It's been the bank holiday weekend so I have had today (Monday) off. Thankfully I have been able to catch up on a little sleep and get some exercise.
Despite getting closer and closer to winter the weather here has been excellent. It has barely rained in the last few weeks and it has been mostly bright. My brother and I have been taking advantage of this by playing a lot of tennis at a local park.
I have always enjoyed tennis and I think I will try to take it up more often. If you are up for a game in Glasgow then let me know!
I have recently posted another video interview from Woodstock. This time it was a conversation with Andrew Perlot.
Andrew has a pretty amazing story of recovering from Colitis through eating a fruit based raw food diet and has gone on to help other people through his website raw-food-health.net (I will provide a proper link at the end of this post).
He is an impressively well researched authority on raw food nutrition and has written a number of books on the topic. On top of this he is an incredibly fit guy and himself and his partner Brittany performed a phenomenal acro-yoga routine as part of the Woodstock talent show.
Andrew is also known for having performed an over eating experiment in which he was trying to show it was possible to put on fat on a fruit based diet. This was going against some popular authorities and teachers who maintain that it is impossible to get fat on fruit. Andrew certainly gained weight during the experiment and you can hear more in the video.
I really enjoyed speaking to Andrew and recommend you check out more of his information at his website and give the video a watch.
Please share the video with anyone you think would get a benefit from it and subscribe for future videos.
Thanks for reading,
Ronnie
www.raw-food-health.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLwWbN4g4GU&list=UUvmR3VNNU-YO-q_DpSpIUvAClick Here To View The Interview With Andrew Perlot
Monday 29 September 2014
Friday 26 September 2014
How To Satisfy Cravings For Salty, Crunchy Food On A Raw Vegan Diet
Hello and I hope it is a fine day for you.
Over here in Scotland (or here in Scotland, if you are here) the days are getting shorter rapidly. The phrase used for this here is "the nights are fair drawing in" and indeed they are.
As an animal with a tropical origin I am sure there is some part of me that is utterly confused by seasonal changes as this is something that our genetic ancestors didn't deal with for tens of millions of years.
Anyway we carry on regardless and make it through somehow.
I want to briefly speak about cravings for salty, crunchy food on a raw vegan diet. If you are following 801010 you probably don't eat a lot of salt or exclude it completely. I am in the second camp here, I don't eat or use salt in my food.
For many people this is a tough change and something that will prevent them from sticking to a raw diet. They get tired of sweet all of the time and and want something savoury and often a salad is not what they are looking for.
I believed in the commonly portrayed idea that if you give up salt then your taste buds will change and become more sensitive and vegetables will all of a sudden become very salty to you.
I never really found this to be the case, and struggled to incorporate more vegetables into my diet.
Indeed for a fairly long period of time I would just eat sweet fruits with no savoury fruits like tomatoes and no greens or other vegetables.
Though we still enjoy the taste and to some extent have a craving for salty food I have usually found that the craving would go away if I ate enough sweet fruit.
I'm not convinced that we need greens or vegetables but I do enjoy vegetable dishes and the savoury crunchy taste. I thought I would share with you some raw vegan foods that will help satisfy those savoury craving, but be warned many of these things are totally addictive:
1. Sundried Tomatoes- hard to find in the UK without being drenched in oil and salt. In the US it seems to be much easier to get untampered with sun dried Tomatoes at local shops. Delicious and packed with flavour it can be hard to stop eating these. A good site to order them from in the UK is called The Raw Greek.
2. Freeze Dried Peas/ Sweetcorn- Fresh garden peas have a fantastic savoury sweet flavour and I can personally eat bags at a time when they are in season. Freeze dried peas and freeze dried sweetcorn are another incredible snack though it is questionable how "raw" they are. Once again they are not really openly available in the UK so you may want to check the internet.
3. Multiple Dehydrator Recipes- Using a dehydrator opens up a wide variety of different recipes, flavours and textures for a raw vegan. My favourite so far is to dip cauliflower florets in a sauce made from blended tomato, celery and tahini with some spices added. Put that in the dehydrator for 2 hours and you have an incredible snack.
All of these should give you some great options that can help satisfy that salty craving. If you have any more please comment below.
If you would like to subscribe for future updates then fill in your details in the form to the right. You will receive some great gifts as a result.
Thanks for reading,
Ronnie
3. Multiple Dehydrator Recipes- Using a dehydrator opens up a wide variety of different recipes, flavours and textures for a raw vegan. My favourite so far is to dip cauliflower florets in a sauce made from blended tomato, celery and tahini with some spices added. Put that in the dehydrator for 2 hours and you have an incredible snack.
All of these should give you some great options that can help satisfy that salty craving. If you have any more please comment below.
If you would like to subscribe for future updates then fill in your details in the form to the right. You will receive some great gifts as a result.
Thanks for reading,
Ronnie
Tuesday 23 September 2014
Down The Raw Food Rabbit Hole
I was challenged today on my raw food lifestyle in particular about how much I must miss the food I used to eat. I was also accused of living in fear instead of living in the moment when I spoke a little about the various diseases of society caused by diet.
When I get in to these kind of conversations with conventional eating people I don't tend to put a lot of energy into answering their questions.
My feeling is that it is unlikely that they actually want to be taken down what I call the "Raw Food Rabbit Hole". The conversations skirt around the edge of the hole but it is unlikely that they wish to be taken by hand down into the hole that you can never really escape from.
I hide the fact that I know a lot more about nutrition that they give me credit for. My friend asked where I got my fat from and I told him there was fat in fruits and vegetables. He didn't beleive
me. Of course there is fat in all whole foods but it is not marketed in that way so the public don't realise that.
But the question of whether I miss the old foods is interesting. I explained to him that when you start a new habit of eating then your taste buds change and you don't really think about the old foods
anymore.
For me eating fruit is as immediate and enjoyable as eating sweets and candy is for other people. I don't feel like I am missing out. But he also tapped into a point about fear.
Up until recently I thought I made most of my decisions in life out of a positive emotion like hope but now I am realising that there is almost always a corollary fear going along with even the most
hopeful vision. We eat healthy not just for the positives it brings but to avoid the negatives that eating badly used to bring us and each reason is very powerful.
The worst thing is to make choices through ignorance and most people are prepared not to look for the information they need. If they were genuinely interested then I could take then gently down the rabbit hole of health that they would emerge from unchanged.
Keep on down the path, it goes farther and farther down, there is much to learn.
Maybe it is time you were sharing it with other?
Yours fructiferously,
Ronnie
When I get in to these kind of conversations with conventional eating people I don't tend to put a lot of energy into answering their questions.
My feeling is that it is unlikely that they actually want to be taken down what I call the "Raw Food Rabbit Hole". The conversations skirt around the edge of the hole but it is unlikely that they wish to be taken by hand down into the hole that you can never really escape from.
I hide the fact that I know a lot more about nutrition that they give me credit for. My friend asked where I got my fat from and I told him there was fat in fruits and vegetables. He didn't beleive
me. Of course there is fat in all whole foods but it is not marketed in that way so the public don't realise that.
But the question of whether I miss the old foods is interesting. I explained to him that when you start a new habit of eating then your taste buds change and you don't really think about the old foods
anymore.
For me eating fruit is as immediate and enjoyable as eating sweets and candy is for other people. I don't feel like I am missing out. But he also tapped into a point about fear.
Up until recently I thought I made most of my decisions in life out of a positive emotion like hope but now I am realising that there is almost always a corollary fear going along with even the most
hopeful vision. We eat healthy not just for the positives it brings but to avoid the negatives that eating badly used to bring us and each reason is very powerful.
The worst thing is to make choices through ignorance and most people are prepared not to look for the information they need. If they were genuinely interested then I could take then gently down the rabbit hole of health that they would emerge from unchanged.
Keep on down the path, it goes farther and farther down, there is much to learn.
