The 21 Steps to Success
by Robert Reid in 1998
For Making the Transition to a Higher Percentage of Raw Plant Food in the Diet
Caution: Some of the following statements may come off as radical to some people, in that a diet of 100% raw, living foods is the ultimate recommendation here. However, it should be clear that any increase in the consumption of raw food and decrease of cooked food results in benefits to the individual. Hence, the principles presented here, making clear the ideal, can be used to encourage us to improve our diets no matter what level they are at or how gridlocked we may feel
7 Mental Steps
1) Realization - The way "it" is doesn't work. Disease, suffering, and commonly accepted lifespans are not acceptable. We need to rethink our standards around aging and degeneration. The human body has much greater potential which more than 99% of the time goes untapped. The body is designed to live 144 years. It is encoded in our genes. Fully hydrated enzyme rich food with living nutrients and sun energy is low maintenance for the human organism. Raw-plant food diet does not result in the accumulation of mucous, plaque in the arteries, and toxins from chemically altered cooked elements. Generally it will result in a balanced pH for the fluids and tissues critical for the proper maintenance of our organ systems. Minimal requirements can be met easily by a finely tuned organism that does not have to focus energies on either digestion or elimination. The frugal raw plant food diet is the only diet that provides a minimal amount of taxation on these most critical underlying functions.
2) Inspiration - Through this realization we can be inspired to achieve this low impact diet on the body ecology. Don't settle for 2 nd best. It is not beyond anyone's potential no matter where they are at to tap into the amazing transformative powers of the body. Every 2 years 98% of the body id replaced, every 7 years, 100%. Addiction is 80% physical, 20 % mental. As we shift the scale we get the upper hand. We cab do it!
3) Desire - Seek to obtain optimal vitality and longevity. Keep seeking it. Much like the spiritual path, the desire to find our optimal means of sustenance will lead us to yet higher levels of realization and awareness, as well as the information and experience needed to help us achieve our goals. Seek and you shall find ! This is a spiritual law.
4 ) Education - Provide yourself a constant flow of information and inspiration needed to hold your realization and desire. The pull of a world filled with misinformation, consumerism and corruption are greater than we can even begin to realize. We are bombarded with both direct and indirect or subliminal messages to follow a course that ultimately deprives us of our freedom and health. Without the right kind of positive input (i.e. workshops, seminars, and books, books, books) we can easily be pulled back in. We need to invest in ourselves. It is worth it. When health improves every aspect of our lives improve and prosperity begins to flow more freely into our lives. We need to learn some basics of raw-food preparation techniques, recipes, as well as to gain a greater understanding of the natural cleansing process, cleansing techniques and the digestive process.
5) Conviction - The further we go in the aforementioned, the greater the conviction we will develop. The pull of a world filled with misinformation, greed and corruption cannot be underestimated. Often in life we are filled with great flashes of insight and "Ah Ha's" only to find them gradually watered down, faded in to the past. This watering down process is not due to the fact that these insights become any less important. We need regular inspiration, desire, education and higher levels of awareness to deepen and hold our conviction. At some point it may even make sense to develop a sense of rebelliousness, taking a stand, or all out war against bodily pollution, the foundation for planetary pollution. Is it radical for an environmentalist to take a stand against littering and non-recycling? Or radical for a vegetarian to come to the point where he/she will never consume even a bit of animal flesh due to an overwhelming respect for all life? No, it is not! Is it then radical for a raw-foodists to decide never to consume cooked food when he has the realization of what the ultimate implications of the cooked food diet have been towards a history human disease and suffering, addiction, pollution and global warming? Take a stand. Chose life force over destruction by fire.
6) Realize that Raw is the Ultimate Eco-Conscious Diet - Most of us are aware of the enormous detrimental impact that meat consumption has on the environment. In addition to health concerns, animal rights and overall respect for life, this is one of main reasons for becoming vegetarian. But this is often where our awareness ends. Because cooked food is the mother of addiction, we are typically pulled into the use of many processed items in our dietary regimen, including a vast sundry of condiments, breads, chips, pastas etc. that all go through some degree of processing. This processing is not without its detrimental effect on the environment. Additionally these items all come in some form of packaging. Analysis of many items reveals an astonishing web of manufacturing and transportation that goes into the final product. The raw-food diet requires no processing, packaging and if local organic foods are chosen, then impact from transportation and chemical use in growing are also minimized. The raw-food diet is the only near "no-pollution" diet! The cooking process quiet obviously also requires a great use of energy, hence the wasting of precious resources that power our energy systems. Even in third world countries of warmer climates, massive amounts of trees are cut down for the purpose of cooking. Also as one becomes more cleaned out, one's "alarm system" is more sensitive to pollutants everywhere and one becomes fed up with the causes of pollution.
7) Frequently Remember the Rewards of a Predominately or Total Raw food Diet :
The Physical Rewards - All the logic in the world cannot win someone over to the idea of a predominantly raw food diet if they are just not ready. Most people are fairly happy with where they are at and have great difficulty imaging themselves giving up their favorite cooked items. They don't realize how many wonderful simple & gourmet raw-food choices there are, and how their palate will awaken. They really can't imagine what is like to have unbelievable vitality if they have never known what that is. They don't know what they missing. Few people also have the ability to see far enough into the future to realize that suffering and degeneration is coming at some point, a point that is unnecessarily to soon. This degeneration can be slowed down dramatically. Yes there is a two-fold transition process of cleansing and of the digestive process adapting to the new regimen, but following this period of detoxification and many times in between one will experience the great vitality a raw-foodist can tell you about. Many people exercise because they know it is good for them, but how many people can claim to truly feel like a kid again. To match your child's vitality as you play or sprint across a field of grass. I lost this years ago, but now have it all the time ! Once the mucous is cleared from the body you may never again see another cold. Colds and flu's are nothing more than the body taking advantage of a virus or bacteria for the opportunity to cleanse. On a raw-food diet, following the cleansing and transition process, you require much less sleep, 4 to 6 hours at best! You literally begin youthing!
