My approach to both weight loss and long term diet is to keep my fat intake low and to not restrict my carbohydrates as long as those carbs come from whole foods like fruit.

I generally adhere to an 80/10/10 macro-nutrient ratio, meaning that I get 80% of my daily calories from carbohydrates, 10% from protein and 10% from fat. Sometimes I go over 10% fat but I rarely go below 10%.

Low Fat Diet For Weight Loss

For weight loss, I’ve found that a high carbohydrate (fruit, quinoa, rice, beans – whole foods!) and low fat diet are effective. There is no need to restrict whole food carbohydrates unless there is a medical reason to do so.

For example, if you are diabetic and eating more than two or three pieces of fruit in a meal causes your blood sugar to go all wonky, then you should work with a registered dietician who can help you create a meal plan that suits your specific needs. In the absence of a diagnosed metabolic disorder, your blood sugar should not go crazy after eating a fruit meal or drinking a large green smoothie, and a diet like mine might work well for you.

Sure, you can lose weight effectively with a low carbohydrate, high protein or fat diet. Fat isn’t what makes you fat, so even a low carb diet that is high in fat can melt the pounds away. On the other hand, carbohydrates aren’t necessarily fattening either. It would be a serious challenge to get obese from eating too many bananas.

It’s safe to say that America’s obesity epidemic isn’t caused by people eating too much fruit or healthy whole food carbohydrates! Bad carbs like pasta, bread, baked goods, white rice and concentrated sweeteners (yes, even agave and honey) are making your waistlines bulge.

The main reason I favor a high carb/low fat approach to weight loss is that carbohydrates give you energy. Carbohydrates are an efficient source of fuel for your body and that fuel gives you energy and powers your workouts. Exercise and fitness go hand in hand with weight loss. People on low carb diets tend to complain about fatigue or low mood. A high carb/low fat weight loss plan keeps your mood high and energy levels soaring to meet any fitness challenge.

Low Fat Raw Food Vegan Diet

In the context of a raw food diet, low fat is the way to go. The Raw Standard American Diet (I call it “Raw SAD”) with its complicated raw gourmet pizzas, “burgers”, burritos, nut-dressings, desserts, etc., is a failed attempt at replicating a diet that is among the unhealthiest in the world. Sure, that piece of chocolate cashew-based “cheesecake” is uncooked, but you’re kidding yourself if you think it’s healthy.

A person on the typical raw gourmet diet might get up to 80% or so of their calories from fat. Nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts, cacao and oils make up a significant portion of the food. A raw vegan meal at a raw food restaurant may contain up to a cup of oil! Follow that up with a post meal dessert and the amount of pure sugar in that agave soaked “cake” will make your jaw drop.

So what’s wrong with eating this much fat if it is raw and it’s the “good kind” of fat? Well, humans aren’t physiologically equipped to eat a ton of nuts and seeds all day long. While nuts are good and healthy in moderate amounts, basing your diet around nuts and other fat sources isn’t the healthiest way to eat raw.

My experience with a high-fat (it’s never called that!) raw food diet led to sluggish digestion, chronically bloodshot eyes, acne and intense cravings for sweets and dessert. Of course, raw foodists who experience these symptoms after going raw turn to extreme juice fasts, cleanses and all manner of superfoods or “candida cures” to solve a problem that is simply caused by an oil and agave soaked diet.

Raw (high fat) gourmet isn’t sustainable long term. It wasn’t for me.

Should You Cut All Overt Fats From Your Diet?

Some people, especially hard core fruitarians, like to cut out all sources of overt fats from their diet. Overt fats would be any food item where the majority of calories are in the form of fat. Ultra-low fat fruitarians might follow a 90/5/5 macro-nutrient ratio. They might abstain from avocados, coconuts, cacao, nuts, seeds and oils.

I HIGHLY advise against cutting all overt fats from the diet for more than a few days at a time. Doing a “no fat” diet for a day or two might be okay, especially if you are trying to “detox” from several days of binging of fatty junk food, or if you have wrecked your digestion from eating too much raw gourmet (Raw SAD) foods.