Maybe it is time you were sharing it with other?
Yours fructiferously,
Ronnie
Monday 22 September 2014
"So What Disease Is This Fruit Good For?"
Often if I offer someone a new or unique fruit they will ask me what it is good for.
They want to know what particular vitamin or nutrient this fruit is particularly high in.
I really have no idea most of the time as I do not study these things. To paraphrase Dr Doug Graham, I don't eat bananas for the potassium but for their bananness.
I don't personally think it is helpful or accurate to promote a fruit because of a certain substance. Often the common wisdom on such things. Such as bananas being number 70 on the list of foods high in potassium and lower than other fruits such as dates.
People mistakenly see potassium as being incredibly high in potassium and worry about getting too much. The reality is that the body is excellent at adapting to different levels of potassium in the diet and easily gets rid of any excess through the kidneys.
Even though this is my stance sometimes I wonder if it might be helpful to simply go along with the question and say "oh mangoes are great for diabetes, strawberries are wonderful for cancer....heart disease, go for grapes" or whatever as perhaps it would encourage some people to eat more of it.
In general I don't think or worry about specific nutrients. It is really hard to wend your way through the morass of information on health and diet topics and try to find some truth. I should probably start doing some more research on these things. For now I just trust in the fruit and vegetables. They taste good to me.
In that same vein I did have a look through a medical textbook today that I saw at work. The information on nutrition was very limited and was more about the specific chemistry of certain substances.
Really we need to start taking a step back and having a look to nature and how other animals are eating. We need to learn to follow our natural design and go back to growing and eating more free food straight from the vine.
It is likely that if we do this then many of the "incurable" diseases listed in the medical textbooks will vanish and become an obscure history lesson. Really we have no idea how many of these illnesses could be the result of bad nutrition...it is a little scary.
So that's my thoughts for today. As ever if you would like to subscribe to receive future updates and get some free gifts from me then sign in at the form to your right.
Yours fruitfully,
Ronnie Ronster
They want to know what particular vitamin or nutrient this fruit is particularly high in.
I really have no idea most of the time as I do not study these things. To paraphrase Dr Doug Graham, I don't eat bananas for the potassium but for their bananness.
I don't personally think it is helpful or accurate to promote a fruit because of a certain substance. Often the common wisdom on such things. Such as bananas being number 70 on the list of foods high in potassium and lower than other fruits such as dates.
People mistakenly see potassium as being incredibly high in potassium and worry about getting too much. The reality is that the body is excellent at adapting to different levels of potassium in the diet and easily gets rid of any excess through the kidneys.
Even though this is my stance sometimes I wonder if it might be helpful to simply go along with the question and say "oh mangoes are great for diabetes, strawberries are wonderful for cancer....heart disease, go for grapes" or whatever as perhaps it would encourage some people to eat more of it.
In general I don't think or worry about specific nutrients. It is really hard to wend your way through the morass of information on health and diet topics and try to find some truth. I should probably start doing some more research on these things. For now I just trust in the fruit and vegetables. They taste good to me.
In that same vein I did have a look through a medical textbook today that I saw at work. The information on nutrition was very limited and was more about the specific chemistry of certain substances.
Really we need to start taking a step back and having a look to nature and how other animals are eating. We need to learn to follow our natural design and go back to growing and eating more free food straight from the vine.
It is likely that if we do this then many of the "incurable" diseases listed in the medical textbooks will vanish and become an obscure history lesson. Really we have no idea how many of these illnesses could be the result of bad nutrition...it is a little scary.
So that's my thoughts for today. As ever if you would like to subscribe to receive future updates and get some free gifts from me then sign in at the form to your right.
Yours fruitfully,
Ronnie Ronster
Sunday 21 September 2014
My Problem With Seasonal Changes
I am still pretty sleep deprived.
A combination of late and early nights recently with the referendum have left me drained. I am in a weird state of emotional and physical exhaustion and not quite knowing what to do with myself.
On Saturday I had arranged another Fruitluck at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow. It was a fairly small turnout but we had a nice time.
I have been running the group for nearly two years but never really put a lot of effort into promoting it. I think I will need to spread the word a bit more and grow it into a more thriving community.
I would also like to put on some talks for the future and other interesting events, so stay tuned.
It feels now that the seasons are really changing and summer is moving on. Within me these season changes are often a bit difficult and I often wonder if that is to do with our years of evolution in a climate that basically had no seasons.
We lived in a 24/7 summertime in the tropical forests of Africa. Our closest relatives in the animal kingdom still live in that environment. The Chimpanzees and the Bonobos still hang out in the sun all year long, eating fruit, socialising, relaxing, playing. Sounds like a great life.
So season changes would have been feared and would have been a sign to get away. To move to where it was warm and there was plenty of food around.
With my diet at the moment I really need to make a commitment to get to the fruit market more. I often go a few weeks without getting there and end up spending more on fruit at supermarkets than i really want to. I don't begrudge paying the money but it would be a lot cheaper from the market.
I hope to create a future where I can spend the winters elsewhere. I am sure I will make this happen soon.
Yours frutfully,
Ronnie
A combination of late and early nights recently with the referendum have left me drained. I am in a weird state of emotional and physical exhaustion and not quite knowing what to do with myself.
On Saturday I had arranged another Fruitluck at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow. It was a fairly small turnout but we had a nice time.
I have been running the group for nearly two years but never really put a lot of effort into promoting it. I think I will need to spread the word a bit more and grow it into a more thriving community.
I would also like to put on some talks for the future and other interesting events, so stay tuned.
It feels now that the seasons are really changing and summer is moving on. Within me these season changes are often a bit difficult and I often wonder if that is to do with our years of evolution in a climate that basically had no seasons.
We lived in a 24/7 summertime in the tropical forests of Africa. Our closest relatives in the animal kingdom still live in that environment. The Chimpanzees and the Bonobos still hang out in the sun all year long, eating fruit, socialising, relaxing, playing. Sounds like a great life.
So season changes would have been feared and would have been a sign to get away. To move to where it was warm and there was plenty of food around.
With my diet at the moment I really need to make a commitment to get to the fruit market more. I often go a few weeks without getting there and end up spending more on fruit at supermarkets than i really want to. I don't begrudge paying the money but it would be a lot cheaper from the market.
I hope to create a future where I can spend the winters elsewhere. I am sure I will make this happen soon.
Yours frutfully,
Ronnie
Saturday 20 September 2014
Friday 19 September 2014
How To Process and Digest Difficult Emotions
I stayed up all night last night.
It was the night of the Scottish Independence referendum. Unfortunately, it was clear early on that the result I was looking for did not look like it was going to happen so I went to bed but couldn't quite get to sleep and kept getting up to follow twitter or the television.
I was quite uptight and upset when the result started to get worse and the reality started to happen. This was a good chance to try to practice "emotional processing". What I mean by this is simply the practice of trying to allow upset emotions to flow through the body to their natural release bringing you back to a calm state. Very few people are conscious of this process I believe. It is in times of emotional upset that we often look to distract ourselves with other stimulations like food, alcohol, drugs, computer games and the rest.
But I learned at one point that the best thing to do was focus your attention on the feeling of emotional pain in the body and you will realise that it is not as painful and powerful as you at first think. By being still with it and feeling it this allows the process to complete.
As I was up anyway I headed to the Blochairn Fruit Market for the first time in ages.
Funnily enough the BBC were there filming the workers and asking their opinions on the vote. The one man I spoke to was also sad that the country was not going independent and was waiting to be interviewed.
I found some decent Blueberries, Cherimoyas, a small box of Grapes and 2 boxes of Bananas. I always get my Bananas from Thomas O'Connell's stand. In fact it is really the only place there that you can get Bananas. He gives incredible deals on boxes of Bananas, even organic sometimes. Tell him I sent you if you go.
