

When I first went raw, the rest of my family ate standard cooked food.  My Mom has always been an excellent cook, but health wasn’t really high up on the agenda.

The concern was more for taste, not nutrition.

So what did I do to try and convince them to go raw?  Nothing. I didn’t bombard them with raw food “propaganda.”  I didn’t preach to them about the “evils” of cooked food.  I didn’t even instruct them to read 80/10/10 or The China Study.

I just ate lots of fruit, exercised, spent time outdoors, got adequate sleep and answered any health-related questions they had for me.

Well, it’s been two years and things have really changed.  My Mom eats mostly vegan and rarely ever cooks meat anymore.  The family has gone from having meat pretty much every single night to once or twice a week.

There is much more of a focus on plant foods and much less on meat, cheese, dairy, salt, butter, etc.

While two years may sound like a long time to you, just think back to how long it took you to come to grips with raw foodism.  Personally, I became interested in health and fitness back in early 2005, but it was not until late 2007 that I went raw.

And remember, I’m from the land of BBQ ribs, fried chicken, and pulled pork sandwiches.  The fact that my family regularly eats meatless (sometimes completely vegan) meals and LOVES them is just too cool to me.

And now I get to accept full responsibility and praise for all their health improvements, of course.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

Christmas time is here and that means lots of family, lots of friends, and lots of food.

And let me guess.  Every year you prepare a big Holiday Dinner for your loved ones and this year is no different.

Well, except for the fact that you have gone raw and won’t be participating in any of the eating.

Yikes!  You just don’t know how you can possibly prepare meals without tasting everything as you go!

Maybe I can help?

Hire a Taste-Tester

Here’s a quote from my e-book “Surviving Sticky Situations on a Raw Food Diet” that may help:

Consider this: you are NOT cooking for yourself, right?  You are cooking for others.  It doesn’t matter what it tastes like to YOU.  It only matters what it tastes like to your family!

In that case, you can just as easily ask your spouse or son or daughter or WHOEVER to be a taste tester for you.

No.  More.  Excuses.

Just to clarify, I am not just talking through my hat here.  I actually HAVE cooked meals for my loved ones while 100% raw.

As I have brought up before, I used to want to own a bakery and I spent much of my time baking and decorating elaborate cakes.  I bet you I have seen all of the crazy cake challenges on Food Network (even the more recent ones, I am ashamed to say).

Pretty crazy, huh?

Simply having your family members taste the food is a great tip for those of you who have to prepare Christmas Dinner this year.

That said, this tip won’t mean jack squat if you refuse to follow one simple raw rule for success.

But first, a little anecdote…

Christmas Cookie Crafting and Clean-Up

As I mentioned above, I used to be into baking and because of my past pastry “expertise,” my mother enlisted my help in Christmas cookie decorating this year (last night, actually).

While I was a little skeptical about my skill (I have not so much as *looked* at a pastry bag in over two years), I wasn’t worried at all about the cooked food temptation.

I know that I do not need to taste-test my family’s food just because I’m preparing a cooked dish for them.  The food is not for me anyway, so what’s the point in tasting it?

And what would I want with THOSE sticky sweets when I have delicious and nourishing oranges, kiwi, bananas, grapes, and pomegranates in the house?!

To my surprise, I seemed to have retained some of my pastry finesse and actually had a whole lot of fun!  Although, I had completely forgotten how messy baking is (gosh, I wonder why).

While it was great listening to Christmas music and “gossiping” with my Momma, cleaning up the mess of icing and sprinkles, trying to get the sticky, sugary feeling off my hands, and keeping everything away from the animals is something I can live without.

All in all, I was able to enjoy in the seasonal festivities without feeling bloated, achy, or guilty from succumbing to cooked food sweets.

In fact, I did not even *think* about taking a nibble from the sugar cookies or gingerbread men (which used to be my favorite and the exact recipe I made every year at Christmas) and there is one very important reason why…

Fill Your House With Festive Fruit

You can hire your own taste-tester and swear to yourself up and down that you will not take a single bite of cooked food, but I guarantee you all that will go out the window when you’re hungry.

It is so easy to tell yourself “just one bite” when you have not eaten so much as a morsel of food all day and the only raw food in the house is one overripe banana and an orange or two.

If you really want to overcome the lure of cooked food, then you have to anticipate it and plan smart.  The best way to do this is to keep lots and lots and LOTS of TASTY and RIPE sweet fruit in the house.

By “tasty,” I mean fruit that you actually like to eat.  By “ripe,” I mean food that you can eat right that very instant!  Winter time actually makes this one easy because there is a lot of fruit available that is perfectly ripe at purchase, such as oranges, grapefruit, grapes, apples, etc.

This way, you can be sure that you have enough food for meal times AND for any snacking you need to do in between to avoid any “necessary” recipe tasting.

So before you begin preparing that turkey and gravy or pork roast and applesauce, do yourself a favor and double check your fruit supply.  Whenever you hear that calling for cooked food, go grab a banana or two and tell that cooked drudgery to…

Well, I’ll leave that part up to you.

Holiday Get-Together Tips?

Do you have any tips for staying raw this Holiday season while still enjoying in all the food-filled festivities?  Please share your sagely wisdom in the comments below!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. “Surviving Sticky Social Situations on a Raw Food Diet” is available for only $10 with purchase of my e-book 21 Days to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings.  If you’ve been struggling to get back on track with your raw food diet, then this may just be the program for you.

Check it out at:

www.cookedfoodcravings.com

I sure am!  So much so, in fact, that I decided to shoot a little video for you all.