However, your body NEEDS fat. You have a dietary need for essential fatty acids. Fats are an important nutrient and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to completely eliminate all sources of overt fats from the diet. To do so pushes the boundaries into obsessive, extremist dieting. The long term health implications could be severe.

In the context of a super strict, low fat raw vegan (fruitarian) diet, restricting all sources of overt fats in the diet could result in deficiencies in minerals and essential fatty acids over the long term, especially if calories are not consumed in excess of 3000 per day. If you plan on going this route, then plan on eating a huge volume of food and lots of calories.

A super-low fat diet could also increase the risk of hormonal imbalances over the long term, especially when coupled with a diet that is excessively high in fiber (like a 3000 calorie low/no-fat diet would be), very low in protein, low in zinc, selenium and other minerals.

A familiar thing I hear from some long term fruitarians who restrict all overt fats is that they have a lower libido. They might make an excuse for this, claiming that it’s a spiritual/emotional maturity brought on by a “pure” diet.

Believe me, a tanking libido is NOT a sign of spiritual maturity. It does not make a man more “in tune” with his spiritual nature, or more respectful to women. It is a sign of a dangerous hormone imbalance that can have severe implications, for both men and women. If you experience fatigue, poor sleep and diminished libido from a long-term, ultra-low fat diet, it’s not a detox you need. It’s dietary re-balancing!

How Low Should Fat Go? How High Should It Go?

There are no “one-size-fits-all” dietary fat intake guidelines that work for everybody. Contrary to what some dogmatic diet gurus tell you, there is no such thing as a “holy grail” macro-nutrient ratio that is appropriate for all 7-billion humans on the planet. Our genetics, ancestral background and evolutionary adaptations are too complex to fit neatly within a “species specific diet” framework.

According to many mainstream dieticians, dietary fat intake should not exceed 30% of total calories. I would absolutely never let my fat intake drop below 10% of total calories over the long term. Some people might perform best athletically on an 80/10/10, high calorie diet while others may do best when their fat intake is at 15% or 20%

It might be difficult for someone to do a 100% raw vegan diet and keep their fat intake at 30% since nuts, seeds and oils don’t mix well with sweet fruit. However, a mostly raw vegan diet (still very healthy) that includes cooked, whole food carbohydrates like quinoa, beans and brown rice might have no problem maintaining a 30% fat intake.

For low fat raw vegans who are strict about staying 100% raw, I find that 10% to 20% of calories from fat generally works well, but may need to be adjusted over the long term depending on what blood tests reveal, or how your body is performing after a year or so on the diet.

Ultimately, you need to experiment and see how you feel and find what works for you. Don’t just follow mine or anyone’s dietary guidelines blindly.

I usually recommend starting at 80/10/10 for at least 30 days and then working your fat intake UP from there (not down), depending on how you feel. Doing periodic blood tests, however, is the ONLY way to know for certain that your diet is working for you. Be sure to test your hormone levels (testosterone/estrogen) to ensure that your body is functioning in tip top shape and that your body is getting adequate dietary fat.

What’s so special about parsley? For starters, one cup of fresh Italian parsley only contains about 22 calories. It has 2 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. Like most fruits and vegetables, parsley is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all essential amino acids.

Fresh Parsley Is Rich in Minerals

It’s rich in calcium. One cup of fresh parsley in a smoothie gives you 83 milligrams (8% RDA) of calcium. Blend them with oranges, kiwifruit and/or figs and you’ll be on your way to exceeding the amount of calcium provided in a glass of cow’s milk.

They are rich in iron. One cup contains 3.7 milligrams of iron, adding a significant source of this important mineral to my vegan diet. Parsley is the richest source of iron from any leafy green that you’d get from the supermarket.

One cup of parsley will also provide up to 10% RDA of copper, 7% RDA of magnesium, 7% RDA of potassium, 6% RDA of zinc and 5% RDA of phosphorus.

