HEAL, ENERGIZE, AND SLIM DOWN WITH NATURE’S ORIGINAL FAST FOOD Brad Gruno is someone who loved a good steak and never could have imagined going raw, until he did and it changed his life, his health, and his career. Three months after going raw he was forty pounds lighter and had eradicated his high cholesterol, insomnia and depression. It also put him on a whole new path and gave him a mission to share what he learned.    If you’ve been curious about raw foods, but are a little afraid that dieting this way is too hard to do, takes too much time, or is too expensive, then this is the book for you.  With a simple 3-phase strategy that shows you how to make the transition, eating this close to nature has never been easier.   Dip in and discover: --The science behind plant-based eating --The basic 8-week eating plan—Prepare, Simply Raw, and Living It! --The essential ingredients for continued success living 80/20 raw --150 quick, scrumptious, and easy recipes --Your personalized food diary, as well as Brad’s answers to his most frequently asked questions about this lifestyle.   Try it! You’ll eliminate toxins, eliminate junk food cravings, and eliminate excess pounds.  How easy is that? BRAD GRUNO is the founder and CEO of Brad’s Raw Foods.  After regaining his health through a predominantly raw diet, Brad wanted to share its benefits with others. This is how his product line was born.  Brad’s company is truly a business built on passion. He started it in a one-car garage, moved up to farmers markets, then his first Whole Foods store, and now it is a national brand.  Brad’s products, which includes raw chips and crackers, leafy kale, onion rings, raw wine and even dog treats, is sold in thousands of stores nationwide, including: Whole Foods, Wegmans, Balducci’s Bristol Farms, King Soopers, Kroger, and elsewhere. 1 The Science Behind a Raw Foods Diet What could be more invigorating than a meandering walk in a verdant park on a bright sunny day? Think of breathing in the sweet, fresh air and feeling the spring of the grass beneath your feet. Think of how all your senses would be delighted, giving you mental clarity and a deep sense of connection to the physical world. Think of how just plain good you’d feel. That’s how you would feel if your diet consisted of only fresh, delicious, nutrient-rich food from nature. That’s what happens when you eat raw foods. So how do you add more of these foods without breaking the bank or working in the kitchen all day? Keep reading. WHAT IS RAW FOOD? A raw foods diet is one that consists of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts (including grains and legumes), root vegetables and squashes, fresh herbs, spices, fermented foods, and seaweeds. These foods are never heated beyond 115°F, which is why you will hear many people in the raw food community refer to this as eating only “living foods.” It is a myth to think of a raw foods diet as one of deprivation, where you can eat only “rabbit food” such as lettuce and carrots! There are countless satisfying dishes that can be created by following the raw food guidelines. Nearly anything that you loved in your old cooked diet can be created uncooked for your eating pleasure. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EATING RAW What makes a raw foods diet so unique and so nutritious has to do with heat. Or rather, the lack of it. The magic number is 115. When any food item is heated above 115ºF, its nutrient density begins to become comprised and degraded. We know this because most vitamins are water soluble, and a significant percentage is lost during cooking. When temperatures are kept low, vitamins and nutrients are preserved. Health enthusiasts and raw foodists also believe the living plant enzymes that aid with digestion are destroyed above 115ºF and can no longer aid in the digestive process. Many raw foodists drink a lot of fresh vegetable and green juices, which are packed with nutrients. Released by the juicing process, these nutrients are absorbed extremely quickly, so that your cells can receive a heavy-duty punch of what they need for optimal functioning. After you’ve adjusted to eating raw, that’s the reason you’ll feel the benefits of this lifestyle so quickly. It’s also why many raw foodists report weight loss, more energy, improved digestion and health, and an improved, glowing complexion. Their bodies are getting the fuel they need, when they need it--and it shows! Why a Raw Food Diet Is So Good for Your Body Eating raw foods or a high-raw diet (80 percent raw and 20 percent cooked foods) allows your digestive system to work efficiently, without stress. When you eat foods that need only minimal energy for your body to break down and absorb, you will have more energy to do whatever it is you want to do--finish a complex project at work, take a dance class, go to the movies with your children, have a date night with your partner--with more vigor. If, on the other hand, you eat processed and