I also like the stand "Crossley" and believe they are very good quality. "T.R Caledonian" I liked for the yellow Pakistani Honey Mangoes but unfortunately they did not have them there this year so I have not been going to them as much. I used to order some organic fruit from "Carmichael" but it was being ordered from Paris and could be inconsistent.
I spent £70 on what could be maybe 5-7 days of fruit but I am likely to buy more as I like variety.
I shared some of the Blueberries with my work colleagues and ate the rest.
Still felt sad about the result at home but I am slowly getting over it and refocusing on all the good things in life.
Another Fruitluck is planned tomorrow at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow at 1pm. Perhaps you can make it along? Bring some fruit and perhaps a friend or two? I hope to see you there!
Yours Fruitfully,
Ronnie
For updates and cool stuff sign up in the form on the right!
It was the night of the Scottish Independence referendum. Unfortunately, it was clear early on that the result I was looking for did not look like it was going to happen so I went to bed but couldn't quite get to sleep and kept getting up to follow twitter or the television.
I was quite uptight and upset when the result started to get worse and the reality started to happen. This was a good chance to try to practice "emotional processing". What I mean by this is simply the practice of trying to allow upset emotions to flow through the body to their natural release bringing you back to a calm state. Very few people are conscious of this process I believe. It is in times of emotional upset that we often look to distract ourselves with other stimulations like food, alcohol, drugs, computer games and the rest.
But I learned at one point that the best thing to do was focus your attention on the feeling of emotional pain in the body and you will realise that it is not as painful and powerful as you at first think. By being still with it and feeling it this allows the process to complete.
As I was up anyway I headed to the Blochairn Fruit Market for the first time in ages.
Funnily enough the BBC were there filming the workers and asking their opinions on the vote. The one man I spoke to was also sad that the country was not going independent and was waiting to be interviewed.
I found some decent Blueberries, Cherimoyas, a small box of Grapes and 2 boxes of Bananas. I always get my Bananas from Thomas O'Connell's stand. In fact it is really the only place there that you can get Bananas. He gives incredible deals on boxes of Bananas, even organic sometimes. Tell him I sent you if you go.
I also like the stand "Crossley" and believe they are very good quality. "T.R Caledonian" I liked for the yellow Pakistani Honey Mangoes but unfortunately they did not have them there this year so I have not been going to them as much. I used to order some organic fruit from "Carmichael" but it was being ordered from Paris and could be inconsistent.
I spent £70 on what could be maybe 5-7 days of fruit but I am likely to buy more as I like variety.
I shared some of the Blueberries with my work colleagues and ate the rest.
Still felt sad about the result at home but I am slowly getting over it and refocusing on all the good things in life.
Another Fruitluck is planned tomorrow at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow at 1pm. Perhaps you can make it along? Bring some fruit and perhaps a friend or two? I hope to see you there!
Yours Fruitfully,
Ronnie
For updates and cool stuff sign up in the form on the right!
Wednesday 17 September 2014
5 Tips For A Successful Raw Food DIet
Here are the tips that have led me towards maintaining a raw food diet for over 2 years.
OK maybe not perfectly and some things I have are "questionably" raw but I am heading on the right track.
So here goes:
1. Eat lots of fruit!
Fruit should make up the bulk of your calories. Fall in love with fruit. Become a connoisseur of fruit. Start using a nutrition application to learn how much fruit you have to eat to maintain your weight.
2. Eat Simply, Eat Monomeals
What is a monomeal? It is when you eat one food alone until you are full. Just bananas. Just mangoes. Just strawberries. One at a time until you are full. The easiest and simplest way to eat. Give it a try!
3. Buy In bulk
Find a place to buy in bulk. You will need to buy a lot of volume and this may be a little inconvenient and over priced in the supermarket. If you can find a wholesale market or even got to farmers direct you can get some great deals.
4. Get Plenty Of Rest!
Going to a raw food diet will bring you more directly in touch with your bodies cues. You may become aware of how tired you really are and how you have been depriving yourself from the amount of the sleep you really need.
5. Go And Meet Other Fruity People!
Most importantly go and meet people who are doing this lifestyle. Find a local Fruitluck or contact people on Facebook. You could start your own group. The best thing is to go to a large event, a festival for example, that has other people with years of experience in the lifestyle to teach you and help you on your way. You and your friends can share information and knowledge to help and inspire each other and lead to joint success.
In writing this I realise there are so many more things to say. But I will leave it there for now. I wish you success on your raw food journey.
If you like this post please share it with others. Feel free to copy this to your own blog or page as long as you include a link back to this page.
If you would like some further updates from me for the future please subscribe in the box to the right hand side.
Thanks you were reading!
Ronnie
OK maybe not perfectly and some things I have are "questionably" raw but I am heading on the right track.
So here goes:
1. Eat lots of fruit!
Fruit should make up the bulk of your calories. Fall in love with fruit. Become a connoisseur of fruit. Start using a nutrition application to learn how much fruit you have to eat to maintain your weight.
2. Eat Simply, Eat Monomeals
What is a monomeal? It is when you eat one food alone until you are full. Just bananas. Just mangoes. Just strawberries. One at a time until you are full. The easiest and simplest way to eat. Give it a try!
3. Buy In bulk
Find a place to buy in bulk. You will need to buy a lot of volume and this may be a little inconvenient and over priced in the supermarket. If you can find a wholesale market or even got to farmers direct you can get some great deals.
4. Get Plenty Of Rest!
Going to a raw food diet will bring you more directly in touch with your bodies cues. You may become aware of how tired you really are and how you have been depriving yourself from the amount of the sleep you really need.
5. Go And Meet Other Fruity People!
Most importantly go and meet people who are doing this lifestyle. Find a local Fruitluck or contact people on Facebook. You could start your own group. The best thing is to go to a large event, a festival for example, that has other people with years of experience in the lifestyle to teach you and help you on your way. You and your friends can share information and knowledge to help and inspire each other and lead to joint success.
In writing this I realise there are so many more things to say. But I will leave it there for now. I wish you success on your raw food journey.
If you like this post please share it with others. Feel free to copy this to your own blog or page as long as you include a link back to this page.
If you would like some further updates from me for the future please subscribe in the box to the right hand side.
Thanks you were reading!
Ronnie
Tuesday 16 September 2014
Where Is The Best Place To Buy Fruit In Glasgow?
My favourite place to buy fruit in Glasgow is the Blochairn Fruit Market.
If you are into a fruit eating lifestyle and you are from Glasgow you have to go!
Great prices and deals, lots of choice, a lively atmosphere and easy to buy in bulk.
My only problem is getting up early enough to go.
It is open from around 3am to 9am Monday to Saturday though far less stands are open on Saturday.
It is hard to find organic produce there but there is some if you ask.
Feel free ask me more questions on it below.
Ronnie
Monday 15 September 2014
The True Secrets Of Juicing And Juice Fasting
I saw a recent video by a guy called Andrew Perlot in which he spoke about the science behind drinking juice.
He seems to be saying that there is not a lot of positive information on the benefits of juicing or juice fasting, or rather it is not better than eating fruits and vegetables in their whole state.
Personally I have never done a juice fast or a juice cleanse and I do not really ever make or drink green juices. I think it is a fantastic thing for someone coming from the standard diet to embrace but not better than smoothies or whole fruits.
I also don't really connect with the idea of trying to maximise or increase the amount of nutrients you take in by juicing massive amounts of greens and vegetables into a small concentrated liquid form.
Also fibre is an essential component in our digestive mechanism and removing it through juicing can compromise this.
In saying all this I drink an awful lot of fruit juice on this lifestyle. Particularly Orange juice of which there are now "fresh" i.e unpasteurised options available in the supermarket but I also have pasteurised juice.
It is not something I prefer to fruit and is an example of the kind of "back up" plan I use. Also it is available everywhere so is always an option for Fruitarians and raw vegans who are out and about or at social events.
