There are important moments that happen in your life that you’ll never forget, whether they are accomplishments in your job, family, your first love, adopting a pet, and so on… These are precious memories we cherish forever.

Changing my diet to raw living foods has indeed brought me some of the greatest joys in my life, which is just as important, if not more, that everything else I’ve done. I discovered a different way to look at one’s health, and I was able to overcome diseases naturally and without the need of medicine, which can be one of the most profound life experiences any person can go through.

My change to eating raw foods didn’t happen overnight. I went through different stages over many years. I started by eating a plant based diet (or WFPB as it is called). This step was relatively easy and straight forward.

I never liked calling myself “vegan”, because even though I align myself with the ethical side of the movement one hundred percent, I consider the regular vegan diet with its restaurant foods, stir-fried veggies, grains, oily dressings, and fatty desserts to be just as unhealthy as the average person’s diet. Even MacDonald’s and Häagen-Dazs started selling “vegan food” these days, so you get the idea.

After adopting WFPB, the other big dietary moment I experienced was quitting white potatoes. Wow, I’ll never forget this because I felt much less heavy afterwards, and I stopped being constipated too – which was caused in part by eating this type of starch.

But one of the greatest pleasures I experienced was when I finally managed to quit eating grains – even wholegrains. This was my last remaining addiction, which can be, for some people, just as strong as trying to quit nicotine or alcohol.

It’s is very common for folks to experience severe cravings for grain products, such as bread, pastries, and pizza.

This happens because wheat contains addictive opioids [1] that affect our central nervous system.

They induce changes in how we feel, as well as our moods, cognition, and behaviour.

How often you hear people say they cannot give up eating bread or cereal?

The problem with eating grains, as to with every other addiction, is that you don’t know when to stop. The issue for me got so bad that it started affecting my digestion in a big way.

I suffered from cramping, bloating, overall gut dysfunction, and poor immunity in general. Plus, I couldn’t seem to shake my fatigue.

I stopped going to the gym regularly too, because I simply didn’t have the energy.

It was Hippocrates who said, “all diseases begin in the gut.” While some of his beliefs and theories have been found to be based on incorrect anatomy and physiology – most have stood the test of time and are recognized for their wisdom over 2.000 years later.

Dr. Emmet Densmore, author of How Nature Cures, was one of the first to speak out against grains, and pointed out that humans are fruitarian animals and declared bread to be “the stuff of death.”

Throughout my experience of eating grains, I can and do echo this sentiment, as it does feel like the stuff of death when compared to how well you feel while eating plants.

Dr. Douglas Graham, author of Grain Damage writes: a substance known as phytic acid, found in raw cereal grains, is well known for its tendency to bind with calcium and interfere with its absorption.

Grains also contain substantial quantities of acid-forming minerals, such as phosphorus. During the process of digestion, the body must yield up calcium from the bones, a powerful alkaline mineral, in order to neutralize the acidity of grains. Eventually, people on a high-grain diet run predictably low on calcium, often resulting in a common bone thinning condition known as osteoporosis.

Grains contain very little calcium, and they are also low in sodium, choline, iodine, sulfur, and other alkaline minerals. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables contain from ten to one hundred times as much calcium and other alkaline minerals as grains, when measured in terms of calories.

The list of health problems associated with eating grains is long. Asthma, allergies, gluten intolerance, celiac disease, digestive disturbances, mucous and congestive conditions, yeast infections, several types of arthritis, several types of autoimmune disease, and even chronic overeating are all linked to the consumption of grains.

This is not to say that grains are all bad, for they are a far better choice than animal food alternatives. However, the healthiest choices are fruits and vegetables.

This is what happened to me when I finally quit eating grains for good:

• My skin cleared up considerably and was especially notable in my face. You almost get that baby looking skin that takes off many years of your age. And as the saying goes: A healthy skin is a mirror of a healthy body
• Though weight loss wasn’t my immediate goal, I did lose a few pounds of fat and overall felt lighter and stopped feeling bloated—which was such a relief, as my usually flat tummy had become distended and almost unrecognizable over the last few years. By removing grains, I began to see glimmers of my old abs again
• Digestive issues diminished completely after quitting grains. No more pains, constipation, diarrhoea, or stomach cramps
• No more foul gases
• Much less mucus production to the point that I don’t have to carry a tissue with me when I go out.
• Improved gum health
• No eye discharge when I wake up.
• Increased energy
• No joint or muscular pain
• Cleared mind
• Improved immunity
• Better quality of life

If you are unsure how your health will improve by quitting grains, trying going on a grain free diet for 15 days and see how you feel. It’s not much to lose, is it?

You replace grains by eating fruit and vegetables. Make sure to eat plenty of fresh fruit to top up for those missing calories.

At dinner time, you can prepare delicious grain free, raw food meals – such as raw wraps and raw pizzas, that will taste and feel just as crunchy as grainstuff, but without the bad side effects.

The Environmental Effect of Grain Farming

If you really want to help the environment, start off by looking at what you put in your mouth.

Half of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years due to unhealthy eating habits.

The United States alone loses seven billion tons of topsoil a year, which could coat an area roughly the size of Connecticut. About eighty five percent of this loss is caused by livestock grazing and the clear cutting of forests to create pastures and fields to grow food for animals. [2] 

Whereas grain crops lead to depletion and loss of precious topsoil, orchards pull their water and nutrients from deep down in the subsoil, assist in the building of topsoil, protect the soil from erosion, and aid in nutrient recycling, as well as encourage biodiversity.

Trees also act as grand air filters, causing particulate matter to fall to the ground. As we replace fields of grain with orchards, we can expect our air to become cleaner, sweeter, and healthier for us.

Beyond grain-based vegetarianism, a diet of raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts will actually regenerate the earth.

Going “against the grain” as they say, may as well be the healthiest choice you’ll ever make.