Lots Of Vitamins In Fresh Parsley

Parsley is rich in vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and provides up to 168% RDA in just one cup. Like most leafy greens, they are an especially rich source of vitamin K providing up to 820% RDA. They provide an excellent source of folate (23% RDA) and vitamin C (89% RDA).

Health Benefits Of Parsley

Parsley is a rich source of dietary carotenoids which provide a variety of health supporting benefits against a variety of diseases. Beta-carotene, which is converted to retinal (vitamin A) in the body is known to support eye health. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant vitamin that has been shown to protect against a variety of diseases as well.

A phytochemical in parsley called myristicin, has been shown to have potential chemopreventive benefits. Parsley also makes up an important part of the Mediterranean Diet, which has been studied extensively for its potential therapeutic and disease preventative benefits. An Italian diet study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Cancer in 2003 found that participants who had a higher dietary intake of parsley appeared to have a lower incidence of lung cancer.

How To Use Fresh Parsley In Green Smoothie Recipes

Parsley has a distinctive, pungent flavor and aroma so it is best to use no more than one cup in a smoothie recipe. You can combine it with non-bitter greens like fresh baby spinach or romaine and green leaf lettuce. Parsley pairs best with fruits like pear, coconut, pineapple, mango, oranges and kiwifruit. I prefer to use fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley, but curly parsley also works fine.

Some of my favorite recipes include:

Happy Parsley Green Smoothie with Coconut, Pear & Mango

Iron 101 Smoothie

Blueberry-Cucumber with Parsley Smoothie

Iron-Rich Pineapple Detox Smoothie

I also add it to this Morning Energy Smoothie recipe.

Browse more green smoothie recipes with parsley.

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Unfortunately, spirulina is way over-hyped online. The nutrition content is often misleading. Just check out these nutrition facts listed by a seller of spirulina powder:

Spirulina has 2300% more iron than spinach
Spirulina has 3900% more beta carotene than carrots
Spirulina has 300% more calcium than whole milk
Spirulina has 375% more protein than tofu

These statements make spirulina look like an ultra-concentrated superfood. And these statements may be true – technically. But these nutrition facts are “per calorie” and not “per serving”, and there’s a huge difference between the two.

For example, a “beginner dose” of spirulina powder is up to 1 teaspoon (3-5 grams, approx. 10 calories) per day while a “normal dose” is 1-2 teaspoons per day (6-10 grams). A “therapeutic dose” is generally considered a tablespoon (about 16 grams, approx. 20 calories). A 16 gram serving of spirulina does not contain 2300% more iron than a serving of spinach, nor does it contain 375% more protein per serving than tofu.

While spirulina typically contains about 60% protein, on average, you’d be be lucky to get maybe 2 grams of protein in a teaspoon and perhaps 6 in a tablespoon at most. As a protein source, however, spirulina is extremely expensive. There are much cheaper, whole food sources of protein that also provide adequate calories to be part of a meal, not just a dietary supplement.

One way that the nutritional benefits of spirulina are dangerously over-hyped is in it’s B12 content. Surprisingly, most online marketers of spirulina still promote it as a rich source of vitamin B12 despite studies showing that the B12 found in spirulina (and all other plant sources) are an analogue form that is not metabolized by humans.

Not only will the analogue form of vitamin B12 found in spirulina NOT prevent vitamin B12 deficiency, it might actually facilitate deficiency since analogue B12 competes with bio-available B12 for absorption. In short, spirulina is not a B12 supplement and should never be relied on to provide this vitamin.

Spirulina is a good source of vitamin B2, copper and it contains some iron (up to 2mg per tablespoon). However, it is not a particularly rich source of any other essential vitamin or mineral, including calcium (less than 9mg in a tablespoon). When you look at the nutrition information of spirulina per serving, it doesn’t really stand out from other whole foods, and many whole foods simply have higher amounts of nutrients per serving than spirulina.

Nutrition labels on a variety of spirulina products may vary, and they tend to have “more nutrition” than what is listed in official food nutrient databases, such as the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference from which we get most of our nutrient information from. This alone makes me skeptical about the integrity of the nutrition value of many spirulina products, not to mention the erroneous claims about B12 content that manufactures and sellers often promote.