The Rewards of Heightened Spirituality - On raw-foods your sensitivities to the wonder of nature and feeling of connectedness increases dramatically. In, addition you literally feel amazing life force coursing through out your body and can even feel this literal vibration anytime you stop to notice it! Raw-food diet is a foundation and great accelerator towards our "awakening"; spiritual development unflolds quickly. So with the raw-food diet there is also an accelerated cleansing of the "emotional body" and "etheric body". You may also find a certain amount of "instant karma" kicks in. That is, higher awareness results in greater insight of what is wrong with the world around us and within us and brings realization what our right actions should be. Once "aware" we become more accountable for our actions. Becoming more accountable pushes toward better judgement and propels on the path.
14 Physical Steps: THE RAW RULES
. Eat for the Life Force in Food Only
Eat food in it's freshest most natural state and all other elements of nutritional needs and cleansing will work themselves out as you gravitate toward the perfect diet for you. You will literally feel vibration in your body increase. Reconnect to the Great Circle of Life not the circle of dead food!
. Remember the new golden triangle of balanced diet & try to achieve balance in terms of volume of food eaten aside
1) greens - i.e. romaine lettuce, kale, collard, chard, sprouts, broccoli, scallion
2) fats with protein - i.e. nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut. They combine well with greens.
3) Sugars - all sweet fruits. Non-sweet fruit goes into the middle of the triangle.
. Do not eat after sunset.
Give your liver & intestines the greatly needed time to cleanse, heal and rest. Physical healing & cleansing occurs predominantly between the hours of 10 PM to 2 AM when it is most important to be sleeping. This cannot happen if food (cooked or raw is eaten at night). You will wake up clear headed with more energy in the morning if you follow this golden rule. In the winter when sun sets early this maybe difficult, so just try to be done eating before 6 PM.
. Recognize and set 100% Raw as the goal or ideal.
Any increase in the level of raw food will offer greater benefits than a lower level (withstanding cleansing effects while transitioning). But until we commit to going for the ideal and begin striving for it, our cooked food addictions remain strong. Be forgiving but try to be totally 100% raw on a majority of days (at least 4 days a week). It is the only way to distance oneself enough from cooked food to break the addiction. You will find that the cooked food eaten in extreme moderation during the transition, such as sweet potatoes, roasted garlic, organic stone ground tortilla chips with raw tomato/garlic/onion/olive oil/chili powder sauce, broiled portabella mushroom with garlic/onion/ghee/salt/pepper, or very lightly stir-fried veggies with ginger/bragg/ghee/lemon sauce, etc. becomes very satisfying on the once every few days occasions.
. Eat only when there is true hunger & until roughly 80% full.
For most people twice a day is best. Once a day greatly enhances spiritual growth, vibration, mental clarity, healing, cleansing, and results in much less time necessary for sleeping. It increases longevity by saving the bodies resources by not devoting them to the most taxing duty of digesting food. One realizes after transitioning to this simple diet how little food the body really needs to absolutely thrive! Twice a day does all the same things as compared to 3 times a day.
. "Earn" your food through exercise.
The more you exercise the more you can eat and the more you'll get the sensation of true hunger. You now have one more good reason to exercise.
. Eat outdoors in the sun whenever possible and try take deep breaths of fresh air to improve digestion.
And connect with nature as much as possible in all other ways. One aspect of natural life strengthens another, it all works together.
. Chew food thoroughly.
Completely chew one's food into liquid or as close to a liquid state as possible before swallowing. Sometimes 20 times is enough other times it may take 60. Remember, in order for your body to absorb any food it must first be turned into liquid in order to pass through the membranes of the intestines. Living raw food, like the human body, contains a great percentage of living water, even nuts are over 30% water. With cooked food the water has been cooked out, which is a problem for the intestines.
. Be happy & relaxed or don't eat. Bless food, thank creator/ mother/father/god/goddess, thank food, thank gatherer.
Eat silently, focus on and be mindful of food; on the tree, in the mouth, in the belly, being digested, color, life force, smell, taste, touch.
. Eat as close to a mono- diet (one food at a meal) as possible or in mono stlye,
i.e. eat tomato first then cucumber than greens with dressing/onion/beet. This is very difficult at first, don't worry about it. And when first discovering the whole new world of amazingly tastyful raw recipes one typcally enjoys the new recipes too much. Better to over eat with combined raw items if that helps conquer craving for cooked food.
. Take Temptation out of your way .
Avoid familiar places & events associated with cooked food. Prepare favorite raw treats in advance to arm oneself against temptation. Recipes such as the Baklava (1/2 cup walnuts, 6 dates, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, heaping tbs. honey, on Manna/Essene/Unleaven bread with ghee), dates with raw tahini, raw organic cheese with tomato & chives/scallions. Clean out the cupboards of the really unhealthy stuff including white sugar and flour and junk food; throw them out. As you run out of other foods like pasta, breads, etc. do not replace them.
. If you go off and indulge try to indulge less.
Take a smaller piece, smaller bites and chew very well the cooked/unhealthy item. If possible precede wrong foods with something raw that will fill you up so you will satisfy your urges for the cooked/unhealthy item more easily; i.e. eat a banana, apple, nuts or dates first.
. START THE RAW-DIET IMMEDIATELY.
Don't put it off because you think you can't do it. Just start today and be very forgiving to yourself. Baby steps will get you there even if takes 3 years and it very well might. Begin by trying to stay raw every day until at least noon. Eat fruit in the morning or fruit juices; that feels right.