Don’t mind the hair, I just showered.  I finally drum up the courage to do another video and wouldn’t ya know it…I look like a wet rat!

Click here to view the embedded video.

UPDATE

Sadly, I did not fully complete my mission.

I seriously underestimated the power of the super-sweet, but oh-so delicious, Medjool date. I’m not used to eating so many at one time and man, do they stick to your ribs!

Even still, I think I made a valiant effort…

There’s always next year (or tomorrow), right?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Go raw and be fit,

Super-Statisfied Swayze

I can’t believe it’s true, but Thanksgiving is only one week away!

This can be a pretty nerve-wracking thing for us raw foodists, a fact that is especially true for those of us planning on attending – or, God forbid, HOSTING – a big family feast.

We want to participate in all the food-focused festivities, but it is also important to maintain our healthy raw vegan diets and all of the wonderful results be have attained.

What to do?

I am actually having Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house this year (usually it’s just my immediate family and I) and I am considering bringing a special raw dish or two along…other than just a plate of crudites or a bowl of fruit.

Seeing that I don’t make many raw recipes in my everyday life (it took me a while to finally try one of Roger’s no-brainer Savory Veggie Stews), I’m just as stumped as you are!

Luckily, with the help of the internet and some fellow low fat raw vegans, I have found a couple of promising recipes I thought you all might like to give a go as well…

Something Sweet – Not Pumpkin Pie

Not Pumpkin Pie

As usual, I’m starting with desert!  And Sarah’s low fat raw Not Pumpkin Pie recipe should hit the spot.

*Ingredients*

• 1-2 lbs medjool dates
• 4-6 large ripe bananas
• 5-6 ripe persimmons – preferably a jelly like variety.

NOTE: If you want to make this recipe for Thanksgiving, you need to purchase the persimmons (the tear-shaped Hachiya variety) as soon and as ripe as possible.

When they are truly ripe, they will feel VERY soft and squishy.  Because this variety is astringent (containing tannin), they are *extremely* unpleasant if eaten before their peak (very chalky and drying).

To speed up the ripening time, you can put the persimmons in a brown paper bag with a ripe banana or apple.

*Directions*

1. The Crust – Pit dates and press date halves all around the bottom of a pie plate.
2. The Filling – Peel bananas, break them in half and place them in the plate, mash lightly with fork until bananas are even all over.
3. The Topping – Scoop out persimmon jelly, spread evenly all over the top.  Slice, serve and enjoy! (Would probably taste good chilled, too!)

If you know anything about raw pies, you know how special this recipe truly is.

Typically, raw desert creations of any kind are full of nuts and dried fruits, which means they are very fatty and break the essential “no sugar and fat” rule.

You can check out an example of a gourmet Raw Strawberry Pie at Gone Raw.

Wow, that’s a lot of fat, a lot of fruit, and a lot of ingredients!

Sarah’s raw recipe above, on the other hand, is exceedingly simple AND healthy.  You certainly do not have to save this sweet treat for special events.

Plus, if you do not like persimmons or do not have access to them, you could easily replace them with a different fruit.  Just keep date crust and banana filling the same and then use a different mashed up fruit for the topping.

Sticky, juicy, thawed strawberries would be perfect for this!

Something Savory – Healthy Raw Guacamole

Healthy Raw Guacamole

While not Thanksgiving-e, Andrew’s Healthy Raw Guacamole recipe is delicious and is sure to please ANY diner, raw or cooked.

*Ingredients*

• 3 large Florida avocados or 4-5 smaller Hass avocados
• 3-4 tomatoes or equivalent portion of cherry tomatoes
• 1-2 bunches of cilantro (aka coriander)
• 1-2 squeezes of one Meyer lemon

*Directions*

1. Dice the tomatoes
2. Remove the cilantro leaves from their stems and finely chop them.
3. Cut the lemon in half
4. Remove the avocado flesh from its skin, place it in a bowl, add the other ingredients, and mash thoroughly with a fork.

Andrew likes celery as a vegetable dipper, but I much prefer English cucumbers cut into diagonal slices.

This recipe is so much tastier than my own guacamole recipe of Hass avocado, tomatoes, and lime juice.  The addition of the cilantro (my favorite herb) and the use of Meyer lemon juice instead of lime juice is really fabulous.

And with the replacement of the Hass with the Florida avocado, this guacamole is lower in fat as well!

If you’re worried about this dish being a little too bland for your audience, you could always add some onion, garlic, pepper, salt, etc. to the recipes to spice things up a bit.

While not optimal additions, this raw recipe will still be a heck of a lot healthier than the traditional fare you’ll find on Turkey Day!

Something Else?

Now that I think about it, there are several other healthy low fat raw recipes that you could present for Thanksgiving!  You could easily create a delicious raw pasta, soup, salad, fruit salad, or even ice cream or sorbet in a matter of minutes.

And as “boring” as it is, a simple bowl of assorted easy-to-eat fruits can really steal the show when surrounded by a never-ending sea of brown, white, and beige-colored foods.

But what about you?  Do you have any tasty raw recipes you’ll be trying out this Thanksgiving?  Maybe you have the recipes, but you’re worried about maintaining your “raw” resolve during all the cooked food craziness?

Leave a comment below, enjoy and have a terrific Thanksgiving!

Swayze

P.S. My bonus e-book “Surviving Sticky Social Situations on a Raw Food Diet” goes into detail about social events of all kinds and how to stay raw while attending them.

You can get this 30-page PDF book at an absolute STEAL when you order my step-by-step daily guide 21 Days to Conquer Your Cooked Food Cravings.

Just visit the following link:

www.cookedfoodcravings.com