Dried and powdered spirulina as it is currently marketed and sold is not a whole food. While Aztecs may have consumed it as part of their diet prior to the 16th century, and it is still consumed in Central Africa, the dried spirulina cakes typically eaten are not the same thing as highly refined, powdered, pharmaceutical-grade supplements available for sale.

There have been a variety of animal studies and a handful of human clinical trials that suggest possible health benefits of consuming spirulina including a potential to reduce LDL to HDL cholesterol ratio and improve antioxidant status as well as help with hay fever.

Animal and in vitro studies showing potential benefits of spirulina cannot be claimed as health benefits without analyzing results obtained by conducting double blind, placebo controlled clinical studies on humans. There is no clinical evidence that spirulina will help with weight loss or detoxification.

The health benefits attributed to spirulina are not unique to this cyanobacteria. In fact, most plant-based whole foods contain compounds (in larger amounts per serving) that promote health, weight loss, detoxification and disease prevention.

I am not totally anti-spirulina, though. I mean, I won’t avoid it at a smoothie or juice bar. I do not feel that it is necessary to take it and most people will not experience any health benefit (besides placebo effect) from taking it.

If anything, spirulina is best at being profitable for those who sell it. I just cant justify the expense of this powdered, refined “superfood” when fresh, whole fruits and vegetables provide real food and better nutrition per serving.

“What is the best source of essential omega-3 fatty acids?”

I’m not sure that there is a single “best source” of omega-3s. The best source would be a whole food that provides omega-3′s in the right balance compared to other nutrients. While flax and chia seeds are often promoted as a rich source of omega-3′s, fruits and leafy greens are also good sources.

Just one head of romaine lettuce has 44% RDA, three cups of kale has 23% RDA and a mango has 5%. Most fruits and vegetables have some amount of omega-3 fatty acids in them. A low fat, raw vegan diet will provide more than 100% RDA of omega-3s within the first 1500 calories of a daily meal plan without even eating any flax or chia.

Since I consider a healthy diet to be one that is low in fat and predominantly raw (and vegan), my preference is to get my omega-3s from foods that have a macro-nutrient ratio consistent with my overall diet whenever possible.

I base my dietary macro-nutrient balance on the 80/10/10 ratio (80% carbohydrates, 10% protein, 10% fat per calorie) or sometimes 70/15/15. Fruits and vegetables fall within this ratio, for the most part, and provide sufficient RDA’s of omega-3′s. Flax and chia also provide rich sources of omega-3′s, but with a much higher fat to carbohydrate ratio.

Flax oil may be an especially rich source of omega-3′s, but it’s 100% fat and not a whole food. So while extracted flax oil might be an extremely rich source of omega-3′s, it’s not what I would consider the best source.

Flax or Chia Seeds?

For those of you who really want to know, flax seeds are a richer source of omega-3′s than chia by weight. Flax has 214% RDA of omega-3′s per 15 gram serving while chia only has 165% RDA.

Now is there anything wrong with taking flax seed or chia seeds? No, not really. You can add them to smoothies or use them to increase your omega-3 intake if there is a need to do so. As long as they don’t throw your diet off balance by adding too much fat, they won’t be harmful.

However, I’d encourage you to stop thinking of flax or chia as the only sources of omega-3′s in your diet.

What About Fish Oils? (ALA, EPA and DHA Explained)

All plant sources of omega-3′s are in the form of alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. Your body can convert short chain ALA to long chain omega-3′s, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). There are no known plant sources of EPA and DHA, however. Vegetarians and vegans often have lower levels of EPA and DHA than those who eat fish.

However, is it necessary to eat fish? Should you take fish oils? Doesn’t your body convert enough ALA into EPA and DHA?

First of all, your body’s process for converting ALA to EPA and then to DHA is not efficient and some research shows that the efficiency of conversion is less than 5%. On a strict vegetarian diet, you’d have to dramatically increase your omega-3 intake to provide enough excess ALA to be converted. Even so, there is no guarantee that your body will actually convert sufficient amounts since not everybody is able to do so.

