Thursday, December 29, 2011

YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!


Living, raw food doesn't have to be boring! It can be stimulating, exciting, sensual and delicious! When you shift to a raw diet, you will begin to experience life in a whole new way! Raw foods have exceptional affects on both your health, happiness and appearance. When you consume foods that are living, that life energy fuels your body, mind and soul in ways that you can not imagine until you experience it for yourself!

When I first went raw, I craved a lot of sweet treats, but as time when on, these cravings faded and I began desiring living foods that I had never craved before. Once I turned on this primitive desire and healed my body and mind from the standard American diet (SAD diet), I could feel myself changing. I felt a sense of peace and well-being while creating and consuming living foods. I was feeding a part of myself that I had never fed before and I truly feel like it changed my entire physical make-up. I don't know if everyone choosing to go raw will have this profound experience, but I know that I feel like I am more "myself" than I have ever been before.

After changing my diet, I lost weight, my skin became clear, and so did my mind. I felt like becoming raw gave me a upgrade in who I was, and what I was capable of. It felt like my "secret weapon" in a way! I have written a book, written articles for magazines and blogs and have completed many projects with joy and ease, and I know it is directly linked to my shift in nutrition.

I am so grateful that I listened to my heart and made this choice, no matter how drastic or strange as it may seem to some. If you would have told me ever a year ago that I would be eating primarily raw foods, I would have laughed at you! I have never been a vegan, or even a vegetarian at any point in my life! I literally went from a standard American diet, to a high raw vegan - almost overnight, and I will never look back!

Here are some of the delicious, high-vibe, living foods that I have enjoyed over the last six months. I have made these myself, from recipes online, from raw cookbooks, and also just from instinct. I have never been a very good cook, or even enjoyed cooking to be honest. Becoming raw has ignited a fire within me! It is a passion and outlet for my new, fierce creation in the kitchen. I look forward to sharing my journey and maybe even inspiring you to upgrade your life with living, raw foods!
Raw Lasagna


Raw Banana, Berry Pancakes


Raw Flax Seed Crackers with Avocado and Tomato


Raw Vegetable Sushi with Raw Peanut Sauce

Raw Food Benefits — 7 Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

Thank you raw food restraunt guide for this!
Raw Food Benefit #1: More Energy
One of the biggest raw food benefits is having more energy and feeling younger. Raw food contains simple sugars, enzymes, nutrients, and minerals that our bodies need in an easily digestible form. Since less energy is needed for digestion, you have more energy available for other tasks—such as working, playing, exercise, or anything else you want to do. Which brings us to raw food benefit number two…
Raw Food Benefit #2: Easier & Faster Digestion
Raw foods contain living enzymes that help your body digest food quickly and easily. These enzymes are destroyed when food is cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. When you eat a big cooked meal, a large amount of energy is required to digest the meal. This explains why you feel tired and sleepy after a big Thanksgiving dinner (or any large cooked-food meal). With raw food, digestion & elimination are quick and easy.
Raw Food Benefit #3: Lots of Fiber and Naturally Detoxes Your Body
Raw food assists in naturally detoxing your body. When you eat plenty of raw foods, you’re getting lots of fiber, allowing your body to release mucus, toxins, and accumulated waste. When you eat clean food (fresh fruits and veggies), your body can focus on detoxing—instead of having to focus on digesting unhealthy, artificially processed, dead, and packaged foods. Good health requires good elimination—and fiber assists in that process.
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Raw Food Benefit #4: Rapid Weight Loss

Another fantastic benefit is raw food weight loss. When you eat a raw food diet, you’ll probably lose weight. Why? Because raw food is pure – it doesn’t contain junk food, harmful additives, hydrogenated oils, or lots of empty calories. Raw food provides maximum nutrition for minimum calories. Plus, fruits and veggies are naturally low in fat.
Raw Food Benefit #5: More Nutritional Value than Cooked Foods
Foods cooked above 118F° will lose enzymes, nutrients, minerals and vitamins. You can compare the energy that surrounds living food to the energy that surrounds cooked/dead food using Kirlian photography. Living foods have more energy, which can be seen with Kirlian photography.
Raw Food Benefit #6: Feeling More Rested & Possibly Needing Less Sleep
Among other raw food benefits, you might experience the need for less sleep. When we eat large amounts of cooked food, the energy required for digestion taxes our bodies. As a result, we need to sleep more to recover. Many people report feeling more rested, and needing less sleep on a raw food diet.
raw vegan salad
Raw Food Benefit #7: Anti-Aging Benefits

