Here are some of my favourite tips to help with your diet and lifestyle, whether you want to eat full raw vegan or mostly raw.

1. Grains are addicting.

Don’t give yourself a hard time if you cannot quit grain in its various forms because in truth, most grains, especially wheat, can be highly addictive.

It’s not uncommon for people to say to me: “I couldn’t eat a raw food diet because I can’t quit eating bread, rice, or pasta.”

If you think for a minute, have you ever heard someone saying, “I cannot quit eating apples, oranges, bananas, or pears?” I bet you have never heard that.

This is obviously a clear case of addiction.

Many cooked grains act like a drug in the body, just like nicotine and other addictive substances, that’s why they are hard to quit.

When you give your body plenty of healthy, whole food sources of glucose — as in whole fruit — most physical cravings for grains and other complex carbs go away surprisingly quickly.

If you cannot (or don’t want) to eat enough fruit for whatever reason (though I do recommend eating plenty of fruit for optimal health); eating plain popcorn is a good antidote for dealing with grains – at least until your fruit consumption increases.

By eating plain popcorn, you are consuming complex carbs that make you feel full, and which are also very low fat, meaning it will satiate your cravings for grains, but it will not make you put on weight.

2. Almost everything they sell at supermarkets except fresh produce is junk.

Someone said once that the only thing you should ever buy at supermarkets, except fresh produce, is toilet paper.

I know this statement sounds extreme, but it’s a positive attitude to adopt. You have to learn to ignore the large areas of these businesses selling processed and refined foods, or at least keep in mind you should consume very little – if any of this stuff.

The main bulk of your diet, and most of the money you spend on food, should go into buying fresh produce.

3. You need to eat enough fruit for optimal health.

Fruits are some of the most essential human’s food, rich in alkaline minerals, vitamins, and organic acids.

Fruits are simple carbohydrates which are easily digested, and their sugars readily absorbed by the cells of the body for use as fuel.

By contrast, complex carbohydrates such as bread, rice, pasta, and cereals require substantial amounts of energy for the conversion to sugar and are more difficult to digest.

By eating plenty of fresh fruit on a daily basis, you are guaranteed the essential fuel needed for your cells to keep you healthy and with good digestion.

4. Organizing your meals

I believe that taking the time to organize and plan meals can have a positive impact on your overall diet and ultimately your health.

Have you noticed how fruit often goes to waste if they stay in the fridge too long? This is more so the case for those of us who eat a lot of fresh produce.

I recently got in the habit of preparing fruit salads in my spare time, meaning I always have ready to eat and available fruit meals stored in the fridge.

Adding some lemon juice to the fruit salads will prolong the life of the fruit, keeping it fresh and preventing the fruit from oxidizing. Try this, It’s a good habit to adopt.

I also make sure I have plenty of chopped, frozen bananas for when I want to prepare raw ice cream.

Eating raw vegan ice cream after a savoury raw dinner meal is a good way to keep you fully satiated.

5. Learning from mistakes

I followed this routine during my early years of adopting a raw food diet and it works a treat.

Whenever you cheat on your diet, or feel bad about eating certain foods you would not consume otherwise – but couldn’t resist the craving; write your experience down on a piece of paper or as a note in your phone/computer, or in a diary or journal.

Make sure you put down your sentiments about how you felt eating those foods, and how they made you feel afterwards.

You will discover that the next time you are tempted by those same cravings; reading your previous experience will put you off making the same mistake again.

6. We socialize because of people, not food.

Some people have said to me in the past how they feel terrified of the thought of adopting a raw or mostly raw diet, as this could impact their social life.

And they are right; it could impact your social life, but it doesn’t have to.

The important thing to remember is that socializing is about people, not food. The conversations and interactions you have with friends or family is ultimately what count, not what you are eating.

We don’t socialize with food.

If you have to make the sacrifice of eating salads or fruit while out with friends, so be it. Think about it, it’s much better than finding out from your doctor that you suffer from a horrible disease as consequence of your diet.

I believe most people dealing with serious diseases wouldn’t hesitate to change their diet if they thought it will help them overcome their illness; not much thought about social life there, right? So, why wait until you get really sick to make the right dietary change? Do it now.

7. Don’t be too tough on yourself; you are doing better than most people.

Most of the time, it isn’t really us that’s the problem, but society in general.

Our world is not organized for raw food eating; this is mainly because of economics.

Raw foods don’t make profits. The food industry makes its money through a practice called “adding value” to commodities such as water, grains, and milk.

This explains why we are surrounded by junk food.

Yes, we ultimately bear responsibility for our actions and the food we eat, but don’t be too tough on yourself if you cannot always resist temptation.

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