Posts Tagged ‘Cup Of Coffee’

Raw Food Made Easy

April 19th, 2010

Raw foods recipes often sound a lot harder than they actually are, and the very best ones look like they have taken hours of kitchen prep time to get onto the table. This sort of impressive presentation gives a perception that eating a raw food diet is going to be a lot of hard work – but nothing could be further from the truth.

There are plenty of easy raw food recipes out there that are incredibly delicious, and are even easier to prepare than their cooked-food comparisons. If you have your doubts, take a look at these three meals in a typical day on the raw food diet, and you will see just how easy it could be to switch your diet to an all-raw way of eating.

For breakfast in the morning, many people do one of two things – they either pour themselves a cup of coffee and forgo an actual breakfast, or they chow down on sugary cereals, drowning in over-processed milk. While the cereal is better than simply skipping, neither option can hold a candle to the power and flavor of the mighty green smoothie recipes that you can incorporate into your everyday life in a raw eating plan. All you need to do is combine leafy greens with some firm-fleshed fruit, and after a few seconds in the blender, you have an easy raw breakfast.

Lunchtime can be a hassle – you only get an hour, so a fast food hamburger is often the best pick out of a pathetic local selection. But if you take into account the cost of that food and the time you have to wait in line, you’ll be saving on both by packing a raw lunch to bring with you. A hearty and delicious salad will fill you up with vitamins and fiber, instead of heavy, processed fats and sugars. You will feel the benefits from the very first time you make the switch – when that dead period hits everyone else a little later in the afternoon, you will still have energy to spare from your easy raw lunch.

Dinner can take upwards of a hour to prepare, with plenty of time spend watching the oven or stove top. But an easy switch to a raw food diet means that, very simply, you put your food into the dehydrator instead of the oven, and other prep times are comparable or less, meaning that eating raw will actually give you more than just higher levels of energy and better delivery of vitamins – it will also give you back time at home. And don’t worry about getting bored – meals can be as simple as chilled soups, or as complex as raw pizzas.

The key to eating a raw diet is never to let the perception and the fear dictate how you eat and what you consume. If you simply dive in and try it, you will find that there are an abundance of raw meals that are incredibly easy to prepare, surprisingly delicious, and as varied as your old ways.

Raw Food Smoothie Recipes

March 23rd, 2010

iStock_000003025292SmallIf the last smoothie that you had came from the mall, I have big news for you. While it might have been made fresh to order, and it might have contained all sorts of delicious fruits, it was probably about as healthy for you as a big, heaping bowl of chocolate ice cream – with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Yes, those smoothies from the fast-food joints are not smoothies that are going to do you any good. If you want a true smoothie – one made only from raw ingredients, and one that is going to make you feel great inside and out, then there is only one place to go – your own kitchen.

Not only will a smoothie made at home cost you pennies on the dollar as compared to what you can buy at the mall, you can control the contents in a way that will really benefit you.

For instance, let’s say it is early in the morning, but not early enough. You have five minutes to get out the door and head to work – no time to brew a cup of coffee, and certainly no time for a properly prepared breakfast.

You could stop somewhere and pick something up, but this recipe will take less time than even the most efficient drive-through window. All you need to do is toss a handful of leftover greens from last night’s dinner – be that spinach, kale or lettuce – into the blender, along with a cored apple, a drizzle of honey, and a cup of ice water. After less than a minute of blending, you have a great, healthy green smoothie that you can pour into a travel mug and enjoy on your way into work. It is nutritious, delicious, modifiable and incredibly easy. What more could you ask for in the morning?

But what if it’s not the morning? What if you’ve just come in from a hard workout, and you need to replace all the fuel you’ve just burned in your system?

You could grab a glass of pasteurized and otherwise dead milk, mixed with a dose of chocolate-flavored syrup. But why not replace the fuel with something of a higher octane than that?

Grab your trusty blender, and toss in a handful of your favorite fruits and berries, along with a few ice cubes, a cup of water and some nut milk – almond tends to work best for flavor, but go with whatever you prefer here. There are other milks available, including raw soy milks, so experiment a little, and find out what works best for you.

If you like a little more sweetness than the berries and fruit provides, add a bit of raw honey or agave syrup. Blend until smooth, and drink while it’s still cold. You’ll get a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals, fluids to replace what you’ve sweated out, and some protein to help those tired muscles to recover. And you’ll do it without all the added processed sugar and the hard-to-process milk products that your regular smoothie stop will usually toss in.

