The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss – Gourmet Recipes and Satisfying Meals for a Slimmer Figure and Radiant Energy (Raw Food Series, 1)

If you are intrigued by the current trend of eating real food, want to take this concept to the next level but are skeptical as to how to implement the raw food lifestyle on a practical everyday basis, pick up a copy of Natalia Rose's "The Raw Food Detox Diet, for a fast and fun introduction that does not require a cold turkey approach to eliminating cooked foods. Rose is in agreement with French dieting guru Michel Montignac on her definition of what constitutes a "legal" food on this plan. Montignac, a long-time proponent of eating real food as opposed to processed junk, urges us to forego the old dieting adage of counting calories and all the newer macro nutritional phobias with regard to too much or too little fat, protein or carbohydrates and instead analyze each food choice with an eye on the food's metabolic reaction with regard to fast and easy bloat-free digestion and elimination. Rose agrees, emphasizing that whereas natural foods are easily recognizable by the body and therefore easily broken down, utilized and eliminated, the processed foods that make up so much of the typical American diet are deemed by the body as the worst kind of illegal aliens that sadly deteriorate into waste that the body can neither utilize nor expel. Waste in this case, has no other recourse than to morph into a variety of problems like weight gain, a degeneration of the organs, a slowing of the metabolism and premature aging. By utilizing a method of food combining where mixing foods in different categories is verboten, similar to that of the Montignac method (minus the glycemic index factor), Rose further expands this theory by grouping nuts - an iffy category on most food combining plans (Somersizing immediately springs to mind) - as a separate category (starches, fleshes and fruits being the other three categories) , to be combined only with dried fruits and vegetables. She provides an extremely helpful hierarchy of eleven types of quick exit foods, where level number 1, the best, contains fruits and vegetables and level number 11, the worst, contains chemicals and artificial colorings and sweeteners. She adds that as eating from quick exit levels 1-8 is doable by everyone; the higher levels of health will be reached when eating only from levels 1-5. In addition an indispensable transitional food grocery list is included to provide brand name items that act as substitutes for mainstream comfort foods that must be eliminated to insure success on this program. She is not a big fan of dairy and as expected pans the consumption of power shakes and bars. Surprisingly she eschews the current 'soy is nirvana' bandwagon, labelling soy products as mucus-forming poisons. Neutral foods, those which may be eaten with any category except fruit include such treats as nut milks, 70% chocolate, olivess and olive oil. how refreshing! Way to go, Ms Rose! On the practical side, the book abounds with menu plans, recipes, and suggestions on what to eat in a restaurant or at social occasions. For the aspiring raw foodist, separate chapters are dedicated to detoxifying all aspects of your lifestyle including your bathroom, your living space, your kitchen, your family, fasting, traveling, holidays and your colon. I emailed Ms Rose with questions that pertained to the diet as juxtaposed with my lifestyle and was extremely pleased that the author very pleasantly answered all my questions promptly and professionally and made suggestions that I was able to implement quite easily. Bottom line: Ms Rose achieves the impossible, a raw food diet that doesn't force you to eat only raw foods, but urges you to discover your own lifestyle at your own pace for achieving optimal health. With a combination of guidelines, recipes and a fresh common sense five part transitional approach, Ms Rose sends you out into unknown territory, with the option of staying on one particular phase of the diet for as long as you wish.

I found this book amazing. I'm not going to lie, it's a lot more work to eat raw (or even mostly raw) than anything else I've tried but the rewards were more than worth it. I gained 70lbs with my first child (I know, I know... =P) and it took me nearly a year to loose 50 of those 70lbs.(unfortunately nursing wasn't the miracle weight loss cure I was led to believe!) With my second child, I gained 50lbs. 6 weeks after he was born I decided to follow the recommendations of Natalia's book and after 6 weeks, I had lost 35 of the 50lbs I had gained. After the 6 weeks I still had 15 pounds to loose to get back to pre-pregnancy (not pre-pre pregnancy) weight but I decided to take a break from the regimine. The good news is that even though I stopped the diet and began eating 'normally' again, I didn't gain any weight back. It was like my body was clean and efficient enough to deal with a regular diet that eating typical foods did not translate into gaining the weight back as it has with any other diet I'd ever tried. The weight stayed off and then slowly I lost the rest of the extra weight. I have revisited the diet anytime I have felt like I need to feel better or I've indulged in one too many treats and need to drop a few pounds. It's actually pretty amazing I think how the body responds to fresh, healthy vegetables - after the first week you have more energy than you've had in ages and feel great. I will warn you however, that during the first week, all the juicing (don't skip this part) will induce a detox that can make you feel horrible. For me, the first week is hell - my energy is zapped and I just feel gross. But once my body has flushed all the gunk out, I feel amazing! - and chastise myself for not eating this way all the time... So if you feel bad, that's the good news - your body is taking out the garbage (did you really think you could eat all that crap without consequence?!? ;)...) and IF you stick with it, you will get to the other side and feel great. But do yourself a favor and stick with it until you do feel better or you'll have done most of the heavy lifting without getting to the reward. No fun in that... (nor any weight loss I would guess). Anyway, I have 100 raw food and diet books and every time this is the one I pull off the shelves for my directives and recipes. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed Natalia Rose's book on the raw food detox. It was very informative in regards to nutrition and how little nutrition is received with a "normal" diet. Somehow her approach to the "diet" and explanations about popular food/nutrition myths really rang true with me. I really liked that she was not a hard & fast "raw foodist" but gave a gradual progression to a raw food diet and left room for error, growth & personal preference. Many diets are not realistic and so a person loses interest, starts strong & gives up easily or does not even give it a try because they think "this way of life" is way out of their league. My plan was never to go completely raw food. I thought it would be a good way to start eating MORE healthy than I was and if I was only able to do it 50% of the time then that was still better than what I was consuming before. The author herself was a medium level raw foodist for several years before she made the transition on her own...that impressed me. This was a very real, very down to earth book that has a ton of great suggestions as well as easy recipes for everyday. I highly recommend & have recommended it already to several people I know.

