Moving on to the Transitional Stage

Change is difficult, so if you don't have a plan it will be very puzzling to your mind and routine to just stop what you’re doing.

So, the next part is for you to make a list of trigger and vigor foods. Just write out all the foods you have a strong preference for, which set off cravings and compulsive eating patterns. These are the foods you’ll need to omit to arrive at real recovery-and every persons list will be different.

·       Include things you eat in large amounts

·       Things you start eating and just can’t seem to stop,

·       Things you eat to the exclusion of other things,

·       Those things you eat in secret after hording and hiding them form others or

·       turn to in celebration, sorrow or boredom.

They can tend to be the sugary refined foods, starchy or fatty, high in calories and low in nutritional; value.

Make it a simple list or in detail, don’t procrastinate on this one. Stop right now and start writing…

This is an excellent resource for you to have throughout this journey.

Next let’s find our vigor foods, those that promote vitality to you body, which you love. These will be the raw, health promoting foods that you already enjoy like succulent plums, strawberries, & peaches, fresh spinach and pumpkin seeds or almonds and raisins, romaine leaves….Be sure to add as many leafy greens to this list as you can because these are the major healing foods for us: balancing, energizing, alkalizing & re-mineralizing.

Also, add in any non-raw food that you enjoy for your transition, such as steamed quinoa, brown rice, cooked hummus and so on, just be sure they are whole grain and organic if possible.

This list will exercise your taste buds and retrain them into enjoying natural tastes. Your palate may be so used to eating toxic processed foods it may be hard to even sense the taste of raw foods at first, as your taste buds are so used to being blasted with all kinds of intense chemicals and flavors.

This will be your stepping stone to a new lifestyle of confidence in yourself as you grow and explore more and more raw foods that you love.

Just remember in the back of your mind that those trigger foods in your list will be eliminated from your diet completely,  if not now, at the onset of this journey, then to be at least eating 50% fresh raw organic food starting here and now and work towards a 100% at some point later.

It’s very important that this feel comfortable to YOU and meets you where you are now. Focusing on what you are restricting and can’t eat and what you’re giving up is not managing to help you feel empowered.

However, if you keep adding in more of the vibrant, fresh raw foods you DO like, you’ll usually find that your body asks for more of the same and the triggers naturally start to lose appeal….

It can be useful to post these lists right on your refrigerator, side by side, this way they are available to you to refer to in making health food choices, so your more likely to stay in the game!

Vanilla Delight Recipe

This is something a bit heavier to keep from being hungry for several hours. You can also add green powder or other supplements to this drink.

I often blend in several handfuls of sprouts or even some kale to increase my consumption of greens and also to lighten the sweetness. A great way to get greens into kids!

1 cup water
2 tablespoons raw tahini or more depending on how many calories you want
1-2 frozen bananas.
Dash of vanilla (optional)
Optional sweetener if desired: a date or two

Blend until thick and smooth.

Serve immediately.