I think at some point I will up my game a bit and leave the pasteurised juice behind for good.
In saying all of this my good friend Andy Cowan is starting a juice bar in Edinburgh soon called "Juicefiend" and he has even had an interview already for it.
I guess he may want to keep his plans secret for now so I won't say anything more but I am sure you will hear more about it soon.
He ran a fruitluck in Edinburgh recently and apparently it was a great success. 8 people turned up which is great for a group that has just started.
We will have a Fruitluck this Saturday at the Botanic gardens in Glasgow at 1pm. Bring some fruit to share and enjoy some fruit and conversation with the rest of the group.
Here is a link to the meetup site: http://www.meetup.com/Glasgow-Fruitluck/
I hope to see you there or at a future event.
Yours in fruitful abundance,
Ronnie
PS If you would like to connect more and get updates and news please fill in at least your first name and email in the box to the right hand side of this blog. You will get some cool free stuff from me for trusting me with your info.
He seems to be saying that there is not a lot of positive information on the benefits of juicing or juice fasting, or rather it is not better than eating fruits and vegetables in their whole state.
Personally I have never done a juice fast or a juice cleanse and I do not really ever make or drink green juices. I think it is a fantastic thing for someone coming from the standard diet to embrace but not better than smoothies or whole fruits.
I also don't really connect with the idea of trying to maximise or increase the amount of nutrients you take in by juicing massive amounts of greens and vegetables into a small concentrated liquid form.
Also fibre is an essential component in our digestive mechanism and removing it through juicing can compromise this.
In saying all this I drink an awful lot of fruit juice on this lifestyle. Particularly Orange juice of which there are now "fresh" i.e unpasteurised options available in the supermarket but I also have pasteurised juice.
It is not something I prefer to fruit and is an example of the kind of "back up" plan I use. Also it is available everywhere so is always an option for Fruitarians and raw vegans who are out and about or at social events.
I think at some point I will up my game a bit and leave the pasteurised juice behind for good.
In saying all of this my good friend Andy Cowan is starting a juice bar in Edinburgh soon called "Juicefiend" and he has even had an interview already for it.
I guess he may want to keep his plans secret for now so I won't say anything more but I am sure you will hear more about it soon.
He ran a fruitluck in Edinburgh recently and apparently it was a great success. 8 people turned up which is great for a group that has just started.
We will have a Fruitluck this Saturday at the Botanic gardens in Glasgow at 1pm. Bring some fruit to share and enjoy some fruit and conversation with the rest of the group.
Here is a link to the meetup site: http://www.meetup.com/Glasgow-Fruitluck/
I hope to see you there or at a future event.
Yours in fruitful abundance,
Ronnie
PS If you would like to connect more and get updates and news please fill in at least your first name and email in the box to the right hand side of this blog. You will get some cool free stuff from me for trusting me with your info.
Sunday 14 September 2014
Discover How To Be A High Energy Parent
The last few days have been very interesting for me.
I have attended a few events in support of the campaign supporting a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum in Scotland.
Scotland is asking herself whether she wants to remain part of the UK or become a wholly independent country.
It's an exciting time and the country is alive with debate. People are participating often for the first time ever in politics and many have registered to vote for the first time.
Every wants to create a better world and society and everyone wants the best for Scotland. However it feels like the incredible grassroots Yes campaign that has blossomed free of interference form the official Yes campaign or the political parties in favour of yes has been largely ignored by the media.
This came to a head with the BBC's recent failure to show any footage of the incredible turnout for the Yes campaign on Buchanan Street in Glasgow. The sun was out and the atmosphere was positive and full of excitement. Even the No campaigners that walked by were greeted with chants of:
"We Still Love You Even If You're No!"
I made a video of the scene and posted it on Facebook. In one day it has received over 2000 views which is great.
I also attended the march outside of the BBC which was a protest against the perceived media bias. It was another exciting and powerful occasion. This experience has really shown me how people can get together and create positive change.
I hope this can inspire people around the world.
Speaking of inspiring people around the world I got a chance to interview my friend Kevin Cosmo at the Woodstock Fruit Festival.
Kevin has been behind the scenes for many years helping FoodNSport to grow as an online presence and has created many high quality videos for them. But now he is starting to grow his own site at www.highenergyparenting.com.
There he will be sharing his knowledge of how he is able to balance the work of a parent with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
He will also be giving tips to parents on how to develop the high energy and levels of health necessary to be able handle the demand that being a parent can place on an individual.
I connected with Kevin from the moment we met. He has a unique presence and lives life very much in the present moment. He inspires me with his desire to learn and grow. I am a little in awe of the guy.
I'm not the only one. He is well loved and respected in the 801010 community.
I have no doubt that this website will be an incredible resource for you and that his guidance and advice will be top notch. I really hope you can take the time to visit the site.
As for me it gives me a place I can send parents to if they are looking for advice on raising children within a raw vegan lifestyle. I have no children and therefore feel unqualified to step in and interfere with their choices.
As ever if you enjoyed this blog feel free to send it on to other people. I would love it if you commented below with your thoughts.
I also want to tell you that there should be a box on the right hand side in which you can subscribe for future updates from me. And to sweeten the deal you will get access to:
- 5 songs, written and recorded by me and a professional group of musicians (I think you will like these)
- A 30 minute audio programme I recorded called "How To Be Healthy In An Unhealthy World"
- Access to my upcoming book "How To Be A Raw Vegan Smart Ass", not quite finished but you will be sent in time
I will treat your details with utmost privacy. I also have space for you to put in a physical address. I like the idea of sending out a letter now and then, perhaps a Christmas card. You don't have to add that in but it is your option.
Thanks for reading and showing support,
Yours in fruitful abundance,
Ronnie
Links: Click Here For The Interview With Kevin Cosmo
Click Here For The Video Of The Yes Rally At Buchanan Street
I have attended a few events in support of the campaign supporting a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum in Scotland.
Scotland is asking herself whether she wants to remain part of the UK or become a wholly independent country.
It's an exciting time and the country is alive with debate. People are participating often for the first time ever in politics and many have registered to vote for the first time.
Every wants to create a better world and society and everyone wants the best for Scotland. However it feels like the incredible grassroots Yes campaign that has blossomed free of interference form the official Yes campaign or the political parties in favour of yes has been largely ignored by the media.
This came to a head with the BBC's recent failure to show any footage of the incredible turnout for the Yes campaign on Buchanan Street in Glasgow. The sun was out and the atmosphere was positive and full of excitement. Even the No campaigners that walked by were greeted with chants of:
"We Still Love You Even If You're No!"
I made a video of the scene and posted it on Facebook. In one day it has received over 2000 views which is great.
I also attended the march outside of the BBC which was a protest against the perceived media bias. It was another exciting and powerful occasion. This experience has really shown me how people can get together and create positive change.
I hope this can inspire people around the world.
Speaking of inspiring people around the world I got a chance to interview my friend Kevin Cosmo at the Woodstock Fruit Festival.
Kevin has been behind the scenes for many years helping FoodNSport to grow as an online presence and has created many high quality videos for them. But now he is starting to grow his own site at www.highenergyparenting.com.
There he will be sharing his knowledge of how he is able to balance the work of a parent with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
He will also be giving tips to parents on how to develop the high energy and levels of health necessary to be able handle the demand that being a parent can place on an individual.
I connected with Kevin from the moment we met. He has a unique presence and lives life very much in the present moment. He inspires me with his desire to learn and grow. I am a little in awe of the guy.
I'm not the only one. He is well loved and respected in the 801010 community.
I have no doubt that this website will be an incredible resource for you and that his guidance and advice will be top notch. I really hope you can take the time to visit the site.
As for me it gives me a place I can send parents to if they are looking for advice on raising children within a raw vegan lifestyle. I have no children and therefore feel unqualified to step in and interfere with their choices.
