There is no time like TODAY to change your behavior patterns and to begin a new life! If you’re reading this newsletter then it’s because you’re already raw, at least partially, or you’re raw-curious.

Whether you’re looking at the raw diet because of your health challenges, or because you’re looking to take your healthy diet to a new level, this is the time of the year to start!

Studies have shown that it’s best to change multiple behavior patterns at the same time. In other words, if you decide to quit smoking, get more exercise, and begin a raw foods lifestyle – all at the same time – you’ll be more successful than if you try to accomplish them inpidually or sequentially.

However – “the secret to success is having a plan.”

It’s not enough just to say to yourself, “I’m going raw.” That will work for a while – a few days, perhaps a few weeks – but unless you have tons of willpower, very shortly you’ll find yourself going back to your old habit patterns and comfort foods.

That’s why a plan is important. Let’s consider a plan for going raw:

10 Steps to Going and Staying Raw

1. Assemble the tools you need. A blender – any blender – an expensive dehydrator, some jars for sprouting, and a variety of raw recipes are the minimum requirements.

2. Assemble your list of suppliers. Where are you going to buy your food? Are you going be mostly organic? You’ll also need to find a supply of sprouting seeds – at least some alfalfa, clover, sunflower and wheatgrass (hard red winter wheat). The wider the variety the better.

3. Read your instructions. Do you know how to sprout, and how to run a dehydrator?

4. Pan out what you’re going to do. If you decide you’d like to make angel-hair pasta from zucchini, for example, you might find having a spiral slicing machine handy. This might put you back to step 1.

5. Set a starting date and create your support mechanism. Having a support group is the greatest. Check meetup.com for raw groups in your area. If you don’t know any rawbies in your area, find a raw chat group or two for support. A professional Raw Coach is idea, if available.

Share with them what you plan to do, and the date you’re going to start. You’ll find yourself more successful this way, than if you “go raw secretly.”

While I’m constantly reminding people that we don’t have to justify our lifestyle choices to anyone, sometimes we can’t avoid it. This video I made about Dispelling the Raw Food Myths will help you deal with the standard objections you’re going to hear: http://www.chidiet.com/blog/free-stuff/dispelling-raw-food-myths.htm

6. Don’t forget that you’re going to need to stay inspired as you go raw. Build a collection of books, videos, and CDs before you start so that you’ll have lots of material when you go raw. This will help maintain your momentum. Otherwise you might find yourself running out of steam before you get to the top of the hill.

I find that videos motivate me the most. Instead of watching the news or a movie at night, I’ll pop in a video on raw foods and watch it, instead. chiDietVideos.com is a good source for these, and if you have high-speed internet you can watch raw videos online at websites like RawDoctors.com and YouTube.

7. Research shows that it takes 21 days for a new behavior to become a habit; if we move to a new house and now have to turn right instead of left when we leave work, it’ll be 21 days before it seems natural to
turn right when head for home.

In dealing with addictions the transitional period is longer. Yes, cooked foods are an addiction. Thus, we need to deal with them as such.

Victoria Boutenko has a good book on this subject – 12 Steps to Raw Foods. Her website is RawFamily.com and the book is on Amazon.com, too. Her book covers the subject in detail, but here are her 12 Steps to Raw Food:

Step 1 – I admit that I have lost control of my addiction to cooked food and my eating is becoming unmanageable.Step 2 – I believe that live vegan food is the most natural diet for a human being.

Step 3 – I shall gain necessary skills, learn basic raw recipes and obtain equipment to prepare live food.

Step 4 – I shall live in harmony with people who eat cooked food.

Step 5 – I shall stay away from temptations.

Step 6 – I shall create a support group.

Step 7 – I shall find alternative activities or hobbies.

Step 8 – I shall let my higher self lead my life.

Step 9 – I shall make a searching and fearless inventory of the real reasons for seeking comfort and pleasure from cooked foods.

Step 10 – I shall let my intuition help me.

Step 11 – Through clarity I will gain happiness.

Step 12 – I shall provide support to other raw fooders.

8. Part of changing your diet and lifestyle is detoxifying the body. Not as a one-time detox, but instead, we should be constantly detoxing. That’s where Dr. Ann Wigmore’s program comes in. She taught much more than a diet. In her books and videos she lays out the procedures for a continuous healthy detox, including the foods we eat, how we combine them, the usage of colonics or enemas, the uses of wheatgrass juice, and more.

The basics are laid out in her book, Why Suffer? How I Overcame Illness and Pain Naturally, which you can download for free at http://www.chidiet.com/index2.htm. If the book won’t open for you, you might need a free copy of Acrobat Reader from adobe.com.

Other great books of Dr. Ann’s are Be Your Own Doctor and Rebuild Your Health, both available at Amazon.com. They’re also available as audio books on CD at http://chivideos.com.

9. Be aware, not discouraged. You’re going to backslide at times, and it’s normal. Don’t feel like you’ve “failed” if you happen to go out for pizza or a hamburger. Instead, think about how well you’ve been doing, how much better you’re eating than you used to, and how much better you’re feeling since you started going raw.

10. Experiment, experiment, experiment. Knowing that I have addictions to comfort foods, I found new comfort foods. For me that’s fresh blueberries, raspberries, and raw vegan pizza, made with flax crust in the dehydrator. It’s a recipe I’ve included in my book. Victoria’s Step 9, above, has helped me a lot, too.

From Thanksgiving to Christmas I got off the raw path when traveling the country, visiting family and friends. But on New Year’s Eve I went to the market, stocked up on good raw, organic fruits and veggies, then pulled out my Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw Living Foods Home Study Program and got back to it.

Already I’m feeling better, more energetic, happier and de-stressed. My warning was when I felt the arthritis coming back in my knees – that’s my personal sign that I’m not eating right.

I’ve added 28 new videos to the collection – more videos by Dr. Ann, and by Victoria Boutenko, Paul Nison, Hiawatha Cromer, Joyce Olivetto, Mary Moore and other instructors at Dr. Ann’s Institutes.

I’ve also added two books on disk (CDs), Be Your Own Doctor and Rebuild Your Health.

There are also discount coupons, ebooks, one-on-one consulting, and more.

This is the most complete collection and comprehensive overview of Dr. Ann’s Raw Living Foods Lifestyle available, designed to get you started, keep you on track, and support you when you backslide. It includes:

• The 13 Step Raw Living Foods Success Guide
• The 180 page Raw Living Foods Recipe Book
• 38 videos on disk, by Dr. Ann and her Institute instructors
• 2 audio books on CD
• 1 hour of free Raw Coaching – 2 sessions of 30 minutes
• Membership to RawDoctors.com
• Menu planners, discount coupons for hands-on programs and much, much more.

I do this to help others attain a healthier lifestyle, and can find no better way to start people on the path to healthy living than this program. While I totally support and encourage people to take a hands-on program at a Dr. Ann Institute, the Home Study Program is much more detailed, plus you have it for continual reference and inspiration.

Dr. Steve Monkiewicz, ND, and I talk about the new program on today’s Real Health radio show, which you can listen to at http://rawdoctors.com/real-health.html (show #66).

I’m really excited about this because, over the years, I’ve received hundreds of thank you letters and success stories from people who have benefited from the Raw Living Foods Home Study Program, and this is the best one I’ve assembled yet! – chiDiet.com

I hope this has helped you.

Sincerely Yours,

Jim Carey

PS: Even if you’re not 100% raw, how much better are you doing today than when you were on the SAD?

PPS: Purchasing through these links may result in me getting a commission. Thank you!