A lot of you have been “bugging” me about what my daily diet looks like.

And that’s cool…

Because I’m happy to share it with you – for the most part.

Although I’m not 100% raw, I do try my best to eat as many raw fruits and veggies throughout the day so that by dinner time I have a little more flexibility.

In this picture, I’m about to eat my favourite treat – Oscar!

So here’s what my day looked like yesterday…

8am – morning jog (can be substituted for family walk or morning workout or yoga)

9am – massive green smoothie

INGREDIENTS: head of lettuce, 1 pear, 1 apple, 1 banana, handful of parsley, juice of 1/2 lime, and water

12pm – decaf almond milk latte

1pm – pear

5pm – Moroccan kale soup (one of our Cleanse recipes)

INGREDIENTS: kale, lentils, chic peas, cilantro, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, cumin, cayenne, tumeric, water.

7-10pm – Tennis (my love!)

10pm – 1 liter of water with electrolyte solution (courtesy of my friend Lucas Rockwood)
- pear
- blueberry cereal (blueberries, shredded coconut, organic peanut butter, almond milk)

10:45pm – bedtime

NOTE: Tuesday nights I end up eating a little too much before going to bed thanks to my tennis league. This morning I woke up feeling …not so hot. Just a reminder to not eat a lot before going to bed.

Some people are pretty robotic with what they eat each day. Me…not at all.

The only thing that stays pretty consistent for me each day is a green smoothie, my decaf almond milk latte, and usually lots of veggies at dinner.

I also have a sweet tooth so occasionally I indulge in a local baked treat.

But for the most part, I try to stay raw vegan because that’s when I look, feel, and perform the best.

I also realize that we are all different and that’s why it’s important to really listen to your body and figure out what works best for you.

Another resource that has really helped me add more simple and delicious raw recipes to my diet is my friend Joy Houston’s Rocking Body Raw Food program.

In fact, her “healthy” coffee alternative – MACA Fava – is awesome. That’s what initially got me hooked.

Now, I’m a sucker for many of her smoothies and other really unique raw recipes.

But the 2 things I like best about her program is that since all the recipes come with video instruction, I can actually see Joy making the meals, which is really helpful.

Second, her raw recipes take little to no time at all to prepare and that’s a big thing for me – time is precious!

==> You can learn more about her raw food program here

I would actually suggest you join her 14-day program and try it for yourself. It really is great.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

A Raw food breakfast is the ultimate way to start your day. It will kick start your energy, and infuse your body with nutrients. When you start the day with a raw healthy breakfast, then you are much more likely to stick with positive eating habits for the rest of the day.

Quinoa can be the basis of many super healthy breakfast ideas, both Raw and partially Raw.

What is quinoa?

Quinoa is technically a seed (from the Goosefoot plant), although is widely used as a grain substitute. It is gluten free, and is a complete protein source. It is also is a great source of iron, B-vitamins, zinc and copper. It deserves a place as a staple ingredient in every vegan diet, but people are often unsure about how to prepare it. Here is one of my favourite healthy breakfast ideas using quinoa. This recipes use cooked quinoa, which is still incredibly healthy and is ideal for cold mornings, along with an abundance of Raw ingredients. This is a great “Raw transition recipe” for when you are trying to up your intake of Raw food, but still enjoy the comfort and sensation of eating cooked food.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas – Simple Quinoa Porridge

Serves 4
Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa, still warm
2 tbsp soaked nuts or seeds of your choice, chopped (almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower make good choices)
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp dried apricots or figs, chopped
Pinch himalayan sea salt
Pinch cinnamon
1/2 – 1 cup Raw nut milk
Agave syrup or honey to sweeten

Method

Combine all ingredients and leave to stand until nut milk is absorbed. Add more or less milk to achieve the desired consistency.

There are many variations on this quinoa porridge, but as long as you follow the basic principles (nut milk, dried or fresh fruit, plus some nuts, seeds and sweetener), the possibilities are endless.

If you want a 100% Raw recipe, then you can sprout the quinoa and the combine it with nut milk, nuts, seeds and fruit to make quinoa museli.

