Back in 2007, I made the biggest lifestyle change for me ever. I say “the biggest” because making this one change gave me the most profound results. I was finally able to rid myself of anemia…and in only a few short weeks!
So what was this big change?
Did I eliminate animal products from my diet?
No.
Did I start exercising?
No.
Did I stop consuming junk food?
No again.
I stopped consuming grains.
Even though I had already made the above lifestyle changes and had seen good results, nothing brought upon the health and wellness that giving up grains brought for me.
My Quest for More Energy
As I’ve mentioned before, I struggled with anemia for many years. In 2005, I started exercising in order to lose weight and maybe increase my energy. I definitely lost weight, but I still felt tired.
In 2006, I stopped consuming junk food on a regular basis. Still tired.
By 2007, I had cut out animal flesh and animal by-products. Again, still tired.
While I did see some signs of improved health (i.e. weight loss, clear skin, better hair, etc.) with all of these changes, my energy level barely budged. I couldn’t help but feel defeated and just, well…tired.
Finally in late 2007, I stumbled upon the low fat raw vegan diet. Only then did I realize the huge role that grains had played in my life, especially since becoming a vegan.
Before going raw, a typical day looked like this:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with fresh fruit, orange juice
Lunch: Vegetable sandwich, rice crackers, fruit
Snack: Whole wheat crackers with hummus and salsa, fruit
Dinner: Vegetable stir-fry with brown rice, raw veggies
Dessert: Fruit and rice crackers
As you can see, every meal features some sort of grain.
Every. Single. One
This was a huge wake-up call for me. I couldn’t believe I was eating that much wheat! I decided then and there that it was time for me to give raw a real shot.
Giving Up the Grains
Giving up grains was not easy for me. In fact, aside from eliminating salt, I’d say it is the hardest dietary change a person can make.
One reason most grains are so enticing is because they contain the protein gluten. In Grain Damage: Rethinking the High-Starch Diet, author Dr. Douglas Graham writes:
Gluten, a protein found in many grain products, has been named as a causative factor in several psychoses and neurological disorders. It has been proven to chemically contain fifteen different opioid sequences, or morphine-like molecules. Opioids that come from outside the body are called ‘exorphins.’
Exorphins are labeled by scientists as addictive and neurotoxic. They have psychoactive properties and cause related behavioral problems such as addictive eating patterns. Since the mid-1960s, scientists have repeatedly linked gluten consumption to learning disorders and schizophrenia.
Perhaps this explains why it’s so hard to eat just one cookie or a single slice of bread.
Another reason it is hard to give up grains is not necessarily because of the grains themselves, but what we mask them with.
As I’m sure you have experienced, grains on their own are extremely bland. And RAW grains? You’d have to be, well…a BIRD to eat those!
To give them some flavor, we like to add certain salts, spices, and other condiments. Many of these “flavor enhancers,” such as aspartame and MSG, are more harmful than you might think.
In Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Russell L. Blaylock, MD, provides shocking evidence that these substances (called “excitotoxins”) are highly addictive and actually lead to the destruction of certain brain cells!
In regards to the dangerous effects of excessive monosodium glutamate (MSG), Blaylock writes:
Within fifteen to thirty minutes after being exposed to high doses of MSG, neurons suspended in tissue culture are seen to swell like balloons. Under the microscope you can see degeneration of the small structures within the cell, called organelles, and also clumping of the chromatin of the nucleus.
Within three hours these neurons are not only dead, but the body’s defense mechanisms begin to haul away the debris. Under experimental conditions using animals, this degenerative reaction is seen when MSG is either ingested in the diet, injected into the abdominal cavity, or applied directly to the neurons in tissue culture or into the brain by way of cannula or tube.
In short, you may love grains and their accompanying “flavor enhancers,” but they sure don’t love you back!
How to Make Things Easier on Yourself
Often the reason people struggle so much with eliminating grains is because they make up such a huge part of the diet. It is important to replace them with another calorically dense food if you want to keep the cravings at bay. This is something that many raw foodists fail to do.
The best advice I can give is to eat lots of sweet fruit. Sweet fruit is both calorically dense AND high in volume. This means that you will feel satiated after your meal for many hours. You won’t find yourself back in the kitchen an hour later searching for some starchy sweets.
You just have to remember to eat a lot! Put it this way: a cup of cooked brown rice is about 216 calories. A cup of sliced peaches is only 66 calories!
But really this is a great thing. What other diet allows you to eat as much as you want and still be healthy and lose weight?
It Was Worth it
The fact that I was able to eradicate my fatigue made all the effort worthwhile. Thanks to giving up grains, I could actually drive somewhere in the middle of the afternoon without worrying about falling asleep!
Might sound crazy to you, but it was a lifesaver for me.
You Can Do It!
It might be tough at first to give up grains, but I know you can do it! If you do go raw and find yourself craving grains and other complex carbohydrate concoctions (e.g. bread, pasta, cereal, cakes, etc.), the first step to take is to make sure you are consuming enough sweet fruit.
Keep adding on fruit to your meals until you can remain satiated for 3-5 hours after eating. That means not even considering eating until meal time arrives.
And remember, you don’t have to go 100% raw right now! There is no reason why you can’t gradually replace all your staple grain dishes with raw ones. For instance, if you usually have oatmeal or toast for breakfast, try a couple of juicy melons instead!
Yes, that’s right. I said TWO whole melons. 
Find an approach that works for you and giving up grains will be fun, enlightening and, maybe for you, even life-saving.
Go raw and be fit,
Swayze
P.S. For more information on the harmful effects of consuming grains, raw or cooked, check out my article:
Should You Eat Grains?