How to Eat Vegan and Have More Energy

March 20th, 2010

It is amazing how many people are willing to adapt to new technology in health and sports, but are still doing things the old fashioned way when it comes to the nutritional aspect of their well-being.

We buy pedometers and heart rate monitors; we run in the latest and newest innovations in shoes; but before we work out, we still slam back heavy foods; during, we consume sugary drinks and thick, viscous gel packs; afterwards, we gorge on fat and processed junk.

Sure, eating vegan would me much healthier, but the common misconception is that a vegan diet would be lacking in much of the energy-providing foodstuffs that a regular diet would provide. After all, eating vegan means limiting your intake so drastically, that you’re left with nothing but fruits and vegetables, right?

Wrong. A vegan diet can actually improve your athletic prowess, by providing you with the energy you never thought you could get from such basic and delicious foods.

Nuts are one of the best snacks you can have when you’re out on the run. Absolutely portable and incredibly easy to control for portions, you can have a handful of almonds in a bag in your pocket at all times, ready for when the munchies hit or your energy levels start to drop. Leave the energy bars at home, and load up on nuts instead.

Water is essential to having more energy, and the ultimate vegan food. While many of us take a pull on an electrolyte-enhanced drink or even a cup of coffee, we are getting the fluidity of the water but weighing it down with additives that you body could do without. Staying hydrated while you work is a sure way to get more out of your body, no matter what you are doing.

Goji berries have gotten a lot of press lately for their phenomenal health properties, one of which is the quick energy their natural sugars can provide you. In their dried form, these little wonders can go anywhere with you, and give you a quick burst of energy when you need it most.

Hummus and pita might sound like a fancy appetizer, but in actual fact, it is the best possible snack food you can find for during a prolonged workout. This tasty treat is light, which means you won’t feel the weight of it, sending you into cramps when the workout gets tough. But for all the lightness and flavor, you will find a ton of energy – so much so, that many ultra-marathon runners chose this as their on-the-run snack.

Strawberries can also help to give you energy without leaving the vegan track. Rich in vitamins and flavor, these berries are also calorie-neutral, which means that you get the sugars and vitamins, without having to worry about burning off the excess calories.

After you’re finished your workout, kale is a great choice to recoup some of the power you’ve burned off. For ease of eating, you can make a delicious green smoothie that will do more for you than the oft-recommended chocolate milk could ever dream of.

Energy Boosting Raw Foods

March 18th, 2010

When people think about foods that can give them a boost of energy, they don’t often think about non-processed and uncooked foods. You can blame the media if you like – there are no ads out there on television telling you about the benefits of blueberries, but there are plenty of advertisements to tell you about the newest blueberry-flavored energy drinks, with all the nutrients and benefits of real blueberries in every bottle.

Don’t you sometimes stop to wonder – if the ingredients are so good, why don’t we just skip all the other stuff, and eat the good stuff, without all the sugar and extra stuff that we don’t need? Here are three of the most heavily advertised energy-boosting items of the day, and a raw food alternative that will give you the same benefits, but with the added bonus of nothing else added after the fact.

Number one on most people’s stimulant list is the simple cup of coffee. Despite all the negatives associated with caffeine, many people still flock to this hot beverage every morning. Some studies have shown that the effects of caffeine may be more psychosomatic than actual, and we may just believe that coffee works, which makes caffeine seem all the more potent.

But if you want to avoid the boiling bean juice, and still want to get that jolt when you wake up, consider giving your body a burst of cold instead of hot. A glass of water can have the same invigorating effect as caffeine, without the chemicals, and it’s ready to serve much quicker. But don’t let that be your whole breakfast. Caffeine is to the body as nitrous oxide (or NOS) is to a race car’s engine: it gives a quick hit of power that burns out almost immediately and it can do real damage to the system. Instead, give your body a tank full of good fuel, and you’ll drive all day.

Another go-to food item for people looking for extra energy is that thinly disguised chocolate bar that they call an “energy bar”. Again, most of the energy comes from refined and processed sugars – hardly good fuel, but it does burn quick and bright. Instead of these heavy hitters, consider a handful of raw almonds. These nuts are just as portable as that chocolate bar, and will give you the calories your body needs to burn in order to operate, as well as some essential fats to help your body function.

