ON A PERSONAL NOTE: HOW I GOT STARTED

 

 

 

Written by contibutor Jean-Marie Payne of Btanjerine and A Simply Raw Life.  Jean-Marie is a cancer survior who turned to Raw/Vegan food to combat this terrible disease with success.  

 

How I got started

 

So, Switiching to an all Raw/Vegan lifestyle isn't easy. Back in July when I made the switch it was out of necessity and so the switch happened literally over night. One day I was eating my normal Standard American Diet and the next day I was eating Raw/Vegan. The thing that proved to be the easiest and simpliest way for me to change so quickly was smoothies. I was drinking 3 very large smoothies a day... Each one was probably 32-38 oz each... and let me tell you if you drink that much green juice a day, there just really isn't enough room for that much food... LOL!! But what was great about this was they tasted good and I didn't have to think much about food. Just blend and go. And my body didn't have to do too much work in digesting either. We started experimenting and we did chocolate smoothies, fruity smoothies, and even some with just veggies... and just to make it fun I would sometimes just pick a color and everything in my fridge that was that color had to go into the smoothie... You would be so surprised at what tastes good in a smoothie. One of my favorite finds was zucchini. It has no taste and is packed full of nutirents and so in my smoothie they would go...

 

My challenge to you is try drinking 2 large smmothies a day and see how you feel at the end of the week or 10 days... You too will be loving your green smoothies, your new out look on life, and your new body!! Let me know how you feel after you do your week challenge...

My favorite smoothies drink base:

 

SMOOTHIE DRINK BASE

 

1 Banana

Hand full of Kale

1 cup of Almond Milk

1/4 cup frozen green peas or 1/2 to 1 fresh zucchini

1 date

Add anything else and you are golden

(if you need more liquid add water)

 

Chocolate powder gives you a dreamy chocolate shake

Strawberries & pineapple & coconut flakes gives you a more tropical feel

Anything is possible!!!

 

I always tried to drink one smoothie without nuts. Here's what I would put in this one:

 

FRUIT & VEGETABLE SMOOTHIE WITHOUT NUTS

 

1 or 2 Carrots

1 celery stalk(which is great for depression or sad thoughts)

1 orange (peeled), hand full of spinach

1 apple, ginger(just a small piece) & water.

 

Blend in the blender or vitamix. and strain out half of the pulp. I think the fiber is good thats why I don't juice this one. But it is super fiberous so if you can stand it drink everything. But for me I would just strain out part of the fiber.

Don't forget to add parsley when you have it. It is a super food and it has only a few properties less than wheat grass. And the taste isn't too bad. 

 

And remember you can top off your smoothie with chia seeds, fresh berries. gogi berries, coconut and the like.  Skies the limit!

 

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

Join the discussion!

Do you have a story about how Raw or Vegan food changed your life or a fabulous smoothie recipe? We would love to hear what it is! Share it in the comments below. Links are welcome.

 

RAW: HOW TO TRANSITION INTO A RAW FOOD DIET by CHRISTINE ROSEBERRY

 

 

How to Transition into a Raw Food Diet:

When I first started out transitioning into raw foods, I had no idea where to start.  I didn’t know anyone else who ate the way I was attempting to eat.  I just knew I did not feel good and something had to change fast.  So from one day to the next, I basically quit cold turkey going from the typical Standard American Diet (SAD) of meats, processed foods, sugary refined desserts to whole, fresh raw foods.  Although I found myself really enjoying the new foods I was eating, I found quitting so drastically set me up for failure. 

So I thought I would share with you today some tips on how to transition into raw foods in a way that sets you up for success.

1)    Instead of focusing on what to take out of your diet focus on adding in more fruits and veggies into your diet.

 

2)    If raw foods seem daunting at first, try going vegan.

 

3)    Start with having fruit for breakfast, ie smoothies, fruit bowls, several pieces of whole fruit.

 

4)    Once you get breakfast down start making the rest of your meals half raw.  For example, if you have pasta for dinner, add a large green salad with that.

5)    Eat the salads or raw part of your meal first.  So instead of filling up on pasta and only finishing half the salad you intended, eat the salad and veggies first so that you are sure to fill up on the most nutritious part first crowding out the other food.

 

6)    If you give into a craving or caved into to old habits, don’t get discouraged it happens.  Get back up and start with the next meal.  You always have the very next meal to start off on the right foot.

Transitioning into raw foods is an amazing journey.  So have fun along the way and enjoy it.  Have your why’s for doing the diet clearly in mind, to always keep you motivated.  If you are having set backs or struggling just keep moving forward.  Remember it’s not the pace but the direction in which you are going.  Keep moving forward and you will feel the inner GLOW exuding from the inside out!

 

 

xChristine


Christine has helped people make this amaizng transition.  For more information, you can contact Christine by visiting www.justglowingwithhealth.com.