Raw food contains anti-oxidants, which play a big role in reducing the signs of aging. Researchers have concluded that free radical damage causes oxidation — and this is the central process of aging.
Free radicals are created as a side-effect of natural metabolism. They are also caused by drugs, environmental poisons and pollutants. The antioxidants and micronutrients in raw foods (fresh fruits & vegetables) reduce free radical damage, and help prevent the signs of aging.

Here are some more of the delicious foods that
I have enjoyed since becoming Raw!


Raw, Berry Cheesecake


Raw Chocolate Fudge


Raw Onion Rings!! Yes... you read that right!


Raw Stuffed Tomato and Mushrooms

Raw Zucchini and Summer Squash with Raw Garlic Aioli Mayo


My favorite Lunch! Romaine Wraps with Raw Hummus, veggies and apples


Raw, Sprouted Quinoa, Spinach, Mushrooms and Tomatoes


Raw Chocolate Chia Pudding


Raw Raspberry Pina Colada


Raw Mac and Cheese


Raw Spicy Dill Pickles


Raw Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Fennel and Orange Salad and Raw Creamy Tomato Soup

All photos by Joe Martin, my hot, raw husband!
or at our home business, Willow Toys!

14 comments:

  1. very nice! I made great dip from "veganaise" and chives. I ate it with red and green bell pepper strips. I made salad dressing with the vegainaise plus vinegar and oil and had it with rainbow chard and tomatoes. I also got some raw peanuts, raw pecans, and raw cashews that I've been snacking on between meals. I feel great, and before this was just doing "portion control" with working out. I could feel my body "trying" to loose weight from all of that, but not until I decided to do the raw vegan thing (plus portion control, plus working out) did the weight fall off. Right now, I am looking for some kind of raw chips so I can have chips and slasa.

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  2. Congrats Dayna! So glad you started this Raw Food Blog. Raw Recipes rock and so does a healthy lifestyle to go along with it :)

    Cheers!
    Vanessa~

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  3. Thanks for your comment Danielle! If you do a Google search for raw corn chips, you will find many different recipes.

    Vanessa, thank you so much for your support and encouragement!

    ~Dayna

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  4. Danielle
    Try dehydrating some zucchini they make great chips.
    Dayna
    Your blog looks like it is off to a great start. I love how much better I feel when I am eating vegan.When I am being good I probably eat a little more than half of my food raw. Christmas has me feeling a bit sugar addicted again so your blog will be good inspiration for me to get back to it.

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  5. Very inspiring. And very tempting to try since I feel "tired for no reason" quite often and oftern cannot bring myself to finish a cooked lunch, but always excited at the site of fruit and veg.

    Thank you for sharing your personal story, something that I wished to see :-)

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  6. Shari, I LOVE zuke chips! Thanks for visiting my blog and for your kind words.

    ~Dayna

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  7. Olga, So happy that I could inspire you! Go with what feels right and what you are drawn to! Your body knows what you need to thrive! Thanks for visiting my new blog!

    ~Dayna

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  8. Dayna, would you be able to write a post about what led you to shift from the SAD Diet to a raw vegan diet almost overnight?

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  9. Rynalee, Yes! I do plan on sharing about what led me to shift my diet. Thanks for the suggestion and for visiting my blog!

    ~Dayna

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  10. Susanne, Thank you! So do YOU! Thanks for commenting!

    ~Dayna

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  11. Yes, I've got Raw Envy!! I love the new blog! It is beautiful and so are you my RawGoddess Girlfriend! My raw envy may bring me to create a food blog too!

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  12. Chef Cretella! YOU are the image of a Raw Goddess if I ever saw one! You inspire me and in fact, I wanted to interview you and post it on my new blog! I will message you about it. Much Love to you! Thank you for visiting my blog and for the kind words!

    ~Dayna

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  13. Great blog Dayna! You are inspiring me in so many areas of my life. Thank you for sharing and I can't wait to read more!

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Raw Envy and Dayna Martin love your feedback!