Got fruit? I have been experimenting with a fruitarian diet since the beginning of August and I must say, I’m loving it!  I’m not quite a 30 bananas a day girl, but I’m digging the fruit.

We signed up to go to the Woodstock Fruit Festival last January & I had been mentally preparing for the experience ever since.  I got out my copy of Dr. Doug Graham’s 80/10/10 this Spring & tried to find inspiration to jump into a high fruit low fat raw vegan diet in preparation for August’s unlimited fruit retreat.  In case you don’t know, 80/10/10 is a diet that includes 80% carbs from fruit, 10% protein from greens & a few nuts/ seeds, & 10% fat from avocado, coconut, & nuts/seeds. And if you are wondering what 10% fat looks like … it ain’t much.  For me it’s about 1/4-1/3 of an avocado a day or a small handful of nuts/seeds. And no oil, no salt, no spices, no garlic, no red or yellow onion.  WOW!  It sounded so hard and extreme … at least that was the story I told myself.

With 2 weeks to go before heading to the Adirondacks for Fruit Fest, I decided it was now or never.  I jumped into the 80/10/10 diet & began following Dr. Graham’s Summer meal plans.  I had no trouble diving into eating lots of delicious ripe fruit …  although the volume of fruit I was consuming in one sitting was a little daunting at first.  Example: sitting down to 1/2 a large watermelon for breakfast made for lots of eating … & peeing.  :-)  The fruit went down easily, but the greens & veggies which are generally eaten for dinner, were more challenging (approx 12-16 oz a greens a day).  Initially I missed the oil & salt in my salad dressings, and I just couldn’t chew through a humungous bowl of greens & veggies in one sitting.  I was feeling kind of funky initially too.  My tummy felt off and my pooping schedule got off kilter. I felt pressure in my head & had some light headedness during the first 1o days.  I didn’t know if I was doing something wrong or what, so I hopped on chronometer to document my food intake to see where I might be going astray.  My calories & 80/10/10 percentages were lining up nicely, which was cool to see, but what was off?  I soon realized that I needed to eat my greens throughout the day & enjoy them for breakfast lunch & dinner in order to feel good.  Once I did that I was a happy fruit loving girl.

By the time we got to the Woodstock Fruit Festival I had a good sense of the fruitarian lifestyle and was able to jump right into the unlimited fruit feast and enjoyed the people who were there with us.  There were beautiful folks there from ALL over the world … Australia, the UK, Switzerland, Spain, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, Hawaii, California, Florida, Louisiana, & beyond.  It was amazing to be brought together to live in love & fruit on the steep hillside of Camp Walden & to learn from the incredibly inspiring presenters.  WOW!  SO many inspiring stories of health & healing from all sorts of illness & disease.

The presenters talked and shared their incredible stories and experiences and I encourage you to click here to learn about them.  One of the common threads throughout all of the lectures & workshops was the importance of eating a 100% high fruit, low fat, raw vegan diet, getting enough sleep (being in bed by 10 or 11 at the latest), breathing fresh air, spending time in the sun, exercising, being in loving relationships … each & every day!  Without balance in all areas, you will not be your healthiest self.  They were all amazing and spoke so openly with all of us.  I was so inspired by this group of rawk stars & their journeys & messages that I have decided to carry on with my 100% raw high fruit lifestyle.

Here’s some of the things that I have noticed since beginning a high fruit, low fat raw vegan diet in early August:  I feel lighter, stronger, more fit and at ease.  I have shed a few pounds which is an added bonus. I don’t need to drink as much water because the fruit & veggies are so high in water content. I really enjoy mono meals of watermelon, cantaloupe & oranges in particular. My cravings have shifted.  I don’t crave chocolate or salty foods … just fruit or greens.  It’s been an interesting journey and I look forward to seeing where it takes me.

And to share with you what I have eaten today … I have had  1.5 quarts green smoothie (cantaloupe, apple, pear, banana, kale, dates), 10 oz. fresh coconut water, tea with honey, a fruit bar (dried fruit, blueberries, pistachios & hemp seeds), 1 banana,  1/2 cantaloupe, 8 oz spinach salad topped with cherry tomatoes & a veggie salad dressing, 2 bananas, 2 dates & a huge bowl of greens topped with 3 big scoops of fresh tomato chili & 2 dates.  I have not been using salt in my food prep, but I have used some spices and a sliver of onion or garlic here & there.  I have also had a couple of salads with oil based dressings while out on the town & a few nibbles of our yummy Kids Gone Raw snack foods.

So there you have it … a little bit out the past 5 weeks.  I hope you enjoyed hearing about it & I hope you are encouraged to learn a little more about  the low fat raw vegan lifestyle.  Check back for new recipes & more helpful info!  Have a rawmazing September! xoxo