Posts Tagged ‘lose weight’

The Power of Raw Foods for Weight Loss

May 2nd, 2010

Trying to lose weight can be a real battle. Putting on the pounds tends to be a gradual process, one that goes unnoticed as the months and years go by, until one day, we simply stop fitting into our favorite clothes.

We dust off the old bathroom scale, tentatively climb on, and discover just how far we have let ourselves go. And just like that, we decide that the excess weight – which has taken a long time to add on – must come off, and it must come off now.

For many people in this situation, the idea of using a raw food diet for weight loss seems like the best solution. All you have to do is get rid of everything cooked or processed, and voila! The pounds will simply melt away. Of course, that is not the case.

Those sneaky pounds have taken months to accumulate, and getting rid of them will take just as long. But eating more raw foods will certainly get you moving in the right direction.

A raw food diet can give you a lot of power in the battle to lose weight. For one thing, raw foods contain no additional fats and sugars. Processed and cooked foods are often laden with additional fattening ingredients to improve the taste that is often lost in the cooking process. And while the end result is flavorful, it is also rather harmful to your body. Raw foods have all of their own natural flavors still intact and undiluted, which means you won’t have to add processed white sugar to them in order to make the taste pop.

A raw diet plan will also give you more foods that are incredibly high in fibre. That means that what you eat will not be empty calories that will still leave you feeling peckish now and starving later; those raw foods carry enough bulk to ensure that you push away from the dining table with a satisfied, full feeling that will last until your next scheduled meal or snack.

And when you eat foods that are high in fibre, you will need to eat less in order to get to that “full” state. All of that fibre will also do wonders for your digestive tract.

Raw foods also tend to have a fairly high water content, which means that by eating raw, you will be getting more of that life-preserving fluid than you would in a dried-out and overcooked item. Raw fruits and vegetables, in particular, are very high in water content. Of course, you should continue to drink water as well, but a well hydrated body is one that can work at full capacity, helping you to burn the calories that you take in.

But raw foods are not a magic fix-all, and the weight they help you to lose will not simply drop away overnight. Fat takes time to build up in the body, and it will take time to remove. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t see instant results. The long-term good that a raw diet will do for your system is worth the time.

3 Simple Diet Tips to Eat Healthier

May 1st, 2010

Everyone wants to know how to eat healthier with minimal effort. It’s human nature.

The good news is that eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, there are some really simple diet tips I want to share with you to help you out.

Along these lines, one of my clients recently asked me the following question:

“Hey Yuri, I love your videos and workouts, but I just wanted to ask you a question about diet. I cant realy make big changes to my diet but what are the simplest and easiest things I can change to get healthy and lose weight?”

To answer this question, I put together the following video where I give you 3 simple and highly powerful diet tips to eat healthier than ever!

‘Eating for Energy’ Saved my Life

May 1st, 2010

Ten years ago my wife and I sat in our favorite sofa and wondered how living in an “Old Age” home would be like. We where 48 years old and ready to settle into a sedentary life and wait to die.

We both have fond memories of feeling old and worn down and thinking we were all alone. When I say “fond”, I mean fond to the wake up call. Being former athletes, even thinking the way we were turned our stomachs inside out.

From that day on, we have been on a mission to achieve Perfect Health. Ten years later, and we now have been together for 42 years and planning for the next 42. Add it up friends, that will help us reach our goal of living “Healthy” until at least 100. Unbelievable, do you agree?

Eating for Energy has become and will always be a big part of our recovery and the reason I want to speak to you all on the Eating for Energy blog is to tell you not to feel alone. Pierrette & I have found thousands of people that feel or felt just like we did. When I say that Eating for Energy saved my life, I truly mean it.

We began what we now call our Thee Quest to find the solutions to our state of mind. We studied and listened to many others that offered help. We where both overweight and wondered if our state of mind had anything to do with our overall terrible sense of always being tired.

After many months and years of trial and error, we were able to lose much of the added weight, but, there was always something missing. We could lose the weight, we are very disciplined, but we needed much more than this. What was the missing ingredient?

We were mad and helpless. We have had this gnawing sensation in our hearts that there had to be more and we began our search to not only “do” what we had to, but  understand “Why“.

Finding Yuri Elkaim BPHE,CK,RHN saved my life because every line I read from his teachings revealed information I did not yet know or understood. The importance of why we eat, alkalinity, allergies,acidity etc. just all made sense because he has the ability to write and talk to “me“, yes just “me”. There is a line that he says and I quote,”If you apply even just 10% of the teachings in this book your life will transform dramatically”. Bold statement. Can you believe that? We do, ‘NOW’.

The biggest mistake we all make is to assume that we understand how to eat, why we eat, the benefits of or the outcome of what will happen if we do this or that. Do you understand what I am saying?

Follow Pierrette & I on the blog and we will share much of what we have learned.

It has saved our lives, it can save yours also.

