Posts Tagged ‘Raw Foods’

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Stocking A Natural Foods Pantry

May 23rd, 2011

How To Stock A Natural Foods Pantry

natural foods pantry

If you want to improve your diet, and move over to a diet higher in Raw, plant based foods, then by having a well stocked pantry full of natural foods you will be able to create endless Raw food recipes.

Many of the following ingredients form the basis of many of the meals in Eating For Energy, as well as Raw food recipes you may find elsewhere.

It is not necessary to stock your pantry with all of these items at once. Draw up a meal plan for a week or two at a time, and slowly stock your kitchen with these items. Some are more expensive than others; however, by shopping around and buying in bulk you will save money in the long run.

You will also find that once you have all of these ingredients, your weekly grocery shop will mostly consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, with only the occasional need to replenish these things.

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Nuts, Seeds and Dried Fruit

Nuts are one of the most important ingredients in a natural foods pantry. They are included in some form or another in a large proportion of Raw recipes. The most economical way to buy Raw nuts is in bulk, and this is definitely a good idea as you will find yourself using such a large quantity of them.

There are a huge selection of nuts to choose from, the ones I suggest to start with are:

  • Almonds, Cashews, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts, Pecans, plus any other favourites you may have.

Seeds are another essential feature of a natural foods pantry, providing an instant high energy snack full of vitamins, minerals and protein. They are also great for adding to smoothies and sprinkling on salads. Some essential seeds to start with include:

  • Hemp, Pumpkin, Sunflower, sesame, flax and pumpkin, plus Alfalfa seeds for sprouting

Dried Fruit provides a natural source of simple sugars which are great for a pre workout snack. They are also add a delicious sweetness and texture to salads. Stock up on:

  • Raisins, Goji berries, apricots, cherries, dates

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Grains

Non glutinous grains are the easiest to digest and are the basis of many Raw recipes, providing a rich source of protein as well as many other vitamins and minerals. Stock your
natural foods pantry with:

  • Buckwheat Groats (technically a seed, but can be used as a Raw cereal when sprouted), Quinoa, brown rice, amaranth and millet

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Pulses and Beans

Always have a selection of pulses and beans on hand, so you can have a constant crop of home grown sprouts:

  • Lentils, Chickpeas, mung beans, adzuki beans

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Dried Herbs and Spices

Dried herbs and spices will transform the flavour of your dishes, as well as being an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. You will find yourself using them in almost every dish, so stock up on as many as you can.

  • Sweet Spices: Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon
  • Spices for heat: Chilli powder, red pepper flakes, paprika and cayenne pepper
  • Asian Spices: Ground coriander, cumin, garam masala
  • Black Pepper and Himalayan Sea Salt

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Coconut Products

Although coconut is a nut, it deserves its own section, due to the wide variety of ways you can use coconut in your Raw dishes. As well as fresh coconuts, be sure to keep in your natural foods pantry :

  • Shredded coconut, Coconut Oil, Coconut Water, Coconut Butter

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Oils

Raw oils provide you with essential fats, and are delicious as salad dressings and mixed into smoothies for extra nutrition. Some oils to have are:

  • Olive oil, Flax oil, Sesame Oil and Fish Oil

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Raw Sweeteners and Sweet Ingredients

Natural sweeteners do not have the same effect on blood sugar, as refined sweeteners such as processed sugar. They are used in soups, smoothies and in Raw desserts.

  • Agave nectar, Raw Honey, Cacao Powder, Cacao nibs, Vanilla Extract

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Sea Vegetables

Sea vegetables are used to make Raw sushi and wraps, as well as being sprinkled over salads and other Raw dishes. Make sure you have:

  • Dulse/Kelp flakes, Nori sheets

Your Natural Foods Pantry – Extra Ingredients

Your natural foods pantry and refrigerator could also include the following:

  • Tahini
  • Braggs Liquid aminos
  • Fermented Sauerkraut
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Nutritional yeast

Boosters ( To be added to smoothies, soups etc, for extra protein:

  • Spirulina Powder
  • Hemp protein Powder
  • Glutamine Powder

All of these ingredients will enable you to make the meals in the Eating For Energy 12 week meal plan (with the addition of fresh fruit and vegetables), and will provide you with an incredible natural foods pantry.

