Keeping a raw food journal is an important way to stay on your diet while keeping a living record of your transformation as it occurs.

One of the most important steps to staying true to any diet is being aware of what you’re putting in your mouth, noticing any changes, and celebrating your successes. This is particularly true for raw food diets, because although the changes are dramatic from the first few weeks, it can be challenging not to cheat because food preparation is typically more time consuming than other diets.

Getting started

Buy a journal early in your process, if not before. Make a list of the reasons why you’ve decided to “go raw” and the benefits you’re hoping to see. You may wish to focus on a particular medical condition that you’d like to improve or any social-emotional challenges that you’d like to overcome. It’s important to be very specific. For example:

1. Insomnia: I want to begin sleeping 7-8 hours a night, and would like to wake up each morning feeling rested and refreshed.
2. Weight: I want to lose about 20-25 pounds so that I’m able to fit back into my favorite jeans.
3. Energy: I want to see my energy level increase so that I feel motivated to begin walking or exercising on a regular basis.
4. Improved mental health: I want my overall sense of well-being to improve, including my mood and my self-confidence.

Menu

Each day, keep a record of what you eat. The easiest way to do this is to keep your journal in the kitchen, and jot down anything you happen to put in your mouth. It’s a great idea to keep track of any recipes you particularly liked by noting the name of the cookbook, the recipe name and page # so that you can find it again.

Here’s a sample menu from a raw food journal:

Breakfast

• Green smoothie (handful of baby spinach, 2-3 kale leaves, one pear, half a banana, water)
• A few bites of dehydrated granola with almond milk

Snack

• Handful of raw almonds

Lunch

• BIG salad: baby romaine, baby spinach, red peppers, yellow peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflower, avocado, olives, parsley, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• 4 Medjool dates, cup of spiced tea

Snack

• Carrot sticks with guacamole (just chopped up avocado and mixed with some tomatoes, onion, and a little cayenne)

Dinner

• Spaghetti marinara (Living on Live Food, Alissa Cohen)
• Apple with almond butter

Notes

Dinner was amazing! I made the spaghetti with zucchini using a Saladacco, and it tasted like the real thing. My salad at lunch was huge, and I ate so much that I didn’t really need anything until dinner. By the time I ate the apple and almond butter for dessert, I was stuffed. Good day…I wasn’t even thinking about potato chips!

Record your observations

This is a very important part of the journal. Each day, write down anything you observe: how you’re feeling, the food you’re making, how other people are responding to your new diet, etc. Here are some examples:

• “I woke up this morning feeling better than I have in at least a year. I can’t believe it—I slept through the whole night! That hasn’t happened in so long. Is it possible that this is actually because of food?!"

• “Last night I made a great new dessert for my friends, and they didn’t believe it was actually raw. I was surprised myself how good it was—and that I didn’t go to sleep thinking about chocolate, for once.”
• “Someone at work today asked me what I’m doing that’s different. I think I probably looked confused, and then she told me that I just seem happier and look really energetic. I told her about raw food, and she looked sort of skeptical, but said—hey, if you feel that good, I guess it’s worth it! She doesn’t even know the half of it…I feel like a totally different person.”

It’s also critical to make note of any setbacks. Write down anything you notice about what prompted you to slip up (you forgot to go shopping and it was easier to order a pizza) so that you can avoid that mistake in the future. And then, get over it! Keep yourself in the positive frame of mind that enabled you to choose a raw lifestyle in the first place.

List reasons for celebration

When you switch to raw food, you will lose weight. It’s guaranteed. Celebrate every pound, because it’s tangible evidence that your new lifestyle is working.

Don’t let weight loss be your only motivation. Looking better is fun, but there are other benefits to raw food like improved concentration, better overall health, happier mood.

When you notice that you react to something differently (and better) than you used to, it’s time for celebration. If you are able to pass up a craving, celebrate. If you’re able to be 100% raw for an entire week, write it down, and then reward yourself by doing something you love to do.

Notice any revelations

You will begin to notice that raw food magically produces many “aha” moments. Sometimes an “aha” can come in the form of a creative new idea, or it may be as simple as becoming aware of the reasons for past addictions to food. When you look back on your journal, you’ll be amazed by how many new channels have been opened as a result of a cleaner body and a clearer mind.

For more examples of raw food journals and to join raw food chats, visit live food guru Alissa Cohen’s website, where you’ll find many testimonials of the dramatic and wonderful changes people have experienced as a result of adopting a raw lifestyle.

Additional resources

Raw Food Diets: Tips for Getting Started. Raw Food and Travel