Rawpower

by Anand Wells, Live Food Education

It will be eight years this January 2012 since I embarked on a high raw food diet. In that time I have experimented with a wide variety of approaches including low fat, high sugar (from fruit), low sugar and higher fat, vegan and non-vegan, 75% raw to 100% raw.

So which is the best approach? I would have to say all of them and none of them. I have experienced the healthiest, happiest eight years of my life since eating a high raw, whole food diet and it appears to me that avoiding processed foods is more important than getting obsessed with what percentage raw I am eating. In retrospect, perhaps it would be more accurate to say the best approach is to remain aware and flexible and act accordingly. My body’s requirements change over time and what works for me today may not work tomorrow. If I am stuck in an ideology of how I “should” be eating, I may ignore or miss by body’s signals and innate wisdom.

I am currently on an 80% – 90% raw food, low glycemic diet that includes animal protein (eggs, goats kefir, fish) and lots of cultured veggies and this is working very well for me. If anything I am feeling better than when I was experimenting with a 100% raw vegan approach.

What has been a constant through out my eight years of experimenting are the following seven things:

1. I have completely avoided refined/processed foods 
2. I have maintained a high percentage of raw food 75% or more
3. Leafy greens have remained central to my diet (including juices, salads and smoothies)
4. I haven’t drunk coffee or alcohol or taken pharmaceutical or recreational drugs
5. I have exercised on a regular basis
6. Animal protein has remained under 10% of my diet
7. I have eaten organic wherever possible

By sticking to the above guidelines I have had more energy and been healthier than I was during my 20s and 30s with cold symptoms only showing up 3 times in the eight years as opposed to 1-3 times a year!

A typical day might look like this:

• First thing in the morning - 500ml of green juice made in my Oscar 930 prowith 1ml of Oceans Alive Marine Phytoplankton, 12 drops of Magnesium, 1 ml of Fulvic Acid. 10 drops of Crystal Energy.

• Breakfast – A smoothie made in my Vitacrush 1500w blender with 400ml of raw goats milk kefir with 3 organic raw egg yolks, 1/8 tsp of non-gmo soy lecithin, 1 tbs carob powder, (you can substitute the carob for cacao powder if that works for you)
• 2 TBS chia seeds, 2 TBS bee pollen, 5 drops of stevia extract, 2 vanilla podsand 2 TBS of coconut oil.

• Lunch – A big green salad with avocado, dulse or nori seaweed and sometimes some with some lightly baked local fish – I often drizzle my salads with apple cider vinegar and hemp oil and when out of Australia I will sprinkle hemp nuts on top as well.

• Afternoon tea – I have been making a pudding in my Vitacrush blender using 2 Thai coconut (flesh and water), vanilla pods, a pinch of salt, 4 TBS coconut oil, 4 TBS chia seeds, (sometimes 1 avocado), 10 drops of stevia extract and 4 TBS of carob powder

• Dinner – usually involves more green salad, green juice, sometimes some steamed sweet potato or kelp noodles or 100% buckwheat soba noodles.

For more inspiration and recipe ideas take the Live Food Challenge.

Bon Appetite!

Anand