Secondly, taking extracted flax oils and other omega-3 oils to increase your ALA intake for conversion to EPA and DHA is adding a lot of unnecessary fat to your diet. In my view, it would be much better to supplement with a EPA/DHA omega-3 oil than to consume much larger doses of ALA.

This doesn’t mean that you have to eat fish or take fish oils if you are vegan. Fish don’t produce their own omega-3′s. It’s essential for them just as it is essential for us. Fish get their omega-3′s from the algae that they eat, and it moves along up the food chain to humans. Unfortunately, so do heavy metals, PCB’s, dioxins and other contaminants commonly found in fish.

If you want to cut the fish out of the loop, then get your omega-3′s from algae as well. One of the best EPA/DHA omega-3 supplements I’ve found (and I currently take) is called Opti-3. Opti-3 is an algae oil that contains 1290 milligrams of omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids per recommended serving (2 capsules). Each serving contains 700mg of omega-3′s (40mg EPA and 200mg DHA).

You can order it directly via their website. The company is based in the UK but they ship worldwide. I recently purchased three bottles and had them in my mailbox two days after purchase!

I know what you’re probably thinking. Algae oil is not a whole food! This is true, but it’s also the most cost effective and most bio-available way to include EPA and DHA omega-3′s into my vegan diet. It makes more sense for me to do this than it does to mega-dose on flax oil and hope that my body can do the long-chain conversion adequately.

To recap, my typical daily omega-3 intake comes primarily from whole fruits and vegetables (leafy greens!), small amounts of nuts and seeds (including walnuts, flax and chia seeds) and a quality EPA/DHA algae oil supplement.

The great thing about figs is that they are a good source of calcium. Five medium-sized figs provide almost 90mg of calcium (about 9% Recommended Daily Allowance – RDA). We either munch on them as-is or (most often) toss them into smoothies (they are really good blended with bananas, red grapes or peaches). Figs are just one of several calcium-rich foods that you can eat for strong bones and teeth.

I’ve had no dairy at all in almost two years since going vegan. Yet I don’t give calcium much thought at all. Both davy and I periodically track our daily food intake using Cron-o-Meter and we consistently get 100% or more of our calcium needs from fruit and leafy greens!

Our biggest source of calcium is from the green smoothies we make. My favorite fig-season smoothie includes 5 figs, 1 peach, 2 bananas, 1 tablespoon of flax and an entire head of romaine lettuce. It provides about 343 milligrams of calcium or 34% RDA.

Now that’s a big smoothie, but you can easily blend up 2 cups of chopped kale and 2 oranges and get 300mg (30% RDA) of calcium in a much smaller package.

The key to getting enough calcium from non-dairy sources without supplementing is to ensure you eat enough calcium-rich foods.

Here are some that we emphasize:

• Dandelion Greens – 100mg (10% RDA) per cup, chopped
• Kale – 90mg (9% RDA) per cup, chopped
• Romaine lettuce – 207mg (21% RDA) per head
• Green leaf lettuce – 130mg (13% RDA) per head
• Italian parsley – 83mg (8% RDA) per cup
• Young coconut – up to 170mg (17% RDA) per coconut
• Fresh figs – 88mg (9% RDA) in 5, medium-sized figs
• Orange – 60mg (6% RDA) per medium-sized fruit
• One cup of papaya or 1 kiwi fruit each provide 3% RDA of calcium.

It’s pretty easy to see how we can get 100% or more of our recommended daily allowance of calcium from fruit and greens alone, not to mention high-calcium nuts and seeds like almonds, chia and sesame seeds. As long as we meet our calorie needs, we easily reach our calcium targets.

Another thing to keep in mind with calcium and bone health is that you can eat all the dietary calcium you want, or take lots of supplements, but that won’t necessarily build strong bones. Exercise and adequate vitamin D is essential for proper utilization of calcium. It is also important to not eat excessive amounts of protein (which many people do) or take supplements that interfere with calcium absorption (ie: high doses of magnesium).