P.S. Go to page 348 of ‘Eating for Energy‘ and have this incredible drink. Sorry Yuri, I know I am not suppose to give your secrets away but, this is too good not to share with the world.

Pineapple Fruit  Cocktail:

1/4 medium pineapple

2 pear

1 inch fresh ginger

In a juicer blend all ingredients, pour over ice, and serve. Tell us what you think?

mem_pics.phpPierre & Pierrette Trudel: from http://www.theequest.com

Thee Quest For Perfect health

How Does Water Help to Lose Weight?

April 28th, 2010

If you are looking to lose weight, one great way is to replace some of your usual beverages. Many people enjoy the occasional tumbler of soda, the odd bottle of beer or glass of wine, a cup of coffee in the morning, or even an energy drink after a workout. Of course, in an effort to make the switch from these less-healthy options, you have probably tried all sorts of fancy and expensive drinks. But for the largest effect on your efforts to be less large, you might want to consider the ultimate raw food.


Yes, a glass of water, as part of a raw food diet for weight loss, might sound too simple to do much of anything, but water is an essential part of a better diet and a healthier lifestyle.


Yes, water can be used as a straight-up replacement for your regular unhealthy beverages. You might think that you simply cannot start your day without a cup of coffee – but that caffeine only gives you a quick hit of energy, followed by an equally rapid crash. Not only that, but coffee is a diuretic, which means that you will end up more dehydrated than had you drank nothing at all. But a glass of cold water in the morning, you may be surprised to find, can be just as energizing as your coffee. The cold will bring your body to full alertness, unlike the soothing warmth of a hot beverage.


With a meal, you can replace sugary sodas and calorie-laden alcoholic beverages with as much water as you like. Not only is water free of calories, it also helps you to feel full faster when consumed with food – meaning, you will eat less when you eat that raw food diet with a few glasses of water, and still feel satisfied. That reduced calorie intake will help to keep the inches down. Another added benefit of water over alcohol is the lack of the usual intoxication. The usual “beer belly” is sometimes less about the actual beer that is consumed, and more about the poor food choices we make after we have downed a few drinks.


Water will also help to keep you hydrated before, during and after any athletic endeavors. Energy drinks might be full of helpful minerals, but they are even more full of sugar and stimulants that can render all of your hard work calorie-burning neutral. And don’t forget that you have replace what you sweat out, and a well hydrated body is also better able to work, meaning that you will be able to go harder and burn more fat just by keeping a water bottle handy.


Water really is one of the most important features of an effective raw diet plan. And for those of you who can’t stomach the thought of plain water, don’t be afraid to add other elements from your raw food diet – a slice of citrus –lime, lemon or even orange – can really liven up your boring old water!

Healthy Recipes to Help You Lose Weight

April 7th, 2010

waist womenIf you are looking to lose weight, you have probably tried all sorts of crazy ideas and wacky diets.

You’ve eaten nothing but cabbage soup.

You’ve stuffed yourself with celery.

You have fasted.

You have restricted your eating to daylight hours only.

You’ve downed three glasses of water before every meal.

You’ve tried diet meals, no meals and six meals a day.

But in the end, all of these ideas are unsustainable. They are plans that last a week, or a month, but they’re not true diet plans. They are “get thin quick” schemes that might work in a pinch, but the results don’t stick around.

If you want to get serious about losing weight, you need to make a lifestyle change when it comes to your diet. You need to alter the way you eat, for the rest of your life – not just until bikini season. And to do that effectively, you need to come up with some recipes that will not only help you to eat healthier, but will give you food that you enjoy making, love to eat, and will continue to bring to the table.

Incorporating more raw foods into your diet is a good, solid way to help you battle the bulge, but many people are scared off by the idea that it is difficult to prepare raw foods and make them tasty and interesting. With a little bit of imagination, you can make raw foods that are as satisfying as your old cooked favorites, but with tons more benefits to you in your goal to lose weight.

For instance, let’s say that one of your guilty pleasures is a nice plate of pasta. And we’re not talking a lean pasta with a thin sauce, either. We’re talking creamy alfredo sauce. You might think that such an extravagance is a serious no-no when you’re trying to lose weight, and you’re right. But the raw version is not only incredibly tasty, but it is actually going to help you shed some of those pounds.

To make the pasta, all you need is a regular sized zucchini and a vegetable peeler. Use the peeler to create “noodles” out of the zucchini, as thick or as thin as you like. Once you’ve made the noodles, toss them in no more than a half of a teaspoon of cold-pressed olive oil. Voila, you have raw pasta noodles.

To make the alfredo sauce, you will need a food processor or blender. To start, you will need to soak a cup of cashews overnight in water to soften them up. Drain the nuts, and toss them into the food processor along with a generous pinch of kosher salt, the juice of half of a lemon, and a third of a cup of water. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth, and add a bit more water if it is still too thick. Spoon over the pasta, and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Yes, that’s it. It’s simple, delicious, and will help you to get on the path of eating well for the rests of your life. Do that, and the excess pounds will take care of themselves.