“Learn to reconnect with the inner wisdom of your body by eating raw for 7 days.”

In today’s fast paced world, many of us are too busy to plan meals, chop vegetables, make food from scratch, or eat mindfully. Most of us eat on the go and find ourselves drawn to fast foods, processed foods, and convenience foods. As a result, we eat mindlessly working long hours, caring for children, pursuing hobbies, and balancing work and personal life. The last thing on our mind is “eating mindfully.”

In order to eat mindfully we must slow down and take time to prepare and eat our food. Mindful eating is an ancient practice dating back to the time of Buddha. The purpose of mindful eating was to help monks connect to the inner wisdom of their bodies as a means to achieving enlightenment.

Mindful eating is not just limited to monks. You can begin the practice of mindful eating today by taking the 7-Day Raw Food Reset. The very act of preparing and eating raw foods for 7 days can force you into mindful awareness, similar to what you might experience with meditation. In order to follow the 7-Day Raw Food Reset you will need to:

•   Plan meals and purchase organic whole foods
•   Soak nuts 4 hours, 8 hours or 12 hours
•   Clean and chop fruits and vegetables
•   Blend, juice, or process foods

Each step takes time and helps you develop a closer relationship with your food. You make a conscious decision to slow down, take time to prepare your food, and eat 100% whole, uncooked foods with awareness. This level of consciousness can be healing, and serve as an antidote to our fast paced, high stressed lifestyles. 

When you follow the raw food reset for 7 days, you learn to reconnect with your mind and body, and develop an understanding of what it is like to be truly full or hungry. This inner body wisdom is mostly stripped away by our fast paced lifestyles and poor eating habits. After you complete the 7-Day Raw Food Reset, you will have the skill to decide what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat.

Unlike the stereotype that raw foodists just eat salad and fruit, true raw foodists eat a lot of nuts and seeds, avocado, and coconut milk. Ingredients that allow them to create interesting foods that resemble pizza, nachos, burgers, nut milk ice creams, coconut cream pies, cakes and anything else that you can imagine. They even drink cold pressed coffee with coconut cream and agave nectar.

Try eating a raw macadamia nut porridge for breakfast and see how long it takes you to finish this relatively small portion and how full your stomach feels. You will feel sensations in your stomach like you have never felt before. You will also feel inspired to sit down to eat after you prepare raw food rather than eat on the go.

Since I have taken the 7-Day Raw Food Reset myself, I’ve decided to make it easy for you by sharing information on kitchen equipment, a sample meal plan, tasty recipes, and my favorite raw food cookbooks. Most importantly, I’ve eliminated the need for purchasing a dehydrator by directing you to pre-made foods that you can buy online or at the store.

Please Note: The Raw Food Reset is gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and vegan. Although you will learn to eat mindfully and reconnect with the inner wisdom of your body, you probably will not lose weight.

Now let’s begin this exciting journey together and let me share everything you need to know to get started.

Kitchen Equipment. You will need the following equipment:

• High powered blender like a Vitamix
• Food processor
• Nut milk bag

Sample Meal Plan. Below you will find a sample meal plan, which includes all my favorite raw foods. Remember you can also eat fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, dried fruit, and salads with raw salad dressing. A recipe for raw salad dressing might include lemon juice, cold-pressed olive oil, sea salt, herbs, and spices. If you have a juicer, you can also make vegetable and fruit juices to enjoy during the day.

• Early Morning: Almond Date Smoothie
• Mid Morning Breakfast: Cashew Yogurt Parfait with Pecan Date Crumble and Berries
• Lunch: Almond Hummus Wraps with Butter Lettuce, Tomato, and Cucumber
• Mid-Afternoon Snack: Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Dinner: Nachos with Sunflower Seed “Refried Beans,” Cashew Sour Cream, Salsa, and Guacamole
• Dessert: Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie

Below you will find recipes from my sample meal plan.

Almond Milk Recipe

In order to make the smoothies from my sample meal plan, you will need to make your own almond milk. It is very easy if you buy a nut milk bag, which costs $9 on Amazon.

Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups soaked raw almonds (Soak raw almonds for 12 hours in water, strain, and rinse thoroughly), 6 cups water

Blend nuts and water in a Vitamix blender on high until nuts are completely broken down. Pour almond milk into a nut milk bag and press out liquid from pulp into a large bowl. Pour almond milk into a glass container. Makes approx. 5 cups.