Other Raw Healthy Breakfast Ideas

If you don’t have time to make a healthy quinoa breakfast, then some other quick and easy Raw healthy breakfast ideas include:

Smoothies (especially green smoothies)
Freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable Juices
Fruit Salad
Raw desserts (which are healthy at any time of day!)

For many other healthy breakfast ideas, check out Eating For Energy, which gives you a complete 12 week meal plan of Raw and healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.

How To Guide To Healthy Living For Students

Healthy living for students can be challenging.
Money and time are often tight, and long hours spent studying can leave you mindlessly reaching for fatty and sugary snacks for energy.
The typical student lifestyle is often heavy on alcohol, take-outs and partying. All of this can lead to many people gaining significant weight during their student years, which can be very difficult to shift.
To avoid having to go through the pain of trying to lose the weight gained during an unhealthy student lifestyle, why not make a commitment to living healthily during your student years? By incorporating some of the principles of a Raw food diet, you can not only eat economically and prepare healthy foods quickly, but you will also have abundant energy which is bound to have a positive effect on your grades. A healthy, well nourished body will also be able to withstand the rigours of student life much more effectively, so you will still be able to “burn the candle at both ends” whilst feeling the effects far less!
Here are some top tips to living healthily as a student:

Healthy Living For Students Top Tip # 1

Make eating healthily fast and hassle free.
As a student, you have a busy life, and most often need to grab food on the go.
Set aside one afternoon a week to prepare healthy food for the week ahead.
For example, chop and freeze bananas that can be thrown in smoothies later in the week.
Prepare a batch of healthy salad dressing that can be tossed over salads throughout the week. Mix together nuts, seeds and cacao nibs to that you can grab a handful of whenever you need some energy.

Healthy Living For Students Top Tip #2

Make healthy eating the economical choice
There is a popular misconception that eating healthily is expensive. But if you add up the cost of take-outs, ready meals and other convenience foods you will see that eating healthy can actually be much more friendly on your wallet. Buy healthy ingredients in bulk whenever possible to save both money and time. Do some research to find out which stores offer discounts to students, and use price comparison sites to find the best weekly deals. Ordering your weekly groceries online can also prevent you impulse buying and making unhealthy choices. Write out a list and stick to it.

Healthy living for students does not have to be difficult, time consuming or expensive. With a little forward planning and organization, you can eat both healthily and cheaply as a student, by incorporating some of the principles of a Raw food diet.

Teaching Children Healthy Habits

When it comes to teaching children healthy habits, especially when it comes to eating, most parents feel that they have an uphill struggle on their hands. However, we are born to instinctively make the right choices when it comes to food. It is only when we learn unnatural eating habits that are bodies become conditioned to desire unhealthy foods.
The best way of teaching children healthy habits is of course to start from birth. However, if your children already have unhealthy eating habits, it is still possible to turn things around.

Top Tips For Teaching Children Healthy Habits

Start Early
Teaching children healthy habits should be started as soon as the child begins eating solid food. Naturally sweet foods such as fresh fruit should be introduced, as opposed to refined sugars, which will only start the child off on a unhealthy route.
This way, the child will be automatically inclined to make the right choices and crave healthy foods.

Educate children about where food comes from
It is a sad fact that many children do not know what a fresh fruit or vegetable even looks like, as they are used to eating them only in processed form. For example, many children don’t know that potatoes are used to make french fries! Involve children in the weekly grocery shop, and allow them to assist with choosing fresh, natural foods. This will spark a natural enthusiasm and interest in healthy ingredients.

Get children involved in preparing their food
Children love to cook and prepare food, and are much more likely to eat something that they have had some input in preparing.
Instilling a passion for being creative with food with encourage children to try out a wide variety of foods that they may have not eaten if they were just put in front of them.
Preparing food with your children is a great way of teaching them healthy habits, as well as enabling you to spend quality time with them. You could even get them their own little apron and chefs hat for further encouraging them to participate in food preparation.

Teaching Children Healthy Habits – Conclusion

Teaching children healthy habits does not have to be an uphill struggle. If it is approached in a relaxed and fun manner, then getting children to eat healthy food is easy. Becoming uptight and stressed over a childs eating habits will only exacerbate the problem.

