Did the above headline get your attention? If you are interested in staying on a raw food diet in cold weather, it should.
During the hlidays as family and friends gather for the festivities, it is much harder to stick to a diet. Any kind of a diet, but especially a raw food diet.
It can be really tough to turn down the familiar comfort foods especially during times of celebration.
Over the years and through many different diets, I have come to understand two things about this special time.
One: Enjoy the intimacy and the love and friendships of these gatherings, they are over way too soon. And go by faster every year. You can return to your healthy way of eating the very next day.
Two: Don't stress so much about the right or wrong choices. The stress will negate any health benefits of eating well. Remember this is a joyous time. A time for celebration.
Three: If you are still concerned about the nutritional quality of you food, bless it. Yes, bless it. Send the food you are about to eat your healing thoughts and energy through a blessing. Thank everyone who had a hand in getting your food to your table. Thank the food for giving you its life and energy, so that you may have energy to live.
If your not sure about the last part, I recommend you check out a book by Dr. Masaru Emoto, The hidden messages of water. In his book Dr. Emoto
documents a wonderful study on the effects our emotions, words and music have on the structure and quality of water. He took samples of water, exposed them to music, spoken words and written words in label form. Then this water was frozen and the crystals photographed through a high powered microscope.
If it can work with water, it certainly can work with food.
I've attached a short video of some of the photos from Dr. Emotos book. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
Jenya
Longevity Educator and Coach
The Raw Food Resource
Calcium is an important nutrient for overall health. Unfortunately many of us believe that the only way to get enough calcium in our bodies is from one of only two sources: Dairy or supplements. Below is a breakdown of calcium content and absorption percentages found in food. Behold the power of a raw vegetable! Good plant sources of calcium • Chinese flowering cabbage • Bok choy • Kale • Broccoli • Sesame seeds – unhulled • Endive • Kelp (Kombu) – rinse to remove excess salt • Figs (dried) – 5 have about 100 mg of calcium Calcium content of foods Food Serving Ca amt. % Ca absorbed Estimated absorbable calcium Milk 8 oz 300 mg 32% 96 mg Cheese 1.5 oz 300 mg 32 97 mg Yogurt 8 oz. 300 mg 32 96 mg Bok Choy 1 cup 158 mg 54 86 mg Ch. Fl. Cabbage 1 cup 478 mg 40 190 mg Tofu 1 cup 516 mg 31 160 mg Spinach 1 cup 230 mg 5 12 mg Kale 1 cup 122 mg 50 60 mg Broccoli 1 cup 70 mg 61 43 mg Calcium content of Napa cabbage: • 59 mg (for one cup, according to USDA nutrient database) • 25 mg (for 100 g, according to Food Standards of Australia and NZ) • Neither database provides information on percentage of calcium absorbed References: Davis B, MelinaV. Becoming Vegan. Summertown, TN: Book Publishing Company, 2000. Weaver C, Proulx W, Heaney R. Choices for achieving ad Jenya The Raw Food Resource
Thanks everyone for your wonderful questions and your participation in my project of gathering up 10 most frequently asked questions about the Raw Food Lifestyle.
Hello everyone,
Hello everyone.