Smoothie Recipes

Almond Date Smoothie

1 cup raw almond milk, 2 medjool dates chopped, 2 Tablespoons raw almond butter, 1 frozen banana. Add ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 cup raw almond milk, 1 medium frozen banana, 5 strawberries. Add ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie

1 cup raw almond milk, 1 medium frozen banana, 2 Tablespoons raw almond butter, 1/2 Tablespoon raw cacao powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional). Add ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

Cashew Yogurt Parfait Recipe

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups soaked raw cashews (Soak for 8 hours, rinse and drain), 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 – 2 Tablespoons raw agave nectar or raw honey (depending on your preferred sweetness), 1/2 cup – 1 cup water.

Add all ingredients to a Vitamix blender. Start on low speed and gradually go to high speed, adding more liquid as needed. (Remember you are trying to create the consistency of yogurt so start with 1/2 cup and gradually add more liquid until you achieve a yogurt consistency.)

Pecan Date Crumble Recipe for Parfait

In a food processor fitted with a S blade, process 1/2 cup raw pecans with 3 medjool dateschopped. Process until you achieve a crumbly yet sticky texture.

Select Berries for Parfait

Sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries work well.

Assemble Parfait

Add one scoop of yogurt to the bottom of large glass cup, place pecan date crumble over yogurt, and then place berries over crumble. Create several layers of yogurt, crumble, and berries until the glass is full. Will keep refrigerated for 24 hours.

Almond Hummus Wrap Recipe

Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup soaked raw almonds (Soak for 12 hours, drain and rinse nuts, and then use your thumb and index finger to pop off skin of almond), 2 1/2 Tablespoons raw tahini, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoons cumin, 3 Tablespoons cold pressed olive oil, 3 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 6 Tablespoons water, sea salt to taste.

In a food processor fitted with a S blade, process until smooth. Add additional water if needed. (Remember you are trying to achieve the consistency of hummus.)

Assemble Almond Hummus Lettuce Wraps

Remove large butter lettuce leaves from the head of lettuce. Add a scoop of hummus to a large leaf then add diced tomato and diced cucumbers. Wrap as if you are making a taco. Add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and paprika to your hummus, if you like it spicy.

Nacho Recipe

SunFlower Seed “Refried Beans” Recipe

Ingredients: Presoak 2 chipotle chilies, 8 sun dried tomatoes, and 2 cups sunflower seeds for 4 hours then drain and rinse.

Add chipotle chilies, sun dried tomato, sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 3/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to a food processor fitted with a S blade, and puree until smooth similar to the texture of re-fried beans.

Cashew Sour Cream Recipe

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups soaked cashews (Soak for 8 hours then rinse and drain), 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 3/4 cup water

Add all ingredients to a Vitamix blender. Start on low speed and gradually go to high speed, adding more liquid as needed. (Remember you are trying to achieve the consistency of sour cream so start with 1/2 cup and gradually add more liquid.)

Pico De Gallo Salsa Recipe and Guacamole Recipe are available online. Both recipes are easy to make.

Assemble Nachos

Add a large scoop of re-fried beans to a plate. Then add a scoop of salsa, guacamole, and cashew sour cream on-top of the re-fried beans. Serve with Brad’s Raw Cheddar Chips or Brad’s Raw Tortilla Chips.

Favorite Raw Snacks, Juices and Tea

• Trial Mix (include your favorite combination of raw nuts and dried fruits)
• Alive & Radiant, Kale Krunch, Quite Cheezy Chips
• Brad’s Raw Cheddar Chips
• Righteously Raw Chocolates (Coconut Macaroons, Brownie, and Caramel Bites)
• Evolution Cold Pressed Grapefruit Juice
• Homemade Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• Raw Kombucha Tea

Recommended Cookbooks

I Am Grateful: Recipes and Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude

Sweet Gratitude: A New World of Raw Desserts

Everyday Raw

Questions and Comments

If you have questions or comments about the 7-Day Raw Food Reset, please email me via LinkedIn. As a clinical psychologist who is passionate about healthy eating and living, I regularly work with clients interested in making radical changes to their diet and lifestyle. Trying the 7-Day Raw Food Reset can help you reconnect with the inner wisdom of your body that has been stripped away by our fast paced lifestyle and poor eating habits.

About the Author

Dr. Christine E. Dickson is a cognitive psychologist in private practice who specializes in mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy. She is best known for appearing as a regular guest on local TV where she provides self-help advice on topics such as mindful eating, mindfulness, work-family balance, marital happiness, compassion, trauma recovery, and more to nearly 200,000 viewers. Christine’s work is also featured in Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia. To learn more about her workshops, coaching, and counseling services, please visit her website.