Transitioning over to a raw food side can take several weeks to make the full transition. Your body will feel noticeably different as you adjust to the new diet plan, so to ease the transition, here are a few helpful tips:

• Begin by monitoring your beverages, drinking only water and fresh fruit juices (not canned or packaged which often contain sugar and preservatives).

• When shopping for produce, seeds and nuts, make the switch to organic wherever possible to avoid pesticide-contaminated food.

• Boost your raw intake by increasing the number of salads in your daily diet.

• Clear your kitchen of canned and packaged food as well as meats and cheeses, not to mention junk food, to avoid temptation. Do not shy away from snacking, however. A handful of nuts mid-morning or mid-afternoon with a piece of whole fruit can keep you going between meals.

• Spend the first few weeks reading raw food cookbooks to expand your repertoire of uncooked dishes which will eventually take you from steady salads to “pastas” made of ribboned zucchini in crushed tomato sauce.

Some of the biggest boosters of the diet don’t eat raw 100 percent of the time--80%, 70% or even 50% of the time is entirely acceptable! It's up to you to regulate your eating plan and make sure that you fnd the right mix that works for you! And most importantly, if you fall off the bandwagon, forgive yourself and just get on with eating raw the next day!