5 Tips Essential to Eating More Raw Foods

Whenever someone decides to make any changes in their diet they come face to face with a lot of important questions and concerns. Most importantly they want to know how to succeed with eating more raw foods. I've complied a quick list below of 5 steps that are essential in order to do so. This way you can get started immediately instead of feeling confused and lost.


Step 1 Get the Right Equipment

It doesn't have to be top of line but something decent from a good department store will do. Having a good blender and food processor is key to getting started. My personal favorites are the Vita-Mix blender (or my affiliate Vita-Mix link) and the Cuisinart food processor. A dehydrator is not necessary at this point, for right now lets keep it simple.

Step 2 Educate yourself

Purchasing a few books that cover the educational and food preparation aspects will help you tremendously. A few of my favorites are Sunfood Diet Success System, Rawvolution, and Green For Life.


Step 3 Get Involved

Take a couple of food prep classes locally. Attend meetups or potlucks regularly for support and encouragement. It can be very lonesome if you don't have anyone to share your experiences with and joining a social group will help you feel supported and able to stay on track. Join a few online forums or social media sites like Give It To Me Raw or Facebook. Plenty of people are ready to connect with you and share tips and ideas to help you stay motivated.


Step 4 Know how to make the food


Eating out at fancy raw restaurants and grabbing to go foods can be fun and oh so tasty, but what happens when you find yourself in an area that doesn't offer these kinds of luxuries? Look, when I first started out I had no prior culinary skills. My idea of cooking a healthy meal was grabbing a box of rice and stir frying veggies together. Preparing raw foods can definitely be a beautiful art form in itself, but it's not necessary. With all of the equipment out there it's nearly impossible to not be able to whip something together fast and that tastes great too. That's why it's so important to get the equipment as mentioned above. I'm not expecting you to make 5 star dishes but you can start by learning how to make smoothies, super food smoothies, pates or dips, gourmet salads, and decadent desserts that are satisfying to the palate. Two of my favorite sites for free recipes are GoneRaw and Raw Freedom Community.



Step 5 Go easy on yourself!

So many people really beat themselves up if they eat even one piece of cooked food. Although I choose not to eat any cooked foods in my diet, I also wouldn't have unrealistic expectations on you. Maybe you're not looking to eat 100% raw or aren't at the point of feeling ready to go head first all at once, but rather ease into it slowly which is what I highly recommend. Just starting out with smoothies, especially green smoothies is an easy way to do so. It's all about adding more rather than taking away. This way you don't feel deprived or like you're on a diet.


Being healthy should be fun and enjoyable in my opinion. For me it's a lifestyle change and with any changes they take time. I remember reading it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So whether you move into a new home or change up your eating program it's going to take time to feel second nature.

Remember, it's all about making better choices. So even if you still find yourself eating cooked foods from time to time, substitute the butter with non dairy spread or eat a steamed sweet potato instead of a white potato. Stir fry or steam your veggies instead of microwaving or boiling, you get the picture. If you feel like you've fallen off the wagon, just dust yourself off and get back on again. Grab a journal and record what you eat and review it daily as a constant reminder of how much better you are eating prior to your old habits. Be sure to write down the reasons clearly of why you're doing what you are and what your goals are. This way you can glance at them each day and know that you are making progress towards achieving those goals. Be sure to give yourself credit and celebrate your small victories towards becoming healthy and happy. Take a moment to reflect and truly enjoy the new journey you are on!

Let me know what your thoughts are. Do you have any tips to add? What is or was essential to getting started for you? Post it below and join the discussion. :)

Dead Sea Mineral Bath Salts

This weekend I was grocery shopping and out of the corner of my eye I caught the bath salts sitting on the shelf. I've been wanting to try these for sometime so I picked up the lavender scented one from Masada. Their sea salt is authentic and if you read the back of the label it will say that it's extracted in a natural form directly from the Southern Dead Sea. They also have eucalyptus and unscented varieties. If you're familiar with essential oils then you know that lavender is very calming and helps to relieve tension in the body. Just what I was looking for, a perfect combination for spending a relaxing evening soaking in the bathtub.

Photo credit

In case you don't already know, I'm an avid practitioner of Capoeira, an intense Afro-Brazilian martial art. I absolutely love it, but at times I can really get bruised and beaten up. Not on purpose though, it occasionally becomes a contact sport. Brings out the natural warrior in me (lol). Anyways I have an injury from about a year and a half ago in my lower back that's never really seemed to go away. So upon reading up on dead sea bath salts, this sounded like it might actually help to relieve the tension and stiffness that comes from time to time. Here are a few questions you may have in regard to the salt baths.

