Have you ever found yourself thinking thoughts about the food your about to eat either before, during, or after you eat it?

We all do it.

Whether positive or negative, chances are you have made some kind of thought or comment about your food. 

More often than not, negative thoughts creep in about the junk food you are about to eat  or even feelings of guilt because you are supposed to be on a “diet.” 

Why do this?

Quit judging your food. To much worry or too much thought about your food can be stressful to your body and mind. Here’s how you can eliminate this once and for all.

It’s simply by remembering this: “there is no right or wrong way to eat.”

What does that mean? It’s the simple truth that whatever you choose to eat is not right and not wrong at the same time. There is simply a consequence to what you are doing.

Cause and effect.

Action and reaction.

Your body is going to react a certain way depening on what you give it. There is and will always be a physical and biological reaction to the foods you put into your body.

Not only is there a physical and biological reaction, but also a reaction in the mind, the way you feel, and your emotions as well.

Are you looking to eat healthier? Do you want to lose weight and increase your energy? Become aware of the way you feel after eating a certain food. Listen to your body, see how you feel, your body will tell you if it’s what it wanted. Did it struggle to process what you ate or did you feel light yet satisfied after eating?

Remember, it’s not right or wrong but there is a consequence, whether positive or negative.

Here’s how you can gain control over your health. Awareness leads to empowering choices. When you are aware of the foods that give you the reaction you want, you’ll gravitate towards those foods that lead to those feelings. 

For example, in my experience I found that fruit and greens have given me that light, buzzing, high-energy feeling I seek, allowed me to lose weight, gives me mental clarity, and keeps me up on my toes all day. I know from experience, I felt the reactions.

Fruit and veggies give me the consequence I seek. Other foods like processed packaged foods, fast foods, fried foods, foods with refined sugar and white flour do nothing but drag me down. They don’t work.They taste good, but they don’t give me the consequence I want. With this knowledge, I can now make empowering choices.

Some Tips For You

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You are always creating your body through what you feed it and how you move it.

There is an easy and effective way to increase your results with regards to moving your body.

Ready? Two words:

“Keep Doing”

Sometimes when I am in the middle of a workout or in the middle of a small set thinking of a few motivating phrases keeps me going and pushing for that little extra.

Two words that have been especially motivating for me are “keep doing.”

Just the word DO is so powerful. It is an unwavering promise to yourself and when you do you always keep your word. By using the word “do” you eliminate “try.” To say you will try, are trying, or tried, is an excuse and a copout. Instead say you are doing.

You will succeed. Enjoy the successes. You might fail. Learn from your mistakes and grow. When you keep doing you will see the success you seek.

Next time you are working out or in the middle of a set, say to yourself “keep doing” for that extra push. You tell your body you are ready for higher levels of health and fitness and you do it. Your results will come faster, they have to. With the right causes, corresponding effects must take place.

Go on. Get out there. Keep Doing!

32 ounces of fresh squeezed orange juice

Simply take 10 valencia oranges and squeeze them in your citrus juicer and viola! You have a nice filling breakfast or post workout meal.

Enjoy!

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One of the big issues that comes up when switching to a healthier eating routine is the that of money. Often you’ll hear phrases like “healthy food is too expensive” or “I can’t afford to eat like that.”

The truth is that eating healthy, nutrient dense, life-giving food can be the best thing you can do to save some moolah.

In fact, it is entirely possible to maintain a super healthy diet on no more than $7-$15 a day for all your food. Yeah that’s right an ENTIRE day’s worth of food for as low as $7! That’s less than paying for one meal at a restaurant.

The thing that really messes people up when trying to incorporate a healthier eating routine is spending their hard earned cash on unnecessary “health foods.” They will usually hear or read about some diet or miracle foods that promise to get them healthy, slim, energized, etc., when in fact those foods are totally unnecessary and are a waste of time and money.

These foods can include things like:

- exotic produce
- “superfoods” like cacao or goji berries
- green powders
- expensive oils or nut butters
- other so called “health food” that comes in a package

I know because I was there! When I first started eating a mostly raw vegan diet, I was into most of the stuff I listed here and I thought they were essential for optimal health.

I even fell for the “gourmet raw” recipes. There I was buying all kinds of different raw ingredients (that were actually processed), and trying my hand at the raw food diet thing.

I quickly found it to be unsustainable and a drain of my cash. I almost gave in and fell for the “eating healthy is too expensive and hard to do” excuse.

So what did I do?

Four words: fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds.

In my opinion the foods that will catapult you to vibrant health quickly, safely, and effectively.

Oh and did I mention that it’s the easiest and cheapest way to eat!

Shopping is a breeze. I’ll often spend about 20-30 minutes buying 4 days worth of food and only fork over about $35 for everything. That’s less than $9 a day for all my food.

Forget all the useless so called health foods and stick to fresh, raw, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and watch your food bill drop as quickly lightning strikes.

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Summer Days (me, left, my cousin, right, enjoying summer vibes)

You know one good thing about being a raw vegan is Summer time! Here are three of my favorite things about this season.

Beautiful Days

I truly enjoy the longer Summer days. Nothing can beat the sunset/evening hours…absolutely beautiful. This is the ideal time to be at the park, take a walk with your dogs, or gather with friends and family at backyard parties.

