If you've spent any time reading my blog, you probably noticed that I'm a bit of a health fanatic. I love learning about new ways of healthy living and healthy eating. It's been something of a hobby for me for the past few years.

About a year ago, I was reading a health food book and started feeling overwhelmed by all the information I was taking in. It was all fascinating. I was learning so much that I wanted to apply to my diet. But how would I possibly remember it all for long enough to benefit from it?

And so, foodscout.org was born.

I started to create a database for all the foods I was reading about along with their nutritional value and the health benefits they provide. It was becoming so handy that friends would often ask me for advice and information from my food database.

It finally occurred to me to put this information out on the internet and share it with the world. I hope it helps you on your path to better health!

Check it out at http://www.foodscout.org.

Since starting down the raw food path, I've met a lot people struggling with answers to health and diet questions. Some people transition to a raw food diet quite easily, while others have to invent clever strategies for staying on raw food. Food cravings can be intense as our bodies struggle to kill off unhealthy intestinal bacteria and build up healthy internal flora. If you're constantly struggling with binge eating, feelings of deprivation, or lack of health and vitality, staying 100% raw may not be your best path to good health.

A common strategy for transitioning to raw is to eat a certain percentage of raw food. This can be a great strategy, provided that when you are eating cooked food, you choose healthy cooked food. If you are eating 75% raw and 25% Twinkies and fried tofu, you're missing out on the beneficial effects. Those processed foods are making your body more acidic and feeding the anaerobic bacteria in your gut, worsening your cravings.

Another popular strategy is to eat a lot of gourmet raw foods that mimic cooked favorites. There are dozens and dozens of gourmet raw food recipe books and a wide array of pre-packaged raw food snacks and desserts. Restaurants and grocery delis are adding raw selections to their menus. These are great for a fun delicious treat, but they are not part of a healthy, long-term diet plan. They tend to be high in sugar and fat, low in natural water, and lacking in substantial nutrients as compared with a fruit- and vegetable-rich diet. Eating raw junk food makes us feel sluggish and bloated, much like with any other junk food. The idea of staying raw at all cost is not necessarily the best strategy. Maintaining a raw food diet is supposed to be the means to being healthy. It is not the end in itself. If we are raw but unhealthy, then we have completely missed the point.

There is another alternative, and I'd like to suggest that it is superior to an all-raw diet that relies on fancy gourmet dishes and desserts: eating a mixture of raw foods and healthy cooked foods. The bulk aisle of natural food stores offer a variety of high protein, high fiber, mineral-rich, gluten-free grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and wild rice. These are all easy to prepare and can be mixed with raw fruits and vegetables for a very satisfying and tasty meal. Squashes, which are difficult to prepare raw, can be cooked and eaten plain to add healthy variety. Lightly steamed vegetables, while losing their enzymes, do retain most of their nutrition and cancer-fighting qualities.

Raw food is supposed to be about energy, vitality, and good mental and physical health, and for a lot of people, it is. If you aren't one of those people, don't beat yourself up over falling off the raw food wagon. Concentrate on good health first. Once you clean out the toxins and unhealthy bacteria and build up a healthy internal ecology, your body will demand nutritious, natural foods. Junk food won't even look like food anymore. You'll know raw food is the best diet for you because your body won't want anything else.

I went vegan in the winter of 1995, almost entirely for ethical reasons, but I was happy about the incidental health benefits that went along with it. Over the years, vegan food has become so popular that vegan junk food companies have popped up left and right, making it easier than ever to be sick on a vegan diet.

In 2003, I suddenly developed allergies to wheat and gluten, and discovered that I was afflicted with candida (yeast in the blood) that drained me of my health and energy. Long story short, I found raw food, and I'm healthier than I've ever been.

Here are some resources that have helped me learn about maintaining a healthy raw food diet:

• Raw Food MeetUp Group - Nothing is better for learning about raw food than meeting people who will support you, educate you, and inspire you. Try to find a Raw Food MeetUp Group in your area. If there isn't one already, start one. I guarantee you, people will join.
• Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen - This book and dvd set inspired me to really give raw food a try. Alissa Cohen demonstrates how simple, quick, and delicious raw food can be. But be warned: the video, while informative, can be long and tedious at times.
• Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko - I truly believe that eating green smoothies is the best way to improve your health. If you change nothing else about your diet, add green smoothies to your daily routine and you'll feel better.
• Raw Guru - I find myself on this site fairly often. It's full of great information and simple delicious recipes.
• Raw for 30 Days Movie Trailer - Think diabetes is an unavoidable fact of life? You can cure it.

Been thinking about going raw? Stop thinking and just do it. You don't have to go 100% raw all at once. Add whatever raw food you can to your diet. Or commit to going raw for just 30 days and see how you feel. Go at your own pace. But keep moving forward. There is no time like now to improve your health and add to your life the joy that comes with a clean, efficient, healthy body. Your excuses aren't making you any thinner, healthier, younger, or happier.

If you live in a metropolitan area, chances are, there's a restaurant or health food store selling some raw vegan meals and snacks. No matter where you live, you can order anything you want online, from truly raw nuts to "Raweo" cookies. There are hundreds of great sites out there, but the ones I use are:

• Raw Vegan Source - Hands down, my favorite place to by raw food. You pay a very small membership fee and you get the best prices on the net on most items.
• Sunfood Nutrition - If it's out there, Sunfood Nutrition probably has it. This is David Wolfe's company - a popular raw food expert speaker. This site has tons of whole raw foods, specialty raw treats, and lots of books, events, and other resources.
• Ebay - search for raw food - You'll be surprised at what you'll find. I bought organic raw vanilla beans there once for a fraction of the normal cost. Don't assume it's cheaper just because it's on ebay. Do your homework first.