What to eat, what not to eat for your health and happiness.
Hello beautiful friends,
Did I really say I was going to cover this topic in one email? Well I’ll do my best to keep it succinct and full of juicy bits that pack the greatest punch for your health! …..but this can’t possibly be complete. However in today’s world where a new diet plan or way of eating seems to emerge every day, this blog may just provide a basis for you to build on and create the diet that works for you now in this moment, remembering that our health is not set in stone and we need to be fluid and open and respond to our bodies changing needs.
Remember the mantra from the last email:-
To heal, to restore, to thrive, for anti-aging and for vitality we need lots of fresh, living, organic, whole raw foods.
Doesn’t that sound good? To be healed, restored, thriving, growing “younger” and full of vitality. YES! Well that’s what natures’ foods in their raw, alive, unadulterated form are there for…..for you to thrive. So let’s have a look at a day and what to eat. But first, please also note that:-
I’m not necessarily advocating eating ALL raw foods, my intention is to inspire you to INCREASE your intake of fresh, alive foods gradually until you’ve attained the level of health that you desire.
I respect that each and every one of us is a unique individual, with different needs and a different metabolism and is in a different place in relation to our health and wellbeing, so I’m here to supply you with lots of information, suggest some guidelines and then allow you (perhaps with the help of a health professional) to choose and fine-tune your own path to vibrant health and happiness.
Having said that all of my suggestions will be raw options as you already know how to eat other foods. What you can do is use my suggestions as a base and then add some cooked foods to complete the meal. For example for lunch, with a salad as the base of the meal you can add cold cooked pumpkin or lentils or a piece of quiche if you’re non-vegan. And for dinner when I suggest sprouted grains and legumes you can eat them cooked.
One thing’s for sure though, the more fresh fruit and vegetables you nibble on the less you’ll need or desire foods that are less beneficial for your health. As you clean up on the inside, your body will begin to let you know in no uncertain terms what no longer works for your optimum health. The more raw you eat the more you’ll find your bad habits just fall away effortlessly. It’s a JOY to behold!
Remember too that an intake of 51% raw foods helps to reduce the load on your immune system. It has enough to do warding off pathogenic bacteria, viruses and allergens and destroying cells when they become cancerous, so give it a break and eat at least half raw. That’s a good goal to start with and a baseline to live with.
So here we go with my guidelines… some ideas:-
WHAT TO DO:
DRINK: lots of water, freshly made juices especially vegetable and fruit juices in a combination (3 veges and 1 fruit) , green smoothies and pink smoothies#, herbal teas and home-made nutmilks (for energy).
EAT: as much fresh, whole and organic (or spray-free) fruit, greens, vegetables (all types), herbs, sea vegetables, grains and legumes (raw, sprouted) , raw nuts and seeds and fermented foods (cabbage, pickles, miso) as you can.
How many greens can you get into you today? How many fruits and vegetables can you eat today? Challenge yourself. Count your fruit and vegetable intake, each day and see if you can increase your tally each week. Remember never throw out any fruits, greens or vegetables. If something isn’t being eaten then throw it in the blender before it gets tired looking and loses it’s life- add fruits with greens and greens with vegetables (and water) and make a smoothie. That applies to herbs too. Add them to the vegetable one. Then drink them down- fast, easy, abundant nutrition in a glass!
BREAKFAST – the most important meal of the day because it comes first.
* Start with 2-3 glasses of good Water (may be infused with lemon juice or lemon essential oil and /or apple cider vinegar to get the acid juices swirling in the stomach) * Have a Fresh Juice, such as celery, carrot, cucumber, parsley, lime and ginger * And/or eat several pieces of Fresh Fruit * And/or a famous Green Smoothie * Still hungry? … and you usually eat cereal? Well try a Raw “Muesli” – chia seeds (soaked in raw nut milk), flaxseeds (ground), sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, fresh fruit, carob or cacao powder, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, organic Medjool dates, organic figs (choose one dried fruit only to limit sugar intake). * Or try a Raw Nutmilk Pink Smoothie# (almond milk, banana, berries, ground seeds +/- raw cacao powder – your antioxidant booster) * Maybe you’re feeling savoury? – Alive ‘Toast’ – make your “toast” (raw bread or your usual bread) into a colourful, vitamin, mineral and enzyme-rich feast – top it with avocado, tomato, grated carrot and beetroot, spinach leaves or chopped lettuce, a splash of pumpkin seeds, a dash of flaxseed oil and a sprinkle of celtic sea salt.
MID-MORNING
*Snack on a small handful of Raw Nuts OR another piece of Fruit OR eat some sliced Vegetables with Nut Butter or Tahini (eg:- celery or carrot with almond, cashew or brazil nut butter) OR have a Bliss Ball or two (mashed banana, ground nuts and cacao powder rolled into balls… add coconut, raw cacao nibs, cardamon, cinnamon, a few goji berries, raisins or chopped figs as desired – get creative).
LUNCH – the second most important meal of the day because it comes second.
*Have a big Salad– try to include about 5 different salad vegetables.
Make it more substantial by adding cabbage, fennel or celery, some Root Vegetables (eg:- grated carrots and beetroot) and some Nuts or Seeds – raw macadamias, pinenuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds. Accompany your salad with a piece of raw bread topped with tahini or other nut spread for extra nourishment.
