DO YOU NEED TO EAT 100% RAW TO FEEL THE BENEFITS?
Being a Raw Food Chef and working at a restaurant that serves raw and vegan food I often get asked if I eat 100% raw. The answer is no. When I started my journey with raw foods (which was about in 2009) I was eating a very high raw diet. I may have been 100% raw for days but didn’t really worry about whether I was 100% or 95% or 85% raw. Personally I don’t think it is about being 100%. It is about becoming and being healthier because you put healthy food into your body. Some days you may consume a lot of healthy food and some days you may consume healthy food but also some food that has no healthy benefits. But still, if you are truly making the effort and being conscious about what you put into your body, you are doing more than most people.
Some people do everything either 100% or not at all. They figure that if you are going to do something do it 100% or not at all. I have never been that way. But….I have never had a weight problem and always been quite healthy.
If you look at all the people who have tried numerous diets they may have dived in 100% and been fully committed and then one day they have a bad day of eating unhealthy, fatty foods and they figure – “well, I screwed up, I will give up and start another time”. If they cannot do it 100% all the time then they should give up. I have known women who have started on a “diet” and then slipped up on the 1st or 2nd day of the diet so stopped and told themselves they would start again “next Monday”. Until “next Monday” comes they figure they can continue with their old eating habits.
I also have good days and bad days (talking about eating). I don’t let them bother me. I always work on getting the best and healthiest food into me everyday. That is my intention but if I have something I probably shouldn’t have, I just make a better choice the next time I eat.
During the summer months I eat a very high raw diet. But then again I LOVE veggies, Farmers Markets and picking fresh food from our garden, so eating higher raw in the summer is a lot easier.
Weather also makes a difference and when it is cold, wet and damp (here on the West Coast), I do have more cooked foods such as sauteed greens, etc.
MY SUGGESTION FOR YOU:
Start your day the healthy way.
- Start by drinking warm water with organic lemon juice
- Then have a green smoothie or juice (or a great veggie juice)
- Then have (for example) chia gel with berries, coconut flakes or chunks, NutraCleanse, buckwheat crisps (sprouted buckwheat then dehydrated)
- What about a fruit salad with chia gel or a pudding with blended fruit and avocado
- Try eating all raw food until noon
- OR Try eating all raw food until diner time
- Go one full day just consuming green smoothies or veggie juices
These are just a few quick suggestions. What do you eat and drink in the morning?
I love juices. I love the taste and also the fact that you can consume a lot of veggies in a juice. If I have a large juice in the morning I have already consumed:
- 1 medium beet
- 2-3 stalks of celery
- 1/3 – 1/2 cucumber
- 1 apple
- 2 carrots
- lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp stinging nettles
- 1 handful of spinach or kale
If you think about it, that is incredible! How great is it that to consume that many veggies and fruit before noon!
At lunch I usually have a salad (often with some seaweed) which is very high in minerals and proteins.
The foods I spoke about above are also really low in calories so you can consume a lot of them.
What I wanted to say in this one is that JUST START. Don’t worry about ‘HOW RAW” you are going to be. Don’t try to analyze what % raw you are. Just start and make good choices at each meal.
By making consistent improvements and healthy choices you WILL receive benefits and WILL notice a difference.
STAY HAPPY & HEALTHY!
20 WAYS TO EAT CLEANER IN THE NEW YEAR
A new year and a new start. Most people have “eating cleaner” on their lists of things to do in the new year. I hope they do anyway. We all strive to do our best but over the holidays things slide and we do consume too many “good” food (good tasting) that are probably “bad” for us.
I know many people also would like to lose weight and may have that as their focus for the new year. What I encourage people to focus on is improving health. If you really clean up your diet, eat more foods that are healthy for you and get rid of the ones that are not, you will gain health and you will lose weight. The focus really should be on health. There are many ways to lose weight but you may not gain health.
If you are just starting on the healthy path then take it one step at a time, be patient and be consistent. You will notice benefits and that will keep you on the path. Below I have written out some suggestions for you to eat healthier in the new year (note they are in no particular order). The list is also followed by a recipe.
20 suggestions for cleaning up your diet in the new year
- Stop eating (or cut down on) dairy, meat and junk food
- Have at least 1 large salad a day
- Add various greens and veggies to your salads
- Drink 1-2 green juices or smoothies a day
- Make almond milk instead of purchasing soy or almond milk from grocery store
- Consume various greens such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, collards, etc.
- Make a big batch of coleslaw and have in fridge ready to eat
- Have a jar of sauerkraut or other fermented veggies in fridge
- Make raw soups and heat them up a bit if you want something warm
- Saute various greens along with cabbage, garlic, ginger and coconut oil
- Add seaweed (such as dulse and wakame, etc) to your salads, soups and/or snacks
- Make some quinoa and keep in fridge to add to salads, warm up with sauteed veggies or have with any sauce or dressing
- Make nori rolls (without the rice) and rice wraps for something different. Rice wraps are great because they will last in the fridge for a couple of days.
- Thaw frozen peas and add with quinoa or in salads
- Wash and cut veggies, put in storage containers in fridge so are ready throughout the week to add to salads or to make a veggie stir-fry
- Add Spirulina, Chlorella, Marine Phytoplankton or a powdered greens mixture to your smoothies or juices for extra nutrients such as iron, chlorophyl, iodine, minerals and trace minerals
- Have chia gel prepared in your fridge to add to smoothies or in a breakfast cereal
- Have frozen bananas, mangos and berries in fridge for breakfast and smoothies
- Have some raw truffles or treats in the freezer to have when you want something sweet
- Try 1 new recipe a week to keep it interesting
Here is a recipe you can try this week (this is not raw but is healthy and warming)
SAUTEED GREENS & CABBAGE (makes enough for 1)
- 3 Cups of chopped kale (or use a mixture of various greens and use as much as you want)
- 2 Cups of chopped or shredded cabbage (any kind or a variety will do)
- 1 clove of garlic
- fresh ginger chopped or grated (about 1 Tbsp)
- 1 Tbsp of coconut oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Braggs or Tamari
Instructions:
- Add coconut oil to a sauce or frying pan.
- When heated, add the garlic and ginger
- Add the cabbage and a bit of water. Cover with lid.
- After cooking for about 2 minutes, add the kale and stir
- I keep this covered for a few minutes
- Remove lid and then stir around
- Add 1 cap full of Apple Cider Vinegar (the one with “the mother” in it)
- Add 2 Tbsp of Braggs or Tamari
- Stir and turn heat to low for about 1 minute
Now it is ready to eat! This can be put on some cooked or sprouted quinoa or rice noodles or eaten as a side dish. Sometimes I make a huge batch of this and also add a few other veggies to the mix and eat as my main dish. I just LOVE a TON of greens!!
LIVE HEALTHY & HAPPY!
Some people do everything either 100% or not at all. They figure that if you are going to do something do it 100% or not at all. I have never been that way. But….I have never had a weight problem and always been quite healthy.
At lunch I usually have a salad (often with some seaweed) which is very high in minerals and proteins.
