Fruit Till Noon, Raw Till Dinner

I must sound like a broken record, droning on about the heat, but it's just been relentless. The Dog Days of Summer arrived early this year and haven't left us.

Two summers ago, when I was making the BIG transition from Fast Food Queen to a primarily raw plant-based diet, one of the things I did initially was fruit till noon, raw till dinner. It worked well for me. If you've been struggling with adopting a healthier diet, you might want to give it a try.

I tend to eat very simple and light meals during the summer months anyway, and with the heat and humidity being off the charts, I've been making myself a nice refreshing fruit salad just about daily. Here's a few of my recent combos:
kiwi, nectarine, watermelon

strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, cherries

blueberries, mangos, red grapes

One thing you want to remember when shopping for produce is to check the Dirty Dozen™ list compiled by the Environmental Working Group. You can download your own Shopper's Guide To Pesticides™ and keep a copy on your fridge or in your wallet for handy reference.

So for instance, if you were looking to recreate one of my fruit salads here, you'd want to make sure to purchase organic nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and grapes as they all show up on the list of 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. By contrast, kiwi, watermelon and mangos are on the Clean 15™ list.

A good rule of  thumb: when in doubt, buy organic.

Tell me, what's your favorite summertime fruit? 
I think mine is watermelon.