Raw Vegan Transition For The Whole Family

Here are some great tips on how to include more Raw vegan foods into your diet. This is a fantastic way to sneak more Raw foods into your families diet as well, without them even realising! As you become more used to eating Raw foods, and realise how fantastic you feel, you can make the whole meal Raw.

Partly Raw Vegan Recipes

Invest in a spiralizer – this inexpensive piece of equipment will enable you to create Raw vegan pasta and noodles out of vegetables such as cucumber, zucchini and sweet potatoes.
Top the Raw pasta or noodles with your favourite warm sauce. This is an absolute winner with kids and adults alike!

Served warmed pasta or noodles with Raw sauce, which is the opposite of the meal above! Use regular pasta and noodles and cook as normal. Whip up a delicious Raw pasta sauce by blending any combination of fresh vegetables (e.g. garlic, tomatoes, zucchini and bell pepper work well), along with olive oil, fresh herbs and seasoning. Pour over the warmed pasta.

Delicious Raw rice can be made simply by chopping cauliflower florets in a food processor for a minute or two until it resembles rice. Both the texture and appearance are remarkably similar to rice which the whole family will love. Start off by serving the Raw rice with the rest of the warmed meal – e.g. it is delicious with hot curries or any other meal which is served with rice.

100% Raw Vegan Foods That The Whole Family Will Love

The following recipes are made entirely from Raw ingredients, but are so delicious no one will even notice!

Raw salads – one simple way to increase you and your families Raw food intake, is to serve a huge Raw salad with every meal. As well as the raw veggies and salad ingredients you can also maxmimize the flavour and nutrition of the salad by throwing in nuts, seeds, fruit and oils.

Raw smoothies – Drinking Raw smoothies for breakfast is a great way to ensure that your family is getting super Raw nutrition at the beginning of each day. Experiment with different fruit combinations, and increase the nutritional value of the smoothie by adding “booster” ingredients such as wheatgrass, hemp, linseeds or fish oil.

Raw nut milk – Raw milk is delicious and easy to make. By switching from dairy to Raw vegan nut milk, you will be making a huge step forward for your health. If you plan on making fresh nut milk every day then you will get best results using a powerful blender, and some nut mylk bags Experiment with different flavours, such as almond and brazil. Nut milk can be used in smoothies, and also poured over non Raw cereal as a delicious way of incorporating more Raw vegan foods into your families diet.

Indian Raw Food recipes

One of the things that people worry most about missing when switching to a mostly Raw diet, is a nice hot curry! Indian food is becoming ever more integrated into western diets, as it is both delicious and nutritious. Well the goods news is that you don’t have to give up Indian food!

Indian raw food recipes are some of the most delicious ways to eat Indian food, and these recipes will allow you to experience it in a whole new way.
By using Indian ingredients in this way, you retain all of the nutrients and enzymes that would be destroyed using traditional cooking methods.

There are literally thousands of Indian Raw food recipes that you could create yourself if you have the basic store cupboard ingredients available.

Here are some of my favorite Indian Raw food recipes to start you off

Indian Raw Food Recipes – Appetizer

Curried Cauliflower Soup:

(This recipe is adapted from Matt Amsdens Rawvolution)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw olive oil.
• 1/8 cup Tamari
• 1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• 2 cups cauliflower florets plus extra to garnish
• 2 sticks celery.
• 1/3 cup macadamia nuts
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 3-4 cloves peeled garlic

Directions:

• Attach the “s’ blade to the blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Serve garnished with chopped cauliflower florets.

Indian Raw Food Recipes – Entree

Garam Masala Gobi:

(Adapted from a recipe by acclaimed Raw food chef Joel Odhner)

Ingredients:

• 1 cauliflower cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 cup brazil nuts
• 1/4 cup Raw olive oil
• squeeze of lemon
• 3 Tsp garam masala
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 bunch coriander (cilantro) for garnish
• Pinch Himalayan sea salt

Directions:

• First make the sauce. Blend the cayenne pepper, olive oil, nuts, lemon juice, salt, and garam masala until smooth.
• Next, toss the cauliflower in the sauce and place in a dehydrator for 1-2 hours. Garnish with coriander.