Even if you've never experienced “hitting the wall,” you've probably heard about it. The dreaded bonk is the athlete's worst nightmare. One minute you're running comfortably, the next you can barely walk. When the body runs out of carbohydrate supplies, it goes into survival mode and atletic performance is compromised. “Plant-based diets are naturally high in the most healthful forms of carbohydrates, helping athletes maximize glycogen stores, and allowing for harder work for longer periods of time.” -Brenda Davis, RD Carbohydrates are essential fuel for every cell in the body, and glucose (a simple sugar) is the primary form of energy in the body. Glucose not only supplies energy for the body, it is also an important precursor for protein production and lipid metabolism. Keeping the body's carbohydrate stores topped off, then, is essential for optimal nutrition. By choosing the proper foods for fueling our cells, you can avoid the bonk and maintain energy levels throughout exercise. Which carbohydrates are best for fueling activity? What sporting event is complete without a spaghetti dinner? We've all heard that athletes should consume lots of "complex carbs" like pasta, bread, and grains. Complex carbohydrates are usually considered the best source of carbohydrates, and indeed these foods are rich in them. But in terms of nutritional density, fresh, ripe fruit is more easily digested and supplies more nutrients per calorie than starchy alternatives. Where breads and starchy foods can take up to twenty-four hours to digest, a meal of fruit digests and begins fueling your cells within minutes. Processed sugar justifiably got a bad reputation because of its nutritional bankruptcy, but simple sugars that come from whole foods have been unfairly lumped into this same category. Fruits provide a complete package of readily available carbohydrates and an array of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, co-enzymes, and electrolytes to provide balanced nutrition for all cellular actions. Counting carbs The anti-carb craze has people running from carbs. But to run faster, you should run towards carbohydrates from whole foods. Most sports nutritionists recommend 70-80% of calories consumed should come from carbohydrates. For an athlete eating 3000 calories that equates to 525 to 600 grams of carbs per day. In terms of whole foods that would equal: 12-13 cups brown rice 17-20 large bananas 20-22 medium potatoes 29-33 large oranges 53-60 figs Seeking sweets You may consider a sweet tooth the bane of your existence, but did you know a sweet tooth does have a purpose? To satisfy our appetites and biological need for simple sugars we seek them out in whichever form we can find them. Fructose, the primary sugar in fruit, is easily converted into usable glucose and also tastes sweet. Our need for glucose is undeniable, and fruit is the most readily available, healthful source of simple sugars. Unlike starchy foods, which require cooking in order to be made palatable, fruit requires minimal preparation time. The next time you feel you need to refuel your muscles or just have a meal, consider fruit as an optimal fuel. Are you eating enough? Sometimes people transitioning to a plant-based diet experience low energy levels. Often this is because people are not consuming enough calories. Animal-based foods are generally more calorically dense due to high fat content. A hamburger, for example, contains around 500 calories. 5-7 bananas would have to be consumed for the same amount of calories. This means a larger volume of food must be consumed, but in the end the body is supplied with far superior nutrition. The case of the Kenyans A study of the diet of Kenyan runners found over 80% of their calories come from carbohydrates. The same is true for the Tarahumara Indians, the legendary marathon runners from Mexico. By the very nature of their profession, top athletes consume large amounts of carbohydrates. Animal foods, with the exception of dairy, are devoid of carbohydrates. Most athletes consume carbohydrates from processed foods like bread and refined sugar. All athletes – even the Kenyans – would do well to increase their consumption of whole foods as a main source of carbohydrates.In the past decade or so carbohydrates have received a lot of attention in the diet world and most of it was unfairly negative. If you are a weekend athlete, a full time athlete or just someone interested in staying healthy and maintaining good energy reserves this article from Organic Athlete will change your mind about Carbohydrates and Raw Food. Enjoy!
Why are carbohydrates critical?
One of the biggest ongoing misconceptions about Raw Food is: it's boring! Oh the excuses, I can't eat only salads and carrot sticks. I can't give up chocolate, I'm not giving up my ice cream!
Someone very wise said: a picture is worth a thousand words. Please enjoy watching the following introduction to raw food.
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David Power said:
Really interesting and worthwhile post !!! Cheers for that! David Power Expert in Hypnosis, Success Thinking and Practical Parenting read more
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John Ho said:
Hot & Raw!I like it like that :DIf microwave is NOT harmful, then I'll be micro waving raw almonds into... read more
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Yap, to preserve the life force in food, we need to avoid excessive cooked foodJohn Howww.purenumerology.com Understanding Personalities Through Numbers... read more
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Hey girl...what are you doing? Is it that time soon?Angela R. SilvestriPatterns of Perfection read more
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