The third item on this list resides on the ever-growing shelf of energy drinks. These caffeinated, sugar-enriched, chemical concoctions are full of all sorts of powerful but unhealthy additives, and in the long run, you are far better off going with a natural “energy drink” – the fresh fruit smoothie. They taste a thousand times better, give you much needed vitamins, and some natural sugars to burn in your engine. And compared to the high prices on the shelves, a smoothie will cost you pennies on the energy drink dollar.

Energy Foods – Coffee vs. Water

December 4th, 2009

cappuccino-300x250-thumbI have to confess that over the last year or so I’ve fallen in love with a good latte or cappuccino. I don’t if it’s the smooth creamy taste or slight caffeine buzz that I get, but something keeps me coming back for more.

And that’s with the knowledge that coffee consumption isn’t the greatest healthy practice. Maybe that makes this post even hypocritical. But it’s important information nonetheless.

But having said that, I don’t drink coffee for an energy boost. In fact, over time, it will do the exact opposite. It will drain your adrenals and, eventually, your body of its energy!

So let’s look at the difference between coffee and water as possible energy foods.

As you probably know coffee is by far one of the world’s most popular and loved beverages. According to Wirthlin Worldwide (a market research company), North Americans consume on average 1.8 cups of coffee per day.

Compare this to our water consumption. It is recommended to consume on average 8-10 8oz glasses of “living water” (ie. mineral rich, slightly alkaline, and energy producing when in body) each day. However, scary statistics reveal that 20% of North Americans drink no water at all while only 42% of us consume a mere 2 glasses or fewer.

The struggle between water and coffee is intensified further when you take into consideration that for each cup of coffee (100 mg caffeine) your body needs 3 cups of water to compensate for the water loss that occurs due to coffee’s diuretic effect.

Before ordering your next “mocha latte frappawhatever…” remember the following facts about coffee:

• Coffee intensifies stress, causing an average 40% increase in adrenaline. This results in increased blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, nervousness, and irritability.

• Coffee increases the secretion of stomach acid by 400%, contributing to gastritis and peptic ulcers.

• Coffee have a 50% higher risk of heart attack (British medical journal Lancet)

• Coffee causes a significant loss of nutrients, especially magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.

• Coffee is a major source of cadmium, a heavy metal that has been linked to cancer and immune suppression.

If you’re a woman, please consider the following even scarier facts:

• Caffeine is linked to ovarian cancer, and bladder and kidney cancers.

• Coffee increases the risk of miscarriage and can double the rate with just 1 cup (160 mg caffeine) per day (JAMA, 1993).

• Coffee has adverse effects on the baby’s muscular development and nutritional balance and increases the risk of birth defects.

• Coffee reduces fertility. More than 1 cup per day makes a woman half as likely to conceive (American Journal of Epidemiology)!

In regards to your energy, the caffeine inherent in coffee is the stimulant that gives you that short lasted energy rush in the morning. But here’s the problem, caffeine is like any other stimulant – it is a drug which creates dependency.

This dependency occurs as result of the caffeine receptors in your body which become saturated fairly quickly. As such, you need to consume more caffeine to elicit the same effect! You can see how this vicious cycle can get out of hand. If you’re a coffee drinker just think of the last time you went without coffee for a day or two.

How did you feel? Tired, irritable, headache? Exactly!

Water is bliss

Now consider the wonders of water. Considering that the adult body is at least 60% water its no wonder that clean “living water” can have absolutely phenomenal effects on your body.

Water is central to many bodily functions including circulation, digestion, absorption, and elimination of wastes. Water also carries electrolytes (ie. sodium, potassium) which are essential for electrical signaling within the body.

Considering its many roles in the body, is it any wonder that you can feel tired and sluggish when dehydrated?

Water is also a natural blood thinner since it makes up the majority of our blood. Water constitutes 95% of the plasma component of the blood which, in turn, comprises roughly 55% of total blood volume. Therefore, when your body does not receive enough water, the blood loses its fluidity as water is drawn out of the blood. The result – clumping of red blood cells. This increased blood viscosity leads you to feeling more tired and sluggish.

So, one of the easiest, safest, and best ways to boost your energy throughout the day is to constantly sip on “living water” to keep your body hydrated and functional.

A rule of thumb for how much water you should be drinking per day (at rest) is the following:

Multiply your body weight (lbs) x 0.55 and divide by 8. This will give you the number of 8oz glasses that you should be drinking per day at rest.