Natalia Rose: “Raw Food Life Force Energy”

I am in love with raw foods and the sweet bouts of energy they give me.

This is my second reading by Natalia Rose. I read most of the sections from this book, “Raw Food Life Force Energy“, which is very similar to the first one, “The Raw Food Detox Diet“.  If you have the first book, you most likely will not learn too much more here. She offers roughly the same material except for the recipe section. This second book also covers a new concept around vibrations of matter, and vibrations of the food we eat, as she draws her connection between the two.

In this book, Natalia is slightly disappointing. While I can respect and clearly see from visible results the impact of a semi-raw food diet,  I think the scientific explanations  were more fluff than fact. Yet on a sub-conscious level, she creates a good mental image that can be very motivating to the reader. The core message of eating extremely well and taking care of our bodies to keep them supple and strong is inarguable and well-presented.  Perhaps the depictions of Natalia on what goes on inside our complex system can shock a few people and set them on a better path. Her means are not entirely accurate but the end justifies the means in this case.

She outlines a 21-day plan with pre-set menus, all the while taking into consideration the right food combinations. I did not try the plan; I simply tried a few recipes from the plan. There is a more in-depth index covering a wider range of her thoughts on foods.  I am still curious about how certain foods rank in the Natalia chart. I remember wondering what she thinks of rice milk  for instance and found hardly any mention of it. If it is not covered in the index and not mentioned in the book, I would venture to say that she is not in favor of it!

What has worked best for me with Natalia Rose is not adopting the entire eating plan but to take a few golden nuggets of best eating practices away. Here are my golden rules:

1. Avocado is now a very regular part of my diet.
2. Eating salads for breakfast is not so strange.
3. Breaking the overnight fast with raw vegetables is now a routine.
4. Combining my foods better for a much quicker digestion and a healthier bouncier body in the meanwhile is empowering.
5. Raw honey and Chinese Oolong tea (Special Preparations!) have become the main beverage I consume. Coffee sadly makes me sick to my stomach.
6. Eating raw foods for 12 to 24 hours resets my internal digestive track, following the occasional poor eating.
7. Learning about what my body needs and what it responds best to has been fun and done wonders for my well-being.

Of all the habits that Natalia recommends, eating raw foods with avocado, olives, and drinking green juices has stayed with me over time. I cannot tell you how many weekends of slightly over-indulging I have set straight simply by 24-48 hours of eating raw foods, drinking Oolong tea with raw honey, and plenty of water.  The powers of elimination and cleansing from raw foods, and particularly from her combinations, are the best take-aways from Natalia Rose books and eating habits.

What I am trying to say is that while you may get very excited and start a brand new way of eating, excitement wanes – and upkeep of this kind of diet is very demanding on our schedules. But take heart, and choose a few health-promoting suggestions from Natalia, and make them part of your existence. If you should stray, find your way back to the foods that will love you more than the foods that you seem to love.

It is also important to note that this is not a diet of eating all raw foods, and not all raw food means uncooked food.  For instance, she considers very lightly broiled vegetables to be in the raw category. These subtle differences are described well and it pays to read at least one of her books cover to cover.

I am very happy to have come across Natalia – while I go through periods where I eat foods that she would admonish, I feel empowered to know that with a few days of juicing, and raw foods, I can set my body back in the right track – and perhaps, all we may ever be able to do is to find ourselves on the right track, as the destination moves in and out of view.  Happy yet conscientious eating!