Tom’s Raw Foods Blog

Not much to report or talk about today. I decided that I didn’t like the shadows that were cast on my desk today and started completely rearranging my office. I also have a group call in about an hour (for another project I’m working on), so time is short and I’ve been focusing all of my creative energies on my office and the project.

So stay raw, and I’ll get back to writing more in a day or three.

Smacznego,
Tom

I’m considering taking a cruise next winter. Since I’ve never been on one, I have LOTS of questions. Thankfully the firm that is promoting and organizing the cruise is quite helpful and has been very patiently answering my questions…

But I had to laugh when I asked about eating a raw food diet on the cruise. Here’s the response I received to my question (slightly edited):

While fresh fruits, raw veggies and such are available on cruises, along with other healthy diet choices, the only problem you will have is one of will power when you see the non stop parade of other culinary goodies.

Ah, it’s humorous to me, but the understanding with which it was sent is sad. Already saying “no” to anything but raw food is quite easy for me. I’m simply not tempted to eat it because I enjoy what I’m eating, I’ve developed the “raw foods only” habit, and I know what cooked food does to my body.

So while the response was humorous to me, it served as a poignant reminder of how most people think. Heck, I probably would have sent the same response just a couple of months ago.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

Smacznego,
Tom

P.S. — If you are reading this post, are a follower of Dr. Graham’s 80/10/10 diet, and have been on a cruise while maintaining an all raw foods diet, please leave a comment that details your experience (links to other sites with personal experiences are also OK). Am I right when I say that I won’t be tempted?

As is usually the case, I quickly found the answer to the quasi-question I talked about in yesterday’s post, namely, Why did I finally gain a pound? I find that when I ask a question and sincerely want the answer, it comes to me quickly, as it did this time.

In “The 80/10/10 Diet”, Dr. Graham says that many people lose a lot of weight on this diet very rapidly, but that the weight loss is simply your body getting rid of excess water that it no longer needs. An all raw food diet, besides being easy to digest, also means that you are no longer shoving toxic cooked chemical concoctions into your body every day. My body needed extra water to deal with those toxins back when I was eating the cooked food, so now that I’m no longer introducing poison into my body, my body decided that it can get rid of the excess water that it no longer needed for processing toxins — and hence the fast weight loss.

So my body has found a good weight for it — at least for now. Now it’s up to me to take it even farther, which I’m starting to do by increasing my physical activity.

I also want to re-emphasize that I’m no expert when it comes to an all raw food diet. In fact, I barely qualify as an entry level amateur! Dr. Graham mentions in his book that there is a dearth of leadership in the raw foods arena and that a lot of the information that is being put out is erroneous and may even be harmful. In other words, some real leadership is needed — and I’d like to point out that my blog may not be the place for you to get it.

I love to help people and I can definitely offer some leadership in that I want to encourage you and follow my example by giving the 80/10/10 raw diet a try. You should, however, also find somebody who can answer your questions (I strongly encourage you to join Roger Haeske’s membership site — the link is on the right side of this blog’s main page) and get your hands on as much good material as you can (such as the aforementioned book by Dr. Graham).

In other words, to use the words of John Fischer…

I’m not one who’s got it all in place
Telling you what you should do
No I’m just one old hungry beggar
Showing you where I found food

(Source: http://www.fischtank.com/ft/music/dhorse.cfm, (C) 1982 by WORD, Inc. — and thanks for an awesome album, John! It’s still great after 26 years! Is there any place I can get a copy on CD or MP3? I’d gladly pay again…)

In other words, I’m simply showing you what I’ve discovered and put into practice in hopes that it might serve you as it has served me. While John Fischer’s song obviously talks about sharing our faith, the snippet from that song is so powerful that it spills over into every part of my life (and to be honest, we all do live by faith, i.e. we act based on what we believe to be true and based on the desired results we want out of life. It’s not just a religious thing.). For now, encouragement and a “shove in the right direction” is all I have to offer. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to offer more in this area.

I hold two computer security certifications (CompTIA’s Security+ and the ISC(2)’s CISSP) and therefore consider myself to be qualified to consult and give advice in that area. That’s another reason why I hesitate to give direct advice about an all raw food diet: I know what it takes to be “qualified” on something and prefer to stick to my current specialty until I gain enough knowledge and experience to advise others in other areas.

On a related note, how qualified are your advisers in other parts of your life to give advice? Have you ever stopped to think about this and/or research it?

So for now, please read this blog. Explore the resources I link to. And be encouraged (and perhaps challenged). But get specific advice for your unique situation somewhere else, please! As I mention in my “About” page (the link is at the top of my blog), your health is too valuable to trust to amateurs. Especially this one.

Smacznego,
Tom