Episode 28: Raw Food, Sugar, Creativity and Learning to Eat Like an Adult with Russell James

“Personal responsibility is where the power is”

At the age of 28, Russell took a life-changing trip to Koh Samui, Thailand. After years of working in the fast food industry, he had developed skin problems and was searching for a solution. In his research, Russell read about the powers of fasting and the spas in Thailand that offered these healing retreats. It was during this time that Russell discovered raw foods.

Russell’s passion was ignited by vibrant meals he was able to create with raw food. Not only were these dishes creative and flavorful, the health benefits were amazing.

This excitement led Russell to start a blog about his raw food journey. Others became interested in Russell’s natural talent and began to take notice of this up-and-coming raw chef.

Teaching local classes, he began drawing students from all over Europe and the US. His drive was to make raw food accessible every day. Whether it was raw sandwiches or show-stopping dinner parties, your meals could be amazingly healthy.

Today, Russell has had the pleasure of teaching raw food to thousands of people worldwide through his podcasts, eBooks, live classes and online courses. Russell now runs Eat Like An Adult and Being Whole , of which The Raw Chef is part of.

In this episode:

Russell grew up eating home-cooked meals such as Spaghetti Bolognese, Sunday roasts and curries
His dad (a part-time firefighter and painter and decorator) took over the family meals as his mum was working (as a driving instructor)
Allowed to eat what he wanted, including sugary treats
His mum intuitively knew that she didn’t want an over-reliance on meat
As a child, he didn’t have much interest in cooking
Russell worked at Burger King and ate fast food daily whilst at that job, he suffered with acne at that time
At arts school, his interest in creating things waned
He went into middle management at Tesco’s, not knowing how he got there in his mid-20s and realised it wasn’t where he wanted to be
Russell then became a driving instructor as his Stepdad owned a driving school and his mum was a driving instructor
He realised that he wanted a flexible job and to be self-employed
Fasting and juicing had a big impact on his skin health
He realised he had an outlet for creativity around food
Russell started creating recipes, shooting photography and becoming a food blogger
Several participants on a documentary about juice fasting in Thailand mentioned clearer skin, and Russell travelled to the same retreat centre.
Putting personal experience above scientific proof
The lack of information about acne and nutrition, despite the strong connection between them
The stigma about being a man who ate healthily
Karen Knowler ran The Fresh Network,
Raw Food by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis was one of the first books on this topic
The blog evolved into online and in-person courses
It’s not necessary to be 100% raw
Amy Levin- raw chocolate and desserts
Pleasure and joy from the presentation and taste of food
Removing limitations around food choices
Eat Like an Adult - came about from feeling restricted as just ‘The Raw Chef’
Minimalist Baker
Eat Like an Adult is for ‘busy people who want to eat right’ , nourishing wholefood recipes that don’t take a lot of time to prepare
Michael Pollan phrase ‘eat food, not too much, mostly plants’
Colour and the enjoyment of food
Blue Zones
The shared experience of eating together is nourishing in itself
Morphogenic field
“You’re only one meal away from being a healthy eater”
Avoid giving yourself a hard time or judging yourself
The effects of deprivation and indulgence
“Personal responsibility is where the power is”
Intestinal flora can predispose you to sugar cravings and obesity
Many people now have the link that a treat doesn’t have