Go Green

Green, green, glorious green!

We constantly hear the news reports and we continue to read about adding 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies into our diet. If one is a raw fooder or incorporates raw foods into their diet, it seems it would be easy to get enough of the green stuff, right? 

Truth be told, most vegetarians/vegans/raw fooders do not get the amount of greens needed to thrive. Most eat far too much fruit and not enough veggies. Seems to me that fruit is peelable and readily eat-able, whereas veggies need some more prep work like slicing, dicing, tossing, and dressing.

This is where green smoothies come in! They are easy, easy, easy. I had been doing raw food eating for a couple of years before I added in these wonderful concoctions. And now I cannot believe the difference I feel. Imagine if I had started green smoothies from the get-go?!

"Green for Life" by Victoria Boutenko is the book one needs to read if serious about improving health. If you want to not only survive, but thrive, read it! 

Basically, you need a high speed blender (such as K-Tec or Vita Mix), not your mamma's old yellow whip-up-some-fluff blender. Of course you need a good dose of greens (i.e. romaine heart, kale, spinach, celery, collard greens, beet tops, and so on), some fruit (frozen fruit adds a nice touch, but fresh works great too!), and about one cup of water. Viola!

This green mess is fondly referred to as pond sludge around our house. But I think such a yucky name should not be given to a drink that has the potential to restore health and vitality. You see, these green smoothies help your body in a myriad of ways. As pointed out in "Green for Life," Victoria discusses these benefits:

- adds minerals & nutrients at amounts you cannot get from eating your way through a salad

- in contrast to juicing (which has its place too), blending gives you much-needed fiber which is important to bind up waste and toxins for free ride outta the body

- helps to regulate your stomach acid to the needed level for proper food digestion (poor stomach acid levels walk hand-in-hand with food allergies, immunological disorders, and more)

- alkaline balance can be achieved (too much acid is really bad for our bodies--many types and forms of disease cannot exist in an alkaline environment)

Now as some of you may know, last fall I started a journey through a land of bad health due to unexplainable stomach distention and sometimes pain. I had an array of other issues at the same time too, none of which the doctors could connect or pinpoint a cause & effect. I had a slew of tests (invasive, toxic at times, not to mention expensive!)--only to find nothing "wrong" with me. 

Well, with my degree and background in health education and my desire to continually improve my health and that of my family and friends, I kept on searching. And praying. Finally, after two raw fooders suggested this book, I read it. Victoria ties together many of my health issues and gives me cause & effect answers that the docs with their hi-tech gear could not. 

Food. Nutrients. Nutrition. Healing. Health. Those terms all go together. Listen, we are what we eat. Eat living food for a living body.

Basically, the green smoothies have given me more energy, have taken away my food cravings, satisfy my stomach for longer than a non-blended breakfast, and help my body to need less sleep. In addition, my insulin requirements have been cut back drastically. Amazingly some times I can even take off my insulin pump for a few hours. I know of others (family and friends) who have also seen similar health improvements. In her book, Victoria also has a section of testimonials that are pretty awesome and inspiring. 

If you trying to make some minor or major health improvements, give the green smoothies a whirl, or should I say a "blend?" 

My favorite green smoothie:

- 1 cup of water

- a bunch of kale (when, if wadded up would be the size of 3 cups in the blender canister)

- 1 apple (just core it)

- juice of 1/3 of a lemon

* tip: do buy & use organic produce!

Experiment. Use any combination. Just be sure to add a lot of green matter. Add the fruit in too. And remember that if you throw in some blueberries, strawberries and other non-green produce, your smoothie will turn an odd color. Just put it in a colored cup with a lid and straw if you have an aversion to how it looks. I do this for my son and he drinks them down.

What are you waiting for? Go Green!

Nuts & Seeds

One of the sources for protein on the raw food diet is from nuts & seeds. Some guidelines to keep in mind as you transition into the nutty world of raw...

1. buy "raw" nuts and seeds

If you don't see "raw" on the label it has likely been roasted (roasting turns "good" oils into "bad" oils and destroys all living properties). 

2. as a general rule, soak nuts overnight and seeds for at least 4 hours

This makes the nutrients more digestible (after soaked, rinse your nuts/seeds very thoroughly; if you don't eat them right away, place them in your dehydrator for a couple hours at 104 degrees to dry them; store in fridge or freezer).

3. can be used in a multitude of recipes 

Keep your fridge/freezer stocked with a variety of nuts/seeds because they are used in everything from nut-milks to pie crust to raw food burgers to puddings...

4. sprouted nuts & seeds are packed full of viable vitamins and nutrients

Sprouting makes them one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet! It flip-flops the fat-protein ratio so you have more protein and less fat; when sprouted, they are chocked full of more nutrients at this time than any other. 