This is a good book to start with if you're thinking of going raw. All the basics are here. The author encourages you to start slowly and introduce raw foods gradually into your diet rather than going raw overnight. On this diet, it is so important to food combine properly, which is explained in the book. Also, she includes easily digestible foods that are not raw. I would have given this book 5 stars, but she did not fully explain that apples and lemons can be combined with vegetables, so I think it looks like she is contradicting herself when she includes a recipe with apples, lemon, and greens. Earlier in the book she says that fruit must be eaten alone. Also, she says that avocado is metabolized as a starch, but all other food combining sources say it is a protien. It's okay that she has a differing opinion, but she doesn't state why she thinks so. Read this, get what you can from it, but also do your homework and read from other sources, as well. Gourmet Raw is also good.

The beauty of this book is that the recipes (which are so delicious and flavorful) do not require soaking, sprouting, or dehydrating, as many other raw-food recipes do. This simplifies the food-preparation process and makes the raw-food lifestyle more appealing to time-starved people. Rose explains food combining and digestion concisely and in a way that makes sense. It has changed the way I think of food. I used to think that if I never had to worry about my weight, I'd eat everything I wanted. Now I think of food in terms of what it'll do to my body on the inside. The weight loss is just an added bonus (I've lost 20 pounds effortlessly). And once you've been eating "clean," you'll feel the difference when you eat something processed--and you won't crave those processed foods, because you know how they'll make you feel (heavy, bloated, and too full). Furthermore, there is no "falling off the wagon" with this way of eating, because, if you do have something you "shouldn't" have, it's so easy to just eat clean at the next meal. I was so excited by this book that I sent a copy to my mom, and she has experienced the same changes in her body and her attitudes that I have (and on top of that, her hairstylist noticed that her hair has gotten thicker). She then bought a copy for her friend. I also sent a copy to a friend who has Crohn's disease (an intestinal disorder), and after only two weeks, her digestion changed significantly. At the risk of being graphic (but to prove a point to doubters): After following Rose's guidelines, my friend began having solid bowel movements for the first time in more than four years. As a final note, for those who are concerned about increased grocery bills, consider this: You will no longer buy canned, boxed, or processed foods; you will very likely buy less (or no) meat; and you'll be less likely to order take-out for lunch because you'll have lots of healthy, delicious leftovers. You will also spend less money on supplements, because you'll be getting all the necessary nutrients from your food, and you may never need another antacid. I now shop at a farmer's market, and the prices there are fully one-third less than those at the grocery store. Furthermore, everything I buy gets used--there is no waste (no more half-eaten bags of salad that go bad because I forget they're in the fridge). To maximize the food you buy, I would suggest making a menu each week and sticking to it--it not only ensures that you'll use what you buy, it also eliminates that 30-minute period we all waste figuring out what to have for dinner after a full work day. If you've been interested in a raw-food lifestyle but don't believe you have the time for it, try "The Raw Food Detox Diet." It will change your life.

I purchased this book after making the decision to go part-raw. I did some research reading other reviews and researching the author of the book. I was attracted to this book because it didn't dictate a radical change, but instead, encouraged making adjustments to lifestyle/eating habits slowly. The green lemonade recipe is amazing and has truly rocked my world. I purchased a juicer for $100 and have never been happier. I make the green lemonade 3-4 times a week, the night before. The total process (juicing and clean up) takes no more than 15 minutes. I work 70 hours a week, so 15 minutes is something I can afford to invest in. Drinking the lemonade and watching what food groups I'm eating has revitalized my digestive system! I've gotten rid of my bloat completely, to the point that I can see my hip bones again. I feel healthy, energized, and don't ever get that uncomfortable bloated feeling during the day anymore. It's amazing! And at the end of the day, I'm not a vegan. I still eat meat (but I try to only mix it with veggies). Each small change really did help. Point is, I don't follow this book to a T and I didn't make any radical changes. Just a few simple "principles" to live by and it's amazing how much better I feel.