DINNER – the third most important meal of the day. So if you’re going to skip a meal this is the one to do. You’ll feel even better for it giving your body a mini-fast and the opportunity to cleanse and repair more effectively overnight.
* Snack on Raw Vegetables with a Raw Dip (try whizzing up spinach, basil, raw cashew nuts, olive oil and a pinch of salt for an easy and delicious raw dip). * Eat lots of Vegetables:- raw in salads, raw soups and raw “pasta” * Add a small portion of Legumes and Grains– raw sprouted * Make fabulous dressings including a generous amount of healthy fats like avocado, olive oil and flaxseed oil to really make your salad sustaining. Try 3/4 cup olive oil, 4 Tbsp vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 avocado, 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds, a handful of herbs and a pinch of salt. Blend in blender until smooth and creamy.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
DON’T DRINK:
SOFT drinks, bottled FRUIT JUICES, more than 1 or 2 cups of COFFEE or BLACK TEA a day – all of these are highly acidic, drain your body of it’s vital minerals and cause endless health issues, think teeth, calcification, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis….
DON’T START THE DAY WITH A COFFEE! (it’s like giving your liver a kick in the head).
DON’T EAT PROCESSED AND PACKAGED CEREALS:
They’re about as nutritious as the cardboard boxes they come in. If you insist, at least lesson your lifeless, dry, rolled, oven-baked, toasted, dead, shrivelled, sugar-laden, unrecognisable rubbish by diminishing their quantity and adding some alive raw seeds (whole or ground) and lots of fresh fruit. (Sorry, but packaged cereals really get me going and if you’re still reading down here then you probably need some entertainment!)
DON’T EAT HIGHLY REFINED AND PROCESSED FOODS:
With loads of sugar and additives, ah dare I say, see cereals above and numerous other things that adorn the supermarket shelves like sauces, spreads, biscuits, long-life milks, snack foods and sweets. Check the labels every time- it’s the only way. When you see words that you can’t understand and lots of numbers – put it back.
DON’T EAT REFINED SUGAR PRODUCTS:
Cakes, biscuits, pastries, breads. I’ve heard it said that refined sugar is the primary cause of most modern diseases in the Western world. It’s highly acidic effects are the key to it’s destructive effects. Refined sugar is devoid of nutrients, present everywhere like a plague in supermarket shelf offerings and worst of all whilst offering no nutritional value to our health, it actually drains the body of precious minerals and nutrients. The way to be sure that the food you’re eating is free of refined sugar (and additives), is to check that it’s recognisable as one of nature’s offerings (organic wholefoods) or make it (the cake) yourself. Use RAPIDURA SUGAR, available at organic stores. It’s pure dried cane sugar juice with all the plants’ natural goodness still intact. Other sugar replacements are coconut palm sugar, agave syrup, maple syrup, honey, stevia or xylitol and don’t forget fresh and dried fruits. Check out recipes for raw cakes. They’re to die for.
DON’T EAT REFINED GRAINS:
The ones that are white, white rice, white bread, white pasta…. they’ve lost both their inner and outer goodness – the fibre and the germ and all that’s left is equivalent to sugar – a refined carbohydrate. Try the brown versions and sprout or cook your own wholegrains.
DON’T EAT “TABLE” SALT:
White ”table” salt is highly refined and devoid of all minerals and like all refined products it depletes the body instead of building it up so buy the life-supporting and mineral-rich versions:- biodynamic CELTIC SEA SALT or HIMALAYAN SEA SALT available at organic stores.
DONT’ EAT A SANDWICH FOR LUNCH:
This is just one of my many campaigns to increase the nutritional value we eat each day. Lunch is the second most important meal of the day and it occurs at the height of our activity and energy output. A sandwich may be a very convenient option however it’s one that really doesn’t deliver a lot of quality nourishment to your body. Many people will say to me that they eat plenty of vegetables, but they only eat them at dinner. So why not eat a huge salad for lunch. See how many vegetables (up to 5 or 6 varieties) you can include and maybe accompany that with just one slice of bread. Top your bread with lashings of nut butter or tahini for a taste treat and extra staying power. There so many vegetables to choose from to include in your salad. If you’re short on ideas then check your fridge contents and ‘google’ it.
DON’T EAT DAIRY:
I don’t recommend eating dairy for many reasons. See my blog on Calcium for more info. But if you still choose to eat it, I suggest buying organic, biodynamic or whole-milk based produce. A healthy snack or breakfast could be a couple of tablespoons of organic yoghurt on lots of fruit sprinkled with 3 tablespoons of seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame. Also try coconut yoghurt… delicious
ANIMAL PRODUCTS?:
I’m aware that there’s a multitude of differing opinions out there about eating animal products. So I’ll leave the choice with you but if you do eat dairy, eggs, fish, chicken and red meats CHOOSE ORGANIC ( and for fish – born free and bred in the ocean).
And check out my blog on protein to help you make your choice on this one. “Protein and Calcium- The “Rawl” Story Part 1″.
So I hope somewhere in this blog you’ve found a confirmation of what you already know, been reminded of something you’d forgotten, had at least one new insight or received a new idea to help to change and to improve the way you eat. Our eating habits are an ongoing process, and like anything in life, we can make a different choice, any moment.
I’d love to hear from you and how you’re going with your more raw lifestyle. Leave me your comments below.
JOY to you, Love life… Live it,
Karakrista