Basically, soak overnight (I add a little pinch of ascorbic acid to deter mold growth), rinse thoroughly, spread on a sprouting tray or a colander, cover from daylight, keep on counter, rinse frequently throughout the day; consume when little sprouties just poke through or when the full sprout is visible (do some research online or in a book to find out more about sprouting methods). Some refer to sprouting as countertop gardening!

My favorite thing to sprout are sunflower seeds. They are done in about 3 days and turn a slightly pinkish color, making for an interesting salad addition. Raw, organic sunflower seeds are easy to find and inexpensive too!

MY EASY RECIPE...

- couple handfuls of sunflower seeds (soaked or sprouted)

- 1 cup of chopped celery

- minced onion to taste (I use 1/4 cup)

- 1/2 sliced & diced cucumber

- 1/4 cup olive oil (cold-pressed and organic)

- 2 TBSP lemon juice (right out of lemon is best)

- 1 TBSP dill 

~ Mix it all together and eat on your green salad or spread on raw crackers/bread. I like to take about 1/3 of mixture and zap it in the food processor and add it back to bowl--this creates a pate flair. Ooohlaalaa. 

What is raw food?

"Raw food" as a literary term for most conjures up images of unsightly raw meats and assorted uncooked foods. To use an '80's term, "gross me out!"

What "raw food" really means is "living food." The basic and quick definition of raw food is this...foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds that are raw still have their active and very functional enzymes intact. 

Enzymes are the catalysts for many, many chemical reactions in our amazing bodies. When food is cooked, the enzymes are destroyed. And when you eat a food lacking in enzymes, your body has to exert all kinds of extra energy, starting in the gut for digestion and then throughout the body to counter other negative effects.

Both the digestive and metabolic arenas are highly involved. Instead of reinventing the wheel here, I will include a quote from the book entitled "How We All Went Raw" by the Nungesser siblings in regard to enzymes...

"When we eat food that has lost its enzymes, our pancreas compensates for the deficiency in order to facilitate digestion by using molecules that would have normally gone to making metabolic enzymes. The rest of the metabolic functions in the body suffer because of the expended energy lost to digestion of cooked food during enzyme production."

"We only have a certain amount of the basic building block molecules and only a certain amount of energy with which to build them. Healing, thinking, blood clotting, resting physical activity, and any other metabolic pathway that you can think of all suffer loss." 

Over time I will include much more information, but the enzyme explanation is the bulk of it. Basically, living foods assist a living body to thrive!

So, if you are interested in becoming a total raw vegan or just interested in adding some more fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds to your diet, climb aboard! We have all got to start somewhere.

Let's Go!

Okay, here goes...

My journey to raw food is similar to many others I am sure. I cut out red meats and hot dogs (after hearing what they are made of) in high school, nearly 20 years ago (ouch!). In college, I became a vegetarian after a severe food-related illness. A couple of years later, I cut out all dairy. That is the way I was for many years. I wasn't eating meat, but I was eating a lot of vegetarian junk...chips, processed foods and pre-packaged meals. 

After being introduced to raw food eating by a lovely girl at church (thanks Sheri!), I kept an eye on her for about a year. She seemed healthy and vibrant. One day I got a photo from my mom that she snapped on a visit. I saw what I looked like and about gagged. I was all puffy and not looking well. Then a couple of days later, I went out to eat and suffered the usual overstuffed sensations and then I finally listened to my body. And as I lay there in bed that night in agony, I was still long enough to hear God telling me it is time to make some changes. 

I went 100% raw the next day. I didn't want to ease into it because I needed some firm boundaries. Immediately I felt great! I had more energy and better overall health. People noticed the change too. Now, I am not a believer in the scale, but I know that I lost some weight and my body shape changed. This is very common for raw foodist when they convert to a living foods diet.

A year later I started to add in some cooked foods. And then more cooked foods. Before I knew it, my health started to suffer. I went through some major health issues for about six months. And recently I met another raw foodist who is 100% raw. For her it is "life or death" to be a raw foodist, as she put it. I jumped back on the raw wagon and have added in green smoothies to kick it into high gear. I feel awesome, or should I say "rawesome!" 

As I pray for guidance and purpose in my life, God is putting people in my life who are also looking for a path to lead them to better health...

I have a health education degree and I love, love, love to teach. And to write. And to feed people. So, here I am, a SIMPLE RAW FOOD MAMMA who wants to share with you so you too can experience great health and vitality. As I state in the title of the blog, we need to not just survive, but thrive!

I want to use this blog to share what is on my heart, mind, and plate with you! I want you to post comments and suggestions and ideas too. Let's make this a place of learning and living!