Getting enough calcium is just one tiny aspect of overall health. Ensuring that you get the right amounts of all essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can be a bit daunting at times. Add to that your ultimate quest of trying to find the “right diet” for YOU and never mind all of the conflicting, confusing health information out there on the web! Ugh! It makes ME want to scream sometimes!

So what do you do? Who do you believe? After all, your health is at stake!

Davy and I have created two health programs that help you take charge of your health in a balanced, informed way. Our Green Smoothie Program shares absolutely everything we know about green smoothies and health. There are lots of recipes that are specifically targeted to certain health goals such as energy, immune boost, detox, weight loss, libido, etc.

Our other program, Thriving On Raw Foods, is a 21-day transition plan that shows you how to get all of your essential nutrients (including calcium) on a 100% or mostly raw food diet. You’ll get tons of recipes, daily meal plans and expert tips and advice.

Find incredible health with incredible smoothies and learn how you can thrive on raw foods!

We cannot possibly make blanket vitamin and mineral supplement recommendations that cover everybody.

However, we can share with you what we take and why.

But first, you should understand my diet. I eat a high-raw, vegan diet that is low in fat and rich in fresh, ripe, organic fruits and vegetables. I eat two large bunches of dark leafy greens every day. On average, I’ll have one head of romaine and 4-5 cups of chopped kale, usually in a green smoothie.

I track my nutrient intake using a free software called Cron-o-Meter (although I don’t do Calorie Restriction or the CRON Diet). I make sure that I get adequate calories to meet my lifestyle needs based on the Harris-Benedict equation.

I’ve stopped taking a daily multivitamin because I wanted to move away from synthetic nutrients contained in a gelatin pill. Through tracking my food using the above mentioned software, I found out that I already got way more than 100% of the natural vitamins and minerals from our diet. A daily multivitamin was a waste of money because we were paying for nutrients we didn’t need.

I supplement with a quality vitamin B12 because I am vegan. You’ll read a LOT of conflicting information about whether or not B12 supplementation is necessary. From the research I’ve conducted, vegans who do not supplement consistently show inadequate B12 levels. A B12 deficiency can lead to irreversible neurological problems.

I take an iron supplement. Pre-menopausal, vegan and raw vegan women might find it hard to get adequate iron from their diet. Dietary iron recommendations set by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Science in 2000 suggests that vegetarian women need 33 milligrams of plant-sourced iron per day (men should get 14 milligrams). This is a challenging amount for raw foodists, although vegetarians and vegans who eat cooked or fortified plant-based foods might not need to supplement.

Vegetarian men, on the other hand, can easily meet their iron needs, even on a raw vegan diet.

Both Davy and I supplement with vegetarian sourced vitamin D3 . You’ll hear a lot of people say that you just need 15-minutes per day of sun exposure to meet your vitamin D needs. However, I’ve read more than one account of sun-loving people who get low readings of vitamin D on blood tests. Vitamin D absorption through skin (and from certain foods) can be hindered or complicated by a variety of factors including bathing habits. Rather than risk a deficiency, and knowing that we typically do not get direct sun exposure about seven months of the year, we decided to add a year-round vitamin D supplement to our health regimen.

We take an algae-sourced EPA/DHA Omega-3 supplement. Instead of fish oils, we’ve found this algae oil to be a good, vegetarian alternative. Why not just eat flax or chia seeds? Well, flax and other plant-based Omega-3 sources only contain alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA), not the Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) blend that fish oils contain. Your body does convert some ALA to DHA and EPA, but that conversion rate can be affected by many factors and varies from one person to the next. The supplement we take is Opti-3.

The other thing we do is to have our blood tested. We do this once per year. You can order a Comprehensive Health Profile (which includes a Complete Blood Count or CBC) online for as low as $60 US. This test gives you an overall idea about how your body is working and can provide some clues about what might need to be modified in your diet.

