Welcome to your personal start-up guide to the best foods for life! Check out each individual dish and feel free to try them yourself, regardless of what you choose, they are all absolutely delicious and extremely nutritious!

Now that I've decided to give whole foods a try, what will I need?

Let's start with the equipment. First we need a dehydrator, food processor, and a blender. It is best to get good quality. Cuisinart is a better brand for your blender and food processor. Dehydrators can be purchased online and inexpensive brands at major retail stores. Excalibur dehydrators are one of thetop brands for purchase.  Juicers are also good to use. The Champion Juicer is a good brand. Some health food stores carry this brand. Although there are many blenders for purchase, nothing that we have used compares to the Vita Mix. It is top of the line and actually gets better with time.

But I don't have time!

Let's face it folks. Our lives can be very busy. How can we be on a raw food plan with so much to do? My daughter Danielle and I have been on a mission to find out where we can go to get food when we are in a hurry. This is a list of some places in which we might eat on the run.

• Local health food stores – Some of them will have a salad bar available.
• Local food coops – Go right to the produce isle and grab some in season fruit, nuts, veggies or seeds.  They will usually have a variety of choices.  Pick up whatever your body naturally attracts to, in the raw food world, of course!
• Local retail stores – These stores are now carrying organic produce.  Pick up a couple pieces fruit or veggies to satisfy your hunger pangs until you get home.
• Local restaurants – If there is no where else to go and you really need to eat then go to a restaurant and ask them to fix you a salad.  It may include: tomato, green pepper, red onions, black olives, pickles and peppers.  Ask for a plate of their vegetables raw and add your dressing.  Remember restaurants are normally NOT organic and their vegetables are usually heavily sprayed so try to do this when you do not have any other option.  Also remember that you are the customer. Ask them to make the salad your way.

But what about in the morning? I'm always running behind!

It is so easy to pick up your favorite fruit. Snack on it throughout the morning.
Make a “Smoothie.” It's quick, easy, and delicious. Dust off your blender, add a cup of water then blend in frozen strawberries, blueberries, peaches and/or bananas and organic raw honey. Blend, pour into your glass; rinse out the blender right away and have a great day.

Consider making a trail mix out of raw nuts, coconut, raisins, dates, or sunflower/pumpkin seeds. One of our favorites use to be just plain cashews and raisins.  You can carry this mix around with you in a zip lock baggy as a quick snack or whenever you get that urge to eat. It's OK to munch all day if you like.

Try to squeeze a little time out for yourself. Your body will love you for it.