Although I don’t usually include Raw food recipes that require dehydrators, sometimes there are recipes that are just too good to leave out! However, even if you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still enjoy this recipe – by using your oven! Place the temperature to the lowest heat so the dish will warm through very gently, and open the door every so often. You can monitor the temperature with an oven thermometer to ensure it doesn’t go past 120 F.

Indian Raw Food Recipes – Dessert

Here is the Raw food take on the traditional Indian dessert barfi, created by Californian Indian Raw food chefs Rohit and Rishi from Roshis.com . Barfi is usually made with
milk, sugar and clarified butter, which will leave you feeling bloated and in need of 12 hours sleep! This Raw version, however, tastes just as good, and is so simple to make. You will need:

• 1/2 pound almonds
• 1/2 pound cashews
• 1 tsp cardamon powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp himalayan sea salt
• Raw cacao powder
• Extra nuts and some dried or fresh fruit pieces to garnish

Directions:

• First, grind the nuts to a powder like consistency using a food processor.
• Next, place the ground nuts in a bowl with the cardamom powder, salt, and agave nectar.
• Stir the mixture until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Spread the mixture evenly on a large wooden chopping board until it is about half an inch thick.  Cut into small, bite sized shapes such as  diamond (or get creative!).
• Dip each individual piece into the cacao.  Top each barfi with a little piece of nut, or dried or fresh fruit.

These Indian Raw food recipes just go to show that it doesn’t matter what cuisine you currently love, but switching to a Raw food diet you don’t have to miss out. Almost any recipe can be adapted to fit in with the principles of Raw food, and will enable you to enjoy your favorite dishes in a new, healthy and exciting way.

6 Must Eat Living Foods For Optimal Health

Living the Raw food lifestyle gives you amazing opportunities to incorporate living foods for optimal health into your diet. Here is a delicious sample of foods that you can look forward to including in a diet that is high in Raw, living ingredients:

Living Foods For Optimal Health – Fruit

Blueberries: Blueberries often get overlooked in favour of more exotic berries such as goji and acai berries. Blueberries, however, also pack a huge nutritional punch, and can be more economical to purchase. Blueberries contain compounds that inhibit cancer cell growth and bacteria such as e.coli. They also contain useful nutrients that are claimed to protect and improve vision. Enjoy them in smoothies, mixed with raw granola, or simply enjoyed on their own.

Dates – Dates can be eaten fresh or sun dried, and are an excellent source of iron and calcium. They can be used to sweeten desserts and drinks, as well as being delicious in salads and wraps. They are also a great pre workout snack for athletes. In “Eating For Energy”, you will find many innovative recipes that use dates in new and exciting ways.

Avocado – avocados contain a higher proportion of protein than any other fruit known to man. They are an essential source of fats for vegans, as well as being rich sources of vitamin E, B vitamins, potassium and vitamin C. They are especially useful in a Raw diet, as they add a satisfying, creamy consistency to foods such as soups and desserts, which can help wean you from cooked foods to Raw. They can also be enjoyed in salads, wraps and smoothies, as well as being delicious on their own. Avocados, therefore, are extremely high up on the list of essential living foods for optimal health.

Cacao: Raw cacao is packed full of phytonutrients and is another of the ideal living foods for optimal health. It contains huge amounts of antioxidants, and is one of the richest known sources of magnesium and chromium. Enjoy raw cacao nibs as a high powered snack combined with berries and seeds, or mix raw cacao powder into smoothies and desserts.

Living Foods For Optimal Health – Sea Vegetables

Kelp – kelp is part of the family of sea vegetables which are among the ultimate living foods for optimal health. Sea vegetables are used in many raw recipes, including Raw sushi and wraps, as well as sprinkled on salads. Kelp in particular is a rich source calcium, containing over 1000mg calcium per 100g. It also contains iron, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.

Living Foods For Optimal Health – Sprouts

Sprouts: Growing and eating your own sprouts encapsulates the very essence of what it is to enjoy a diet high in living foods for optimal health. Sprouting is cheap, easy and fun, and having a variety of different sprouts continually growing in your kitchen means that you will have a constant supply of delicious living food. Experiment with sprouting a variety of crops such as alfalfa, chick peas, lentils and quinoa.

