Guidelines! Here are some guidelines to get you going! If you have any questions please do leave in the comments and I will adjust this page to hopefully answer all questions well!
What is a high carb low fat vegan? What Rules I personally follow
Eating hclfv is not just a meal for me it is an all encompassing lifestyle where you will not only achieve physical changes, your entire quality of life will experience an upgrade if you follow the guidelines below. It is not just an eating plan it is a way of life which includes being mindful of your diet, rest, exercise and mental attitude. The goal is to achieve a life of equilibrium, balance, health, happiness and control. "With true health comes true healing”.
Key Principles to this lifestyle.
Enjoy this process! Be excited and focus on what you can have and forget about the things you cannot. This is a new way of eating for most of us. It is relearning how to eat, shop and understand what is a proper meal. It takes time and effort to educate one self. Stick to it. It is worth it and I will help you. If I did it, you can most definitely do it. Before you know it your taste buds will change and the foods you once thought you could never live without (coke, and hot chocolate, cool whip and captain crunch use to be my breakfast of choice and I thought I would never even want to give this up). Now I look at it like, “what on earth was I on that I thought that was a good breakfast option!" Cheap food seems stagnant to me ( and this is coming from a chocoholic, meat eater). If you want health, if you want a lean functioning beautiful body that serves you and a mind that is clear, and hormones that are not all over the place, and to enjoy the foods you are eating without regret, then this is the lifestyle for you! This is where you can have it all! I never believed I would be able to enjoy food and benefit from it as well. Long are the days of eating and enjoying and 10 minutes later regretting the whole thing feeling awful! No thank you, been there done that, time to move on!
This is a completely plant based lifestyle meaning no animal products. Organic is best but not always doable. Do the best you can! Choosing produce in season can be very beneficial and tastes much better anyways.
Start your first two meals of the day with raw fruits and vegetables. Your last meal of the day can be a cooked plant based meal. This is for proper digestion purposes and helps you to fill most of your diet with whole fruits and veggies. If I have a cooked meal I usually have a fresh green salad as a starter (pop corn bowl sized).
Food combining is important especially if you have a sensitive system. Fruits after a cooked meal is not recommended. Water before meals not during. Fruits and greens go together. Greens go with anything. Fruits and grains do no work. Melons alone and first thing in the morning. Proper food combining is best for aiding proper digestion and will keep your tummy happy and not bloated. There are many health benefits from proper food combining including better skin. I plan on making an entire page dedicated to this.
If you want to have all raw days, all the better! This is meant to be a doable lifestyle where you can still have all the health benefits but live in todays world. I love to have the option of a cooked meal. For the day raw fruit & veggie platters, fruit mono meals, salads and smoothies are all great options. Cooked meals can consist of sweet potato, potatoes, corn pasta, rice, quinoa, root vegetables- as long as its plant based (stir fries, steamed veggies, soups, stews, corn cakes, vegan sushi, most thai food are fantastic options. Keep in mind the cleaner you eat the better you will feel.
Always eat enough. No restrictions with calories. Personally I eat about 2100+ calories depending on my level of activity. Where your calories come from is most important: 80%-90% carbohydrates, 10% or less in fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, beens) 10% or less in proteins. The only thing I watch is the fat. When your fat is below 10% it changes your blood and the way insulin is released from your body. This is the magical combination to achieving your ultimate health! For example, if you eat 2100 calories a day, 210 of those calories come from fats (that is about 3/4 of a medium sized avocado). You should go to bed like Buddha and wake up like Ghandi! Fruits and Veggies have a ton of fiber and water which makes you fill up! Welcome that belly and before you know it you will be rocking wash board abs. (the book 80 10 10 is very educational).
Hydration is important! First thing in the morning and 30 minutes to 1 hour before each meal drink a tall glass of water. Aim for 3 liters a day.
Learn to cook without salt. You will achieve maximum health and leanness when your salt intake is below 500 mgs. Lemon, herbs are great alterneratives
Learn to cook without oil. Watch the documentary Fed Up on Netflix. You will learn the benefits of eliminating oil from your diet.
Processed vegan junk food does not serve you. Keep processed foods to a minimum as much as possible to achieve ultimate health benefits. Whole foods are best!
