A few weeks ago I attended a workshop about raw food presented by Diana Stobo. Diana is a culinary artist and raw food advocate who lives in Northern California. Having turned her own health around with a raw food diet, she has dedicated herself to helping people make better choices about what they eat. The workshop was very valuable for me personally, so I wanted to share some of the things I learned. I also talked to Diana afterward for some more advice that might be useful for men and their families.
One thing that I really appreciated about Diana’s presentation was that it was so accessible. I think a lot of people have an impression of a raw food diet being very difficult, expensive, or just not pleasant. Some may also be under the impression that eating raw is an extreme lifestyle. As Diana explained, the important thing is to find the right balance for yourself. As you find it, there are some simple things that you can do to dramatically improve your health. Her first tip, which is a secret to most men, is to make one of your meals a big, fresh salad with lots of vegetables. There are lots of quick-fix diets out there with a variety of solutions. But there’s just no getting around the fact that eating fresh vegetables and fruits, along with nuts, seeds, legumes and healthy grains, is the best and most direct way to get the nutrients your body needs.
The second tip is to make yourself a green shake with fresh vegetables and fruits. This is a great way to start off your day with a huge boost of healthy energy. You can experiment with the combination that you like best, but a good staple ingredient is spinach – a vegetable that is remarkably high in protein. Some other great items to include in your diet everyday are kale (a great source of calcium and protein), berries (high in antioxidants) and lemons. Be sure to get organic produce whenever possible.
The third tip is to start eliminating the unnecessary, less healthy things your body has a hard time processing. The big groups are meat, dairy, alcohol, sugar, wheat, and caffeine. While this may seem like a big task, keep in mind that as with most things, you can make incremental steps. I stopped eating meat five years ago and have cut back on dairy. Reducing my intake of sugar and wheat is a much bigger challenge for me. However, I can say this: when I made a conscious effort to eat a mostly raw, vegan diet for a week I felt better and didn’t have the cravings for sugar that had bothered me for months before that.
Diana notes that for men, muscle mass and protein intake are often high priorities when it comes to their diet, and this makes giving up meat and dairy a little more challenging. This doesn’t have to be the case, however; look for ways that you can replace meat in your diet with legumes such as beans, chickpeas and lentils, along with protein-rich grains including quinoa. Work toward making at least 50% of your diet consist of raw, plant-based foods. Beyond that, your body will tell you what works.
Men do have a few advantages when it comes to making important dietary changes. Having generally higher metabolism and less hormonal interference means that men on the whole can enjoy the benefits of a healthier diet more quickly than women. At the same time, men tend to rely on women when it comes to their health and well-being, whether it be through preparing meals or prodding them to take better care of themselves. While we can be grateful for the efforts of mothers, wives, sisters and friends for encouraging us to eat better, we must also take it upon ourselves to respect our bodies more, for our own sake and that of our families. By doing so, we will live longer lives in better health and be able to contribute more time and energy to those we care about. After all, our legacy should be one of good decisions and self-respect.
If you are looking for a fun, easy-to-use guide to eating raw, I would highly recommend Diana’s book, Get Naked Fast!: A Guide to Stripping Away the Foods that Weigh You Down. It’s available for purchase on her website: https://www.thenakedshoppe.com/Get-Naked-Fast-Book.html
You can find more information about Diana Stobo’s work, including recipes and more helpful tips about raw food, at www.DianaStobo.com. If you have a question or comment, please contact me at brandonl@menshealthnetwork.net.
Great advice, It is amazing how much more energized and “cleaner” you feel when supplementing your diet with fruits, fresh vegetables, and fresh juices. But a juicer today!