In the picture above, my cousin and I enjoyed the company of beautiful people at a friend’s party, shaded by avocado, lemon, and nectarine trees. Yup, it’s Summer!

The Fruit

All the heat means it is time for fruit bearing plants to flourish and Summer is always brings the best fruit of the year. Peaches, watermelon, nectarines, strawberries, mangoes, sweet peppers, and tomatoes are just some of the fruit I can get my hands on during the Summer season.

Being a high fruit raw vegan, you can see why Summer is the best time for ripe, raw, sweet ‘n juicy fruit!

I can’t forget the local farmers who post up at various local farmer’s markets and sell their delicious fruit, the stuff you will not find at the store. Things like fresh figs, cherries still on the branch, and organic strawberries are heaven in your mouth…lol!

The Beach (& being outdoors)

Summers in California are ideal for going to the beach, getting a nice tan, and enjoying all kinds of beautiful views.

There is something about being outside getting some sunshine that just goes hand-in-hand with a healthy raw foods lifestyle. For me it’s all about lifestyle not a “diet” and Summer is the best time for just goin’ outside!

Check out some of my recent summer pics below.

Korean Friendship Bell, San Pedro, CA

View from top of park, San Pedro, CA

Being raw in the Summer simply rocks!

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Fresh Garden Tomatoes

 It is so beautiful to see the tomato plants full of bright red fruit just hanging waiting to be harvested. To pick one of these and pop it into your mouth is just magical (especially the small cherry tomatoes).

There is nothing like fresh tomatoes from the garden. In my opinion, fresh tomatoes from your own garden are a million tomes juicier, sweeter, and flavorful than anything you can find at the market, even if it is organic.

The best part of all is growing my very own fresh, raw, organic tomatoes was very easy to do. If I can do it, you can do it. I am not expert gardener….yet!

All I did was buy a few baby plants, transplanted them to the garden space, watered periodically, placed tomato cages around them, showed them some love and watched them grow. Next thing you know, viola, I have scrumptious garden tomatoes.

Give it a try if you haven’t already, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results.

So what am I going to do with all these tomatoes?

Well I will eat some on their own like candy, give some away, use in salads, and possibly use in other recipes as well, such as the one below.

Here is one of my favorite raw vegan tomato recipes.

Raw Vegan Recipe: Tomato Mango Soup

Ingredients:

- 4 tomatoes

- 4 mangoes of choice

- Oregano or basil to taste

Simply blend 3 1/2 tomatoes and 3 1/2 mangoes in the blender. For a chunkier consistency blend on low until desired thickness is reached. Place in bowl then top with remaining mango and tomato, diced, then sprinkle some oregano or basil.

What do you think of this harvest? Leave your comments below.

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It is actually quite simple.

You do not need to spend hours gathering information on the raw food diet or going through tons of recipe books to figure out what recipes to include in your plan.

Even if you are new to raw vegan foods, the following menu planning tips should get you up and running in no time.

The beauty in the following plan is you do not have to be a 100% raw vegan or even 50% for that matter for it to work. You could simply choose to include one raw meal a day and then gradually increase your percentage as you get used to this healthful way of living. Some raw is better than no raw. Start small, experience success, then take bigger steps.

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming e-book entitled “5 Steps to Raw Success: How to Achieve Phenomenal Health with the Low Fat Raw Food Diet”

How to Create a Basic Menu Plan

So now it is time to put the optimal raw vegan diet into practice. Here is a simple way to start and stay organized. Start by creating a basic menu plan. From this basic plan you will be able to create meals by simply choosing various combinations of items according to what you feel like eating for the day. The other steps in this system will help guide you in choosing correct combinations of food.

Here’s the simple method. First make a list and number it 1-6. Each number represents a major category of food. The six categories you will have are fruit, nuts/seeds, other fats, salad items, juicing items, and items to steam. Next, list your favorite items for each category. That’s it! You can start with a small list and then modify your basic menu plan later, adding or deleting items based in your liking.

Here is an example of what I have on my list:

1. Fruit: banana, mango, apples, melons, papaya, berries, pineapple, dates, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, other fruit in season.

2. Nuts/seeds: walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds.

3. Other fats: avocado, coconut meat.

4. Salad items: lettuce (romaine, butter, green leaf, etc.), spinach, tomatoes, onion, carrot, beet, pico de gallo, corn, sweet peppers, cucumber, sweet peas, herbs, lime, lemon.

5. Juicing items: celery, cucumber, apple, carrot, beet, leafy greens.

6. Items to steam: broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, yams, kale, spinach, chard, snow pea, sweet pea.

This is my basic menu. As I discover new and delicious items I can add them to the list.

If you are wondering about category six, I don’t mind having a few healthy cooked items once in a while, mostly as a side dish and not a full meal. Of course, these items are lightly steamed and not over cooked. I find a side dish of steamed cauliflower and broccoli to be a nice addition to a large dinner salad. I truly enjoy cauliflower and broccoli this way as opposed to raw.

If you would rather not have any steamed veggies, you can simply choose to have five categories instead.

Will there be a negative effect on your health and energy levels as a result of including some steamed yams or spinach? Of course not, as long as you follow the other steps in this 5-step system.

So you see it is actually very simple to plan healthy low-fat raw vegan meals, and as you get the tiny snowball rolling, eventually it will become….well you know the rest. Enjoy!

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