Wonderful food staples are ( ripe) bananas and dates (bliss balls). They are calories dense, cheap and fill you up. I aim to eat in season as much as possible. I find it quite enjoyable and tasty. Mangos, papayas, bananas, dates, salads and cucumbers make up a large portion of my diet. For example, I eat about 30 cucumbers a week, and enjoy a mono-meal of 6-8 mangos for lunch. I eat until I am satisfied. Writing this is making me realize how blessed we are to have food choices and to eat in abundance. It is truly a privallege to make our own food choices.
Get that body up and moving! My goal is to break a sweat each day of the week. I am a mom and therefor do not have the luxury of time always but I find this goal is doable! If I had the time I would do hot yoga and surf every day, it is my passion. I did a month straight of hot yoga after I had both my babies. Your whole body just tightens right up and everything goes back to its rightful place haha)- it is absolutely amazing. A few examples of what I personally do for fitness is running (on beach when I can) kicking (swimming with fins) or swimming, youtube home videos ( I have a few favorites such as Barre Workout Video its 38 minutes long, and ‘8 minutes abs is a classic), hiking with my baby, walking to the grocery store instead of drive and of course running around with my kids but I do try to do something specific for myself and break a sweat for 30- 60 minutes each day of the week. Sunday is a day of rest for me and therefore enjoy relaxing and taking it easy. Currently I run the beach to the nearest bay (about 5 minutes) kick across the bay twice with my fins) and run back home. All in all it takes 30-40 minutes. It definitely gets my heart going!
Just as important as moving your body is rest and relaxation. Retire to bed at a descent hour and rise early! This is a lifestyle which aims for balance in all things. Be mindful and enjoy these aspects. Work hard play hard, move, rest, meditate. Allow yourself to enjoy life while being mindful! Sometimes I like to say personal prayers and just reflect on the things I am thankful for. This focus really helps me to remember all the great things in my life and helps reevaluate my problems while putting things into prospective
Taking a vitamin B 12 Supplement is recommended.
What about condiments? When you first start try to avoid these foods I am about to list. They do not work for everyone and this is what I was advised to do. Once you have surpassed 30 days you may want to try including these items into your diet.
This list was put together by the Raw till 4 team which I found very helpful!
All fermented products such as pickles, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, etc.
Vinegar
Oils
Garlic
Onion (with the exception of scallions/green-onions or occasional sweet red onions) (
Salt
Chili pepper products
Seaweed of certain kinds (kelp and kelp noodles, arame, dulse, irish moss, algae etc.)
Spirulina
Bragg's liquid aminos/Raw Coconut Aminos/Nama Shoyu/tamari
Psyllium husk (scratches the delicate lining of the digestive track)
Agave
Nutritional yeast
Excessive use of nuts/seeds, badly combined fruits & fat combo's that lead to health challenges.
Gourmet raw dishes that we feel are not congruent with the low fat raw vegan lifestyle
Lastly, enjoy this process and before you know it it will be your life and you will be stoked out of your mind on all the benefits it delivers! Be patient, your body is going to need some healing if its coming from a place of dieting and poor health. Your body can heal you just need to give it a chance! Trust me! I’ve been there and I have done it! Also note that this is my personal experience. I have been monitored the entire time I have been on this lifestyle by professional health care. When I changed to a high carb plant based diet my health results began to sky rocket. Even my doctor was shocked at how fast I started to improve. One of the greatest moments for me was when I was sitting in my doctors office and she had my health results back after being on this lifestyle for 3 months and said, “what can I say, your thriving!” What a contrast of where I came from! I left floored. I could hardly believe that I am no longer a victim of my own health. I am in control for the very first time! Its a liberating feeling and place to be and I wish it upon all of you, and I hope this website is a page that can be a help to anyone looking to improve or maintain their quality of life.
A few examples of a what to eat in a day! The goal is to have a diet that is focused on whole plant based foods. Life happens and you will have days where you cannot follow exactly but it is good to get into a good habit and makes those habits dominant in your life. Your body will thank you.
Upon rising always:
tall glass lemon water
1 spoon of molasses (if taking medicine take an hour after or before) Molasses is full of minerals and fibre)
Breakfast: 1 liter Green Smoothie sip on it though the morning
(frozen bananas, large handful of kale, coconut water, ice, cucumber stevia (sometimes I add 1 tbsp of organic vegan friendly almond creamer that I love to make it creamy and desserty
Lunch: 30 minutes before large glass of water. Mono meal 6-9 mangos or fruit of choice ( I worked up to this) The idea is to eat till you are full. Mono meals are very easy on your digestive track making them desirable for those who have a sensitive system
Dinner: 30 minutes before large glass of water. Large fully loaded green salad ( I am talking pop corn bowl size) Baked sweet potatoes, sometimes I sprinkle coconut sugar and milk and cinnamon into is and mash it up a bit, or just plain ). Always eat without restrictions
snacks: If still hungry grab fruits or chopped up cucumbers for example, bliss balls are great for the go or a handful of rawnola!
