About Tom And His Raw Foods Blog
Hi, Tom Brownsword here. I escaped from Canton, Ohio many years ago, pretended to be a soldier for 20 years, 5 months, and 27 days (give or take a few hours), and have moved more times than I can count (at least not without taking off my shoes). I’m currently working as a computer security analyst at a U.S. military base near Stuttgart, Germany and hold a couple of computer security certifications (CompTIA Security+, ISC(2) CISSP®, and ITIL V3 Foundations). I run a couple of computer security websites at:
The Business Protector
Simple Security Tips
I’m the father of four children and there are exactly 25 years — to the day! — between my oldest and youngest. I blog about that — sometimes — at:
My eventual goal is to do absolutely nothing (other than helping people) and get paid a lot of money to do it. I’m slowly getting there and if I continue at my current pace, I should reach my goal somewhere around the year 2317. Which is why I’ve adopted a healthier lifestyle… the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) ain’t gonna get me there!
In other words, I’m not some health food fanatic living in a 100% organic cotton tent in the middle of some nudist colony in a jungle on a deserted island. I have a job, pay rent on a house, have kids, drive a car, complain about my neighbors behind their backs, etc. Other than the fact that I no longer have a gut hanging over my belt (I’ve lost about 75 pounds since I switched to this lifestyle), I pretty much blend in with everybody else in the world. You and I are pretty much the same.
It’s just that I do it while eating 99% raw foods, 80/10/10 style, and while enjoying the benefits that this way of eating gives me.
This blog started out as a journal to document my progress on adopting an all raw food diet. I’m 99% of the way there now — and at least for now, that’s far enough for me. I occasionally CHOOSE to eat a cooked meal (and blog about it when I do). Yes, CHOOSE! But it doesn’t happen very often, and when it does, I do it by choice — and usually for a good reason.
Lots of people try to adopt a raw food lifestyle but slip up somewhere along the way. As a result, they get discouraged and give up completely, partially because they THINK that they have to do it perfectly. That’s kind of silly, if you ask me, so I’m trying to show people that it’s O.K. to stray off the path — as long as you get back on right away. After all, nobody’s perfect (except for me, of course!), so it’s ridiculous to demand perfection, even from ourselves. Slipping up is no big deal; it happens all the time. Forgive yourself and just choose to eat raw right now and in every other “now” that you encounter. It’ll all be good, trust me!
I also think that some raw foods sites can be a bit intimidating for somebody just starting out. You think to yourself, “How in the world am I ever going to get there?”
Well, this blog starts with Day 1 of my efforts to switch to a completely raw diet. Simply start at the beginning and watch a complete newbie to a raw diet make the transition. One of my reasons for doing this blog was to give you an honest account of somebody trying to make the switch. It’s since expanded to show you that you don’t have to be perfect to experience the benefits of a raw food lifestyle (although I will show you the not-so-good things that happen when you do stray off course. I try to do so without being too terribly graphic…).
Please remember: this is just an online journal of my progress that is meant solely to encourage, motivate, and above all, help you. Take it as that; the account of somebody making the transition (for legal purposes, consider this blog to be a work of fiction. I love my lawyer…!). Get somebody with experience to help you and to provide you with the information you’ll need to do it right. Above all, don’t decide that something I do is going to be the correct and safe thing for you to do. I don’t know you and therefore can’t give you advice, so what I write here should not be construed as advice. We’re dealing with your health and welfare here; there’s nothing more important in my eyes and I simply don’t want to see you do something that will hurt you simply because you read about me doing it. Thanks for understanding.
Thanks for reading my blog(s), and if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, be sure to leave them on any blog post.
Smacznego (the Polish word for “enjoy your meal”),
Tom