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Living Foods For Optimal Health

May 21st, 2011

6 Must Eat Living Foods For Optimal Health

living foods for optimal healthLiving 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.

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Raw Food Breakfast Ideas

May 13th, 2011

Quick and Easy Raw Food Breakfast Ideas

raw food breakfast ideas

If you are only going to make one meal of the day Raw, then make it breakfast. Raw breakfasts are quick, simple, delicious and packed with nutrients.

Also, by starting your day in the healthiest possible way, you will be more likely to continue these good eating habits throughout the day.

Here are some Raw food breakfast ideas to get you started:

Quick & Easy Raw Food Breakfast Ideas

  • Smoothies – Raw smoothies can be whipped up in just a couple of minutes. They will provide you with an instant burst of energy ready to face the day, and provide you with mega nutrition. There are endless combinations of Raw smoothies that you could make meaning you never have to get bored. Simply choose your combination of fruits and vegetables and add water or nut milk. To boost the protein content of the shake and get some essential omegas, try adding spirulina, hemp, ground flax seeds or fish oil.
  • Juices – Raw juices are by far the quickest way to give your body a huge dose of alkalinity,  and infuse it with essential nutrients. Raw juices are like a pure shot of goodness, and can leave you completely energised and raring to go for hours.
  • Shop bought Raw food bar – if you really don’t have even 5 minutes to prepare a Raw smoothie or juice, then keeping a stash of organic Raw food bars will enable you to enjoy a Raw breakfast any time. Couple with a piece of fruit for a Raw breakfast on the run.

If you are not feeling very creative at this point, the check out Eating for Energy where you will find a whole section of amazing Raw smoothie and juice recipes.

Raw food breakfast ideas for when you have more time

If you have a little more to to spend preparing breakfast, then why not try out some of these raw food breakfast ideas:

  • Whip up a batch of fresh, delicious Raw nut milk and pour over Raw granola, or serve with sprouted oat groats and fresh fruit.
  • Treat yourself to a Raw dessert for breakfast! If you are used to eating sugary breakfast cereals, muffins or croissants for breakfast, then you may be craving something sweet. Raw desserts are packed full of sweet but healthy ingredients such as Raw cacao, agave syrup and coconut, as well as nuts, seeds and fruit. While it’s not a great idea to make these your breakfast choice every day, they could easily be enjoyed without guilt as a breakfast option one or two days a week.

If you are looking for a complete done-for-you Raw meal plan, which gives 12 weeks of Raw food breakfast ideas (as well as lunch, dinner and snacks!) then be sure to check out my 359 paged Eating for Energy eBook.

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Lose Weight With A Raw Food Diet Weight Loss Plan

May 6th, 2011

Design Your Own Raw Food Diet Weight Loss Plan

If you have decided to incorporate more Raw food meals into your diet with the specific intention to lose weight, then the good news is that by switching to more Raw meals, this will happen automatically! Raw foods are so dense in nutrients, that they will fill you up and satisfy for a fraction of the calories in your current diet! Eating foods that look delicious also creates a feeling of satisfaction, and Raw food dishes such as those in Eating For  Energy, are some of the most brightly colored and attractive looking dishes you will find anywhere!

The mouth watering gourmet dishes that can be created from Raw ingredients means that you can discover a whole new world of tastes, textures and flavor that are natures way of filling you up without piling on the pounds!

If you are looking for a specific Raw food diet weight loss plan, then by following the 12 week program in Eating For Energy you will be able to shed pounds effortlessly, while at the same time completely transforming your health. If you are looking for some general direction to create your own Raw food diet weight loss plan, then here are some things to bear in mind:

Don’t Be Afraid To Include Fat In A Raw Food Diet Weight Loss Plan!

