9 Tips For a Successful Transition into Raw Foods

Are you interested in the idea of the raw food diet but feel overwhelmed with the idea of such a change? Or perhaps you’re getting ready to join our 30 day raw food challenge and you’re starting to feel stressed wondering if you can do it. If so, this post is for you. When I started out I was suffering so bad with fibromyalgia flare-ups and was so desperate for change that I went cold turkey and changed over night. I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to feel better. Having very clear in mind my REASON for doing it kept me fueled to forge ahead.

If you’re transitioning into it with ease it can be hard at times to keep motivated long-term. It can also be overwhelming if you start focusing on what you can’t have, thinking in terms of weeks, months or years. But the good news is with just a little change in focus, how you look at it, can make all the difference for success.

Instead of thinking in terms of time, months or years down the road of all the changes that may result from taking on this new lifestyle, think of making the first step in the right direction and take it from there.  An old Chinese Proverb said, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”  I love that saying because I’m the kinda person that on the day of the journey I’m already counting down from a thousand and getting overwhelmed.

Thinking in terms of taking one step THEN think of taking on the NEXT step helps me focus on right here right now. Rather than getting myself so overwhelmed from the idea of future steps I’ll have to make to get to my goal.  After all, direction is often more important than how fast you transition into your personal health journey.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, breathe, take a step back and think am I going backward or forward with my baby steps? If the answer is forward you’re all good, calm the over achiever voice in you and tell yourself you’re at exactly where you need to be for the moment. If you realize you’re going backward, hey guess what NO PROBLEM, go forward starting with the next meal! No room for guilt or criticism here.

Here are nine tips to help you in your transition into a raw food lifestyle and be successful at it. (If you want to watch it on video click on the clink at the bottom of the post).

1. Take time to educate yourself on raw foods and why they work. When you’re confident that what you’re doing is the BEST thing you could be doing for yourself, you become much more motivated to stick with it, (click here to learn why raw foods work). Reading the experiences of others who have been successful and how they have been successful on raw foods is very helpful. You can read my story here to see how the raw food lifestyle help me heal from fibromyalgia after almost twenty years.

2. Have your reasons well in mind. WHY you want to make significant changes in your lifestyle/diet.  Where’s your health, energy or weight now? Where do you want to be?…Then make up your mind to do it.Visualize where you want to be and how you want to be when you get there. Keep your WHY’s always in front of you as your motivator and how bad you want it.

3. Transition one meal at a time. If you look at the whole thirty days and you’re so overwhelmed it paralyzes you, think of it terms of meal to meal, day by day, or one week at time. YOU are in charge, from one meal to the next you’re consciously taking charge of your health decided to keep going with it. You’re not being deprived you are eating a diet of abundance and that is beautiful.

4. Focus on the foods to add into your diet instead of those to eliminate.  The more raw you eat, the less room there will be for cooked foods. The raw food diet is one of abundance. No carb restricting or calorie counting. So eat until you’re satisfied!

5. Start a collection of your favorite raw recipes, or raw recipe books. Here on my blog I have tons of recipes you can start with please take advantage of that. If you go to the search category you can pull of food and drinks under all sorts of categories, or simply click on the recipes/tips tab. Also there’s HP’s food journal under the recipes for you to choose from, and even my 30 day raw food journal

6. Keep your meals simple.  Develop a taste for the natural, rich flavors of fruits and vegetables. Your meal can be a simple as a delicious smoothie  or a large salad filled with fruit and vegetables. It doesn’t and shouldn’t be complicated. Practical, simple yet delicious meals make for long-term success.

7. There’s no need to get caught up in labelling yourself as a vegan, vegetarian or raw foodie. I have so many clients that when they started out were so freaked out by the label raw food diet or vegan and feeling the pressure of being all or nothing. It’s not about that. It’s about feeding and nourishing your body with the very best foods to give yourself the very best health. And THAT’s what you’re doing.

8. Don’t feel like it has to be all or nothing, that leads to frustration and failure.  It’s not about being 100% raw.  Even if you add a big, green leafy salad with every dinner and have fruit for breakfast, you will receive great benefits from that.

9. If you cheat or slip up be patient with yourself.  Remember you have the very next meal as your next opportunity to move forward.  So go easy on yourself.

I hope these tips will help you! Have fun in your journey.  Experiment, enjoy and experience for yourself what really works for you.

I’m so proud of you for taking on this journey. Now it’s YOUR turn. Share with me below how it’s going for you and benefits you’ve noticed so far. If you have any questions leave those below too so I can answer them for you! Xo

Ps. To watch my video of me sharing my tips click here.