Book Review: The Raw Food Detox Diet

After falling in love with Natalia Rose's Raw Food Life Force Energy, I really wanted to buy her other book (which was her first) The Raw Food Detox Diet. Every time I went to the bookstore (broke because I was saving money for Christmas presents) I would scan through the book and absorb what I could. For the most part, it seemed pretty much the same as the book I already had. But I noticed there were a ton of new recipes and some interesting-looking sections. So after Christmas, armed with my gift-money, I finally treated myself to TRFDD (her book titles are so long!) As I had expected, there were many sections that were nearly identical to the ones in RFLFE; some points were explained more thoroughly in one book or the other. The difference is, as a first book, TRFDD serves more as in introduction to someone who isn't completely familiar with the raw lifestyle. RFLFE, on the other hand, while it is also very accessable to beginners and familiars alike, takes it up a step, including more scientific and even slightly spiritual viewpoints. TRFDD seems like the better option for a beginner; someone who eats a common diet or even common "diet" food. As her program allows a lot of freedom of choice, someone who eats a lot of meat and dairy would do well to start with TRFDD. She provides all the information about why our bodies benefit from a diet that includes raw foods, and even helps you discover the best transitioning point. At the end of the first section of the book, there is a test you can take to find you "transition number." The questions are based on your current diet and lifestyle. Someone who regularly consumes refined sugar and flour, meat and dairy, would probably be best starting at a level 5, the gentlest transtion level; likewise someone who already eats a large amount of raw foods could start at a level 2 or 1. You can stay at each transition level for as long as you are comfortable. Since I had already read RFLFE, I didn't find the transition number to be completely neccessary, considering I was already developing a nice routine. But it did help me tremendously to recover from my Xmas Eve dinner binge and overeating/bad food binge that followed me for the next few days. The first time I took the test, I found myself at a level two. A level two eats almost all raw with properly combined meals and only a couple cooked food items a week. The description sounded pretty accurate at the time. But after my binge, I read the meal plans and philosophy behind each transition closer and decided I was eating/desired to eat closer to a level 3. A level 3 eats all raw until dinner almost every day, and then eats a well combined dinner with a few cooked components like a baked sweet potato or sprouted grain toast each night. Rose warns against eating at a level that is too advanced, even if you want to. I am still currently perfecting my ability to avoid the temptations of processed and refined snacks and restaurant meals, so I am committed to remaining at a level 3 until I naturally gravitate to a level 2 on my own. I would recommend that after you take the test and find your number, read each level thoroughly just to be sure you wouldn't be more comfortable at another level. There is a lot of benefit to giving yourself strict boundaries, but there is also benefit to treating yourself gently. Just do what feals right. You can always advance your regimen another day!

The next section is the menu section. I have yet to try many of the recipes, but I can already tell that they will be good. Some of them I may pass just because I have already adopted so many favorites as my daily staples from the other book, but there are also many I would love to try. It seems there are a few more "transition" recipes in this book--recipes that are more "comfort food" than cleansing--which is great, especially for a beginner! Each recipe shows which "transition level" would correspond with each recipe. My two complaints are: I don't feel the levels correspond accurately and a few of her recipes don't follow the food combining principles as closely as they do in RFLFE. Both complaints kind of go hand in hand. For example, there is a recipe for "detox quesadilla," which is sprouted grain tortilla, pasta sauce, raw goat cheese, and avacado. This recipe says it would be good for a level 2 or 3 for dinner, and levels 4 and five any time. The problem with this is that, according to food combining, grains (tortillas) and flesh (goat cheese) do not combine well. This is the same for starches (avacado) and flesh. I don't think a level 2 or 3 should eat like this very often. And while I understand that a few imperfectly combined meals won't be harmful, I would have liked a sidenote, like the ones provided in RFLFE, that say when a combo is not ideal. A beginner who frequents KFC and Taco Bell and eats pizza and mexican food on a regular basis, would find this meal incredibly light and cleansing. But for me, already practicing proper food combinations, it seems like a step back to eat this way. And another "for me" is that I'm totally drawn to this recipe! It sounds sooo good but I know it's not an ideal dinner more than the rare occasion, and I usually make the same recipe for a few nights in a row, to conform with my budget. There are a few other recipes like this (raw fruit pie, detox pizza) so I would just suggest that you practice caution if you are NOT a beginner. Try to understand the food combining rules for yourself, choose the meals that are appealing, and at the very least be aware when you've eaten an imperfectly combined meal. That's what I did. Every time I ate something I knew wasn't perfect, I would write it down so I would know the cause of any poor digestive affects that occured. The reactions in your body is your best guide. If you eat a raw pie made from fresh fruit and ground nuts, with no digestive setbacks and you continue to loose weight and feel great, then you will know that that particular food combo rule (mixing fresh fruit with anything) doesn't apply to you. Problem solved!

The next section was something I loved and was not included in RFLFE; it was all about eating at restaurants, other people's houses, parties, and over the holidays. As I sat aching from my holiday binge, I read the holiday eating section with great shame. I could have easily avoided the pain and made healthier choices about what I ate and how I combined my food that night. The section about restaurants offers advice and tips about the healthiest options at different types of restaurants. I'm planning on making a copy of this. While I have learned a great deal about food combining, it will help to have the tips on paper with me at all times; it can get really tempting to abort the rules when looking at a delicious menu...how easily all of my knowledge hides in those cases!

That's pretty much it for my review. Summary: A lot of the same content as Raw Food Life Force Energy but better suited to beginners and people unfamiliar with the raw food diet. Pros: Helpful "transition number" section and meal plans for each level, new recipes, more comfort food recipes, and a section on eating at restaurants, friends' houses, and over the holidays. Cons: not all the recipes are perfectly combined according to the food combining principles. Rose's two books are a great combination and complement each other well. It would be hard to choose just one to recommend if someone were only choosing one or the other. As I was already familiar with the raw food diet, I found RFLFE to be incredibly helpful and life changing. But if it was my first time discovering raw foods or I currently ate a lot of refined foods or typical/poor grade meat and dairy, I would prefer TRFDD, because the transition levels would help me understand what to eat and how to gently switch out my former foods for healthier versions.

Happy New Year!