As ever if you enjoyed this blog feel free to send it on to other people. I would love it if you commented below with your thoughts.
I also want to tell you that there should be a box on the right hand side in which you can subscribe for future updates from me. And to sweeten the deal you will get access to:
- 5 songs, written and recorded by me and a professional group of musicians (I think you will like these)
- A 30 minute audio programme I recorded called "How To Be Healthy In An Unhealthy World"
- Access to my upcoming book "How To Be A Raw Vegan Smart Ass", not quite finished but you will be sent in time
I will treat your details with utmost privacy. I also have space for you to put in a physical address. I like the idea of sending out a letter now and then, perhaps a Christmas card. You don't have to add that in but it is your option.
Thanks for reading and showing support,
Yours in fruitful abundance,
Ronnie
Links: Click Here For The Interview With Kevin Cosmo
Click Here For The Video Of The Yes Rally At Buchanan Street
Saturday 13 September 2014
Michael Arnstein "The Fruitarian"- Fruit Is Fast Food
I recently got a chance to interview Michael Arnstein at the Woodstock Fruit Festival.
Michael came to the fruitarian diet through a desire initially to improve his performance as a runner. After embracing the lifestyle he was able to show incredible feats of physical performance on a fruit based diet.
As with many people though, the diet lead to many other incredible changes that he did not expect. He has spoken about this extensively on his youtube channel and I believe he is working on a book entitled "Fruit Is Fast Food".
From there he went on to create the Woodstock Fruit Festival- the biggest event of it's kind for people who wish to learn about the fruitarian diet and lifestyle.
Usually at the festival he is a really busy guy but this time around he had some assistants helping him so he had a little more free time and I was able to get a short interview with him.
I got a chance to speak to Mike quite a few times this year. For me he is the real deal and is genuinely aligned with helping to spread the message of fruit. He is incredibly passionate about this and has taken some risks to make Woodstock continue to happen.
He has also announce a second "sister festival" to the event which will take place in Hawaii. His motivation for this came from his own experience of moving to Hawaii and seeing how much better it gets when you are living in the tropics.
The festival has taken a bit of a hit this year resulting from a lot of online drama. Michael was getting attacked as were many others and it has perhaps tainted some people's view of the festival.
Having attended 3 times I have no hesitation in recommending the festival to everyone. I have made some incredible friendships and connections through this event and have collected some unforgettable memories. The food is good too.
If you are an the athlete then it is like hog heaven- world class athletes in all sorts of disciplines training every day. People are constantly going for run's around the lake, bike rides and swim's in the lake.
I have heard all sorts of negative rumours and lies about Woodstock. I don't want to give them any credence to any of them by writing about them here. Woodstock is a positive and life affirming event and is the greatest mass gathering we have as a movement that will eventually catch on and start to change the wider world.
Believe me it is coming.
Check out the interview at this link:
Thanks for reading,
Please leave a comment below to let me know what you thought about this blog,
Fruitful blessings,
Ronnie
Friday 12 September 2014
How Much Is Too Much Fruit For Children
I often overhear parents talk about their children's habits and I'm fascinated. Not just in what they eat but generally in how they behave.
For me this is an insight into some of our natural instincts and behaviours before we get programmed into certain habits.
For example a work colleague told me that children often hug and kiss other children, even strangers. This is in sharp contrast to the boundaries adults seem to place on physical affection. Perhaps this indicates we have lost a more huggy nature. Human touch is after all vital to our health.
On seeing me eat a lot of fruit mothers often tell me that their children eat a lot of fruit or rather would eat A LOT of fruit if they were allowed. Often they are concerned that their child may be eating too much fruit.
I don't like to interfere with how a mother brings up her children so I don't force the pro-fruit view down their throat.
Today a lady at work said to me that her grand daughter could eat a whole packet of Grapes and that this was surely too much sugar. The type of punnet she is talking about is probably about 300 calories worth of Grapes. Of course it is not too much of anything and the child was just following it's natural instinct to eat sweet fruit until satisfied.
When every announcement on health is telling us to eat more fruit and vegetables why would anyone worry about their child eating too much?
I remember my own mother telling me to stop eating so many apples. I then saw a man on TV say that he ate 3 apples a day and I asked why he was allowed 3 and I could only have 1.
Anyway, didn't respond to the lady but my thought was "what else should the child eat?"
That is my own thought now. If I don't eat fruit, what else should I eat as my staple? And why would I eat anything else?
The anti-sugar feeling that has grown up over the years among the public has somehow managed to affect how people view eating fruit. I don't know why refined sugar and fruit ever got lumped together. They are completely different animals.
Fruit contains fibre to help control the speed at which sugar is released into the blood stream and also contains anti-oxidants, phyto-nutrients, vitamins, minerals, water and everything else that is good in this world.
I have had a number of experiences in which consumption of refined sugar has lead to me feeling depressed and alienated (often the next day). This is my own reason for avoiding refined sugar.
But even though it is not a health food it is certainly not the enemy is always pointed out to be. Many people incorrectly link sugar with diabetes when it has been known for many years and confirmed in a number of studies that diabetes is caused by too much fat in the blood.
I often wondered why Coca Cola and other companies don't try to reverse the ill feeling towards sugar. I assume they make too much money from "Diet" drinks to worry.
"Diet" drinks don't help anyone lose weight either but that's another story.
I hope the consensus will change and parents will allow their children to gorge on fruit and enjoy the vitality and good health that comes from it. It would certainly be easier than trying to reverse the bad habit of eating too little fruit later in life.
I managed to reverse that habit but it takes a bit of effort.
If you want to learn more about this fruit eating life perhaps you would like to come to Edinburgh tomorrow for a Fruitluck at the Prince's Street gardens. More details here:
For now, eat fruit and prosper
Ronnie
Thursday 11 September 2014
Eat Fruit For Health Assurance
A man at work collapsed today.
I am not sure yet why he collapsed or what exactly happened but he was taken away in an ambulance.
Personally I have no doubt that the episode will be related to the diet that he and virtually all of my colleagues follow and have been following all their lives.
As children we are all trained how to eat. We are told not to eat sweets before dinner as it will spoil our appetite. I have heard at least one parent say that they will only make one dinner for their child and will not make an alternative if the child does not like it.
It should not be difficult to get our children to eat food but it is so because we are giving them food that does not in anyway fit their natural desires. On top of this the food is not satisfying which leads them to find other food , usually sweet food, to satisfy their cravings.
Most children then go on to remain on the appalling diet which they were trained to eat and became addicted to. The effect is immediate but the real effects start to show years later especially in moments like this.
Don't worry I didn't stand up and start raving about how if he had followed a low fat plant based diet then he wouldn't have collapsed. I don't get on a soapbox much.
The workplace is an interesting place to be confronted with all of the latest diet ideas and the various denials people have about their diet and how they eat.
Today a lady came back from lunch with a protein bar. A man sitting beside her pointed out that it had 12g of sugar in it and had 200 calories. Shocked by this she decided not to eat it. She then went on to eat a packet of meat for lunch.
This is something I have seen a lot. Women in particular eating packets of processed meat for lunch. Usually on some kind of no-carb or low carb fad diet. Anyway I was interested in how many calories were in the packet of meat. She told me she didn't know and that it was her lunch.
I don't really understand why you would count the calories in one food and not the other?
Another man at work was shocked at the 4 bottles of freshly squeezed orange juice I had bought and enquired on the number of calories. It was around 2000. I think they don't realise that this is my food and not just an uber snack on top of other food.
Getting back to the point I can imagine nothing more frightening than collapsing with no idea why or what had happened. The fear of being in a body that was literally falling out from underneath me.
Pain is another big fear. Ending up in pain, disabled, unable to move the body correctly and move independently through life.
I will choose to try to preserve my health as well as I can.
Fruit is the way to go for optimal health and happiness.