I have tried all sorts of ways of eating - you name it, I did it. I did Atkins before it was popular, low-fat, low this and low that. In my quest for better health and just feeling better in general, I read this book for the first time at the end of 2006. What Natalia Rose writes about how food interacts with the body makes absolute sense. I began incorporating her principles immediately. I ended up buying a good compact juicer (a refurbished Jack Lanlanne Power Juicer Express for $49.95 - I love it), which I even take on the road with me. I also buy organic fruits and veggies whenever I can; when I can't, then I just make sure I wash the produce well. Before I embarked on completely changing the way I ate, I engaged in a "Master Cleanse" program for 18 days - what a liberating experience! Since that time I have followed Stage 3 of Natalia Rose's book, and I follow her recommendations on the order in which to eat the recommended foods. I have never felt better. I feel light and never bloated, I am never stopped up, and my head is not in a constant fog. I have boundless energy and sleep better than ever. I have quit taking vitamins in pill form because I now am able to get all my nutriton via the foods I eat. True raw foodists would disagree, but I love the fact that the book doesn't advocate that one has to begin eating raw all at once, or ever get to the level of eating all raw. The book is for the mainstream, because it allows one to slowly get used to the raw food; if one never makes it to Stage 5, so be it - it's an individual choice. Personally, I think I'll stick to Stages 3 and 4 as I am loathe to give up eating meat, fish, and eggs. I also like that none of the recipes in the book call for sprouting or drying anything - most everything used is fresh and readily available in stores or on the Net. Because I feel so good on this plan (not a diet really, but a different way of eating), I bought a bunch of the books and gave them to all of my friends - I want them to have the choice of feeling as good as I do.

August 2002 is when I first learned about and tried the whole "raw food thing." Since then, I've purchased 9 books, spent countless hours online, patroned raw restraunts in every city I've visited, and still found myself strugging to get it to work for myself, my lifestyle, and more importantly not alienating myself from the rest of the world. And then I found this book...on Amazon (I actually bought both of her books at once). This is it! Natalia is not a preacher...she is not telling anyone to become "100% raw" or downplaying those who can't or don't want to commit to that level. She just wants others to feel the benefits of this healthful, natrual, and easy way of eating! Her main point is how food combinations affect proper digestion (and it works so well that it's scary!). There aren't a ton of recepies, but they are exceptionally tasty, satisfying, and EASY!!! Her recipes don't call for dehydration, sprouting, or soaking. Since I've read her books, my other raw food books make much more sense and I've been able to eat plenty of raw foods withough wating much produce if any. She also includes a great FAQ section in the back...so awesome!!!! PS - As for juicing, this book doesn't claim to be a juicing book, but has basic helpful info. If you want a straight up juicing book...then go buy one!

I bought this book after a blogger recommended it for women over 40 who want to lose weight. I bought this book in hopes of using it as a "diet" but in fact, after 3 weeks of following the diet ( and losing 3 kilos), I am ready to adopt it for life. You don't have to count calories or weigh portions, just prepare food in advance or have snacks handy so you won't make unhealthy choices when you're feeling hungry. Honestly, I feel better mentally and physically with this diet. It is so worth reading, if not for weight loss purposes, for a new way of approaching what and how you eat. Only downside of the book is the author relies heavily on purchased snacks; chips, bars, cookies, etc. and there are not enough recipes included. Thankfully, the internet is full of raw recipes so it really is not a problem to find something to eat on this diet.

This is a great guide and awareness to eating healthier. You start from where you are and progress at your pace to eating more raw. Easy to incorporate the lifestyle with a lot of good recipes to keep you interested.

Libro in lingua inglese, interessante con tante ricette e consigli da attuare nel tempo e un pò alla volta. Visione differente rispetto a tante altre pubblicazioni analoghe.

I am a big fan of Natalia's approach to getting well and whole person transformation; her work begins with the body but has evolved over the years to encompass a shift in one's very being to become more sovereign and aligned with natural laws. This is her first book and an insightful, alternative approach to the raw food diet. She controversially permits and even encourages a range of cooked foods and animal derived foods and yet more controversially yokes her dietary approach to colon cleansing ie receiving regular professionally administered colonics. I had a copy of it some years ago and it made no sense to me at all; but several years along and well established in raw foods, juicing and fasting; it now makes sense; essentially she is promoting her diet as a long term systemic cleanse (detoxification) hence levels to move through and an increased ability to enjoy and subsist on green juice for periods at a time! As such I think this book could be confusing for beginners in raw food; who would do better to look at Fully Raw Kristina's book which is much more accessible and easy to start on. I would say that I find Natalia's audios much more directly helpful and informative than her books, she has a range of downloads on her website 'Detox the World'.

es un libro que ni siquiera he terminado de leer ya que me esperaba que fuera un libro sobre alimentación cruda y es una cosa bastante rara sobre una dieta que se inventa la autora... la verdad que no tengo de decoración en casa porque sirve para poco mas...