If you are looking for inspiration on how to get more of the above foods into your diet, then my 12 week meal plan included in “Eating For Energy” will show you exactly how to do this. Inside the 359 page guide you will find information and recipes on how to include a whole range of the most essential living foods for optimal health into your life.

Advantages Of Organic food – Is It Really Worth It?

Are you always hearing that organic food is superior to non-organic, but aren’t sure why? After all, organic food is expensive and difficult to find, right? Wrong!

Here are the reasons why NOT eating organic can cost you a lot more in the long run, and how with a little planning it doesn’t have to cost more than non-organic food.

Below are some of the advantages of organic food:

1.) Organic food has more nutritional value, having been grown in nutrient dense soil, free from chemicals that are designed to kill living things.

2.) Organic food is infinitely better for the environment that non organic – the pesticides and chemicals that are used in intensive farming methods wreak all sorts of havoc.  Polluting the water supply, contributing to soil erosion and poisoning the water supply are just some of the effects caused by non organic food production methods.

3.) Organic foods taste so much better – purer, like nature intended. As you begin to eat a larger proportion of organic foods you will be shocked at the difference you notice in taste between organic and non organic foods.

Ways to enjoy the advantages of organic food on any budget:

1.) Buy in bulk – these days, it not just fruit and vegetables that are available in organic, there is an organic version of almost everything. Buy organic foods that have a long shelf life (such as nuts, seeds, cacao, oil etc.) online in bulk. This will cost more initially, but you will end up saving much more in the long run (and spending less than on your usual non organic food!) and will save you the hassle of having to shop so regularly. You could even get together with a neighbor or family member to split large packs of bulk organic produce so that you both get to benefit from the saving while reducing the initial financial outlay.

2.) If you don’t want to switch to everything organic, then choose which foods you do switch to organic wisely. Fruits and vegetables that are generally sprayed most heavily with pesticides include grapes, strawberries, bell peppers, apples, peaches, cherries, celery, apricots and bananas.

3.) Consider growing your own! Maintaining your own organic fruit and vegetable garden is one of the most cost effective and spiritually satisfying ways of getting more organic produce into your diet. If this is not an option for you, then at the very least grow your own organic sprouts and some windowsill organic herbs.

As you switch to higher quality, Raw organic food, you will find yourself having less desire for expensive processed convenience foods. You will also be infusing your body with nutrient dense food which will leave you feeling satisfied with less. Organic foods give you the maximum nutritional bang for your buck meaning that you will start to focus less on quantity and more on quality.

As you can see there are many advantages of organic food, and with a little forward planning going organic doesn’t have to cost any more. As you can see, NOT going organic may prove to be far more costly in the long run. With the above tips and tricks you can enjoy the full advantages of organic food in the most cost effective way possible.

Why  The “Raw” Diet Provides The Best High Energy Foods For Sports

For those involved in sports or physical activity (which should be all of us!), it is crucial that your body is properly nourished and hydrated, not only before, during and after your workout, but also in general day-to-day life.

Raw ingredients have such a high nutrient density, that those whose diet is made up mostly of these incredible foods will already have an added advantage when it comes to sports performance. This is because during physical performance your body will not just rely on any healthy pre-workout snacks you may have consumed, but will draw from the nutritional reserves you have built up over time.

Eating a diet that is high is Raw plant based super foods is excellent for achieving both long term nutritional health, and for providing high energy foods for sports.

Once you have your long term nutritional needs sorted through eating a consistently high Raw diet, next is to focus on eating optimum high energy foods for sports to maximize your performance and ensure swift recovery.

Best high energy foods for sports

Pre-workout high energy foods for sports:

Your pre-workout snacks before participating in sport should include complex carbohydrates to top up your glycogen stores.  Simple carbohydrates such as those found in dried and fresh fruit provide a fast burst of energy without playing havoc with blood sugar.