I want health ASSURANCE not INSURANCE.
Speak soon,
Ronnie
I am not sure yet why he collapsed or what exactly happened but he was taken away in an ambulance.
Personally I have no doubt that the episode will be related to the diet that he and virtually all of my colleagues follow and have been following all their lives.
As children we are all trained how to eat. We are told not to eat sweets before dinner as it will spoil our appetite. I have heard at least one parent say that they will only make one dinner for their child and will not make an alternative if the child does not like it.
It should not be difficult to get our children to eat food but it is so because we are giving them food that does not in anyway fit their natural desires. On top of this the food is not satisfying which leads them to find other food , usually sweet food, to satisfy their cravings.
Most children then go on to remain on the appalling diet which they were trained to eat and became addicted to. The effect is immediate but the real effects start to show years later especially in moments like this.
Don't worry I didn't stand up and start raving about how if he had followed a low fat plant based diet then he wouldn't have collapsed. I don't get on a soapbox much.
The workplace is an interesting place to be confronted with all of the latest diet ideas and the various denials people have about their diet and how they eat.
Today a lady came back from lunch with a protein bar. A man sitting beside her pointed out that it had 12g of sugar in it and had 200 calories. Shocked by this she decided not to eat it. She then went on to eat a packet of meat for lunch.
This is something I have seen a lot. Women in particular eating packets of processed meat for lunch. Usually on some kind of no-carb or low carb fad diet. Anyway I was interested in how many calories were in the packet of meat. She told me she didn't know and that it was her lunch.
I don't really understand why you would count the calories in one food and not the other?
Another man at work was shocked at the 4 bottles of freshly squeezed orange juice I had bought and enquired on the number of calories. It was around 2000. I think they don't realise that this is my food and not just an uber snack on top of other food.
Getting back to the point I can imagine nothing more frightening than collapsing with no idea why or what had happened. The fear of being in a body that was literally falling out from underneath me.
Pain is another big fear. Ending up in pain, disabled, unable to move the body correctly and move independently through life.
I will choose to try to preserve my health as well as I can.
Fruit is the way to go for optimal health and happiness.
I want health ASSURANCE not INSURANCE.
Speak soon,
Ronnie
Wednesday 10 September 2014
Discover Why Fruit Makes You Appreciate Life More
I've been really enjoying eating peas lately.
I've been eating them from large bags throughout the day. We seem to have jumbo sized peas at the moment which is great.
They are perfectly "ripe" if that is the right word. Peas should be eaten while still young otherwise they get very starchy and hard, sort of the opposite with fruit that goes from starchy to sweet.
This is a great example of the seasonality of eating a raw fruits and vegetables diet. Foods come and go and there is a sense of specialness when something new hits the shelves or an old favourite comes into season.
I monitor red grapes pretty closely. Very often the variety of red grape that is on the shelf is "CRIMSON". A delicious Grape when good of course but just not in the same league as "FLAME"
You start to notice these things when you eat a lot of fruit. The variety, the name, where it is grown, colour shape and six etc.
At the moment it is CRIMSON that is on the shelves. I prefer the normal green Thomson Grapes to the red crimson Grape which is often of less quality.
Flame Grapes are more round, almost perfect spherical balls. Incredible stuff, look out for them.
The peas will probably disappear soon but its time to make the best of them and eat them in huge quantities.
There is a great lesson in this. To take advantage of things while they last. Perhaps we forget these bits of wisdom programmed into the cycles of nature by the fact that our food system is a permanent global summertime of stocked shelves. Most products are available all year.
The word "products" reminds me of this wonderful quote by Tim Van Orden:
"There are 2 types of food in the grocery store, produce and products. The difference is the letter "H". Products are for SHELF PRESERVATION. Produce is for SELF PRESERVATION".
Awesome line, eh?
Don't tell me I don't offer you great value at this blog.
Anyway the fruits come and go, but they will surely be back. We must enjoy them while we can, even mono eat them if that is your style.
After Woodstock I wondered if I really had made the most of the event. All these awesome people that I had been missing all year and following on line and I don't know if I really got to see and speak to them as much as I perhaps should have. You live and learn I guess.
One guy I did get to spend a little time with was Benjamin Benulis. He goes by the name IronCladBen on Youtube. I made a little interview with him that you can be taken to by following the link at the end of this post.
Ben is a guy I "met" on Youtube. We comment on each other's videos, going back over a year at least. He made a video years ago about doing 801010 in the corporate world. Now he has packed that in to live the good life in California and study Chiropractic. He is following his passion and calling and this is a great example to me.
It seems like many head to California for the good Fruity life. It wasn't good enough for some who then headed to Hawaii for the even greater Fruity life. My prediction is that Hawaii will be a huge fruit scene in a few years time....mark my words.
My own fruit scene is here in Glasgow. Check out my group "Glasgow Fruitluck". I will put a link at the end. We don't have a meetup this weekend but there is a separate one in Edinburgh hosted by my friend Andy aka Juicefiend! I hope to go and meet some people there.
The last group meeting had 6 new people. I was pretty surprised by this however I had put a lot more work into getting people to come so this made sense.
Thats about it from me today, enjoy your peas and your fruits and your life and friends and everything else. Comment below to let me know what you thought of this blog!
Yours In Fruitful Abundance!
Ronnie Ronster Ronstero Delicioso
Click Here For The Interview With Ben
Click Here For The Glasgow Fruitluck
I've been eating them from large bags throughout the day. We seem to have jumbo sized peas at the moment which is great.
They are perfectly "ripe" if that is the right word. Peas should be eaten while still young otherwise they get very starchy and hard, sort of the opposite with fruit that goes from starchy to sweet.
This is a great example of the seasonality of eating a raw fruits and vegetables diet. Foods come and go and there is a sense of specialness when something new hits the shelves or an old favourite comes into season.
I monitor red grapes pretty closely. Very often the variety of red grape that is on the shelf is "CRIMSON". A delicious Grape when good of course but just not in the same league as "FLAME"
You start to notice these things when you eat a lot of fruit. The variety, the name, where it is grown, colour shape and six etc.
At the moment it is CRIMSON that is on the shelves. I prefer the normal green Thomson Grapes to the red crimson Grape which is often of less quality.
Flame Grapes are more round, almost perfect spherical balls. Incredible stuff, look out for them.
The peas will probably disappear soon but its time to make the best of them and eat them in huge quantities.
There is a great lesson in this. To take advantage of things while they last. Perhaps we forget these bits of wisdom programmed into the cycles of nature by the fact that our food system is a permanent global summertime of stocked shelves. Most products are available all year.
The word "products" reminds me of this wonderful quote by Tim Van Orden:
"There are 2 types of food in the grocery store, produce and products. The difference is the letter "H". Products are for SHELF PRESERVATION. Produce is for SELF PRESERVATION".
Awesome line, eh?
Don't tell me I don't offer you great value at this blog.
Anyway the fruits come and go, but they will surely be back. We must enjoy them while we can, even mono eat them if that is your style.
After Woodstock I wondered if I really had made the most of the event. All these awesome people that I had been missing all year and following on line and I don't know if I really got to see and speak to them as much as I perhaps should have. You live and learn I guess.
One guy I did get to spend a little time with was Benjamin Benulis. He goes by the name IronCladBen on Youtube. I made a little interview with him that you can be taken to by following the link at the end of this post.
Ben is a guy I "met" on Youtube. We comment on each other's videos, going back over a year at least. He made a video years ago about doing 801010 in the corporate world. Now he has packed that in to live the good life in California and study Chiropractic. He is following his passion and calling and this is a great example to me.
It seems like many head to California for the good Fruity life. It wasn't good enough for some who then headed to Hawaii for the even greater Fruity life. My prediction is that Hawaii will be a huge fruit scene in a few years time....mark my words.