What exactly are Dead Sea Salts?

It's the salt extracted from the Dead Sea in Israel. The sea is world renowned for it's therapeutic benefits and is used in many cosmetic products on the market today like salt and foot scrubs, body wraps, soaps, bath salts, and even makeup. The usage of the salts date back to the ancient Egyptians.

Why does it help?

The salts are very rich in magnesium chloride, a particular kind of salt. The minerals are absorbed through the skin while soaking in the bathtub. This allows for an increase in blood circulation throughout the body.

What may it help?

Dead sea mineral bath salts have been reported to relieve stress, inflammation, aching muscles, sleep disturbances, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, acne, improved skin and roughness, and psoriasis, particularly the itching associated with it.


Interesting facts about the Dead Sea:

- Contains ten times as much salt compared to other sea water

- 12-18% of Dead Sea Salt is sodium chloride compared to 97% of the salt that is found in the regular ocean water

- Because the Dead Sea is so dense with salt, it allows you to float more easily.
Photo Credit






I've been soaking in the salts every night for the past week and have noticed the pain slowly easing up. It's also very relaxing for bed time for me because sometimes I have so much energy it's hard for me to fall asleep at a reasonable time. Probably due to the fact that my workouts are late at night. I feel very calm and relaxed afterwards. It's especially great if you've had a yucky day for it allows you to cleanse all of that negative energy out of your system and acts as a purifier from my own experience. So with all of this in mind, here is my question for you.



Have you ever used Dead Sea Mineral Bath Salts or Epsom Salt and if so what was your experience?

Do Copper Bracelets Relieve Pain

In this episode I test out copper bracelets and whether they help to relieve pain in the body.

Upon researching this old folk remedy I came upon a few interesting facts.

* Copper has been shown to inhibit bacterial growth

* Used medicinally for thousands of years

* Claims that it relieves symptoms of arthritis, rheumatism, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

* An essential trace mineral present in all body tissue

* Along with iron it helps with the formation of red blood cells.

* Helps to keep the bones, blood vessels, and nerves healthy.

Trace amounts of copper can be found in various foods such as cacao a.k.a. raw chocolate. It's also found naturally in plants that contain vitamin C.

Have you ever worn a copper bracelet, and if so did it relieve any pain or was it just a pretty piece of jewelry?

How to Open a Young Coconut

Ok, we've all been there before, scratching our heads asking how the hell do I open this thing up! Unlike it's mature version though, the young coconut cannot be broken with a few blows to the cement. It takes a little skill and proper aim to crack this baby open. All very easy once you see it done below.

Until recently, coconuts have gotten a bad wrap in the mainstream media. Bashed for being high in saturated fat, the truth is finally coming forth about the many advantages of this delightful nut (or seed or fruit depending on which information you read, though I'm leaning towards fruit). Yes they contain saturated fat, but what sets coconuts aside from the rest of the bad fat foods is that it contains medium chain triglycerides (good fats), which do not contribute to raising cholesterol or inducing heart disease.

To provide you with extra incentive on why you should become familiar with this gift from the gods, I've listed a few on the health benefits from eating coconuts below. To read a more in depth study on how coconuts are being used to fight disease and infection you may read further here.

* Rich in lauric acid (medium chain fatty acid)

* Anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal

* Consumed by thyroid suffers to aide in weight loss

and boost the metabolism

* Excellent moisturizer for the skin and hair

(One of my favorites!)

I know plenty of you have a funny or disastrous story attempting to open one up. Go ahead and share your experiences below.

What is your favorite way/recipe to eat a coconut?

Mine is plain and simple, blend the water and 'meat' together for a creamy shake with a pinch of sea salt and fresh vanilla bean. Ah, now that's the life.

New to Raw Foods

This weekend I hosted a raw food potluck at Cyndee's house. I met her a few months back over the summer when she had just started eating raw. Since then it's been 4 months for her and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do an interview about any struggles or health improvements she's experienced with eating live foods.

We also get into the term 100% raw and what people on the outside may perceive of the all or nothing dogma that is often promoted in the raw food world, how she was able to eliminate painful PMS and chest congestion, what is the master cleanse, and places where you can connect with other raw foodies online.

Hang around until the end of the video to watch a short clip of Cyndee's performance. She's a classically trained violinist but in an unorthodox way. It was a nice treat midway through the potluck to hear live entertainment from a true 'rawsician' lol. To hear more of her music please check out her site.

What are some challenges you find yourself facing and have you found ways to overcome them?