Day 2: Upon rising: tall glass of lemon water
1 spoon of molasses
Breakfast: large green smoothie , or mono meal of fruit
Lunch: 30 minutes before large glass of water. Large Salad and smoothie bowl (acai bowls are very common at our house with toppings of fresh fruits coconuts and rawnola
Dinner: 30 minutes prior large glass of water. Sushi Bowl rice as base loaded with cucumbers, ginger, nori, avocado, chopped tomatoes, etc with some GF low sodium soy sauce with wasabi for a dressing.
Day 3: Upon rising always:
tall glass lemon water
1 spoon of molasses
Breakfast: large smoothie of choice ex: strawberry beet banana smoothie with almond milk and pinch of stevia
Lunch: 30 minutes prior large glass of water a papaya or bowl of strawberries with chopped veggies and hummus and maybe 4-6 corn cakes with smashed avocado, cucumbers, basil, tomato and sprouts on top
Dinner: Thai Food!! Coconut soup infused with lemon grass with mushrooms, cabbage, and bamboo shoots (any veggies you want) with summer rolls and tahini dipping sauce with a cucumber thai salad! Thai food gets me excited! So many options!
I aim to eat raw until my last meal of the day for digestion purposes and also keeps the focus on raw whole fresh foods! I sometimes will eat raw all day but I love my cooked meals as well!
A few examples of cooked plant based meals are (keep low sodium and oil free as much as possible. Season with herbs.) … soups, stews, stir fries, vegan sushi, summer rolls, corn pasta with spaghetti sauce ( I make my own with simply stewed tomatoes a few fresh basil and maybe some onion and garlic pulse together and simmer for 1-2 minutes) Rice, ancient grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes are all acceptable. I find for myself personally, rice is good limited. When you start to eat clean you will become more intune with you! You will no longer be answering to cravings. This is a powerful and desirable state to be in. Once you are intune with your body you’re eating patterns will change. You will eat a meal and no longer have craving for something else and then something else never to be satisfied. You will find yourself in control, satisfied and content. You will notice when foods don’t seem to agree with you and be able to eliminate them from your diet. No longer are the days where sugar is in control leading you down a bumpy roller coaster road!
Starting! This is what worked for me….
Before I started this diet I had been working with a doctor. The biggest thing to point out is I did a candida cleanse. That may have excelerated my results. I know that this lifestyle can rid candida but I did not know that at the time. During the cleanse I felt bloated with headaches and my skin broke out but I welcomed as a sign that the bad was leaving my body this lasted two weeks. I looked pregnant my stomach was so swollen.
The other thing I should point out is that before I started this I was dependent on pills to go to the bathroom, it was something a previous doctor said would help control diarrhea and constipation and settle my stomach but I ended up being on it for years and became dependent. My doctor put me on 1 teaspoon of psyllium with large glass of water and a fibre tablet and surprisingly enough my body was able to transfer over and no longer need the pills that I once depended on for years. I am not sure if these things would help speed up your progression or not but this is what I did. Note that I was coming from a host of problems.
When I started I was scared of fruit! Probably hadn’t had a fruit in 5 years besides when I was breast feeding and pregnant. I would have a few bites here and there but it made my stomach go crazy.
Because fruit was so scary for me I always mixed greens. It seemed to work as a buffer and I did not experiences an upset stomach like I would from fruit. I focused of vegetables and sweet potatoes and kept increasing my fruit. No joke I started with half a banana in a smoothie and that made me nervous. Now I can eat as many bananas as I want. Same with mono meals or smoothie bowls.. it seemed like too much fruit at first so vegetables were always a part of the meal. Now I can down 8 mangos and walk away feeling awesome! Again this is what worked for me.
I also notice that the simpler I eat the better I feel. If I start to mix too many flavors or foods or use hot sauce or too many cooked foods I don’t feel as good. But I still am good! I notice that eating in the pattern raw till 4 following proper food combining is where the magic happens. The focus is on whole plant based foods! Most of your calories come from fruits, while keeping your fat protein below 10% of your daily calories . This is important. Also limit your salt and oils! I don’t use any oil when I cook although I know its in some of the foods I eat when I eat out.