My own fruit scene is here in Glasgow. Check out my group "Glasgow Fruitluck". I will put a link at the end. We don't have a meetup this weekend but there is a separate one in Edinburgh hosted by my friend Andy aka Juicefiend! I hope to go and meet some people there.
The last group meeting had 6 new people. I was pretty surprised by this however I had put a lot more work into getting people to come so this made sense.
Thats about it from me today, enjoy your peas and your fruits and your life and friends and everything else. Comment below to let me know what you thought of this blog!
Yours In Fruitful Abundance!
Ronnie Ronster Ronstero Delicioso
Click Here For The Interview With Ben
Click Here For The Glasgow Fruitluck
Tuesday 9 September 2014
"Nuts About No Nuts" and Fruitarian Teeth Issues
For many people within the Fruitarian community the starting point was the book "The 80/10/10 Diet" by Dr Douglas Graham.
This book and the supporters of it have shaped the opinion of thousands of people around the world who are embracing a high fruit vegan diet.
Within the community and among many friends there is often an avoidance of nuts completely. This may seem unusual seeing as nuts are a perfectly edible raw food staple but the problem is the high fat content.
80/10/10 recommends keeping the percentage of fat that make up total calories to stay lower than 10%.
This is hard to achieve if you snack on nuts as they pack in a huge amount of fat calories in a relative small volume of food.
Personally I also for a long time virtually ate no nuts and would feel the difference if I had them. More recently in the last year I have had many occasions in which I binged on nuts, especially pistachios.
I'm not sure if it was stress or emotional eating or if I just wasn't eating enough fruit. Perhaps I just liked the taste? Whatever the reason I knew I was eating them in an addictive fashion as I often did not like the effect they had on me. I would feel sluggish and unfocused mentally but would continue to go back to eating them in alarmingly large quantities.
More recently I haven't been going for the nuts as often. They just don't draw me as much as they did before. Maybe this is because my mum bought me a dehydrator and I have been using it to create all sorts of savoury raw vegan treats that have limited my craving for other dry salty snacks like the nuts.
Many raw food recipe books are filled with recipes that require nuts. In response to this Jon Kozak a Canadian 811 raw fooder, quadruple Woodstock attendee and fitness coach has released a new book entitled:
"Nuts About No Nuts"
It is an excellent collection of nut free raw vegan recipes. I recently caught up with him at the Woodstock Fruit Festival to speak about this book. Here is a link to that video:
Click Here For The Interview At My Youtube Channel!
It almost seems like raw vegan recipes books are ten-a-penny and that people are releasing them left right and centre. But this book seems to genuinely offer something fresh and new.
To purchase the book check out Jon's website:
Click here to go to Jon's site- www.doubleorganic.ca
I hope you enjoy the book and the recipes.
Teeth Issues
Much talk has happened recently about teeth issues within the fruity scene. It is almost the dirty secret of the community that many people have had bad teeth problems.
Tim Van Orden quite publicly showed the damage to his teeth on his channel meanwhile Harley recently purchased a brand new Hollywood smile in Thailand (his teeth were not in good shape the last time I saw him).
Personally I went through a period of not brushing my teeth or being very lackadaisical with my regime. I also avoided and sometimes did not follow the advice of dentists,
As a result, I have endured some damage on my teeth and had a period of toothache in one tooth that was sorted with a small filling.
However I already had some damage to my teeth before coming to this lifestyle and some damage that happened at a very young age. My front two teeth have had false covers over them since I was around 12. At the time the dentists were not sure why this was happening though the theory was acid erosion from acid reflux (acid coming up from the stomach to the throat), which I suffered from a lot as a child.
Recently another tooth that was the subject on dental treatment previously has started to fall out. I was told I would have to get a root canal in the tooth and I did not enjoy that idea. It had previously had a very deep filling put in that had fallen out. A couple of dentists had done a bad job with the tooth which I believe has led to this point. But maybe I should have just got the root canal.
I will head to the dentist soon and see what happens.
I really like Frederic Patenaude's information on teeth care on a raw vegan diet. This lecture gives his story:
Click Here For Fred's Teeth Lecture
I have also listened to Don Bennet's information but I do not feel his information is right on this subject.
The biggest reversal in my dental issues has come since following the basic advice that we all know in the first place, which is to thoroughly brush the teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, particularly first thing in the morning.
Tooth decay is caused by the acidic waste products of bacteria that live in the mouth. If the bacteria are at a manageable level then tooth decay will not occur. However if they are out of control the inevitably the teeth will decay.
I also speculate that the nature of the Fruitarian diet (being virtually free of anti-bacterial substances like alcohol, salt, garlic, vinegar etc) give the bacteria an excellent condition to thrive in.
If we accept this as the cause then mechanical brushing of the teeth is our best solution so far found.
The only other option I can see is fasting (a complete abstinence from eating for a controlled period under supervision). Perhaps this is why Dr Doug Graham and Loren Lockman, both with a history of having performed long fasts, have been able to maintain healthy teeth on this lifestyle while only brushing with water.
I think this, as with so many areas in this lifestyle, is still up for debate. Until we have a dental expert who can look into it thoroughly we will not know exactly what is happening. Each person has an individual experience.
Let me know your thoughts on these issues in the comments.
Thanks for reading,
Yours in fruitful abundance,
Ronnie
This book and the supporters of it have shaped the opinion of thousands of people around the world who are embracing a high fruit vegan diet.
Within the community and among many friends there is often an avoidance of nuts completely. This may seem unusual seeing as nuts are a perfectly edible raw food staple but the problem is the high fat content.
80/10/10 recommends keeping the percentage of fat that make up total calories to stay lower than 10%.
This is hard to achieve if you snack on nuts as they pack in a huge amount of fat calories in a relative small volume of food.
Personally I also for a long time virtually ate no nuts and would feel the difference if I had them. More recently in the last year I have had many occasions in which I binged on nuts, especially pistachios.
I'm not sure if it was stress or emotional eating or if I just wasn't eating enough fruit. Perhaps I just liked the taste? Whatever the reason I knew I was eating them in an addictive fashion as I often did not like the effect they had on me. I would feel sluggish and unfocused mentally but would continue to go back to eating them in alarmingly large quantities.
More recently I haven't been going for the nuts as often. They just don't draw me as much as they did before. Maybe this is because my mum bought me a dehydrator and I have been using it to create all sorts of savoury raw vegan treats that have limited my craving for other dry salty snacks like the nuts.
Many raw food recipe books are filled with recipes that require nuts. In response to this Jon Kozak a Canadian 811 raw fooder, quadruple Woodstock attendee and fitness coach has released a new book entitled:
"Nuts About No Nuts"
It is an excellent collection of nut free raw vegan recipes. I recently caught up with him at the Woodstock Fruit Festival to speak about this book. Here is a link to that video:
Click Here For The Interview At My Youtube Channel!
It almost seems like raw vegan recipes books are ten-a-penny and that people are releasing them left right and centre. But this book seems to genuinely offer something fresh and new.
To purchase the book check out Jon's website:
Click here to go to Jon's site- www.doubleorganic.ca
I hope you enjoy the book and the recipes.
Teeth Issues
Much talk has happened recently about teeth issues within the fruity scene. It is almost the dirty secret of the community that many people have had bad teeth problems.
Tim Van Orden quite publicly showed the damage to his teeth on his channel meanwhile Harley recently purchased a brand new Hollywood smile in Thailand (his teeth were not in good shape the last time I saw him).
Personally I went through a period of not brushing my teeth or being very lackadaisical with my regime. I also avoided and sometimes did not follow the advice of dentists,
As a result, I have endured some damage on my teeth and had a period of toothache in one tooth that was sorted with a small filling.
However I already had some damage to my teeth before coming to this lifestyle and some damage that happened at a very young age. My front two teeth have had false covers over them since I was around 12. At the time the dentists were not sure why this was happening though the theory was acid erosion from acid reflux (acid coming up from the stomach to the throat), which I suffered from a lot as a child.
