My ‘Top 5’ Tips when Transitioning from a Standard Diet

One of my biggest struggles when initially trying to incorporate more raw plant foods into my diet was the ‘how’. I dove right in and had smoothies on the go, bags of veggies with me for snacking, salads galore! All this did was cause painful bloating and indigestion FAST! It was so painful that I almost threw in the towel on my health journey.

The more whole, raw plant foods in your daily diet the more health benefits you will reap. But, today I would like to share with you my top 5 tips when transitioning from a standard diet, to ensure success in meeting your goals – without the pain and discomfort!

1. Take it EASY – be gentle with yourself, and remember that this is a journey to a healthier you and may take some time. Making changes too quickly is hard on your system – your stomach doesn’t have to work very hard mechanically to break down processed foods, and works very hard to process plant foods. Slow and steady is a good plan, and will get you to your goal.
2. A great way to start is to incorporate some vegetarian and vegan meals into your diet. Or if you are feeling brave try being a ‘weekday vegetarian/vegan’. Animal protein and fat can be harder for the body to break down and process than plant foods, and the fat can contain large amounts of toxins and hormones which can then end up being circulated and stored in our own bodies. Taking simply a 1 meal break, or a larger 5 day break from these products are equally great steps on the journey to a healthier body. There are some really amazing recipes out there, and absolutely no feeling of deprivation when you eat a varied whole foods diet. When we transitioned our diet to plant based in 2013 we were ready for a big change, and I found the ‘weekday vegetarian/vegan’ concepts really helped me and my family to achieve our goals. It helped us to break more gently into a healthier lifestyle (as we could still feel “normal” in social settings while we were finding our footing on this new path). Eating a plant based diet during the week also made us not really want the animal products on the weekend after a while. We would notice changes in digestion or energy levels (as well as with our tastes) and then just crave more plant based foods and less of the rest. Unknowingly we lightened the burden on our system and opened up the door to the next step of eating more raw plant foods.
3. Try to make 1 meal per day raw, and then slowly add more and more raw foods to your other meals. I suggest starting with breakfast, as it is the easiest meal to change but makes such a large impact on your energy for the day. A fun, easy, and delicious transition to raw breakfast is to blend up smoothies or elixirs. You can pack an energizing punch into your day with these nutrient dense delights – and improve your digestion by leaps and bounds! Use any green and blend with 2 types of fruit, and voila, nutritious and delicious breakfast! If you snack on some fruit and veggies throughout your day – keep in mind that cruciferous veggies like sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower can be harder to digest (so it may be best to eat these steamed for now). Allow for 1 or  2 cooked items for lunch or snack so as not to change things up too quickly. For dinner, add a huge salad at the start, and then finish with a little ‘cooked something’. This will automatically lower your cooked food intake as you will fill your belly with the salad and not have as much room as you used to for the dense cooked foods. The idea is to add, add, add, this way you won’t feel deprived in your eating, you’ll simply crowd out the old stuff you used to eat. Your energy will increase due to the increased amount of nutrient rich foods you are consuming, your ego will be boosted, and then you’ll be ready for the next step!
4. We all know there are certain things that we should eat less of. Too much caffeine, too much sugar, too much alcohol, too much in the way of hydrogenated/refined fats, and too much meat and dairy can really bog a system down. Cutting back on these (or cutting some out if you are able) can enable you to get more in tune with how certain foods make you feel. When you start to get clear messages (through energy, mood, and health changes), you will know that your system is becoming much less burdened, healthier, and stronger. It is also important to properly re-populate your digestive tract with healthy bacteria through consuming probiotics when transitioning from a standard diet. These healthy bugs will allow for more comfortable digestion of the raw plant foods, so this step is crucial in your healthy transition from a standard diet to a diet of nutritious abundance.
5. My last tip is to remember to always, always, always – focus on making the transition FUN! Ever hear ‘If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong’? Having fun with the transition to incorporating more raw foods into your diet will help you to really solidify your newly found healthy lifestyle. Learn some plant based or raw gourmet recipes that you can share with your family and friends, there are some really amazing ones out there! Discover some plant based and raw food options at your favorite restaurant. Watch some plant based and raw food videos on YouTube for inspiration. There are so many amazing benefits to eating a diet full of more raw, plant based, living foods. Discover health today!