Raw Food Diet

Q: Wayne, I felt better in the beginning eating more raw foods, but now I don’t feel as much energy and even less some of the time. Any advice? Can you tell me what you eat? - Louise W.

A: Upon questioning Louise I found that she drinks plenty of water. Bowel movements are 1-2 per day. Skin is dramatically softer and clearer. Energy is mostly good except at 5-6pm after work. Stress is mostly work-related. She does however eat fats 3-4 times a day and does overeat on raw fats! She has been eating this way for 9 months. She is in her 40’s.

Louise exercises, but erratically. She feels somewhat low energy before hand. Consulted me at the beginning of this program and increased her energy dramatically! Got her off all almost all grains and beans, and totally off sugar, pasta, dairy, meats, donuts, drinking milk.

She was drinking 4 cups of large coffee daily, now drinks 2 medium coffee a day. This was basically 2 consults I gave her, one long one and one 15 minutes. What you do not see below is her transition over the 9 months. But you do see her initial diet. She has done extremely well.

Diet Diary

7am
coffee w/cream, 2-3 Fruits for breakfast

water

10am
coffee w/cream, fruit, handful of raw almonds and raisins

1pm
lunch: 1-2 bananas, apple or peach, or some other fruit, 2 eggs

water

3pm
spirulina
raw almonds and raisins

water

7pm
dinner: veggies – big salad w/carrots, greens, onions, 1 avocado or sometimes oil dressing.

water

10-11pm
fruit with some almond butter or Tahini, or a piece of toast

Louise, thanks for updating me on some more details on your diet. From questioning you I find that you are eating way too much raw fat! Unfortunately it can be a little confusing out there knowing exactly what to eat to balance your diet. Eating too much raw fats is a common mistake for many on raw foods.
Doug Graham eats and recommends only 10% raw fats. I find this a little low, I find 15-20% is more realistic.

On the other hand David Wolfe says he eats up to 80% raw fats. I totally respect David for the most part. This is one area where I believe he is not only totally wrong, but it is absolutely dangerous to eat this much fat! I got in BIG trouble eating too much fat myself - in the beginning when I went raw food I ate as many as 6 avocados in a day! I almost blew out my colon! I overloaded my liver, got colitis and learned a very painful lesson!

Here is more of what I now recommend.

If you are not satisfied and still hungry after you eat you just need to eat more. More veggies or more fruit. Many people simply do not eat enough veggies or fruit when they go raw! And many need more, more, more! This is where you must learn to go with your instincts. Below is what I generally recommend for fats.

Forever Healthy FATS Guideline

Only one type of fat at a meal, either avocado, or nuts, or seeds, or oil. Wait 4 hours or more before consuming fat again.

1. Nuts: up to 6 ounces per day if you work out a lot. 4 ounces or so if you are not very active.
2. Avocados: ½-1, 1-2 times a day.
3. Oils: 1 table spoon, 1-3 times per week. In the beginning of your raw food diet, more oil is fine as it is a transition, and it is fast to make a dressing using oils. Ideally less oils is better. Please note that oils are concentrated from the whole food. Three times a week is my recommendation for most people once they have been on raw foods for a year or more.
4. Olives: 10-20 per day. Additionally I recommend that you now get off grains completely! Have them only as an occasional reward.

As far as eggs go, I would like to see you eat them raw in a fruit shake! Raw eggs work fabs! Otherwise from my estimation you are well over 80% raw!

My diet 6 days a week as of last 9 months, as it only changes slightly.

My activity level is:
3 times a week 30-60 minute hard bike ride.
Upper body chin ups and dips/push-ups 5-7 sets, 15 minutes 2x a week.
Yoga 3x a week 30-60 minutes

BREAKFAST

Normally fresh juice, or a piece or two of sub acid fruits.

LUNCH

5- 9 bananas with some other sub acid fruit such as blueberries, apples, etc. And either 1-2 tablespoons of raw nut butter or 1 avocado or olives.

DINNER

Veggie salad with romaine, mixed greens, dandelion, carrots, onion, etc. Dressing is pumpkin seed sauce I make fresh, or avocado with lemon or olives.

SNACK

Any kind of sub-acid fruit.

1 meal a week on average I eat as my reward some of the following:

- Salad with cooked portobello mushrooms.
- Some seaweeds such as nori or hijiki, or dulse.
- Sometimes a baked potato.
- 2-3 dried figs 1x a week.
- About every 2 months air popped popcorn with fresh olive or hemp or flax oil.
- Every 3 months I consume 6 ounces of raw cream, and/or some raw cheese.
- The odd time some cooked veggies in my salad if I go out to eat.

I am 95% + raw and mostly organic. I find only a slight difference being 95% raw over a 100%. But any more than one meal a week reward as mentioned above or less than 95% raw and I do feel the difference!

My WINTER RAW FOOD TIPS

1. Eat Fruit at room temperature in the winter.
2. When eating your salad after you have washed your veggies in cold water, just before you eat or make your salad, rinse them in warm water to take the chill out so you don’t get chilled eating it! I eat raw with this tip in the coldest weather.

I find one needs to go at least 80% or more raw to really feel the difference. What is important to me when people try to go raw, is that they don’t get to obsessed with being ideal or perfect. The stress from being perfect is more challenging than a raw food diet. Whether you are 80% raw or 100% I don’t think is going to be as much of a determining factor in health or longevity as opposed to overeating on raw fats or overeating unhealthy foods! The fact is I personally get so sensitive to eating cooked foods that I get really low energy or aches and pains, or my teeth feel really coated, or I get mentally down if I eat more than a meal of cooked food in a week. So my body does not want it!

Lots of raw veggies and fruits, 20% raw fats and smile tons! Give lots of hugs. Have faith in yourself, learn, give, grow and strive for joy in the moment as much as possible! There are many tips for going raw. Each can take different lengths of time to reach 95% + raw. Ideally most can do it within 18 months. Some can do it within 3 months! A lot depends on how fast one wants to go and their level of health and age.

Try to remember this saying: Eat plenty of the HIGHEST QUALITY ORGANIC FRESH RIPE RAW WHOLE PLANT FOODS! Hope this helps! Keep me informed of your progress, be well and please Live Forever Healthy!

by Wayne Gendel