Recently another tooth that was the subject on dental treatment previously has started to fall out. I was told I would have to get a root canal in the tooth and I did not enjoy that idea. It had previously had a very deep filling put in that had fallen out. A couple of dentists had done a bad job with the tooth which I believe has led to this point. But maybe I should have just got the root canal.
I will head to the dentist soon and see what happens.
I really like Frederic Patenaude's information on teeth care on a raw vegan diet. This lecture gives his story:
Click Here For Fred's Teeth Lecture
I have also listened to Don Bennet's information but I do not feel his information is right on this subject.
The biggest reversal in my dental issues has come since following the basic advice that we all know in the first place, which is to thoroughly brush the teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, particularly first thing in the morning.
Tooth decay is caused by the acidic waste products of bacteria that live in the mouth. If the bacteria are at a manageable level then tooth decay will not occur. However if they are out of control the inevitably the teeth will decay.
I also speculate that the nature of the Fruitarian diet (being virtually free of anti-bacterial substances like alcohol, salt, garlic, vinegar etc) give the bacteria an excellent condition to thrive in.
If we accept this as the cause then mechanical brushing of the teeth is our best solution so far found.
The only other option I can see is fasting (a complete abstinence from eating for a controlled period under supervision). Perhaps this is why Dr Doug Graham and Loren Lockman, both with a history of having performed long fasts, have been able to maintain healthy teeth on this lifestyle while only brushing with water.
I think this, as with so many areas in this lifestyle, is still up for debate. Until we have a dental expert who can look into it thoroughly we will not know exactly what is happening. Each person has an individual experience.
Let me know your thoughts on these issues in the comments.
Thanks for reading,
Yours in fruitful abundance,
Ronnie
Monday 8 September 2014
Dr Robert Lockhart- 70 Years Young On A Fruitarian Diet
I have had the pleasure to meet a lot of interesting and wonderful people in my time as a raw foodist.
Attending fruitarian raw vegan events around the globe has brought me in touch with many of the leaders in the raw food movement.
One man who has had a big impact on me is my friend Dr Robert Lockhart.
Dr Lockhart is a pioneer of the Woodstock Fruit Festival and has been on a raw food diet for nearly 30 years. He is in great shape for a man of 70 and teaches not only about the benefits of the raw food diet but also about corrective exercises that can be used to help limit the chance of being a victim of the common back problems that people get as they age.
In his view, in the modern world our body spends too much time in the 3 common postures: sitting, standing and lying down. In our primitive environment in which we would have had to climb trees for food and safety, our body would have been inverted or upside down more often and we would have had to hang from our arms more.
Dr Lockhart teaches how to handstand correctly and his daily exercise regime involves walking on his hands for the length of a football pitch. Handstands and the use of the inversion table put the body upside down and temporarily reverse the direction in which gravity is acting on the spine.
Dr Lockhart talks about other topics that are seen as controversial such as dry fasting (a period of no eating and no drinking) and speaks about practising dry fasting when travelling on planes to lessen the impact of jet lag.
In person, Robert is a humble and interesting man who gets along with just about everyone. He seems still keen to learn and does not try to come across as a know-it-all.
Originally born in Scotland, Robert now spends his time between his home of North Queensland Australia and his property in the Philippines. He was the first person to export Durian from Australia and is an expert on fruit tree growing.
Seeing the health and fitness that Robert has maintained into his 70s was one of the big inspirations for me to try to stay on the raw food path for the longterm. I hope to be in such good shape at his age.
I recorded this short interview with him and I hope you will enjoy it:
This Link Takes You To The Video Interview With Dr Lockhart
Yours in fruitful abundace,
Ronnie
Attending fruitarian raw vegan events around the globe has brought me in touch with many of the leaders in the raw food movement.
One man who has had a big impact on me is my friend Dr Robert Lockhart.
Dr Lockhart is a pioneer of the Woodstock Fruit Festival and has been on a raw food diet for nearly 30 years. He is in great shape for a man of 70 and teaches not only about the benefits of the raw food diet but also about corrective exercises that can be used to help limit the chance of being a victim of the common back problems that people get as they age.
In his view, in the modern world our body spends too much time in the 3 common postures: sitting, standing and lying down. In our primitive environment in which we would have had to climb trees for food and safety, our body would have been inverted or upside down more often and we would have had to hang from our arms more.
Dr Lockhart teaches how to handstand correctly and his daily exercise regime involves walking on his hands for the length of a football pitch. Handstands and the use of the inversion table put the body upside down and temporarily reverse the direction in which gravity is acting on the spine.
Dr Lockhart talks about other topics that are seen as controversial such as dry fasting (a period of no eating and no drinking) and speaks about practising dry fasting when travelling on planes to lessen the impact of jet lag.
In person, Robert is a humble and interesting man who gets along with just about everyone. He seems still keen to learn and does not try to come across as a know-it-all.
Originally born in Scotland, Robert now spends his time between his home of North Queensland Australia and his property in the Philippines. He was the first person to export Durian from Australia and is an expert on fruit tree growing.
Seeing the health and fitness that Robert has maintained into his 70s was one of the big inspirations for me to try to stay on the raw food path for the longterm. I hope to be in such good shape at his age.
I recorded this short interview with him and I hope you will enjoy it:
This Link Takes You To The Video Interview With Dr Lockhart
Yours in fruitful abundace,
Ronnie
Sunday 7 September 2014
Glasgow Fruitluck
I have been running a fruitluck in Glasgow for about 2 years.
So what is a "fruitluck" exactly?
Well, quite simply it is like a potluck in which fruit is brought to share instead of cooked food. Usually if the weather is good it is a big picnic where fruit lovers can come together and enjoy the love of fruit together.
Most of the people that come are vegan and some are raw or high raw though anyone is welcome. Conversations often revolve around the lifestyle and what is going on in the Youtube world.
I have not made a big effort to promote the group apart from occasional Facebook posts. It has taken me a few years to realise that this wasn't good enough.
So before this fruitluck I decided to put some effort into messaging people and sending out more emails to ask people to come. It only took me maybe 30 mins. This little bit of effort resulted in 6 new people turning up, which was completely unexpected.
We had 11 people in total. Hopefully this is a good sign and I can continue to put more work and time into growing the group.
If you would like to check out the group sign up for updates at:
I guess this is all in line with my feeling that I need to put more work into promoting all of the things I am doing, like my Youtube channel and the UK Fruit Festival. A little bit of work goes a long way. I especially think that taking the time to individually message people is very powerful.
On another note, I got home from Woodstock last week. I haven't really had a good fruithaul since then so i have been eating dates, grapes, orange juice...usual staples for me if I am unprepared.
I have also been eating the "Kentuckified Cauliflower" recipe that Dr Doug Graham showed at one of his food demos at Woodstock. This is really delicious and looks like this:
The recipe is pretty simple. Here is mine:
1.Blend together roughly equal volumes of tomatoes and celery.
2. Blend in tahini (preferably raw) until it gets a little thick.
3. Blend in your preferred herbs and spices, perhaps some mild chili powder for example.
4. Cut cauliflower into florets and dip them into the sauce you have made.
5. Place them on the dehydrator tray and put in the dehydrator for 2 hours at 135 (I guess that's fahrenheit).
For more stuff like this you may want to check out Doug's upcoming culinary skills class in Sedro Wooley, Washington. More details can be found here:
I will need to go out today and get some more fruit. Hopefully I can hit the large wholesale fruit market in Blochairn next week. Being able to buy wholesale is a great advantage on this lifestyle. Not only do you save money but you can buy in bulk quickly without waiting at a long checkout for the operator to weigh all of your bananas.
I am off to get on with the rest of the day,
Yours in fruitful abundance...
Ronnie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)