In order to really get a look at your risk for nutritional deficiencies, however, you’ll need a Micronutrient Panel, which can be ordered through a certified practitioner. Spectracell Laboratories does this test, but I’m not sure if you can order it yourself without a physician or practitioner referral. It’s expensive too. One price I found online was $450 (US).

There is also some dispute about whether blood tests (or which blood test) really provide an accurate measure of nutrient levels or deficiencies. It’s a good idea to have one done, though, just to see what’s going on inside you and have an idea of how your diet is serving you and where you might need to supplement.

The best advice we have, however, is to track your nutrients regularly using a software like Cron-o-Meter or a website like NutritionData.com. Adjust and modify your diet seasonally to ensure that you are meeting your recommended nutrient intakes. Only take targeted supplements based on need (ie: your analysis shows that your diet is lacking or low in certain nutrients or the results of a blood test indicate the need to supplement to replenish healthy levels). Never assume that you’re getting all of your nutrients from food, or that certain foods that are “high in a certain nutrient” actually contain enough of that nutrient per serving to meet your needs.

The supplements we take are the Vitamin Code Raw supplements from Garden of Life. They make a vegan-friendly D3, too! The plant-based gel capsules are also easy to open so that you can pour the powdered contents in a green smoothie or in a glass of water. You can find Vitamin Code supplements at certain health food stores or order them online at Amazon.com.

We recommend:

Raw B12

Raw D3:

Raw Iron

See other Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Supplements here:

Plant Based Nutrition From Food

Would you like to know how to get adequate nutrition from a plant-based diet without having to rely on pharmaceutical multivitamins, questionable “superfoods”, or being afraid that you’ll sabotage your health because you’re not “doing your diet right”?

Then take a look at our Thriving On Raw Foods program. It will help you make positive changes to your diet and lifestyle with lots of delicious recipes, meal plans and even grocery shopping lists to make it easy!

You’ll learn what to eat and how much to meet 100% or more of all essential vitamins and minerals. Whether you want to be 100% raw or mostly raw, our program shows you how to plan a diet that works for your overall health. Click here for more information.

There’s a common misconception that foods that have a high glycemic index (GI) should always be avoided because of their ability to cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and an increased demand on insulin production. Several studies have linked a high-glycemic diet to an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity.

While the Glycemic Index number is most widely promoted as an indicator to how healthy or unhealthy a food is, it is actually the Glycemic Load that you should pay attention to, not just the GI.

The Glycemic Index measures the speed at which a certain food raises blood sugar in relation to a control food, either pure glucose or white bread. It is not an accurate measure of how much of a certain food raises blood sugar.

The Glycemic Load, on the other hand, ranks foods based on portion size and grams of carbohydrates per portion. This gives a much more accurate view of how foods might affect blood sugar.

How To Determine Glycemic Load

To find the Glycemic Load of a food, take the number of grams of carbohydrates in a serving, multiply it by it’s Glycemic Index, then divide it by 100 to get the food’s Glycemic Load.

For example, let’s say you have a 1 cup serving of cubed watermelon with 11.5 grams of carbohydrates.

11.5 (grams of carbohydrates) x 0.72 (Glycemic Index divided by 100) = 8.28 (Glycemic Load).

The Glycemic Index of watermelon is 72, which is high, however the Glycemic Load is only 8.28. A Glycemic Load of 10 or less is considered low, while a GL of 11-19 is medium and 20 or more is high.

So you can’t just go by the Glycemic Index number to determine what’s healthy and what’s not. It’s a mistake made many times by health-conscious people who cut the healthiest food on the planet – fruit – out of their diet and with inevitable long-term health consequences.

Plus, eating bananas and watermelons are not going to cause diabetes or other blood sugar problems in healthy people as long as your overall dietary fat intake is low. I think a lot of healthy, non-diabetic people worry too much about blood sugar when a healthy, well-planned diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables and LOW amounts of fat is not a diabetes risk at all!

So go ahead and eat all the bananas, watermelons and other “high GI” (but low GL) fruit you want. They taste great in green smoothies and will do great things for your health!