12 Steps to Raw Foods

In 1993 Boutenko and her family were all experiencing serious health problems ranging from asthma and diabetes to cardiac arrhythmia. Due to her concern about the side effects of pharmaceutical medications Boutenko began to search for natural solutions.

She learned about the raw food diet and she and her family started eating this way practically overnight. Almost immediately they noticed their health issues improved and after four months on the diet they all completed a ten-kilometer run.

Boutenko wrote this book to help readers to avoid the pitfalls of adjusting to a raw food diet as well as to maintain this way of eating as a long-term lifestyle.

12 Steps to Raw Foods Diet Basics

The diet that Boutenko recommends consists only of plant-based foods that have not been cooked or processed. The diet will include primarily fruit and vegetables with small amounts of nuts and seeds.

12 Steps to Raw Foods is known for introducing green smoothies to the general population, which are a blended combination of fruit and leafy green vegetables. She advocates the inclusion of green smoothies in the diet every day for their high content of protein and minerals, which are important for maintaining long-term health on a raw vegan diet.

Boutenko emphasizes the point that each person requires a different diet and she advises us to pay attention to cravings for natural healthy foods.

Conversely she says that cravings for cooked foods are more likely to be related to their addictive nature rather than a true biological need. She created a 12-step to raw foods program to help people overcome their addiction to cooked foods so that they will be able to successfully sustain a raw food diet.

• Step 1 – Becoming aware of the problem
• Step 2 – Nourishing your body to eliminate cravings
• Step 3 – Acquiring skills and equipment
• Step 4 – I love you no matter what you eat
• Step 5 – Avoiding temptations
• Step 6 – Getting support
• Step 7 – Gratitude and forgiveness
• Step 8 – Actualizing dreams
• Step 9 – Embracing other healthy habits
• Step 10 – Gaining clarity
• Step 11 – Searching for one’s spiritual mission
• Step 12 – Giving support to others