High energy foods for sports to be consumed during activity:

If activity lasts more than an hour then it is important to keep glucose levels replenished, as stores can deplete quickly. Raw sports drinks and gels provide perfect nutrition to be consumed during high intensity sport and do not contain any of the artificial flavourings and junk contained in commercial sports drinks. Eating For Energy has a whole section on how to achieve optimum nutrition for athletes through a Raw diet, including delectable recipes for sports gels, puddings and drinks – you’ll find yourself exercising more just for an excuse to consume them!

Post high energy foods for sports

What you eat after exercise is crucial for the fastest possible recovery, and to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to repair and to grow. Your post workout snacks should include both high quality plant protein and essential fatty acids as well as some simple sugars. A perfect way to incorporate all the nutrients you should consume post workout, that can also be absorbed quickly, is in the form of a fruit smoothie or natural sports drink or juice.

For the full low down on how a diet high in Raw food can explode your performance and help you get into the best shape of your life be sure to check out Eating For Energy for detailed information and recipes.

Some Basic Principles Of The Raw Food Diet

If you are thinking of switching to a Raw food diet, then becoming aware of the principles of the Raw food diet is a good place to start! Although the basics of a Raw diet may seem obvious at first, it can be confusing as to what foods are classified as Raw.

When we talk about a Raw food diet, we are referring to a vegan diet that consists of unprocessed, uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains that are eaten raw, or heated to less than 118F (the temperature at which essential nutrients and enzymes are destroyed). There are Raw food diets that advocate eating raw meat, fish and dairy products (yuk!), however the vegan principles of the Raw food diet are based on overwhelming research which concludes that animal products are highly acidic and do much more harm to the body than good.

Its OK to follow the principles of the Raw Food Diet To Varying Degrees

Most people who adopt the Raw lifestyle may start off gradually and eventually become “Higher Raw”. This means eating around 80% of all meals according to the principles of the Raw food diet. There are, however, a significant number of dedicated people who follow a Raw lifestyle 100% of the time. Although this is the healthiest diet possible, it is quite difficult to attain for most people, and optimum nutrition and health can still be achieved on a higher Raw diet.

When you start investigating the Raw food diet, you will be astounded at all of the amazingly delicious and nutritious foods you can eat that you may never have been aware of!  You will also discover news ways to combine fruits and vegetables to make mouth watering salads, juices and smoothies that are simply out of this world. Eating for Energy will accustom you to the principles of the raw food diet, providing 12 weeks of menu plans with meals that can be prepared in under 10 minutes.

There are, however, foods that are eaten often as part of a Raw food diet that can easily be confused with non-raw versions. Here are some of the most common to watch out for, and why its important to choose the “Raw” versions:

Choosing Ingredients That Follow The Principles Of The Raw Food Diet

• Olives: Standard supermarket olives that are sold in tins and jars are not Raw and have been pasturized using high heat, destroying much of the flavour, nutrients and enzymes. Standard olives are usually stored in nitrates, xanthium and guar gum. Raw olives have all of their nutrients and enzymes intact and taste divine. They can be a little harder to find, although they are widely available on online health food shops and amazon. You may also be able to buy them locally depending on where you live, in health foods shops or at farmers markets.

• Nuts: The majority of nuts are not usually heat treated, with the exception of almonds which quite often are, therefore meaning they are no longer Raw. The enzymes in heat treated nuts cannot be activated even when soaked. Nuts will make up such as large part of a Raw diet that a great tip is to buy Raw nuts in bulk online which will save you a lot of money and ensure you are never without a plentiful supply.

• Olive Oil: For the same reason that Raw olives are so much better for you, you should always buy olive oil that has been made from Raw olives. Again this is easily available in health food shops or online.

• Nut Milk: Many Raw recipes call for the use of nut milk, and it is a staple of a Raw vegan diet. However, in order for the nut milk to be classed as Raw you will need to make your own; shop bought nut milk, although vegan, is heat treated to extend its shelf life, destroying much of the goodness. Making your own nut milk is a fun, quick and easy process, and is something those following the Raw diet tend to make part of their daily routine. However, if you are just starting out on the Raw diet, and want to experiment with some of the recipes, then you could start with shop bought nut milk.

With a little research it is is to cut through any confusion regarding the principles of the Raw food diet, and simply concentrate on the fun part – eating delicious Raw food!