You might think that if your intention is to lose weight then you should avoid fat completely. While it’s true that staying away from the harmful fat that you find in processed foods, meats and dairy products is a good idea, some fats will actually help you to lose weight! The good fats you find in Raw foods such as nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocados and coconuts actually play an important role in the fat burning process, and are essential to regulate metabolism! You may want to include these foods in smaller quantities while you are in the process of losing weight, but cutting them out altogether would be a mistake.

Drink even more water when on a Raw food diet weight loss plan

Drinking fresh spring water should be a top priority whether you are losing weight or not, but be even more mindful of this fact when you are trying to lose weight. Starting your day with a cup of warm water with a squeeze of organic lemon juice is the ultimate cleansing way to kick start your metabolism. Aim to drink another cup of water with lemon half an hour before each meal and sip water throughout the day to help regulate appetite and metabolism.

Up Your Veg Intake

Green leafy vegetables are among the lowest calorie, most nutritious foods you can eat. Therefore, include a high proportion of these into your smoothies, juices, salads, soups and snacks. As well as helping you lose weight, organic greens will also supercharge your body with essential nutrients, making you feel on top of the world!

Exercise Is An essential component of a Raw Food diet weight loss plan!

You will reap far more benefits of your new healthy way of eating if you combine this with exercise. Luckily, including more Raw foods in your diet means that you will feel much more energetic, motivated and willing to invest in your health. In fact, you will feel so good that it will be hard to sit still! An exercise regime will significantly speed up your weight loss efforts when combined with a Raw food diet.

Incorporating these simple strategies into your Raw food diet weight loss plan will make it even more effective!

 

 

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Dangers of An Acid Diet

April 28th, 2011

acid dietDo You Have An Acid Diet?

Keep reading to find out!

As you know, an acid diet is heavily related to many diseases and an inability to lose weight efficiently.

But what is it an about acid-forming foods that cause such problems in the body?

Well, to understand this phenomenon we need look no further than the early research findings from 2 Nobel prize winning scientists, Dr. Linus Pauling and Otto Warburg.

What they discovered was that cancer cells cannot grow in alkaline environment, yet they proliferate in an environment that is acidic.

Looking inside the body now, we can see that if your blood (most importantly) is just slightly acidic, a whole host of problems can occur.

I’ve described many of the problems that occur with an acid diet in a previous article.

But for now, just remember that following the herd and eating like everyone else is simply not going to help you lose weight or help you achieve the level of health that you want.

The reality is that most people are not eating anywhere near enough fruits and veggies and an even smaller portion of people are enjoying incredible health and vitality by eating a raw food diet.

Why Do Raw Foods Help Overcome an Acid Diet?

Because raw foods are alkalizing – the complete opposite of the acid diet that is so well in western world. Eating grains, animal products, and processed foods are all reasons that most peoples’ diets are becoming more and more acidic.

And that’s just one more reason that we are sicker and fatter than ever.

Do You Have an Acid Diet?

In case you’re wondering this question, it’s really pretty easy to tell if you have an acid diet or not. Just keep a food journal or at least be conscious of the foods you’re eating.

If you notice that most of your foods are coming from boxes, packages, and animal sources, then you’re most likely acidifying your body quite heavily. Especially, if you’re not balancing things out with lots of alkalinity that is provided by eating fruits and veggies.

Another way of knowing whether your diet (and thus your body) is acidic is to self-diagnose your current state of health.

Are you tired all the time?

Do you need to take frequent naps or sleep more than 8 hours a night?

Do you easily get sick?

Do your skin, hair, and nails look dry and unhealthy?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you owe it to yourself to make a change and clean up your diet.

So how do you that? Where do you start?

Well, you can start by watching this FREE presentation that I’ve put together for you. It will show you everything you need to know to alkalize your body and move away from an acid diet.

 

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